In the bustling undersea town of Bikini Bottom, at the popular local fast food joint known as The Krusty Krab, there was a long line of unresting customers that surrounded the building. In the front of the line, Patrick Star was lost in his own thoughts while aimlessly staring at the menu, mindlessly drooling all over the floor and himself, making the line of customers more aggravated.
"Patrick! Will you hurry up already? You're holding up the line!" Squidward angrily shouted, his patience finally decreased.
"What's the hold up out here?" Mr. Krabs angrily demanded, bursting from his office nearby, jolting Patrick from his daze.
"Huh? What? What's going on?" He stammered as Mr. Krabs walked over towards him, his feet making a scattering noise across the floor.
Mr. Krabs then got right directly into his face, "What's going on is you're holding up me money, I-I mean, me customers." He angrily replied, feeling the need to answer his own question.
"Huh?" He replied, still confused, causing the customers in line behind him to start to become increasingly more agitated.
Just then, his beloved best friend appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and whispered something into his ear, despite not having any. "Psst, why don't you try ordering a delicious Krabby Patty?" SpongeBob quietly suggested.
Patrick's face lit up with enthusiasm. "Great idea!" He exclaimed, his voice booming through the restaurant. "One Krabby Patty, please!" He confidently declared.
Squidward and Mr. Krabs breathed a collective sigh of relief as his order was written down and placed on the line. SpongeBob quickly darted into the kitchen, not wasting any time. A few moments later, he emerged from the kitchen, and rushed over to the table his friend was seated at while holding a tray with a burger on it.
"ORDER UP!" SpongeBob announced cheerfully, before placing the tray of food on the table before Patrick.
"Thanks SpongeBob!" Patrick smiled happily as he picked up the burger and prepared to dig in.
As SpongeBob swiftly returned to the kitchen to fulfill the remaining customers' orders, a deafening crash echoed through the restaurant as a colossal metal foot burst through the roof before swiftly retracting. Miraculously unscathed, SpongeBob was barely able to escape unharmed, while many of the customers started screaming and running out of the restaurant in mass panic. The building's roof had been torn apart, revealing the looming presence of a massive robot peering into the establishment.
"Plankton!" Mr. Krabs shouted. "Trying to pilfer me formulir once again, eh? Well, ye won't be gettin' it this time!" He declared.
Meanwhile, across the street from the Krusty Krab, Plankton cautiously emerged from the Chum Bucket, transfixed by the chaos unfolding around him. Hordes of rampaging robots wreaked havoc throughout the town. A wicked grin crept across Plankton's face as a wicked plan materialized in his mind.
"Hmmm, whoever's orchestrating this malevolent scheme—if I can somehow locate the mastermind and convince them to join forces with me—I'll have the power to conquer the world!" He exclaimed, his laughter filled with mad delight. However, his jubilation was short-lived as one of the colossal robot's feet carelessly crushed him, its limited visibility, as well as his miniature size, hindered the robot's ability to detect his presence.
Back at the Krusty Krab, the behemoth robot shifted its attention to Mr. Krabs and his helpless staff, its metal arm snatching them up effortlessly. Their screams of terror reverberated through the air as their desperate attempts to escape proved unsuccessful.
As they were taken outside, they gaped in horror at the sight unfolding before them—countless robots ravaging the once-peaceful town of Bikini Bottom. Amidst the chaos, they witnessed the valiant efforts of their friend Sandy Cheeks, who unleashed formidable attacks on the encroaching robots. Yet, even her brave stand was short-lived, as she too eventually fell into the clutches of the relentless machines.
Bikini Bottom was just one of the many countless worlds in the multiverse that had the misfortune to be targeted by Hacker's twisted regime. From Elwood City to Adventure Bay, the villain's unyielding army of robots and mannequins turned ordinary days into hellish nightmares within seconds. The majority of those populations were swiftly captured, destined to become unwilling pawns in an expanding mind-controlled legion. Local heroes and revered organizations found themselves outmatched and vanquished, their defeated adversaries conscripted into Hacker's ever growing roster of villains.
….
As WordGirl awoke early the next morning, feeling a bit weary, she found herself in a peculiar wooden structure, surrounded by an unfamiliar environment. The Cybersquad lay on the ground nearby, fast asleep, while four figures stood beside them, their appearances strangely blocky, like cubes.
Intrigued and cautious, WordGirl approached the door. As she carefully and quietly opened the door, her eyes widened at the sight before her—she appeared to be in a rectangular wooden building nestled within a forest. Towering mountains with cascading waterfalls loomed in the distance. The surrounding animals had also taken on a peculiar cubic form.
Perplexed, WordGirl couldn't help but gasp quietly, her mind racing with questions about their whereabouts and the nature of this peculiar realm. "What is this place?" She finally let out.
"Good to see you're finally awake," greeted Steve. "A lot has happened while you were unconscious. It seems you were struck by Lexonite while trying to stop a surprise attack from the villains."
As Steve spoke, memories flooded back to WordGirl. Guilt washed over her as she recalled her failed attempt to stop the villains and save their friends. The last thing she remembered was being struck by the intensified blast of Lexonite before losing consciousness once again.
"Ugh, so that's why my head feels dizzy again." She quietly mumbled while carefully rubbing her templates.
Before long, the others began to awaken. After eating some apples that Digit had picked from a nearby tree for their morning meal, they prepared to embark on their journey. Along the way, they had managed to inform WordGirl about their current adjective, while also telling her everything that had transpired while she was unconscious.
"So that must have been what that glowing green light was all about!" She exclaimed after contemplating for a while.
Steve and the others looked at her, perplexed. "Glowing green light? What light?" He asked.
"Well, back in Equestria, where we found The Second Crystal, there was this bright green light that told us we needed to come here and head to the Farlands because that's where the third crystal should be!" Inez explained.
"But how would the light know to bring us here?" Villager asked.
"Well, the crystals were used by the Protectors of Cyberspace to travel around and protect the multiverse," Inez quietly replied.
"The Protectors of Cyberspace?" Jesse asked, puzzled. "You haven't mentioned them before."
"Yeah, and why are they protecting the multiverse if their sole purpose is to look after Cyberspace?" Villager asked.
"Well, after I guess they discovered the multiverse, they must have had a strong sense of duty to protect it." Inez clarified.
"They always wanted to help others." Digit explained. "They had good hearts."
"Still, I don't think I've ever heard of them before." Petra replied.
"Neither have I!" Steve shrugged. "And protect it from who, Hacker?"
"I'm not sure." Inez quietly pondered.
"Back to the topic of the crystals: How exactly did they know about them?" Jesse asked. "Did they create them, or..." He paused.
"Speaking of which, why did they hide them around the multiverse in the first place?" Petra interjected.
The Cybersquad and friends remained silent, stopping in their tracks while pondering to themselves. "I can't exactly say for sure," Jackie said quietly.
"Come to think of it, the journal didn't explain why they hid the crystals in the first place. It only mentioned that we needed to collect them to grant access to the M.N.S., and yet we managed to enter with just one." Chris replied.
The more they thought about it, the less it made sense to them. They figured that before they went into hiding, they did it to prevent someone with malicious intentions from using them, but that was just their assumption with little evidence to back it up.
"Either way, it's very unclear." Martin finished.
"Let's not worry about that right now," Matt paused. "Let's just focus on…"
Stewie cut him off with an exasperated tone. "Yeah, yeah, we know. We need to find the crystals before Hacker gets his hands on them. Like that hasn't been established already." He rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"But how do we find the third crystal if we can't even find the railway?" Digit cried.
"If we continue in this direction, we should come across it soon enough," Villager kept reassuring them.
Digit's frustration grew. "You keep saying that, but we haven't found it yet! What if it's already too late?"
Honestly, at this point, I'm ready to turn back. You claim to know the way, but we're no closer to finding the damn thing!" Peter frustratedly replied.
"Peter, we can't give up. We have to keep going." Inez gasped.
Peter let out a weary sigh. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't." He asked.
"Peter, we're running out of options. We can't just give up now." WordGirl replied, trying to remain determined.
"Well, we've been traveling for how long, and still we haven't found it?" Peter grew more frustrated. "Who knows how long we'll find it at this rate?"
"Something tells me that we're getting close! I can just feel it!" Villager reassured him.
"Oh for god's sake, just admit it already!" Peter shouted furiously.
"Admit what?" Villager looked at him, confused, fear starting to fill his body.
"Stop pretending! Just admit that you have no idea where the railroad is and that you've been leading us nowhere!" Peter shouted as his anger flared up.
Well, I'm no cartographer, but..."
"But what? Are you going to tell me that the railway will magically appear on the other side of this hill?" Peter shouted.
"Peter, please calm down," Jesse pleaded, his voice filled with concern. Peter's attention turned to him, and he scowled silently in response.
Suddenly, they heard their friend Digit's voice calling out, carrying excitement and urgency. He had already reached the top of the hill and stood there, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Woah! Come quick! You guys have to see this!" He exclaimed.
Intrigued, they swiftly made their way up the hill. When they reached the summit, they were left speechless. Below, they had finally found what they were looking for after days of searching: The old railway.
"Huh! Would you look at that!" Petra exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment and satisfaction. The group stood in awe as they gazed upon their incredible discovery.
"How convenient!" Matt chuckled softly.
"See, I told you guys I knew where it was!" Villager beamed with pride, "Well, okay, not exactly where, but close enough!"
"Either way, at least we've finally found it!" Jackie happily exclaimed, her voice filled with joy.
"Yeah…" Peter quietly replied. Face filled with regret from just moments ago.
Come on! We've got no time to waste! This way!" Steve exclaimed as they quickly made their way down to the railway below.
With determined hands, they cleared away the thick layers of moss, tangled vegetation, and debris that had taken hold of the old tracks. Carefully, they mended the damaged sections, ensuring a safe and steady ride ahead. The waiting carts stood ready, beckoning them to embark on their long-awaited journey.
"Everyone, buckle up! We're about to set off!" Martin's voice boomed with a mix of authority and excitement as he flicked the lever, igniting a series of mechanical rumbles. The minecarts then jolted into motion, their wheels squealing against the aged rails.
"Yeah! Farlands, here we come!" Matt excitedly exclaimed, his voice echoing through the air, blending with the rhythmic clatter of the increasingly speeding minecarts.