Mixels Unite: Retold

by synonymforexpd

Three years after the event of the I-Cubit scam that shook the world, the colorful and creative Mixels have drifted apart. With the help of a terrifying new power, King Nixel scatters the Mixels to the winds and takes over Mixopolis once more. Hope is not lost, and a new, monochrome Mixel sets out to discover his past, stop the Nixel Armada, and unite all Mixels!

4. Ignition Sequence

Chapter 4

Ignition Sequence

Based on the Mixels Unite fangame

3 years ago…

Noise. All he could hear as he scrambled down the street was noise. Chaos. Sirens wailed and Mixels screamed as the invasion raged on. The airship of the armada roared overhead as its shadow darkened the street. It was then that he turned back, watching an MCPD barricade in an intersection be overturned as Nixels made quick work of Mixopolis' finest. Ducking into an alleyway, Fuzer panted. His breath had been plucked from his lungs through the running he had endured. Never did the chance to look back arise as he cowered behind a garbage bin, the sound of a Nixel stampede plowing through the street was almost deafening.

Thinking fast, Fuzer pulled out his flame-decorated cell phone, frantically dialing a number as he held it up to his ear. "Combustor! Where are you?! Please, tell me you didn't pick up one of those I-Cubits!" He whispered frantically, but the only response he could hear from the other side of the line was a roaring static. "Nix… Nix…" A voice played over the phone, one Fuzer recognized as his brother's as he swung it shut, starting to hyperventilate as he sat down.

And it was then that he had noticed the Nixels that had silently crowded around him, grinning and snickering at him. Fuzer didn't get a chance to react as he was dogpiled, Nixel toxins entering his bloodstream as his colors dissipated and he became merely another mindless Mixel zombie, lumbering around aimlessly as the invasion of Mixopolis continued.

It wasn't long after this that the zombified Fuzer's attention was caught by a moving object in the sky, one of color and creativity that was unlike the now-monochrome buildings around him. Then, it exploded. Rainbow essence was sent raining down all over the city, a particularly large splash striking Fuzer directly as his Infernite-red colors returned. Stumbling to the ground, Mixels all around came to their senses and began to chase the Nixels out of the streets.

But Fuzer gritted his teeth. A Nixel had bitten into his head and the toxins had spread to his brain, critically damaging it beyond repair, but he didn't know that. All he knew was the want for a world of black and white, the want to be Nixed once more. His phone buzzed, an incoming call from Combustor. But Fuzer looked at it with rage, crushing it in his palms. While Mixels began to celebrate their victory, he stormed off into the alleyway, plotting.

Now…

A massive portion of the Nixel Armada had gathered in Mixopolis Stadium for the big event as the Mixel-Moon rose to the night sky. Horrific Nixel Mixes cheered and threw refreshments about as Fuzer stepped out to the field before a massive, mechanical contraption. It was tall, shaped like a ship-space but far larger and armed to the teeth. Murphy slammed a wrench against a massive exhaust, stepping back as content as they could be with the vehicle.

"Done?" Fuzer asked. "The work of a truly magnificent engineer is never 'done'... but this masterpiece is ready for use. We assume that's what you intended." Murphy said, Fuzer shooting them a glare as he held back rage. "Get the throttle fired up and get ready to load Nixels. We're leaving now." Fuzer ordered as he whistled, signaling for Kabum, Sour Poppa and Anglow to move from the bleachers to the field.

"Yar, this vessel be mighty unusual, captain." Kabum remarked as he glanced up and down at the craft. "The controls are built especially for you, Kabum. Get up there and get seated, all of you." Fuzer ordered. "Last one there is a rotten lollipop, hah!" Sour Poppa yelled as he bounced on top of Kabum and began climbing the ladder, followed by Kabum and an annoyed Fuzer. While Murphy began to open the storage bay for Nixels to occupy, they spotted Anglow staring up at the Mixel-Moon.

"Is there an issue, Glowkie?" They asked, Anglow going stiff in surprise of being spotted. "Uh, nope! Not at all, in fact, I was just about to board!" She said nervously, beginning to climb the ladder as Murphy looked on, a hint of concern in the permanent Murp's confused expression. Finally, they whistled and began to embark the craft, Nixels rushing in to the storage and fighting for room aboard among one another. "Ye weren't kidding, captain! This be a pirate's dream!" Kabum hollered as he sat himself in the pilot's seat, examining a control panel akin to that of a ship.

"Um, Fuzer?" Anglow asked as she seated herself in the cockpit, the Infernite grunting. "What is it?" He asked in a rude tone. "I'm just curious… why are we taking off in the stadium?" She wondered, surprised as Fuzer didn't immediately lash out with anger. "It's… it's the easiest place for a take-off with its flat surface." He said, a partially unsure hint in his tone. "Incorrect. The now-unused landing/take-off zone of the Pyrratz District houses a marginally more adequate space for what we are currently doing." Murphy stated, Fuzer's fuse igniting as he listened to this. "Just shut it. Kabum, get it running." Fuzer ordered as Anglow thought about why Fuzer would lie.

Unbeknownst to the others, Fuzer thought back to his days as a party clown long before the N-Mixel Armada had formed, specifically a performance in the very stadium they began to lift off from.

In the underground Party Valley of the Electroids District, lights flickered as subwoofers and tweeters roared. From the massive DJ kit lined with colossal speakers, Vulk spun discs and adjusted faders, overlooking a massive dance floor in which the many Mixels that M.C. had met along his journey were celebrating their triumph over King Nixel, in addition to any Electroids who were just willing to party.

"HAMLOGNA!" Zaptor yelled as he overlooked a pile of Hamlogna Sandwiches. Taking one and preparing to wolf it down, he caught a glimpse of a smug Jawg staring him down. He knew he wasn't faster at eating than a Fang Gang Mixel, so he sighed as Jawg's expression gleamed. However, in an unprecedented act, Zaptor pulled out a brown-yellow Cubit, extending it to the rabid Mixel. Before long, the two had combined into a ravenously hungry Mix. In the time it had taken them to Mix, Chomly had already devoured not only the sandwiches, but the table as well. The Mixel chuckled before screaming as the Mix began to chase him.

Stepping aside from the dance floor, monochrome Mixel, M.C., took a sip of a Frosticon-made cup of coffee. He had just gone on a wild adventure, and while it was thrilling, it was also tiring. Yawning, M.C. took another gulp, his vision beginning to fade as Pippy appeared in front of him and used a blast of light to keep him conscious. "AH! Oh, heya Pippy…" M.C. said drearily. "Common mortal Mixels such as yourself need sleep after being awake for such a length of time… or is it a lack of adventure that instills tiredness in you?" The heavenly being asked. "Maybe… Was I asleep before my memories began..?" M.C. asked through his confusion and drowsiness, Pippy hiding a look of sadness in their eyes as they contemplated revealing something to their only friend.

"STOP THE PARTY! WE'VE GOTS A PROBLEM!" The gathered Mixels whipped their heads around to see a panicking Flamzer as Vulk cut the music abruptly. "No time to explain, come!" Flamzer yelled as he turned around and bolted for the elevator. "Sounds like his usual paranoia, carry on." Zorch remarked, shrugging and not caring much. "SOUNDS LIKE ADVENTURE! C'mon, Pippy!" M.C. cheered as he shot awake gleefully, grabbing Pippy by a wing and pulling them along, making them turn red with anger.

Bursting out of the rusty elevator into the open plaza of the Electroids District, a moving light overhead caught the attention of both M.C. and Pippy, Flamzer staring with his jaw to the floor. "Whoa… a shooting star…" M.C. remarked, sparkle-eyed at the sight. "NO, YA MURP-BRAIN! That's a Nixel ship-space!" Flamzer yelled, pulling out his phone and showcasing a Mix TV report to M.C.

"This is reporter Screeno coming to you from… an undisclosed location! Myke, greenscreen the rooftop… I mean, this just in, viewers! An unidentified flying object has been sighted taking off from Mixopolis Stadium! Thanks to our photographer and camera on-scene, Camsta, we have high-quality images CONFIRMING that the Nixels' insignia is visible on the object! We have deduced that this must be a ship-space headed for the Mixel-Moon. As you can see against the night sky by looking for yourself, the craft is poorly disguised as it lights up the entire city. What do the Nixels plan to do up there? Will this result in the return of the Orbitons and Glowkies to Mixopolis? More at 11:00!"

Flamzer pulled his phone away as he shook violently in place, his feelers pressed up against the sides of his head. "If those Nixels get up to the moon, they'll be able to pinpoint ANYWHERE in the city! All that progress you helped make in taking it back will be null! WHAT WILL WE DO?!" Flamzer yelled as M.C. reeled in surprise, starting to panic himself. "Uh… we go after them!" M.C. suggested, Flamzer only going wide-eyed. "Don't you realize we can't just 'go after them'?! The moon's in outer space! Only a ship-space can get up there, and the Orbitons took em' when they left Mixopolis!"

Just then, a familiar vehicle skidded to a halt before the three, eyeing them smugly. "Oi, lads! Gots two waitin' for ya." Tassy, the living taxi said as he rolled down his windows, revealing an excited Burnard and a nervous Meltus. "I've gots a plan, heh-heh!" Burnard giggled as M.C.'s smile returned, embarking Tassy as Flamzer sighed. "Whatever you guys have planned, it's gonna be a Mixel-licking for the ages."

Minutes later, Tassy came to an abrupt halt before the Infernites' campsite. Since M.C. had been there, the three had repaired it brilliantly - by Burnard's standards. The central cabin had been mostly restored and the central campcube ring was ready for use, but they weren't here for that. "Follow me, I've gots something to show ya, heh." Burnard said as he stepped out of Tassy, being followed by the other three Mixels as an enthusiastic Save stayed behind and was caught up in scribbling notes down. "What EXACTLY are you showin' us, Burnard?" Flamzer asked as his brother halted before a large tarp covering an unknown object. "Heh-heh, you're not gonna believe THIS!" Burnard said excitedly as he yanked away the sheet, revealing a pristine ship-space clearly built by the Orbitons.

"WHAT?! How do you have this?! Do you even know how to fly- no, you're NOT flying this! That's a serious safety hazard, and-" Flamzer was silenced as Burnard placed a hand over his brother's mouth, giggling like a fool. "Relax, man! It's gots autopilot. I got it from Niksput a few years back, he said it was decommissioned due to a landing gear failure, whatever that means… so he gave it to me! Ha!" Burnard said, Flamzer face-palming as he ran back his brother's words in his mind. "Well, this won't be fun for the allergies if we're really goin' back up there…" Meltus sighed as he looked to the sky, the Nixel ship-space having already disappeared from view.

"Wait… you mean this can really take us up there?!" M.C. said, lighting up as Burnard nodded frantically. "Oh, no, no! We are NOT using a faulty ship-space, let alone letting this Murp-monkey fly it!" Flamzer yelled, only for Burnard to whistle and activate the craft. A hatch pushed open as a mechanical hand scooped up the three Infernites, M.C., and Pippy, retracting as it pulled them inside a cramped cockpit. The ship-space proceeded to adjust its position as it set course for the Mixel-Moon, taking off at unprecedented speed as the pipe trees of the Infernites District were rocked by the force.

"Ah, schnixel! I didn't get to ask M.C. for a continuation of his story!" Save lamented as he peeped his head out through Tassy's window, looking up at the spacecraft's ascent. "Ah, I'm sure you'll get an even juicier adventure when they come back down, mate."

In the cockpit of the ship-space, Burnard and M.C. cheered as Meltus and Flamzer screamed in horror. The craft was rocketing upwards at maximum power as Burnard giggled at the sight of alerts on the digital interface. "WHY DID I GO ALONG WITH THIS?!" Meltus asked as warning sirens began to blare. "Ignore it, heh! I'll have this down real easy…" Burnard said as he dragged his arms across countless buttons and controls, only making the warnings get louder as the interior rocked the four around.

M.C. was bumped around as he pulled up a screen detailing the craft's imminent course: the surface of the Mixel-Moon. "WE'RE GONNA CRASH! Gimme that control stick, Bonzipod-brain!" Flamzer said as he yanked his brother out of the way, attempting to pull the ship-space out of its collision course but failing, it locked to the course as a result of Burnard's mishaps. "Oh, schnixel! We're locked on course…" Flamzer said, sweat rolling down his cheeks. "What's a Mixel to do?!" Meltus yelled, a magical cloud engulfing the four Mixels as they suddenly reappeared on the surface of the moon thanks to M.C.'s Wiztastic powers. "Heh, no problem!" M.C. muttered as he gave a thumbs up, the ship-space tumbling and crashing into a mushroom cloud explosion not far behind him as he shook from the amount of energy used in teleporting the group.

"Heh, there goes our ride home." Burnard chuckled, helping a panic-stricken Meltus up. "Oh no, how're we gonna get back to Planet Mixel?!" He asked. "Thankfully, Orbitopia is on this rock. With enough luck, we'll get an Orbiton to fly us home so we don't have to do THAT again." Flamzer remarked. "Uh… is THAT Orbitopia?" M.C. asked, looking past the three Infernites as they reared their heads around and gasped at the sight before them.

The dome-encased city of Orbitopia stood with a massive exposed hole to the open space. Several used fuel tanks had been disposed of outside the city limits; the Nixels had beaten them there. Without hesitating, the four Mixels rushed up to the nearest sand green moon rock to the city, peeping their heads around the corner as they assessed the situation in the lunar colony.

Nixels had overrun the Orbitons' home as M.C. caught sight of several Nixel Mixes chasing a Mixel resembling a ringed-planet. The high-tech and futuristic architecture was damaged as the sounds of what little resistance remained raged on in unseen parts of the habitat. "Whoa, they totally turned this place upside down… A-CHOO!" Meltus erupted with a sneeze as the other three were alerted, hoping no Nixels heard him. "No sign of that giant ship-space either. Where did they hide it?" Flamzer wondered. "Any ideas? I've never been to space before. How are we even breathing right now?" M.C. asked.

"Add two to the conquered settlements count. Fascinating." Pippy remarked, having suddenly appeared in mid-air above M.C. as the three Infernites jumped. "Pippy! Got a plan, bud?" M.C. asked, delighted to see his friend. "No. I was just catching up for there was no outcome where I would be seated in that… space-faring contraption. As much as I am glad to be in your presence, you must be able to rely on your own strength to push forward most of the time. I am here for assistance, not to act as a crutch." They stated. "Right, assuming we're okay with the yellow angel cloud, I'VE gots a plan, heh!" Burnard said, raising a finger as Flamzer started to protest, only to sigh not knowing how to proceed with the situation himself.

Facing the rock wall before him, Burnard spat out concentrated breaths of fire, carving a detailed plan layout into the stone embedding. Pulling a scholar's hat and a teaching stick from seemingly nowhere, the Infernite cleared his throat as the other three sat on nearby rocks, Flamzer crossing his feelers while Meltus and M.C. sat attentively. "Okay, we've been up here at least twice. Once for the time we all forgot about and Flamzer thought was a dream, and the other before the Mixamajig Murp-mess. So, the central round dome building of the city is where Niksput, Nurp-Naut and Rokit all live…" Burnard began. "What, do you propose we just go in there flames blazing? There's Nixels everywhere!" Flamzer stated, interrupting his brother. "Why don't we just sneak by in the… a-ACHOO! Alleyways." Meltus suggested.

"Read my mind, heh. We'll slip by when those Nixels aren't lookin' and make our way up there! That place is their base of operations, they've gots to be there." Burnard said proudly, confident in his plan. "What about any Nixed Orbitons we might find? Or if they aren't there?" Flamzer asked, trying to foolproof the plan. "Well, we've gots Pippy for any Nixed folks!" M.C. said, pointing to the floating being. "They'll be there! Around now would be Nurp's nap time, so at least one of the two would be trying to keep guard." Meltus stated. "He's right! So, are we ready?!" Burnard asked excitedly, both Meltus and M.C. tapping their feet in excitement as Flamzer sighed. "Oh Maxes, why do I go along with you?" He asked, only to be pulled into a group huddle by his brother with Meltus and M.C., along with an uncomfortable Pippy. "Because…" Burnard began. "We're here for the adventure!" Meltus said. "...and to help out against the Nixels!" M.C. added.

Not wasting any more time, the five peeked around the large rock and slipped by, Burnard and Meltus tip-toeing up to the hole in the dome as the former Infernite taste-tested a glass shard to survey the cause. Followed by M.C. and Flamzer, the skittish Infernite shoved the three inside, attempting to keep his tail flame in check as his heart raced. Stepping into the futuristic city, the sound of a Nixel swarm approaching caught their attention as Flamzer yanked the four into an alleyway, ducking behind a white, green and gold trash chute. "Do you think we… a-ACH-" Meltus began, only to have his nose and mouth covered by Burnard and Flamzer as their hands were scorched trying to hold the sneeze down. Nixels marched by, and one singular Nixel Mix reared its head down the alleyway as M.C. peeked his head around the corner, spotting the nine-armed beast. It growled as M.C. retracted, stalking forward as the rest of the Nixel swarm continued on their path of destruction. "I think it saw me…" M.C. whispered as the Mix lunged around the corner, roaring as the four Mixels jumped out of the way in shock.

About to act, Pippy paused as they heard something moving around in the chute. Their attention grabbed, the Nixel Mix prepared to attack, only to be blasted in the face by bolts of energy. Stunned as burn marks covered its horrific face, the Nixel Mix looked up to see a grime-covered Rokit, blowing smoke from his laser blasters as the Mix growled. Then, a lasso of smoke curled around the Nixel Mix tight as Burnard chuckled, having gained an opportunity as he twirled it around and cracked the whip at the perfect moment, sending the monstrosity flying out through the hole in Orbitopia's dome with force.

"Rokit! Great to see ya, bud!" Meltus exclaimed as he latched onto his Orbiton friend, being pushed away as he remained alert. "You too, cadet. But I've gots to ask, what are ya DOIN' up here?!" Rokit asked, astounded that the Infernites had gotten up to the Mixel-Moon. "I'll do you one better, why were you in a trash chute, heh?" Burnard asked before Flamzer shoved him aside. "Excuse him. We're here because these two saw a Nixel ship comin' up here, and SOMEHOW Burnard had a ship-space laying around." Flamzer said. "Checks out, one suddenly disappeared from our repair bay ages ago." Rokit said unenthusiastically.

M.C. got to his feet with the help of Pippy, smiling as Rokit caught glimpse of the monochrome Mixel, his fight-or-flight response activated as he cocked his blasters and took aim. "A NIXEL! TAKE COVER!" He yelled as the three Infernites got in his way. "WHOA, that's M.C.! He's not a Nixel!" Flamzer pleaded. "Yeah, he's just some Mixel without colors!" Meltus added. "He can shift tribes, even!" Burnard chuckled, Rokit holding his blasters up as he was partially convinced. "Hm… What's that codename even mean, recruit?" He asked to M.C. "Uh… codename? Not sure what that means, but I'm MonoChrome!" He said cheerily, extending an arm for the Orbiton to shake, which he gently pushed down with a single finger while squinting at him. "You have my trust, soldier. Now, back to the mission."

Rokit turned around, only to witness the entire swarm of Nixels before him. In front was the Nixel Mix that had been launched out by Burnard, rage visible across its two mouths. "Welp, that was to be expected. ATTACK!" Rokit hollered as the Nixels began to charge. Being pulled back, Rokit glanced at a Cubit Meltus had revealed, sighing as he grabbed it and was pulled into a black hole by the illusion, spaghettified as he twirled around Meltus, reforming into a Mix that charged into the front lines of the Nixel swarm.

"Heh, I wanna do that." Burnard said, pulling out a rainbow Cubit. "Uh, have fun." Flamzer said, Burnard then looking to M.C. as the two grinned and touched the ore, sucked into a washing machine and spun around at overclocked speed until the appliance spat out a Mix with a huge mouth. "Flamzer, make us laugh." They said, grinning as they thought of a plan. "What?! I'm not a comedian, I'm a safety enthusiast, you AIN'T gonna find Vaudeville Hall material here." Flamzer stated as he shook his head, quickly realizing that Burnard would laugh at just about anything, let alone easier when his powers would be amplified. The Mix covered their mouth up as their face went red, ready to burst out with laughter as they darted into the scene of battle.

"We will not go in vain! MIX DOWN, MIX DOOOOWN!" The Mix of Rokit & Meltus yelled while being overwhelmed by Nixels, only to have the Burnard & M.C. Mix pluck them from where they struggled and throw them in the direction of Flamzer. "We can't hold it in…" The Mix muttered before opening their mouth and unleashing an eruption of laughter, topped with a cascade of flames that engulfed the entire swarm and split any Nixel Mixes with ease as the Nixels were knocked out. "Heh-heh… Flamzer's a scaredy-cat…" The Mix burped before splitting apart, both M.C. and Burnard completely dazed from the excess fire used in the attack.

"An interesting tactic that was. We'd better head inside, folks, before more Nixels show up after how loud that was." Rokit said. "Yeah… wait, inside?" Flamzer asked, agreeing until he witnessed Rokit clap his hands together and dive into the trash chute, flybuzzers swarming outwards as they were disturbed from their resting place. "Nope. Not happening." Flamzer said, crossing his feelers as the other three prepared to follow. "Dude, it's that or being Nixed. Besides, Rokit knows this place better than all of us, considering how cautious you are!" Meltus said eagerly, Burnard and M.C. already having dived in with Pippy teleporting after them. "You're… right. Okay, if we're gonna swim in trash… RACE YA THERE!" Flamzer said, accepting the scenario as he pushed Meltus away for a headfirst, leaping into the chute and scuttling through trash bags as Meltus laughed.

Rokit peeped his head out through a plethora of trash bags and recycled electronics, darting his eyes around to ensure things were safe in a darkened area. "Coast is clear, move out, soldiers!" He said, leaping out of the chute as the other four Mixels tumbled through the junk, disgusted. "Y'know, that was a lot worse than I thought it'd be, ha-ha." Burnard chuckled. "Where are we?" M.C. asked, brushing sludge from his body as Pippy re-materialized beside him.

As if to answer, Rokit approached a mechanical device and jammed one of his blasters through it, a series of lights blinking on as the other Mixels adjusted their vision to the neon array. "Welcome to what we Orbitons like to call "The Underworkings". All power in the city comes from here, so don't touch anything." Rokit stated, removing his blaster from the battered contraption as he began to stalk off. "Whoa… so, why'd you bring us here?" Meltus asked, following after the Orbiton soldier with the others. "Although this spans all of Orbitopia, the Nixels have NO idea how to get in here. So, we stay here and make a PLAN OF ATTACK!" Rokit yelled. "Well, this is MUCH preferable. By the way, how come the dome's got a huge hole in it?" Flamzer asked, only to walk head-first into an exposed set of wires and get electrocuted, making Burnard laugh. "We upgraded since the last time. That hideous vacuum of space is why…"

"Out of curiosity, would this place be powered by something like this?" M.C. asked, pulling out one of the nine Cubit shards he had collected along his journey so far, Rokit halting at the sight of the brown shard. "Boy, where in the great Mixelverse did you get a Cubit shard?" He asked, astonished and suspicious. "Uh… along my journey in Mixopolis I found these in each of the districts I've been to. Dunno where they come from, but they're powerful, and I've seen the Nixels use them for evil… so, better hold onto em'!" M.C. said cheerily, Pippy shooting him a look of concern. "Huh. We're not sure where they come from either, even with our high grade scanner technology… Oh, and to answer your question, no, too much power for the city to handle." Rokit shrugged, M.C.'s attention caught. "Wait, you guys have scanners?" He asked. "Yeah, why?" Rokit asked.

"I have no memories of where I come from or what's up with my colors, or powers… so, with the help of Teslo, he tried to scan me to figure out what's up with me, only to find nothing…" M.C. said, disheartened as he spoke. "Ha! One of Teslo's gadgets? That Electroid is smart, but he's got nothing on our future tech! Niksput's got a scanner, and… oh." Rokit paused, remembering the situation in the city. "You said this place stretches across the whole city, right? Why don't we just move around in here until we find a spot to get to him?" Flamzer suggested. "Now that's an idea, cadet. Unfortunately, Niksput's keepin' guard of Nurp's nap time in the central dome building, and the nearest exit is still a block away from it!" Rokit shouted. "Yeah, figured as much, heh-heh." Burnard muttered.

"Well, what other choice do we gots? Surely we can sneak by, right?" M.C. asked, Meltus letting out a sneeze to signify a glaring issue in the idea. "A stealth mission, huh? Fine, follow me, recruits!" Rokit ordered, marching off as the four began to follow.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure slipped out of the shadows, a glowing eye looking around after processing the information she had learned. Holding a lime Cubit shard in her mouth, Anglow placed the ore against an array of electronics, knowing it would overload them in due time as she lurked back into the darkness.

An air vent hatch slid open onto an Orbitopia street as the five Mixels' heads squeezed up through the hole, looking around for Nixels and struggling as they popped up onto solid ground with a shove from Pippy. "Coast is clear, men, hug that wall!" Rokit whispered as he slammed up against the white and gold exterior of an Orbiton house, Flamzer following to a tee as the other three Mixels stumbled about, forcefully shoved by Pippy. "Hold…" Rokit held up an arm as he peeked around the corner. "Uh oh…" Meltus muttered as he began to reel back, feeling a sneeze oncoming as the others went wide-eyed.

Thinking fast, M.C. shifted his colors to that of Frosticon and spat ice at the Infernite, freezing him solid mid-sneeze. "Are ya nuts?! How're we supposed to move a block of ice sneakily?!" Flamzer angrily whispered while Burnard struggled to hold back his laughter. "No other option, better hustle." Rokit ordered before slipping around a corner, crossing his arms and hiding behind a paper-thin street lamp. Embarrassed, M.C. looked to the frozen Infernite, only to notice that the ice was beginning to drip and melt. "Yikes! We're gonna have to move fast, help me out!" M.C. said as he began to push against the ice block, only finding himself unable to move it in any capacity. "C'mon, you two better Mix and catch up, heh." Burnard said as he threw a Rainbow Cubit to his brother, darting ahead after the battle-ready Orbiton.

"Okay, let's do this…" Flamzer said, extending the Cubit for M.C. to touch as the two became reflections in the solar panels of a large satellite through the ore's illusion, a gleam from the lightbulb sun spitting a Mix out of the craft's core. With a grunt, they hoisted a rapidly-unfreezing Meltus onto their back, scampering after Rokit and Burnard.

Tossing his helmet - and brain - out onto the pathway to attract any potential Nixels, Rokit confirmed that none were present, holding up a confused hand signal to a relaxed Burnard. "Bravo Romeo November Romeo Delta move out, coast is clear!" Rokit barked as he tripped and fell, making the Infernite fool giggle. "Kinda odd that there's no Nixels around. Surely they would've heard us by now, ha-ha!" Burnard snorted as he handed the Orbiton his helmet-brain. "You've gots a point, trooper. I ain't questioning it, because here we are!" Rokit said, pointing to the central building of Orbitopia overlooking them.

"COMIN' THROUGH!" Meltus yelled, his head freed from the ice but not his body as he plowed through Burnard and Rokit, knocking them into the base of the construct as the Flamzer & M.C. Mix followed alongside Pippy. "Guys, a whole SWARM of Nixels is comin', so you'd better get inside!" Flamzer urgently insisted as he split from M.C. "He's not kidding, once Meltus' head got out his sneeze was SUPER loud!" M.C. agreed. "Make haste, mortals. I estimate that several hundred Nixels make up that swarm, although they appear to be held within something…" Pippy said, squinting as the sounds of the destructive creatures grew louder, glancing through the buildings of Orbitopia with their enhanced sight. "Inside, NOW!" Rokit yelled as he hoisted the party above his head and tossed them into the building, diving inwards as he slammed the hatch shut with the press of a button.

"Well, that was awful dramatic." M.C. remarked as lights flickered on, revealing a pristine, futuristic interior with neon carvings and patterns along the walls. The small entryway they stood in gave way to a vast, circular room, filled with high-tech equipment such as scanners, monitors, and hologram projectors, clearly a base of operations. It appeared that this area even contained satellites to monitor the planet the Mixel-moon orbited. "Welcome to our humble abode, thankfully, it seems like no Nixels have infiltrated our high-tech security!" Rokit stated confidently.

M.C. stepped out into the main atrium, examining the equipment as he began to poke around. "Ooh… what's this do?" He asked, being picked up by Rokit before he got a chance to lay a finger on a device placed atop a pedestal. "THAT is a highly explosive and lethal device, do NOT touch it! OR ANYTHING!" Rokit bellowed as M.C. had already escaped his grasp and was poking at a fossilized Coconapple. "Ugh… Look, while we're here, might as well follow up on that scan I promised you." Rokit said, floating over to a compact and sleek machine as M.C. lit up. "FOR REAL?! Oh, this is great! Nothing could ruin this now!"

"Alert. Breach at Room 415-29." An alarm sung as red sirens flashed everywhere, protruding from the ceiling. "Spoke too soon!" Flamzer shouted. "Argh! Stay here and free Meltus, M.C., floating guy, follow me!" Rokit yelled, grabbing M.C. by the arm and rushing off, Pippy extending their wings as they soared after the two. "Get your flame on, we've gots to melt this!" Burnard said to Flamzer as his brother turned his rear to the block of ice surrounding Meltus. "We're gonna be here forever! Gots any other ideas?" Meltus asked, worried for himself and the others now that the building was unsafe. "Hm… OH! Be right back, heh…" Burnard said before darting off in search of something. "Murp-monkey! Ya can't just leave this to us!" Flamzer yelled.

Skidding around a corner as a gleam shone from his panicked eyes, Rokit faced Orbitopia's high-tech conveyor replacement for stairs as he launched M.C. at the belt, leaping after him without a second to waste. "I know this is important, but- WHOA!" M.C. was interrupted as the neon conveyor belt lit up with a bright lime and began to shift rapidly. "My Orbiton comrades are more important to me than anything, so it's do-or-die if I find them in danger… and if Nixels are up there, Niksput must've…" Rokit trembled, but proceeded to cock his blasters, ready for action. M.C. looked to the Orbiton, admiring his resolve and seeing himself in him. "Yeah, I'd do the same for my friends. I know you don't trust me… but we've gots a lot in common." M.C. said, thinking back to how aggressive Rokit was upon first sight as the Orbiton relaxed slightly, sighing. "I've gots an idea." He said, pulling out a Rainbow Cubit as M.C. grinned.

Around the corner of the spiral conveyor, a battle-ready Mix of Rokit & M.C. lunged forward, but came to an abrupt pause as they spotted an unconscious yet Nixed Niksput splayed out across the floor. "Huh." They remarked as Pippy shot around from behind them, zapping the Orbiton with light and restoring his colors as he drooled on the floor, still unconscious. "What in the Mixel came through here?" The Mix wondered, seeing the open hatch to Nurp-Naut's room ahead in the corridor, a series of footsteps extending through the entire hallway.

Wasting no time, the Mix glanced into the room, only seeing nothing changed inside. Nurp's cot and solar system-shaped night light array was as it were, while Naut's mini-library of research journals and pristine neon desk remained untouched. The only thing missing from the room was Nurp-Naut himself. Sweeping the room, the Mix found the central window to have its digital shutters active. "Hm, Nurp must've been nappin'..." They remarked as they tapped a digital button to deactivate the blinds, revealing a view of the entire domed city, only now with one major oddity: a massive contraption waltzing around the streets alongside a Nixel swarm.

"Ah, that would be the contraption housing the Nixels I witnessed a moment ago. Oh, by the way, your double-mortal associate is behind you." Pippy remarked, the Mix going wide-eyed as they turned to face a Nixed Nurp-Naut with Naut's aged eye drearily staring at them. "MOVE QUICK, FREE HIM BEFORE-" The Mix yelled, only to halt abruptly as they watched the Orbiton's head flip around, revealing Nurp's innocent, younger eyes. "Oh, schnixel."

No more than a few seconds later did a sonic scream from Nurp split Rokit and M.C., but sent the two and Pippy hurtling through the giant window. Crashing into the ground below as pieces of shattered glass and shards of ironzite that made up the walls of the room landed all around the three. Stunned, M.C. struggled to lift himself up while Rokit stared in awe of a form that began to overshadow them. "Would ya look at that? The little monochrome menace won't even stay off our heels even on the Mixel-moon…" An amplified version of a familiar voice sounded from a mechanical form as M.C. turned to face not only a giant, black-and-white ship-space, but the swarm of Nixels that surrounded it too.

"THAT'S HIM! The little BLOCK that RUINED MY CONTRAPTION THAT COULD CONTROL- ahem, do pardon. This IMBECILE running amok and thwarting our plans!" Another familiar voice roared over a loud-speaker as M.C. recognized the Nixel insignia printed across the giant, souped up craft. "Don't forget the dam! THIS MEANIE WON'T LEAVE US ALONE!" Even one more familiar sound yelled childishly. Two titanic thrusters jutted from the navigation array atop the main cockpit of the ship as M.C. got a closer look at the four Mixels behind the glass windshield: Fuzer, Murphy, Kabum and Sour Poppa of the N-Mixel Armada.

"Yar, do ye be ready to weigh anchor, captain?" Kabum asked to Fuzer as he grinned, nodding as the cockpit's glass lifted up and he leaped out, followed by Murphy and Sour Poppa. "So, we meet again. Is this all you've gots for backup?" Fuzer asked, noting an eyes-twirling Rokit and Pippy. "If our calculations are accurate - which they ARE - you appear to be outgunned, single-body. Our intel dictates that you have an unnatural tribe-shifting power, but that is meaningless against THE COMBINED POWER OF US ALL! A-HA-HA!" Murphy yelled maniacally, their voice shifting in tone as they spoke. "Plus, ya ain't gonna be taking my wand this time! It's gots NO Cubit shard, but ya CAN'T remove its power!" Sour Poppa boasted and blew a raspberry, resulting in both Murphy and Fuzer's annoyance. "Kid, shut it and don't tell him HOW to beat ya!" Fuzer roared.

Behind M.C., Nurp-Naut slowly floated down, eyeing Rokit as the dazed Orbiton saw his Nixed brother. "Before we turn you to the good side, tell me, how do you plan to go down? With honor as you accept what's right, or disgust as you attempt to delay the inevitable to no avail?" Fuzer asked M.C., who was shaking at the sight of the three. Pippy turned a dark red, enraged and ready to protect their friend, but halted as their super-hearing alerted them to something to smile about. "Hm, what is THAT?" Sour Poppa asked, pointing at the angelic being. "'THAT' is something beyond your comprehension, mortal child. After all, 'THAT' is responsible for my friend to gain the upper hand on the supposed leader that you sheep flock to." Pippy remarked, making Fuzer seethe, with smoke pluming from his breath as Murphy's curiosity was piqued.

"You never mentioned anything of being defeated, let alone by this… cloud." Murphy said, suspicious of their leader. "YEAH! All you said was that ya decided on a tactical retreat, that it wasn't necessary to crush the Mixels in the Spikels District!" Sour Poppa added as flames erupted from Fuzer's eyes and mouth. "CAN IT, WON'T YA? TAKE DOWN THAT GRAY FREAK, AND THEN THAT FLOATIN' THING!" Fuzer roared, his anger at an all-new level as his fuse burned bright. M.C. could only look on in horror as the three Mixels lunged for him, Kabum and the Nixel swarm erupting into laughter.

At the last possible moment, something pulled M.C. and Rokit aside, placing them out of harm's way as Pippy cleanly swerved out of the way of danger. Opening his eye, M.C. glanced upon a Mix of Niksput & Burnard, gleaming up as they struck a pose. "Just in time, huh? How's about we show these guys HIGH-TECH JUSTICE!" The Mix yelled, followed by Flamzer and a now-freed Meltus as they stood triumphantly before the enemies, led by a now-fuming Fuzer as his fuse burned dangerously close to his head.

Catching sight of Nurp-Naut, M.C. had an idea. "Flamzer, Pippy, you go with Rokit and free him. We'll take on these guys!" He said, giving a thumbs up as Flamzer began to panic. "W-WHAT?! You think I'M capable of doing that? No way, no how!" Flamzer said as Rokit placed a freshly obtained emergency Cubit in one of his feelers, sighing as he was taken apart by a power drill and attached to Rokit by the Cubit, forming a Mix with a huge blaster for a tail. "We've gotcha, buddy." They said as they eyed down Nurp-Naut, taking off after the two-faced Mixel as a massive battle begun, Orbitopian buildings being launched up from the force of Nurp's sonic screams.

"ENOUGH OF THIS! KABUM!" Fuzer yelled for his team member as the Pyrrat Mixel graciously eyed the simplified controls of the ship-space. "This be PERFECT, captain… EAT GUNPOWDER, YE SCURVY DOGS!" Kabum hollered through the craft's loudspeaker as he activated a barrage of missiles, firing from the spindly mechanical hands that had been tacked on by Murphy's tinkering earlier. Quickly Mixing with Meltus, the M.C. & Meltus Mix launched upwards using their extreme allergies as the Niksput & Burnard Mix grasped their hand, weaving in and out of the missiles' blast radius as the two Mixes ducked into an alleyway while the Nixels spread out through the streets.

"Alright, anyone gots a plan? Sup, by the way." Niksput asked with a stroke of glamor as the two Mixes split. "Uh, not really. How in the stars are we meant to take down that MASSIVE ship-space?!" Meltus wondered, attempting to keep quiet as he overheard the mechanical construct stepping through the streets. "I've gots an idea… Remember how that one we took had some sort of landing failure? What if we try to recreate that?" M.C. asked, getting Burnard to place his hand on his chin to think. "Wait, did you dudes really get up here using that busted craft? Burnard, my man… I gave that to you for a joke. The landing gear legs were TOTALLY busted, I didn't think you'd use it." Niksput said bluntly. "Heh-heh, we never even landed it anyway. Whole thing came in for a crash-landing so we ejected." Burnard scoffed.

"Plotting, are we?" Murphy asked before laughing maniacally, suddenly appearing behind M.C. They launched upwards and spat shards of ice which exploded into volts of electricity, the four Mixels barely making it out of the way in time. As M.C. ran, a lightbulb appeared above his head when a plan came to him. "Guys, that ship is relying almost entirely on those landing gear legs! If you can clear the way, then my Cragster powers…" He began, making Burnard light up. "Will knock it down like a pipe tree! Genius plan, hah!" The Infernite giggled through his fiery breath. "Great plan, but how're we supposed to get close enough?!" Meltus asked as the four halted as they stepped onto the street, faced by the swarm of Nixels.

Meanwhile, Flamzer outmaneuvered a barrage of oxygen tanks being hurled at him and Rokit, hearing them explode as they forcefully collided with the ground behind him. "HOW POWERFUL IS THIS BABY?!" He yelled, watching as Nurp rose slowly in the air before him. "Shockingly powerful. Just hold out a little longer, trooper, and Naut'll show his tired old face, giving that guy a chance to zap him!" Rokit stated, leaping out of the way of a small Orbitopian house being flung his way. "I am not 'that guy', I am a messenger of the Maximum Mixel, so some respect would be advised, mortal." Pippy remarked with a hint of sarcasm, phasing through a tossed chunk of electronic road.

"Ugh… that kid ain't slowing down. It's like being Nixed is making him go on a non-stop tantrum! Any ideas, private?" Rokit asked Flamzer, noting an aura growing around Nurp as his power appeared to be increasing. "I don't know! He's your brother, what's he like?! How do you deal with his tantrums normally?!" Flamzer asked, looking in panic as Nurp appeared to be charging a sonic scream again. "Hm… Usually we give him oxy-juice? Play a game of moon-rockball? Direct his anger into a crater?" Rokit listed off. "Oxy-juice it is, gots any nearby?" Flamzer asked. "Nah, but we got the mixture of ingredients for it in the lab… PLAN OF ATTACK! Gas cloud thing, you distract Nurp! Flamzer, Mix with me and get this done pronto!" Rokit yelled, giving neither of the two a chance to react as the Orbiton picked up Flamzer and blasted off into the dome building through its now-exposed opening.

"Mortal child and mortal elder… bring your worst, this may be fun." Pippy remarked as they glanced at the floating Orbiton before a sonic blast surrounded them, tearing up the street as the blast phased right through the entity. "Hm. The full extent of my power could easily allow an opening to free this mortal, and yet I restrain myself." They remarked aloud, knowing that a Nixed Mixel would be unable to comprehend them, but neglecting to say their next thought. "This charade is for my friend, but how much longer can I really put this up?"

Bursting into the Orbitons' kitchen as the hatch doors went flying, the Mix of Flamzer & Rokit tore the hinges from cupboards as they turned the room upside down in search of ingredients. "Surplus-sized glass… liquidized oxygen… a MOUNTAIN of freshly-grown carropeppers… AND A BLENDING!" The Mix yelled as they whipped out an egg-beater, aggressively mixing the ingredients in the glass as the iconic orange beverage was created. "AHA! Now, let's go save that kid, pronto!" They said confidently as they rose the glass of oxy-juice high, only to have the entire roof of the building ripped from its foundations as a form overlooked the Mix from behind.

"AHOY, BUCKO! I be afraid that ye won't be getting to use that booty there and halting our voyage!" Kabum's voice shouted over the loudspeaker of the armada's ship-space, the Mix turning to face the titanic form as its robotic hands spiraled outwards and attempted to grab the oxy-juice from them. "You ain't taking this, NOT AFTER HOW HARD WE'VE WORKED TO SAVE OUR BUDDY! CHAAAAARGE!" The Mix yelled, tossing the glass aside as they lunged toward the ship-space, a single Mix against the giant, modified contraption.

On the other side of things, a Mix of Niksput & M.C. cut through lines of Nixels with their blazing speed, carrying Burnard and Meltus in each arm as the tallest Nixel Mixes swiped at their feet with a mixture of claws built from teeth and studded feet in place of hands. Boosting at high speed, the Mix came to a landing near the far edge of Orbitopia's dome, knowing they didn't have long before the bad guys caught up as they split. "Okay, new plan: anything BUT the old plan!" Meltus yelled, flames bursting from his nose as he panicked. "There's no WAY we can take on all those guys at once, let alone three Mixels! Why even are those guys doing bad anyway?!" Niksput asked in a panic, M.C. shrugging in response. "Sounds like you guys are spread too thin, a couple more helpin' hands could be what ya need." A voice said from behind Niksput, a pair of glowing eyes blinking from the shadow of a building as the Orbiton reeled back and adopted a defensive stance.

"Or… a wing, heh." Vampos said, stepping out of the darkness and revealing himself to the four. "Vampos?! I thought you guys had a show going on?" Niksput asked, shocked to see his Glowkie comrade. "Well, you know how long Globert's opening acts go on for. Thought I'd head up here and say howdy, maybe see if you guys were up for a game of volleyball… only to see a hole in the dome caused by none other than the Nixels. How'd that even happen anyway, I thought they were gone for good, let alone doing anything but Mixing?" Vampos asked. "Bud, you've missed a LOT, heh-heh." Burnard remarked. "Well, the extra help is always welcome!" Meltus added. "Agreed, and it's nice to see a friend… but what's one Glowkie in the Mix gonna do to help?" Niksput wondered.

"That's where we come in, first-in-command!" An Orbiton with a satellite dish for a head shouted as they saluted for their leader, followed closely by a group of about seventeen other Orbitons ready for battle. "Turns out this entire squad wasn't too keen on Globert's style, walked out with em'." Vampos said while Niksput's jaw hit the ground. "You guys were meant to be on lookout duty… eh, doesn't matter." Niksput said, shrugging off the urge to chew out a squadron. "So with all of these guys… we actually stand a chance!" M.C. yelled out excitedly, tapping his foot as Burnard and Meltus smirked, the latter pulling out a red Cubit in preparation for battle. "Y'know what, kid? You're right! ORBITON SQUADRON 0215, HOLD POSITION UNTIL MY SIGNAL!" Niksput ordered, floating up as the eighteen troopers saluted.

Stepping out onto the street, Vampos, the two Infernites, Niksput and M.C. faced down the entire swarm of Nixels, Fuzer standing in front as he scoffed. "You done running? It would be nice if I didn't have to blow this astro-junk to dust along the way… actually, I'm lying, it'd be great." The Infernite said and barked with laughter, Murphy sighing as the Nixels behind them all cackled with sinister intent. "You better believe we aren't done, evil-doer! No matter what happens, I, Niksput, won't let harm come to ANY of my Mixel friends. So, you might as well turn back now, or face HIGH-TECH JUSTICE!" Niksput yelled as he struck a heroic pose, pointing at the swarm while Flamzer sighed with embarrassment.

"Welp, tried to reason with ya." Fuzer said, extending a hand as the Nixels flooded around him, charging as they stampeded towards the five Mixels. "Uh, Niksput?" M.C. asked, concerned as he waited for the signal. "Wait for it…" Niksput simply replied, unmoving as the Nixels raged closer. "There's such a thing as too late, y'know!" Meltus shouted, but Niksput was unflinching. "Just a little longer…" The Orbiton said, watching until a Nixel was practically touching his goggle before shouting out, raising a blue-lime Cubit up as Vampos grabbed ahold, warped into strings of a dulcimer as a floating hand strummed, forming a Mix of the two. Sending a small group of Nixels flying backwards with a spinning kick of a tooth-lined foot, the Orbiton squad revealed themselves and charged into battle, forming several Maxes as they blasted through the horde.

"WHAT?! AGH! FALL BACK, ALL OF YA!" Fuzer bellowed as the fuse atop his head caught flame, Murphy and Sour Poppa attempting to keep their distance as they retreated. "Hah, knew that'd work! CHARGE!" The Mix of Niksput & Vampos cheered as the variety of Orbiton Maxes rolled out, sending laser blasts through the air as the Nixel swarm was chased down the lane. "We know you don't want to hear it, but we have an idea, oh dearest leader." Murphy said, annoying Fuzer with their choice of words alone. "SPIT IT OUT, THEN, WONTCHA?!" He roared. "We may not have an idea what that fool of a Pyrrat is up to, but two could assume he is still piloting the craft where we left him. If we lead these lower life forms…" Murphy began, being raised from the ground and flung forward by a magnetic force. "Then we lead em into a trap! FOOL-PROOF, HA!" Sour Poppa yelled, acting as if he had come up with the idea while Murphy seethed as they regained their footing. "Use that wand on us again, child, and you will be reminded of the force we can exert on these peasants."

"CAN IT! These bozos are catchin' up, so you'd two better help me OUT!" Fuzer ordered, spitting out a series of time bombs as both Sour Poppa and Murphy subsided their bickering, the Muncho raising the batch with his wand and Murphy super-charging them with a blast of lightning, proceeding to launch them into the approaching group of Mixels and Maxes.

Flamzer split from Rokit as the two ducked behind a cylindrical dumpster, panting at the sheer might they had faced that was now searching for them. "Why did you think we could take that on?!" Flamzer asked, rocking the Orbiton back and forth. "Listen, I don't gots any other ideas! Do you propose we sit there and get pummeled with the oxy… juice." Rokit said, slowing down as he realized the beverage had been tossed aside before they failed in their attempts to topple the ship-space.

"Be not of worry, I have retrieved it." Pippy stated, having appeared out of thin air and carrying the oxy-juice with a hand extended from their form. Both Rokit and Flamzer jumped against the wall of the nearby construct, having not noticed the being sneak up on the two. "YA CAN'T KEEP DOIN' THAT!" Rokit yelled, loud enough to have attracted the attention of Kabum as the ship-space cast a shadow upon the three. "Buccaneers, we can't be chasing all day. Come now and walk the PLANK!" The Pyrrat yelled as he brought down a foot of the craft, the three narrowly dodging as Rokit grabbed the oxy-juice and struggled to keep it from spilling.

Running along, Flamzer came to a realization. "Hang on… if you got the oxy-juice… WHO'S LOOKING AFTER NURP?!" He yelled, only to skid to a halt as the aforementioned toddler appeared before the three, floating in mid-air and showing no signs of stopping his Nix-enhanced tantrum. "Right, about that… the mortal child's head flipped around, so I took the opportunity to ensure the safety of the pacifying tool while the mortal elder remained still for all of ten seconds. No need to thank me." Pippy remarked as Rokit and Flamzer both eyed them. "You mean to tell me… he flipped around…" Rokit began, steam blowing from his ears with his anger while Flamzer looked back at Nurp. "Uh, guys?" He asked while tapping Rokit's shoulder, watching as a sonic scream from Nurp made its way in their direction as the walls of the building and ground around them was torn up.

A few moments later, not only were Rokit and Flamzer sent soaring, but the ship-space that Kabum was piloting as the force of Nurp's scream bounced around the entirety of Orbitopia, catching the attention of M.C.'s group as they paused briefly, noting a form rocketing down the city. "Is that…" Meltus began, only to go wide-eyed as the Niksput & Vampos Mix sprung into action, moving at lightspeed to pull the various Mixels and Maxes aside.

"Uh, boss?!" Sour Poppa asked as Fuzer whipped around in time to see the ship-space crash right into him, plowing through the entire swarm like a wrecking ball through a brick wall. Scraping along the street, the three members of the N-Mixel Armada came to a halt alongside the ship-space just before a fuel station, what was essentially a valley having been formed by the path of destruction the ship-space's skidding had brought. "Anticlimactic would be a word to describe that." Vampos remarked as he split from Niksput, surprised as the Orbiton squadron began to split apart and peek their heads at the heavily damaged ship-space. Flamzer and Rokit came tumbling to a halt at the feet of the group, bruised and battered.

"Ugh… Pyrrat, what foolery did you just partake in?" Murphy asked, dazed as they readjusted their goggles, positioned right up against the cockpit window of the craft. "Matey, that wasn't I! Look at that scallywag down yonder!" Kabum pointed out, referring to Nurp floating after them. "That brat is after wreckin' our ride!" Sour Poppa yelled, watching Fuzer clumsily stumble to his feet and cough up smoke. "What in the name of..?" Fuzer stuttered, watching the glowing Orbiton as he hovered towards the craft.

Without warning, Naut's head flipped around, making the elder fall to the ground as he slipped into a slumber, snoring away. "W-we went through all that…" Flamzer began, watching as M.C. proceeded to whistle for Pippy, who promptly restored the colors of the two-faced Orbiton. "Don't even mention it, soldier… just don't." Rokit said, falling onto his back with exhaustion while the others rushed down to Nurp-Naut.

Snores erupted from the elder as the Mixels crowded around him. "Any ideas on how to wake him up? He didn't choose a great time to pull this, heh." Burnard said, M.C. taking note of the jug of oxy-juice placed beside the exhausted Flamzer and Rokit. "Huh, what's this stuff?" M.C. asked, grabbing it and tasting it for himself, before flames shot out from both his mouth and his ears. "That is oxy-juice, my dude, only the spiciest of spicy drinks in the entire Mixelverse!" Niksput stated, grinning as he watched Nurp's head whirl around in no time and launch for the drink as it was flung from M.C.'s hands, the Mixel reeling as Pippy patted him on the back. "OXY-JUICE!" Nurp chanted as he downed the entire jug, burping and giggling as he floated down to give Niksput a hug. "NIKSPUT! What happened, did you get hurt?" The youthful Orbiton asked his brother. "Nah, but you totally tore up the city, little guy! Don't worry, you're not in trouble… but those guys are!" Niksput said, pointing to the dazed N-Mixel Armada and stumbling Nixels.

Spinning around, Naut's head showed itself as he coughed from the spice of the oxy-juice. "Good grief! That little whippersnapper can't drink THAT much of it. It's bad for him and for me!" Naut coughed through his words, Niksput rolling his eye. "Whatever, man. Needed to wake ya up from your nap somehow." He remarked, making the elderly Orbiton deflate from embarrassment.

"At least… tell me that group of Nixels with Anglow got the data BEFORE Kabum blew the roof off their tracking tower…" Fuzer grunted, watching as Murphy frantically opened up their tablet. "Er… there are no records of that." The Murp said as they winced, watching Fuzer's eyes ignite within seconds of their words. Before anything further would occur, a wide Nixel Mix stepped by, holding a disk drive that Murphy swiftly plucked from its claws and jammed into their tablet. "This better be good, split-face." The Infernite growled while Sour Poppa lifted up the cockpit's windshield with his wand, watching Kabum slink out of it. It took all of Murphy's unstable will to ignore the remark as the data loaded onto their device, displaying the coordinates to a specific location that made them break into a hysterical laughter, tossing it to Fuzer as he too grinned. "Get in, boys. We've gots what we came here for."

"Boss, what about Anglow? The Nixel we assigned her came, but not her…" Sour Poppa said, concerned for his teammate. "Aye, it be a cold play to leave behind one's crew before weighing anchor." Kabum agreed, only to be silenced as Fuzer snapped. "If that Glowkie wants to abandon her post, sending only a mere Nixel to return with what he- I asked of her… then she's worthless to us." The Infernite said, stepped back into the ship-space as Kabum and Sour Poppa looked at him with both horror and fear. "Well, get in, peasants. If we don't leave now, those 'heroes' will apprehend us, rendering our entire endeavor an utter failure. Do you think we can have that?" Murphy asked, raising their claw to the two as they shrugged and embarked the craft, frantically working to repair the core systems as Nixels quietly got to their feet and slipped into the storage bay.

'Worthless' was a strong word, and one that held a deeper meaning to her than the Infernite lunatic would realize. What did her contributions to the team ultimately mean if they were to be considered 'worthless'? Were her unique talents in illusions 'worthless'? Was her worthlessness just a mere tool for Fuzer to toy with until he grew bored, a pawn in the game? No, not anymore. She had been pushed too far by the sighting of one of his Glowkies, pushed too far by Fuzer, pushed too far by being 'worthless' all over again in what was supposed to be her chance to prove otherwise. Lurking away in the shadows near where the ship-space had come to a halt, Anglow had a trump card.

Hijacking the emergency projection system that ran against a thin hologram layer around Orbitopia's dome, Anglow's face appeared all around the city, shrouded in darkness as her three glowing eyes stared down both the heroes and the villains. "Ah, Orbitopia… you've never looked worse." She remarked, taking note of the trail of destruction the N-Mixel Armada had wrought as Fuzer shoved Kabum aside from the control board, staring up at the roof of the dome with shock. "So, 'worthless', huh? Is that what you really think, Fuzer? All of the illusionist tricks I taught you, the essence of surprise and theatrics… 'worthless'." She choked over her own tears as the Mixels looked on in surprise. "I… I think I know this girl." Vampos stated, thinking back to a time three years ago.

"If I'm so 'worthless' after all… THEN TAKE ALL THIS 'BRIGHTSPARK MONUMENT' NONSENSE BACK TO PLANET MIXEL!" Anglow screamed, her hologram fading away. The term pierced Pippy's mind like a needle, causing a mental shriek that M.C. reeled from due to the two's link. "P-Pippy?" M.C. asked, struggling as his ears rung and his vision distorted, only barely catching a glimpse of his friend shifting between their various colors as the other seven Mixels tended to M.C.'s state. "Whoa, easy! Looks like the cadet's having a migraine or something…" Rokit said, keeping M.C.'s head up from the ground as the other Mixels remained alert. "What the heck was all that about?" Meltus asked.

As Anglow slipped out of Orbitopia's dome, she thought about the makeshift explosive she had planted within the Underworkings was about to detonate any moment. No sooner than she had arrived at the domed city did she scan the layout of it, noting that the underground was where the energy of the place came from. Through tears of sorrow and pain, she hacked up a laugh. She would get some revenge now, and more later.

Just as planned, the lime Cubit shard that had been jammed into the Underworkings overloaded the circuitry, causing the entire city to blackout as a chain reaction of electricity traveled along a power line, leading up to the fuel station the ship-space rested against. Before anyone had noticed, the service blasted apart, sending the ship-space hurtling out through the dome and shattering every piece of glass as it went, the N-Mixel Armada on a collision course with Planet Mixel as their craft spun around out of control. Within, the four Mixels tumbled around as Kabum struggled to re-align the craft. Unexpectedly, Fuzer wasn't that mad, in fact, he was impressed. "Heh, I was totally wrong about that Glowkie's capabilities." He thought to himself.

"WHAT IN THE-?!" Niksput didn't even have time to react as the shockwave of the blast sent all of the Mixels scattering, as well as the many Nixels that hadn't yet embarked the craft as the dome blew into a million pieces of glass that zoomed out like comets into space. "Ungh… you guys don't need that dome, right?" Vampos asked, unaware of its importance. "OH NO! THE DOME! WITHOUT IT THE HIDEOUS VACUUM OF SPACE IS GONNA SUCK US ALL UP! WE'RE DOOMED!" Nurp panicked as he looped around in circles, crashing into Flamzer head-first as Naut was spun around by the impact. "The kid's right, that ugly vacuum's gonna get here any second now!"

Through the infinite number of glass fragments, M.C. saw a violet object slowly increasing in size as it made its way to their location, slowly revealing it to be a literal vacuum the size of a planet. "Isn't there anything we… can do?" M.C. asked, still unnerved from Pippy's mental shriek as he looked to his friend, still cycling through a variety of colors as they floated emotionlessly still. "Do you see that thing, private?! I've done my research, it gets larger with every planet it sucks up, mercilessly picking and choosing celestial bodies to feast on as it plunges aimlessly throughout the Mixelverse! THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO!" Rokit bellowed dramatically. "Haven't you guys dealt with this before? I mean, it sounds like something that's happened before." Flamzer brought up. "That was your dream that kicked off our friendships, man." Niksput said.

"So, are we supposed to just curl up and be sucked into the abyss?! Every step of the way on my journey, I've seen every problem imaginable solved by one thing alone, and I believe that everyone knows what that solution is!" M.C. said triumphantly while the Mixels racked their brains for a moment. "Mixing? OH YEAH! HA!" Burnard realized, pulling out a red Cubit as Niksput did the same with a lime one. "How're we supposed to know this'll work? What if we just end up as vacuum food?!" Flamzer asked, having second thoughts. "LET'S DO THIS!" Niksput yelled, raising his Cubit high as Nurp-Naut and Rokit smiled, Burnard doing the same as Meltus prepared to grab a hold. With a sigh, Flamzer gave in and latched onto the Cubit as all of the two tribes did, dropping them into the two holes of a toaster as it primed down and cooked for a few moments, launching up the two Maxes as flames erupted from their feet to keep them airborne.

"Shall we, planetoid?" The Orbitons Max asked. "With pleasure, moon doogie!" The Infernites Max said as they rocketed off, racing each other towards the vacuum. "So, uh… what's the plan here?!" The Infernites Max asked, having launched into the scenario without any idea of what to do. "WE GET INSIDE AND BEAT IT WITH HIGH-TECH JUSTI-I-I-CE!" The Orbitons Max yelled, plunging right into the head of the vacuum as the latter Max attempted to turn around, only to be sucked in too.

From below, M.C. and Vampos watched as the celestial form grew closer and began to inhale the shards of glass orbiting the Mixel-Moon. "Uh, I don't see those guys coming out!" Vampos said in a panic. Looking to the bag of the vacuum and then to Vampos' teeth, M.C. had an idea. "So let's cut them out!" M.C. said, extending a Rainbow Cubit as both of them were whisked into a cocktail glass and promptly sucked up through a straw, popping out as a Mix that soared up towards the vacuum.

Striking an elegant pose, the Vampos & M.C. Mix barely swerved around the flow of the vacuum's pull, soaring up by the bag of the machine. With their extended teeth, the Mix bit into the cloth, tearing it as it began to unravel, barely moving aside as the two dust-covered Maxes tumbled out. "Well, that was embarrassing." The Orbitons Max remarked. "It's… not slowing down! Even without the storage, it's still gonna suck up the entire Mixel-Moon!" The Infernites Max realized, watching as space rocks began to be plucked up and shot out through the hole in the bag.

"Hm, guess this calls for something BIG, wouldn't you guys agree?" The Vampos & M.C. Mix said, pulling out a lime-red emergency Cubit they had taken from the city. With a smirk, the two Maxes nodded as the Cubit was thrown their way. Latching onto it, the two Maxes performed a tango before spinning around, morphing into one another as a Mix of Maxes had appeared. "Let's finish this." The six-Mixel Mix stated before blasting off with extreme force, supercharged by both the thruster capabilities of the Orbitons and the flames of the Infernites. With one strike, the Mix plunged right through the head of the vacuum, crippling it as it was engulfed in a ball of fire and exploded, ending its reign of terror across the Mixelverse.

Coming to a heroic landing as they landed below, the Mix split apart, the six Mixels lighting up from the experience. "THAT WAS AMAZING! You're telling me that Maxes can Mix?! More than two Mixels in a Mix?!" M.C. asked excitedly as he split from Vampos, the Glowkie chuckling as he watched the Mixel bounce around in excitement. "You really live under a rock, heh." Burnard remarked. "Of course many Mixels can Mix, they're just more unstable, hee-hee!" Nurp said, floating around playfully.

A massive chunk of the destroyed vacuum crashed into the ground near the party, making the Infernites and M.C. bounce off the ground for a moment from the force. Coming crashing down also with the lime Cubit shard that had been jammed into the electronics of the city, causing the damage it had. "Is that one of those… shards?" Meltus asked as M.C. approached, picking it up as he noted the shock marks on the relic. "Who jammed that thing in the Underworkings?! There's signs that say 'No Cubits' for a reason!" Naut angrily stated, flipping his head around. "Guess you really had better hang onto that, cadet." Rokit said to M.C. "Not to interrupt, but are we just gonna ignore the fact all those Nixels have magically vanished from the streets?!" Flamzer brought up.

Outside of the city limits, Vampos caught sight of several Nixels leaping into a crater, seemingly following by command. "Whoa, the Nixels are going underground!" He pointed out. "You don't think they're going for the Glowkie caves, do ya?" Niksput suggested. "If that big meanie Glowkie is still around, they might be giving chase!" Nurp added. "BATTLE STATIONS, MIXELS! WE MOVE OUT, HUP-TWO-THREE-FOUR!" Rokit hollered, marching out triumphantly. "What about the ruins of this place?" Flamzer asked. "LATERS! HUP-TWO-THREE-FOUR!" Rokit chanted as he moved out with the others, leaving behind only M.C. as he looked to where Pippy had been, seeing no sign of the entity.

Worried, M.C. followed suit, not knowing what was going on with Pippy: his friend. "What even is a Brightspark? Why did they freak out even hearing that?" He thought to himself as he caught up with the others.

Within the underground of the Mixel-Moon, Glowkies from far and wide gathered in the central auditorium in the celestial body's core, the one placed directly in front of the highly dangerous gravity plug. The vibrant lunar stones that made up the hollowed cave all formed an alternating pattern that pointed towards the central stage, one that Globert took to with his glamorous getup as the crowd cheered for their showmanship-heavy leader. "Hello, ladies and gentlemonsters! Welcome to our FANTABULOUS show!" He said while floating upwards, spotlights shining around him as he extended a wing to the audience, seeing appendages raised up among the sea of Glowkies as they whistled for him.

From a stalactite observation deck, Anglow stared at him. Many emotions filled her three phosphorescent eyes as she watched the show begin, a sensory ambush of light and sounds as Globert performed away, assisted by those bat helpers. Those exact light patterns. Those very same moves she had taught him. A Nixel minion beckoned to her, as she looked back to find a whole swarm at the ready. Some were even Mixed into the monstrosities that would terrify even the Glowkies like her - those that matched the terrifying descriptions of the legends Orbitons had passed down about blood-sucking vampires.

With a bite of the Cubit shard, the luminescent stones of the cave fizzled out, leaving everyone trapped in darkness as the only source of light were their eyes. "Uh… technical difficulties, my little monsters!" Globert said in a panic, only for a spotlight to reappear on him, revealing Anglow and the swarm of Nixels behind him. "Hello, Globert. Did you miss me?" She asked, the Glowkie leader's pupil shrinking as he caught glimpse of her. "Anglow… I thought you…" He said, not getting a chance to finish as her control of the Cubit shard engulfed him within an illusion, one that soon enveloped the entire crowd as they looked upon a far more terrifying version of the lost Glowkie.

"Let's see what a little SCARE will do to our guests, shall we?"

"...and one more right after another few turns SHOULD have us reach the sublevels of the Glowkie Caves!" Vampos stated as he trailed on, the other seven Mixels following reluctantly as they grew tired. "All due respect, but we've been following you for thirty minutes now! You could at least be considerate of those around you's physical wellbeing!" Naut said, exhausted from the movement as Nurp's cheery eyes flipped around. "Silly Naut, let me do the moving! WHEE!" The youngling Orbiton said, flinging himself around and crashing into a variety of sand green space rocks.

Hovering above with his newly found Orbiton abilities, M.C. examined the darkened caves around him, only noting black and green, drab stones that were illuminated by the glow of Flamzer's tail flame. "If we're gonna be here for a while, might as well make small talk. Little guy, how the heck can you shift tribes?" Niksput asked M.C., laying back and crossing his legs as he hovered forward effortlessly. "I really have no idea. Rokit offered to use one of you guys' scanners earlier, but we're a bit sidetracked right now." M.C. explained. "No kidding, do you really remember nothing about yourself?" Nurp asked, interested in the Mixel's story. "Nope. I even had someone rip through my memories… there's nothing there. I don't know where I'm from, why I can swap tribes, or even who I ultimately am… At this point, I'm just doing things because others find it right…"

Visibly distraught, Rokit placed a hand on M.C.'s shoulder. "Rookie, none of us really know where we're headed, in two ways right now." He said, looking to Vampos as he continued trekking along. "One day you'll find yourself, dude. You only just came to the world, for all we know, and despite the fact you've gots a whole life ahead of ya, you've already done so much!" Meltus added. "Yeah, can't think of another Mixel that helped free so much of the city that quick. Except Booger, heh-heh." Burnard remarked. "I guess, it's just… my past. Do I even have parents? A place I came from?" M.C. wondered. "Doesn't really matter, if ya ask me. Just go with the flow, see where life takes ya." Vampos said as he gave his own take.

"Thanks, seriously. Now, on another matter, considering I have the floor and haven't gotten to ask questions for a while, just what is this Mixel-Moon we're on?" M.C. asked, his curiosity piquing again as he glanced upon a series of stalactites dripping with a neon liquid. "You really don't know? Planetoid, where DID you come from?!" Naut asked sarcastically, flipping around as he shook M.C. around. "Well, it's a big floating rock that used to be a part of Planet Mixel that ejected from the pitiful stone after something hit the ground hard enough for it to come flying out. Skip a few hundred years, the first Orbitons landed here, terrified of the Glowkies that had somehow began life up here. That enough of an explanation?" Rokit rattled off the top of his head. "Whoa… so, did you guys ever live in Mixopolis?" M.C. pondered, intrigued in the history of the two lunar tribes.

"For a time. There's still a bunch of Orbitons and Glowkies down there now, but…" Vampos began. "Us leaders never really got along. When those districts were being set up, no plans were even considered for us two tribes, only a few launchpads. Plenty of Glowkies couldn't stand the typical housing of the city, so went into the sewers." Niksput said, thinking back to the meetings of the tribal leader council years ago. "We all came back up here… I miss Mixopolis!" Nurp expressed, flipping his head around while not fully understanding the conflict. "No way are we ever headin' back down there, little space cadet. If those folks can't even unite to save their city again… then what business do we have?" Rokit declared, crossing his arms.

"That's a bunch of nonsense!" Nurp protested. "Nurp…" Niksput said in a disappointed tone. "Y'know what, that kid is right! You guys don't see it because you're all 'superior' with your tech, but that city's been putting itself back together!" Flamzer argued. "Yeah! The past day alone has had the Nixels be pushed back out of what… nine districts?" Meltus brought up. "Even those super terrifying Mixes they can do now are no match, ha!" Burnard said. "And it's because everyone is uniting again! I don't know everything about the history of that city, but I know for sure things are better now than they were before. I've watched Mixels heal broken bonds and Mix together like they hadn't before!" M.C. finished, enthusiastic and optimistic for the future of Mixopolis. Both Niksput and Rokit thought about these words while Naut's head flipped around, smirking in agreement with the toddler on the back of his head and the Infernites. "Guess we oughta pay that city another visit after all this is over. Things really can change." Niksput stated, Rokit sighing in agreement.

A reverberant sound echoed around the hollowed-out openings of the drab and dreary caves, alerting the eight Mixels as they all took defensive positions. "Uh… could be a Nixed Mixel. Or one of those Nixel Mixes… yikes." Vampos remarked, creeping slowly as he hugged a corner, glancing around it with his glowing eyes. "Huh?!" He was surprised to see his brother, Boogly, laying on his backside atop a flattened rock, fast asleep and snoring loud enough to make the caverns shake. "Wasn't expecting… that. On the luminescent, bright side: we're almost there! The bad side is that only he knows the way forward, having carved out all these caves." Vampos said nervously, the other Mixels expressing disappointment. "Didja ever think to map these caves when coming back into them?!" Flamzer asked.

"You know what they say, a sitting Quacksler's a dead one. Thankfully, I've got just the solution for those who sleep on-duty…" Rokit said as he pulled out a container of his signature Rokit Sauce, tip-toeing over to the snoring Glowkie as he gently raised it over Boogly's mouth. With the gentlest squirt, a droplet of the condiment fell onto the snob's tongue, immediately making his eye widen as he shot awake and spat a geyser of flame at Vampos. "Eugh! I don't remember cave droplets tasting like… Rokit?!" Boogly snapped in the direction of the Orbiton, unhappy with being forcefully awakened with a scorch as Vampos brushed the fresh ash coat from his body.

"Rise and shine, trooper. Any clue how to get us further down these caves?" Rokit said, wincing slightly as the Glowkie yawned loudly in his face. "Ugh, how boring. If you insist, I shall, my Orbiton neighbor." Boogly conceded, tumbling to his feet as he stretched out his four legs. "Okay, now where do you folks need to go?" He asked. "Bro, you probably slept through it, but a psychotic Nixel-aligned Glowkie stormed down here with a whole swarm of Nixels. Can't pick up on any tracks, so we oughta go find Globert, right?" Vampos suggested. "Eh, Nixel invasions are not something I haven't seen before. Go on down through the caves, you'll find the way to the auditorium eventually." Boogly said.

"Oh come on! That was in Mixopolis, man. You can't say you've seen a Nixel on the moon before." Vampos argued, thinking back to the brief period of time in which the Glowkies had inhabited the city. "You're very argumentative… fine, I'll help you find Globert." Boogly sighed, giving in with his hate of conflict. "Right on! So, where we headed, my man?" Niksput asked. "Uh… hm. Give me a second to think back…" Boogly halted as he looked to a diverging path in the caves. "Didn't you dig out most of these? How did you forget which way's which?" Burnard asked. "There's a lot of caves down here…" Nurp added in the Glowkie's defense.

"If you dug out these caves… and want to be impressed by something you haven't seen before… IDEA!" M.C. said, pulling out a Cubit as the Glowkie continued eyeing the pathways, attempting to connect dots in his memory. "Sure. What could you possibly do that I haven't seen or done before?" Boogly asked, stubbornly, only to see M.C. place himself in front of him and extend a Cubit. "We haven't met yet. Name's M.C., and when I Mix with others, they're always in control and have their powers amplified." M.C. said confidently. "Hm… Alright, sure. Let's see how this goes." Boogly shrugged and tapped the ore with one of his feelers.

Placed inside of a hyper-real mouth and chewed up as if they were gum, the two Mixels were blown out together as a bubble, popping as a Mix burst out and cleared their throat. "Okay… munchin' time!" They yelled as they tore into the ground with their rock-hard teeth, razing through the ground like a power drill. Before long, they were deep underground, the other Mixels left behind peeping into the hole. "Last one there's a rotten egg-rock!" Burnard yelled before cannonballing down the chasm.

Bursting out from an embedding of stone, the Boogly & M.C. Mix split, illuminated by the glowing rocks all around. "Is this where we were going? It's so pretty…" M.C. remarked as the following Mixels burst out of the freshly-created hole. "We're almost there… I think. As unimpressive as it is, I recognize this pathway and these huts." Boogly stated. As a multitude of colors ambushed M.C.'s vision from the plethora of stones and cave features, he caught glimpse upon the variety of Glowkie homes, all built from the same type of glowing stone. "Strange, nobody's around. Guess they're all at the… show." Vampos said as he put two and two together. "There's a show on? Of course that crook'd be going after it!" Flamzer said. "Auditorium's just down the pathway, come on." Boogly beckoned as he trotted off.

As the Mixels journeyed deeper into the cave, they began to notice a gradually increasing sound that only grew the further they went. "Huh, that's music. Guess we got here first?" Niksput wondered as the group passed by a series of teeth-esque stalagmites and stalactites. "That… that ain't Globert's style of jam." Vampos remarked, pausing for a moment as he tuned his ears to the growing amplitude. "I've heard this before. Sounds like something he hasn't played in years with some other Glowkie… that one angler-fish lookin' one that people got terrified of." Boogly thought back, making the others glare at him attentively. "Anglow? She performed with whoever this Globert guy is before?!" M.C. asked, astounded as he put the pieces together.

"Huh, that's her name. No wonder I recognized her earlier…" Vampos remarked as he thought aloud. "Yeah, that girl was one of the best performers we ever had: which means a lot coming from me. Seems she went down whatever path that was after getting the hatchaxe." Boogly said. M.C. thought about this for a moment. The first thing he had learned about was the conflict of Mixels versus Nixels, a black and white heroes and villains scenario. Of course, the N-Mixel Armada muddied everything. He too had just accepted these evil Mixels as the shadow against the light, but knowing now that Anglow was originally just a normal Mixel like everyone else changed everything. Why was she doing any of this and hurting her fellow Mixels? Were any of them even really all that bad?

As he would soon discover, yes. Turning one final corner, the party overlooked the grand auditorium, gobsmacked at the sight before them. The stage had been transformed, violent protrusions of jagged glow-rocks extending in every direction imaginable as blacklight spotlights shone everywhere, creating a vibrant array of distorted colors among the luminous stones. Nixels dotted the platform as Anglow took center stage, controlling a sea of Glowkies trapped in illusions of their worst nightmares.

"That's messed up." Burnard remarked, not even breaking into laughter like usual. "We need a plan that isn't rushing into this without a goal." Flamzer suggested. "I have a plan: rushing into this with a goal." Rokit simply replied, preparing his blasters as he squinted angrily at the scene unfolding before him. "With or without one, this is gonna suck." Boogly said, getting eyed by all of the others. "I'm with Rokit. TIME FOR JUSTICE!" Niksput hollered before soaring over the platform, Meltus as following and Mixing with the Orbiton in mid-air. "That settles that!" Vampos said as he Mixed with Burnard and leaped after the others, Flamzer sighing as he Mixed with Rokit once more and followed.

As M.C. prepared to leap, a hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "Planetoid, you amplify powers through Mixing, correct?" Naut asked, making M.C. think back to Nurp's tantrum and how it decimated Orbitopia, wary that amplifying that would probably annihilate the Mixel-Moon. "Well, if you amplify MY powers, we're gonna be done here ASAP! I may not look it, but I was quite the fighter back in my day, boy!" Naut stated without giving M.C. a chance to reply. Whirling around, Nurp giggled. "Silly Naut! He's really slow, and old…" The younger Orbiton said as Naut flipped around immediately. "YOU SHOW SOME RESPECT, YOU!"

"Alright, I'll Mix with ya. Do you two still flip around even in Mixes?" M.C. asked as Naut slipped the Cubit into his hand without missing a beat, the two being slammed together by hammers coming from both sides as a Mix formed from the shape, standing triumphantly before soaring after the others. "Ugh, fine…" Boogly muttered, hovering off the ground and giving chase.

Landing one by one, the various Mixes stood with confidence at the end of the bleachers. Before them were the dozens of Glowkies entrapped in their own worst nightmares, paralyzed with fear as Anglow controlled their visions with her powers. "Okay, now what?" The Mix of Vampos & Burnard asked as Nixels among the crowd caught sight of the group and grew alarmed. "That Glowkie won't stop until she's finished… whatever it is she's doing. How's about we force her into a ship-space and boot her off this rock?" Naut's side of the Nurp-Naut & M.C. Mix suggested, both of their eyes going wide as they heard a voice behind them laugh: Nurp's.

"How will we get a ship-space all the way down here? Silly!" Nurp's side of the Mix said, their face and mouth speaking from the back of the Mix's body. Boogly, alongside Naut's side of the Mix as well as the other three Mixes all stared at this, perplexed. "We… WE CAN BOTH USE THE BODY AT ONCE?!" Naut yelled out happily as Nurp cheered, the two ecstatic to not have to swap control of their body for once.

Out of nowhere, jagged rocks blasted through all of the Mixes, splitting them one-by-one as the Mixels scattered around, surprised by the sudden attack as they turned to face a hysterical Anglow atop the stage. "Ah, the audience expands! Care to join the festivities?" She asked before tapping the Cubit shard under her foot, manipulating the nightmares and illusions that had befallen the Glowkies. One three-eyed bat Glowkie ratched around, facing M.C. as they lunged at him, attempting to bite. "What in the world?!" M.C. yelled as he narrowly dodged an attack. Before long, other Glowkies began to attack the Orbitons and Infernites, but never laying a wing on Vampos or Boogly as the two looked on in shock.

"I've always heard STORIES passed down by Orbitons about us. Monsters that glow in the dark slurping on entrails and bringing forth nightmares… SO, TELL ME - HOW DOES IT FEEL TO EXPERIENCE THOSE STORIES FIRST-HAND?!" Anglow yelled, cackling as she twirled around in the air, hovering while the luminescent stones of the caverns flashed and terrified the controlled Glowkies, making them lash out at what they believed to be illusions. "Dudes, you're on your own! We're getting that ship-space, laters!" Niksput yelled as he grabbed Burnard and Mixed with the Infernite, blasting off with extreme force as Flamzer grunted angrily.

Having taken enough, Nurp flipped around and began a tantrum. "ENOUGH GLOWKIE NIGHTMARES! THIS IS TOO SCARY!" He roared with a sonic scream that sent the vast majority of Glowkies scattering, slamming into rock embeddings that stunned them but also freed them from their illusions. "I take it all back, I have NOT seen something like this before." Boogly spat as he stood shocked at the events before him.

Noting the stunned Nixels and reeling Glowkies as Anglow regained her composure atop the stage, M.C. made a break for it to try and grab the shard. Before he could get near, a lost Globert struck him with a guitar, sending M.C. crashing back into the bleachers. "You… that little monochrome pest. How's about some FEAR for a treat?!" Anglow smirked as he tapped the shard once more, shadows growing around M.C. as she waved her glowing eye around to cast her illusion as M.C. was caught up.

Whisked away into a darkened void, M.C. floated around, looking everywhere he could but sighting nothing. "Hello?! Take me outta here, I've already been in enough floating voids for one adventure!" He yelled, flailing his arms and legs around to no avail. Sighing, he crossed his arms. "Is this my worst fear? LITERALLY NOTHING?! My mind can't be THAT empty…"

Out of nowhere, a being appeared beside him. It was tiny, only a fraction the size of M.C.'s foot. Notably, it appeared to be made up of white, jagged lines as if a wireframe computer display. "Huh, is that supposed to be scary? This is the cutest thing I've ever seen!" M.C. remarked, attempting to pet the entity but only watching as his hand phased right through it. Only then had M.C. noticed that the eyes of the soul were empty, no pupils to speak of as it stared in a directionless manner. Like fire-flybuzzers lighting up at night, dozens more materialized from thin air. "Okay, now this is slightly creepy."

The being nearest to M.C. slowly vaporized as it turned to dust, wisping away as it flowed in another direction. Every single copy of the entity shortly followed, the dust circling in a spiral pattern as something else materialized: a lengthy object resembling a tool with the same 'wireframe' look. From the hilt of the staff came an arm, followed by a Mixel-esque figure. They appeared royal, a tall being that was stanced up as more wisps of dust materialized a triangular prism before the figure's staff. As soon as they had appeared, the figure vanished, as did their staff and the prism that had floated in front of them. Blinking rapidly, M.C. attempted to make any sense of what he had just witnessed. "Uh… That was oddly cryptic, but terrifying?"

Following these words, M.C. heard a sound behind him. Turning to face its source, he looked upon a titanic form not dissimilar to those he had just witnessed. With four arms and three soulless eyes, the entity stared M.C. down, before warping dramatically and distorting. A sharp cry pierced his eardrums, chanting only one word over and over: 'Brightspark'.

"I-I don't know what that is?! Wha-" M.C. began, only to cover up his ears as a deafening static came next. No sooner had it started, did it clear, and a figure now stood facing him down. It was him, only in the same outlined style as the others. M.C. didn't even speak, only stared at his doppelganger. Unnerved, M.C. was taken aback as the other form began to warp, protrusions ejecting from its backside as a blank eye and smile remained unchanged, a variety of floating objects now orbiting the form as it levitated. With a sudden change in direction, it lunged for M.C., only to be blasted away as Pippy suddenly engulfed M.C. in light and freed him from the illusion, revealing the controlled Globert to have been the one about to attack as he was sent crashing into Anglow's podium.

"P-Pippy?!" M.C. was shocked as the entity floated triumphantly. "Questions later. We have matters to attend to." They stated as the other Mixels caught up, watching as Globert stumbled, freed from the illusion while Anglow grunted. "Dear, that was quite the frighten… VAMPOS!" Globert yelled as he came to his senses, rushing to his brother as Vampos forced a smirk. "Where were you, boy?! The performance had begun and you were nowhere to be found!" Globert scolded his brother, turning his gaze to Boogly next. "And YOU... Greetings, for this is the first time I've seen you down here in months. Care to join our next performance? There's always room for another dazzling star!" He extended a wing as Vampos squinted.

"Typical. You would offer an invitation to anyone who fits your preconceived standards, but when one Glowkie who mildly resembles the tales Orbitons fabricated about us, YOU CAVE AND CUT HER OUT?!" Anglow roared, slamming the Cubit shard into the ground as energy burst from it, breaking apart the bleachers and sending the lunar rocks flying up into air as floating chunks. "Globert, what's she talkin' about?!" Meltus asked. "When did you hire a crazed performer, trooper?!" Rokit added.

"You never even told them about me. ENOUGH!" Anglow yelled as she whistled, signaling the variety of Nixels to launch upwards and land on the floating platforms of glowing stone. "I'll explain soon, but for now… SHOWTIME!" Globert said with pizazz, raising a blue Cubit as the other two Glowkies latched on, darkness engulfing them as brief neon glimpses of their parts being arranged into their Max showed, being broken as their massive eye shone through.

With Flamzer Mixing with Nurp-Naut and Meltus with Rokit, M.C. and Pippy led the skirmish as they clashed with a variety of distorted and broken Nixel Mixes, violently lashing out as they roared and slashed away. With blasts of fire and lasers ringing by from the Orbiton/Infernite Mixes, short work was made of the horrific creations. Donning his Glowkie powers for the first time, M.C. soared upwards with newfound bat-esque wings, chasing after a Nixel Mix with grotesque wings formed from the shell, being knocked out of the sky by the superior Glowkies Max.

From below, Anglow watched in horror as her minions fell one by one, splitting as they slammed into the uprooted ground. Her illusionary tricks had failed, and now her dedicated squad of Nixels had proven worthless. Worthless. Everything she had done was worthless. Gritting her teeth and shedding tears, she tossed the Cubit shard aside, blasting a hole into the backstage as the shards of stone came crashing back down, scattering the Mixels again. As the dust cleared and Globert coughed after splitting from Vampos and Boogly, he caught a glimpse of something he'd hoped to never witness again: a Mixel approaching the gravity plug.

Panicking and pleading M.C. to Mix, the two wasted no time as a Mix formed and soared after Anglow. "ANGLOW, WAIT!" They cried out, making the Glowkie pause before the stopper as she turned to face the Mix. "What? Are you here to belittle me?" She asked. "No… Anglow, if you pull that stopper, it'll suck up the entire MIXELVERSE!" They said. "I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MIXELVERSE! Nothing can hurt me anymore, not now that I know I'm WORTHLESS to EVERYONE!" She screamed through tears, slipping a foot against the plug as she attempted to lift it.

After a few moments of trying, it was to no avail. Years prior, Globert had taken extra care to seal the plug with the greatest force known to Mixel-kind. It would take the power of the Maximum Mixel to lift it, and Anglow knew that. Even the power of her Cubit shard didn't help. Breaking down, she slumped to her knees, tears rolling from her three eyes.

Splitting from M.C., Globert sighed. "You aren't worthless, Anglow." He said, only for Anglow to lash out. "THEN WHY DID YOU CUT ME FROM THE ACT?! YOU TOLD ME ONCE THAT IT NEVER MATTERED WHERE YOU COME FROM, ONLY WHAT YOU DO… SO WHY?! WHY DID YOU CAVE TO THE FEARS OF THE MASSES?!" She screamed through whimpers, taking Globert aback as he reminisced on Anglow's short lived performances alongside him years ago. "Y-you're right. I did cave, and that was wrong." He said, only for Anglow to turn away from him, loathing to herself. M.C. was bewildered at what was happening, sympathizing with Anglow but fearing the destruction she had wrought.

"Your style of illusions is unlike anything any Glowkie has mustered before. It is a truly fabulous talent that - as we just experienced - is far from 'worthless'. I never should have removed you. Those folks should have simply adjusted… learned to recognize talent." Globert said in full earnest, Anglow spitting a laugh in response. "Talent?! I've learned well enough that I hold no talent. A mere tool that can be used for the worst of desires, never for show."

"Is this what that Fuzer jerk has fed your mind?! Are you afraid of him? You're filled with powers that could be used for good, for loving friends if you'd give that a chance!" M.C. stated, Anglow beginning to cave. "But how will I know that I won't be cast out again - that Fuzer… won't find me?" She asked, terrified at the possibilities of the future. "Then we'll protect you, as a friend, now and always. Anglow… I'm sorry." Globert said, extending a wing to the broken Glowkie as she wiped tears, ready to take up the offer.

Then, dust began to drip from the overhang of the cavern, only for a ship-space to burst through, equipped with a colossal drill as it slammed into the ground, scattering the three. Followed by the heroic Mix of Burnard & Niksput, the ship-space rose and opened its hatch, extending a mechanical arm as the Mix whistled. "WAIT, NO!" Globert pleaded only for Anglow to exchange a look of betrayal as she was grabbed and forced into the craft. Without another second wasted, it soared up through the freshly created chasm, blasting off to an unknown location on Planet Mixel. Flying from her grasp came the Cubit shard, which M.C. caught.

"JUSTICE IS SERVED, WOO! The second last ship-space too, we got lucky!" Niksput cheered as he split from Burnard, high-fiving the Infernite. "We had… talked things out…" Globert muttered, M.C. looking on sadly as the craft began to disappear from view above. "What's the matter? We saved the day! Surely that's worth celebration, right?" Niksput suggested. "Yeah! I could go for some crater tots right abouts now, heh." Burnard remarked, trotting off as the other Mixels caught up, turning around as they witnessed the two moving out. Globert stayed behind for a moment with M.C., upset with the way things had ended. "I'm sure I'll see her again. No matter what, I'll try my best to help her." M.C. said, Globert nodding before setting off, attempting to shake off what he had just experienced.

"Noble as always, MonoChrome. It would be wise to ease your mind with celebrations. Besides, do not forget the scan that Orbiton had promised you." Pippy said. "Pippy… Where did you go earlier?" M.C. only asked in response, his gaze still fixed above at the planet. "There… there are things you do not know about me. Perhaps one day, you will learn the truth." They replied, M.C. dissatisfied with the secrets being kept from him.

Conceding, M.C. attempted to push the feelings away as he set off, vowing to help Anglow the next time they met.

Boogly sighed as he scraped away pieces of shrapnel that had been scattered around Orbitopia. Cleanup and rebuilding efforts had begun, and both the Infernites and Glowkies were there to help. "I'll admit that crazed illusionary experience was one-of-a-kind, but this mundane busywork? Oh, atom stars above…" The Glowkie lamented as Burnard chuckled. "Puh-lease. Helping out our Orbiton friends is the best type of work!" Globert said, his eye forming a star pattern as he carried broken chunks of Orbiton architecture. "Agreed. Plus, always an excuse for a game of moon-rockball, eh, Vampos?" Flamzer suggested. "Right on, dude." Vampos replied, making finger guns with his wings.

"GUYS! I got freshly chilled weenie burgers!" Meltus yelled enthusiastically as he skidded to a halt, holding six snacks under his arms as he caught his breath. "LET'S GO! Thanks bro, heh-heh!" Burnard shouted as he passed them out, wolfing down his in one bite. "No probs, it's surprisingly easy to chill em' up here with, y'know, the whole coldness of space thing." Meltus remarked. "Speaking of, how're your allergies, fire-boy?" Globert asked, only to be answered by a powerful flame sneeze as Meltus fried his weenie burger. "Aw, man…"

"No sweat, I've gots a solution!" Vampos said, pulling out a blue-red Cubit as Meltus lit up, the two Mixing and enjoying both frozen and fried weenie burgers at the same time. Before long, the other four had Mixed, and together, they set out to up the speed of the Orbitopia repair efforts.

Within the partially restored habitat of the three Orbitons, M.C. stepped in place within the high-tech scanner, giving a thumbs up as Niksput activated the machine. "Alright, cadet. Keep your arms and legs within the device at all times, try not to blink too much, don't sneeze, yada-yada… BEGIN!" Rokit yelled as a mixture of green and red lights soared around M.C. at mach speed, the scan being finished in a matter of seconds. "Done! Now we wait while this calculates…" Naut said, Nurp flipping around to share his excitement as the four Mixels looked at the screen in anticipation.

Disappointingly, an error message popped up, making M.C. sigh as Rokit placed his glasses on and shoved Niksput aside. "Let's see here… okay, no fault of the machine… data unrecognized? Ah, gimme a sec here, I'll get this read in a jiffy!" He said to no assurance of M.C. "Look… I'm sorry, bud. Maybe we can try again..?" Niksput suggested, only to watch a sullen M.C. walk off and disembark the habitat, prompting a saddened response from Nurp as Rokit toiled away at the machine.

Sighing, M.C. seated himself on the entrance step to the home, looking out at the exposed city of Orbitopia and pondering what to do next. "Sullen? You know, the only way to avoid disappointment is to hinder expectations, MonoChrome." Pippy jested, M.C. forcing a chuckle through his disappointment. "Look, I'm just… lost. So much happened in the past few hours, and I can't tell if it was really worth it." M.C. stated, staring out into the open reaches of space.

"Worth it? Hah, MonoChrome, you got these stuck-up Orbiton mortals to consider a trip to anywhere BUT their stuck-up space pebble. You even convinced that lost Glowkie to consider her actions, even if for a moment. Ah, I am certain you will get another chance." Pippy listed off. "You're right. It's just… my past." M.C. said, silence falling upon the two as Pippy considered their options. Not much time was left to buy, and they only had one choice: a drastic measure that would potentially cause more harm than good, but it was the only way - the only way Planet Mixel could survive.

"Okay… MonoChrome, being the celestial entity that I am - all-seeing and all-knowing - perhaps… I could inform you of your past." Pippy suggested, M.C. looking at them with a starry eye as he lit up. "YOU'D DO THAT?! PIPPY, YOU ARE THE BEST FRIEND SOMEONE COULD ASK FOR!" M.C. yelled. "However… it is not something I can simply rattle off to you. We will require a journey, uncovering an invention that will allow you to discover this truth through myself. It will be perilous… but it will work." They said. "Listen, I dunno what any of that stuff means, but I am DOWN! Where do we need to go?" M.C. asked. Pointing to the final ship-space on the outskirts of the lunar city with an extension from their form, Pippy was grabbed by the wing as M.C. enabled his Electroid powers, zipping down to the craft at light-speed. Embarking swiftly, M.C. entered the craft as Pippy followed suit, knowing that destiny had been set in motion with their decision.

Rokit tapped away at various keys, moving countless programs and pop-ups away from the computer interface as he scrambled for something frantically. "You still at it? C'mon, man." Niksput asked. "If there was something, ya probably would've found it by now." Naut chimed in, but Rokit ignored both of them. He swiftly read through the warnings and error messages, clearing them and running diagnostics as the computer began to stutter. Magically, something appeared onscreen: scan results. Rokit wiped away a drop of sweat on his forehead as he sighed with relief, Niksput chuckling at the sight. "Huh, you did it. Good job, bro!" He said as he gave a thumbs-up, Nurp cheering at the occasion.

The celebration didn't last. What was once relief in Rokit's eyes turned to horror as he gasped, stepping back from the console and unable to process what he was witnessing. "What's the matter?" Naut asked, swirling his head around as his jaw hit the floor, Niksput being equally perplexed by what the scan results displayed. Clear as the day, they now knew everything about M.C. and where he came from. Wasting no time, Rokit gritted his teeth and brandished his blasters, strapping them to his arms as Niksput stumbled for words. "W-wait, ROKIT!" He cried out for his brother, but the experienced trooper had already darted out of the building.

"Whoa… so many buttons. Is there an auto-pilot?" M.C. asked, seating himself in the ship-space as Pippy attempted to hide a panicked expression. "I'm certain it is there. Keep looking." They said while glancing out of the craft's cockpit, spotting a fury-filled Rokit storming down Orbitopia's lanes with his jetpack activating. He was inevitably going to catch up before M.C. started the ship, so they had to act fast. Sighing, Pippy emitted a blast of energy from each of their three eyes, overclocking the craft as it began to shake violently, its boosters primed and ready. "Pippy? What're you doin'?" M.C. asked, glancing up at his friend as energy emitted from their form. "There is no time. Pull up the throttle, NOW!" They shouted with power, startling M.C. as he fired up the ignition.

Rokit panted as he shoved first-response Orbiton troopers aside, making a beeline for the ascending craft. Time was running out as he realized he wasn't going to halt the takeoff from the ground. "NO!" He yelled, firing off two bolts of energy at the ship-space. The two whizzed by as it took off with enough force to shake the Mixel-Moon, sending Rokit flying. Readjusting his helmet, he grunted, watching the trail of smoke and fire left by the ship-space as it rocketed towards Planet Mixel. Niksput and Nurp-Naut halted before their brother, unsure of whether to approach or not as they watched him gasp for air.

"Phone Mixopolis, now. Everyone in that city's in danger." Rokit muttered, glancing at his brothers. "Dude, the state of our colony, remember?" Niksput stated. "It'll take all day to get even communications back up…" Nurp added. "I DON'T CARE! Mayor Knave better be on the line, because his city's about to end up a whole lot worse than it is now, and you KNOW IT after seeing that! Not to mention that he's got all those Cubit shards!" Rokit ordered, the two Orbitons sighing as they set off, conflicted. Glancing back at the planet, he looked to the illuminated area in which Mixopolis was situated, half of its lights visible from where he stood. Morning was ushered in as the lightbulb sun started to creep around the edge of the planet, making Rokit avert his eyes. Swallowing down guilt, anger, and fear, he too turned around, knowing the work ahead was cut out for him.

"How? How could this have happened right under our noses?" Rokit thought to himself.

Rain came down hard against the ironzite exterior of an ancient construct. The material was near impenetrable, at least, by the hands of a Mixel or Mixamal native to the surrounding saliva rainforest. Situated on the edge of the reserve and the wasteland surrounding it, many Lixers had passed by the monument over the years, never knowing the secrets that rested within. Its design was complex, not matching the typical style of a traditional Mixel hut nor the modern design of a Mixopolis building. A golden finish gilded it from top to bottom. Art was the only word capable of encapsulating it.

An explosion rocked the building, rustling the tongue-wood trees that had grown nearby and startling winged Mixamals as they took off. Not long after, another explosion followed, and another, another.

Concentrated blasts had blown the back of it wide open. Smoke rose from where fire had started, but the flames had not survived long as the weather extinguished it. Followed by five small creatures, a figure stepped inside, examining the contents of the interior. Exposed was a massive room, its walls lined with glyphs of a language unknown to any. Lined with precious minerals and unknown artifacts, the primary attraction of the dwelling was a pedestal, one that had not been used in several hundred years. Moving forward and examining it, the figure found what they were looking for.

It was an artifact, a levitating, light prism that fit into one's hand. No signs of use were to be seen, but the figure knew it had been kept here for a reason. He knew that in the wrong hands, it could spell the end of the Mixelverse. "Seal that opening. Nobody needs to get in here. Loot everything else, just in case." Major Nixel said, tucking the prism away as his Nixel minions saluted, ransacking various items that were housed in the room.

"The Brightspark Prism. If the legends of this are true, that it holds the unspeakable energies of creation that topped even that of the supposed Maximum Mixel… Then it stays with me, nobody can ever get their claws on this." Major Nixel thought, stepping down the ornate pathway while rain began to pour in.

As he stepped out of the monument and the Nixels began to seal up the hole with their shoddy craftsmanship, Major Nixel knew he hadn't bought himself much time. Sooner or later, his actions would be discovered, but he had to try anything to keep the ultimate weapon away from his former king. The murmurings and legends of the Naximum Nixel's will were to cease when he figured out a way to destroy the prism, but until then, it was to remain with him at all times.

With a sigh, he continued on his path as saliva raindrops bounced off of his shell. With the storm roaring around him, Major Nixel knew that a new era of the Nixel Armada had begun.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 5: MYSTERIES OF MIXEL-KIND

ALSO COMING SOON IS SIDE STORY 2: MESSAGE RECEIVED

Mixels Unite: Retold

Written by Skye Faylin Creane

Based on the LEGO construction toys, the Cartoon Network original series, and the Mixels Unite project

With special thanks to the development team of Mixels Unite:

JayJayJay

Darkspine

Darren the Lizard

Evanoli17

Flaming Bird Workshop

IcedTea128

kurnalcopia

LunarLemon

Memmet

Mixel Mike

MixelsINK

mr. Fikou

Mystikz

Niki

RainbowllisticChrotorm

RetroMaster94

Snackki

ZootyCutie

Also to…

Demonive the Infernite for creating Fuzer

CubickLecub for conceptualizing M.C.'s powers

Geminimaster for the yarn ball Mixing sequence

And all Mixels fans for carrying this franchise's torch

Thank you to all who supported Mixels Unite, and kept it's legacy alive

Mix on