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!

5. Mysteries of Mixelkind

Chapter 5

Mysteries of Mixel-kind

Based on the Mixels Unite fangame

Three years ago…

Within the underground lair of Nixels Land, Major Nixel fitted on his freshly-crafted suit. It was tighter than the last, with pointed slopes along its top, but that was superfluous. He had a brand new mustache to boot, too. A Nixel minion saluted and held up a stone-carved mirror, a reflection of the Major gleaming at him. Something was not right. It felt that something had been taken away, his memory torn to shreds as his brain racked away in an attempt to recall.

"Oh, that's what!" He remarked, adjusting his mustache with a tilt as the timbre of his voice significantly altered with it. "Perfect. Now, back to the regularly scheduled scheming…" Major Nixel whistled as he began to take off, strolling through the angular and twisted lanes of the underground lane as Nixels marched around the caves, saluting as they passed their military commander.

From a balcony, Major overlooked the work-in-progress throne room of the recently elected King Nixel. Well, elected was a light term. 'Forced his way into power with threats of violence' was more accurate of a description. But, that was no matter. Things were going right for the Armada, schemes were being formed and the morale was at an all-time high. Even if Major missed his post, the future looked dark, and that was just what a Nixel desired.

Entering what was once the main room of command, Major Nixel passed by piles of scrapped contraptions and schemes to destroy the Mixels. Fly-swatting machines, cannons made to launch Nixels, and plenty more stacked up, a symbol of Major Nixel's failures. Returning to the chalkboard in which all his ideas began life, Major glanced upon his recent outlines of the next plan: the 'Nixelstorm'.

"Nix, nix?" A lone Nixel minion asked, saluting as they stood by the entrance to the room as Major beckoned them forth. "Your report, minion?" He asked as the Nixel pulled out a clipboard, detailing a past experiment. "Uh, nix nix. Nix-nix nix, nix?" The Nixel asked, making Major raise an eyebrow. "Project? What project? The only thing I'm working on is the Nixelstorm. Perhaps you confused this for one of those scientists?" Major suggested, the Nixel stuttering before giving a thumbs up and scampering off.

Major knew this was familiar and intended for him, but nothing about it felt right. His head throbbed every time that project codename came up again.

Now…

Even three years later, his head still ached, gaps in his memories causing him daily issues. Of course, these would be dismissed as a side effect of old age. He had been around for many years, after all.

Marching through a ravine in the Great Wasteland, Major Nixel pulled up an interface on a portable device, seeing a top-down view of Mixopolis as the N-Mixel Armada's trackers fluctuated throughout the city - bar one, moving south outside of the city - with King Nixel's nudging through the Munchos District. Grunting, he tripped over the uneven surface of the canyon. Rushing to assist, the Nixel minions that had assisted the Major on his quest were swatted away as he rose again. "No time, men. Move out, we only have so long to get back and mobilize our forces. Besides, we've already wasted enough time Nixing the wildlife of that rainforest." He ordered, the obedient Nixels saluting as they trudged forth.

Glancing at the protrusion in the ground that had tripped him up, Major caught sight of a pitch-black crystal that light would not reflect off. He recognized it as Nixelite, the same ore that - when purified - was used to forge Nixel machinery and even the suits all of them wore. In its raw form, it was highly dangerous. Any non-Nixel life would either turn Nixed, or dry up and become barren. But, in addition, the ore grew in the presence of destruction. Somehow, it could sense the pure essence of it and spread accordingly.

Looking up at the drab rock formations within the canyon, outcrops of the material were visible in jagged patterns, slowly increasing in size as Major looked in the direction of Mixopolis. They were all natural occurrences of the ore, something that should not be happening here. "Strange… Nixelite has never been reported outside of Nixels Land." Major Nixel thought to himself, curious as to how the crystal was springing up so far from where it was supposed to be found. Moving forth, Major was worried for King Nixel's future plans. If Mixing was the first immoral step, what would come next?

Hence why he would be denied those future plans. Major's rebellion would begin today as Nixels amassed in the shadows outside Mixopolis, all loyal to Major's ideals.

Monochrome Mixel, M.C., opened his eye to a red warning light and a deafening alarm. He was floating in the interior of the ship-space as he yawned, before realization of the scenario sinked in. "Rise and shine, MonoChrome. You fell asleep at the helm of this craft, a very unsafe and unwise decision. Thankfully, you have myself to keep this vessel on course. Unfortunately, you have me to not understand the control method of this vehicle." Pippy stated as they materialized before M.C., making him shoot awake as he forced himself through mid-air to work the controls. Pausing, he glanced at the various lights and buttons, unaware of what half of them even did.

"Uh… ME NEITHER! AH, WHAT'S A MIXEL TO DO?!" M.C. yelled, accidentally slamming into a lever. Whirring, the ship-space's mechanical arm began to adjust. "Ejection sequence initiated. Laters." An autonomous voice stated as the robotic hand grasped M.C., opening the hatch of the craft as he was flung out at intense speed. Wincing with his eye adjusting to the sudden natural light, M.C. caught sight of an incoming tree, slamming head-first into it as he slowly slithered down its length. Peeling himself from the bark, he took in the surroundings: a lush rainforest brimming with life. With gentle drops of rain falling from the skies above, M.C. observed Amphipod Mixamals frolicking in a nearby lake. It seemed like a pleasant little clearing resembling the peacefulness of Mixopolis' reserve districts. Or at least, it would be for all of five seconds.

Without a pilot, the ship-space came plummeting into the body of water, sending cascades of it flooding into the forest as Mixamals scattered. A wave crashed into M.C., leaving him soaked and with a fish flapping around atop his head. "Make the count of totalled space-faring transportation a grand total of three. My, my, MonoChrome." Pippy jested, making M.C. chuckle as they appeared beside him. "Well, at least nobody got hurt! Where in the Mix are we, anyway?" M.C. asked, watching as the ship-space began to submerge further underwater.

"Didja hear that? There's someone else out there!" M.C. whipped his head around as an alert Pippy used their vision to see through the trees, scanning for the source of the muffled voice that had just emanated from the shrubbery. "Buddy, I don't think any Mixel could've survived that crash. Am I right, freezie?" A deeper voice said, louder than before as they appeared to be getting closer. "Statistically, yes. By calculating the angle of the plummeting object, one can deduce that… HEY, WAKE UP!"

Emerging from behind a tree, a Frosticon stepped forth, his eye fixed on the two more behind him. "No offense, Chilbo, it's just that your lectures- WUH?" He was interrupted as he sighted M.C., the Mixel staring blankly at him as he re-adjusted his azure ranger hat and examined M.C. "Uh, howdy little guy. Say, ya didn't just find this, uh… crashed ship-space, didja?" He asked as the other two caught up, alerted by the presence of M.C. "Um… hi! I'm M.C. Funny you mention that because I… was the one who piloted it?" M.C. shrugged.

"How could that be possible?! I ran my algorithms… my sequences of arithmetics and numbers…" The smaller of the two Frosticons lamented, the other, larger one rolling his eye. "He don't sound like he's lying. I'm Krog, pleasure to meet ya, little guy. That's Snoof and Chilbo, by the way." He said, shaking M.C.'s hand. "Hey… I've heard about you guys before! You're Flurr, Slumbo and Lunk's cousins, right?" M.C. asked, recalling the mention of their names from his time in the Frosticons District. "Yeah… you met them? Did they send you to pick us up? Because if so, that's a big ol' 'nah!" Snoof said. "Actually… it's a long story, heh." M.C. said before explaining his tale to the three.

"YOU MEAN THOSE DARNED NIXELS ARE BACK? AND MIXIN'?! HOW in the world did ya'll not lose Mixopolis immediately?!" Snoof asked, bewildered as he paced around in circles attempting to process the events of the past day in the city. "Nixel Mixes… but how? Cubits are formed with the same essence that runs through the blood of Mixels and Mixamals, allowing us to Mix. Must they have reverse engineered it to tune it to the Nixel biology?" Chilbo wondered aloud, nearly sending Krog to sleep. "Hey, whatever those punks have done, if Mixopolis is already fighting back, then things aren't so bad, huh? Besides, M.C. fought King Nixel with all those guys and won! City's in good hands." Krog suggested, M.C. nodding as he recalled his battle with the king in the Wiztastics District, still slightly shaken from the near-defeat.

"It's just… peculiar." Chilbo began, catching the attention of the others. "How so, Chilbo?" M.C. asked. "When King Nixel took over Mixopolis before, it destroyed the unity of everyone there… not that it was great beforehand. How did so many of the Mixels you came across work together?" The ice-brained Frosticon asked. "I… don't really know? I guess just learning about how bad things were and not really knowing where I came from, I wanted to help in any way I could. It just felt like… destiny?"

"And that is how you have ended up here, MonoChrome." Pippy stated, blipping into view out of nowhere after hiding themself from the Frosticons, startling all four Mixels. "By the way, who are they? You said they're your best friend but never really elaborated. I've never heard of a Mixel called Pippy before." Krog said. "I am not a mere mortal such as yourselves. I am a messenger of the great Maximum Mixel, observing this world and carrying out their will when needed." Pippy said dramatically, leaving the three Frosticons blank in expression before they broke into laughter, confusing both M.C. and Pippy.

"A messenger of the 'Maximum Mixel', huh? Real funny!" Krog barked. "Yeah! I stopped believin' in that junk YEARS ago, and you say you're connected to them? Oh, that's the funniest thing I've heard all week!" Snoof chuckled. "Agreed. No factual evidence dictates that-" Chilbo began, only for a roar of lightning far behind Pippy to silence the three as the being floated still and unimpressed. "Believe what you will, mortals." They said in a moody voice, shifting in hue to a dark red with annoyance.

"Huh. What a weird creature… never heard of something that can control lightning." Chilbo remarked, curious as Pippy turned their gaze in another direction, scanning the area. "Say, what brings ya here specifically, M.C.?" Snoof asked. "Oh, right! Pippy, why are we here? This doesn't look like any part of Mixopolis…" M.C. said, watching as naturally-formed saliva dripped from the red leaves of a tongue-wood tree.

"We're in the Saliva Rainforest. I take it that you really don't know much of Planet Mixel's locations, huh?" Krog asked. "Us three have been venturing through Mixel Land for months, which has been invaluable to my research notes." Chilbo stated, holding up a massive stack of poorly organized journals overflowing at the seams. "Just before we ended up here we were mindin' our own business in the mostly-abandoned Frozen Volcanoes, then a little Hoot-Doodle came over with a note from the Lixers, sayin' that some Klinker had nearly gotten a research team eaten by some kinda monument on the edge of the wasteland!" Snoof said.

Pippy immediately grunted, flashing through a variety of colors and sending another mental shock into M.C.'s brain, making the Mixel stumble as the entity blipped away. "What in the Mix was THAT?" Snoof asked, worried as Krog helped M.C. to his feet. "I… I dunno, they did that before when something called a Brightspark was mentioned. You guys happen to know anything about that?" He asked. "A 'Brightspark'? Sounds like a made-up term, never seen any recorded use of it in the history books." Chilbo stated. "All terms are made up, smarty." Krog remarked, bumping his brother with his elbow.

"No telling how long they'll be gone for… but in the meantime, you guys gots room for one more adventurer?" M.C. asked, nursing the side of his head as it ached from Pippy's cry. "Of course! All for one and one for all, right?" Krog suggested, Snoof and Chilbo nodding in agreement. "Alrighty, let's head out and…" Snoof was interrupted by the sound of rustling in the nearby bushes. "Uh oh, I think some Mixamal heard us!" Chilbo said as Snoof revved his ice exhausts, ready for a battle, but Krog only remained still, a smile cracking across his face as a form leaped from the shrubbery.

"SPUGG!" Krog yelled as the four-legged Lixer ran loops around him, dropping a metallic key at the Frosticon's feet as he leapt into Krog's arms, slobbering enthusiastically as he chuckled. "Well, howdy Spugg. Why's he gots a Mixamajig Key? I thought all of those relics were preserved in the Mixopolis Archives." Chilbo stated, glancing at the key Spugg had brought as Snoof regrettably thought back on a past adventure involving it. The Lixer returned to the ground and began barking and waving his tongue, confusing M.C. "Uh, what?"

"Lixer language, we don't speak it, but Chilbo…" Snoof began as Chilbo interpreted Spugg's communication. "Well, glad to see ya too. Help? Sure thing, what's up, buddy?" Chilbo asked as he talked back and forth with Spugg, his expression becoming alarmed as something was relayed to him. "Oh, schnixel." The Frosticon uttered, both Krog and Snoof caught off guard at their brother cursing. "A ton of Nixed Mixamals went running amok in the forest! M.C. was right… but what could the Nixels want outside Mixopolis?!" Chilbo wondered.

"Whatever it is, we've gots to put a stop to them and free those Mixamals! Thankfully, Pippy's gots a knack for restoring colors of Nixed Mixel and Mixamal alike! Isn't that right, buddy?" M.C. said before whistling aloud, signaling for the messenger to appear only to be met with an awkward silence for a few moments. "...Uh, isn't that right, Pippy?" M.C. asked awkwardly, whistling again to no avail. "I dunno what's up with your friend, but we really gots to go, this ain't no time for jokin'!" Snoof shouted. "Agreed with Snoof, let us go!" Krog said, trailing into the forest as the other three followed, M.C. eventually following suit. Looking to where Pippy had previously floated, he was confused as to what was going on with them and how distant they were now.

With M.C. rushing after the other four, a single Amphipod hopped by the remnants of the once-pond, the Ship-Space still situated in its remains. "Well, there goes my lovely wet log. Now I've gots a rock!" It said, leaping atop the broken craft as it made a new home.

The air of the Saliva Rainforest was humid, a low buzzing sound coming from the hard-to-spot Crickada Mixamals being a constant ring among the tongue-wood trees. As per its name, saliva raindrops constantly battered the environment, pouring through the leaves and tongues that had burst from the tips of trees. Bizarre, luminescent and multi-colored flowers dotted the crude mud pathways carved out by hand - or tongue - enriching the atmosphere of the natural setting.

Leading ahead, Spugg sniffed at fresh footprints and licked them for a better sense, his head whirling in their direction as he growled and began to pace forward. Following behind, M.C. took in the scenery before a tongue-leaf dropped in his face, covering the Mixel in saliva. "Watch out for those droopin' tongues there boy!" Snoof said, stepping around M.C. as he shifted his tribe to that of an Infernite and sneezed, evaporating the liquid all over his body.

"Okay, I'll bite." Chilbo conceded as Snoof and Krog both sighed. "It should be scientifically impossible that a Mixel such as yourself exists, and yet you do… how, you may ask? Well, I do have some theories: firstly, perhaps you were Nixed before awakening and your colors were restored incorrectly, leading to- no, that doesn't explain your memory loss…" Chilbo rattled on as M.C. stumbled into Snoof, the Frosticon having fallen asleep from his brother's lecture. The Frosticon geek had not noticed as he continued forth, a dreary Krog lagging behind to shake Snoof awake as M.C. sighed.

"What's the matter, little buddy?" Krog asked M.C. "Y'know, all this talk of where I come from and having no answers just eats at me a smidge, especially now that Pippy vanished again right as they were about to lead me to something that'll give me answers." The Mixel said. "You… don't really believe everything that Pippy character says, do ya?" Snoof asked. "Why wouldn't I? They're my best friend." M.C. stated.

"Okay, since I take it that you haven't had this explained to you… do you know what the Maximum Mixel is?" Krog asked, thinking of Pippy's statement of being a messenger for the supposed entity. "Uh… I'm pretty sure they're some cool Mixel because they sent a messenger to me of all Mixels?" M.C. said and shrugged, leading to Snoof face-palming. "Look, the Maximum Mixel is a supposed being that apparently forged Planet Mixel at the beginning of time, leading to all life we know being created. After perfection' this world, they disappeared to places unknown, or at least that's what the legends say. I sure as Mix don't believe none of em'." Snoof rattled off. "Anymore. Don't forget that's what got us into that Mixamajig mess." Krog teased, chuckling as he watched his brother go red-faced.

"There's no scientific evidence that suggests a 'Maximum Mixel' existed, or exists. Many stories and legends have been passed down since this planet was formed, and that just happens to be one of them. But that's just it, they're legends, nothing more. Besides, the story has changed so much over the years that we don't even know if the stories we have now are accurate to their origins Heck, even the Nixels twisted it into their own legend about the 'Naximum Nixel'." Chilbo stated, having turned around after noticing the three not behind him, Spugg at his side. "But… Pippy…" M.C. started, wondering about the true nature of his friend as the three Frosticons looked to one another worried. Spugg barked at M.C., followed by a series of whimpers, which Chilbo caught on to. "He says that you might not really know everything about them, but your friendship seems genuine, regardless of who they are."

"...You're right. Pippy's been with me my whole journey. I just… wonder what's going on with them." M.C. said. "Friends are open with each other. Next time they show up, you should talk to them, see if everything is really OK with them." Krog suggested, Snoof and Chilbo nodding in agreement. "Yeah… yeah, I'll do that. Thanks." M.C. smiled as Krog gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. "I hate to interrupt this sweet little diddy, but…" Snoof said, clearing his throat as he beckoned to Spugg. The Lixer was growling, having faced in the direction they were headed at the sight of something. "He caught sight of something… something bad!" Chilbo said, rushing up beside Spugg as the three other Mixels followed.

Overlooking a clearing, two Lixers were being cornered by a troop of Nixed Mixamals, struggling to hold their own. "NIXED MIXAMALS?! Oh, this is bad! Those Nixels must've advanced past Mixopolis!" Snoof said in a panic. "That's Turg down there! We've gots to help, NOW!" Krog yelled, pulling out a Cubit and getting ready to Mix. "Hold it. It would be wise to plan a strategy in advance… especially with those Mixamals being a group of Borers, a Mixaplotapuss, and a Crunch Doodle." Chilbo said as a blast of Mixing energy knocked him over, a Mix of Spugg & Krog launching into action as Chilbo sighed.

"Boy, ya know how to Mix, don't ya?" Snoof asked M.C., making the Mixel giggle. "Of course! How'd I have gotten this far without Mixing?" M.C. asked as the two grabbed a Rainbow Cubit, being scooped up by a frying pan and flipped up in the air with force, spinning into an adventurous explorer Mix that took off after the Spugg & Krog Mix. "Eh, sometimes the best plan is to not have one." Chilbo shrugged as he took off after the two Mixes, spitting a trail of ice as he slid down an incline.

Holding a crudely made and wooden spear, Turg held an arm out to protect the other Lixer behind him. The Nixed Mixamals growled as two Borers stepped in front, ready to strike. In a last ditch effort, Turg growled and used his snake-like tongue to lob a ball of spit at one of the two Mixamals, splashing against the left Borer's face and making it roar, preparing to burrow underground and attack.

In a blur, a blue-gray form ran circles around the two Borers as a hefty circle of ice surrounded the two. Still mid-lunge, the lead Borer slipped as it stepped onto the frozen surface. With its six legs flailing about in a panic, the Mix of Snoof & M.C. looped around, sending it flying into a tree with a kick as a Coconapple fell on its head, sending the Borer into a slumber. "Ha! One down, one to… HUH?!" The Mix yelped as the other Borer burrowed underground, rapidly shooting up above from underneath the Mix, sending it flying up into the trees.

The Mixaplotapuss roared, a deafening shriek that tore through the landscape as the Spugg & Krog Mix dodged, flattening foliage and sending Bonzipods and Amphipods scattering. "Sonic screams are a natural ability the Mixaplotapuss uses when it feels threatened, so maybe come off as less threatening!" Chilbo screamed, latched onto a tongue-vine that was rocking from the force of the attack. "Thanks, genius!" Sarcastically shouting at Chilbo, the Mix unamused as it noticed the Mixamal sinking into the mud pit it called home. "Even if we manage to subdue it, how will we restore its colors?!" Chilbo asked.

Crashing into the ground, M.C. and Snoof split apart in front of the other two, dazed from the fall and covered in leavery. Taking the chance without the Borer in sight, Turg dashed towards the group, slobbering and signaling to Chilbo. "What's he sayin'?" The Mix asked as Chilbo interpreted the words being spoken. "OH! You're right, Mixaplotapusses are mud-bound… take that away and their skin'll dry up!" Chilbo stated, thinking to the facts of the Mixamal. "So you're saying we leave a Mixamal to dehydrate?" Snoof asked, unamused as he recovered.

"No, of course not! What we do is make it leave this mud bath and find another, giving us time to book it!" Chilbo stated, ready for action as realization set in to Snoof and the Mix. "OR… We call in Pippy AND FREE THESE ENSLAVENED MIXAMALS!" M.C. cried out, whistling for Pippy again to no avail as the Borer caught up and sent the Mixel flying above the trees with a burrowing attack. "And what about those ones, huh?!" The Mix asked. "They hate wet ground… I've gots an idea!" Chilbo said, looking upwards at the drips of rain slipping through the cracks in the dense leaves above. "You handle the big one! Us three'll take on the burrowin' vermin!" Snoof yelled.

Making haste, Turg extended a Cubit with his tongue and beckoned for Snoof to grab it, a constrictor snake wrapping around the two as he did and crushing them into a Mix ready for action. Whipping their tongue and catching the attention of the Borer, they shot a thumbs-up to the other Mix, ready to take on the two Mixamals.

"Hey, you, diddlyin' around over yonder!" The Snoof & Turg Mix yelled out to the Borer, catching its attention. "Come and get it! YAHOO!" Giving chase, the Borer tunneled under the earth, bursting from the ground as the Mix narrowly dodged, yelping as they avoided attack after attack. Seizing the opportunity, Chilbo latched onto a tree with his claws, scaling it as he carefully pulled the leaf roof of the clearing back. "Gently now, not to damage them…" He said while carefully tucking back the leavery, the sounds of the Mix's cries for help being ignored by him.

On the other hand of things nearby, the Spugg & Krog Mix danced around sonic roars sounding from the Mixaplotapuss, angering it further as they taunted it. "Alright, little doggy, playtime is over!" The Mix yelled, planting their tongue in the mud as it froze solid, spreading the ice throughout the bath as the Mixamal's four eyes widened. Unable to escape in time, the Mixaplotapuss was uprooted by the ice, placed atop a frozen lake as it drifted, its energy deprived quickly as its skin dried without any mud. "Sorry, but this is for your own safety until we can free you!" The Mix said, trailing off to see how the others were doing, not even noticing that the sheet of ice had extended to another bath of mud, and that the Mixamal was drifting that way.

"Ya finished yet- WHOA! This thing's hyperfocused on us REAL good!" The Mix yelled as it barely avoided an attack, dirt and worms flying as the Borer blasted holes in the ground. Looking up, the Mix's expression dullened as they witnessed Chilbo seemingly having made no progress, not a single leaf moved aside to allow rain to pass through. "ARE YA KIDDIN'?! DID YA SPEND ALL THAT TIME FOR NOTHIN'?!" The Mix angrily asked, alerting Chilbo as he sighed. "Nah, just trust me! Get that Borer to the middle of the clearing, it'll work!" He yelled as the Mix sighed. "Ya better be right about this!"

Stepping into the center of the area, the Mix was launched by a surprise attack of the Borer, forcing its head up as the two Mixels split, crashing into a tree and nearly shaking Chilbo off of it. "Oh, stars, please work. NOW!" The Frosticon hollered, wrapping a tongue-vine around himself as he leaped from the tree branch. Smacking flat into the ground below, the vine was yanked hard enough to activate the makeshift mechanism it had been hooked up to. In one fell swoop, the leaves above rolled back, a torrent of rain slamming into the mud and dampening it. In an escape attempt, the Borer tried to burrow, but only found itself squirming around in the now-wet mud. Flailing around as it sunk, it roared and launched out, running off to find a dry area.

"Well, shucks. Guess that's on me for doubtin' ya." Snoof admitted defeat as he and Turg caught up to Chilbo, just in time for Krog to arrive and give the two noogies, followed by a slobber from Spugg. Before long, even M.C. came crashing down into the newly-formed mud pit, unamused at being launched into the sky for so long. Being picked up by Turg and shaking off the sludge, M.C. was quick to get back into an adventuring mood. "Great work, folks. How'd you two deal with that Mixaplotapuss so quick, anyway?" Chilbo asked, his pupils widening as he felt ice spreading at his feet.

The six Mixels quickly turned their gaze to the slowly-moving Nixed Mixaplotapuss on the ice path that had been spread by the antics of Spugg and Krog, sweat coming from the Mixels as they watched it plop into the fresh mud bath, immediately regaining its energy as it roared. "YA BIG BLOCK OF ICE! What're we supposed to do NOW?!" Snoof yelled.

"I don't know! The only other weakness of that Mixamal is slime! Oh, they can't stand it… messes with their nerves." Chilbo yelled, making M.C.'s eye widen as he lit up. "You mean like… Glorp Corp slime?" He asked, confusing Chilbo as his expression gleamed. "Uh, yeah. What makes you-" He began, but M.C. had already shifted his colors to that of a Glorp Corp Mixel and sneezed, launching a circular and large blob of sludge directly onto the Mixaplotapuss' nose. Coming to an abrupt halt and screaming, the Mixamal rampaged out of view, leaving a trail of flattened trees as it went in search of water to wash off the slime. "Huh. Guess that's sorted?" Chilbo remarked. "That was anticlimactic." Krog said, Turg nodding in agreement.

"Oh, those Mixamals better not rampage before we get a chance to free em'. With that outta the way, let's get back on topic… who's this fellow?" M.C. asked as he pointed at Turg, receiving a slobber as the Lixer wrapped his tongue around him. "That's Turg, guy's got the longest tongue of all Lixers! He and Spugg are brothers, too." Chilbo answered, watching as Turg noticed Spugg and hugged him. "So, you guys called for us, right? What's the situation?" Snoof asked, Turg nodding as he drooled and wailed his tongue around, mouthing off things only Chilbo could decipher. "He says Tungster's got a lead for us in their village, better go see what that's about."

"Well, what're ya waitin' for? LAST ONE TO MAKE IT IS A ROTTEN EGG-ROCK!" Snoof yelled and blasted off with his ice exhausts, stunning the others. "Hey, no fair!" Krog exclaimed as he mounted the ice trail Snoof had left behind and skated along it, followed by the others as M.C. shifted his powers to that of an Orbiton, blasting off at a high speed to catch up.

With the Mixels gone, a lone Crunch Doodle lumbered about, still Nixed and forgotten amidst the chaos. Usually a meek prey for larger, more formidable beasts, in this state it was a force to be reckoned with. Tuned to the sound of a nearby Mixeloptor taking a nap, it slowly approached, preparing to spread the Nixel toxins to a much bigger threat.

The sound of Flybuzzers and other exotic Mixamals echoed through the humid atmosphere as the group continued down a well-worn path of mud, led by Turg and Spugg. High above in the sky was the lightbulb sun at mid-day, but none could see that through the dense saliva rain-clouds. Trudging through mud and avoiding Thorn-Snakes, it was a different environment entirely for M.C., but home for the adventuring trio of Frosticons.

"So… sorry if this comes off as rude, but how come you guys speak like that?" M.C. asked the two Lixers, receiving various sounds in reply that Chilbo listened in to. "Evolution, Turg says." He translated. "Lixers are more primal than your average Mixel, but that doesn't make them any different to us. They just came about that way!" Krog added, Spugg barking happily in reply. "I've only heard about Mixel Land… is all of it like this?"

"Nah, the Saliva Rainforest we're in now stretches right along the Great Wasteland in a strip before breakin' off into the other tribal lands. They're mostly abandoned thanks to Mixopolis, but we've met a few souls on our journeys through em'." Snoof stated. "Huh, interesting. Do any Lixers live in Mixopolis?"

Turg halted in his tracks for a moment before proceeding with a frown, Spugg whining too. "It's.. complicated." Krog began, Turg muttering something in reply. "You sure? Okay… so, Lixers obviously have different needs to most Mixels and a vastly diverse culture compared to that of Mixopolis, so the city setting didn't really fit for them after a mass-migration to the city." Chilbo started. "When it was decided after the I-Cubit mess that each tribe would get a district, most Lixers had actually fled the city back to their home. Problem is, that decision was made without any Lixers to get a say in it because of the council of tribal leaders, and Lixers are a tribe that doesn't have a leader!" Krog said.

"Wait, so you guys have no leader? How's that work?" M.C. asked, Turg nodding. "They all just work together, really. Making decisions with each other in mind." Krog continued. "Sounds like a cool way to live, if you ask me." M.C. said, prompting Spugg to happily slobber him. "Didn't work for Mixopolis, unfortunately. When those Weldos started buildin' them districts and the council had disbanded, the Lixers came to the new mayor askin' for one, only to be told if they want a home, they gots Mixopolis Zoo! What kinda response WAS that?" Snoof yelled, still angry about these events years after they occured.

Muttering something, Turg was upset. "Doesn't take a Kraw to figure out that any Lixers still there left the city after that, feeling unwelcome. Was around the time we got sick of the city, actually, hence why we started adventuring." Chilbo finished, a moment of silence befalling the group as M.C. thought about this. "That's horrible! Once things go right in the city, we've gots to try and get a Lixers District built. I'm sure they can be made welcome…" He said, Turg turning to him and smiling at the thought. "I'm sure they appreciate it, but who needs Mixopolis when you gots this?" Krog said, turning the corner as the Lixer village came into view, making M.C.'s eye widen in awe.

A clearing gave way to an open area with three colossal tongue-wood trees, all covered in suspended round, teal huts and linked with bamboo walkways. Tamed Mixamals grazed in fields of rainbow wildflowers next to the habitats, being tended to by various Lixer farmers and caretakers. It was the home of these Mixels, an open area with dozens of homes situated both in the air and on the ground underneath large umbrella plants. Connected by a tongue-vine trail and illuminated by lamps housing Fire-Flybuzzers, it was truly unlike anything M.C. had seen.

"Okay, maybe we should've come with ya to this place before, Krog, BECAUSE THIS IS AMAZING!" Snoof yelled in awe of the village, making Turg laugh. "I must admit, the craftsmanship of this place is up to a very high quality." Chilbo remarked as a snake-like Lixer wrapped around him, springing off promptly while a floating Lixer gave chase.

Coming to a halt before the middle-most of the three trees, Turg communicated to Chilbo that he was going to look for Tungster with his various hand and tongue signals, as well as grunts and other sounds. Looking around, M.C. spotted a Lixer with a hook-like tongue attempting to climb up to a hut. Sighing, they were tapped on the back by another Lixer with a large tongue for a tail, offering a Cubit as they Mixed, using a combined tongue like a spring to ascend rapidly.

"Round here, they always Mix to solve everyday problems, just like how things were years ago…" Snoof lamented as he surprised M.C., intriguing the Mixel as the Frosticon continued. "I know ya said you've Mixed with a lotta folks along your journey, and I believe ya… it's just that things really won't ever be the same again…"

"Whatcha mean?" M.C. asked. "Lemme tell ya a story. A couple of years yonder, when I was a bit younger and more naive, I was pretty selfish: always wantin' adventure for myself and dreamin' of being something… someone special. Any Mixel at the time solved things with a Mix, but I thought I was better than anyone else." Snoof said. He looked out at the village while he spoke, watching Lixers frolicking in the saliva rain and working with one another to carry supplies around the settlement.

"Dunno if anyone ever described the Mixamajig nonsense to ya, but the gist of it is that King Nixel fooled most folks in Mixel Land with some mythical 'Mixamajig' that we all fought over. At the time, I was kinda lost and looking to legends like the Maximum Mixel for some sorta guidance. So, when King Nixel rocked up with his puppetry and illusions… well, boy, I tell ya every Mixel out there was at each other's throats for that fabled Mixamajig."

"What happened then? Is this what stopped Mixing?" M.C. asked. "Kinda. When we all walked into a trap and barely got outta it by makin' a giant Mix, it was a wake up call for me. From that day forward, I started spendin' more time with Krog 'n' Chilbo, and hey, I think things turned out pretty alright. Anytime we find a problem, we Mix or Max, just like the good ol' days…" Snoof sighed. "We tried to in Mixopolis, anyway. The city had opened up right after the scam, a place aiming to unite all Mixels. It sure did, for all of three months. Then King Nixel came around and scammed most folks… again. Suddenly, nearly no one wanted to Mix, and that single hero kid defeating King Nixel alone was a testament to that."

The two remained silent for a moment, only listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the gentle grasses ahead. Snoof broke the silence. "Ya gots heart, M.C. I doubt Mixopolis will ever truly unite… but don't let me stop ya from trying, boy." Snoof said, holding out a fist for M.C. to bump as he smiled, grasping Snoof's curled hand and shaking it, much to the Frosticon's utter confusion.

Snoring away on a hammock was Tungster, the winged valkyrie-esque creature of the Lixers with one of the heftiest tongues of the batch. He was shielded from the rain by a large umbrella plant, though that probably wouldn't bother him. Not a lot of things did, since he was always pretty eager to befriend whatever was tapping away at him, beit an Arachnatrider Mixamal or a Mixeloptor. Thankfully, neither of those were the source of the sudden tongue wrapped around his entire body, shooting him awake as he squawked and flipped around in the hammock, falling out of it headfirst to see Turg's grinning face looking down on him.

Joined by Spugg, the three Lixers were reunited as they waved their tongues around happily, eager to meet up with one another. "Hey, Tungster! Have a nice nap?" Krog chuckled as the Lixer sprung up and rapidly shook the Frosticon's hand with his two claws, ecstatic to see him. "Looks like the whole crew's back together! So, what's the plan?" Chilbo asked. Screeching and flailing his tongue around calmly, Tungster relayed a plan to Chilbo as M.C. and Snoof caught up with the group.

"Alright, this massive temple is just north of the village and right on the edge of the wasteland. There's an entrance, but it seems to be sealed shut. However…" Chilbo began, letting Tungster squawk some more to continue. "After a disaster journey with some Klinker, a search party went out to try and find some clues, and turned out that a tongue-vine nearby had been wired up to a mechanism, revealing some sort of key-slot. Problem is, that it's large and triangular in shape, and they sure as Mix don't gots any leads."

Immediately thinking of the many Cubit shards he had gathered so far, M.C. pulled out the lime one he had retrieved from Orbitopia for an example. "What about something like this?" He asked, making Tungster light up as the Lixer squawked about, loose feathers flying everywhere while Chilbo deciphered his speech. "Exactly like that! Apparently he's gots one too that was closer to the shape…" He translated while Tungster rooted around for it, even rummaging underneath his tongue only to find nothing. Muttering something, Chilbo frowned. "Guess he left it around the village somewhere, oh boy."

"FETCH QUEST!" Krog and Snoof both yelled in unison, eager to race one another to find the object first. Blasting off with trails of ice, the Lixers followed along with Chilbo. Thinking for a moment, M.C. focused, and before long he had shifted his powers to those of a Lixer. "Sweet!" He mouthed, a now-flailing tongue getting in the way of his speech and giving him a lisp. Eyeing the top of the central housing tree, M.C. took a step back and launched his tongue. Latching onto a tongue-vine, he slingshotted upwards, brushing against the roof of a hut as he plowed into the top branch, looping around and coming to a halt.

Before him was the horizon of the rainforest as M.C. stared in awe. Large rock formations matching those of the Great Wasteland loomed over clearings of yellow-grass home to herds of Mixamals, beit Maxstallions or Woolamunchers. Even a few Mixapods could be seen popping their lengthy necks above the dense foliage. Amid the crowns of trees, M.C. sighted something off in the distance, a shiny monument reflecting light with a golden hue. "Cool…" He remarked, knowing this was what the others were in search of. "Sightseeing, are we? Not that there is much to see here underneath these saliva-rain clouds." Pippy said, appearing out of nowhere as per usual and startling M.C. "Greetings again, MonoChrome. I take it-"

"Pippy, what is going on with you? We really need your help, but every time I've been calling for you, NOTHING has happened!" M.C. snapped, immediately feeling bad for his outburst as he saw sadness in his friend's eyes. "You're my friend, Pippy. If something is going on that makes you unable to help, I understand… but if something's wrong, you don't have to keep it to yourself! I don't know what a 'Brightspark' is or why it makes you freak out, but tell me… and we'll work through it together, like you are with me and my past."

M.C.'s sincerity made Pippy face away as they were overcome with emotion, not wanting to showcase a more vulnerable side to their only friend. They knew what was going to come, exactly what was going to happen and yet nothing they could do would change the outcome of destiny. All they could do is act as a guide, the way a Brightspark Messenger would have so many years ago. That name was one that brought back memories, repressed moments they had longed to forget, but never could. A reminder of their failure. It was mental anguish, creating a cacophony of emotions that they struggled to keep within their mind, lest they tear M.C.'s to shreds with the mental link they had forged.

"I am grateful for your companionship, MonoChrome. Truly, I always will be." They said, extending arms from their form as they rushed over to the Mixel and hugged him, a long-lasting embrace that cemented the friendship between the two, if nothing had before. "There are things I will never be able to disclose. Memories I must repress for the safety of not only myself, but you and everyone in the Mixelverse as well." They said with regret. M.C. frowned, but nodded in understanding, knowing there were things he couldn't pry into.

"So, to keep you safe, my friend, I cannot accompany you on this journey for much longer." Pippy said, their words like a bullet going through M.C.'s heart. "W-what… but…" M.C. began, only to be hushed by the being. "The time has not come… yet. I am unable to accompany you inside of that structure, but it holds the key to your past and all of the answers which you seek." They stated. "Okay, more vagueness… how am I supposed to know what this key is?"

Pippy altered their form, shapeshifting into a form almost resembling some sort of trident with a round, two-pronged head. "You are looking for an artifact, a tool of sorts resembling the form I take now. Once you have acquired it… everything will become clear as we meet one final time, I assure you." They said. The form they took resembled something, but M.C. couldn't put a finger on exactly what. "I trust you will know what to do, my friend. Until we meet once more."

"WAIT! Pippy…" M.C. called out, halting the being before they blipped away. "If we'll meet again, I'll save my goodbyes… but we left about three Nixed Mixamals in the forest. So…" He said, only for Pippy to blink away and reappear almost instantly, a glow slowly fading around them as a sign of their actions. "It is done. Farewell, my friend." They said, vanishing into thin air.

In a hut not far underneath, Tungster had turned his abode upside down in an attempt to unearth his Cubit shard. Krog stood nearby as knick-knacks were tossed and items were flung. "Buddy, you're making your place look like a Trashoz' delight. I think you would've found it by now." He said as Tungster lifted up a gifted block of ice, finding nothing underneath as the Lixer grunted. Squawking in disappointment, Tungster stepped outside to the walkway and looked over the village against the balcony, sighing. "Ah, don't worry about it, Tungster. We've gots all the time in the world to look for it!"

A violent tremor rumbled through the entire village, rattling the tree-apartment complexes like leaves as M.C. came tumbling off it, crashing into a cube of hay as other Mixels on the ground struggled to keep their footing. Another rumble came just as M.C. had regained his footing, ascending into the air and crashing back down as Lixers everywhere panicked. "What in the Mix is goin' on?!" Snoof asked in a panic, being crushed by a falling Krog as he came falling down from the collection of huts.

Rushing into the center of the village, a Lixer curled up their tongue in a spiral shape, roaring into it as the sound amplified and echoed around the area. "What're they sayin', Chilbo?!" Krog asked, noting Tungster and Turg panicking as they dashed around in circles, Spugg growling and barking in the direction of the village's border. "Uh… I haven't heard these terms before! I'm not sure, really, but this seems bad… I'll try and decipher things." Chilbo said, walking up to Turg and slapping him out of a panic as he attempted to get an explanation of sorts.

After some more rumbles and a lengthy explanation, Chilbo was paralyzed with shock. He had deciphered exactly what they were saying, and why they were panicking. Looking to the forest entryway that they had come in through earlier, a form emerged, one that the Frosticon had caught on to all too late. As its monstrous body stepped through with earthquakes of steps, he could only mutter the species of the Mixamal: "MIXELOPTOR!"

Mixeloptors were nocturnal creatures, hulking beasts that were more scared of a Crunch Doodle than a Mixel was of them. This happened to go away when one was Nixed, such as the one that had stepped into the Lixer settlement. With a triangular, spiked head, massive claws and a heft tail, it was a colossal creature. As soon as he had laid his eye upon the Nixed Mixamal, M.C. whistled for Pippy, only to be met with nothing as their words truly sunk in.

"Snoof, Chilbo! LET'S MAX!" Krog yelled, holding up an azure Cubit as the three latched on, placed in the fireplace of a hot air balloon that burst as it ignited and the Max of the three stanced up. Firing off two missiles of ice from their hands, they struck the Mixeloptor head on, encasing its feet in a dense layer of ice. "Direct hit! This will be easy." The Max remarked, prompting a face palm from Turg as a prelude to what would come next.

Effortlessly, the Mixeloptor ripped its feet from the ice, sending shards flying and roaring with enough force to bust open the walls of various Lixer huts. Locking their sights upon the Frosticons Max, it charged at full speed, moving fast enough that the Max didn't have time to react as they were skewered against the central tree, splitting all three Frosticons as every hut and walkway raised off the ground was rocked rapidly.

As various items went flying from the impact, a gleaming shard caught Tungster's attention as he soared after it, catching it with his tongue and celebrating with a squawk while the Mixeloptor fumed behind him. Turning and facing the beast as it prepared to claw him out of the sky, a quickly formed Mix of M.C. and Spugg leaped into action and took Tungster down to safety, just as the Mixeloptor slashed through the thick bark of the tree.

"Is that…" Snoof began, being answered by an enthusiastic bark from Spugg as he split from M.C. With the Mixeloptor's claw stuck in the hardened bark, the Mixels had an opportunity to forge a plan. "It's the Cubit shard! Oh, that Mixeloptor is gonna turn this place upside down if we don't do something!" Krog stated, making M.C. think for a moment. "What if we led it out of here and found a way to subdue it until we can restore its colors? Chilbo, you're smart. Do you know anything that would catch its attention?" M.C. suggested.

"Hm… all Mixamals seem to become enraged at the sight of a Mixel turning and slapping their rear end to one, while wiggling their hips and chanting 'nanny, nanny, nanny!' Would that suffice?" Chilbo asked, making the other Mixels look at him with surprise. "Uh, sure! Who's up to Mix with me and stop this thing?!" M.C. asked, facing a lack of enthusiasm from the other as the Lixers Maxed to avoid the situation and Snoof and Krog promptly Mixed, leaving only Chilbo as he begrudgingly accepted. "Eh, alright. I'd rather take this than facing the 99% chance of being torn to pieces by that Mixeloptor!"

Touching a Cubit, the two were placed in a cocktail glass, shook around and thrown in with other ingredients before a Mix burst through and sent shards flying everywhere, a mega-brained Mix ready for the most precise calculations of battle. "Alright… here we go." They said, whistling to the Mixeloptor as it finally retracted its claw from the tree. "Over HERE! Nanny, nanny, nanny!" The Mix yelled, reciting the various actions that had been stated previously. If being Nixed had angered the Mixeloptor, these actions made it see red. Immediately lunging for the Mix, they were saved by the Snoof & Krog Mix at the last moment as they grabbed ahold of the Chilbo & M.C. Mix, soaring off at blistering speed along with the Lixers Max into the jungle.

Roaring, the Mixeloptor sprinted after, cutting down trees and plants as it went and flattening stones. "Okay, we gots the attention, now what?!" The Snoof & Krog Mix asked, leaving the other Mix to ponder for a moment the best course of action. "Mixeloptors are no good at tracking multiple targets, let alone being Nixed nor among a dense scene of foliage. Should we scatter and form a variety of Mixes, we'll be able to trip it up and carefully subdue the beast!" They said, being split apart as an entire tree log was hurled straight through them by the creature.

Roaring and flailing their tongue about, the Lixers Max caught the attention of the Mixeloptor with the slap of a tongue, giving chase as they soared into the maze of trees. Taking a moment to recover, M.C. and Chilbo regrouped with Snoof and Krog in an attempt to plan something out. "Okay, clearly this ain't gonna go over smoothly!" Snoof yelled, watching plants and other smaller Mixamals get tossed aside while the Mixeloptor rampaged in pursuit of the Lixers Max.

"Why don't we pull a repeat of what we did earlier and let it glide along a sheet of ice? Then the Lixers can swoop in and trip it up!" Krog suggested. "And if you remember correctly, that ended in disaster the last time we tried it." Chilbo reminded his brother of the similar plan for the Mixaplotapuss. "Well, what other choice do we gots?! START FREEZIN'!" M.C. yelled, altering his powers to a Frosticon's as he started breathing ice, freezing over a tiny portion of ground at a time. "Need a hand?" Krog asked, holding out a Cubit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Mixin' with him amplifies one of your powers, remember? With your mouth like a Muncho, how do we know-" Snoof began, only to be interrupted by the activation of the Cubit. With a ski-lift bursting from the ore and whirling the two Mixels around at a brisk pace, a Mix was formed and ready for action. Immediately turning to a bush that was growing nutberries, the Mix wharfed down not only them, but the entire shrub as well, making both Snoof and Chilbo facepalm. "Gots to get a good snack before some ice-spitting!" They remarked.

With a massive inhale, the Krog & M.C. Mix spat a massive trail of ice, stretching a hundred yards and amazing the other two Frosticons. Wasting no time, they whistled and caught the attention of the Lixers Max, who began to loop around the rainforest as the Mixeloptor came closer and closer. In sight of the ice track, the Max soared forward, narrowly escaping the clutches of the beast's claws as they veered to the side. Going wide-eyed, the Mixeloptor skidded onto the icy path, struggling to keep its footing as it wobbled around and continued forth with its great momentum.

"Now's your chance! Use your tongue and trip it up!" Chilbo yelled to the newly-returned Lixers Max, prompting a sigh as it took off once more and whirled its tongue around, catching a tree on the other side of the ice track with it and latching on. Striking the base of the Mixeloptor's foot, the creature tumbled over onto its belly and continued even faster along the path, crashing into a large rock head-first and coming to a halt seemingly unconscious. "Did we just?!" Snoof asked. "Mixeloptors could take a meteor to the skull and only get a mild bruise. So, it should be fine." Chilbo stated, making the others pause as they all concurrently realized they had done little work as the Mixeloptor roared again, smashing the stone it had crashed into. Spugg barked and whined, wondering what the group were to do now that their best plans of attack had failed.

Tungster was always one of the wilder Lixers, especially when around his friends. So, to say a single thought had gone into his next move would be a horrendous overstatement. Charging and letting out a cacophony of noises, Tungster soared through the air with his colossal tongue flailing about, aiming to take on the beast himself if no other methods proved a success.

Of course, this went all of nowhere as the Mixeloptor plucked him out of the air and pressed him up against a tree with force. The swift motion had knocked the orange-yellow Cubit shard out from under Tungster's prideful tongue, sending it flying unintentionally into the throat of the Mixeloptor. Dazed by this unexpected action, it dropped the Lixer as it trashed about, seemingly choking on the ore as M.C. began to panic. "Those shards power up anyone who uses em'! We've gots to-"

Unexpectedly, the Mixeloptor's array of colors were suddenly restored while a plethora of tongues shot out from its throat. Unable to handle this, it spat the Cubit shard right back out, striking Turg in the head as he groaned. No longer Nixed, the Mixeloptor yawned and ignored the group of Mixels, settling down in the spot it stood and falling into a slumber, exhausted. Surprised, the Mixels simply looked to one another and then to the creature, bewildered at the events that had occurred. M.C. specifically was more shocked than the others. A Nixed creature being freed by anything other than Pippy raised many questions, ones he would relay to them when he got the chance.

"Well, I'm not one to question! Let's take this shard and go find that monument already." Snoof suggested, picking up the ore and trodding off as Turg nursed his head with not only his hands, but with his tongue as well.

The next several hours were spent cutting through the rainforest as the seven Mixels journeyed to the mysterious monument. Cracking jokes along the way and getting to know one another more, the group cemented themselves as friends while they made their way through the unfriendly environment. As was a constant in the Saliva Rainforest, rain beat down through the leaves and drizzled onto the ground below, the treetops almost acting like an umbrella for the Mixels as they continued on their quest.

"So then, he says 'don't take any wooden Nixels'!" Snoof finished a joke, prompting a harsh laugh from not only the Lixers, but M.C. too as Chilbo and Krog rolled their eyes. "AHA! I don't get it!" M.C. remarked, smiling as Krog beckoned for everyone to halt. "Rain's louder ahead, there's a clearing. Be careful for Mixamals!" He whispered while Spugg scouted ahead, using his tongue to detect any scents of nearby creatures. Giving the all-clear with a bark, the group moved forward, stepping out into the open air as everyone gasped at the sight before them.

They had reached their destination: a golden monument shaped like a horizontally halved pyramid. Intricate runes and inscriptions lined shining pillars that rose up to the top of the massive structure. Several other golden constructs littered the surrounding area, seemingly faded into the dirt and mud. Despite this, the main attraction looked as if it had just fallen from the sky: in perfect condition as if someone - or something - had been tending to it every day for hundreds of years.

"Hold me, Krog, I might just die a happy Mixel!" Snoof jested, ecstatic to have uncovered such a gorgeous sight. "Heh heh. We haven't even gotten inside yet, doofus." Krog said. "Marvelous… this architecture matches nothing known across the world… and this material - oh, this material! It almost looks like ironzite, an alloy of the long-gone ages!" Chilbo geeked out, delicately hugging the exterior. Sitting patiently, Spugg wagged his tail and drooped his tongue out happily, only for Turg and Tungster to snicker at Chilbo's nerdiness before breaking into laughter.

M.C. on the other hand, while glad to be with his friends, was thinking mostly about his past. If Pippy was right, the answers were about to be within his reach. But at this point, he was incredibly uncertain. Pippy wasn't lying - why would their best friend be lying to him? Sure, there were things they were clearly hiding, but why? Nothing was making much sense, it seemed like everything should just be open and leave as little confusion as possible, because at the moment, M.C.'s mind was looping around to the very question he faced at the start of the journey. "Who am I?"

As Turg muttered something, Chilbo returned from his headspace to translate. "Of course! Who's gots that Cubit shard? The entrance should be right ahead." He interpreted, rushing up to an entryway of sorts that had a sealed door lined with brilliantly carved pillars. "Anyone see some sort of slot? Preferably with a sign that says "put key here"..." Krog asked while the group caught up, glancing around as Snoof pulled out the shard. Tungster squawked about. "You might be right. Look around the exterior, guys. There doesn't seem to be a slot here." Chilbo stated while translating Tungster's words, the group scattering around to investigate.

Lost in his own thoughts, M.C. was having doubts. "What even really am I? No other Mixel has powers like me, and when I Mix, the other Mixel's powers are amplified. What do I even have to my name…" M.C. was about to break until he stumbled into a small ruin sticking out of the yellow grass, tripping over it as some sort of mechanism was activated. "Uh… guys, what did that do?" He asked as the other Mixels looked to him.

Out of nowhere, a structure shaped like an alter burst up from the ground behind Tungster, prompting the surprised Lixer to attack the construct with his tongue, wrapping it around the golden rectangle as Spugg and Turg attempted to settle their brother down. "Well, hi-diddly-doo! Have a look at that hole atop it!" Snoof pointed out, noticing an opening in the angled face of the structure that perfectly matched the profile of the Cubit shard he held. Finally having managed to pull back his brother as he eyed the pillar with malicious intent, Turg urged something to Snoof in a panicked tone, prompting Tungster to join in and Spugg to bark, the three latching together in fear and trembling at their own words. "Wuh?" The Frosticon wondered as his head tilted, prompting a translation from Chilbo.

"They say it might be booby-trapped, who knows. Personally, if we consider-" Chilbo was about to start on a tangent regarding the likelihood of disaster, only for Snoof to freak out before he'd even have a chance. "BOOBY-TRAPS?! What kinda fool do ya take me for?! I ain't puttin' no shards in that hole if I'll lose my head for it!" Snoof yelled out, oblivious to a smug Krog standing behind him, having snatched the ore. "To each their own, heh." He muttered, making Snoof's pupil shrink as he carelessly tossed the shard in.

Instantly, a low-pitched rumble rung out from the sliver in the ironzite doors as the key was inserted. Like a herd of Mammoslugs, the colossal, metallic slabs slowly shifted inwards. Natural light began to shine into the abyss for the first time in presumably years, and yet the interior was pitch-black even after the shutters came to a halt, the entrance fully open for all of Planet Mixel to see. "Totally not ominous. Who wants to volunteer as our test Bonzipod to go in first?" Krog asked somewhat jokingly, prompting groans from the others and a half-serious squawk of desire from Tungster.

Knowing that everything he seeked supposedly laid within this assembly, M.C. took a deep breath and exhaled, warping his body to that of an Infernite as he prepared to step forth and lead the way. The time was now. His past was in reach. "Let's go find some answers." Illuminating around himself with flames bursting from his ears, M.C. took a step inside. The ground appeared to be of the same material as the building's exterior, a perfectly smooth metallic alloy. "Seems all good, guys!" M.C. yelled out to the others. His echo blasted through the openings and hallways of the temple, seemingly going on forever through the darkness. "Well, I'll be. Sucks that the light's barely workin'." Snoof remarked, noting that M.C.'s flames were barely increasing vision as the others stepped inside.

Out of nowhere, a metallic hum rung out as objects clung together. Looking back to the door, it came to a sudden shut, much faster than it had opened. Spugg hissed and yelped out, panicking and enraged at the thought of harm coming to his brothers. Instead, a series of lights shone all around, and everything became clear. Embedded within the walls were somewhat dim crystals, shining light upon the entire opening room the Mixels now stood in. If the exterior was beautiful, then the interior made it look like a dump. Intricate carvings of unknown origins detailed the golden walls, running across and up pillars that had been polished to a tee. In the center of the hexagonal room laid a massive carving of a Cubit, a sign this monument had been forged by Mixels.

Screeching and flailing about, Tungster appeared to be the only one wanting to leave following the sudden event, as the others had become engrossed in the structure. "This place is amazing…" M.C. said in awe, standing in the center and looking straight up to see another inscription, this time a symbol of Planet Mixel. "You can say that again. Just how long has this been sitting here?" Krog wondered. "Better question yet, how did nobody ever ACCIDENTALLY open this if all we needed was a Cubit shard?" Snoof asked.

Suddenly, the stand that had appeared outside jettisoned up from near the entryway, spitting out the shard into Turg's tongue as he caught it, passing it to M.C. Muttering something, he looked to Chilbo to translate his words for the others, only to see him frantically geeking out over the building. "THIS IS NOTHING SHORT OF SPECTACULAR! These walls, they're ANCIENT! I mean, TRULY ancient! Not a speck of dust to be seen and no fingerprints! Oh, and we haven't even truly gotten inside yet…" Chilbo blathered about the fine details, prompting chuckles from the other Mixels as the Frosticon latched onto a golden pillar like a sloth.

Sniffing around yet catching no scent - neither with nose or tongue - Spugg's eyes caught wind of a hallway that slowly had light crystals flicker on, beckoning him forth. Barking to catch the others' attention, everyone gathered around him as they looked down the dimly lit hall that appeared to end in darkness. "Man, it's like a ghost house in here. No signs of use or anything." Krog remarked. "Well, no way except forward! Let's go-" M.C. said as they stepped forward, only for his foot to sink lower than usual as it found its home on a plate that depressed down, coming to a halt as it clicked and activated something. "Oh, schnixel."

What had been an open entryway behind the group suddenly shut with a massive block of a door. A mechanism was heard ratcheting away behind the walls, and as the Mixels looked up above the newly-closed exit, something was coming into view as a slab of metal gradually lifted. "Marvelous, that would appear to be a boulder." Chilbo stated. Before long, the entire floor that the group were standing on adjusted, angling downwards at a slight angle.

Screaming and gargling, Tungster took off with speed. It didn't take a translation from Chilbo to understand that he was screaming for everyone to run for their lives. Darting off, the boulder was released and began to roll after the rushing group. "Oh, great! All we need now are flyin' arrows and this'll be JUST like a Johnny Thunder movie!" Snoof yelled as he jetted along with his ice boosters.

As if to answer, crevices in the walls shifted open to reveal small slits, almost sized perfectly for small arrows. "Ya had to point that out?!" M.C. yelled as precise beams of light whirred through the air in every direction, one scorching a feather on Tungster as the Lixer screamed out. "ONLY ONE SOLUTION FOR THAT!" Krog suggested as he threw up two azure-orange Cubits, himself, Chilbo, Spugg, and Turg grabbing each one as they activated, entrapping all four Mixels in a treasure chest that was unlocked with a rainbow key. Bursting from the chest, two Mixes were ready to attempt anything to make things better.

With a whip-like tongue, the Krog & Turg Mix froze it solid and flailed it around, batting away blasts of light with precision and barely grazing the others. Formulating the wackiest decision possible, the Chilbo & Spugg Mix barfed out a ramp of ice in an attempt to get the nearing boulder through the roof, only for it to crash right through it. "Whatever ya'll are tryin', hurry up! WE'RE RUNNIN' OUTTA HALLWAY!" Snoof yelled, noting that the path they were running along came to an abrupt end over an abyss not far ahead.

"M.C.! TUNGSTER! CATCH!" The latter Mix cried out as they flung a Cubit down at the two, Tungster barely latching onto it with his tongue as the ore blasted open in activation. Wrapped around in a tightly-spun ribbon, the two were whirled around rapidly before a Mix came spinning to a halt with their massive tongue halting them through its sheer weight. Unable to speak, the Mix locked eye contact with the rapidly moving chunk of stone and curled out their tongue, screeching to a halt mid-run as the other Mixes tumbled past.

Waiting for the perfect moment, the boulder rolled right onto the Mix's tongue. As it came to the center of it, the Mix used all of its strength to curl back and lob the sphere upwards, sending it crashing into a wall and busting it open as the boulder broke into hundreds of tiny shards. Skidding downwards as they remembered the drop, the floor suddenly cocked back up at speed, sending everyone splatting into the ceiling as they peeled off it and crashed back down, all three of the Mixes having split apart.

Exhausted, the Mixels lay panting on the floor. It was over, and a clear way forward had been blasted open. Wiggling his tongue in place and whimpering, Spugg sighed. "Agreed, this might be a tad too much adventure for one ancient construct…" Chilbo panted. Starry-eyed, Snoof shot to his feet and jogged in place. "Are ya kiddin'? This is AMAZIN'! Onward forth, cowboys, MORE ADVENTURE AWAITS!" He yelled, blasting off into the newly-opened exit. "Glad that everyone's getting their kicks outta this place, at least." Krog muttered as he rose.

Snoof grinded to a halt as light crystals gleamed into focus one by one in another large open room, seemingly empty and near-identical to the one the group had arrived in. "Did… DID WE JUST END UP WHERE WE STARTED?!" He yelled angrily as the others caught up. "Interesting… doesn't seem like that shard slot is in here. Although similar, this is not the same room. Physics dictate that we are at the other end of this structure, which appears to have crossed your mind." Chilbo smirked as his brother deciphered these playful and big words, slowly turning enraged.

M.C. was the last to step into the room, and as he did, something strange occurred. Beams of light shot from each of the six glowing crystals embedded within the walls, but none were lethal. In fact, they appeared to be observing M.C. as they whizzed around his body, seemingly scanning him before abruptly disappearing. "Uh…" He muttered as the room shook from an ancient mechanism shifting. "Oh, come on! How many more of these do we gots to deal with?!"

In an unprecedented act, small, step-sized pillars shot out from various points along the walls as the roof above gave way. With more and more steps ejecting, it appeared that a spiral staircase was forming as more light crystals shone into the new space. One final platform budged out above, leading into parts unknown at the end of the staircase. "Okay… how long before some trap is activated along the way-" Snoof began, only for the three Lixers to rush up it with no regard for safety, coming to a halt at the newly-formed platform and smirking down on the four below, no traps activated.

"Good enough for me, let's go." Chilbo said, trailing off with the other three up the stairs. Along the way, M.C. took note of the inscriptions carved into the wall, seemingly depicting creatures in an ancient art style. As the four neared the top, what was once fine art had turned to mere scribbles; seemingly hastily made depictions of something - or someone.

These had caught M.C.'s attention hard enough that he slammed head-first into a protrusion from the wall, stumbling back and almost toppling back down the staircase. "Ouch… what is… that?" He wondered as he nursed the side of his face, noticing a pitch-black crystal that light was not reflecting off of. "Chilbo, you're the genius. Mind puttin' us asleep with a description of this little diddy here?" Snoof asked. "Har, har. I would love to, but alas… I dunno what that is, man." He shrugged as he examined the pitch-black crystal form. A screech from Tungster was a sign to move on, and the two Frosticons continued up to the end of the staircase, as did M.C. in pursuit. Although he continued forth, he could not shake the feeling that what he had slammed into felt… familiar, even if he had never seen such a thing before.

With another stretch of hallway before them, the three Frosticons groaned, prompting a similar sound from Spugg. "This place really does drag out, bud. C'mon, any potential treasure ain't gonna find itself." Chilbo said, moving forth as rather tall, pillared walls surrounded the group. No more than about thirty seconds of walking wound them up at a dead end. A moment of silence and blank faces was broken up by a disappointed Snoof. "Oh… YA GOTS TO BE KIDDIN'! We risked our necks for nothin'?!" He yelled, frustrated that their journey had come to a close with little to no fanfare.

"Hey, guys… what does that say?" M.C. asked, having taken a look at the walls and noticing patterns of sorts. The other Mixels turned to what M.C. was gazing upon and examined something peculiar. From top to bottom and all across the wall was what appeared to be writing. Unknown and unclear runes spelled out something in a clear structure. "Hey, the other wall's gots that too!" Krog pointed out, noticing a similar yet different collection of letters on the opposing side. It became clear that this was a language of sorts, and Chilbo put two and two together.

"I've… I've seen this before." The Frosticon said, carefully looking at each letter and making out sequences of words and sentences. "Say again?" Snoof asked, perplexed at the suggestion. "Those ruins in the Frozen Volcanoes! They had an incredibly similar set of inscriptions, remember the lecture I gave the two of you when I deciphered it?" Chilbo suggested, making Krog and Snoof scratch their heads. "Yeah… nah, slept through it." Snoof admitted. "Sorry bud!" Krog added.

"No matter, I made sure to detail those runes in my notes…" Chilbo stated as he pulled out a small journal, opening it up to reveal a massive stack of papers that realistically should not have fit in a book of that size. Placing these on the floor and flipping through his work, Turg eagerly nudged closer with the urge to slobber all over these, only to be gently pushed aside by Chilbo as the Lixer whimpered and frowned.

Pausing, Chilbo smiled as he uncovered what he was looking for: a cipher detailing translations of each symbol into the Mixel language. "I knew it… these are the same symbols. Not only is that INCREDIBLY convenient, but it means that whomever constructed this must have worked in the Frozen Volcanoes, too! Who knows what else might be out there!" Chilbo geeked out, Krog forcefully coughing to remind him of the task at hand. "OF COURSE! Gimme a minute while I work on this…"

Brushing his claws along the wall as he hastily jotted down a translation in his notes, Chilbo's expression of enthusiasm slowly faded. What he was beginning to decipher was something beyond imagination, a story that made his face turn dull. "Everything alright?" M.C. asked. "This… can't be true. Not fully." Chilbo said. "Who cares? Just give it a read." Snoof suggested.

Clearing his throat, Chilbo looked to the start of the lines and began reciting them.

"Our time is running short. These walls were meant to stand as not only our place of work, but a symbol of creativity. Alas, destiny has caught up to us. I foresaw these events long ago, and yet my attempts to undo them have proved futile. Wasting away by loathing would do no good, so I shall do what I intended to perchance any surviving Mixels uncover this temple and overcome its trappings intended to weed out creatures of destruction. Assuming a Cubit has been presented and this chamber unlocked, I suppose I shall begin."

"By the MAXES, that is vague. And when the heck did we present a Cubit?" Snoof yelled impatiently, prompting a hush from Turg, who had been listening attentively. "Calm yourself, there is still much text to go." Krog whispered. Taking a deep breath, Chilbo continued.

"In the beginning of time, two brothers were spawned alongside the Mixelverse with one goal in mind: to create the perfect world. Setting out to achieve this destiny, the elder of the two forged this planet with their four hands and created a blank slate. Much more experienced, the elder brother demonstrated their power over creation by flourishing the planet with life, covering it with varying biomes and landscapes. The younger brother, however, was a being of shadow, tasked with creating the various fauna that would inhabitat this world. Balance was the key, and they aimed to strike that with their conflicting powers."

"While the elder brother would forge the Cubit, a mystical ore imbued with the very essence of creation itself, the younger brother failed to create life, spawning mutants of shadow that plagued the landscapes they inhabited with destruction. A detriment to the world they were creating, the elder brother forbade his younger sibling from continuing any further work, extinguishing their shadows they had tried so hard to make perfect. Taking matters into their own hands, the elder brother made their younger brother watch as they forged living beings from nothing, creatures that would come to be known as Mixamals."

"These creatures would utilize the Cubit to fuse together into one larger being temporarily, spreading out across the planet as more and more of them cropped up. Before long, the perfect species of Mixamal evolved, one that would be named as 'Mixels'. With diverse, colorful tribes of many different elemental powers and advanced intelligence, these creatures were to be the chosen species of the world, one that the elder brother would name themself after: the Maximum Mixel."

"Oh for the love of-" Snoof began, only to have his mouth restrained and his body held in place by the three Lixers listening attentively to this tale. "Continue, ignore him…" Krog sighed as Chilbo moved across to the other section of wall to continue a break in the text.

"As months passed, society was formed. The Mixing culture thrived as the twenty-four tribes of each celestial element flourished and developed. However, chaos was growing with the creatures, and so, leaders were needed in order to keep the balance. With their divine power, the Maximum Mixel forged myself and my siblings as guides to the Mixel race. Three legendary, powerful Mixels with abilities far greater than the rest of the species. We were of the twenty-fifth tribe, gifted with the celestial, elemental power of light: the Brightsparks."

Everyone went silent before turning to M.C., remembering what he had said about Pippy and their reaction to that word. One more missing piece in the puzzle had slid into place. Pippy had some sort of relation to these Brightsparks - and it would only make sense given they were both related to the Maximum Mixel - but their freakouts at the mention of them wasn't adding up.

"With our guiding light, the world was complete. No longer were either of the celestial brothers needed, so the Maximum Mixel declared their world perfect before departing to the stars, followed not long after by their younger brother. Working with the Mixels to guide them through the darkness and inspire Mixing, a new age of the planet was to begin."

"Or, so we thought. Where light glows strong, a shadow will darken accordingly. The younger brother, a celestial being of destruction, had grown bitter and jealous over time. All of their creations had been warped by their brother to the point no trace of their fingerprints remained. Donning the name of the Naximum Nixel, they wanted a world for themself. Something to call their own, and they set out to make that a reality by tearing the planet to shreds."

"All three of us Brightsparks were gifted each with one celestial power, something that would aid the chosen species. I, myself, was not gifted, but cursed with the power of foresight: the act of witnessing the prewritten goal that any being will achieve. For as long as I can remember, I have witnessed the path of destiny. A cruel, unforgiving force that shows no mercy. I have known for so many months that all three of us were to perish in the act of forging a weapon for the Maximum Mixel to use to halt their brother. I could not tell my siblings, never. Why should they have their endings told to them?"

"I write this as a warning to any Mixel that may encounter these texts after our passing. I know not of what will become of this world once our goals are fulfilled. Only mere pieces of destiny in the future have come to me, but those fragments are bleak. Destiny is about to find me, so I must go and finish the weapon with my siblings. If these texts are uncovered… my reader, secure the artifacts in our chamber. The fate of the world depends on it."

Stepping back from the wall as he finished the text, Chilbo looked to the others, who were all equally overwhelmed. "This… this explains everything." Krog muttered. "Two brothers forging the world, Cubits and all… the holes in early history and mentions of early 'leaders' in history books… but how was a tribe of light forgotten to time? Did other Mixels really not pass down their story?" Chilbo wondered. Spugg tilted his head and whined something, making Turg nod in agreement.

"The Brightsparks… they died forging something for the Maximum Mixel. I guess… that's why Pippy can't hear their name without…" M.C. said, putting things together and feeling terrible for his friend. "I guess they knew those three… losing people you know… oh, that's horrible…" He continued, prompting Tungster to pat him in the shoulder for some reassurance.

Falling to his knees, Snoof lowered his head and slammed his hand against the floor dramatically, prompting a surprised reaction from the other six. "The Maximum Mixel… they HAVE to be real after that. All of the non-believin' I did the past few years… I'LL BE PAYIN' FOR LIFE!" He hollered, everyone else going blank with embarrassment as Snoof wailed.

Attempting to get away, M.C. looked to the dead end wall, noticing a hexagonal protrusion and tapping his finger against it and activated a mechanism. "Guys, didn't that say something about another chamber?" He asked as the wall split horizontally, two halves of a door lifting up and down to reveal a massive, illuminated chamber that quelled all emotions and replaced them with awe.

At least, it would have, had the illumination of the room been from the light crystals. A gaping hole in the wall of the chamber that had been poorly obscured with tongue-leaves shone light and rain in, large puddles having formed everywhere. "Did… did you guys really not check for the hole around the back?" Chilbo asked in shock, making the three Lixers giggle as they abstained from answering. Worse yet, any mentions of 'artifacts' seemed to be incorrect. "Pinch me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of empty holsters for things diddied all around that were probably intended for TREASURES!" Snoof yelled.

He was right. As the group rushed in, they found scratches and traces of something - or someone - having stolen everything. "Pippy told me there'd be some sort of horned staff that would be the key to everything…" M.C. said sadly. "Uh, guys…" Krog looked through the hole as he pulled away the leavery, noting not only a view of the Great Wasteland, but a familiar steam city in the horizon as fresh footprints trailed off in its direction

Tungster growled as Spugg started barking rapidly, Turg attempting to calm them both down. "Klinkers?! Look, I know Gox's got a knack for shiny things…" Chilbo attempted to reason with them, but went nowhere. "EXACTLY! C'mon, you guys! Let's teach that mustachio some MANNERS about stealin'!" Snoof yelled, attempting to Mix with an angry Spugg but ending up Murping, the monstrous combination howling as they bounced off after Klinkerton with the same goal in mind. "Wuh oh. After them!" Krog yelled as he, Chilbo, and the other two Lixers gave chase, leaving M.C. behind.

Looking at an altar of sorts in the middle of the chamber, M.C. noticed three platforms all gathered around what appeared to be a terminal. "Looks like this was their workplace…" He thought to himself. "So long, Brightsparks."

"Wait… RUNAWAY MURP! Hold on, guys!" M.C. snapped back to reality and took off after the others. While he ran, he never noticed the other reflection-deprived crystals that had cropped up in the central chamber, identical to that of which he had crashed into earlier.

The whirs and clanks of steampunk machinery sounded throughout the outskirts of Klinkerton. Piles of scraps and junk towered high above the remnants of a Steam Age residence as a conveyor belt lugged heaps of junk along. At the end of the line was a tired Kamzo, yawning as he scooped up yet another pile and compressed it into a metal pancake with his crushing claw. This was just another day for him on the job, one that he was obsessed with despite how truly mundane it was.

Tossing the crushed hunk of junk into a cart, he yawned once more as he grabbed the transport handles, ready to move another batch out for incineration. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for the cart to be immovable. Raising his tired eyelids, Kamzo was shocked to see it frozen solid, along with all of his junk. "What the..?" He remarked, surprised as water droplets sludged to the cobbled ground.

"CHARGE!" Snoof's voice ordered as he yodeled from behind a scrap heap, prompting three Mixes to launch out of hiding and ambush the Klinker. Utilizing their tongue, a Mix of M.C. & Turg restrained Kamzo as they wrapped it around him, two other Mixes of Chilbo & Spugg as well as Krog & Tungster ready to freeze him if he made a move. "A knock on the door would'a been nice." Kamzo muttered, disgusted at the saliva dripping onto him from the Mix's tongue.

"A-A-ALRIGHT there, cowboy! Did ya REALLY think we'd let the three of ya thievin' junkyarders get away with priceless treasure?!" Snoof demanded answers as he got up in Kamzo's face, prompting a look of pure confusion from him. "Excuse me?" The Klinker asked. Responding with a series of growls and squawks, the Krog & Tungster Mix sent saliva flying into the face of Kamzo, making him even more uncomfortable. "They say that we just came out of a monument in the Saliva Rainforest, and that an entire room of artifacts had been plucked dry, with footsteps leading to none other than your tiny town. So… spill the beans!" The Chilbo & Spugg Mix said as the Turg & M.C. Mix tightened their tongue grip.

"A bunch'a things get nicked from some temple, and you come to the worker?!" Kamzo yelled, raising a good point. "Well…" Krog began as he split from Tungster, all three Mixes disengaging as Kamzo remained still and crossed his arms. "C'mon, Gox ALWAYS has you doing his dirty work. Remember that time with the go-kart? Or the repair service that got you folks booted out of Mixopolis?" Chilbo brought up, making Kamzo sigh. "Whatever, man. I've gots a busy schedule, so- WAIT A MINUTE." He realized, looking back to the conveyor and noting that it had piled up with trash. "That's gonna explode! Get outta the way!" He yelled.

In a moment of quick thinking, M.C. held out a Cubit to Mix. "We'll get it done faster, c'mon!" M.C. suggested, making Kamzo frown. "Yester-year technology, move!" He said, but M.C. didn't budge. Looking to the conveyor and seeing that it was about to overheat, Kamzo conceded and touched the Cubit. "Fine…" He muttered, gripping it with his claw hand. Turned into metal sheets and dipped into a furnace, the two Mixels were hammered together by the Cubit's illusion. With a Mix forming, now with two claw arms, they launched into action.

Scooping up the piles of scrap, the Kamzo & M.C. Mix crushed pieces with ease as they tossed them into the freshly-thawed cart. Making quick work of the heap, a steam whistle sounded to indicate the end of a shift, leading to the Mix splitting apart. "I'll admit, that was kinda fun, but I've gots a ten-second break to enjoy before getting back to work." Kamzo said, wasting away those moments by speaking as the siren blared again. "Welp, back to work!" He stated, trodding off with the cart.

"Okay, how do we make him talk?" Snoof asked, forming a huddle with the others. "Talk? But he already talked to us?" M.C. was confused, not getting the meaning of the Frosticon's words. "He means forcing what Kamzo knows out of him, heh." Krog muttered, smirking as he eyed the Klinker. "I… don't think he's lying?" M.C. said and raised an eyebrow. "Only a few feet away from you guys, y'know. If you've gots a problem, take it up with Gox." Kamzo said as he turned back to the others, rolling his eyes as he continued on his way.

Turg growled as spit flew from his mouth, prompting a nod from Tungster. "He's right, we should split up. Chances are he's not lying, but those artifacts are most definitely around here. So, how's about some of us stay here and search while the others go find Gox?" Chilbo suggested after hearing Turg's words. "Sounds good! I'll go meet this Gox." M.C. volunteered. "I'll come with him. I've gots some choice words about that punk to say anyway, heh-heh." Krog added, followed by Turg who also agreed to join the two.

With that, the group of three Mixels set out to find the head of the Klinkers as the other four began to rummage through heaps of scrap in an attempt to uncover something - anything. Unbeknownst to anyone, a pair of crazed eyes onlooked as their beholder laughed. "Perfect, a challenge! We can't be having things too easy now, can we?" Murphy asked rhetorically. Hiding behind a heap of scrap, they looked to a gathering of Nixels that were waiting to strike on command, in pursuit of the same thing as the Mixels.

Walking down the ghost town that was Klinkerton, M.C. admired the old age architecture. Steampunk machinery such as gears and old rusty pipes lined the abandoned houses and buildings that made up the streets of the town. It was clear that this place had seen better days in its prime. "Wow, this place is cool…" M.C. reveled in the surroundings. "Eh, it doesn't get any prettier by the day." Krog remarked, watching as a Mix-Rat scurried into an alleyway the group passed.

"So… Klinkers and Lixers… are there any more tribes out there that don't live in Mixopolis? I've already met the Orbitons and Glowkies, just kinda surprised nobody ever told me about these two tribes." M.C. asked, prompting Turg to shake his head. "Actually, most Klinkers DO live in Mixopolis, little one, they just don't gots a district." Krog stated. "Huh? Why's that, and how come these guys don't live in the city?"

"A few years ago, Gox used to lead the Klinkers as well as being the head of the council of tribal leaders, of course, before it disbanded after he resigned. He and his brothers ran some kinda business out here for years, but it never really went anywhere, so they moved back here after some service scam in an attempt to secure a skyscraper where the Mixopolis Klinkers live. Pretty sure they're the only of their tribe outside Mixopolis." Krog stated, making M.C. think. "That's… unfortunate."

"Eh, don't worry about it much. And… here we are!" Krog said, coming to a halt before a taller building backed by active smoke towers. Turg uttered a warning that Krog caught a vague idea of. "These guys have used cheap hypnosis tricks before… but, I don't think that lightning will strike twice." Krog jested, proceeding to bust open the front door of the tower with his foot.

Inside, the expressions of the action-ready Mixels dropped as they looked before a mostly-abandoned lobby. Waiting seats were torn up and covered in cobwebs, a barely functioning series of lights keeping the room illuminated. At the reception desk sat a sleeping Jinky, heavy rock music blaring from a cassette player left unattended at the desk.

"We're Mix'n'LOUD, playin' on for a crowd, takin' over the wo-o-orld! " A Mixies song rung out from the device as Jinky snored away. "Wake up time?" M.C. asked, making Krog nod as he froze the player and effectively cut the music short. Without his sleep tracks, the Klinker shot awake in a panic. "OI, OFFICER, I SWEAR I- what?" He yelled as he barely managed to stay propped up in his poorly-made office chair. "Oh, uh… customers. Welcome, you lot… how may I help you?"

"Jinky, you know me, no need to act like a stranger, bud." Krog said as he put his elbow over the desk with Turg standing by cross-armed, M.C. barely peeping his eye over the counter due to his diminutive size. "I suppose, mate. What brings ya down here anyhow?" Jinky asked, leading into a yawn as he stretched his exhaust pipe arms. "We think this Gox fellow stole some-" M.C. began, only to have his mouth covered by Krog. "Let me do the talking, doofus!"

"Oi, what's this about then? Gox ain't one for nickin' things, bugger off!" Jinky said, having heard M.C.'s brief words. "Ha, he's just kidding. We were actually looking for Gox's help in locating some items we may have lost in this general area. Would that be too much?" Krog asked, making Jinky squint as he rose up and placed his golden hands against the desk. "You sound like you're pullin' my leg here, mate… is what I'd say if it were too much to ask! I'll get ya set up right away, just gimme a few…" Jinky happily agreed, pulling out a massive old-timey phone to call Gox. "Oi, boss, gots a few visitors for ya… oh, really? Yeah, alright, be up in a sec."

Jinky placed the phone down and looked to the three Mixels. "Right this way, lads. Gox is waitin' for ya." The Klinker led the way to a rusty elevator that opened to reveal an even rustier interior, despite being fitted with a royal-looking red carpet. "Should only take a minute, come on in." Jinky beckoned the Mixels in as they stepped inside, the ancient doors creaking shut as the transport lifted. With a gentle, calming tune playing through muffled speakers, Jinky pulled out a bell and began playing in rhythm. "Always loved these elevator tunes, heh."

With a ding, the elevator reached its destination and opened to the grand Klinkerton Boardroom, a vast and open chamber at the head of the town. "Just one moment, and Gox'll be with ya." Jinky said as they stepped out, whistling heavily. "Oi! Visitors are here, boss." He yelled out.

From the end of the boardroom, a spider-like Klinker strolled down on four legs. With a golden mustache he was stroking with his three-fingered hands, Gox cleared his throat. "Hello there, my fellow Mixels. We rarely get business around here, and- …say, do I recognize you two?" He interrupted his monologue, pointing at Krog and Turg, the latter of which nodding. "My eye does not deceive! We were together during the Mixamajig nonsense many moons ago! You're very welcome to the humble town of Klinkerton, my friends. Shall I make you a cup of anti-rust tea? Oh-ho, say no more!" The Klinker got ahead of himself, rushing back to a brittle coffee-maker atop his desk and pouring three cups.

"Eh… actually, Gox, we're here to ask you about something." Krog attempted to suggest, only to be forcefully handed a beverage as Gox ignored him. "Oh, I must show you around Klinkerton. We've gots all the new bells and whistles… say, you ever hear my whistle?" Gox asked, a steam whistle ejecting from the back of his head and letting out a rusty sound that hadn't been played in years as he took a sip of tea. Turg dipped his tongue in his cup, but reeled at the bitter taste. "Um, Mr. Gox, sir? May you listen to Krog here?" M.C. asked, truly catching the attention of the Klinker.

"Hold your gears and starters there… I'll be honest, I didn't even see you. What's your name, boy, and do you have a tribe?" Gox asked. "I'm M.C.! …and uh, nope, I'm a 'tribe-shifter', as they say." He responded, adjusting his colors to match those of Gox as gears sprung up along his body. "My, my… Boy, I've gots JUST the proposal for ya. Follow me!" Gox said, M.C. shrugging to Krog as the Frosticon and Lixer both signaled for M.C. to not go ahead.

"Have you ever heard the tale of the Klinkers and the great Steam Age, dear boy?" Gox asked as he pulled a lever, bringing down the shutters of the many windows in the boardroom. "Can't say I have, why?" M.C. responded. "Hundreds of years ago as Planet Mixel came out of a time known as 'The Lost Era', society began as we know it. However, things were technologically unevolved, a poor state of affairs. It was then that the grand Captain Klinker - my great, great, great, great, GREAT grand-Mixel - founded this town and ushered in the Steam Age. Under Klinkers Incorporated, Mixel culture expanded into the mysterious Great Wasteland, headed by our town at the forefront of it all. A home for all Klinkers to live and work, it was perfect."

A projector shone onto the shutter at the end of the room, showcasing historic imagery of the early Klinkerton. "We had all the bells and whistles, and for years the Steam Age continued. Timeless were we as the world evolved. Klinkers Inc. produced everything you could imagine: gizmos, gadgets, furniture, and of course, machinery. But… our sunset would come. Centuries ago, we hired a construction team of Weldos to create Mixtopia - a town built atop the great crater of the wastelands with the purpose of uniting all Mixels. While a success, the head of the Klinker dynasty at the time had failed to realize the cost of this, and as a result… we went bankrupt."

"Be ready, Turg…" Krog alerted his friend as he held a Cubit behind his back, the Lixer nodding and preparing for action as the other three Mixels fixed their gaze away.

Jinky pressed a button to continue a slideshow, moving onto a set of images depicting Mixtopia's growth. "Disappointed in the company, a mass-migration of Klinkers occurred, settling in Mixtopia as they found great business there, and were responsible for continuing the funding of Weldos and expanding it into the great city we now know as Mixopolis. So, there's us. Before departing this world, my father left this company to me, but, as you can see, our time has yet to return." Gox continued.

"When the city was revealed to us, we were not exactly welcomed with open arms, but my status as the tribal leader landed me a seat with the council of Mixopolis… of course, once the infamous I-Cubit scam occurred, I resigned as leader upon watching my fellow Mixels' lack of unity. Before long, we departed the city, returning to this decaying relic of the past." Gox sighed as the slideshow came to a halt, Jinky patting him on the back.

"However… we Klinkers have a motto passed down to us through generations. 'Even if the oil runs dry, the gears keep right on turning.' I keep this to heart through even the darkest of times, but, I may have a solution." Gox said as a gear symbol was projected onto the shutter, making M.C. look in awe as it slowly spun. Remembering it to be the exact same way the Klinkers had hypnotized him before, Krog shot into action to prevent the same from happening to M.C.

Mixing and wasting no time, a new form of the Krog & Turg Mix launched shards of ice down the room, freezing the shutter solid as well as the feet of Jinky and Gox. "What in the-" Gox began as he struggled to free his claws from the frozen saliva ice. "Guys? What're ya- AH!" M.C. yelled as the Mix picked him up and darted. "We're finding those relics, no matter what!" The Mix declared, rushing into the elevator and slamming it shut as they went down a level.

"Jinky, get us out of this ice!" Gox demanded as his right hand man saluted. "Right away, sir!" He yelled, tapping a button on a device. Out of nowhere, a souped-up go-kart blasted through the hind window as smoke billowed from its exhausts, a low engine rumble telling of its poor construction. Mounting the floor and slamming into Jinky, the Klinker tumbled into the driver's seat as he plowed forth into Gox, freeing him from the ice as he spun around into a back seat.

"A mighty fine invention, Jinky! Now, let's get into that elevator and-" Gox began, only to be interrupted by the revolutions of the vehicle's engine. "Heh, we'll be faster in this! FOR GLORY!" Jinky yelled as he floored the accelerator, the cart spinning around before launching out through the window and mounting the walls of the tower with specially-fitted tires, all the while Gox screamed and held on for dear life as heavy metal music blared from the radio: Jinky's favorite.

"What's going on, guys?!" M.C. asked with surprise as the elevator began to stall and grind to a halt, its doors not opening. "That schmuck is trying to hypnotize you into his bidding! He did it once to us and almost forked our past adventures until the Lixers took care of him. Do not trust him, let's just find the relics and go!" Krog said, Turg laughing as he remembered his attack on the Klinkers from years prior.

Sighing, M.C. warped into a Cragster and rammed the elevator doors open, revealing a corridor that held podiums for various treasures and items. "JACKPOT! Quick, before those two get out of the ice!" Krog ordered as the three spread into the room, lifting up dusty glass shields and examining the various pieces of steampunk technology. "Is anyone seeing something ancient looking?" M.C. asked. "Unless you mean outdated tech, not really, no." Krog responded.

Through the small windows of the collection room, Gox caught glimpse of the three Mixels snooping around as Jinky sped around the exterior like a madman. "THEY'RE IN THE COLLECTION! JINKY!" Gox yelled hysterically as Jinky saluted, shifting gear and performing a maneuver where the front wheels of the cart lifted, before slamming into the windows with force and barging through, sending the cart crashing into the room.

Caught off-guard, the three Mixels froze as the two Klinkers emerged from the wreckage of the vehicle, slightly dazzled from the impact. "Just WHAT do you three think you're DOING?!" Gox yelled, pointing at them as oil burst from the engine of the cart and splashed all over him. "MY PRECIOUS BABY! Hang in there, love, IT'LL BE OKAY!" Jinky wailed as he observed the damage done to the go-kart, embarrassing Gox with his overreaction.

"Alright, cutting to the chase… we KNOW you took stuff from the temple on the outskirts of the Lixers' home! There was a hole in the back wall and trails to here, so TELL US where those relics are!" Krog demanded, making Gox do a double take as he stuttered. "None of us have been to that rainforest ever since the Mixamajig debacle! Besides, do you really take us for thieves?! Crooks?!" Gox asked, somewhat annoyed at the notion Krog had suggested. "Of course! Everyone's heard the stories of your repair service scam. If not you, who else?!" Krog retorted as Gox frowned. "Is that really what everyone says? That our service was a scam?"

Somewhat puzzled, Krog nodded. "Yeah? You replaced a bunch of folks' machinery with old steampunk junk, all the other Klinkers told everyone!" He said. "That was our business! We advertised that we were willin' to make folks' places all old-timey, not a 'repair service'!" Jinky interjected, surprising Krog. "Those Klinkers that established the government following the council of leaders wanted us gone!" Gox added. "Why… would they want that?" M.C. asked.

"We adhere to tradition around here. No matter how the times change, we always stay the same, but those rust-buckets up in Mixopolis are tryin' their hardest to be like everyone else!" Jinky said. "I suppose if you combine two types of oil, bad reactions occur. We didn't gel well with them, and it seems… they lied to get rid of us." Gox sadly stated as he looked out through the window, overlooking the failing town.

"You guys have all been done wrong by the city… it's awful, but things are changing. Mixopolis may not be perfect, but once this Nixel problem is taken care of, I promise we can make things right!" M.C. said, hopeful for things to change and inspiring the other four Mixels. "Y'know what? Mixopolis won't get rid of us THAT quickly! We'll return to the city in style and reclaim our position as CAPTAINS of industry!" Gox declared.

"Uh, boss, you do realize the MCPD will probably arrest us, right?" Jinky added. "Oh, nonsense, Jinky! Not if they don't find us… Right, to settle things, you can very much see we don't have your treasures. However, if what you say is true and there really are tracks leading here, we shall help you in your search throughout the junkyard." Gox offered his assistance. "Much appreciated. Off we go then!" Krog said as he strolled off, halting as Jinky cleared his throat.

"You lads could at least give us a hand here wheelin' out my precious ride!" Jinky said, attempting to shove out the wreckage of his go-kart.

The lightbulb sun was beginning to set as orange hues illuminated the skies above. Snoof yawned as he rummaged through a sea of scraps, the group's search having made little progress. "You've gots to be kiddin' me." The Frosticon uttered as he yanked out a Mixamajig key from a pile of junk. "How many of these darn things ARE there?" He asked as Spugg's attention was caught by the shine of the metal relic. Rushing over to Snoof and sitting by his feet, the Frosticon chuckled as he waved it around and flung it over his shoulder. "Go fetch!" He yelled as Spugg took off over a mountain of trashed appliances, making it topple onto Snoof as he yelped.

"This mindless search is going nowhere… yo, Kamzo! How long do you work for, man?" Chilbo asked, tossing a broken egg-beater to the wayside. "Twenty-three and a half hours a day, seven days a week. What makes ya ask?" Kamzo pondered, making Chilbo go wide-eyed. "D-dude… talk to your boss about that, the shifts he's giving you are CRAZY!" The Frosticon suggested as Kamzo unloaded a cart of junk into a compact incinerator. "Not his doing, I chose this." The Klinker simply stated as he trudged off, leaving Chilbo confused.

"PUSH!" A Mix of Jinky & M.C. yelled as a three-way Mix between Gox, Krog and Turg heaved away at the wrecked go-kart. Sliding it along as it took half the ground with it, the wreckage came to a halt not far from Kamzo and Chilbo, the two Mixes splitting apart from the long haul they had just endured. "I've seen crazier, back to work." Kamzo muttered, returning his gaze to the conveyor belt as he crunched up metal.

"Take a break, Kamzo, we're helping these Mixels search for some doo-dads." Gox ordered. "More than just 'doo-dads', rare artifacts of cosmic importance!" Chilbo corrected the Klinker as he shrugged in response. "Nope, gots to finish this shift…" Kamzo replied. "Help us or you're fired, no more work." Gox said sternly, making Kamzo immediately shut down the conveyor belt and salute. "Ya gots it, boss! Bunch'a thingamajigs comin' right up!" The Klinker said as he dove head-first into a heap of scrap.

"You lot toss any vehicle parts to me, alright? I need to make sure me baby is fixed up right and good!" Jinky said as he placed down a basket-board and slid underneath the vehicle, tinkering away at it. Banging his head against the boiler out of surprise at a sudden squawk, the Klinker wheeled himself back out to see Tungster holding out a toolbox with his tongue, smiling and being eager to help. "Cheers, mate. Y'know what'd make this repair job quicker?" He asked, pulling out a Cubit and smirking as the two grabbed on and formed a playful repairman Mix.

Rummaging through scraps, M.C. yelled in surprise and reeled back as he unearthed a face looking back at him. As his shock cleared, he was quick to realize that this was no ordinary face - it was a Nixel! "NIX!" The creature yelled as it launched out of the junk pile, holding a rusty Cubit shard that caught M.C.'s eye. "HOLD IT!" He yelled, shifting into a Klinker and spitting a spinning gear at the creature, sending it flying into a ruined triplane and leaving the shard for M.C. to collect. Looking at his own reflection in the shard as he grasped it, M.C. smiled. His journey had been fun so far, and meeting all of the Mixel friends he had was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But, of course, his past was eating away at him like a parasite. It was clouding his judgement, everything he was doing felt like an attempt to understand where he was from - if he even came from anywhere. "You've got no memories past waking up in the Infernites District. What the heck is up with that?" The words Balk had spoken to him rung in his head like a bell. He knew the supposed key to his history was in the form of a staff Pippy had pointed out… but what would that truly accomplish? Putting these feelings aside, M.C. sighed. He would find out soon enough what was really going on.

"Using that invaluable artifact as a mirror, are we, peasant?" M.C.'s eye widened as he looked up to the source of this familiar voice, finding Murphy standing cross-armed atop a mountain of junk. "H-how are you here? How did you find us?!" M.C. asked in shock. "Are you an imbecile? We used that Orbiton tech on the Mixel-Moon to TRACK the Brightspark Temple, and when we found out a hole had been blown into the end of it after hiding in that despicable rainforest… you get the picture. So, do you wish to go out the easy way by handing over the relics - including that shard - or must we remove it from you forcefully? No matter, either way is one we'll enjoy" Murphy cackled as Nixels burst up from the junk mountains, laughing as a whole swarm revealed themselves.

"We didn't even find the relics… we-" M.C. began. "WE KNOW, PEASANT! That treason-happy Major was sighted here by Orbitopia's scanners dumping those artifacts in this very scrapyard! We just wanted to see your face upon hearing those options… AH-HA-HA!" They yelled, spitting a block of ice at M.C. and catching him off-guard.

"NO!" Gox yelled, shoving M.C. aside at the last moment and having his lower half frozen solid. "Boy… find the others!" The Klinker grunted as the ice's latent electrical currents gave way, shocking him. "No way! Let's Mix and end this!" M.C. shouted, pulling out a Cubit and forcing it into Gox's hand. The Cubit activated, making the two appear as if they had been drawn in the style of an early cartoon. Their motions fluid like water and outlines wobbly, they ran into one another and a Mix formed, bursting out of the ice encasement. "You won't have this relic, fiend! It will make a mighty fine addition to my collection, ho-ho…" The Mix said, holding the Cubit shard gently in their claw hand.

"Even better…" Murphy muttered as their body charged up, electricity running through them as their eyes began to glow and they twitched rapidly. "Two makes victory TWICE as delicious!" Turning intangible, the Murp almost teleported down the pile, rematerializing right in front of the Mix and allowing them to see their dastardly smile before freezing their claw arm, slamming the Mix in the face and sending them flying as the rusted Cubit shard hit the ground.

"Perfect… but, we aren't finished with you yet." Murphy grinned before zapping towards the Mix and lifting them up by the neck, gripping them tightly with their claw hand. "Many times have we tried ripping ourselves apart… what would happen if that occurred with something else?" They asked in a sinister tone, the Mix grunting as the air was choked out of them.

Slashed across the face by an ice-layered cog moving like a bullet, Murphy recoiled and dropped the Mix, leaving Gox and M.C. to split apart. "Who… WHO DARES?!" Murphy roared, looking to a confident Snoof & Kamzo Mix holding a stack of frozen gears and nuts. "Ya best watch yourself there, uh… whatever ya are?" They warned while Jinky, as well as the Lixers and other Frosticons caught up. Preparing to move, a Nixel pulled out a Negative Cubit before Murphy held out a hand to stop them. "Patience, peasant. They're mine."

"Careful, guys… they're one of the N-Mixel Armada, a group of-" M.C. began. "Crooks. Yeah, we've gots TV out here, man." Kamzo finished. "Wild… a Murp that can speak anything other than 'Murp' and appears to be fully in control. What in the world happened here?" Chilbo wondered. "Ah, another so-called 'genius', it seems. We… no. I am far more than just 'a Murp', peasant. I am permanent, whoever those two Mixels were prior to my existence are no more. I am the greatest mind in this pitiful world. What? Think you've gots anything in smarts? I watched you geek out from the shadows in that forest, who else do you think Nixed all those Mixamals?" Murphy cackled.

Chilbo was frozen for a response, feeling insulted and brushing his arm. Wasting no time, Snoof and Krog yelled out. "What do ya even know about him, split-face?!" Snoof shouted. "This guy right here? One of the most talented Mixels out there, a true GENIUS!" Krog said. "Sure, he can put us to sleep with his lectures and rambles…" Snoof began. "But they come from a brain of genius, so…" Krog added. "HE'S OUR BROTHER, NO MATTER WHAT!" Krog and Snoof both yelled in unison, making Chilbo shed a tear of happiness. Barking, squawking and mouthing gibberish all in agreement, the Lixers went wild in support of Chilbo. "Uh, what they said." Jinky added.

"Gentlemixels, ready to finish this?" Chilbo asked, prompting nods from everyone. Throwing up three corresponding Cubits to each tribe, the Frosticons, Klinkers and Lixers all Maxed as a tsunami wave crashed into the nine Mixels, revealing the three Maxes as it passed. Standing tall before Murphy and his swarm of Nixels, the Murp only laughed as he picked up the Cubit shard. "Playtime it is." He muttered, gripping the shard and activating its power as scraps lifted from their piles.

Acting as a magnetic force, a single sheet of metal slammed into the shard, followed by another, and another. Cackling, Murphy held the shard forth and warped these steel sheets into something that grew larger as more and more scraps came flying. Before long, dust was being kicked up, obscuring what was being forged as the Maxes lost sight of Murphy and his Nixel swarm. "What's goin' on?!" M.C. asked.

Then, the dust cleared, and before them stood a behemoth. Standing as tall as a building was a mechanical form that Murphy stood in front of. It almost resembled some sort of Mixeloptor, but it was more akin to a robotic prison cage. "How do you peasants like the Robo-Nixeloptor?! Twas' on my mind for a while, but now I have the power to bend reality to my will and make my visions REAL!" Murphy cackled and slammed a button on a device that had been freshly formed.

Mechanical components shifted and unlocked as the Robo-Nixeloptor rose, feet lined with treads clutching the ground as neon red eyes flared up. Missile weaponry adjusted along the top of the mecha monstrosity as its two spindly arms looped forward. "MIXELS DETECTED. MUST DESTROY. INITIATING COMBAT SEQUENCE." A deep robotic growl emanated from the core of the machine. Immediately, its tail activated as a vacuum system opened on its barbed end, sucking up the entire swarm of Nixels that had been waiting for action. With its chamber filled to the brim with Nixels and a mouth cannon ready, a heated battle was about to begin.

Leaping atop the machine's back, Murphy howled with laughter. "OPEN FIRE!" He screamed as missiles flew from the Robo-Nixeloptor's rear, the Maxes and M.C. barely leaping out of the way as huge explosions plumed behind them. "Holy Mixels!" The Klinkers Max yelled, their exhaust slightly scorched from the blast. "We need a plan, QUICK!" M.C. yelled. Readjusting, the Robo-Nixeloptor stepped to the left in one robotic movement, staring directly at the three Maxes and M.C. Stepping forth, the Frosticons Max fired off two ice missiles at the machine's eyes, striking directly and giving them time to convene.

"Half the scrap metal in this yard just got obliterated, think fast!" The Klinkers Max yelled, unhappy with so much product going to waste. "How's about all of you three Max and trash it?" M.C. suggested. "Too risky, no guarantee we'll stick together!" The Frosticons Max stated. Atop the robot, Murphy growled as they tore the ice from the machine's visual scanners, making it recalibrate as it scanned the surroundings once more. Squawking, the Lixers Max suggested something that the Frosticons Max caught on to. "Lure it into a trash compactor? Well, I guess we don't gots much else in plans…" They shrugged. "AND WASTE SUCH PRECIOUS SCRAP? HEAVENS, NO. I SHALL TAKE IT ON MYSELF, CHARGE!" The Klinkers Max burst into action, their back gear spinning rapidly as their arms cycloned, rushing towards the Robo-Nixeloptor.

While the Klinkers Max lunged forth and shouted, the robot simply adjust its left arm and hand, plucking the Max out of the air and holding it up by the leg. "MAX DETECTED. MUST SPLIT. INITIATING EJECTION SEQUENCE." The Robo-Nixeloptor's faux-mouth cannon opened, revealing a sea of Nixels as about fifteen blasted out, swarming all over the Max as it began to be Nixed. Springing into action, the Lixers Max tackled the Klinkers Max out of the air while the Frosticons Max froze the Nixels and kicked them aside. Wasting no time, the machine adjusted its focus after the three Maxes, spiraling its arms out only to have its attention caught by a wrench that had been thrown at it.

A dent had been formed in the head-plate of the machine, prompting an angered reaction from Murphy. "Hunk of SCRAP! Of course such brittle material would shatter so fast… SILENCE!" It appeared as if Murphy was arguing with himself, a split in his goals mending as he heard M.C.'s giggles. "Wow! I really didn't think a wrench would do- AGH!" M.C. taunted, having lobbed the tool at the robot in an act of triumph only to have to dodge a freshly-reloaded barrage of missiles fired at him. "Insolent peasant!" Murphy yelled as debris flew in every direction.

Sunlight gleamed off of an artifact that soared through the air, catching Murphy's attention. Catching a large, lance-esque staff in his claw hand, he felt surges of energy at his fingertips. It was white and a metallic gold, ancient in design yet not a scratch appeared on it. "Now… this is something I can work with." He chuckled, twirling the weapon around as he planted its sharp end into the back of the machine. Sparks flew as raw energy flowed through the overloaded circuitry, making the Robo-Nixeloptor's eyes glow a bright yellow as it powered up.

Seeing this, M.C.'s vision flashed. The exact artifact he had looked for was now in the hands of the enemy. What Pippy had sent him after - the key to his past - was powering perhaps the greatest threat he had faced by far. Through this despair, he recognized its shape. It resembled something that had appeared to him when Anglow trapped him in a series of illusions… but how?

"NEW POWER SOURCE ACCEPTED. HIGHER CHAIN OF COMMAND INSTALLED. INITIATING MUTINY SEQUENCE." The robotic voice of the machine stated, now echoing around Klinkerton from its power overload. "Excuse me, what-" Murphy muttered as he was gripped tightly by the claw of the Robo-Nixeloptor, being pulled close to the ground as he realized too late what had happened: he had created an artificial intelligence capable of growing smarter than even him. "GOODBYE."

Swinging its arm with force and releasing its hold of Murphy, the dastardly Murp was sent sprawling into the horizon at extreme speed, leaving view as the robot turned its gaze back to the three Maxes and M.C. "TARGETS RECONFIRMED. INITIATING COMBAT SEQUENCE" It said as it unleashed dozens of missiles and Nixels, sending the group flying from the lightspeed projectiles as they collided.

Coughing as he saw its eyes shine through the smoke, searching for the Mixels, M.C. caught sight of the other nine. "We need a plan, and FAST." Snoof stated. Growling and making both Turg and Tungster shiver, Chilbo went wide-eyed at Spugg's suggestion. "We… we can't let a Mixeloptor loose in here." He replied. "As rad as Robo-Nixeloptor versus Mixeloptor sounds, we need something more solid." Kamzo remarked. "Metal seems to be the only thing that can dent it…" M.C. said.

Gox and Kamzo both stared at Jinky, making him do a double take as he realized what they were implying. "There ain't NO WAY you lot are chuckin' my precious go-kart at-" Jinky started. "No other option will result in our survival. We are throwing that scrap vehicle at it." Chilbo affirmed, the two Klinkers having to restrain Jinky lest he lash out at the Frosticon. Suddenly, the Robo-Nixeloptor burst through the smokescreen, overlooking the group as it armed its weaponry. "Four of you, find that go-kart, we'll hold it off!" Gox ordered as Chilbo and Spugg took off, Kamzo hoisting up Jinky in his claw hand as he followed suit.

"CONFIRMING PRIORITY TARGETS." The Robo-Nixeloptor said, locking on to the six Mixels that had stayed behind as its arms stretched out and blasted holes in the ground in an attempt to grab them. With dust flying everywhere as the wasteland ground was torn up, M.C. caught glimpse of a form nearby: a magnet crane. Skiing circles around the robot in an attempt to confuse it, a Mix of Gox & Snoof caught wind of M.C.'s idea. "Go help him up, quick!" They said to Tungster, who nodded and soared off. Surprised, M.C. was scooped up in Tungster's tongue as the Lixer gracefully took to the air, slowly getting closer to the controls of the crane as it lay peacefully atop a mountain of scrap.

On the other side of things, Jinky was making a hasty yet regretful pitstop to his beloved go-kart. "Are you absolutely sure nothin' else can stop this thing? This is a perfectly good set of wheels, mate! We could EASILY sell a bunch of these to those Mixopolis folks." He said, making Kamzo roll his eyes. "Bud, if the Mixopolis people wanted it, they'd have already made a modern version of it." Kamzo remarked. "Aesthetics, Kamzo. Aesthetics!"

The entire junkyard rocked as another set of explosions went off, prompting Jinky to work faster. "Only thing that's gonna get this done in time is a Mix, c'mon!" Chilbo suggested, pulling out an azure-gray Cubit from the junk. "Are ya after forgettin' when we last Murped in an attempt to share our ideas for a go-kart?" Jinky retorted, making Chilbo sigh. As even more blasts sounded, Spugg and Jinky both looked to one another, disappointed with the arguing of the Frosticon and Kinker.

Making an example, the Lixer and Klinker Mixed, hoisting up pieces of the wrecked cart and bolting them in place with their pointy tongue. "We ain't gots time for this, fellas." The Mix said. Looking to one another, Chilbo and Jinky sighed, reluctantly touching the Cubit and being blasted through an exhaust pipe, finally Mixing as their ideas for the cart were shared and they got to work.

Dropping onto the heap of junk, M.C. looked back and watched as two Mixes below were beginning to lose the fight, the Mix of Gox & Snoof being sent flying into a wrecked tugboat. Looking with intent at the crane, M.C. altered to a Flexer and used his stretchy mustache to grapple up to the control set, shifting into an Electroid to power it. "Okay, if the Orbitons taught you anything, which isn't much… er, this is nothing like Ship-Space controls…" M.C. panicked, glancing to the battleground as more explosions rocked Klinkerton.

Exhaling, M.C. focused. Cranking up a bright red lever to max, he stood triumphantly atop the control set. "BE CRUSHED BY THIS GIANT CIRCLE, ROBO-NIXELOPTOR!" He yelled as the magnet loomed over the robotic beast. Slamming a giant button, M.C. paused for a moment as seemingly nothing happened. Then, the wrench that he had tossed at the mech earlier suddenly shot up against the metal magnet, followed by more tiny scraps that had been blasted around. Lastly, even the Robo-Nixeloptor itself magnetized and slammed into the magnet upside down, leaving M.C. surprised. "Uh, this was supposed to DROP on it!"

"OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. MUST NEGATE MAGNETIC FORCE. INITIATING EVASIVE MANEUVER." Energy engulfed the robotic force as it slowly dropped from the magnet, its ferrous state undone by the power of the staff it was drawing power from. Reaching up with its spindly arm, it severed the line holding the magnet up. Catching it with the other hand, it effortlessly tossed the steel construct at M.C., him only being saved by Tungster at the last possible moment as the entire crane was obliterated. Crashing and sinking into the pile, the face of the magnet coming to a halt facing the robotic monstrosity.

Tumbling into the ground, M.C. looked up to the Robo-Nixeloptor, watching as Nixels swarmed out of its cannon mouth. Things were dire as the six Mixels stood by one another, weakened and beat.

With the final finishing touches in place, the Chilbo & Jinky Mix looked over the go-kart, fist bumping the Kamzo & Spugg Mix at a job well done. The vehicle was more impressive than ever with a double-decker seat and a massive rear engine for super speeds. Noting it beginning to roll, the former Mix jacked up the parking brake, only to find it continuing to skid along in the same direction. "Did we mess up the brakes?!" They wondered, only to be tapped on the shoulder by the Kamzo & Spugg Mix. Seeing the scene about to unfold with the other six Mixels, they quickly mounted the go-kart and revved up the engine as the other Mix hopped in the top seat.

"This shot is one in a million, going by the odds… okay, focus. A daredevil never waits for ODDS!" The Chilbo & Jinky Mix yelled as they locked on to the Robo-Nixeloptor, releasing the brakes and firing off at breakneck speed. Speeding downhill and flying off a shoddy metal ramp, the kart was caught in mid-air by the magnetic forces, pulling it at mach speed towards the robot. "JUMP!" The Mix yelled as they both careened of off the vehicle, tumbling into the ground as the Robo-Nixeloptor did not have time to process the event.

Crashing head on into the top of the mech and crippling the central power supply, the staff powering the entire beast came flying off as it was dislodged. They had done it, although things weren't over yet. "ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. SYSTEMS FAILING. INITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE. A-A-A-A-A-Q-Q-Q-P-W-A-Q-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-U-U-U-W-A-A-A-A. OH SCHNIXEL." The Robo-Nixeloptor powered down, electronic whirs sounding before the whole robot combusted, a mushroom cloud piercing the sky from the force of its blast.

"That was… AMAZING… WOO!" Jinky hollered as the dust settled and the Mixels rose, chunks of broken metal everywhere from the force of the Robo-Nixeloptor's self detonation. "Amazing enough to realize you can build another one of those karts?" Chilbo joked, making the Klinker chuckle. "Absolutely, mate!" Jinky agreed as he helped Chilbo this feet. Although the two were opposites, they had formed a lasting friendship that day.

"Oh, my precious scrapyard… the memories of this place shall remain, at least." Gox lamented as he noted the ruined area, Kamzo giving him a pat on the back. "Boss, don't worry about it. I'll make sure to work DOUBLE-TIME to get it up and runnin' again." The Klinker promised. "Kamzo… this is an order, halve your hours. You need some rest for once, boy. We have big plans for the future… Mixopolis involved." Gox said, noting the huge bags under Kamzo's tired eyes.

"Now that we're all safe and well… WHAT ABOUT THE ARTIFACTS?" Snoof yelled, Krog pointing to M.C. as he looked over the staff that had been placed in the Robo-Nixeloptor moments ago. "Look, he found it! Guess there's only the one?" Krog suggested. Concerned, Spugg barked as M.C. examined the tool.

Surprisingly, it was completely unscathed. In fact, its metallic finish gleamed brighter than ever. As M.C. thought about it more, it really did resemble an object he had witnessed in his illusions. Not only that, but the thought that this was the key to his past sparked in his mind. Pippy had told him so. Yet, something felt wrong after seeing how much power the Robo-Nixeloptor had gained from the tool.

With a deep breath, M.C. grabbed the holster of the staff and held it up straight with his two hands.

Almost immediately, a low hum rung out from the staff. Noticing a glow in its tip, M.C. realized that it had activated. "Whoa, M.C., what's it doin'?!" Krog asked, being blinded as a beam of light shot out of the staff, engulfing M.C. as it cleared and left no trace of neither him nor itself.

Unbeknownst to the Mixels, both had been transported to parts unknown.

M.C. groaned, a mysterious and eerie sound plaguing his eardrums as his eye began to shift open. A plethora of light sources overwhelmed him, shaking as he got up and finally caught vision of the unknown location he now stood in. He stood in a place resembling a cave - perhaps even similar to the mines of the Cragsters District or the Glowkie Caves - only that the stone-esque materials were a cool yellow in hue. Many crystal-esque shards protruded from the location's walls, emanating a bright, yellow light and illuminating a clear-cut pathway leading to parts unknown.

Beside him was the staff that had brought him here, its light fading as it seemingly powered down. Wincing, M.C. placed his hands on its handle, breathing a sigh of relief as it didn't activate. Picking it up, a sense of deja vu appeared to M.C. as he examined the staff, which was a bizarre notion to him.

Looking around, M.C. saw a cloudy form not far behind him, facing away at something. It was Pippy! Only that they were a violet hue. "Uh, Pippy? Is something up?" M.C. asked, calling out and being overcome with shock as the being faced him, revealing five alarmed eyes as they blipped away. Coming to a halt in confusion, M.C. wondered why they had more eyes than usual, utterly dumbfounded at everything that was happening. "Pippy?! Where are you?" He shouted out, hearing his echoes bounce around.

A strange glow caught his attention, coming from a small crevice in the wall. Peeking inside, an entryway perfect for his size gave way to a mysterious area. In fact, it appeared to be a square room. Roof, floor and ceiling were all lined with a checkerboard pattern of green and black. It was like looking into the inner workings of a computer. Nothing appeared to be there until M.C. caught glimpse of a magenta and white form standing still. "Uh… hello?" He cried out.

Approaching, he confirmed his suspicions that this was a Mixel, although they appeared peculiar. Incredibly small and with a sign reading 'TEST' fused to their head, they were unmoving, frozen in place. "Dude… you good?" He asked. "Series 10 is a myth." The Mixel suddenly responded in a robotic voice, startling M.C. "Um, what?" M.C. was puzzled, but the Mixel remained unmoving, only muttering the same response again. "Series 10 is a myth." Any further attempts M.C. made to converse with this Mixel resulted in the same thing, so with some quick thinking, he held out the staff as if to activate it, only to gently bop the Mixel over the head with its top.

To M.C.'s surprise, it worked. The Mixel fell to the ground and blinked, their pupil darting around as they adjusted to their surroundings. "Let's try that again. Hey, I'm M.C. Who are you?" M.C. asked, making the Mixel look directly at him in silence for a few moments. "FINALLY! Oh, I have been trapped in that state for HUNDREDS of years! You have my thanks, M. of the C.!" They yelled out, bouncing around with joy and making M.C. giggle.

"Uh, happy to help! Gots a name? By the way… where are we?" M.C. asked as the Mixel tilted their head in confusion, before lighting up. "Oh, I'm Test! I was the first Mixel created by the Maximum Mixel! Speaking of that celestial being, we currently stand in their domain… exciting, right?! I know I sure am, I haven't had sentience in five hundred years!" Test yelled as their eye went bloodshot, confusing M.C. "Wait, what?! The Maximum Mixel's… domain? TAKE ME BACK!" He yelled, hugging the staff like a Pandaloth as it failed to activate and he hit the checkered ground.

"Well, I'm gettin' some stretches on these tired stumps. You coming?" Test asked, stepping out as M.C. got up and followed. "Um, Test… why are we in the Maximum Mixel's domain? Shouldn't we be on Planet Mixel?" He asked. "Oh, we should! I existed on that world, and then I was trapped in this place! Why? Uh… y'know, that's a gap in my memory." Test said as they stepped out of the cave. Following suit, M.C. went wide-eyed as he spotted about five creatures all resembling Pippy. "P-pippy?!" He asked, startling all five as they blipped away similarly to the one before. "Okay, what is GOING ON?!" M.C. demanded. "I dunno, man. Let's go have a look around!" Test replied, nonchalant about everything.

"Okay… I know this is gonna sound nuts, but my name is M.C…" M.C. began. "That's not crazy, that's just your name, M.C." Test replied, cutting him off as he shot the magenta Mixel a look of confusion. "Well, I'm a tribe-shifter… meaning I can become part of any tribe. Thing is, I woke up without any memories, and apparently don't have any. So, with the help of a little friend called Pippy, they said if I found this key, it'd take me to my past… and yet I ended up here." M.C. recounted.

"That's not a key, that's a Brightspark Staff." Test stated as the two continued through the caverns of the domain. "Wh- How do you know that?! Nobody on Planet Mixel even knew OF any Brightsparks until today!" M.C. argued. "I dunno, they seemed pretty alive and well when I saw em' last." Test said, making M.C. realize how old the Mixel actually was. "Oh, what's around this corner? OOH!" Test said as they turned along the path, halting before a massive opening.

Shocked, M.C. stared upon a couch the size of a city block, a similarly-sized television right across from it. The roof of the cavern was raised so high that it could barely be made out as a massive light shone in from above, seemingly electrical in source. Along the walls were even larger light crystals with shelves of many objects lining them. It appeared to be the home of something, or someone. Even stranger was a small coffee table, scaled to M.C.'s size that housed a bunch of loose plastic bricks.

Then, M.C. saw them. Floating aimlessly and facing away just ahead was Pippy, the yellow, crowned friend M.C. knew well. "PIPPY! Is… is that really you?" M.C. yelled out, watching as the entity slowly turned to face him. "MonoChrome… you are finally here. I see you have uncovered the key." Pippy pointed out in a monotone voice, surprising M.C. "Uh, yeah! By the way, this Test guy right here says this is the 'Maximum Mixel's domain', and that this is uh… some kinda staff. What's… going on?"

"The time has come, MonoChrome. I will unveil everything to you." They said. "Wait… Pippy, is everything okay?" M.C. asked as Pippy's form warped and distorted, growing in size as they glowed white. "I cannot keep this secret from you any longer. In order to inform you of the truth, I must state another…" They went on as four arms protruded from their humanoid, shifting form. Looking on in pure awe, M.C. made the connection between this and the four-armed figure that had appeared in his illusions before.

"I am not Pippy… my identity… is the Maximum Mixel!" They yelled as light emanated from their golden form, their tone shifting to one much happier. Floating tall in the air, they were simply magnificent. A horned, golden and three-eyed head looked down on M.C., the rest of their body colossal in size. With four arms and two titanic legs, majestic was one of the few words capable of truly encapsulating the beauty of this celestial being.

"You're… YOU'RE THE MAXIMUM MIXEL?!" M.C. smiled as he looked up, awestruck as the Maximum Mixel chuckled. "I am indeed, my child!" They admitted, vanishing and reappearing beside M.C. at a much smaller size. "Big surprise? I know, I know, dear MonoChrome, it was a tricky secret to keep!" Floating around and shifting sizes, M.C. was amazed at their incomprehensible powers. "Come! Let's get a look at the state of affairs, settle in, make yourself at home." They said, snapping their fingers and teleporting themself and M.C. onto the couch.

Dazed from the sudden warp, M.C. found a box of stone popcorn in his palms as he sat atop the cushion of the sofa, the Maximum Mixel sitting in his full size across the main body of the seat. "This is where I observe the world below, amazing, right?" They asked, making M.C. nod profusely as the Maximum Mixel changed the channels with their neon orange fingers, viewing the perspectives of many different Mixels as they cycled around the world.

"So, uh… Pi- I mean, Maximum Mixel? …Why didn't you show up as… yourself? And what ARE all those guys, exactly?!" M.C. asked, looking over to see a bunch of forms observing him from afar similar in shape to the Pippy persona the Maximum Mixel had taken. "Ah, those are my messengers, MonoChrome. While I may have stretched the truth a tad, that is indeed the function of these colorful fellows!" They said, a teal one floating around M.C. "Are they… called Pippy, too?" He asked. "Depends. A very wise Klinker coined that name, you know."

"Well, this is nice and all, but HELLO?!" Test yelled, catching the attention of the two as their voice echoed around. "Oh, Test! I shall tend to you in a moment, for now… we need space!" The Maximum Mixel clapped, transporting all of the messengers out of the chamber as well as Test, proceeding to seal the entryway up with a barrier of stone with just a flick of their finger.

"Regarding the key, I thank you for bringing it here!" The Maximum Mixel said, teleporting it to their shelves as M.C. was surprised. "Wait.. what? I thought it was the key to my past?" He asked. "Of course! It was the key needed to teleport inside this lightbulb sun where my domain resides. Your history is a simple telling from my tongue, unless you wish to experience it for yourself?" They asked. "Experience it? YEAH, NO DOUBT! But… wait." M.C. said, but it was too late at this point.

"Very well, time to discover yourself, MonoChrome!" The Maximum Mixel said as their three eyes glowed a bright yellow, before their form was engulfed with light. Warping and reducing in size, M.C. was puzzled as they shifted back into the form they had taken under the alias of Pippy, floating before him. "It is time, M.C." They said. "Huh?! WAIT!" By the time M.C. had cried out, they had already rushed forward, merging with M.C. into a Mix as he was whisked away into the subconscious mind.

Three years ago…

"Alright, Nixels! If we're gonna get serious about stopping the Mixels from Mixing, we've gotta start by breaking all their Cubits!"

A chalkboard was sketched on as a lone Nixel fixed up the monochrome paint job of the room's wall banner. In Major Nixel's strategy room, things would frequently go awry, and things did this time too as all three Nixels failed to retrieve Cubit successfully. One even brought in a Mix that dealt swift revenge to the Major.

Later attempts were fruitless too. Any Cubits that had been stolen were promptly taken back, and all progress on the Major's secret project was lost again. It was starting to look hopeless. Day after day was another failure, another loss of morale to the Nixel Armada. Enraged from his latest failure and embarrassment in an attempt to Nix the Mix Festival, Major Nixel overturned a chalkboard in his room, furious at the failure. "Those blubbering Mixels! If those plans could come to fruition… we wouldn't have to deal with their colorful nonsense any longer."

"Nix, nix?" A Nixel wandered in, seeing the seething Major and trembling as he trudged over. "What?!" He asked as the Nixel presented a Rainbow Cubit, no traps or anything.

At first, Major Nixel burst into hysterical laughter, but as he continued, it only grew sinister in tone. Swiping the Cubit from the minion, he examined it carefully to the point he saw his own reflection in it. "How?" He asked in one word, leading the Nixel to go on a lengthy explanation about how they uncovered it not far from Mixel Mountain after being blasted away by the Mixes formed in the battle atop it. "Thank you, minion." Major Nixel said gratefully, kicking the Nixel with force and sending it flying outside the room.

Cackling, he sealed the entryway to the chamber shut as he looked to the broken fragments of the chalkboard, two words of a project name were visible even among the shattered pieces: Mixelized Creation. Entering another secure chamber in which two Nixel scientists saluted, Major Nixel tossed one the Cubit. "It's time, get it done."

Hours passed, and when Major checked back in, a smile of nothing but evil formed across his face.

Floating limp in a holding tank was the Mixelized Creation, or M.C. for short. A small, monochrome Mixel created artificially from the Rainbow Cubit Major had been given. "Nix." One of the scientist Nixels stated, handing a clipboard of data to Major. As it turned out, all of the planned features had been a success. With the power of rainbow essence, the Mixelized Creation could shift to the powers of any tribe for maximum efficiency in combat, all the while matching the Nixel look in its default state. The perfect weapon to use against the Mixels to end their conflict once and for all, Major laughed maniacally. "Release it."

Steam blew out from the tank and rose in the chamber as blacklights flickered. Exposed to the open air was M.C. for the first time as Major grinned, his ultimate weapon ready.

And yet, nothing happened. Measuring the vital signs of the creation, the Nixels were quick to find no readings. Minutes passed, and despite Major's demands, nothing would occur, no life would stir and no weapon would be had.

Descending into a fury the likes of which no Nixel had ever witnessed, Major trashed everything but the tank in which the Mixelized Creation lay limp. Staring at his failure after such hard work to achieve it, Major grunted, having to go back to the drawing board once more. "Send it to the junk room, and shut this place down… NOW!" He ordered, the Nixels saluting as they hoisted the tank out, sealing it shut with an opaque glass for none to see as they dumped it among other failed inventions.

Years would pass as power dynamics shifted in the Nixel Armada and Major was dethroned. Even worse, he would lose his memory from a great fall and subsequent head trauma. As the Nixels invaded Mixopolis for a second time, a round trip with the Nixel airship had all of the junk belonging to the Armada dumped over the city in an act of spite.

That was where the pod came in as it crashed into the Infernites District, sending the limp M.C. sprawling as he shockingly awoke with only one question in mind: "Who am I?"

Now…

Splitting apart, the Maximum Mixel reformed to their default body and chuckled while they floated above, breathing fresh air. "Ah, I have not done that in many, many years. So, M.C., you now understand where you originate. I know, a most interesting tale! Now, are there any other questions you have for me?" The Maximum Mixel said as they glanced around, seeing M.C. curled over on the ground, unmoving. "I can sense your heartbeat, M.C., you aren't dead. What is the matter?"

"You…" M.C. rose and turned to the Maximum Mixel, a flood of tears pouring from his eye as they dripped one by one to the floor. "I… We…" He whimpered, panicking as his entire world view was crushed so fast. "This is a good thing, M.C. Why are you crying? You wanted to discover your past, correct?"

"WELL, I SURE AS MIX DIDN'T EXPECT TO HAVE MY BEST FRIEND HIDE THE FACT I'M A CREATION OF THOSE DASTARDLY NIXELS!" M.C. shouted, his overwhelming emotional outburst echoing around the vast cavern of the Maximum Mixel's domain as the entity froze.

"I started everything just knowing black and white… Mixels are good guys, Nixels are bad guys… Colorful folks that want to be free and black-and-white creatures that crave destruction… but, I'm both of those things. A Mixel made by the Nixels with the intent of tearing them apart… I'm a monster, yet I don't want to be…" M.C. broke down.

"M.C…" The Maximum Mixel tried to begin, only to be shouted down. "YOU'RE A LIAR! This ENTIRE time, you held back my past under the guise of some messenger, and for what?! For all this time… I've wanted to find out who I am - what I am… and now that I know, everything is worse…"

"You were my friend…" M.C. cried, choking on his own tears as they ran down his face. "Guiding me, protecting me, being there for me… but everything I know about you now only makes me afraid of you. Why did you do all this? What about those stories of you and the Naximum Nixel, huh? How did they end up if they're not even told to anyone but Nixels? …What did you DO to the Brightsparks if they died making a weapon for you?"

Silence fell throughout the cavern, the Maximum Mixel only staring at M.C. as their emotions began to overwhelm them. With their yellow elements shifting in hue rapidly across the color spectrum and eyes beginning to water, the Maximum Mixel turned away from M.C., unable to face him. They knew this had to happen at some point… yet, it hurt them so much. The only friend they had ever truly made in their many years of existence felt betrayed and more lost than he had ever been before their interference with the Mixel world. Not even a celestial being could alter the lines of destiny.

"Goodbye… MonoChrome."

And then, light engulfed M.C. once more, sending him back to the world of Mixels as one final teardrop splashed against the ground, its echo being heard for minutes as the sound vibration bounced around.

Nixel troops marched through the scorched border of the Munchos District, a path of destruction following in their wake as the savagery of the Nixel Mixes came to a halt before the edge of the Weldos District. Mix TV craft floated overhead, so it had been no secret that the Nixels were coming, and yet, King Nixel smirked as he sat atop his carried throne above the swarm of his minions. The entire force of Weldos workers had gathered before them, ready to stage their resistance as their Mixes and Maxes grew in numbers.

As the standoff concluded and the brawl began, a pair of eyes observed from afar through the makeshift lenses of poorly constructed binoculars. "Nix. Nix, nix." The Nixel minion stated, holding a finger over their ear-piece as they relayed information on the skirmish. Despite their resolve, the Weldos were being pushed back and torn apart every second, leading into a full retreat as King Nixel's swarm spread out into the vast streets of the district.

King Nixel beckoned for his minions to halt, gently placing his crystal throne down before a cloud-piercing tower. Looking up, he cackled, knowing this would be what he needed. "Go, seize this building and modify its contents. I shall be waiting patiently." He ordered, the Nixels bowing before Mixing with one another at the touch of a Negative Cubit, scaling up the skyscraper as they tore chunks from its exterior. More followed, and King Nixel couldn't be happier. "Time for an upgrade." He muttered, stepping inside as he was followed by two bulked-up Nixel Mix guards.

On the other side of the district, a wholly separate swarm of Nixels stood at the ready. Not a single Nixel Mix was sighted, but instead there were various Nixels brandishing the decommissioned equipment of the Armada, such as fly-swatting machines, boomerangs, and even newly-created ones such as cybernetic enhancements. Standing in single-file lines and saluting before a familiar figure, Major Nixel looked down on his splinter group, carrying his staff brandishing the Nixel insignia.

"Alright, Nixels. We gather here to oppose the concept of MIXING, a concept that upsets order and organization! Many years ago, the corrupt tyrant known as King Nixel seized control and ever since, our ideals have been gradually whittled away. First, his suit was controlled by a conglomerate of Nixels making up a robotic body. Now… he forsakes everything we stand for. HE ALLOWS NIXELS TO MIX, BREAKING THE UNSPOKEN LAW OF WHY WE EXIST AND EXCUSING IT UNDER THE NOTION OF 'IT BEING A MEANS TO AN END'. SO, MY FELLOW NIXELS, WILL WE STAND FOR THIS?!" Major Nixel addressed the crowd before him, receiving a unanimous roar in disagreement to Mixing, Nixels giving downwards thumbs as many raised flags of their insignia.

"Then, we march and restore order." Major Nixel ordered as Nixels flooded around him, setting out into the district. A feeling came to Major in this moment, one he had not experienced in a long time. He had control over the purest of Nixel ideals once more, a swarm to call his own. Things were right once more for the first time in years.

Despite this, it felt like his brain had just been probed, the deepest of memories unable to be recalled racked by something. Just like that, everything came flooding back. The schemes, the plans, ambitious ideas such as the Mixelized Creation - all of it. Memories of King Nixel's hostile takeover and how he was never fit for the role of a leader came to the front of Major's mind, and if the fire of his hatred had been burning passionately already, it just spiraled out of control.

The clouds on the horizon had come into view as the storm raged on above the city. Once the dust settled from the oncoming clash, Mixopolis would never be the same again.