Bionicle: The Magic of Lightby MicroChipChaptersJust a Hop, Skip, and Dimension JumpWelcome to Ponyville, where Nopony Likes You.A Chronicler's LegacyDreaming of HomeJust a Hop, Skip, and Dimension JumpWhile journeying between dimensions to try and warn the Toa Nuva of possible doom, Takanuva, the Toa that controls both light and shadow, finds himself in a world of purely organic and powerful beings known as ponies. Now he must find a way to leave this universe and continue toward Karda Nui. But there's something else in Equestria that shouldn't be, and a Toa may be just what is needed. Takes place after the Dark Mirror and Takanuva's Journey, but before The Final Battle. The story takes a lot from the Bionicle storyline, particularly that of 2008. If anything confuses you, I recommend the amazing resource of biosector01.com. Many beings are more than familiar with the concept of the “multiverse”. An idea that an infinite number of universes exist. Some are very similar others where only a single event had taken place in a different way. Others were mindbogglingly different, where the laws of physics could drive one mad. Takanuva had learned quite a lot about alternate dimensions recently, even though he'd never intended to. The members of the Order of Mata Nui had warned him that it could be dangerous, but they left out one very important fact. Traveling through the “void” between universes could get extremely boring. Thinking back, Takanuva had spent a lot of time floating in the black nothing. This time was because the corrupt Toa Tuyet had no idea how to properly control the Kanohi Olmak she wore and ended up killing herself because of it. Before that, that mysterious floating mask had made a portal, that one also leaving him in what seemed to be nowhere. For a Toa of Light, he thought to himself, I'm spending an awful amount of time in absolute darkness. A tiny flash of light appeared for a moment out the corner of his eye, causing him to tighten his grip on his Power Lance. By now, he knew it heralded his exit back into reality, and he was going to make sure he was prepared. Both times, so far, Takanuva's first impression of universes had been the ground his mask had smashed against. He wasn't going to look like a fool this time. Just as quickly as it appeared, the light enveloped the Toa, blindingly bright after the darkness of the void. Takanuva began mentally preparing himself for whatever lay on the other side of the portal, but was still surprised when the world came into focus, revealing to him just how close the ground was. “Makuta bones,” he muttered to himself just before he found himself crashing head first into the ground. Again. *********************************** A pair of violet eyes scanned the thick layer of clouds below, while their owner quickly made a few calculations in her head. Seven seconds, she thought to herself, Nah... six and a half. With a grim smile of determination, pegasus known as Rainbow Dash began tearing through the cumulus layer at hypersonic speeds, dispersing the fluffy clouds into invisible vapor, while mentally counting the seconds as they passed. One...two...three...four...five...six... She stopped short in front of a tiny cloud before causally bucking it into nonexistence. “Six and a half seconds baby! Booya!” Rainbow Dash laughed at her success as she slowly allowed herself to gently return to earth. It wasn't her best time, but today wasn't a day for breaking records. It was a day to relax and causally do what one wanted. There was no sense of urgency, the sun was wonderfully warm, the birds were singling, and, thanks to Rainbow's awesomeness, the sky a clear blue. The only thing out of place was a small ball of light crackling with lightning near the edge of the Everfree. Rainbow Dash had to do a double take at the small sphere almost bursting with energy. What it lacked in size, it made up with sheer absurdity. In all her years of experience, the pegasus had never seen a weather phenomenon like this, pony-made or natural. Before she could get any closer, though, the ball seemed to explode outward, ripping itself into what appeared to be a dark hole. She never got to see what was inside, as it dumped a large object onto the ground then soundlessly winked out of existence. Slowing winging towards the object Rainbow took in a sight that she'd never forget. Lying face-first on the ground was a strange creature that appeared to be completely covered in gray and white metal. The shape and positioning of the metal reminded Dash of Celestia's royal guards, giving her the impression of armor. Several digits extended from both of its front limbs, much like Spike's hands, one set clutched tightly around a formidable looking spear of some sort. She ripped her eyes away from the weapon and took in some of the finer details of the body in front of her. Through the gaps in the armor, there were pistons, gears, and enough unidentifiable machinery to put the Cloudsdale weather factory itself to shame. Maybe this thing wasn't even alive. Maybe someone built it to... A soft groan emitted by the object quickly banished any ideas from her minds. That sounded too much like a pony in pain to not be alive. She leaped back, only then realizing how close she'd gotten to something that looked like it could kill her without a second thought, if it wasn't in its current condition. The creature slowly began to move, as it with great effort, pulling itself upright and using its spear for support. Now resting on its knees, it turned and looked at Rainbow Dash, its glowing yellow eyes locking onto hers. She couldn't move, only stare back. It did give her a chance to see what she could when the creature's face was against the ground. It appeared to be wearing something on its face. A dark gray mask sat on its head. It was mostly square and angular, with several rounded protrusions coming from above, only to smoothly meld with the “face” of the mask. Her attention shifted back to the eyes. They were regarding her quizzically, but seemed to express friendliness, giving the impression that, whatever it was, it had no desire to harm her. Dash had lost track of how long they'd both just stood there, staring at each other, when the strange being was suddenly surrounded by a soft glow. It wasn't much, but Rainbow Dash had seen something similar occur with Celestia, and, somehow, it put her to ease. The creature smiled warmly at her reaction before laying the weapon at his side and standing up so that he couldn't reach it. It was the first thing she noticed was how tall it was, standing a full head higher than the Princesses. Still glowing the looked down at her and spoke. If she was expecting words of power of wisdom from the entity, she was sorely disappointed. “I must say, yours is the best tasting dirt so far.” Welcome to Ponyville, where Nopony Likes You.If one were to travel north, past the Crystal Empire, they'd quickly find themselves in the frigid wastelands of ice and snow. There were a few Griffin settlements, as well as those of more adventures ponies, but other than that, it was void of life. At least, that's how it looked. Stories and legends about the White Plains are commonplace, very few of them the kind to be told to foals before bed. They spoke of Windigos that could freeze whole lands, Yetis who strolled on their hind legs and dragged travelers to their lairs, and Ice Wolves, with fangs of frozen water. Finally, there were dark worms. Tales of these creatures are few, but they exist. They tell of mysterious creatures, covered in slime. The evil within them could be felt long before they're seen. Those unlucky enough to encounter them suffer a wide range of injuries. Sometimes they're shocked with lightning, or return blinded or deafened. Others return jumping with fear at everything they see, or are often found to be nothing more babbling lunatics. While the Worms where often spoke of, they weren't native to Equestria, or even the universe it resided in. They came from another place, with their creator, who was a master of fear and darkness. Sent to his current residence in the mountains several hundred years ago by a group of powerful, if novice, heroes, the being had sat waiting. Waiting for the time to reveal himself to these backwater creatures. Waiting to banish the light. He'd felt a shift in the universe a few minutes ago, and he didn't like it. It sensed of light and power, much like the ruler of this realm had. However, this was different. It was tinged with shadow in a way that made even the manipulator of darkness shudder. *********** Takanuva watched the creature in front of him for a reaction. It was obviously curious about him and had reacted positively to most of his actions so far. There was still the question of whether it was intelligent or not. The best the Toa could come up with was that it looked like it was probably some kind or Rahi, only without any form of armor. Jaller had told him about life-draining squids used by the Barraki that were like that, but this thing seemed a lot friendlier. Honestly, there was no way to know everything. His resent adventures had severely reinforced the idea that you can NEVER make assumptions about creatures you meet, especially in alternate dimensions. He'd tried to break the ice with a light joke, and now it seemed simply stand there as if unsure of what it was seeing. Suddenly, before he had a chance to react, it shook its head then flew up to press its nose against his mask, causing him to lean back slightly. The glazed look in its eyes was now replaced with distrust and a bit of cockiness. “What the buck are you and what are you doing at Ponyville?” Well then, I guess I can check off the 'Intelligence' box. To the Toa's credit, he matched the gaze before evenly replying. “My name's Takanuva. I'm a Toa. And I'm just passing through.” It didn't back down, but instead push harder against his face. "Really? You're not here to take over Equestria?" Takanuva held back the urge to laugh. "Actually, it's my job to stop others from taking over places like...Equestria." The multi-colored being backed down, lightly landing on the ground, her eyes still expressing distrust. "I duno...Maybe I should get Twilight to judge that." "Who's Twilight? And probably more related to now, who are you?" Its ears perked up at the question, and the creature’s body language immediately changed to one that oozed confidence. "Me? I'm Rainbow Dash. The most awsomest pegasus pony around." She flew up and poked the Toa in the chest, probably a bit harder than necessary. "And I've already got the job to protect this place, so you won't be needing to do any of that." Takanuva sighed. This was going to be another long day. ************ If the pegasus had expected him to be left behind when she shot into the air, she would have been severally disappointed. Takanuva had little trouble following her, thanks to the Makuta virus he'd inhaled on his last adventure that gave him the power of flight. Rainbow Dash had given no indication for him to follow, but he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. The pair passed over a hill to reveal a village of some sort. Takanuva's smile grew and he looked across the settlement, taking in all the beings wandering the streets, going about their daily tasks. With a sharp twinge of homesickness, the Toa was reminded of Metru Nui, which was once again brimming with Matoran doing much the same as these creatures. He took a closer look at the inhabitants as they approached the buildings near the outer edges of the village. They all resembled Rainbow Dash in terms of basic body structure, but there were several differences that clearly stood out to him. For one thing, there were more colors here then a Naming Day parade. Everything from earthen browns to bright blue was walking the streets, and Takanuva had to take a moment to adjust from the barrage of tones on his eyes. His second observation was that not all of them possessed his new companion’s wings. A few appeared to make up for the loss with some kind of horn protruding from their heads, but the rest looked perfectly happy without either. Takanuva looked to his side to see that the rainbow pegasus had begun trotting off towards what seemed to be a large tree, but was in fact covered in windows and large building made out of what looked to be a tree. He shrugged and followed her, noting how the tree resembled some of the old Le-Wahi homes on Mata Nui, only on a much smaller scale. So caught up in the sight, he failed to notice that their path had taken them right through a busy street. He did realize when the screaming started, though. A Chronicler's LegacyThe pink pony with the yellow hair in front of Takanuva screamed for a long time, long after the others had run out of breath, and resorted to staring at him in shock. The Toa frowned at the situation, which was obviously going nowhere. Part of him wanted to simply knock it out so it would stop annoying him, but he reminded himself that it was doing no harm, and he probably was one of the scariest things it had ever seen. Dark thoughts had become much more prevalent since part of his light had been drained, but he refused to give into them. He instead allowed the pony to empty its impossibly large lungs, and then tried to comfort it. “It’s all right, I’m not dangerous. I’m just…” The Toa was cut off by the pony fainting at the sight of him holding out his hand. He quickly withdrew the limb and turned to the cyan pegasus floating next to him. She looked like she was unsuccessfully attempting to hide her laughter at the misfortune of the unconscious pony. Takanuva glared at her momentarily before looking about at the silent crowd gathered around him. “I’m sorry if my appearance frightens you.” Not that there’s anything I can do about it. “I don’t mean any harm, and I’m only just passing through. I shouldn't be in your village for very long.” The crowd seemed to relax slightly at his assurance, but still refused to come any closer. That is, except for one that seemed to fly over the heads of everyone else. At first, he thought the bright pink blur to be a pegasus like Rainbow Dash. However, after being tackled to the ground by it, the Toa of Light found the pony that was now standing on his chest to be lacking in wings. He never got the chance to ponder how that worked when the poofy pink thing began jabbering intensely. “Hello, you must be new here. Of course, he's new here, silly Pinkie, or you’d know him. Not to mention that there’s no way you could be from here. You’re not even from Equestria, are you? Who are you, by the way? I’m Pinkie Pie, and it’s the hugest pleasure to meet you! How did you get here? Where exactly are you from? How’s your mega-huge robot home?” Rainbow looked like she wasn't going to help, so Takanuva had no choice but to put his hand over the pink chatterbox’s mouth. The immediate silence was jarring. The Toa was unable to catch most of what was said, but did his best to sort out what he thought he heard. “I’m Takanuva, and it’s nice to meet you to, Pinkie. And…huge robot home?” Pinkie gasped. “You live in a huge robot home? That’s so awesomely awesome!” “No I don’t, I…you’re the one that said it.” She cocked her head to the side in confusion, making it evident she had no idea what he was talking about. He shook his head, beginning to doubt he’d herd it in the first place. The pink pony jumped lightly onto the ground. “You like parties don’t you? Nopony doesn't love a good party.” Takanuva couldn't help smiling at the question. Several Le-Matoran could testify to his love of celebrations. Pinkie Pie obviously took the grin as the confirmation she was waiting for, as she immediately ran off, disappearing in the same fashion she'd first approached him. The Toa turned to see a snickering pegasus next to him. “What's so funny?” Rainbow Dash waved him off with one hoof while using the other to cover her mouth. “Nothing. You're just in for it, now.” He honestly had no idea if he should have been excited or concerned. ********************************* Takanuva followed the blue pegasus to the tree-house he'd noticed earlier without further incident. Ponies still stared at him when he went past, but Pinkie's acceptance seemed to have triggered something among the population. This type of reaction he could handle, as him and his fellow Matoran had all looked at Tahu the same way when the Toa of Fire first appeared on Mata Nui. It wasn't a look of fear, but curiosity. If the Toa was intending to be polite when they reached the library, he wasn't given a chance. Before the Toa could knock, his pony companion threw the door open and flew inside, showing no respect for the inhabitants. “Twilight! You here?"” Takanuva shook his head before following her into the building, ducking down to fit through the doorway. The interior was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, the walls covered top to bottom with shelves of...something. He looked closer at the strange objects that occupied every available space the shelves offered. They were all unique in size and color, but it was obvious that they were all the same thing. He picked a large green one up to get a closer look. It appeared to be two pieces of stiff material holding together a large amount of sheets of some sort. It was filled with what he recognized to be writing and illustrations, but he couldn't understand what it said, making the Toa wish for Turaga Nokama's Mask of Translation. Most of the pictures did seem to consist of plants of some kind, but none the Toa had ever seen before. “Are natural remedies popular where you're from?” Takanuva spun around in surprise at the new voice, looking sheepishly at the purple pony gazing at him with a slight sense of wonder “Not necessarily.” “If they were, then Supernaturals is a fine choice of reading material.” He looked down at the object he clutched and slowly put it back on the shelf. Since the Toa wasn't readily speaking, the pony took the initiative and jumped into questioning. “What are you, and where did you come from? Why are you here? What can you do? Why are you covered in armor? Does your culture actively support warfare? How...” Takanuva held up a hand, causing the pony's mouth to clamp shut, and its face to turn bright red. She was almost as bad as Pinkie. But at least this one got the hint that she was talking just a little too much. She seemed more intelligent than most, judging by here questions, so he allowed himself a little smile. If he played it right, he'd be able to get something he desperately needed: information. Hopefully, he'd be able to give exactly the same thing in return. “I'll start off with the basic facts. My name is Takanuva. I'm a Toa of Light.” The pony's yes lit up with more questions at the statement, but he held out his hand again to indicate he wasn't finished. “I'm from another dimension, and I need to get back to it as soon as possible.” She bit her lips in an attempt to hold back the flood of questions waiting to burst out, but managed to keep her eagerness in check. “I have a lot of questions, and I know you do as well.” He thought back to something Turaga Nuju had taught him during his days as a Chronicler. It was one of the best ways he know of for two individuals to learn things from each other. “I propose a solution. A question for a question. I'll answer one of your questions, and then you'll answer one of mine. We repeat the process until we're both satisfied. Sound fair?” She nodded in reply, a smile replacing the grimace she used to prevent herself from overwhelming the Toa with questions. “I think I can do that. I guess my first question is: what's a Toa?” Takanuva smiled, falling back into the familiar feeling Takua the Chronicler enjoyed when telling a story. He would have no problem doing this. ******************************************** The sun had set long ago, and Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep on top of a shelf earlier, but neither fact bothered Takanuva or the pony, who he now knew to be the ‘Twilight’ Rainbow Dash was looking for. The Toa's method of alternating questions had worked surprisingly well, and they both had a decent idea of how the other's world worked. While she'd been happy to provide facts, Takanuva sometimes found them to be rather boring, so the Chronicler inside kicked in and he began telling stories about his adventures and those of the Toa Nuva, his latest one being when he became a Toa and confronted Makuta for the safety of everyone on Mata Nui. “That's when we discovered the way back to Metru Nui, which is where everyone lives now.” Twilight shook her head. “Everything you talk about seems impossible. An island under an island? That doesn't seem possible.” “Yea...I try not to think about it myself. Besides, you're the one with strange stories. A being of pure chaos? I thought I had a hard time with Shadows.” “You seem to be taking everything better than most,” replied the unicorn, “Many ponies have trouble even accepting the idea of the Elements of Harmony.” Takanuva laughed and shook his head. “I've seen the power of unity do some amazing things before. And most of the things in your world have strong resemblances to mine. Celestia and Luna sound like your version of Mata Nui, there are different races each with their own powers and abilities, and the core of your civilization seems to operate on the same three virtues as mine.” Twilight's ears perked up the mention of the three virtues. Takanuva had referenced them several times, but she'd never gotten around to asking what they actually were. Her quizzical look was enough for the Toa. “Unity, duty, destiny,” he said, almost reverently, not even focused on the pony anymore. “I suppose. I've never really thought of it like that. Kind of catchy.” The Toa shrugged in reply, beginning to feel just how tired he was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a proper rest. He'd been awake for several days now, hardly stopping during his journey through different universes, and it probably showed. Twilight's yawn indicated that she felt the same way, even if she tried to hide it. She opened her moth to say something, but Takanuva cut her off. “I believe it would be for the best if we both got some rest.” The unicorn began to protest but another yawn ruined her argument. She sighed and pulled herself to her hooves. “I'd offer you the guest bed, but I doubt you'd fit.” Takanuva shook his head. “Thank you, but I'll be fine down here.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the comment. “But there's nothing for you to sleep on. The couch is still too small.” She gestured to the cushioned furniture she'd spent most of the evening lounging on. Takanuva laughed as he lay back on the floor. “Believe me I've slept on much worse than this.” Twilight gaped at the Toa several times before shaking her head and began climbing the stairway, muttering to herself the whole way. Takanuva watched the pony until she was out of sight, his mind still processing everything they'd discussed over the course of the evening. While this was definitely the most different universe from any of the others he'd visited, it still seemed to be connected to his own. Pony culture could easily compare to that of the Matoran, and the ‘magic’ Twilight spoke of strongly resembled the elemental powers welded by Toa back home. But instead of making the world easier to accept, the similarities only presented more questions. Were there counterparts to the Great Beings here? Would the magical energy here have an effect on his own powers? Most importantly, was there a way for him to get back to his own reality? The odds of a Kanohi Olmak existing were nonexistent, and Twilight had told him earlier that an inter-dimensional spell had never been heard of before. His heart beginning to feel heavy at the thought, the Toa of Light lowed himself to drift off to sleep, feeling further from home than ever before. Author's Note Sorry about the wait. As requested, I'm now doing longer chapters. I kind of prefer it this way, myself. Dreaming of HomeThe sound of bubbling magma and the smell of sulfur and volcanic rocks assaulted Takanuva's senses, soon followed by an intense wave of searing heat. Most beings would have found this unique combination unbearable, but to the Toa, it only spoke of one place. Home. He slowly opened his eyes to take in a sight he'd never expected to see again. Dark stone huts surrounded him, flickering torches lighting everything. A decently-sized temple sat directly in front of him, writing barely visible withing. Surrounding everything was a large wall, slightly distorted by the heat waves emanating from the very ground. It should not have been possible, but he was standing in the lost village of Ta-Koro. Everything looked a solid as the day he remembered first walking in. But this time, there were no Matoran bustling around with freshly-solidified rocks or lava boards. No Ussal crabs hauling goods. No Toa or Turaga to guide and protect the desolate Koro. The scene quickly began to loose its nostalgia and take on an eerie sensation. He tightened his grip on his light staff and began scanning the buildings. Something moved in the corner of his eye, but when he tuned his head, all he could see were flickering shadows made by the torchlight. Takanuva frowned and began making his way towards the looming temple. After checking each residence he passed, the Toa's eye caught something gleaming among the blackened rock. He rushed forward, praying to the Great Beings that is was something that would indicate something else lived in the desolate village. His hopes were dashed as he approached what was simply a polished piece of protodermis. The Toa sighed before picking up the metallic substance. He tilted the smooth metal until he could see his own image reflected back at him. A golden Kanohi Avohkii gleamed back at him, along with a dark amorphous creature. Takanuva dropped the protodermis and spun around to face the smokey being, mentally preparing himself to fire a powerful burst of light should the being prove dangerous. However, it made no move to attack him, just simply stare at him with unseeing eyes. It was impossible to make out any details on the constantly shifting surface, but it was undeniably taking the form of a Toa. “Who are you?” he demanded. The creature replied only with a knowing chuckle, one that sounded excited yet horrific. The Toa of Light pointed his staff at its 'face', starting to feel annoyed with the whole situation. “You will tell me who you are, or I will through you clear out of the universe.” The creature seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if sizing the Toa up and considering the threat he made. The dark laughter, however, failed to cease. After a few tense seconds, the cloud that composed the being began to solidify from the ground up. Armor that strongly resembled that of the Toa Nuva took shape, until the only unidentifiable part was the mask, which was still a swirling cloud of smoke. It could have been Onua Nuva, but the coloration of the armor was far darker, more closely resembling shadows untouched by light. Takanuva slowly lifted his eyes, only to look into a pitch black Mask of Light. “Who are you?” he repeated, this time with far more hesitation, his heartlight flashing rapidly. The being stopped its incessant laughing and looked directly into the Toa's eyes. They were filled with a madness Takanuva had only seen in the eyes of one other being. “Makuta,” he whispered. The being shook its head, a maniacal grin that didn't belong on the Avohkii spreading across the mask's surface. “You couldn't be further from the truth, poor Matoran.” It grabbed the Toa's staff and yanked it from his hands, throwing it out of reach. Takanuva was to stunned to react. As much as he tried to deny it to himself, he found the correct answer to his question within his own mind. “I see it in your eyes,” the being growled, “You know exactly who I am.” It stepped back and held its arms out to present itself to Takanuva. “How do you like your new look?” The Toa shook his head stepping back from his darkened copy. “No. I'm the Toa of Light. Not some...shadow.” “Really? Last I checked, half of that light was sucked out by a shadow leach. Not to mention that it's slowly overwhelming you, destroying what you have left.” “That's not true...” “So you're saying that your thoughts haven't been getting darker? Or that the very armor you wear has been losing what little luster it has left? You can't run from yourself, little Matoran.” Takanuva looked down at his golden chestplate, his darker half mirrored in the surface of the armor. What was he really? A hero that used his elemental control over light to protect others? Something evil that was just waiting to drop the golden facade and blacken the world? Or maybe just a scared Matoran in armor that was too big for him? “No...” he whispered, defeat swelling up inside of him. His legs lost the will to stand, and he fell to his knees. “No...I'm...I'm a Toa...” The Dark Takanuva just laughed in response, increasing in intensity until it was the only thing the Toa of Light could perceive. There was always a darker side to him. The part that made him go lava surfing instead of his job, only to let down his friends and Turaga. The side that expressed little remorse when Makuta was destroyed. The side that had increased tenfold since being exposed to the shadow leach. There was nothing he could do. Even if he fought it off now, it would just come back stronger then before. He would always be fearful of... “ENOUGH!” Takanuva sat up, looking around for the source of the booming sound, the voice clearing his mind. His shadow copy snarled, also searching for the disturbance. It glanced up at the sky, and quickly fired a stream of shadow energy at something flying above their heads. The figure dodged the blast with little effort and followed up with one of it's own. The Toa of Shadow could do very little as energy coursed through its frame, quickly disintegrating the being. Takanuva sat still in shock, staring at the empty space previously occupied by his worst nightmare. The sound of something landing on the ground made the Toa leap to his feet and turn to face the new creature. But what now stood in front of him wasn't Makuta, an infected Matoran, a hungry Rahi, or anything else his stressed mind could conjure up. It was a pony. And yet...it was different. It certainly looked similar to Twilight Sparkle and the other inhabitants of Ponyville. The fist thing he noticed was that its horn was level with the Toa's eyes, standing several feet taller then any other pony he'd seen. The second oddity was the creature’s mane. It flowed like the calm waters of the Ga-Metru protodermis pools, seemingly unaffected by the hot breeze that blew through Ta-Koro. Takanuva looked down at the dark blue creature, unsure of himself. He glanced across its back, noticing the wings that nestled along its sides. The combination of those appendages and the long horn reminded Takanuva of something Twilight has spoken of earlier. “Princess Celestia,” he stated, bowing his head in respect to the Mata Nui of Equestria. “While we find it disappointing, it is understandable that an Outsider would mistake us for our sister.” Takanuva lifted his head, giving at the princess a confused look. “Thou may refer to us as Luna. By what name shall we call thee?” Luna! That's right, the Princess of the Night. He held himself up a little bit straighter before addressing her. “I am Takanuva, Toa of Light.” “Well then, Takanuva Toa of Light, would though be so kind as to tell us what that dark beast was.” The Toa looked away, refusing to meet Luna's eyes. “It was me. I'd rather no talk about it right now.” He turned away from the Princess and began walking into the temple. “There are darker sides to everypony, you know.” Takanuva paused, Luna's words striking a chord inside of him. “No one has a 'darker side' as destructive as mine,” he retorted, continuing through the door way of the sacred hall. The pony princess was keeping pace with him, passing into the building not long after. “That is not true,” she replied, he voice softening, “There are those who have done much worse things then you ever could have.” Takanuva lent against the wall, his fingers brushing against chronicles about the Toa and Matoran of Mata Nui. He looked at the carvings he'd made himself, back when he was a Matoran. “Makuta”, “Bahrag”, and “Ahkmou” all stood out to him, and he knew the princess was right. But he still couldn't accept it. “There are those who have done bad things, that's true. But I'm constantly fighting to stop myself from doing anything wrong. Isn't that just as bad?” Luna silently turned to look at the Wall of History, her face marred by a saddened frown. The two stood in silence gazing at the island's past. “No,” she replied after a while, “That's what makes you a true hero. You are fighting your own darkness. That is far more difficult that facing down an enemy many times more powerful then you. You can't partake in hoof-to-hoof combat with yourself.” Takanuva turned to the pony, her words starting to sink in. “Why are you telling me this?' Luna sighed before facing the Toa. “Have you heard the tale of Nightmare Moon?” He shook his head. “I think Twilight Sparkle mentioned it, but she never went into detail.” Princess Luna returned her gaze to the Matoran writing on the walls before continuing. “A long time ago, I believed that nopony loved me or the beautiful nights I brought them. They all seemed happy basking in the light of my sister's day, while ignoring the stars and the moon I worked to hard on. This made me jealous of Celestia, my sister. So I turned against her, becoming Nightmare Moon. “We fought for a long time. Despite Celestia's best efforts, I was blinded by the darkness of my own creation. I never saw that ponies wanted to help me, most of all my sister.” Luna hung her head low. “In the end she was forced to banish me, sealing me away on the moon for a thousand years. Even after coming back, it took a blast of concentrated harmony made by six powerful friends to make me see what I had done wrong. Believe me when I say that you are strong. You strive to uphold your position as a guardian of light, despite the darkness within you. Many beings aren’t successful.” Takanuva didn't know how to reply. So he chose to remain silent, instead. Luna refrained from saying anything as well. She just kept her eyes glued to the walls. After several minutes, the princess looked over towards the Toa. “So, where is this place?” she asked. “It's my old home,” replied Takanuva sullenly, “I lived here before I became a Toa. They were the days I traveled the island, chronicling the events and stories. It sunk into the volcano just before I was transformed.” He turned to the wall that had captured the princess' attention. “This is the Wall of History. I carved almost all you see it. It chronicles to adventures of the Toa Nuva and the Matoran of Mata-Nui.” Princess Luna looked up to the Toa. “You took great pride in your work, didn't you?” A ghost of a smile formed on his mask. She was correct in every way. While his enthusiasm for his job might not have been as apparent as someone like Jaller, a large part of him enjoyed his time as a chronicler more then when he was a Toa. “Our dreams allow us to enjoy the memories of events past. They help us move onto the future.” Takanuva couldn't help but give a small snort of laughter. “You sound like the impossible event of Turaga Nuju and Whenua agreeing.” Luna shook her head. “I know not of who you speak, but I'll take it as a complement,” she replied with a small smile, “I suppose that's as good a closing point as any.” “What do you mean?” asked Takanuva, looking at her questioningly. “Everypony has to wake up sometime...” He watched as the princess faded from sight, soon followed by the surrounding Koro, leaving him alone in the darkness of sleep. Far to the north, a lone gryphon flew as hard as he could. There was no rational thought behind his actions, just the instinct to survive. He barely registered the rock jutting out of the snow before swerving to avoid it. What would the others say? They'd call him crazy. Say he went nuts and saw things in the blizzard. But he knew better. Many said that studying the Shadow Caves was a fools errand, but he hadn't experienced anything worse then a lightly twisted claw in his explorations. Today was different. All he could think about were the moving shadows. The sounds of metal scraping against rock. And that scream. The scream that chilled him to the core. He thought he saw a flash of something tall and red out the corner of his eye before suddenly becoming overwhelmed with irrational fear. Had he been in his right mind, he would have berated himself for dishonoring his name with such a feminine scream. But the fear pushed everything else away. So he flew deeper into the blizzard, not caring about where he was going. No thoughts. Only fear. Author's Note So long... So long... I'm so sorry it took so long. Things are now allowing me to have more then five minutes a day to myself, so I should be able to get back into this. I'm so glad you all stuck with me and kept posting every couple of months, expressing how bad I am at keeping a decent update schedule. I makes me feel good to know that this is decent enough to not be completely forgotten. I hope this chapter was worth it. I'm having fun integrating Takanuva with Equestrian concepts. I have quite a few scenarios planed.
Just a Hop, Skip, and Dimension JumpWhile journeying between dimensions to try and warn the Toa Nuva of possible doom, Takanuva, the Toa that controls both light and shadow, finds himself in a world of purely organic and powerful beings known as ponies. Now he must find a way to leave this universe and continue toward Karda Nui. But there's something else in Equestria that shouldn't be, and a Toa may be just what is needed. Takes place after the Dark Mirror and Takanuva's Journey, but before The Final Battle. The story takes a lot from the Bionicle storyline, particularly that of 2008. If anything confuses you, I recommend the amazing resource of biosector01.com. Many beings are more than familiar with the concept of the “multiverse”. An idea that an infinite number of universes exist. Some are very similar others where only a single event had taken place in a different way. Others were mindbogglingly different, where the laws of physics could drive one mad. Takanuva had learned quite a lot about alternate dimensions recently, even though he'd never intended to. The members of the Order of Mata Nui had warned him that it could be dangerous, but they left out one very important fact. Traveling through the “void” between universes could get extremely boring. Thinking back, Takanuva had spent a lot of time floating in the black nothing. This time was because the corrupt Toa Tuyet had no idea how to properly control the Kanohi Olmak she wore and ended up killing herself because of it. Before that, that mysterious floating mask had made a portal, that one also leaving him in what seemed to be nowhere. For a Toa of Light, he thought to himself, I'm spending an awful amount of time in absolute darkness. A tiny flash of light appeared for a moment out the corner of his eye, causing him to tighten his grip on his Power Lance. By now, he knew it heralded his exit back into reality, and he was going to make sure he was prepared. Both times, so far, Takanuva's first impression of universes had been the ground his mask had smashed against. He wasn't going to look like a fool this time. Just as quickly as it appeared, the light enveloped the Toa, blindingly bright after the darkness of the void. Takanuva began mentally preparing himself for whatever lay on the other side of the portal, but was still surprised when the world came into focus, revealing to him just how close the ground was. “Makuta bones,” he muttered to himself just before he found himself crashing head first into the ground. Again. *********************************** A pair of violet eyes scanned the thick layer of clouds below, while their owner quickly made a few calculations in her head. Seven seconds, she thought to herself, Nah... six and a half. With a grim smile of determination, pegasus known as Rainbow Dash began tearing through the cumulus layer at hypersonic speeds, dispersing the fluffy clouds into invisible vapor, while mentally counting the seconds as they passed. One...two...three...four...five...six... She stopped short in front of a tiny cloud before causally bucking it into nonexistence. “Six and a half seconds baby! Booya!” Rainbow Dash laughed at her success as she slowly allowed herself to gently return to earth. It wasn't her best time, but today wasn't a day for breaking records. It was a day to relax and causally do what one wanted. There was no sense of urgency, the sun was wonderfully warm, the birds were singling, and, thanks to Rainbow's awesomeness, the sky a clear blue. The only thing out of place was a small ball of light crackling with lightning near the edge of the Everfree. Rainbow Dash had to do a double take at the small sphere almost bursting with energy. What it lacked in size, it made up with sheer absurdity. In all her years of experience, the pegasus had never seen a weather phenomenon like this, pony-made or natural. Before she could get any closer, though, the ball seemed to explode outward, ripping itself into what appeared to be a dark hole. She never got to see what was inside, as it dumped a large object onto the ground then soundlessly winked out of existence. Slowing winging towards the object Rainbow took in a sight that she'd never forget. Lying face-first on the ground was a strange creature that appeared to be completely covered in gray and white metal. The shape and positioning of the metal reminded Dash of Celestia's royal guards, giving her the impression of armor. Several digits extended from both of its front limbs, much like Spike's hands, one set clutched tightly around a formidable looking spear of some sort. She ripped her eyes away from the weapon and took in some of the finer details of the body in front of her. Through the gaps in the armor, there were pistons, gears, and enough unidentifiable machinery to put the Cloudsdale weather factory itself to shame. Maybe this thing wasn't even alive. Maybe someone built it to... A soft groan emitted by the object quickly banished any ideas from her minds. That sounded too much like a pony in pain to not be alive. She leaped back, only then realizing how close she'd gotten to something that looked like it could kill her without a second thought, if it wasn't in its current condition. The creature slowly began to move, as it with great effort, pulling itself upright and using its spear for support. Now resting on its knees, it turned and looked at Rainbow Dash, its glowing yellow eyes locking onto hers. She couldn't move, only stare back. It did give her a chance to see what she could when the creature's face was against the ground. It appeared to be wearing something on its face. A dark gray mask sat on its head. It was mostly square and angular, with several rounded protrusions coming from above, only to smoothly meld with the “face” of the mask. Her attention shifted back to the eyes. They were regarding her quizzically, but seemed to express friendliness, giving the impression that, whatever it was, it had no desire to harm her. Dash had lost track of how long they'd both just stood there, staring at each other, when the strange being was suddenly surrounded by a soft glow. It wasn't much, but Rainbow Dash had seen something similar occur with Celestia, and, somehow, it put her to ease. The creature smiled warmly at her reaction before laying the weapon at his side and standing up so that he couldn't reach it. It was the first thing she noticed was how tall it was, standing a full head higher than the Princesses. Still glowing the looked down at her and spoke. If she was expecting words of power of wisdom from the entity, she was sorely disappointed. “I must say, yours is the best tasting dirt so far.”
Welcome to Ponyville, where Nopony Likes You.If one were to travel north, past the Crystal Empire, they'd quickly find themselves in the frigid wastelands of ice and snow. There were a few Griffin settlements, as well as those of more adventures ponies, but other than that, it was void of life. At least, that's how it looked. Stories and legends about the White Plains are commonplace, very few of them the kind to be told to foals before bed. They spoke of Windigos that could freeze whole lands, Yetis who strolled on their hind legs and dragged travelers to their lairs, and Ice Wolves, with fangs of frozen water. Finally, there were dark worms. Tales of these creatures are few, but they exist. They tell of mysterious creatures, covered in slime. The evil within them could be felt long before they're seen. Those unlucky enough to encounter them suffer a wide range of injuries. Sometimes they're shocked with lightning, or return blinded or deafened. Others return jumping with fear at everything they see, or are often found to be nothing more babbling lunatics. While the Worms where often spoke of, they weren't native to Equestria, or even the universe it resided in. They came from another place, with their creator, who was a master of fear and darkness. Sent to his current residence in the mountains several hundred years ago by a group of powerful, if novice, heroes, the being had sat waiting. Waiting for the time to reveal himself to these backwater creatures. Waiting to banish the light. He'd felt a shift in the universe a few minutes ago, and he didn't like it. It sensed of light and power, much like the ruler of this realm had. However, this was different. It was tinged with shadow in a way that made even the manipulator of darkness shudder. *********** Takanuva watched the creature in front of him for a reaction. It was obviously curious about him and had reacted positively to most of his actions so far. There was still the question of whether it was intelligent or not. The best the Toa could come up with was that it looked like it was probably some kind or Rahi, only without any form of armor. Jaller had told him about life-draining squids used by the Barraki that were like that, but this thing seemed a lot friendlier. Honestly, there was no way to know everything. His resent adventures had severely reinforced the idea that you can NEVER make assumptions about creatures you meet, especially in alternate dimensions. He'd tried to break the ice with a light joke, and now it seemed simply stand there as if unsure of what it was seeing. Suddenly, before he had a chance to react, it shook its head then flew up to press its nose against his mask, causing him to lean back slightly. The glazed look in its eyes was now replaced with distrust and a bit of cockiness. “What the buck are you and what are you doing at Ponyville?” Well then, I guess I can check off the 'Intelligence' box. To the Toa's credit, he matched the gaze before evenly replying. “My name's Takanuva. I'm a Toa. And I'm just passing through.” It didn't back down, but instead push harder against his face. "Really? You're not here to take over Equestria?" Takanuva held back the urge to laugh. "Actually, it's my job to stop others from taking over places like...Equestria." The multi-colored being backed down, lightly landing on the ground, her eyes still expressing distrust. "I duno...Maybe I should get Twilight to judge that." "Who's Twilight? And probably more related to now, who are you?" Its ears perked up at the question, and the creature’s body language immediately changed to one that oozed confidence. "Me? I'm Rainbow Dash. The most awsomest pegasus pony around." She flew up and poked the Toa in the chest, probably a bit harder than necessary. "And I've already got the job to protect this place, so you won't be needing to do any of that." Takanuva sighed. This was going to be another long day. ************ If the pegasus had expected him to be left behind when she shot into the air, she would have been severally disappointed. Takanuva had little trouble following her, thanks to the Makuta virus he'd inhaled on his last adventure that gave him the power of flight. Rainbow Dash had given no indication for him to follow, but he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. The pair passed over a hill to reveal a village of some sort. Takanuva's smile grew and he looked across the settlement, taking in all the beings wandering the streets, going about their daily tasks. With a sharp twinge of homesickness, the Toa was reminded of Metru Nui, which was once again brimming with Matoran doing much the same as these creatures. He took a closer look at the inhabitants as they approached the buildings near the outer edges of the village. They all resembled Rainbow Dash in terms of basic body structure, but there were several differences that clearly stood out to him. For one thing, there were more colors here then a Naming Day parade. Everything from earthen browns to bright blue was walking the streets, and Takanuva had to take a moment to adjust from the barrage of tones on his eyes. His second observation was that not all of them possessed his new companion’s wings. A few appeared to make up for the loss with some kind of horn protruding from their heads, but the rest looked perfectly happy without either. Takanuva looked to his side to see that the rainbow pegasus had begun trotting off towards what seemed to be a large tree, but was in fact covered in windows and large building made out of what looked to be a tree. He shrugged and followed her, noting how the tree resembled some of the old Le-Wahi homes on Mata Nui, only on a much smaller scale. So caught up in the sight, he failed to notice that their path had taken them right through a busy street. He did realize when the screaming started, though.
A Chronicler's LegacyThe pink pony with the yellow hair in front of Takanuva screamed for a long time, long after the others had run out of breath, and resorted to staring at him in shock. The Toa frowned at the situation, which was obviously going nowhere. Part of him wanted to simply knock it out so it would stop annoying him, but he reminded himself that it was doing no harm, and he probably was one of the scariest things it had ever seen. Dark thoughts had become much more prevalent since part of his light had been drained, but he refused to give into them. He instead allowed the pony to empty its impossibly large lungs, and then tried to comfort it. “It’s all right, I’m not dangerous. I’m just…” The Toa was cut off by the pony fainting at the sight of him holding out his hand. He quickly withdrew the limb and turned to the cyan pegasus floating next to him. She looked like she was unsuccessfully attempting to hide her laughter at the misfortune of the unconscious pony. Takanuva glared at her momentarily before looking about at the silent crowd gathered around him. “I’m sorry if my appearance frightens you.” Not that there’s anything I can do about it. “I don’t mean any harm, and I’m only just passing through. I shouldn't be in your village for very long.” The crowd seemed to relax slightly at his assurance, but still refused to come any closer. That is, except for one that seemed to fly over the heads of everyone else. At first, he thought the bright pink blur to be a pegasus like Rainbow Dash. However, after being tackled to the ground by it, the Toa of Light found the pony that was now standing on his chest to be lacking in wings. He never got the chance to ponder how that worked when the poofy pink thing began jabbering intensely. “Hello, you must be new here. Of course, he's new here, silly Pinkie, or you’d know him. Not to mention that there’s no way you could be from here. You’re not even from Equestria, are you? Who are you, by the way? I’m Pinkie Pie, and it’s the hugest pleasure to meet you! How did you get here? Where exactly are you from? How’s your mega-huge robot home?” Rainbow looked like she wasn't going to help, so Takanuva had no choice but to put his hand over the pink chatterbox’s mouth. The immediate silence was jarring. The Toa was unable to catch most of what was said, but did his best to sort out what he thought he heard. “I’m Takanuva, and it’s nice to meet you to, Pinkie. And…huge robot home?” Pinkie gasped. “You live in a huge robot home? That’s so awesomely awesome!” “No I don’t, I…you’re the one that said it.” She cocked her head to the side in confusion, making it evident she had no idea what he was talking about. He shook his head, beginning to doubt he’d herd it in the first place. The pink pony jumped lightly onto the ground. “You like parties don’t you? Nopony doesn't love a good party.” Takanuva couldn't help smiling at the question. Several Le-Matoran could testify to his love of celebrations. Pinkie Pie obviously took the grin as the confirmation she was waiting for, as she immediately ran off, disappearing in the same fashion she'd first approached him. The Toa turned to see a snickering pegasus next to him. “What's so funny?” Rainbow Dash waved him off with one hoof while using the other to cover her mouth. “Nothing. You're just in for it, now.” He honestly had no idea if he should have been excited or concerned. ********************************* Takanuva followed the blue pegasus to the tree-house he'd noticed earlier without further incident. Ponies still stared at him when he went past, but Pinkie's acceptance seemed to have triggered something among the population. This type of reaction he could handle, as him and his fellow Matoran had all looked at Tahu the same way when the Toa of Fire first appeared on Mata Nui. It wasn't a look of fear, but curiosity. If the Toa was intending to be polite when they reached the library, he wasn't given a chance. Before the Toa could knock, his pony companion threw the door open and flew inside, showing no respect for the inhabitants. “Twilight! You here?"” Takanuva shook his head before following her into the building, ducking down to fit through the doorway. The interior was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, the walls covered top to bottom with shelves of...something. He looked closer at the strange objects that occupied every available space the shelves offered. They were all unique in size and color, but it was obvious that they were all the same thing. He picked a large green one up to get a closer look. It appeared to be two pieces of stiff material holding together a large amount of sheets of some sort. It was filled with what he recognized to be writing and illustrations, but he couldn't understand what it said, making the Toa wish for Turaga Nokama's Mask of Translation. Most of the pictures did seem to consist of plants of some kind, but none the Toa had ever seen before. “Are natural remedies popular where you're from?” Takanuva spun around in surprise at the new voice, looking sheepishly at the purple pony gazing at him with a slight sense of wonder “Not necessarily.” “If they were, then Supernaturals is a fine choice of reading material.” He looked down at the object he clutched and slowly put it back on the shelf. Since the Toa wasn't readily speaking, the pony took the initiative and jumped into questioning. “What are you, and where did you come from? Why are you here? What can you do? Why are you covered in armor? Does your culture actively support warfare? How...” Takanuva held up a hand, causing the pony's mouth to clamp shut, and its face to turn bright red. She was almost as bad as Pinkie. But at least this one got the hint that she was talking just a little too much. She seemed more intelligent than most, judging by here questions, so he allowed himself a little smile. If he played it right, he'd be able to get something he desperately needed: information. Hopefully, he'd be able to give exactly the same thing in return. “I'll start off with the basic facts. My name is Takanuva. I'm a Toa of Light.” The pony's yes lit up with more questions at the statement, but he held out his hand again to indicate he wasn't finished. “I'm from another dimension, and I need to get back to it as soon as possible.” She bit her lips in an attempt to hold back the flood of questions waiting to burst out, but managed to keep her eagerness in check. “I have a lot of questions, and I know you do as well.” He thought back to something Turaga Nuju had taught him during his days as a Chronicler. It was one of the best ways he know of for two individuals to learn things from each other. “I propose a solution. A question for a question. I'll answer one of your questions, and then you'll answer one of mine. We repeat the process until we're both satisfied. Sound fair?” She nodded in reply, a smile replacing the grimace she used to prevent herself from overwhelming the Toa with questions. “I think I can do that. I guess my first question is: what's a Toa?” Takanuva smiled, falling back into the familiar feeling Takua the Chronicler enjoyed when telling a story. He would have no problem doing this. ******************************************** The sun had set long ago, and Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep on top of a shelf earlier, but neither fact bothered Takanuva or the pony, who he now knew to be the ‘Twilight’ Rainbow Dash was looking for. The Toa's method of alternating questions had worked surprisingly well, and they both had a decent idea of how the other's world worked. While she'd been happy to provide facts, Takanuva sometimes found them to be rather boring, so the Chronicler inside kicked in and he began telling stories about his adventures and those of the Toa Nuva, his latest one being when he became a Toa and confronted Makuta for the safety of everyone on Mata Nui. “That's when we discovered the way back to Metru Nui, which is where everyone lives now.” Twilight shook her head. “Everything you talk about seems impossible. An island under an island? That doesn't seem possible.” “Yea...I try not to think about it myself. Besides, you're the one with strange stories. A being of pure chaos? I thought I had a hard time with Shadows.” “You seem to be taking everything better than most,” replied the unicorn, “Many ponies have trouble even accepting the idea of the Elements of Harmony.” Takanuva laughed and shook his head. “I've seen the power of unity do some amazing things before. And most of the things in your world have strong resemblances to mine. Celestia and Luna sound like your version of Mata Nui, there are different races each with their own powers and abilities, and the core of your civilization seems to operate on the same three virtues as mine.” Twilight's ears perked up the mention of the three virtues. Takanuva had referenced them several times, but she'd never gotten around to asking what they actually were. Her quizzical look was enough for the Toa. “Unity, duty, destiny,” he said, almost reverently, not even focused on the pony anymore. “I suppose. I've never really thought of it like that. Kind of catchy.” The Toa shrugged in reply, beginning to feel just how tired he was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a proper rest. He'd been awake for several days now, hardly stopping during his journey through different universes, and it probably showed. Twilight's yawn indicated that she felt the same way, even if she tried to hide it. She opened her moth to say something, but Takanuva cut her off. “I believe it would be for the best if we both got some rest.” The unicorn began to protest but another yawn ruined her argument. She sighed and pulled herself to her hooves. “I'd offer you the guest bed, but I doubt you'd fit.” Takanuva shook his head. “Thank you, but I'll be fine down here.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the comment. “But there's nothing for you to sleep on. The couch is still too small.” She gestured to the cushioned furniture she'd spent most of the evening lounging on. Takanuva laughed as he lay back on the floor. “Believe me I've slept on much worse than this.” Twilight gaped at the Toa several times before shaking her head and began climbing the stairway, muttering to herself the whole way. Takanuva watched the pony until she was out of sight, his mind still processing everything they'd discussed over the course of the evening. While this was definitely the most different universe from any of the others he'd visited, it still seemed to be connected to his own. Pony culture could easily compare to that of the Matoran, and the ‘magic’ Twilight spoke of strongly resembled the elemental powers welded by Toa back home. But instead of making the world easier to accept, the similarities only presented more questions. Were there counterparts to the Great Beings here? Would the magical energy here have an effect on his own powers? Most importantly, was there a way for him to get back to his own reality? The odds of a Kanohi Olmak existing were nonexistent, and Twilight had told him earlier that an inter-dimensional spell had never been heard of before. His heart beginning to feel heavy at the thought, the Toa of Light lowed himself to drift off to sleep, feeling further from home than ever before. Author's Note Sorry about the wait. As requested, I'm now doing longer chapters. I kind of prefer it this way, myself.
Dreaming of HomeThe sound of bubbling magma and the smell of sulfur and volcanic rocks assaulted Takanuva's senses, soon followed by an intense wave of searing heat. Most beings would have found this unique combination unbearable, but to the Toa, it only spoke of one place. Home. He slowly opened his eyes to take in a sight he'd never expected to see again. Dark stone huts surrounded him, flickering torches lighting everything. A decently-sized temple sat directly in front of him, writing barely visible withing. Surrounding everything was a large wall, slightly distorted by the heat waves emanating from the very ground. It should not have been possible, but he was standing in the lost village of Ta-Koro. Everything looked a solid as the day he remembered first walking in. But this time, there were no Matoran bustling around with freshly-solidified rocks or lava boards. No Ussal crabs hauling goods. No Toa or Turaga to guide and protect the desolate Koro. The scene quickly began to loose its nostalgia and take on an eerie sensation. He tightened his grip on his light staff and began scanning the buildings. Something moved in the corner of his eye, but when he tuned his head, all he could see were flickering shadows made by the torchlight. Takanuva frowned and began making his way towards the looming temple. After checking each residence he passed, the Toa's eye caught something gleaming among the blackened rock. He rushed forward, praying to the Great Beings that is was something that would indicate something else lived in the desolate village. His hopes were dashed as he approached what was simply a polished piece of protodermis. The Toa sighed before picking up the metallic substance. He tilted the smooth metal until he could see his own image reflected back at him. A golden Kanohi Avohkii gleamed back at him, along with a dark amorphous creature. Takanuva dropped the protodermis and spun around to face the smokey being, mentally preparing himself to fire a powerful burst of light should the being prove dangerous. However, it made no move to attack him, just simply stare at him with unseeing eyes. It was impossible to make out any details on the constantly shifting surface, but it was undeniably taking the form of a Toa. “Who are you?” he demanded. The creature replied only with a knowing chuckle, one that sounded excited yet horrific. The Toa of Light pointed his staff at its 'face', starting to feel annoyed with the whole situation. “You will tell me who you are, or I will through you clear out of the universe.” The creature seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if sizing the Toa up and considering the threat he made. The dark laughter, however, failed to cease. After a few tense seconds, the cloud that composed the being began to solidify from the ground up. Armor that strongly resembled that of the Toa Nuva took shape, until the only unidentifiable part was the mask, which was still a swirling cloud of smoke. It could have been Onua Nuva, but the coloration of the armor was far darker, more closely resembling shadows untouched by light. Takanuva slowly lifted his eyes, only to look into a pitch black Mask of Light. “Who are you?” he repeated, this time with far more hesitation, his heartlight flashing rapidly. The being stopped its incessant laughing and looked directly into the Toa's eyes. They were filled with a madness Takanuva had only seen in the eyes of one other being. “Makuta,” he whispered. The being shook its head, a maniacal grin that didn't belong on the Avohkii spreading across the mask's surface. “You couldn't be further from the truth, poor Matoran.” It grabbed the Toa's staff and yanked it from his hands, throwing it out of reach. Takanuva was to stunned to react. As much as he tried to deny it to himself, he found the correct answer to his question within his own mind. “I see it in your eyes,” the being growled, “You know exactly who I am.” It stepped back and held its arms out to present itself to Takanuva. “How do you like your new look?” The Toa shook his head stepping back from his darkened copy. “No. I'm the Toa of Light. Not some...shadow.” “Really? Last I checked, half of that light was sucked out by a shadow leach. Not to mention that it's slowly overwhelming you, destroying what you have left.” “That's not true...” “So you're saying that your thoughts haven't been getting darker? Or that the very armor you wear has been losing what little luster it has left? You can't run from yourself, little Matoran.” Takanuva looked down at his golden chestplate, his darker half mirrored in the surface of the armor. What was he really? A hero that used his elemental control over light to protect others? Something evil that was just waiting to drop the golden facade and blacken the world? Or maybe just a scared Matoran in armor that was too big for him? “No...” he whispered, defeat swelling up inside of him. His legs lost the will to stand, and he fell to his knees. “No...I'm...I'm a Toa...” The Dark Takanuva just laughed in response, increasing in intensity until it was the only thing the Toa of Light could perceive. There was always a darker side to him. The part that made him go lava surfing instead of his job, only to let down his friends and Turaga. The side that expressed little remorse when Makuta was destroyed. The side that had increased tenfold since being exposed to the shadow leach. There was nothing he could do. Even if he fought it off now, it would just come back stronger then before. He would always be fearful of... “ENOUGH!” Takanuva sat up, looking around for the source of the booming sound, the voice clearing his mind. His shadow copy snarled, also searching for the disturbance. It glanced up at the sky, and quickly fired a stream of shadow energy at something flying above their heads. The figure dodged the blast with little effort and followed up with one of it's own. The Toa of Shadow could do very little as energy coursed through its frame, quickly disintegrating the being. Takanuva sat still in shock, staring at the empty space previously occupied by his worst nightmare. The sound of something landing on the ground made the Toa leap to his feet and turn to face the new creature. But what now stood in front of him wasn't Makuta, an infected Matoran, a hungry Rahi, or anything else his stressed mind could conjure up. It was a pony. And yet...it was different. It certainly looked similar to Twilight Sparkle and the other inhabitants of Ponyville. The fist thing he noticed was that its horn was level with the Toa's eyes, standing several feet taller then any other pony he'd seen. The second oddity was the creature’s mane. It flowed like the calm waters of the Ga-Metru protodermis pools, seemingly unaffected by the hot breeze that blew through Ta-Koro. Takanuva looked down at the dark blue creature, unsure of himself. He glanced across its back, noticing the wings that nestled along its sides. The combination of those appendages and the long horn reminded Takanuva of something Twilight has spoken of earlier. “Princess Celestia,” he stated, bowing his head in respect to the Mata Nui of Equestria. “While we find it disappointing, it is understandable that an Outsider would mistake us for our sister.” Takanuva lifted his head, giving at the princess a confused look. “Thou may refer to us as Luna. By what name shall we call thee?” Luna! That's right, the Princess of the Night. He held himself up a little bit straighter before addressing her. “I am Takanuva, Toa of Light.” “Well then, Takanuva Toa of Light, would though be so kind as to tell us what that dark beast was.” The Toa looked away, refusing to meet Luna's eyes. “It was me. I'd rather no talk about it right now.” He turned away from the Princess and began walking into the temple. “There are darker sides to everypony, you know.” Takanuva paused, Luna's words striking a chord inside of him. “No one has a 'darker side' as destructive as mine,” he retorted, continuing through the door way of the sacred hall. The pony princess was keeping pace with him, passing into the building not long after. “That is not true,” she replied, he voice softening, “There are those who have done much worse things then you ever could have.” Takanuva lent against the wall, his fingers brushing against chronicles about the Toa and Matoran of Mata Nui. He looked at the carvings he'd made himself, back when he was a Matoran. “Makuta”, “Bahrag”, and “Ahkmou” all stood out to him, and he knew the princess was right. But he still couldn't accept it. “There are those who have done bad things, that's true. But I'm constantly fighting to stop myself from doing anything wrong. Isn't that just as bad?” Luna silently turned to look at the Wall of History, her face marred by a saddened frown. The two stood in silence gazing at the island's past. “No,” she replied after a while, “That's what makes you a true hero. You are fighting your own darkness. That is far more difficult that facing down an enemy many times more powerful then you. You can't partake in hoof-to-hoof combat with yourself.” Takanuva turned to the pony, her words starting to sink in. “Why are you telling me this?' Luna sighed before facing the Toa. “Have you heard the tale of Nightmare Moon?” He shook his head. “I think Twilight Sparkle mentioned it, but she never went into detail.” Princess Luna returned her gaze to the Matoran writing on the walls before continuing. “A long time ago, I believed that nopony loved me or the beautiful nights I brought them. They all seemed happy basking in the light of my sister's day, while ignoring the stars and the moon I worked to hard on. This made me jealous of Celestia, my sister. So I turned against her, becoming Nightmare Moon. “We fought for a long time. Despite Celestia's best efforts, I was blinded by the darkness of my own creation. I never saw that ponies wanted to help me, most of all my sister.” Luna hung her head low. “In the end she was forced to banish me, sealing me away on the moon for a thousand years. Even after coming back, it took a blast of concentrated harmony made by six powerful friends to make me see what I had done wrong. Believe me when I say that you are strong. You strive to uphold your position as a guardian of light, despite the darkness within you. Many beings aren’t successful.” Takanuva didn't know how to reply. So he chose to remain silent, instead. Luna refrained from saying anything as well. She just kept her eyes glued to the walls. After several minutes, the princess looked over towards the Toa. “So, where is this place?” she asked. “It's my old home,” replied Takanuva sullenly, “I lived here before I became a Toa. They were the days I traveled the island, chronicling the events and stories. It sunk into the volcano just before I was transformed.” He turned to the wall that had captured the princess' attention. “This is the Wall of History. I carved almost all you see it. It chronicles to adventures of the Toa Nuva and the Matoran of Mata-Nui.” Princess Luna looked up to the Toa. “You took great pride in your work, didn't you?” A ghost of a smile formed on his mask. She was correct in every way. While his enthusiasm for his job might not have been as apparent as someone like Jaller, a large part of him enjoyed his time as a chronicler more then when he was a Toa. “Our dreams allow us to enjoy the memories of events past. They help us move onto the future.” Takanuva couldn't help but give a small snort of laughter. “You sound like the impossible event of Turaga Nuju and Whenua agreeing.” Luna shook her head. “I know not of who you speak, but I'll take it as a complement,” she replied with a small smile, “I suppose that's as good a closing point as any.” “What do you mean?” asked Takanuva, looking at her questioningly. “Everypony has to wake up sometime...” He watched as the princess faded from sight, soon followed by the surrounding Koro, leaving him alone in the darkness of sleep. Far to the north, a lone gryphon flew as hard as he could. There was no rational thought behind his actions, just the instinct to survive. He barely registered the rock jutting out of the snow before swerving to avoid it. What would the others say? They'd call him crazy. Say he went nuts and saw things in the blizzard. But he knew better. Many said that studying the Shadow Caves was a fools errand, but he hadn't experienced anything worse then a lightly twisted claw in his explorations. Today was different. All he could think about were the moving shadows. The sounds of metal scraping against rock. And that scream. The scream that chilled him to the core. He thought he saw a flash of something tall and red out the corner of his eye before suddenly becoming overwhelmed with irrational fear. Had he been in his right mind, he would have berated himself for dishonoring his name with such a feminine scream. But the fear pushed everything else away. So he flew deeper into the blizzard, not caring about where he was going. No thoughts. Only fear. Author's Note So long... So long... I'm so sorry it took so long. Things are now allowing me to have more then five minutes a day to myself, so I should be able to get back into this. I'm so glad you all stuck with me and kept posting every couple of months, expressing how bad I am at keeping a decent update schedule. I makes me feel good to know that this is decent enough to not be completely forgotten. I hope this chapter was worth it. I'm having fun integrating Takanuva with Equestrian concepts. I have quite a few scenarios planed.
