Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a pretty normal day at the Monastery. Zane was showing Cole how to cook, while Kai, Lloyd, and Nya were helping Master Wu with… something. Pixal didn’t really know what it was, but she didn’t really care enough to ask. She was more focused on her newest invention; a car for Zane. It was going to channel his Elemental Powers and it even had a secondary motorcycle built inside for if Zane needed to quickly escape or make tighter turns.

MiniPix Seven handed her a wrench, and continued to clean up the smudges of oil on the car. Pixal tightened some final bolts, and pushed her metallic hair out of her face. It was finally done. And just in time too, because Pixal heard Master Wu call her from the elevator.

“Pixal! We need you in the meeting room!” Pixal could hear the urgency and worry in his voice, so she covered the newly finished car with a tarp to keep it clean, and both she and MiniPix Seven rushed to the elevator.

****

In the meeting room, Wu was about to say something, when there was a sudden rumble outside.

“What the ninblooey was that?” Said Kai, jumping up from the couch. The Ninja all ran outside and saw a huge tear in the sky. Master Wu mumbled something about it “coming too soon,” but Pixal was too focused on the chaos going on around them.

They all rushed towards the hold where the Destiny’s Bounty was at, and they all clambered onto it. However, Lloyd held Pixal back.

“Pixal, we’ll need you to stay behind just in case something goes wrong and we need rescuing.” Pixal frowned, but understood the assignment.

“I’ll remotely control the Bounty from here so you Ninja can focus on helping people,” she said, stepping off the ship. Lloyd nodded at her, and the Bounty took off.

****

Pixal sat in the newly constructed high-tech chair that allowed her to control the Destiny's Bounty remotely. She was upset about being left behind at the Monastery, but Lloyd said that they’d need her in case something went wrong.

“MiniPix Seven, drop the Bounty’s anchor.” MiniPix Seven nodded, and pressed a button on a control panel that lowered the Bounty’s anchor, which allowed Lloyd and the other Ninja to drop off the people they had rescued. The Bounty then lifted off, and flew towards the center of the chaotic event occurring.

Then, there was a sudden explosion that rocked the entire world, sending a shockwave across the land. MiniPix Seven quickly flew to Pixal, who was knocked out by the blast.

Chapter Text

Pixal groaned as she sat up. What in the 16 Realms was that? It was like someone exploded the entire realm of Ninjago.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” She spoke out, but didn't hear anyone. She glanced around, and realized that she was in what looked like a lab. She walked around, examining the cluttered equipment and noticed the amount of cobwebs. Clearly this place had been abandoned.

Pixal accidentally kicked something, and she looked down. The first thing she noticed was that she had new armor. Then, she noticed something, or someone, else.

“MiniPix!” Pixal quickly picked up her companion, and noticed the lack of arms and feet. She must have used her parts to fix Pixal. Pixal set her companion on a table, and searched the room for parts to rebuild MiniPix. She dug around the room, and found what looked like blueprints. She decided to set them aside, and continued searching

Several minutes later, Pixal didn’t find much other than some metallic legs with wires sticking out of them.

“These will not be very helpful. At least, not at the moment.” Pixal thought for a long moment. Should she upgrade MiniPix? Should she just fix her as is? It'd be a big change for not just Pixal, but MiniPix as well.

“Well, first thing’s first, I should attempt to contact the Ninja.” Pixal put her hand to her ear, and attempted to contact Zane. She waited. And waited. And waited…

“Nothing…” Pixal’s mind suddenly started spiraling with thoughts of worry. What happened to Zane? Was he OK? What if something bad had happened to him?

“Okay, I cannot reach Zane. That is… worrying. Maybe one of the other Ninja will answer.” Pixal attempted to contact Lloyd, but instead of silence, it was just static.

“Did Lloyd break his communicator again?” Pixal sighed, and looked back at MiniPix.

“Alright, then. I guess there’s only one right answer.” Pixal picked up her companion, and gave her a gentle hug.

“You’ve done a lot for me and my family. It’s only right I gave you something in return.” Pixal set her companion on the table, and got ready to give MiniPix an upgrade. But… she needed more parts. All she had was some legs.

Pixal searched the room some more, but she just found a bunch of bundles of wires, and several tools.

“Well, it’s a start.” Pixal needed a lot more than this to both fix and upgrade MiniPix. Perhaps she should try to find her way to a civilization of some kind, or even just some scrap metal.

Pixal grabbed a nearby cloak and glanced at MiniPix. She didn’t want to leave her, but she’d be safer here. Not to mention pixal would be able to move faster. She waved to her companion, and stepped out the door.

****

Pixal trudged through the snow, trying to find at least some sign of civilization, but couldn’t find anything.

“Perhaps I should go back and try a different direction…” Pixal mumbled to herself, but her thoughts were interrupted when she kicked something. It made a loud clang and she looked down at her feet. She couldn’t really see what it was, as it was buried in the snow.

She knelt down, and started digging in the snow, trying to unbury whatever was there. She pulled out the object, and inspected it. It was a piece of metal.

“What is a piece of metal this big doing in a snowy forest?” She looked up, and noticed a trail of scrap metal leading somewhere. She decided to follow it, picking up the pieces of metal along the way.

Eventually, she stumbled upon something that looked very familiar, which she picked up.

“What is this doing here?” It was the head of Jay’s Lightning Mech, which she turned around in her hands. It looked like it had been ripped off, because the wires were still sparking.

“This was not done by an expert mechanic…” She continued to follow the pieces of the mech, until she spotted something that looked like another birch forest, and the rest of the mech.

She dropped the mech’s head, and quickly ran over to the mech to make sure Jay was alright. She climbed up the mech, which was slumped against a rocky cliff face, and looked into the cockpit.

Nothing. There were no signs that Jay had even been there at all. Pixal jumped into the mech’s cockpit, and attempted to restart it so she could walk it back to where she left MiniPix.

“This mech won’t last much longer…” She jumped out of the cockpit and walked back over to where she left the mech’s head, leaving the other pieces she picked up in the mech’s cockpit.

“I should at least be able to pilot it back to MiniPix and salvage what I can to upgrade her.” Pixal smiled at the thought of upgrading MiniPix. She picked up the mech’s head, and made her way back to the body of the mech.

“Wait, wasn’t there a tree near the mech?” Pixal was suddenly smacked in the side by something big and heavy. The mech head slammed into the snow with a thud, and Pixal groaned as she stood up.

“What just-” Pixal was cut off when she heard a loud roar. She turned around, and saw a strange four-legged creature that resembled a stick bug.

“Treehorns!” Pixal rolled to dodge the next strike, when the Treehorn attempted to stomp her. She leapt to her feet, and rushed over to the slumped Lightning Mech.

The Treehorn roared once again, and Pixal saw several more Treehorns appear. The sound they made sounded like trumpets. Pixal jumped into the cockpit of the Lightning Mech, and attempted to start it once again.

The Treehorns had really beat up the mech, so hoping it would work was a real gamble. Pixal did the standard process she usually did when trying to restart a vehicle, but nothing happened.

“Oh, come on!” Pixal smacked the control panel, and the mech whirred to life.

“Huh. I guess that does work.” Pixal pressed more buttons, and the mech started to move, albeit slowly.

“Come on, work for me…” She continued to press the required buttons, and eventually, the mech finally stood up.

“Yes! Alright, Treehorns, get ready for a fight.” Pixal readied the mech’s two swords, but when she lifted the right one, she noticed that the entire lower arm was missing. Pixal sighed. The Treehorns must have torn it off like they did with the mech’s head.

“At least I still have the other sword.” Pixal lifted the mech’s left hand, and readied the sword. She was not about to get eaten by a bunch of giant bugs.

One of the Treehorns rushed forward, and Pixal swung the mech’s sword, smacking the Treehorn into another one. She quickly stuck the sword into the ground, and picked up the mech’s severed head, fumbling with it as she tried to figure out how to hold it.

She eventually decided to wrap it under the arm of the mech that was broken, and quickly grabbed the sword, swinging it and slicing a Treehorn in half and getting splattered by goo.

“Okay. That was gross.” Pixal wiped the goo off her face with her hand, and used the mech to run away from the Treehorns, but they rammed into her, causing her to almost fall. The mech sparked a little, and Pixal was worried it’d break down before she could get back to MiniPix, so she decided that she might have to kill them.

Pixal swung the mech's sword, but missed one of the Treehorns as they started kicking the mech and putting dents in the metal.

“Hey! I need this metal!” Pixal cries out to them. She stabbed the sword into the ground, and grabbed the Treehorn kicking the mech's right leg, slamming it onto the one kicking the left leg. She kicked them both away, and grabbed the one that leapt at her, tossing it away. Pixal grabbed the mech’s sword, and used it to cut another Treehorn in half.

The three remaining Treehorns slowly stood up, and fled. Pixal sighed in relief, and she checked the mech’s diagnostics to make sure she could still make it back to MiniPix. She sighed in relief when the mech still worked perfectly fine.

Pixal then finally started piloting the mech back to MiniPix, and finally was about to start upgrading her.

Chapter Text

It had been about a few months since what Pixal started referring to as a “Multicolor Explosion” (she’s still working on the name). MiniPix was close to completion, and all Pixal needed to do was some last minute adjustments and triple check everything to make sure it was all going to go smoothly.

“Hopefully this will work. Fingers crossed.” Pixal inserted the power core into MiniPix’s chest, and placed a hand on MiniPix’s shoulder.

“I cannot wait to see what kind of person you become,” she said, with a soft smile on her metallic face. Pixal pressed the power core, and closed the panel, watching MiniPix's LED eyes flutter open.

“Hello. Do you remember who you are?” Pixal absolutely needed to make sure MiniPix still had her original memories, because there was a possibility they were damaged after she fixed Pixal with her own parts.

MiniPix’s LED eyes shifted into a question mark, making Pixal a little confused herself.

“Hmm. I thought I gave you the ability to speak.” Pixal opened the panel that held the power core, and MiniPix watched curiously. Pixal closed the panel, and spoke to MiniPix.

“Try speaking,” she said, trying to figure out if this had fixed things.

“H-Hello?” The small Nindroid put a hand over her mouth, surprised by the sound that just came out.

“Hello! It is me, Pixal.” She paused for a moment, trying to see if MiniPix would respond. She just kind of stared with curiosity and confusion.

“MiniPix, I fixed you up after you fixed me.” Pixal was starting to get a little worried that MiniPix had lost her memories, but thankfully this was not entirely the case.

“Mini…Pix? Pixal? *gasps* Pixal!” The small Nindroid's LED eyes glowed with excitement, and looked at her new body. It was a shiny silver with hints of white, and there was even a tail of some kind on her back.

MiniPix attempted to stand, but fell over almost immediately, and Pixal yelped in surprise. She helped MiniPix stand up, whose legs were wobbling like a stack of dominoes. Once she was standing (almost) perfectly, Pixal helped her back over to the table, as she needed to check something.

“Please, sit right here.” MiniPix nodded, but didn't exactly sit still, as her legs were swinging back and forth as if she was almost mesmerized by them. Pixal went over to the back of MiniPix's head, pushing the small Nindroid's long metallic hair out of the way, and opened a panel on the back of her head.

MiniPix grabbed her new hair, and stared at it in awe, completely unaware of what Pixal was doing.

After a few moments, Pixal closed the panel back up, and stood in front of MiniPix.

“It seems that when you used your parts to fix me, a large chunk of your memories were erased.” MiniPix was barely paying attention, and was more enamored by her new limbs and body.

“...And as a side effect, gave you the mentality of a standard ten year old human.” Pixal sighed and rubbed her temples. This was not the intended result. But there was no going back now, especially since there was no way to restore MiniPix’s memories.

MiniPix noticed Pixal distraught expression, and attempted to comfort her by giving possibly the most awkward hug Pixal had ever received. MiniPix’s arms were around Pixal’s whole body, but it was more like Pixal was wearing a shoulder satchel. Pixal still smiled anyway.

“Pixal?” MiniPix was still hugging her.

“Yeah?” Pixal felt a little awkward still holding onto the hug.

“How do I move my arms again?” MiniPix chuckled slightly, waving her metallic hands trying to move them away from Pixal, who laughed, and helped MiniPix right herself back onto the table.

“I suppose the next logical step would be helping you get used to your new abilities.” Pixal walked over to a cloak and tossed it to MiniPix, who looked at it with confusion. MiniPix looked at Pixal, and her LED screen displayed a question mark.

“Put that on. We are going to go find the nearest civilization.” Pixal put on her own cloak, and looked back at MiniPix, who was struggling to put the cloak on. Pixal chuckled and walked over to help her.

****

Pixal and MiniPix entered Ninjago City late at night, and MiniPix was in awe of how pretty and big it was compared to the Birchwood Forest. The lights were so bright and colorful compared to the barren white of the snow and birch trees. Pixal, however, was very nervous considering the lack of some recognizable buildings.

MiniPix was holding onto Pixal’s cloak since she was still getting used to her new legs. MiniPix looked around in awe, recognizing some things, but it was more of a deja vu feeling. Her mind felt like a puzzle that was missing more than half of the pieces.

Pixal stopped in front of a building that looked familiar to her, but there was a distinct difference. The building read “Chen’s Noodle House,” and usually had a picture of a man eating noodles, but that picture was gone. It looked as if it had been ripped off violently.

“What is this place?” MiniPix had asked, as she also had been staring at the restaurant after noticing that Pixal had stopped. Pixal looked down at her.

“This is Chen’s Noodle House. It is owned by one of our- or, I guess my friends.” Pixal looked back at the door, nervously opened it, and was immediately hit by the savory smell of noodles entering her nostrils.

“Hi! Welcome to Chen’s Noodle House!” Pixal looked in front of her, and saw a young human girl that looked to be the age of ten. She looked at the child, immensely confused.

“Um, hello. I am here to see the owner. She is a friend of mine.” Pixal knelt down to speak to the child at eye-level.

The young girl smiled widely, and ran off. Pixal stood up, and waited. Eventually, a woman with cherry-red hair tied up in a ponytail came walking out of the kitchen. She was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, orange pants, and had a purple snake tattoo on her left shoulder.

“Pixal?” Pixal’s face softened at the sight of Skylor Chen, one of her many allies. She was relieved to see that Skylor was alright. Skylor gave Pixal a quick hug, and looked back at her.

“I haven’t heard from or seen you or the Ninja in months. I thought you were dead.” Skylor’s eyes widened.

“Are the Ninja alright?” Skylor’s face switched from relieved to worried. Pixal looked away.

“I… am unsure. I haven’t seen or heard from them in months either.” Pixal looked back at Skylor, who looked saddened. Pixal felt a tinge of guilt. There was an awkward silence before Pixal spoke again, trying to change the subject.

“So, who’s this?” Pixal gestured towards the young girl standing next to Skylor. She had brown hair, also tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a light-grey tank top and dark-grey shorts with a red belt wrapped around her waist. Her emerald-green eyes were staring at Pixal. Skylor’s face switched to a slight smile, and looked at the young girl.

“This is Amelia. She’s my adopted daughter. I met her after that weird explosion that ripped the sign from my restaurant.” Skylor looked a little peeved that the multicolor explosion had taken her sign. Pixal was a little surprised. Amelia smiled at Pixal and waved, who waved back with a smile.

“I did not peg you as someone to adopt a child.” Pixal joked a little, chuckling. Skylor smirked at her.

“I could say the same about you.” Skylor gestured to MiniPix. Pixal was about to deny the fact that MiniPix was her daughter, but decided against it.

“This is actually MiniPix. She had used her parts to fix me after that multicolor explosion teleported us to the Birchwood Forest. I decided to give her an upgrade.” Skylor looked at MiniPix, surprised.

“Really? I’m surprised she hasn’t said anything.” Skylor continued to look at the young Nindroid, and so did Amelia, who was curious about the Nindroid. Pixal smiled, but looked at the floor in disappointment.

“I am afraid that when she used her parts to fix me, she had lost around 85.5% of her memories. She was also inadvertently given the mentality of a 10 year old human as a side-effect.” Pixal looked down at MiniPix, who didn’t really understand what Pixal was saying, but smiled at her, noticing that she looked a little sad and hoped to cheer her up. Skylor’s face fell at the information.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate. I’m so sorry.” Skylor gave Pixal a remorseful look. Pixal shook her head.

“Do not worry about it. There is nothing that can be done.” Pixal looked around at the people in the restaurant staring at them.

“Perhaps we should take this discussion somewhere else.” Skylor noticed the customers staring at them and chuckled.

“Don’t worry. It’s almost closing time, anyway.” Skylor gestured for Pixal and MiniPix to follow her and Amelia.

****

Pixal and MiniPix walked to Skylor’s apartment, and Pixal hung up her cloak. MiniPix was about to do the same, but Pixal stopped her, telling her that humans consider it “indecent” to be without clothing.

“Amelia, why don’t you take MiniPix into your room and see if you can find some clothes she can wear?” Skylor smiled at her daughter, who smiled back, and grabbed MiniPix’s arm and pulled her along. MiniPix looked at Pixal, who nodded, and MiniPix followed Amelia. Pixal turned to Skylor, who was pouring herself a cup of tea.

“So, what has been going on, other than adopting a daughter and losing your restaurant sign?” Pixal was sitting on the couch, looking at Skylor’s tea. She wondered if she was able to drink liquids.

“Well, business has been slow, but that’s probably because people are still recovering from that weird storm.” Skylor set the cup of tea down on a coaster with the design of a dragon.

“Have you tried contacting the Ninja recently?” Skylor asked, curious to know. Pixal nodded.

“Yes, but I have been unable to reach any of them. It is possible that the communications devices in their hoods were destroyed or lost, but with Zane…” Pixal’s face faltered.

“I dread to think what might have happened to him where he is unable to respond.” Pixal’s thoughts had been plagued with worries for her family for months, but she was most concerned about Zane, her fellow Nindroid, and other half. Skylor put a hand on Pixal’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Zane is the Elemental Master of Ice, plus, he’s a Ninja and the original Nindroid. He’s strong.” Skylor gave Pixal a reassuring smile, and Pixal smiled back.

“Now, about MiniPix… have you considered changing her name since you upgraded her?” Skylor picked up her cup of tea and took a sip, and Pixal stared at her. That was a sudden and random question.

“Not really. She is still technically MiniPix, so…” Pixal stared at the room that MiniPix had entered. She was still MiniPix, right? Pixal listened to the voices of MiniPix and Amelia.

“I will… think about it. Or perhaps I will give MiniPix the option to choose.” Pixal looked back at the room where MiniPix and Amelia were. Skylor smiled at Pixal.

“One of the first steps of parenthood is making sure to let your child have just enough freedom to do what they want.” Pixal quickly turned her head back to Skylor, who laughed at Pixal’s reaction.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Pixal was suddenly woken up by the sound of an explosion, and she fell off the couch she was sleeping on. Skylor ran out of her room, and looked at Pixal, helping her up.

“What in the Realms was that?!” Skylor said, looking out the window. MiniPix and Amelia had also come out of their room, curious about what was going on.

When they all looked out the window, they saw a large tear in the sky that looked very similar to the storm that occurred a few months ago.

“It appears to be a multicolored rip in space-time.” Pixal looked down at the streets, and noticed the number of people cowering in fear.

“Much similar to what happened a few months ago.” Pixal looked at Skylor.

“You mean ‘The Merge?’” Skylor questioned. Pixal looked at her with confusion.

“I must ask, why do you call it that?” Pixal tilted her head a little in questioning.

“Well, it’s because when it happened, all of the 17 Realms merged together,” Skylor explained. Pixal looked at her with surprise, as she had no idea this happened.

“Well, that is… interesting.” Pixal looked back at the number of people in the streets.

“We need to help them.” Pixal was about to jump out of the window, but Skylor stopped her.

“What can we do? The Ninja are still missing, and you don’t have your Samurai X gear,” Skylor said. Pixal looked at the people in the streets, who were almost paralyzed with fear.

“I have to do what I can,” Pixal responded, leaping out of the window to go help people.

Skylor looked at MiniPix and Amelia, and then back at the window where Pixal leapt out of. She sighed and went to follow Pixal, with MiniPix and Amelia close behind.

****

MiniPix and Amelia were signaling for people to get to cover, meanwhile, Skylor and Pixal were bringing the people that had difficulty moving to safety. Pixal picked up an elderly woman, who almost immediately started complaining.

“I’d prefer to be saved by the Ninja,” she complained, huffing. Pixal groaned and rolled her eyes, and set the elderly woman down with the other people, and turned to look at the growing Merge-tear.

“How are we supposed to stop that thing?” Pixal watched as Skylor set down a small child. Skylor ran over to Pixal.

“I’m not sure. This is the first time something like this has ever happened,” Skylor said. MiniPix and Amelia ran over to them.

“Pixal, what’s happening?” MiniPix looked at Pixal with a nervous expression on her face, her LED eyes glowing a bright blue. Pixal looked at her with a similarly nervous expression, but smiled anyway, to try to ease her nerves.

“Do not worry, we will figure something out.” Pixal smiled at MiniPix, who gave a light gasp, and then smiled back.

The four of them continued to help people get to safety, when the strange MergeStorm ended unexpectedly. They looked at where it was, and Pixal’s eyes widened when she saw what had closed it.

“Is that… the Destiny’s Bounty?” Skylor squinted her eyes at the large dragon-headed airship flying away from the scene. Pixal's mechanical heart skipped a beat. Did that mean the Ninja were alive? Was… Zane alive? Skylor grabbed Pixal's wrist and started pulling her along.

“We should go follow them!” She said, excitedly. Pixal pulled her hand away.

“No. I… I need to stay hidden.” Skylor stared at Pixal with shock.

“Why?! The Ninja are your family! Are you really going to hide from them?” Pixal looked away for a moment, thinking. She then nodded her head.

“If I stay hidden, I can take care of the more low-level threats that the Ninja do not have time to deal with.” Pixal explained, but part of her felt as if this was not the best idea. She just needed time to think it over for now.

Skylor could see Pixal’s expression, and somewhat understood what she was saying, still not fully understanding why, however. Skylor then looked back at the disappearing Destiny’s Bounty, and sighed.

****

Later, Amelia was teaching MiniPix about cooking, and MiniPix picked up a ladle, staring at it awkwardly with her bright-blue LED eyes. A small beam of light fired out of her eyes, and she scanned it.

“Ladle. A utensil used to serve liquidy food, such as soup.” She then looked at another item, and scanned it as well. It was a strange box-like object with many pieces of paper and words within the box.

“Book… Cookbook. A book containing a multitude of recipes used for cooking.” MiniPix set the Cookbook back down, and looked at a small container filled with red powder, and scanned the label.

“Paprika. A spice used on a multitude of food items. Some people use it way too much.” Amelia chuckled at MiniPix’s words, and Skylor entered the kitchen.

“And what exactly are you girls doing?” Skylor spoke in a curious, yet calming tone.

“I was going to teach her how to cook, but she seems to be more interested in learning what all of these objects are.” Amelia shrugged, and Skylor chuckled a little.

“You think you’re so good at cooking that you can teach someone?” Skylor was now speaking in a slight mocking tone, but she was clearly impressed by Amelia’s confidence.

Amelia stuttered a little, trying to explain that she wasn’t sure. Meanwhile, MiniPix wandered the kitchen, picking up and scanning various items and adding them to her databanks. She stopped in front of a stove, and fiddled with the switch. Skylor and Amelia weren’t watching, when they really should have.

MiniPix switched the stove on, and let out a slight gasp as the fire flickered out, reflecting a warm blue glow in MiniPix’s own blue eyes the closer she got to it. She watched it flicker and burn, and it almost felt hypnotizing. Like it was dancing around on a stage. She stuck out a metallic hand, slowly putting it closer.

Skylor glanced over at MiniPix while she was still talking to Amelia, and her eyes widened in fear when she saw MiniPix putting her hand very close to the stove’s flame. Skylor rushed over to stop her, but she was too late.

****

Skylor applied a bandage to MiniPix’s hand.

“And that is why we do not touch fire, or hot stoves,” she said sternly. MiniPix sniffled a little, and Skylor wondered how she was able to cry without physical eyes.

Pixal walked into the kitchen, and saw Skylor bandaging MiniPix’s hand, and was confused, but also worried.

“What happened?” She knelt next to MiniPix.

“She touched a hot stove,” Skylor explained, and finished wrapping a bandage around MiniPix’s hand.

“Perhaps I should not have put pain receptors into your construction…” Pixal’s mind started spiraling again. Did she mess something up? Was MiniPix hurt because of her? Did the pain receptors get damaged? Will they heal, or will she have to be fixed? Pixal could feel her mechanical heart racing faster and faster the more her mind spiraled with thoughts.

“Emotions and pain are important for one to feel human.” MiniPix put a metal hand on Pixal’s, and looked into her eyes. MiniPix’s bright blue eyes blinked, and Pixal could tell that MiniPix was telling her that things were going to be alright, however, Pixal was still thinking otherwise.

Pixal’s mind was flooded with all sorts of thoughts; thoughts about going to see the Ninja, making sure Zane was alright, staying away from the Ninja, making sure MiniPix would be able to live this new life correctly. Was Zane alright? Were the other Ninja alright? Was Cyrus Borg alright? Were any of her allies (other than Skylor) alright?

Pixal could feel her metallic heart speeding up again, and she stood up.

“I… need some time alone. *pause* Again.” She turned around, and left the kitchen. MiniPix held her metallic hand close to her chest, and looked at Skylor.

“Is m- Pixal going to be alright?” Skylor looked into the young Nindroid’s LED eyes, and despite being digital, she could see that they were full of worry and guilt. Skylor knelt down next to MiniPix.

“I’m… not sure. But whatever she’s going through, we’ll help her. We just need to give her time.” Skylor put a hand on MiniPix’s shoulder and smiled, trying to reassure the young Nindroid, despite Skylor’s own worries.

****

Pixal wandered the streets of Ninjago City, cloak over her head. She looked at all the empty places where there had once been buildings. She saw some people sitting on the sides of the roads, people all by themselves, and even adults putting up missing posters of their children. People were suffering. Pixal’s problems felt small in comparison.

“Mommy, where are the Ninja?” A young boy said, catching Pixal’s attention.

“I’m not sure, honey. But we have to believe they’ll be back soon. Ninjago City needs its heroes,” the boy’s mother said as they walked past Pixal, who felt a twinge of sadness. The boy’s mother was right; Ninjago City desperately needed its heroes.

Pixal eventually wandered into a section of Ninjago City that was less tall buildings, and more rural homes. It was also strangely empty, save for some make-shift huts and small stalls of food or other supplies. Pixal walked up to one of the stalls, keeping her face covered.

“Ah, welcome! What can I do for you, stranger?” Pixal eyed the person talking to him. He looked a lot like an anthropomorphic frog. Pixal opted to use a voice filter to keep her identity a secret.

“I was just wondering what all these huts and stalls are for?” Pixal used the voice she once used when she was still disguising her identity as Samurai X, which sounded awkward as she hadn’t used it in what felt like forever.

“You’ve got one odd voice, stranger. But, I’d be happy to tell you! This is the foundation of The Crossroads; a place where everyone displaced after The Merge -or anyone who wants to escape their previous life-, is welcome! Be you a snake, biped, beast, or mechanical, everyone is welcome!” The frog man spoke in a cheerful voice, and Pixal could hear a hint of a ribbit in his voice.

“Mister Frohicky! We found that thing you were looking for!” A small boy with a yellow hoodie and black hair handed the frog man a megaphone.

“Ah! Thank you, children. Now, people will be able to know what to do to help!” The frog man smiled at the children, and Pixal gave them a closer look, curious to learn more.

The young boy was with three other people; young girls that appeared to be around his age. Pixal spotted something strange about one of them. She looked like any normal human, except for the fact that her sclera was black and she had pink markings on her face, and her dark-brown hair was highlighted by a bioluminescent pink color. Pixal wanted to know more, but she was then distracted by something; or someone, causing her to chase after them without even saying thank you to the frog man.

****

Pixal chased after the person, a strange sense of warmth emanating from her mechanical heart. She finally found him. She was finally going to find out if he was alright.

“Zane!” She called out to the person, who did not seem to hear her. She ran up closer, and then was spooked by the sudden appearance of an old friend.

“Falcon? What are you doing here?” Pixal was incredibly confused. The last time she heard of Falcon was when he was presumably turned into a drone on a bike and then driven off a cliff.

The person turned around to look at her, and she realized that she had the wrong person.

“Hello. Do I know you?” The strange person looked like a steampunk version of Zane.

“My apologies. I seem to have mistaken you for someone else.” Pixal held out her arm, and Falcon landed on it.

“Though, I must ask; what are you doing with Falcon?” She held a finger to the metallic bird, who chirped in a robotic tone.

“Falcon is my friend. He appears to be your friend as well,” the strange Nindroid said.

“My name is Echo Zane, but you may simply call me Echo.” Pixal looked in surprise.

“Echo Zane? Any relation to another Nindroid named Zane?” Pixal inquired, wanting to know more.

“I would assume that to be the case. Falcon has shown me his memories of this ‘Zane,’ and he seems to be a very friendly and kind person.” Echo smiled with his bronze (or maybe copper?) mouth. Falcon flew over and perched on Echo’s shoulder.

Pixal looked at Falcon curiously. Perhaps Nya just copied the blueprints and built a new Falcon into a drone for Zane’s Snake Jaguar bike, however she would dwell on this later. She sat down on a nearby bench and let out a sigh.

“I detect discomfort in your voice.” Echo spoke to her in a calm, but also kind tone, very much akin to Zane.

“Perhaps you would like to talk about it? I have experience listening to my creator’s problems, so I presume I could listen to yours as well.” Echo sat on the bench next to Pixal, and Falcon sat on the back of the bench.

“Well, I am… worried. About Zane. I have not seen or heard from him since The Merge. I recently discovered my friends, the Ninja, are also possibly alright, and I am trying to figure out if I should go find them, or stay hidden in order to help protect people from more minor-threats.” Pixal looked at Echo, who only blinked at her. She sighed. She was not really expecting him to be able to help but-

“Well, what do you think is the best move? Helping the people you are protecting from the minor-threats, or the people you are helping save with the Ninja who are only being affected by larger-threats?” Pixal was now the one blinking at Echo. She had not thought of it that way. Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?

Pixal thought for a moment, and then figured out what she needed to do. She stood up and put her cloak’s hood back on.

“Thank you, Echo.” Pixal walked in the direction of the Sea of Sand, and Echo watched her leave.

“Hm. I wonder who that was. Perhaps you can tell me later, my friend.” Echo looked at Falcon, who cawed at him. Echo watched Pixal until she disappeared from sight.

Chapter Text

It had been a few weeks since Pixal left, and Skylor was starting to get a little worried. MiniPix was watching the entrance of Chen’s Noodle House, waiting for Pixal to return. Skylor walked up to her.

“Still trying to contact her?” Skylor asked, and sat next to MiniPix, who looked at her, her LED eyes looking like they could actually produce tears.

MiniPix nodded, and looked back at the door.

“I thought maybe if she isn’t picking up, I could just wait.” She paused.

“What if she isn’t coming back?” MiniPix looked at Skylor, who smiled warmly at the young Nindroid.

“I’m sure she’s fine. She’ll be back, I’m sure of it. Knowing her, she’s probably building something to help the people of Ninjago City.” Skylor smiled at MiniPix, who gave a slight smile back, and turned back to the entrance of the restaurant.

After some silence, Skylor spoke up.

“What do you think about getting your own name?” MiniPix looked at Skylor with curiosity.

“A… name?” MiniPix tilted her head with curiosity. Her LED eyes stretched and contorted to form a question mark in the middle of her screen. Skylor nodded.

“Yes, something to call yourself. Unless you would like to continue being called MiniPix?” MiniPix thought for a moment, and looked back at the restaurant entrance.

“I… think it would be nice,” MiniPix responded.

****

Pixal trudged through the Sea of Sand, looking around for something. She looked at a screen on her wrist, and the GPS indicated she was getting close. She spotted a canyon nearby, and ran towards it.

As she entered the canyon, she spotted what she was looking for, and smiled.

“There you are,” she said to herself, looking at the giant dragon skeleton that housed the entrance to the old Samurai X Cave.

Pixal pressed a button on her arm, and the skull of the dragon skeleton lifted up. She pressed another button on the door, and it lifted open. She walked inside, and turned on the lights, which flickered on and gave off a warm, dim glow.

“This place has seen better days…” Pixal picked up a cobweb off her shoulder, and threw it into a garbage can nearby. She walked up to the large computer at the end of the cave, and attempted to turn it on, with little luck. She sighed, and opened a panel on the side of the computer, her green eyes lighting up the dark.

She examined the wires, and reconnected some, as well as fixing some that had been broken. The large computer then flicked on, casting a bright glow across the entire cave. Pixal closed the panel, and examined the now illuminated Samurai X Cave. It was surprisingly empty, with the only remaining vehicles being a car, a jet, and a Samurai X mech that Pixal never got the chance to finish building.

“Well, I suppose it makes sense. The Ninja always seem to crash anything I build for them.” Pixal chuckled and smiled, thinking of her friends. Then she started frowning, and her mind started spiraling once again thinking of the possibility that some of the Ninja might be hurt. She was especially worried about Zane, wondering if he was alright, or hurt, or maybe even-

Pixal was kicked out of her thoughts when the lights suddenly turned off.

“What is the problem this time?” Pixal growled, and went over to a fuse box in the corner of the cave, and opened it up, her green eyes illuminating the circuitry.

After some struggle, Pixal managed to fix the lights, and they flicked back on at full power. Pixal sighed and walked back over to the large computer, and plugged her cord tail (yes, she has that in this AU, deal with it I like the idea) into a spot on the computer’s console, putting information and schematics for a project she had been working on for years up on the screen.

“Now, what am I missing…” She stared at the screen, which was full of complex equations and chemical compounds, as well as a list of things that didn’t work.

Pixal laid her head on the computer’s console, sighing and groaning in frustration. Maybe it’d be best to just give up. Not permanently, of course, but this had been causing Pixal so much stress that it’s probably best to put it on the backburner for a few weeks. Or months.

Pixal looked over at the unfinished car, jet, and mech.

“Maybe working on this other project will help distract me.” Pixal paused, and chuckled at herself, realizing that she seemed to have gained a habit of talking to herself after spending so much time working on inventions with her MiniPixes.

MiniPix…

Shoot! Pixal had completely forgotten about MiniPix. How could she have forgotten? She scrambled to grab her cloak, and rushed over to the door, but then stopped, remembering why she even came to the cave in the first place.

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Those words echoed in her mind. Pixal stared back at the unfinished mech, car, and jet, and suddenly got an idea.

“Well, time to get to work,” she said, and grabbed a toolbox from a table in the room, and got to work, looking back at the computer.

“Might as well think of some ideas to solve this problem while I work,” she said, sighing. Hopefully, this incredibly difficult project will become easier now that she remembered why she came here in the first place.

****

The next morning, Skylor yawned and stretched as she opened the door to step out of her room. She spotted MiniPix and Amelia sprawled out on the living room floor with hundreds of books stacked and spread all over. Skylor blinked at the two young girls, confused.

“And, what exactly are you two doing?” She said, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning against the doorframe.

“She wanted help picking a name!” Amelia stated, excitedly.

Skylor looked at MiniPix, who nodded.

“So you pulled out every book in existence?” Skylor questioned sarcastically, eyeing the dozens of books spread out around the room.

“It was her idea,” Amelia blurted, pointing at MiniPix, who sat with a book open. MiniPix lifted her head up, blinking her LED eyes.

“Sorry, Ms. Chen,” MiniPix stated, lowering her glowing eyes slightly. Skylor sighed, and walked over to the young Nindroid.

“No, it’s alright. I was the one who suggested it.” She sat down next to MiniPix, who was looking at a Dictionary.

“You’re not really going to find many names in a word dictionary,” she said, looking at the page MiniPix was on.

Skylor’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw that MiniPix was somehow all the way to the ‘X’ section of the Dictionary.

“There is no way you read that entire Dictionary,” she said, raising an eyebrow at MiniPix, who looked at her with her LED eyes.

“I will have you informed that I am very capable of reading expeditiously while absorbing all knowledge of the given material,” MiniPix stated, essentially vomiting the entire Dictionary at Skylor, who was caught very off-guard by MiniPix’s now very enhanced vocabulary.

“Okay… Anyways, you’re more likely to find a list of names on the Ninjanet,” Skylor shook herself out of shock, and took out her phone.

“The… Ninjanet?” MiniPix tilted her head in confusion, and then flashed her eyes, producing a hologram, which surprised Skylor. MiniPix began searching the “Ninjanet,” and found a large list of all the names in existence.

MiniPix began scanning the list for names, and her eyes widened and a smile spread across her face when she spotted one. She was about to speak, when there was suddenly yet another explosion from outside, causing all three of them to jump in surprise. Skylor rushed over to the window, and looked outside to see another one of those big holes in the sky.

“Another one?” She exclaimed, looking a little nervous. She turned to Amelia and MiniPix, who looked nervous as well.

“You two, stay here. I’m going to go help people,” Skylor commanded, and she ran to the door of her apartment. She was then stopped by Amelia and MiniPix.

“I can’t let you go out there alone!” Amelia stated, putting her arms out in front of the door. She still looked nervous, but also determined

“Please, let us go with you. We might not be able to do much, but it’s better than letting you go by yourself,” MiniPix said, her LED eyes shifting into a worried expression. Skylor stared at the two children for a while, and sighed.

“Fine. But you better not get into trouble,” Skylor demanded, and MiniPix and Amelia nodded, smiling.

****

Once they were all outside, Skylor instructed Amelia and MiniPix to help the elderly people, while Skylor did more heavy-lifting and athletic rescues. Skylor lifted a toppled over lamppost, and helped the person stuck underneath up. The person thanked her, and ran off. She looked at the sky, which was still rippling with energy from the huge tear.

“That doesn’t look good,” she said as something started descending from the tear. Its tentacles waving wildly. It seemed half the size of a bus, but it was still very big.

“Amelia! MiniPix! Get to cover!” Skylor shouted, grabbing a nearby trash can lid and throwing it at the Tentacled Beast.

The Tentacled Beast smacked the trash can lid away, and slammed a tentacle down at Skylor, who quickly rolled out of the way, and grabbed a small rock and chucked it at the Tentacled Beast’s eye, and it roared at her, smacking her into a wall with one of its tentacles.

“Mom!” Amelia screamed, and rushed over to Skylor, who sat up, clutching her head.

“I… I’m alright,” she shook her head, trying to get her bearings. The Tentacled Beast started smashing things, whacking a car into the wall, causing it to smash through a building.

Skylor tossed another rock at the beast, and it raised a tentacle to smash them into the ground. Nearby, MiniPix was watching, and started freaking out when she saw the beast raise a tentacle.

MiniPix looked around, and spotted a sharp piece of metal from a smashed lamp post. She picked it up, hurling it like a javelin at the Tentacled Beast’s back, and it shrieked when it struck. It ripped the piece out of its back with one of its tentacles, and glared at MiniPix with its one large eye.

“I did not think this through,” she said, and stepped back from the beast, who raised a tentacle and slammed it down towards MiniPix, who braced for the impact.

But nothing happened. There was a loud *clunk* as the tentacle struck something. MiniPix opened her eyes, and saw a large, almost towering mech holding back the tentacle. Its cockpit opened up, and revealed Pixal, who’s mask slid up to reveal her face.

“I did not expect you to go fighting monsters without me, MiniPix,” she said, smiling at the small Nindroid. MiniPix gasped, and her digital eyes sparkled. Pixal grabbed MiniPix with one of the mech’s hands, and quickly leapt out of the way of the slamming tentacle, and flew over to Skylor and Amelia.

Pixal set MiniPix down, and Amelia hugged MiniPix while Pixal looked back at the Tentacle Beast, who was eyeing them.

“Pixal? Is that a new Samurai X Mech?” Skylor questioned, looking at the mech. It didn’t have the same color scheme as most of Pixal’s Samurai X Mechs, as it was mostly black with hints of purple and had a large red X on the chest

“Yes. However, I did not anticipate another MergeQuake. I did not have time to finish painting,” she said, looking a little saddened. Skylor shook her head.

“I’m just glad you’re here. And, what do you mean by ‘MergeQuake’?” Skylor put a hand on her hip.

“I will explain later. For now, we must defeat this creature before it hurts people and destroys more of the city,” Pixal said, turning back to Skylor, MiniPix, and Amelia.

“Just let us know how we can help,” Skylor said. Amelia and MiniPix nodded as well, and MiniPix picked up a metal pole. Pixal smiled at them, and her mask slid back over her face, and the mech’s cockpit closed back up.

“You three help civilians while I fight off this overgrown squid,” Pixal responded, getting into a battle stance before rushing forward with the mech’s thrusters and grabbing one of the Tentacled Beast’s tentacles.

Skylor, MiniPix, and Amelia continued to help civilians while Pixal battled the huge beast. Skylor ushered a family into a building, and looked at Amelia and MiniPix, who ran up to her.

“Is that everyone?” She asked, looking around.

Amelia and MiniPix nodded, and the three of them looked up at Pixal, who was wrestling with the Tentacled Beast.

The Tentacled Beast smacked the mech, and sent it flying into a building. Pixal stood up, stumbling a little in her mech.

“That is not good,” she said, looking at one of the mech’s arms, which was sparking. She gritted her teeth, and transformed the mech’s remaining hand into a blade, slashing at the Tentacled Beast, cutting off one of the tentacles, causing it to shriek in pain.

The Tentacled Beast grabbed Pixal’s mech, and started squeezing it with the tentacles, ripping off the sparking arm. It tossed it away, and then tossed Pixal. Skylor, MiniPix, and Amelia ran over to her.

“Your mech is taking a beating, Pix,” Skylor said, looking at the sparks flying off the missing arm.

“I did not have the time to run a full diagnostic on the joints and fully armor the mech,” Pixal said, pushing some buttons to try to get the mech to stand. MiniPix looked at the severed mech arm, and scanned it.

Pixal rushed forward to the Tentacled Beast, and slashed at it again, cutting off another tentacle. It started slamming the mech over and over, smacking it around like a ragdoll. MiniPix finished scanning the mech arm, and started ripping bits and pieces off of it.

“MiniPix, what are you doing?” Amelia said, looking at her friend, confused.

“You’ll see, it’s going to be amazing,” she said, a screwdriver popping out of one of her fingers as she continued building something.

Pixal continued to wrestle with the Tentacled Beast, punching it right underneath its giant eye, and slamming it into the ground. The Tentacled Beast floated back up and grabbed Pixal’s mech, throwing it back to the ground, causing the cockpit to fly off. The mech started sparking all over, and Pixal hastily started pressing multiple buttons.

“Come on, just a little bit longer,” she muttered, and looked at the sky, realizing that the MergeQuake had already been closed at some point during the battle.

“No sending you back now, I suppose,” she said, speaking to the Tentacled Beast, who roared at her. MiniPix ran over to Pixal, and Pixal looked over at her.

“MiniPix, what are you doing? It is not safe!” Pixal said, worried for MiniPix’s safety.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just here to give you this,” MiniPix said, holding up her device. It looked like a small cannon with a metal rod in front.

“And what exactly is “this” going to do?” Pixal asked, looking at MiniPix as she clambered over to the other arm, linking the device to it. It was significantly smaller than the arm itself, and Pixal wondered how it would help.

“Just press this button when you get an opening,” MiniPix said, pointing at the button that used to close the cockpit.

Pixal nodded, trusting MiniPix, and flew back up to the Tentacled Beast, and continued slashing at it with the mech’s sword arm, but the beast seemed to learn the pattern of Pixal’s attacks, and blocked it. It grabbed her mech by the waist, and held it up to its eye.

“Might as well find out what this does,” she said, holding up the mech’s arm, and pressing the button.

The Tentacled Beast was immediately blasted with a stream of flames, and it shrieked, letting go of Pixal, who looked at the weapon.

“Okay, that works,” she said, and held up her mech’s arm again, continuing to blast the Tentacled Beast with fire. The beast shrieked in agony, its purple skin darkening as it was engulfed in flames. It eventually stopped squirming, and fell to the ground, defeated.

“Did somebody order fried calamari?” Pixal said, grinning at Skylor, Amelia, and MiniPix.

Chapter Text

Pixal grabbed her things, neatly putting them in a bag. Skylor walked up to her, looking a little saddened.

“Do you really have to leave so soon? The people of Ninjago City need Samurai X,” she said, MiniPix and Amelia behind her.

“I would love to stay, but I am sure that the rest of the world also needs help. And the Ninja can handle Ninjago City,” Pixal said, looking a little saddened about leaving her home, but excited to explore the new lands and help people.

“I don’t want to leave,” MiniPix complained, holding onto Skylor’s arm.

Pixal walked over to MiniPix, and knelt down to meet her eyes.

“You do not have to leave, MiniPix. I will not force you to do something you do not want. You are your own person,” Pixal said, smiling warmly at MiniPix.

“My own person…” MiniPix mumbled, and stared at a line of words on a display only she could see.

Pixal grabbed her cloak, and started to put it on. She grabbed her sword once she finished snapping the buttons on.

“We can walk you to the door, if you’d like,” Skylor suggested.

“That would be nice, actually, thank you,” Pixal responded, putting on her sandogasa and the whole group walked downstairs to the entrance of Skylor’s restaurant.

“I don’t want you to leave!” MiniPix said, holding onto Pixal’s arm.

“So, you don’t want Pixal to leave, but you don’t want to leave with her?” Skylor said, crossing her arms in slight confusion.

“I-” MiniPix paused, and seemed to metaphorically glitch at the question. She looked at Amelia, who gave her a thumbs up, signaling that she would support her new best friend's decision. MiniPix looked back at Pixal and took a deep breath.

“I… would actually like to come with you,” MiniPix said sheepishly. She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped herself.

Pixal smiled warmly at MiniPix, and knelt down to the young Nindroid and hugged her gently. MiniPix was taken off-guard, but hugged Pixal back.

Skylor watched them, and Amelia hugged her.

Pixal stood up, and looked at Skylor and Amelia.

“Thank you very much for your hospitality, Skylor,” Pixal said, giving a slight bow.

“It's no problem at all, Pixal,” Skylor responded, and Pixal gave her a hug.

Amelia also hugged MiniPix and Pixal.

(And I'm out of ideas so we're just gonna wrap this up so I can transition to the next scene…)

Pixal and MiniPix waved goodbye to Skylor and Amelia, and walked out of Ninjago City.

****

Pixal and MiniPix trudged through the Sea of Sand, heading in a specific direction.

“Where are we going?” MiniPix asked, swaying back and forth tiredly. Pixal chuckled a little.

“We are going to a place called Kryptarium Prison. It is a place that holds the worst villains in Ninjago,” Pixal explained. She turned to look at MiniPix, who looked a little worried.

“Why exactly are we going there? That doesn't sound like a place we want to go,” MiniPix responded, her face looking a little nervous.

“Do not worry. We are only checking to see if they need assistance,” Pixal replied, attempting to reassure MiniPix.

MiniPix still looked a little nervous, and moved closer to Pixal as Kryptarium Prison came into view.

Pixal put her mask up, and her hat down.

“You stay behind this rock, MiniPix,” Pixal said, signaling to a large rock that looked like a cat. MiniPix scrunched her mechanical face slightly at the mention of her name, but let it go when she saw the cat-shaped rock, quickly running over towards it and lightly petting it.

Pixal smiled at MiniPix's curiosity, and turned around to face Kryptarium Prison. She glanced back once more to check on MiniPix, and walked up to the entrance.

****

Pixal stepped up to the entrance of Kryptarium Prison, and scrambled her voice so they wouldn't recognize her. She spotted the Police Commissioner speaking to some guards.

“Hello,” Pixal said, speaking in a warped version of her voice.

“I could not help but notice that something appears to be wrong?” She asked. She internally facepalmed, realizing that the way she said the question sounded weird.

The Commissioner grumbled, looking Pixal up and down.

“And why exactly should we tell you? You don’t exactly look friendly,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her with suspicion.

“That is… fair,” Pixal sighed and thought for a moment, realizing that disguising herself might not be the best idea, especially if she wanted to help people without the Ninja knowing.

“It is me, Commissioner,” Pixal said, unscrambling her voice and taking off her sandogasa hat, letting it hang from her neck. The Commissioner recoiled slightly in surprise.

“Pixal? Apologies, I didn’t recognize you,” the Commissioner said, tipping his hat as a greeting.

“Yes, that was… intentional. I am attempting to help people suffering from the Merge without the Ninja knowing. It is… better that they do not know,” Pixal looked away, feeling a twinge of regret at her decision, but still believed it was for the best.

“I see. Well, we’d be honored to have your assistance in rounding up the loose prisoners,” the Commissioner handed Pixal a tablet, and she scrolled through it.

“How many of the big villains are still locked up? You know, Vangelis, Aspheera, those people,” Pixal asked, handing the tablet back to the Commissioner, who waved it away as if saying “hold onto it.” Pixal slipped the tablet into a pocket in her cloak.

“Well, Vangelis and Pythor are still locked up tightly. Unfortunately, they’re the least concerning of the big villains. The Mechanic managed to escape, same with Aspheera and Harumi, though, Harumi isn’t a concern as she was already on parole for good behavior and community service,” the Commissioner explained, giving a small explanation of what villains had escaped.

“I am not worried about Harumi causing problems either, but Aspheera and The Mechanic being loose are not good. What about Killow and Ultra Violet? Ronin, or Captain Sato?” Pixal gestured.

“Both are still on parole after helping with the Crystal King incident. Ronin has moved back to Stiix, and Captain Sato is still safely locked up,” the Commissioner responded, messing with his mustache.

Pixal thought for a moment. Ronin was not exactly a villain, so she didn’t have to worry about him. Harumi was not going to be a problem either, but Aspheera and The Mechanic were definitely going to be a problem.

“Aspheera would most likely be the most dangerous, as she would be seeking revenge on pretty much everyone. No telling where she ended up after the Merge,” Pixal said, inquisitively. She heard a rock fall, and quickly turned to the sound, and saw MiniPix listening in on the conversation. MiniPix’s LEDs switched to hot-pink, signifying her embarrassment.

“I told you to stay put!” Pixal said, scolding the young Nindroid, who ducked behind the rock she was hiding behind, her LEDs switching to orange.

“And, who is this?” the Commissioner asked, stroking his mustache in confusion. Pixal sighed.

“This is MiniPix. I upgraded and rebuilt her after the Merge. She is… without memories,” Pixal stated, glancing back at MiniPix, whose LEDs briefly switched to green, before changing back to their default light-blue.

The Commissioner nodded.

“I see. Well, I hope she won’t be a problem, what with her eavesdropping and disco lights,” the Commissioner chuckled a little at his “disco lights” comment.

“I am sure she will not be too much of a problem. I will make sure of that,” Pixal said, glaring at MiniPix, whose LEDs turned orange and she hid behind the rock again.

“Well, you better get going if you’re gonna catch those loose criminals,” the Commissioner stated.

“I will leave the lower-level threats to you. Leave The Mechanic and Aspheera to me,” Pixal said, putting her sandogasa back on and turning to leave.

“Just promise me you will not tell the Ninja I was here. As I said, it is for the best,” Pixal said, turning back to face the Commissioner.

“Well, what should I tell them if they come here?” the Commissioner questioned.

Pixal thought for a moment.

“Tell them that… Ronin X has things covered,” Pixal responded, grinning at the Commissioner.

Chapter Text

Pixal and MiniPix walked through a dense jungle, searching for any clues of where the escaped villains were. Pixal looked back at MiniPix, who was slapping branches out of the way.

“Do not worry, we are almost out of here, MiniPix,” Pixal said, smiling at MiniPix, who gave a weak smile.

There was a pause before MiniPix spoke.

“Pixal, there’s something I actually wanted to-” before MiniPix could finish speaking, there was the crack of a branch up ahead, and Pixal drew her sword, and signaled for MiniPix to get to cover.

MiniPix frowned, but obeyed, and hid behind a fallen tree while Pixal cautiously stepped forward, her sword ready. She stepped closer to the bushes, and carefully parted them, looking through a small crack. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was she was looking at.

“Crystal Warriors? What? I thought they were all destroyed,” Pixal whispered to herself.

She observed for a little bit longer, but then heard another branch snap behind her, and quickly swung around, her sword at the ready. MiniPix held up her hands quickly, her LEDs changing to an orange-ish color for a second. Pixal lowered her sword.

“MiniPix, I told you to hide!” Pixal spoke a little bit too loud, and the Crystal Warriors turned to where the Nindroids were hiding, and Pixal quickly grabbed MiniPix and ran away.

The Crystal Warriors chased after them, and Pixal jumped up into a tree, and cut down branches to try to slow them down, but it didn’t work. A Dragonide flew up in front of her, and she tripped and fell off the tree, clutching MiniPix to protect her from the fall.

Pixal slammed into the ground, and groaned as she stood up, looking around. MiniPix clutched Pixal’s cloak as the Crystal Warriors closed in, and Pixal attempted to fight them off.

However, it was in vain, and one of the Crystal Warriors smacked Pixal so hard, it knocked her out cold. MiniPix tried to shake her awake, but was then knocked out herself.

****

Pixal woke up a while later, rubbing her head. She then remembered MiniPix, and looked around, but didn’t see MiniPix anywhere. She quickly stood up, and scanned the room she was in. It was a cell with Vengestone bars. Pixal chuckled to herself.

“I do not understand why they would put me in a cell with Vengestone bars. I do not have Elemental Pow-” Pixal touched the bars, and was immediately shocked so hard, it felt like she was hit by Jay’s Elemental Power.

“Okay, ow. I suppose it makes sense that they would need a way to contain both Elemental Masters and non-Elemental Masters,” Pixal kicked a small pebble into the bars, and sat back down on the ground, her elbow resting on one of her knees.

Her mind began to spiral once again due to the quietness of the cell, and she began to worry that they killed MiniPix, or even just left her to fend for herself. Was she alright? Was she alive? Pixal put her head down, and let out a deep sigh.

****

MiniPix punched the bars of her non-electrified cell once again, and she heard a loud crack come from her knuckles. She looked, and realized she accidentally broke her fingers again.

MiniPix groaned, and took her other hand, producing a welder from one of her fingers, and welded her fingers back together, flexing them after she fixed them.

MiniPix sat on the ground, and pulled up something on her LED screen face, sighing.

“I might as well work on how I’m going to tell Pixal about my new name,” her LED eyes flickered, and words appeared on the screen like she was typing something. The name “Zahira” was there multiple times. MiniPix smiled when she looked at the name.

She liked the name she chose for herself. It was her choice. She just hoped Pixal would understand.

(From this point onward, MiniPix will be referred to as Zahira, however occasionally, the story will remind that she was originally MiniPix)

Zahira was spooked by the sound of something jingling, and she closed her note, and looked at the bars. A Crystal Warrior walked past, keys on its waist.

She put her hand through the bars, and attempted to grab the Crystal Warrior's keys as it passed. She missed, but quickly stretched her arm more, and grabbed the keys. She put her other hand over the keys so they wouldn't jingle, and pulled them back into the cell with her, hiding them behind her back when the Crystal Warrior looked at her.

The Crystal Warrior walked off, and Zahira waited for it to be far enough away, before she stuck her hand out of the cell, and unlocked the door, carefully and quietly opening it, and then shoved the keys into her hoodie's pocket. She carefully and quietly closed the door, and then looked around to make sure no one saw her before she ran off.

****

Zahira groaned and frowned, her LEDs turning a bright red as she stared at a blank wall. Another dead end.

“There's gotta be a map of this place somewhere…” she tapped her metal foot against the ground, frustrated.

She turned around, and spotted two Crystal Warriors talking to each other. She panicked, and quickly entered a nearby room, quickly shutting the door behind her carefully so she wouldn't make noise. She stepped away from the door, and grabbed a nearby spear just in case the Crystal Warriors came through the door. She waited for a while before she cautiously opened the door, and looked down the hallway, but didn't see the Crystal Warriors. She closed the door, and sighed in relief.

Zahira looked at the room she was in, and realized that it was another set of rooms. She groaned, and quietly walked down the hallway.

She opened one of the doors, and looked around. It was another cell, but it was empty. She quietly closed the door, and looked down the hallway, her metallic dreads swinging when she leaned over.

There were several doors, and she assumed (and hoped) that she found another place where prisoners are kept, her LEDs flashing yellow in excitement that she might have found where they're keeping Pixal.

Zahira carefully opened each and every door, getting more and more frustrated every time the room was empty.

She reached the end of the hallway, and put her hand on the doorknob of the final room, and pushed it open, gasping when she saw what was in the room.

****

Pixal raised her head, and looked as the door to her cell was opened. A few Crystal Warriors shut off the electricity, and unlocked the cell door. Pixal leapt at them, sensing a moment to escape, but was surprised when the Crystal Warrior didn't budge.

The Crystal Warrior punched her in the stomach, and she choked, collapsing onto her knees.

The other Crystal Warrior grabbed her hands, and lifted her up, guiding her out of the room.

Pixal begrudgingly allowed them to guide her to wherever they were taking her.

****

Pixal was taken into a room that was very open, and the walls were lined with pink Infectious Crystals, causing Pixal to be very confused.

Pixal was shoved to the floor, and she looked up, spotting a throne adorned with more Infectious Crystals.

“Bow, peasant. You're in the presence of the new Crystal King,” one of the Crystal Warriors said, speaking in a gruff and raspy voice, and Pixal's mind felt like it was going to explode.

“They talk now?” She thought, and then she realized what the Crystal Warrior said, and she immediately felt like her face went pale (if she had skin) and whipped her head up, expecting to see The Overlord, but instead just saw a Crystal Warrior, and she scrunched her eyes, trying to get a better look.

“What?” She tilted her head, and the Crystal Warrior sat up, walking down the stairs, his long pink cape trailing behind him.

“Did you not hear them, Nindroid? Bow. You are in the presence of a king!” Pixal furrowed her eyebrows, immediately clocking that this guy was a whackjob.