Zane and Pixal had been walking for a long time. They thankfully couldn't get physically tired due to being Nindroids...mentally tired? Yes. They were tired of all the fighting lately.
Pixal especially. She couldn't even count how many times she nearly lost Zane...and she nearly lost him all over again just a few days ago. She reached over and held his hand tightly.
Zane's eyes widened and he turned. "Pixal...?"
"Sorry, Zane." Pixal said. "I just want to make sure you're alright..."
Zane's eyes went from wide to soft and he stopped walking once they reached the entrance to this strange new city. "Are you alright?"
Pixal looked down for a moment before sighing. "I...suppose I am. This is all a lot to handle, even for a Nindroid. The Overlord, Ninjago being lost, being trapped in another realm, and...nearly losing you all over again."
Zane stroked her cheek for a moment. "But I came back, didn't I...?"
"I know, but you're going to have to stop doing that." Pixal said with a small playful grin. "I can only handle so many heart attacks."
Zane smirked a bit. "You do know we don't have those, right?"
"I'm perfectly aware." Pixal said with a nod as they kept walking, with Zane lightly squeezing her hand as they walked into the city. "Where should we wait for the others?"
Zane hummed. "Right here should suffice." He said as he and Pixal sat down next to a building. The silence began for a little while. Pixal was just looking up at the sky...this was such a peaceful realm.
Very colorful too. A blend of culture and technology. Much like Ninjago was both modern and traditional.
Zane then wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. "Everything's going to be okay...I promise you, Pixal."
Pixal smiled. "This is why you are vital to me..."
"And you are vital to me..." Zane said with a returning smile before he heard the ding of a bell and turned his head...only for his eyes to widen at who he saw exit the building.
A man with a very familiar looking haircut and overall face, but it matched the strange feeling of this universe. He wore glasses and strange robes that looked like something Master Wu would wear, but red.
Pixal noticed this too and her eyes widened. "Cyrus?"
The man jumped a bit at who spoke and then turned his head towards Zane and Pixal...only to blink. "Umm...hello."
Zane stood up, seeing there was no point in hiding. He then held his hands in front of his chest. "Please do not be alarmed, sir! We simply thought you were someone else."
The man actually...chuckled a bit, not looking that alarmed that he was talking to robots. "I've been getting that a lot recently...you two aren't from around here, are you?"
Pixal stepped out. "What gave that away...? The fact that we're machines?"
"Uhhh, no. More or less your samurai armor and that guy's ninja robes." The man said. "Those aren't exactly seen around here and more another country away."
Zane hummed before nodding. "I see. But we aren't even...from this realm. I know that must sound-"
"Oh! Another realm!!!" The man exclaimed as he went over, beginning to examine the two closer. "You don't appear to be Netherworld...maybe Celestial Realm?"
Pixal became confused. "Celestial Realm...? No, we're from a different realm called Ninjago. It's a place very similar to this city. Have you heard of that?"
"Are...you a realm traveler?" Zane asked curiously.
The man adjusted his glasses. "Ummm, I guess so? I've only been to one different realm other than here before and I've never heard any place called 'Ninja-go' in the legends..."
Zane sighed. Everytime he went to a new realm, someone would mispronounce the name of his home. "It's Ninjago. Nin-jago."
The man nodded. "Ohhh, sorry! Sorry! Ninjago, right. I should probably introduce myself then. I'm Tang."
"My name is Zane." The Master of Ice introduced before holding Pixal's hand. "This is Samurai X AKA Pixal."
Tang looked at the two holding hands and blinked. "...huh. Robot love...that's definitely a surprise, but a welcome one." He then shook it off. "It's nice to meet ya! I take it you need help with getting back to your realm? I could probably help! I'm sort of a hero around these parts."
Zane hummed. "You do not appear to be the fighting type."
"I mean, ummm, fair." Tang said. "I'm sort of the brains of our group."
Pixal then stepped forward. "Either way, we would greatly appreciate your help. Our own group is supposed to meet us here."
Tang then opened the door to the building he was in, which seemed to be some kind of restaurant. "Then, until they show up, you can stay here. A friend of mine owns this place!"
Zane and Pixal looked at each other before walking inside...only to see what seemed to be a very homey noodle shop. There was a young teen, likely an employee, with a bandana across his head sweeping the floors with headphones.
But behind the desk was...an anthropomorphic pig?!
Zane and Pixal quickly took instinct and took out their weapons, with Zane spinning his shurikens and Pixal brandishing her katanas.
Tang yelped and got in front of them. "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! NO WEAPONS! NO FIGHTING!"
The pig looked and his eyes widened...before they narrowed again. "What did you do, Tang?"
"Ummm, it's a long story, Pigsy." Tang said with a nervous chuckle.
Pixal, a little embarrassed now, put away her sword while Zane did the same with his shurikens. "We're deeply sorry, sir."
Pigsy waved his hand dismissively. "Not the first time, won't be the last. Now: WHO ARE YOU!?"
The teenage employee heard his boss shouting and took off his headphones...only to drop his broom. "HOLY COW, ARE THOSE CYBORGS?! ARE THEY HERE TO KILL US?!"
Suddenly, he reached into his ear and pulled out a red and golden staff, which went from the size of a pin to a weapon. He spun it around and pointed it at Zane and Pixal, who watched in awe.
"MK, I JUST SAID NO WEAPONS!" Tang exclaimed. "These guys are from another dimension and need help getting back!"
MK made a 'oh' sound before putting away his staff. "Sorry, sorry! I'm just so used to people trying to kill me..."
"You too?" Zane asked. "We do not blame you. We've had...our fair share of battles with strange creatures."
MK laughed. "I knowww! And some are just really weird! Like, there was this one fish-"
Pigsy cleared his throat. "Look, before we get all buddy-buddy with each other, let's find out more about these guys. How'd you get here?"
Pixal stepped forward. "Allow me. In our dimension, Ninjago, we were fighting an evil being called The Crystal King."
"Oh, that is such a bad guy name." MK said with a whistle.
Zane butted in. "He's the very personification of evil itself actually."
Pixal gave her boyfriend a small look before continuing. "But, while our friend Lloyd and his father were fighting The Crystal King, he rebuilt a mystical artifact called The Realm Crystal and corrupted it. He then sent us here."
Tang scratched his chin. "Why? Did he have to retreat?"
Zane shook his head. "No. He was on the verge of winning, dare I say."
Pigsy hummed himself. "Sounds like he's overconfident in his victory or somethin'. Villains are like that, believe me." His eyes then narrowed. "But how do we know you're telling the truth?"
MK then heard his phone beep and took it out. "Oh! Hey, Bai He sent me a text!"
Tang turned. "Is it just another cat video?"
"Uhhh...no." MK said before reading it aloud. "'Hey, MK! Hope you're having an amazing day...because me and Macaque kind of have this demon guy saying someone named The Crystal King is gonna kill us all.'"
Pixal's eyes widened. "That must be Garmadon!"
Pigsy rubbed his head. "Well then, guess you are telling the truth then...but if The Crystal King's here...and Bai He's saying he's gonna kill us all..."
"Then we don't have much time to think-" Tang said before hearing a loud rumble outside. The group looked at each other before rushing outside.
And sure enough, crystal dragons were flying across the sky, roaring and blasting around the city. MK's eyes were wide before he heard marching and turned his head to see strange demons holding spears.
"The Crystal Warriors!" Zane exclaimed. "Don't let them touch you!!!"
Pigsy turned to them, taking out the Nine Toothed Rake that The Monkey King had given him...since his past 'incarnation' used it. "WHY?!"
"Cause if they touch you, you will turn into a crystalized monster!" Pixal exclaimed.
MK shivered a bit at the thought before he stepped forward. "Then, I'll give them something to chase!" He laughed before taking out a handful of his hairs and throwing them up into the air.
Zane was very confused for a moment...before the hairs suddenly turned into perfect clones of MK, all of them grinning wide as they zoomed at The Crystal Warriors from the sky.
Confused and knowing nothing but to attack, The Crystal Warriors started to lunge at all of MK's clones.
"So, what can hurt these guys?!" Tang exclaimed. "Do you have any special powers?!"
Zane turned to him. "We do, but they are made of a special material that blocks our powers!"
"Well, that's just terrific!" Pigsy shouted before he heard growling from behind them. He turned around and saw about three Crystal Warriors lunge at them.
Pigsy gritted his teeth and then swung his rake, suddenly sending the Crystal Warrior flying. He then did the same to the second.
Tang then surrounded himself in some kind of golden bubble and rammed into the final Crystal Warrior while MK zoomed over and finished it off with a swing of his staff, utterly obliterating it.
MK then shivered a bit. "Oh, that thing almost touched me! I would've been a zombie!"
Zane took out his shurikens again while Pixal took out her katanas. The group began running, knowing that they couldn't take on a whole army of The Crystal Warriors if they wanted to avoid being touched or blasted.
"Where are we even running too?!" Tang exclaimed.
Pixal turned to him while still running. "Anywhere but here!"
And then, they ran into another group of Crystal Warriors...but just as they all prepared to fight, a green blur suddenly obliterated them into pieces of rock and crystal.
"A new world invasion and you're fighting it without me?!" A cheerful voice asked before revealing a human girl floating in a green flame. She had black hair with green streaks and with strange green, white, and gold armor.
"Mei!" MK laughed. "Don't touch these things! Our new friends just said they make you zombies!"
Mei's eyes widened and she screeched, feeling around herself. "IS ANY PART OF ME ROTTING AWAY?!?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!!!" MK shrieked before Pixal scanned Mei.
Pixal then sighed in relief. "I sense no trace of the Crystallization. You are uninfected."
Mei sighed in relief before landing onto her feet. She then held out her hand for a handshake. "Hiya! I'm Mei-"
Then, a bunch of pink energy blasts nearly hit them, with MK just able to deflect them by spinning his staff.
"Introductions later!" Zane exclaimed as Mei managed to blast the Crystal Warriors with her green fire and they all ran off.
Zane then looked at Mei...that fire was somehow immune to the Vengestone. Was she some kind of elemental master here?
Either way, they kept running...until Zane suddenly saw a familiar pair of faces.
A Samurai and two Ninja warriors fighting with all their might against a horde of Crystal Warriors.
"NYA! JAY! COLE!" Zane exclaimed as he used his ice powers to suddenly slide himself over on a trail of pure ice. His powers stopped working once he reached them though, due to The Crystal Warriors.
He then threw his shurikens into the body of one warrior, while Jay spun around his weapon and then managed to shatter it.
Cole took his hammer and smashed two more into bits, while Nya just stayed back since she herself didn't have a weapon to fight with.
MK and Mei looked at each other before grinning, with Mei flying up and tossing MK at the rest of the Crystal Warriors.
MK threw a bunch of his clones at them, confusing the warriors as he smashed them into bits with his staff.
The Ninja watched in pure awe before Cole pulled back his mask. "WHOA! Who the heck are you?!"
"And how come you get powers?!" Jay exclaimed, pouting a bit.
Zane looked at his friends. "We must have introductions later! Now is not the time!"
But then, the crystal dragons suddenly began falling from the sky as if they were shot clean out of it. They all looked up to see a red jet flying around and rapidly blasting at them.
And who was on the jet? Red Son, Kai, and Skylor.
Mei's eyes widened and a small tint of pink went to her cheeks. "RED SON!!!"
"BEST FRIEND!!!" MK gasped, his eyes sparkly.
The red jet then flew downwards, with Kai and Skylor hopping off and rushing over to their team. "There you guys are!!!"
Nya hugged her brother for a moment before looking around. "Where's Lloyd and Wu?!"
"And Garmadon?" Cole asked, tilting his head.
Nya blinked. "Right. Him too."
Red Son then teleported over. "We haven't seen your master or your green friend-"
Mei then zoomed over and hugged Red Son tightly. "Red!!!"
Red Son's eyes widened and he blushed before slowly hugging back. "U-ummm...hello, Mei."
"OOOOOOOH." The Ninja all said in unison, even MK, Tang, and Pigsy.
Red Son and Mei both blushed and broke the hug instantly, clearing their throats.
Jay smiled. "Remember when we were like that, Nya?"
"All too well." Nya smirked before remembering they were in a fight. "We gotta find Lloyd and Master Wu!"
Pigsy then butted in. "Macaque and Bai He's place is far from the city! But Sandy's boat should be a safe place!"
"What about your city's people?!" Cole exclaimed. "Shouldn't we protect them?!"
Tang turned to him. "Then we should split up! One group goes to find Sandy and the others save as many civilians as possible!"
Mei flew up. "Me and some of you Ninja guys can help with civilians! Everyone else get onto Red's jet and fly to Sandy's!"
"Be safe!" Red Son exclaimed before he, Pixal, Tang, Pigsy, Nya, Skylor, and MK all got onto his jet and flew off.
Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane all nodded at each other before being carried by Mei off into the sky.
This was just the beginning.