Six Ways, Book 1: Unity

Chapters

Chapter 1 Nuva Stones and the Great Cataclysm
Chapter 2 Party in the Apples
Chapter 3 An Unfulfilled Prophecy
Chapter 4 Hunting
Chapter 5 Canisters
Chapter 6 Watch Him As He Goes
Chapter 7 Unknown Evils
Chapter 8 Pried from Sleep
Chapter 9 Just A Little Chat
Chapter 10 Enter the Volcano
Chapter 11 Underground City
Chapter 12 Crab Races
Chapter 13 Some Answers
Chapter 14 Unity
Epilogue

Chapter 1 Nuva Stones and the Great Cataclysm

Another calm, peaceful day. Not a single cloud showed in the light blue sky; the weather pony was doing a good job. Everypony enjoyed and admired the work she and her weather patrol did. With their efforts, never once had Ponyville shriveled up from cold—and never once had it melted from heat. Regardless of how lazy she could sometimes be, Rainbow Dash deserved all the praise she received.

Another fun day—a day filled to the brim with excitement and adventure. Not a dull, laughterless moment ticked or tocked on their clocks. It was all thanks to Pinkie Pie.

Rarity kept everybody looking—as she would say—fabulous.

Applejack kept everyone well-fed.

Fluttershy never left a poor, fluffy soul behind.

And Twilight Sparkle had saved Ponyville and Equestria countless times since the day she first set eyes on Ponyville.

Trying hard to keep herself from getting distracted, Twilight pulled her eyes away from her window—from the clear, blue sky. I have to finish this book! She stood only two pages away from learning how to set objects ablaze in fire. She felt as if she’d been stuck on the same page for two hours now.

Darn it, Rainbow Dash! she cursed. It was the one day her pegasus friend decided not to take a snooze on a cloud—as opposed to actually moving them out of the sun's way. It was as if Rainbow Dash had actually listened to her instructors for a change.

Twilight snorted at such a thought. She would sooner believe in Pinkie Pie’s superstitious body twitches. But then again—one of them did make a piano fall on her head.

“Gah!” cried Twilight, squeezing her head between her hooves. “Focus!”

This thought echoing in her head, the violet unicorn pursed her lips and stuck her nose in the book.

If one wishes to acquire better access to fire, he or she must find the ancient Nuva stone of fire.

Nuva stone? wondered Twilight, digressing from her reading. What else does it say?

The whereabouts of the Nuva stone have remained a secret ever since the Great Cataclysm.

Wanting to know more, Twilight turned the last page. She expected an answer as to just what this Great Cataclysm was, but all she found were two paragraphs of circle-shaped letters—the likes of which clearly derived from a foreign language.

Is that it? wondered Twilight. A few more page flips confirmed her question.

Heaving forth a sigh, she brought the book to a close. It was then when she telekinetically set it back in its original spot within her ever-expanding library. After Celestia’s top student put the book back in its proper hole, she looked back at her desk and rolled out a piece of parchment.

With the tip of her quill now heavily coated in ink, she began writing.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have just finished reading Ablaze In Fire, Not Fear. Thanks again for giving it to me! I honestly thought it was very informative—yet enchanting at the same time.

The only thing about it that bothered me was the ending. In the end, the book mentions something about Nuva stones and a Great Cataclysm. The last page is written in a foreign language.

I wanted to ask—do you know anything about what the end of this book is talking about?

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

“Spike!” she called out while magically wrapping the parchment into a scroll.

From the top floor of the tree house, Spike gave a twitch of his ears at the sound of Twilight’s voice. Taking no time to hesitate, the young dragon rushed down the stairs, not caring if he tripped on his way or not.

He had already used almost all his breath when he smiled, saluted, and said, “Your Number One Assistant Spike here!”

“Here,” began Twilight. “Send this message to Princess Celestia.”

“Can do!” And with those two words, Spike took a deep breath. Before Twilight could blink, he let a lick of green fire seep over the scroll in his hands. He and Twilight watched as the flame and ash retreated to Celestia through the nearest window.

Chapter 2 Party in the Apples

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Chapter 3 An Unfulfilled Prophecy

“Here they come!” called the captain of the Ta-Koro guard. “Load your disks! Consider this your final training course."

An army of Ta-Matoran readied their throwing arms for the approaching enemies. The shadow before them only approached closer and closer, bringing with it the horrid notion of defeat. Every Matoran there felt like retreating—but was that what Jaller had told them to do? Were they to simply run away when the going got tough?

After years of hiding beneath the Makuta’s cloak, a horde of Nui Rama came flying toward Ta-Koro. Their masks—the likes of which had been blackened from Makuta’s grime—and their buzzing cry encapsulated the Matoran in fear. Nothing was worse than listening to the Nui-Ramas’ buzz. It was like being surrounded by bees—only these creatures were a hundred times bigger and a hundred times deadlier.

“Fire at will!” cried Jaller.

And so it was done. Disks of many origins came flying out from the Matorans’ arms and toward the rahi beasts before them. Some made their target—leaving rahi spiraling to their doom. Others missed—only to have the few Matoran who missed feeling self-disappointment.

Jaller pulled out one disk of his own, admiring its texture, reminiscing about the disk itself before cradling it within his arm. I have had this since I first became captain, he realized, digressing from the fight. On its front was a picture of his mask: the Kanohi Hau. For decades had it shielded him from all rahi threats. Even now when the beasts seemed to act stronger and fiercer than ever before, his disk prevented Death's hand from taking a hold of him.

Now ready for battle, Jaller took a step forward and prepared to spin himself like a discus thrower—only to find himself entranced by the sight of six little lights out in the distance. He almost gasped at such a sight; he stopped spinning and took a look up at the purple dusk sky just to get better understanding of what was going on.

Sandwiched between two puffy clusters of clouds was a group of twinkling spirit stars—one for each Toa. Every star shined in his eyes with a spark of hope—the kind of hope which assured him safety for many years to come. We are coming, this hope seemed to tell him.

Before Jaller had a chance to respond, the stars spat out six canisters toward the ocean.

“Bzz!” cried a Nui-Rama. Nearly knocking him off his feet, the insect grabbed a hold of Jaller’s shoulders and attempted to take him up into the sky.

Thankfully for Jaller, his guard was around to help him—to knock this creature away. In doing so, they drove the rahi beast away—leaving Jaller to lie on the ground. “Captain!” a Ta-Matoran guard called. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Jaller confirmed while picking himself up. “I’m alright.”

At that moment, a miracle happened. All the swarming Nui-Rama stopped attacking—as if frozen by an invisible force—and started fleeing away from the Matoran. Each and every last one of those still alive flew away in the same formation in which they had first appeared.

What did we do? Jaller wondered, amazed by the sight of retreating rahi beasts.

“What happened, Captain?” It was Kapura: the slowest of the guard.

Still distraught by what he had just witnessed, the captain of the guard released a sigh before responding, “Nothing. It’s alright.”

“Looks like we’ve won, Captain,” assured Kapura. “What should we do?”

Jaller pondered on those words for a moment. What was he to do? What was it he had told Vakama earlier? “Oh yeah!” he remembered. “I’ll tell you once we’ve dispersed.”

At that moment, Jaller walked past Kapura and over toward the other Ta-Matoran—many of whom hadn't a clue what was going on. Clapping his hands, Jaller cried to his army, “Guard! Ten-hut!” With those words, Jaller stopped the entire guard. Every single one of them looked up at their leader, keeping their eyes focused on Jaller.

Now with their attention, Jaller called out to them, “Great job today, guard! We have fought well—and won!"

“Thank you, Captain!” the cried in unison.

“Fall out!” commanded Jaller—and the Ta-Matoran did as they were told. Before the Matoran could have made a considerable amount of progress, Jaller grabbed a hold of three members of his guard, startling them all as a result. Among the Matoran was Kapura.

“What is it, Captain?” one of them asked.

A somewhat mischievous smile on his face, Jaller answered, “Meet me at my hut at dawn. I have a task for all of you.”

And with that, Jaller tightened his grip and left each of the confronted Matoran alone. Said Matoran exchanged nervous glances with each other.

“Captain?” wondered Kapura, coming in last as usual. Nobody was in the hut. The only thing in the hut catching his interest was a map of Ta-Koro—the likes of which had a number of markers placed upon it. “Captain?” he repeated. Am I late?

Nearly scaring the flames out of him, a whispery voice called his voice from behind. “Kapura!”

Flinching, the slow guard turned around and caught sight of his captain. As Jaller stood beneath the entrance, he continued, “We’re going to gather around the Mangai flame.”

The Mangai Flame? wondered Kapura. He called us all over just so we could look at a fire? The thought both angered and confused him.

Unsure how he should have responded, he let out a sigh before murmuring, “Okay.” With that one word, he walked past Jaller and toward the Mangai flame—where at least a hundred other Matoran surrounded Turaga Vakama.

The sheer brightness and orange color of the flame made Kapura proud to be a Ta-Matoran. Onu-Koro may have had a twinkling lightstone mine; Ko-Koro may have had skyscraping mountains; but Ta-Koro had the heat of the Great Mangai as a symbol of their village’s pride.

His staff shining as powerfully as the flame sitting behind him, Vakama witnessed as the last of the Ta-Matoran—which of course, was Kapura—took his seat and locked his eyes on the village elder. Seeing as the whole village gathered around him, Vakama gave a bow and sat down, as well.

As the flame came inches from burning the back of his head, he cleared his throat and began:

“Gathered friends—listen again to our legend of the Bionicle. In the time before time, the Great Spirit descended from the heavens, gathering we—the ones called the Matoran—to this paradise. We were separate and without purpose. So the Great Spirit illuminated us with the three virtues: unity, duty, and destiny. We embraced these gifts—and in gratitude, we named our island home Mata Nui: after the Great Spirit himself."

“But our happiness was not to last. Mata Nui’s brother, the Makuta, was jealous of these honors and betrayed him—casting a spell over Mata Nui, who soon fell into a deep slumber. The Makuta was free to unleash his shadows. And unleash them he did.”

A round of applause surrounded the Turaga as those last words mixed in with the blissful sound of fire cracking wood. Almost every one of his words pierced the Matorans’ hearts with hope and despair. Their only hope rested in the Toa’s hands—but hope was fragile.

Chapter 4 Hunting

“Okay, today we’re going to go hunting," explained Jaller.

“Hunting for what, Captain?”

“Rahi.”

The other three Matoran were perplexed. “Just rahi?” one of them asked. “No rahi in particular?”

“Nope! Just pick up some weapons and get going.”

Is that it? wondered Kapura. He’s just going to drag us to hunt for ordinary rahi? He could have just done that on his own; Jaller just had to have some kind of trick up his sleeve.

“Captain,” Kapura sighed, “Just tell me. What are we looking for?” He was on the verge of snapping now—as was Jaller.

“We are not searching for anything special.”

Both fire-spitters came face-to-face with each other before the other two Matoran shouted in unison, “Hey! Stop fighting!”

Startled, Jaller and Kapura froze and turned toward the only calm Matoran in the hut. A moment of silence followed.

“Okay,” sighed Jaller, pulling himself away from Kapura. “Let’s just get going on our way.” With those words, he grabbed his trident and exited the hut.

Feeling as the fresh outside heat conducted against the protodermis within his mask, Jaller took his first step outside his home—and immediately turned toward the two guards standing outside the massive hut.

“Remain vigilant until we return,” he commanded. Without even looking their captain in the eye, the two guards saluted their leader. Upon assuring the guards’ loyalty and cooperation, Jaller sauntered off to the Ta-Koro bridge.

Rays of red and orange essence surrounded the four Ta-Matoran, enveloping them in its heated spirit. The village of Ta-Koro sat behind them as they continued scaling the rocky bridge. Vakama, Takua, Nuhrii, and all the other Ta-Matoran stood behind; the four exiting Matoran were now on their own.

As if by instinct, one of the guards up at Jaller’s castle of a house pulled the lever to Ta-Koro’s bridge—thus making the bridge gradually descend into the lava bit by bit. By the time the bridge was completely buried in fire, Jaller and his guards had already passed through Ta-Koro’s exit.

No longer were they in Ta-Koro; now they were in Ta-Wahi. With nobody to protect them from harm, the four Matoran had to rely solely on their instincts, wits, and ingenuity if they wished to survive.

As was expected of somebody of his stature, Jaller showed no fear upon his yellow Hau. How was he to lead the Ta-Koro guard if he was to prove himself a coward? The guard accepted nothing less than the bravest—so they would never allow a pansy to rule over them. Even with his supposed bravery, Jaller couldn’t help but feel slightly afraid of the land before him. Hundreds of trees stood charred, burned by the volcano in which he lived.

However, it wasn’t the trees which concerned him; rather was it the simple presence of the Makuta. Many strange creatures lingered within the shadowed forest—the likes of which had yet to be seen by Matoran eyes—and almost all of them were influenced by Makuta. It seemed like everything bad in Mata-Nui could be blamed on Makuta—and everybody would agree. Since he first invaded, the rahi had grown stronger, nights became longer, and chaos reigned supreme.

“Get ready to run,” commanded Jaller over his shoulder. “That means you, Kapura.”

Kapura snorted in response to his captain’s snide behavior.

At that moment, Jaller picked up the pace—letting the others drag behind him. His tiny feet carried him further and further through the dead forest—almost fast enough for a passerby to think he was wearing a Kakama. He made sure not to let go of his trident—a tricky task, even for a Captain.

It wasn't long before Jaller stopped and found the one perfect thing for his plan. Lying before him was a fallen parched log—the likes of which was surrounded by dry, broken branches.

Huffing and puffing behind all the others, Kapura asked, “Why did we stop, Captain?” It was while catching up to the other guards when he tripped over one of the parched sticks, nearly hitting his head on the log as a result.

Stifling a chuckle, Jaller picked up the sticks surrounding him. “I’m gonna see if I can use these sticks to trap a rahi.” Before he had the chance to use the sticks to his advantage, Jaller caught sight of something—or someone—with a bright, colorful pelt lingering through the gloomy forest.

“Captain,” one of the anonymous guards began, seeing what Jaller had seen. “What is that?”

“I have no idea,” Jaller murmured. “All I know is that I should have brought my disk with me!”

“I’ll go, Captain.” It was Kapura—of all Matoran! “I may not be the fastest Matoran around, but I sure am the stealthiest!”

“Are you sure?” Jaller placed a hand upon the wise Ta-Matoran’s shoulder. “Think about what you’re doing now.”

In response to his captain’s faithlessness, Kapura snapped, “I have thought about what I’m doing! I know I can do this, Captain.”

You can be a stubborn one at times, Jaller wanted to tell his guard—but instead sufficed to say, “Okay. Go for it.”

The other three Matoran—Kapura included—could hardly believe that had just happened. He actually let me do it! a silent voice cried within Kapura’s head. “Thank you, Captain!” And with those words, he headed off to the foreign animal.

“Are you sure that was the right thing to do?” one of the other guards wondered.

Jaller sighed and replied, “I don’t know.”

While slow-moving, Kapura proved very light on his feet. The creature before him didn’t even flinch at the sound of his footsteps—which was a good thing for him.

As Kapura gradually drew closer and closer to the beast, he grew a better understanding of its shape. Standing on four legs, this creature held hair on its head and tail. A strange horn protruded from the animal’s head—the likes of which held a light on its tip.

Keeping his trident tight in hand, Kapura drew closer and closer. He relied on his mask of strength to help him at this one moment. All he needed was his strength—and he was sure to slay the beast. He would need it here now more than ever.

A few more steps and he found himself standing right behind the rahi. It was at that moment when he noticed how this animal was made from organic material—rather than protodermis. It was as if the creature's skin had been crafted from plants.

A few more steps and he caught sight of a tattoo on the creature’s flank—a tattoo of a lyre. What? Why is that there? wondered Kapura. Does it represent what this animal is?

After his few minutes of silence, the creature’s ear suddenly twitched. “Is somebody there?” it wondered though a female voice.

In both fear and desperation, Kapura tried hiding behind a tree—but was not quick enough. As a result, the red Matoran's figure slipped right into the creature’s eye, tripping on his own feet as he did.

Feeling surprised and slightly alarmed, the animal asked through a suspicious tone, “Who are you?”

I’m doomed! Kapura realized, freezing in place. His hand went limp, making his pitchfork hit the dusty ground.

“Hello?” The organic rahi stared at the Matoran, perplexed by his silence.

It’s not killing me! thought Kapura, feeling hope spread into his thoughts. But can it understand me? Kapura blinked once before bringing himself up on his feet. “You are a rahi?”

“Rahi?” the beast wondered, wrinkling her nose. “I am a unicorn—a pony!”

“Pony?” asked Kapura, “How come I’ve never seen you around here, pony?”

Letting out a snort, the pony replied, “First of all, my name is Lyra. Secondly—I’m lost. Where am I?”

“You’re in Ta-Wahi,” stated Kapura. “Where did you come from?”

Lyra let out a sigh and let her ears droop before she replied, “I’m a resident of Ponyville. But—truth be told—I’m not like all the other ponies. They sit on their legs; I sit on my rear. They lap up their drinks; I sip my water through a straw. Heck, I don't even like using my magic; most of the time I forget I even have it."

“I went out in search of some other ponies like me when I got tangled in a swamp. Giant bug creatures took me away from the swamp, up high through the sky, and onto an island surrounded by silver water and infested with giant spiders. I wanted to get out, but the only way was through a tunnel in the ocean. So I swam through the water, travelled up the tunnel, and wound up here."

“I then found myself in a gassy, dark area—where a big monster yelled at me and transported me here.” She paused before continuing, “You know all the rest. I must have told a majority of this story at least three times now!” She sighed and paused once more.

Kapura stood in awe upon hearing this brightly-colored pony’s story. She has been through Mata Nui and back! he noted. But exactly where all did she go? And what is this—magic she told me about? Is she magical?

As the thought lingered within his head, Kapura heard as Jaller called from the distance, “Did you kill it yet?”

Those words made her eyes dilate and her ears twitch. “Kill it?” hissed Lyra. Fumigating, she pressed her nose up against Kapura’s mask when she growled, “You were going to kill me?”

“Well—well,” Kapura couldn’t lie—not to this pony. He sighed before admitting, “Okay, yes; technically I was supposed to, but—”

“But what?” snapped Lyra, nearly tipping the Matoran off his feet as she pushed herself even closer to him.

“You’re not a rahi.” Kapura couldn’t have been calmer. There he stood into this irate pony’s eyes—and all he could do was stare back with a serene touch in his eyes. “But now I know better.”

“Kapura!” Jaller shouted once again. “I’m coming over there.”

“Run,” hissed Kapura.

“Run?” asked Lyra, her heart leaping.

“Yes!” His voice raised. “Run!”

And with that, the cyan unicorn went on her way—trotting off out of the woods. It was while doing so when she noticed a beach out in the east. I'll stop there, she thought, her breath growing heavy as she left Kapura's field of view.

Upon catching up to Kapura, his mask turning slightly orange, Jaller shouted at his guard, “What was that all about?”

An innocent look on his face, Kapura asked, “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean!” Jaller snapped. “Why did you let that rahi go? You almost had it!”

“Sorry!” apologized Kapura, “It slipped through my fingers.”

“You said you had this one, Kapura.” The captain sighed, struggling to brush away the thought of his guard failing him. “Let’s just—I don’t know—finish setting up that trap.”

Kapura sighed, then nodded. “Okay.”

Chapter 5 Canisters

As the pony ran further and further from danger, she felt as the grip of Makuta lost its hold on her. Before too long, she completely escaped from the dark forest, finding herself standing on a calm beach.

The squawks of seagulls and the rush of salty water brushing in her ears calmed Lyra down. “This is nice,” she thought, taking a seat on the sand. After all, I could use some time to think about what the heck just happened to me.

Lyra stared up at the dark purple sky, witnessing as six little canisters started falling closer and closer to the shore. What is that? she thought with squinted eyes. Part of her wanted to believe the pellet-shaped objects were raindrops—but she knew better. Are they shooting stars? Such a thought almost made her want to make a wish.

Even the closest one to her must have been a whole mile away. With a splash, the pellet nearest to her collided with the water. Lyra flinched upon witnessing this unusual occurrence. It was almost enough to pick her off her rear and make her swim toward the capsule.

Such an idea became no more when she saw the capsule pop up through the water’s surface and start floating. Using her sensitive pony ears, she detected the sound of grinding and machine whirring. What is it doing? she wondered, growing more and more anxious by the second. With a little examination, she realized the capsule was coming right for the beach.

She was a pony of many experiences, but never before had she seen anything like this. Is that thing alive? she felt like asking somepony. What’s it made out of? Why is it here? She repeated these words in her head as the little capsule continued coming closer.

Like the patient, can-do pony she was, Lyra sat in wait for what was to come. She had nothing else to do, after all. All she could do was sit down and watch the capsule—all the while hoping the mess she had just interfered with back in the jungle wouldn't become any real issue heading her way. She had the capsule to watch, the orange sky to gaze upon, the crashing waves to listen to, the beachy breeze to smell. I've never seen anything like this in Equestria! she realized. It's so beautiful here! Just like that, Lyra could feel her worries melting away. It was as if she had found the perfect place to go whenever she had a rough day.

At long last, the capsule approached the sandy shore and anchored itself to the ground. It was as if an alien had just come to invade the beach; the futuristic, modern gloss on its metal skin was enough to convince Lyra of that. Six yellow lights blinked on and off as Lyra finally picked herself up, struggling slightly in the process.

Now on all fours, she walked over to the side of the capsule. While curious, she was also more confused now than she had ever been in her entire life. Nervously, she raised a hoof and knocked on the capsule, asking, “Hello?” all the while—but to no avail.

In the midst of her confusion, a strange, hissing sound suddenly vibrated within her ears. Uh oh, she thought, I think it’s gonna—!

Boom! cried the capsule, literally blowing its own top off. Altogether, thirty-three red, orange, and black pieces came flying out of the capsule’s maw.

Without any time to cover her ears, Lyra heard as the sound of ringing swam into her ears. In an attempt to find out if she could still hear, Lyra let out a scream—only to hear as it drowned out with the ringing in her ears.

This has got to be the worst day of my life. She felt like whining to somepony—as if that would have helped—but she had nobody to run to. She felt infuriated, red, hot, horrified by what was to happen; each emotion she let out through a grunt.

She came here for something different. Lyra never really expected to run into Mata Nui, but anywhere different—at the time—seemed better than Ponyville. But after getting pulled through swamps, grassy fields, and hellish forests, Lyra wished nothing more than to run back home, to fall right into Equestria's warm, open arms.

Ringing ears folding over her head, she opened her eyes just a crack—then flicked them wide open and witnessed something unbelievable. Without her help, without her intention, the little pieces started moving toward each other—as if attracted by a magnetic force.

A robotic hand—the likes of which appeared very similar to Kapura’s—started crawling through the sand. Lyra may as well have had a spider crawling down her back. All the stress from her day seemed to bottle up to that one moment. As a result, she lost control of her tongue and screeched, “Can somebody tell me what in Celestia's name is going on?” The urge to run away slowly crawled up into her mind as she stood by, a victim of creation.

Almost as if the pieces were magically attracted to each other, they started shifting over to a single spot on the beach. A pair of feet, hands, and even the hilt of a sword travelled over to this spot. Each piece left behind its own track in the sand. Once all the gears, rods, and body parts moved over to one designated location, they stopped moving.

Scratching her head, Lyra asked out loud, “Am I supposed to do something here?” She half-expected an answer—but received nothing in response to her question. Sighing through her nose, she sauntered over to the little pile of pieces. It was then when she witnessed two red feet sticking out from the pile—as if calling out to her. This thing has hands and feet, she realized. Does that mean this thing is a person who has been sliced up into a bunch of pieces? As these thoughts bounced around and about in her head, Lyra looked back down at the feet. Help us! they seemed to say.

You know what? thought Lyra. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna fix you with my own elbow grease!

Starting with the feet, Lyra led herself up to what looked like limbs. Simply peering at these legs made her notice a ball-and-joint connection between the legs and feet. Using her hooves to keep the leg steady, Lyra slowly and carefully lowered an orange leg into one of the feet. With time and patience, both appendages came together with a sharp, Click!

Perfect! she thought. But where do I go after I get the other leg in place? Is there a torso I’m supposed to connect this to? It seemed like a logical question to ask—but where in this pile of thirty-three pieces would she possibly find a torso?

Was the torso small? Did it look like her own? Or was it the biggest piece of the bunch? In the end, the torso was the biggest and heaviest out of all the pieces; it gave Lyra back pain just carrying it!

While struggling to herald the massive brick over to the legs, the creative unicorn wondered, If I can barely hold this thing up on my hooves, how is—whatever this thing is going to be—supposed to hold it up on those two legs? Four legs were more than two; Lyra was certain of that.

Maybe I’m just really weak, she thought with a sigh. Maybe I need Bon Bon to help me. Even the silent utterance of that pony’s name made Lyra feel desperately homesick. Maybe if Bon Bon were here, I wouldn’t be having such a rough day. Why in Equestria had she not let Bon Bon come with her?

Why won’t these legs go in? she wondered whilst tinkering with the balls on the tips of the legs. Her ear twitched as her eye suddenly drifted over to an almost square-shaped piece within the pile. It was then when she noticed a plus-shaped hole near the top of the piece—the likes of which matched the shape of a hole on the bottom of the torso.

A gasp escaped her when she thought, That’s it! And with that, she set the torso piece on the ground, picked up two of the square pieces, and stuck them on the sides of the bottom of the torso. Whew, she thought. Now for the torso. Though she didn't look forward to having to pick up, she managed to pull the hunk of metal off the ground and set it on top of the two legs—which both clicked flawlessly with the square pieces. "Success!"

“Could you not yell so loud?” a mystery voice growled.

At that, Lyra flinched, growing suddenly afraid. Unsure of the source of such a voice, Lyra froze before doing anything else. “Who said that?” asked she, her eyes wide open in surprise. “Who’s there?”

After a small pause, the same voice responded, “I’m down here. I think I’m buried.”

“Buried?” I don’t remember seeing anybody buried, she noted. Are they buried underneath all those pieces? Hoping to find out, the cyan pony cautiously turned over to the pile of pieces and started brushing them out of the way. “Tell me when I find you!”

“You already have.”

The words echoing within her ears, Lyra flinched and caught sight of a head-shaped piece. How she hadn't noticed it earlier was beyond her understanding. The pink eyes of this head blinked, making Lyra shiver. “Do you know what this is all about?” she said, a hint of impatience sitting behind her words. “Why are there a bunch of pieces everywhere? Who are you? Where did that—that capsule come from?”

"Well, uh—" The head wanted to give the pony a legitimate answer, but—in all honesty—he hadn’t any idea what to tell Lyra. He truly had no idea who he was, where he came from, or what his purpose in life was. “I—I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” wondered Lyra, baffled by the head’s response. Taking her anger out on the head, she continued, “Do you at least know your name?”

The head needed a moment to think the question through. What was his name? For some reason, the word Tahu seemed to flare within his mind. Silently did he repeat the name to himself before responding, “I think my name is Tahu.”

Wrinkling her nose, Lyra asked, “You think or you know?”

Glowing slightly red, Tahu responded, “I don’t know. Just—” He let out a sigh. “Can you just help me? I’m trying to figure out how to assemble myself.”

“Assemble yourself?” Lyra looked back at the mess of rods and body parts she had just been trying to piece together. “Am I doing it right?”

Standing up on her rear legs, she used her free hooves to grip Tahu's head and align his eye with the few pieces she had earlier tried to put together.

After giving a moment’s thought, Tahu put a smile on his face and confirmed, “Yes!” She may not have made a lot of progress, but Lyra was at least on the right track.

“Whew!” sighed Lyra, feeling as a bead of sweat rolled down her face. “But what should I do now?”

As Lyra set him down in the sand, Tahu began giving her instructions. “There should be a tiny, black rod somewhere in the pile of pieces,” he informed. “Once you find it, put it in the plus-shaped hole at the top of my torso.”

“Can do.” Although she didn’t appear so, Lyra was truly amazed how Tahu seemed to know himself inside and out. He came out of the capsule as a newborn—or so it felt to Lyra—yet he already held extensive knowledge of his own anatomy.

As these thoughts drifted within her head, Lyra clutched a tiny rod with her hoof. “I found it!” she announced, trotting up to the torso.

“Good,” sighed Tahu. “Now just stick it in the hole at the top.”

Lyra did as she was told—loving every second of it. Simply being able to touch this biomechanical creature’s body—whilst fitting his pieces in the proper area—made Lyra feel special. With a guide, she loved it; without a guide—she felt like ragequitting.

At last she felt like she had a purpose in life. And there were five other canisters! she realized with glee. That means more things for me to fix! She paused before noticing, But they’re scattered out. Where am I supposed to find them, now?

Chapter 6 Watch Him As He Goes

The rest of that day was nothing more than the simple allegiance of pieces. One piece after another, Tahu’s true form gradually grew more and more apparent to the austere unicorn.

With time, she found herself face-to-face with an almost beastly creature.

In his true form, Tahu stood at least three times taller than Kapura. Even if she was to stand up and meet his gaze on her hind legs, Lyra would still prove shorter than him.

But wait a minute. “Aren’t you missing something?” asked Lyra, staring deep into Tahu’s eyes.

“I think so,” Tahu sighed. “I’m so exhausted!”

Lyra snorted in disbelief. “You—tired?” Those were the only words to keep her from breaking out laughing. “Says the person who didn’t have to go through countless random pieces just to put together a machine nearly twice her size!”

After catching her breath, she continued with a chuckle, “Exhausted, my flank!”

“Well, I don’t know,” grunted Tahu. “I just feel—heavy: like I can’t support my own weight.”

That was when it hit Lyra. That was when she realized there was something different about Tahu’s face—as opposed to Kapura’s. It was as if something had been removed from Tahu’s face. Was it vital for him to have this missing piece? Or could he go on without it?

As Lyra thought these things over, Tahu stood by in wait. His own two legs felt like they were going to break if they continued to hold the mass of protodermis above them. The notion of it all made his patience slowly vanish.

The hilt of his sword remained just that: a hilt. There was no blade, no laser, nothing at all; just a mass of empty air. But even with it being just a hilt, why did it feel so empty? Why did Tahu have to put so much stress on his fingers just to make sure it didn’t hit the ground? I should not have to do this.

With the sun on the verge of falling beneath the horizon, finding this one last piece would only become more and more difficult as time progressed.

“Come on,” murmured Lyra, “Where is it?” She only grew more frantic as time went on. She used all four of her hooves to search around for it in the sand, but found nothing. She poked into the capsule, but found nothing. She turned the capsule over, but found nothing.

After pushing that heavy load, Lyra needed a moment to breathe. Panting, she glared over at the sun, watching as it waved off its final goodbye for the night. Shoot. Her ears folded against her head as she let out a sigh.

Then—as if out of nowhere—a miracle! Drifting within the barely-lit waters of the ocean was what looked like a tipped boat. “Is that it?” she asked Tahu, not even daring to look back at him.

At first Tahu was confused. “Hm?” Squinting his pink eyes, he peered off into the distance—and through Makuta’s cloak, he witnessed the last piece to his incomplete body. “That’s it!” he cried. “Get it! Quick!”

Her heart leaping into her throat, Lyra flinched, gained some of her composure, and dashed out into the water. The cool liquid embraced her entire body in a matter of seconds, filling her mouth and nose with a horribly salty essence. Water threatened to swamp over the unicorn—to turn her attempts into a disaster. No! she thought with a growl. I will not let a little water get the best of me! Keeping this thought in mind, the pony pushed on to this last piece. Much like a dog would do, she started kicking her legs in the pursuit toward Tahu's final piece.

Growling and struggling to hold her breath, she soon found the last piece floating right under her nose. Seizing her opportunity, she swallowed her pride and grabbed the mask with her teeth. It was immediately after doing so when she started kicking herself back.

Strange, she thought while heading back to Tahu. This piece is neither a body part—nor is it a rod nor gear. On the contrary, this piece felt somewhat flat and round and more spread-out than the others. But all that she knew from feeling; she knew hardly anything about what this piece looked like.

It wasn’t until splashing up to the shore when Lyra finally caught a glimpse at what she had just caught. “I got it,” she coughed, spitting the piece out of her mouth. Like the majority of Tahu's body, the piece was red and shiny. However, it also seemed to resemble a face. After taking a moment to observe it, she looked up at Tahu and, panting, asked, “This is what you wanted—right?”

A spark of recognition shone in Tahu’s eyes when he nodded and said, “Yes.” As that one word filled the air, the biomechanical creature took a knee and bent down to the piece before him. His metal body nearly gave in to the weight as his knee touched the sandy ground, his fingers bristling under the final piece to his unfinished body. While wet, this last piece was just what he was looking for.

“What is that?” wondered Lyra, her mane soaking wet.

“It’s my mask,” replied Tahu, his tone warmer than usual. “This is what we’ve been trying to find.”

“Are you sure?” What am I saying? she thought, somewhat ashamed of herself. If this isn’t it, that means I might have to go and risk my life just to find one missing piece. She dreaded such a thought. Just thinking about it made her want to roll over and bury her face in the wet sand.

But Tahu wasn’t listening; Lyra may as well been made of thin air.

Everything seemed to happen within that one second. The scorching, yet comforting feel of flame permeated from the mask through Tahu’s body. It was as if somebody had wrapped him up in a warm blanket. The mask's coming in contact with his face summoned a great round of strength and energy—which rapidly spread into his body. Had he any blood, it would have been rushing with pure adrenaline.

No longer did he feel heavy, unable to hold himself up; simply standing was no longer a chore. And while it still held some weight to it, the hilt in his hand no longer held a burden on his fingers.

Lyra wasn’t for sure, but Tahu seemed to glow a heavier shade of color than before. Every little color on his body appeared more vibrant and luminous in the pony’s eyes. But she didn’t mention anything of it. She merely stood by and let Tahu enjoy his newfound strength. Glad I could help.

Without warning, Tahu’s hilt started glowing a bright orange color. A sea of embers seemed to reside within the hilt—before suddenly summoning a lick of flame.

Feeling the fire as it came a millimeter from her hoof, Lyra released a gasp and took a step back. “Be careful with that thing, Tahu!”

Tahu merely chuckled at the pony’s caution toward the heat.

“A flame sword!” he exclaimed, admiring its graceful tongue and elegant hilt. A simple swing of his arm brought forth an arc of flame—the likes of which flew toward and sizzled against the ocean. “It’s nothing but steam:” chuckled Tahu, “hot air—as they say.”

As Lyra stood by, transfixed by his strength, she wondered, “So—what are you gonna do now?’

With a sigh, Tahu responded, “I don’t know.”

It was at that moment when he shot a look toward a volcano in the distance. He witnessed its cone-like shape, imagined the unbearable temperatures emanating from the crater on top. A blurry haze seemed to accompany the volcano’s only impurity. He could see home right in the volcano itself.

It’s amazing, he thought. I must go there—just to see what it is.

“What are you looking at?” asked Lyra, breaking her new friend out of his trance.

Nearly flinching at the sound of her words, Tahu flicked his gaze downward to Lyra.

The little pony, confused, stared into his eyes when she asked once again, “What are you looking at?”

Slightly startled, Tahu cleared his throat, shook his head, and responded, “Um—I just—” He wasn’t sure what to say. How was he to say this—while at the same time avoiding any awkwardness between him and Lyra?

Choking on his words, the nervous robot finally admitted, “That mountain—it’s calling out to me.”

Raising an eyebrow, Lyra turned her head toward this so-called mountain. “You mean the volcano?” she asked while looking back up at Tahu.

After giving quick nod of his head, Tahu headed out toward the volcano. “It spits fire—just like me,” he murmured. “It’s like my natural habitat. I feel like I was born there—but I’ve never been in it before, have I?”

“If you wanna go in there, be my guest,” stated Lyra, unsure whether or not that would have been a wise choice. I just had somebody near there try to kill me, she remembered. But Tahu—I guess he should be able to take them down without a problem!

As these thoughts echoed against the walls of her head, Tahu started trailing off toward the Makuta-infested forest—his feet leaving deep prints within the moist sand.

Lyra blinked. He’s really gonna go for it!

Almost as if she had heard her thoughts, Tahu paused and took a look over his shoulder. The metallic creature, while innocent and practically a tourist in this world, looked ready to kill. Had Lyra not known any better, she would have been frightened by such a sight—to the point of evacuating.

In spite of this, Lyra couldn't help but smile over at Tahu. Thank you, his pink eyes seemed to say. Only a heartbeat passed when he continued on his way toward the forest.

That’s one down, thought Lyra with a sleepy grin, and five more to go.

While anxious to build five more biomechanical beings, Lyra couldn’t help but release a huge yawn. Her hoof covering her gaping maw, the sleepy pony asked herself, Now—where am I going to find a place to sleep?

She pondered the thought for a moment.

I probably shouldn’t sleep by the ocean unless I want to get soaked. She glanced at the dead forest and shuddered. There’s no way I’m going back in there—that’s for sure! “Hmm.”

Little did Lyra know, a red-and-blue Matoran had been wandering around and about the whole day. The whole time he had slowly walked behind Lyra—until he finally tripped and went tumbling head-over-heels toward Lyra—before finally hitting his head to her leg.

Feeling a slightly sharp pain course up her limb, Lyra yowled, “Hey! What are—?” only to stop when she realized who had just run into her. “Kapura?” wondered she, taking notice of the Matoran’s red body.

With a grunt, the Matoran picked himself up on his feet, revealing his light blue mask. That’s not Kapura, Lyra realized. His face shape is the same, but not the color. Was this Kapura’s brother?

With a flinch, the Matoran’s eyes shot up toward the pony. He took a heartbeat to stare into her eyes—before jumping in surprise.

Pulling out a disk and slowly walking backward, the blue-masked Matoran stammered, “A—a rahi!”

Oh no—not this again! Resisting the urge to growl, Lyra asked, “What?”

In retaliation to Lyra’s growl, the blue-faced Matoran used all his strength to hurtle his disk at her.

With barely enough time to retaliate, Lyra ducked out of the way—the Matoran’s disk only an inch above her horn. Without a target, the disk went flying off into the distance—before splashing into the water.

Her spine tingling, Lyra recovered from her duck and took a look up at the Matoran. An uncontrollable temper got the better of her when she screamed, “You little brat!” Her eyes red with fury, Lyra swiftly turned around so that her hind legs faced him.

It was then when the Matoran’s mask made contact with the unicorn’s rear hooves. Smack! Such an impact sent the Matoran flying toward the forest hiding behind the beach. Boom!

It felt good to finally let her rage out. But—as the pony knew—rage was not something to be proud of. As a result of making such a realization, she paused right where she was. What just happened? thought Lyra, her anger suddenly vanishing.

Feeling a bit sorry for the Matoran, she galloped over to where he had just landed. She witnessed as ferns and leaves of dark green covered the Matoran up, blanketing him in their natural beauty. A moan escaped his mouth—so at least he was still alive, just out cold. He'll be alright, I guess.

Her conscience cleared, Lyra found herself distracted by the leaves covering the Matoran's face. The plants here are the same, she noted before taking a look up at the sky. And so are the sky and clouds. The people and animals here might be different, but everything else is the same.

Sitting beside the Matoran's head was what looked like a giant face. Lyra watched as it stared into her eyes—asking her to take a look inside its mystery. Its mouth was shaped in a perfect circle—just big enough for the unconscious Matoran to squeeze through.

What is that? wondered Lyra, almost completely forgetting about the Matoran and plants. Oh, me and my short attention span—I swear.

Chapter 7 Unknown Evils

Sleep—my little pony—sleep.

The sound of snoring filled the room, bouncing throughout the walls of Fluttershy’s little home. Everything from the outside seemed to lose its way before meeting the pony's ears. Apart from the snoring, all Fluttershy could hear was a deep, frightening voice—the likes of which came from a mystery source.

With fluttering, shining eyes, the yellow pegasus—confused and curious—pried herself from sleep. Where am I? she wondered, feeling darkness cloud around her. Out of nowhere, a ray of light stretched through a crack—revealing where she was. Oh, she realized. A familiar Discord lamp. A couch big enough for all her friends. I’m home. But—then why is it so dark?

Sleep, my Fluttershy, an eerie voice called out. The presence of such a voice proved enough to make the pony flinch.

Rather than follow its command, Fluttershy immediately picked herself up on her hooves, her heart leaping into her throat. With blood frozen, she started hyperventilating when she asked, “Wh-who are you?”

No response came.

“Where are you?” she continued.

From the shadows did he creep. An unimpressed, almost angry look showed upon the rabbit’s face.

“Angel!” cried Fluttershy, rushing over to her pet. Her feet touched his when she murmured, “Are you okay? You didn’t trip and hurt yourself in there, did you?”

It was at that moment when she noticed something out of the ordinary about the bunny. Usually Angel held a white coat over his whole body—the likes of which stood out from the rest of Fluttershy’s pets. It was pure white—without a crevice or imperfection to be seen. As he currently stood, however, Angel was totally covered up in a dark-gray pelt.

“Angel?” whispered Fluttershy, bringing her hoof up to the rabbit’s belly. “What’s wrong?” Upon touching Angel’s chest, Fluttershy’s pupils shrank.

“You’re ice cold!” she exclaimed. “And your tummy—it doesn't even feel furry!”

In the midst of the pony’s confusion, Angel opened his mouth and did what Fluttershy never thought possible from rabbit like him: he spoke. “I am that which you have sworn to protect.”

In response to such a surprise, Fluttershy leapt back ten meters. The only thing keeping her away was her set of wings—which beat like those of a hummingbird. That cannot be Angel, she thought in denial. “Wh-what are you?” she stammered.

A small smile formed upon the rabbit’s face when he answered, “I am nothing.”

Tears began streaming from the pony’s eyes as she found herself at a loss for words. “Angel—I—I—” She sniffled. “What are you doing, Angel?”

An even wider smile appeared on the rabbit’s face as a great flash of light blossomed. At the same time, a high-pitched ring sounded in Fluttershy's ears. But from where it came, she knew not.

In response to such a bright light, Fluttershy shielded her tear-encased eyes with her hooves. All the while Fluttershy silently told herself, This isn’t happening—this isn’t happening, over and over and over.

In the midst of her fear and anguish, she pulled her hooves away from her eyes—and immediately caught sight of the strange dark stone. “Oh!” she sighed in relief. “My rock!”

Her lips turned up as she jubilantly trotted over to the heavenly darkness. By spontaneous action, she kissed the frowning rock’s head. My little darling, she thought, wishing the rock could read her mind. I'm so glad all that's—

But just when Fluttershy felt like she had finally found peace, a squeal vibrated into her ears. Letting out a gasp, she turned around—staying close to the stone—and caught sight of her rabbit friend. She noticed as he stood beneath the rim of her home's entrance door.

“Angel!” she cried, allowing his rock-like texture to fill her vision. “What are you doing, sweetie?”

Not a single word escaped from the bunny’s mouth.

It as at that moment—seeing as Angel stood by himself—when Fluttershy realized she was now outside. The realization made her step away from the rock. “How did I get out here?” she asked out loud.

Angel then closed his eyes and inhaled. The very act of doing so gave him a look of authority.

Shaking uncontrollably, Fluttershy whispered to herself, “What is he doing?” Without warning, the river in front of her house dissipated—leaving behind a dry channel of dirt. Fluttershy’s pupils shrank at such a sight. She gulped. No—he's destroying my house, and there is nothing I can do.

Unless— She tried thinking of an idea, beating her hoof against her head.

Of course! It had worked countless times against other animals; why wouldn’t it have worked there?

Here goes, thought Fluttershy, taking a deep breath. I’m going to give him the stare.

Every animal in Equestria knew of the dreaded stare. No creature—except maybe Discord—could resist the power of her eyeballs. It would work on Angel—no doubt about it. It had worked on him before; she saw no reason why it wouldn't work here.

It’s time for me to brave, she told herself, legs wobbling with the thought of confronting the evil bunny. I’ll be back, she wanted to tell the rock as she left it behind.

Stepping over the dry crevice in front of her house, Fluttershy came a mere meter from her pet. She took a deep breath before commanding, “Angel! You stop what you're doing right this instant!”

Despite owner’s wishes, Angel did nothing to stop the chaos surrounding him. One of Fluttershy's trees caught fire, the sun started shrinking, and the grass slowly withered away. He didn't even try to look at Fluttershy.

I refuse to believe my Angel has turned evil! thought Fluttershy, fighting back tears. There is only one way to cure him.

Keeping the thought in mind, the yellow pony looked up at the rabbit. By coincidence, Angel turned his head toward his master—making their eyes lock, giving Fluttershy her chance.

Her brow scrunching up, her teeth grinding together, the brave pegasus’ piercing eyes shot straight into the bunny’s stare. With the sheer intensity of fire, she peered into Angel’s eyes. I will save you, my dear.

It had been a whole three seconds, and Angel hadn’t shown any sign of faltering. Usually it only took one or two seconds for the pegasus' stare to bring out the worst feelings in its victims—so what was happening? What is going on? wondered Fluttershy, pulling her eyes away from Angel’s. How is it not working?

Fear blanketing her entire being, she took a peek back into the bunny’s eyes—only to sense as a horrid, unfamiliar feeling spread deep into her bones. What is this? she wondered, paralyzed and unable to ask Angel with her tongue.

It was as if somebody had drowned her in a pool of blood—leaving her to suffocate in its red gaze. She may as well have been lying under a tree. What’s happening to me?

That was when it dawned on her. Angel—he—he has his own stare! And from what Fluttershy could tell, this stare was much stronger than her own. It took over her in a matter of seconds. Dizzy and barely conscious, she finally gave in to the power of Angel’s eyes.

There she stood—in the vicinity of a dark, eerie milieu—as Angel’s stare took over her thoughts.

Fluttershy, the voice called out once more.

No! she cried. I’m not listening to you, Angel! I don’t care that you’re my pet. You’re—you’re evil! She choked on her words, weeping when she thought, I’m sorry.

As she lie unconscious in the real world, the demonizing voice confessed, I am not who you think I am.

What do you mean? wondered Fluttershy whilst sniffling.

I am the stone that you have been protecting.

No—that's impossible!

Her ears perked as she came back to reality. With a quick blink of her eyes, Fluttershy exited the dark realm and caught sight of Angel once again. There stood the bunny—the same look in his eyes—as he continued to peer into Fluttershy’s mind.

Not this time! she insisted, determination taking over her thoughts. With all four hooves planted firmly in the ground, she closed her eyes and pulled away from Angel—freeing herself at last.

Violently shaking her head, the pegasus listened as the voice of Angel called out, Come to me, Fluttershy! Realizing the voice existed only within her own head, Fluttershy retreated from Angel—leaving her pet alone with the house.

Foolish pony, the rabbit thought.

Not used to sprinting, Fluttershy found herself panting by the time she made it to the rock. Crouching down, she hid behind it and asked, “What are we going to do?”

As those words flew from the pony’s lips, Angel suddenly spawned fire into his paws—the very action of which led Fluttershy to confusion and mental disarray. Am I losing my mind?

As the bunny drew the flames closer and closer to his former home, he cast a cringe-inducing, mischievous smirk.

“Fluttershy!” he exclaimed through a feminine voice.

Wrinkling her nose, Fluttershy wondered, “Huh?”

Chapter 8 Pried from Sleep

“Fluttershy!”

The yellow pony made her response in the form of a scream—pulling her head up from her hooves all the while. It was as if somebody had caught her in a net and pulled her out of an ocean of misery. What just happened? she asked herself, realizing she was back in her house.

Her whole body trembling, she took a look to her right and saw Angel—witnessing as he peacefully slept at the corner of the room, plugs shoved in his long bunny ears.

A knock at the door startled her.

“Fluttershy!” It was Twilight. “Are you awake?” she called from the other side of the door.

Almost as if by magic, Fluttershy ceased trembling. Without a word, she picked herself up on her hooves and slowly sauntered up to her front door.

Standing behind her was the black rock. It watched Fluttershy’s every last move as it stood beside her bed.

Letting out a yawn, the pegasus opened her front door—finding Twilight at the other side. “Good morning, Twilight,” she murmured, her voice sounding very sleepy.

“Morning, Fluttershy,” Twilight responded, a perky smile on her face. Not even giving her friend a chance to respond, Twilight continued, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I just wanted to talk to you about your—” She wrinkled her nose and took a look behind Fluttershy's shoulder. “Your rock."

A pause came between them before Twilight remembered, “Oh—and one of your chickens escaped again.”

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Fluttershy let a sigh escape from her mouth when she asked, “Well, what do you want to know about my rock?” It was as if she hadn't heard Twilight's last statement.

Her ears flattening against her head, Twilight murmured, “I just feel like—”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. Go on.

“I don’t know if—” Twilight sighed. “How should I say this without upsetting you?” After all, the last thing anypony wanted to do was upset Fluttershy. “I don’t feel like that rock is good for you.”

Obviously confused, Fluttershy blinked.

But before she could have responded, Twilight explained, “I mean—I just think there’s something—” She choked on her words once again, “—something unusual about that rock.”

A pause slipped between them before Twilight asked, “How exactly did you say you came by it?”

Taking a look over her shoulder and at the black stone, Fluttershy responded, “Well—I don’t really remember even saying where I got it.”

Impatience causing her blood to draw to a slight boil, Twilight rolled her eyes when she continued, “The question still stands: where did you find it?”

“I—” In confusion, the pegasus shot a look over at Twilight, staring into her deep, purple eyes. “I really—oh, don’t be mad—I can’t remember!”

Fluttershy was such a sweet creature—but at that moment, Twilight couldn’t help but feel absolute aggravation toward her. You forgot? she silently screeched. “You don’t know where you got it?”

Fluttershy gave a curt nod. Please don’t be angry, she wanted to say, but lacked the courage for the words to pass her mouth.

A stern—yet determined—look on her face, Twilight began, “Well, if you don’t know where you got it, could you at least tell me why you’re keeping it?”

It was at that moment when Twilight stepped into the house, shooting a glance over at the rock as she did so.

Closing the door behind her friend, Fluttershy responded with a sigh, “I just—I feel so much safer whenever I’m near it.” A light smile showed on her face when she continued, “I know that sounds kind of silly, but—that’s just how I feel. It's like a teddy bear you sleep with every night. As long as you have it with you, you'll be fine."

Barely even heeding Fluttershy’s words, Twilight pulled herself closer to the rock. Her nose barely an inch from it, she wondered through a murmur, “I wonder if there’s a specific name for this type of rock.”

“Teridax.”

Her ear twitching, Twilight faced Fluttershy when she asked, “What?”

“The rock’s name is Teridax.”

How does she know this? wondered Twilight as she faced the rock once again.

Menacing eyes and a frowning mouth pointed into Twilight’s eyes, making her feel the same dread she had felt the day before. Something about this rock—something almost personal—seemed to dwell within its core, seeping into the minds of whomever came too close.

Simply by looking at her friend, Fluttershy could tell Twilight was confused. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

A pause drew before Twilight replied, “At the risk of something stupid, I think there’s something—something spiritual about this rock.”

“What do you mean?”

Twilight stood up straight and looked Fluttershy right in the eye. “I think this rock is alive.”

I knew it! thought Fluttershy, letting out a gasp.

Witnessing the pegasus’ false awe, Twilight continued, “It’s almost like this rock is a living, breathing, thinking thing. And the most amazing part about it: it’s just a stone!”

She began pacing Fluttershy’s floors. “How is it that something made out of solid rock can be alive? It doesn’t even move! Then again, plants don’t move—and they’re considered living creatures. Could it be possible that all rocks are living creatures? If so—”

In the midst of her rambling, Twilight felt as Fluttershy stuffed a hoof in her mouth. “I think I get it,” she muttered, pulling her hoof away from Twilight.

“Sorry,” the unicorn chuckled, feeling a blush cross her face.

How she loves to get carried away, thought Fluttershy. Tossing the thought aside, she asked her friend, “So why are you here, again?”

“Because,” Twilight began, touching her horn to the stone. “I think Princess Celestia would be very interested to hear about this—this Teridax you’ve acquired.”

Twilight’s reflection showing in her light blue eyes, Fluttershy whispered, “You’re not going to take it away from me—are you?”

Seeing her obvious dilemma, Twilight hushed her friend when she explained, “Oh no, no, no, no, no. You can come with me—with Teridax—to see the princess.”

With a single blink, the reflection in the yellow pony’s eyes went away. “Oh,” she murmured, feeling a little better. “Okay then. Let’s get going!”

“Wait,” said Twilight, pressing a hoof against Fluttershy’s chest. “Shouldn’t you get somebody to babysit them?”

“Oh, no,” explained Fluttershy. “I don’t need a babysitter for them. They’ll do just fine on their own!”

“Uh—Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“I don’t think all your animals can do just fine on their own. There’s gotta be at least a hundred of them.” The unicorn continued, “Plus—if your animals could take care of themselves, why did you ask Spike to babysit Angel last week?”

Her face glowing red like an apple, Fluttershy stammered, “Well—I, uh—I guess—I—” She choked on her own words, uncertain of how she was to express herself. Feeling as if her tongue had just forgotten how to move, Fluttershy sighed in surrender.

I don’t know, she wanted to tell Twilight. I guess I’m just dumb is all. Did her friends view her as a dumb pony? As one without any real idea of how the world worked? Fluttershy—listening to such thoughts as they bounced about in her head—looked down at her front hooves in regret.

Then she flicked her gaze upward and gasped. “Wait a minute!”

Surprised by her friend’s sudden outburst, Twilight gave a minute jump into the air when she exclaimed, “Gah! What?”

More awake than she had been all day, Fluttershy asked, “Did you say one of my chickens snuck out of the coop?”

“Yes.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I said that about five minutes ago.”

“Oh no, oh no! This isn’t good!” Panic taking over her thoughts, the yellow pony rushed outside, pushing Twilight out of her way. “Which way did it go?”

Cries of bwuk bwuk emanated from her coop—the likes of which looked like somebody had recently tried to break into it.

Feeling sorry for her friend, Twilight admitted, “I don’t know which way your chicken went. All I know is that it’s gone.”

In contempt and fear, Fluttershy turned her head toward Twilight—revealing a troubled, furious stare. “It’s not gone,” she whispered. “It won’t be gone until I say it is.”

Was that a tear forming in her eye?

Her blood frozen, Twilight violently shook her head. Purple eyes rolling in her head, she muttered, “Um, Fluttershy—maybe we’re getting just a teensy-tiny bit out of hand; would you agree?”

Standing nose-to-nose with Twilight, Fluttershy growled “No—I would not agree!” Her feet stomping against the ground, she marched into her home and continued, “We are not going to any princess until we find my lost chicken. Then we can take the train to Canterlot!”

Oh boy, thought Twilight. If this keeps up, we’ll never get to the princess any time soon.

“Come on, Angel,” Twilight heard Fluttershy command. “We’re leaving.” The purple unicorn stood outside as Fluttershy came ever-closer to the exit. She yawned as Fluttershy slammed the door behind her.

“Let’s get going,” the pegasus commanded.

“Oh, sure,” responded Twilight, still stuck in her gape. Upon recovering from such a big yawn, she opened her eyes, surprised to find the Teridax rock sitting upon Fluttershy’s flank.

It behaved almost like it was glued to her—which only escalated Twilight’s suspicions of its spiritual nature. Twilight shook her head once again before following her friend. Dragging just behind Fluttershy, she stared down at the stone and stated, “I thought you were getting Angel.”

“Hm?” asked Fluttershy, her ear twitching. A scarlet glare flashed in her eyes.

“You know that’s your rock—right?”

In response to Twilight’s question, the haughty pegasus snorted, “Oh, what’s the difference?”

Such words were almost enough to draw Twilight to a complete halt. “Well, Angel’s a bunny, and—” She decided to stop herself right there.

Careful, Twilight, an inner voice warned, You don’t want to drive Fluttershy away, do you? Realizing she needed the pegasus for the task at hand, Twilight held her tongue. But even so, she couldn’t help but think, Why is she acting like this so suddenly? I know Fluttershy has a bunch of animals to care for and that she loves them all very much—but does she have to lose her temper with me?

She let out a sigh before realizing, “Where are you taking me, anyway?”

“To the town,” replied Fluttershy. “Someone there has to know where the chicken went!”

It didn’t take long before Fluttershy and Twilight made it to the Ponyville market place. Elation swept over the ponies’ heads at such a sight.

However, before either pony could receive answers of the whereabouts of the chicken, a yellow filly jumped in the way. “Hi, Twilight! Howdy, Fluttershy!”

“Applebloom!” exclaimed Twilight, a smile on her face. “Whatcha up to?”

Letting out a sigh, Applebloom responded, “I’ve been spending the whole past hour lookin’ for your chicken, Fluttershy!”

Her ears perked in slight surprise, the pegasus asked, “You knew?”

“Yup!”

Fluttershy didn’t know whether to feel absolutely infuriated or pleased with this filly. Yes, she was making an effort to find the lost chicken—but she had made absolutely no effort to simply tell Fluttershy about the chicken’s absence. Her shyness was the only thing keeping her from snapping at Applebloom.

Despite Fluttershy’s silence, Applejack’s sister could tell something was peeving Fluttershy. Her ears flattening against her head, Applebloom wondered, “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” Fluttershy immediately replied. “Just—nothing.”

Silence came between the three ponies before a small growl filled their ears. Giggling in response to such a noise, Applebloom put a hoof over her belly when she explained, “Haven’t had breakfast just yet.”

“Oh,” muttered Twilight, “Neither have I.”

A small pause slipped in before Fluttershy admitted, “I just woke up.”

“Not to worry, everypony,” Twilight chimed. “I have all the bits we need.”

“Oh boy, oh boy!” cried Applebloom, ready to sink her teeth into a carrot pancake. “Thanks, Twi!”

A smile on her face, Twilight responded, “You’re welcome. Come on, let’s go get something to eat.”

Chapter 9 Just A Little Chat

“That’ll be fourteen bits, ma’am!” said the clerk.

A hospitable smile on her face, Twilight placed the money on the pony’s table and responded, “Here you go!” And with that, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applebloom received their food.

Upon making their way to their table, the three ponies found themselves sitting within a place of beautiful smells and friendly faces. Sitting before Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applebloom—respectably—was a bowl of flower salad, kettle soup, and a plate of carrot pancakes.

Licking her lips in pure hunger, Applebloom cheered, “Well—let’s get eatin’!”

“Yes,” Twilight agreed with a smile. “Let’s.” And with that, she activated her horn’s magic and telekinetically lifted her fork from the table. Using her magic, she gradually started consuming the salad before her.

Witnessing as Fluttershy lapped up her soup, Twilight gave a twitch of her ears when she realized, “Oh yes—Fluttershy!”

Soup dripping off her lips, the startled pegasus flinched before asking, “Yes?”

A look of sympathy showing on her face, Twilight wondered, “How do you think people feel whenever you give them the stare?”

Such words caused Fluttershy to lose her appetite completely. “Do you mean—?”

“What kind of emotions do you inflict whenever you give somebody the stare?” explained Twilight.

Fluttershy blinked in response to such a sudden question. The soup before her seemed to vanish when she snorted, “I know it’s not a good feeling—that’s for sure.”

At that point, Applebloom was stuffing her face with the carrot pancakes. Sticky syrup mixed into the hyper horse’s bloodstream. A storm of great energy and hyperactivity was brewing right under their noses. Perhaps they should have given her something less sugary.

They couldn’t blame her; she was tired of eating nothing but apples at home. Sometimes she regretted being part of the Apple heritage.

Even as Applebloom engorged herself like the little filly she was, Fluttershy continued, “I need to confess something to you.”

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight wondered, “Confess what?”

Another pause drew between the two before Fluttershy continued. “I had a dream last night. A dream about Angel and Teridax. And in the middle of it, Angel gave me the stare.”

“But it was just a dream,” Twilight stated. “Right?”

“I want to believe it was just a dream,” Fluttershy sighed. “But it felt so real. I saw Angel look into my eyes and give me the stare.”

Twilight listened with perked interest, pushing her nearly-finished salad aside. Go on, she seemed to say.

“Anyway,” Fluttershy continued. “I just—I felt horrible. I felt like something was taking over me—like I had no control over my body. I'm sorry—I don't know how else to say it. I've never been a pony of many words."

Those words ringing within her ears, Twilight noticed Applebloom had just finished eating her pancakes. “That was delicious!” she squealed, licking her syrup-covered lips clean. Taking a look up at Twilight, Applebloom continued, “How was your—oh—you’re still eating.”

Giggling at Applebloom’s surprise, Twilight replied, “Yeah—Fluttershy and I were just talking.”

“Oh.” Applebloom bit her bottom lip. “Oh yeah! I still gotta find your chicken!” Without hesitation, the enthusiastic filly pushed herself away from the table and plopped herself on her feet. “Well, I guess I better be headin’ off. Thanks for the pancakes, Twi!” And with that, Applebloom went trotting off into the distance.

A smile on her face, Twilight shot a look toward Fluttershy—taking notice of the pegasus’ worried eyes. Ears flattening against her head, Twilight sighed, “Fluttershy—you don’t need to be afraid of Angel. And besides—the idea of a bunny giving you the stare and taking over you is just plain preposterous!" She sighed once more before continuing, “And in any case, why exactly did you think your Teridax rock was Angel?”

“I didn’t think it was Angel!” growled Fluttershy. “I know what I saw. I decided to take Teridax with me instead of Angel because—well, you know why.”

Through a wave of utter confusion, Twilight sneered, “I know why—what? How would I know why? And what do you mean you know what you saw?”

In response to the perplexed unicorn’s questions, Fluttershy did something Twilight had never, ever seen her do: she started grinding her teeth. Such an action released hideous sounds—the likes of which caused Twilight to cover her ears in disgust.

Through her covered ears, she heard as Fluttershy growled, “Isn’t it obvious, Twilight? Angel doesn’t love me anymore.” Within seconds, the grinding was replaced with sobbing. “He—he—n-never loved me!”

Pushing her soup out of the way—nearly knocking it off the table as she did so—Fluttershy buried her face into her front legs, pulling her head down to the table all the while. Despite what the surrounding ponies may have thought of it, the distressed pegasus murmured between sobs, “He—he doesn’t care about me. He just wants to use me. He just sees me as somebody he can live off of!"

In the midst of her weeping, she lifted her head from her legs—revealing her red, moist eyes. It was a horrid sight for Twilight to witness. Nobody—not even the cruelest of creatures—would want to see Fluttershy weep. As a result, Twilight couldn’t help but cringe upon witnessing the tears in her friend’s eyes.

Hoping to simmer Fluttershy down, far from her dilemma, Twilight placed a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder when she murmured, “Fluttershy—Angel loves you with all his heart.”

“Then why doesn’t he act like it?” sniffled Fluttershy.

Twilight—being the bookworm she was—wasn’t sure how to respond to her question. She’d read plenty of psychology books to understand emotions, but the most she could seem to squeeze out was, “He just doesn’t know how to express himself, Fluttershy.”

Pointing to the rock as it sat beside her, the weeping pegasus explained, “And in my dream, Teridax spoke to me.”

Wrinkling her nose, Twilight sneered, “Spoke to you?” ]Perhaps this whole supernatural thing is a reality after all.

Nodding her head, Fluttershy continued, “And Teridax—he told me that he would protect me from anything, including Angel!” Tears welled from the blue eyes once again before the yellow pony buried her face in her legs.

At that point, Twilight was out of options. The only thing she could do was pat Fluttershy’s back whilst simultaneously murmuring, “There, there.”

It was while calming her friend down when the unicorn heard a tiny “Psst!” ravage into her ear. Her ear tickling, Twilight turned her head toward the source, noticing one of the waitresses was standing right beside her.

In the midst of Fluttershy’s agony, the waitress asked through a whisper, “Would you like me to take your food to go?”

“Yes please,” sighed Twilight. It was at that moment when she noticed something peculiar about the waitress.

She was an earth pony with a peach pelt and a cutie mark shaped like a vine of green grapes. Her hair was red like a red velvet cake.

Before the pony had a chance to turn tail and find a box for the two customers, Twilight wondered, “Hey—have I seen you before?”

“Oh, probably not,” the pony replied. “My name is Vineyin; I just moved into Ponyville from Canterlot.”

“Really?” asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow. “Because I used to live in Canterlot—and I’ve never seen you there!”

A bead of sweat rolled down Vineyin’s face when she stammered, “Oh—well, I—I like to move to other places is all.”

Unconvinced by the pony’s words, Twilight shot a look into Vineyin’s eyes—only to find herself pulling away in mere seconds. It was as if staring at Vineyin had caused acid to leak from the corners of her eyes. What just happened? she wondered.

Noticing Twilight’s sudden rebuttal, Vineyin scooted a little closer in when she asked, “What’s the matter Twilight?”

Vineyin’s eyes—while pretty—held some kind of evil aura in them. Instead of being white like all other ponies’ eyes, Vineyin held a shade of blue and green covering the vast majority of her eyes. It would have seemed a gorgeous sight to most ponies—but not to Twilight, for some reason.

That was when she realized another oddity to this pony. “How did you know my name?”

The pony seemed to gasp at the hearing of those words. “I—I’m just good at remembering names! And besides—who hasn’t heard of you?”

“What?” asked Twilight.

Almost as if she hadn’t heard a single word of the conversation, Fluttershy poked Twilight’s shoulder when she wondered, “Can we start going to Canterlot, now?”

Surprised by Fluttershy’s newfound desire to leave, Twilight blinked before responding, “Just a moment.”

A scowl plastering over her face, Vineyin whispered, “Your friend over there seems a little rude, doesn’t she?”

Nearly letting out a gasp, Twilight corrected, “No—not really. If anything, she’s the complete opposite of what I would call rude.”

Vineyin shook her head and retorted, “She’s exactly would I would call rude. Think about it; she interrupted our conversation.”

“Oh, give her a break!” Twilight snapped. “She’s been through a lot lately. Heck, I’m surprised she hasn’t been acting all that bad today.” Well, actually, Twilight corrected herself, she has been acting a little grouchy today. But I can kinda understand that.

Breaking herself out of her thoughts, Twilight looked up at Vineyin and commanded, “Just please—get our boxes so we can leave.”

Blowing the red hair out of her eyes, the waitress pony sighed, “Fine,” before leaving Twilight and Fluttershy to their business.

“Are you feeling any better?” asked the concerned friend.

Even as a nearby train blew its horn, Fluttershy found herself forced to respond, “A little.” She sighed before she took hearing of the train once again.

It was the train they were to ride during their trip to Canterlot. Fluttershy witnessed as ponies of all cultures exited the train—bringing with them the many auras of their homelands.

As the smells of Canterlot, Saddle Arabia, and many other origins flooded her nose, the pegasus nearly flinched when Twilight said, “Well—let’s get going!” Shaken by those words, Fluttershy hesitantly picked herself up on her feet and started following Twilight.

Feeling the Teridax stone still sitting upon her rump, she wondered what all the other ponies must have thought of her. They probably think I’m a freak! After all, who in Equestria goes around carrying a dark rock with her?

In the midst of her dreadful thoughts, the distressed pegasus gasped when a ghastly voice growled, Don’t you ever think—not for a single second—that the other ponies think of you any less than they think of themselves! You are a wonderful pony, Fluttershy. You are more beautiful than Rarity, more strong than Rainbow Dash, more smart than Twilight, more fun than Pinkie Pie, more austere than Applejack.

They were sudden words, but enough to make Fluttershy's heart leap. Almost feeling the need to shed a tear in response to those words, Fluttershy replied, Thank you.

“Fluttershy!” called Twilight’s voice.

Startled, Fluttershy shot a look up—witnessing as her unicorn friend stood below the train’s entrance. “Yes, Twilight?” she asked through a murmur.

"You're holding up the line!" Twilight explained.

“I am?” It was at that moment when Fluttershy took a look behind her. Behind her spot stood a horde of ponies—shouting things like, “Get a move-on!” and “What’s the holdup?” Not an ounce of consideration seemed to show in anypony's eyes.

Feeling as if she had just irritated everybody in Equestria, Fluttershy flattened her ears against her head. Her voice barely above a whisper, she apologized, “S-sorry!” Knowing that one word wasn’t anywhere near enough to make up for her foolishness, she made her way up to the train—following Twilight all the while.

A nervous smile plastered over her face, Twilight let her friend sit down first; she followed immediately after. She watched as Fluttershy set her Teridax stone down on the table. As ponies from around the world boarded the train, the pegasus stared—tranquilized—at the stone before her.

Without any idea of the thoughts running through her friend’s head, Twilight let out a sigh and thought, Oh Fluttershy—you’re a great friend, but you scare me sometimes!

What unknown evils did this stone bring? What kind of terror did it impose on Equestria?

Chapter 10 Enter the Volcano

Hidden beneath a layer of leaves lied Lyra—who slept peacefully beneath their cover. It wasn’t anything like sleeping in a bed; leaves constantly scratched her with their rough leaves and tickled her with their soft tips.

As she slept beneath the plants’ cover, the cyan unicorn felt one of the leaves tickling her nose. In response to such an uncomfortable sensation, Lyra’s nose twitched as she lied in sleep. It twitched once more. Unable to control her nose, the unicorn pulled an intake of air and sneezed—which pulled her out of her sleep.

Rubbing her nose, Lyra groaned and pushed the plant out of her face. How long have I been asleep? she wondered, shaking her head. Judging by how badly her red eyes stung, she hadn't been asleep very long.

The light was clearly portrayed amongst the plants—making a green aura surround Lyra as she sat beneath all the vegetation. Having been suddenly driven away from her sleep, she rubbed her nose once more before picking herself up on her hooves.

Her head shooting above a fort of leaves, she witnessed as the strong sunlight appeared before her eyes. Letting out a yawn, the awakened unicorn thought, Day two on this strange new world. Where will I go today? Was she to recede back into the vegetation or pursue toward the beach? Her answer came when she took sight of a blue biomechanical creature amongst the beach. Sitting in the water next to this creature was what looked like a metal boat. “Help! Help!” the creature cried.

Oh great! Lyra thought with a sigh. More people who think I’m a monster!

However, much to her surprise, the familiar red-and-blue creature walked out from the vegetation and toward the blue person. “What’s wrong?” he wondered.

“My village has been attacked!”

Oh, thought Lyra, feeling the red flushing out of her face. Relieved, the little pony watched as the two biomechanical creatures continued conversing. She lost all interest in what they were taking about; she just wanted to sneak past them and move on with her life.

Keeping this thought in mind, she kept a close eye on the two creatures—eagerly awaiting her golden opportunity.

It took some patience—but after much waiting, she witnessed as the two biomechanical creatures clambered up into the boat resting behind them. Within seconds, they both started sailing off into the vast ocean.

Finally! Lyra thought with a sigh. Relief washing over her, she emerged from all the plants at last. At last she found herself in the midst of the beach’s space and openness—the likes of which stretch out for what looked like a whole mile. With the sun no longer on the verge of setting, she could see this easily. This place is so big! I’ve never seen anywhere like this in Equestria!

In the midst of her thoughts, the pony started wandering within the beach. There’s more sand here than there is in Saddle Arabia! she thought with a snicker.

She didn’t realize it, but Lyra was walking straight back into the hellish landscape from which she came. I miss Bon Bon, she thought, looking down at her hooves. She’s the only pony in Equestria who ever showed me any affection or laughter. Well—Pinkie Pie showed me a whole bunch of laughter, but not like Bon Bon.

Such thoughts were nearly enough to bring the unicorn to tears. What if I never see her again? she sniffled. What if—what if she dies not knowing what happened to me? What if—?

She stopped. Wait a minute. How did I get here? Feeling as sweat dripped from her brow, Lyra looked here and there—but not one single trace of the beach showed in her eyes. She was back in the volcanic landscape; only this time, she stood closer to the volcano than ever. The heat from this fiery mountain reached out to the pony, making her feel like falling over in defeat.

In addition to being trapped in a place she cared not for, the pony had no idea where to turn back around. The heat didn't help her situation, either—as it made her feel lightheaded and thirsty. She may as well have been stranded on a desert.

It was while trying to gain some composure when she heard voices coming from the inside of the volcano. Are there...people in that volcano? As absurd as it seemed, Lyra went with her theory. Shaking her head, the unicorn realized, If the people in there see me, they’ll think I’m some kind of monster! What was she to do? She couldn’t go forward and she couldn’t go back.

Is this dark forest going to be my home from now on? Simply thinking about that possibility led her to shivering.

The weight of the world seemed to press down on the pony’s shoulders; meanwhile, she noticed as the ground started shaking uncontrollably. What’s going on? Lyra asked, struggling to stand on all four hooves.

It was while asking herself this question when the cyan unicorn witnessed a giant crab-like creature walking out of a doorway in the volcano.

Wait a minute, she thought while squinting. Since when do doorways exist in volcanoes? Regardless of such thoughts, Lyra felt an overwhelming urge to run away rise within her throat. But her legs were stiff—frozen in place from her own terror. If she couldn’t run, she could hide; but where was she to go? She would have hidden underneath a bush of vegetation—had one existed.

Without anywhere else to go, the pony stood her ground and clenched her eyes shut—worrisomely awaiting her doom. Within seconds, she heard the pitter-patter of crab legs tapping against the hard, charred ground. Such a sound only grew louder and louder as time went on.

Had she any fingers—which she desperately wanted—Lyra would have crossed them. Please don’t hurt me! she silently begged. Just the thought of getting into someone's squabbles made her close her eyes tight.

It didn’t take long for the sound of footsteps to dramatically slow down. Such a noise lifted a heavy weight from Lyra’s chest. Confused, she opened an eye and took a good look forward—surprised at who she found. “You!” she cried, her eyelids both shooting up in surprise.

“So—we meet again.” Sitting upon the crab was Kapura—who came off as almost camouflaged in contrast to the volcanic colors behind him. “Lyra, right?” he asked, lifting himself off the crab.

The baffled unicorn responded with a nod of her head. After letting a pause of silence fill the air, she stammered, “Wh-what is that thing?”

“What thing?” wondered Kapura, acting as if the crustacean wasn’t even there.

Wanting to knock the Matoran’s head back into place, Lyra pointed at the beast with her hoof and exclaimed, “That thing!”

Turning his head toward the crab, Kapura chuckled, “Oh—that’s my friend’s ussal crab.”

Her gaze fixed on this creature, Lyra murmured, “Ussal crab?”

Interrupting her train of thought, the red biomechanical creature hissed, “And would you mind telling me what you’re doing out here in the open?”

Suddenly nervous, Lyra let out a chuckle before responding, “I—uh—didn’t see where I was going and I bumped back here.”

At such awkwardly-placed words, Kapura snorted and replied, “And you really expect me to believe that tale?”

At that point, Lyra had had enough. “Don’t you dare assume that I’m lying to you!” she snapped, her head hanging low over Kapura’s. “Let’s make this clear, little one: I will not have anybody telling me I’m a liar.” Bending down even further, Lyra ground her teeth and growled, “Is that clear?”

Maybe I should have killed her! thought Kapura, feeling the urge to retreat. With some hesitation, he let a gulp slide down his throat before he replied, “S-sorry—please don’t hurt me!”

Seeing the fear in the puny Matoran’s eyes, Lyra pulled herself away from Kapura and let out a sigh. “No,” she began, unable to meet his gaze, “I’m sorry.”

Slightly relieved, Kapura walked over to his crab—which surprisingly hadn’t moved a muscle. Does it even know what just happened? he wondered. Regardless of such thoughts, Kapura pointed out, “Anyway—what do you think you’re doing here? If my people catch you out here, they’ll kill you!”

Her patience wearing thin once again, Lyra responded, “Like I said earlier—I got lost.”

“Oh—right!” Kapura muttered. “Where exactly did you say you were going?”

A sigh escaped from Lyra’s lungs before she answered, “I don’t know where I’m going. Home, I guess—but I still don’t know how I’m going to get back.”

“Oh,” the Ta-Matoran murmured. After a moment of silence came to pass, Kapura pointed out, “You know—there might actually be a way to get you back home.”

Her ears twitching, Lyra flinched when she asked, “Say what?” With perked interest, Lyra brought herself up to his stout body—pushing her nose up against the top of his mask all the while. “I can see her again?” She wanted to look happy—almost pleading—to Kapura, but her eyes held a look in them which seemed to ask, Why didn’t you tell me earlier?

“Yes,” Kapura replied with a nod, “but it’s very risky.”

Huh? “How so?” asked Lyra, her hopes slightly dashed. “What’s your plan?”

A sigh escaped from the Matoran before he explained, “I’m gonna try to smuggle you into Onu-Koro.”

Almost gasping at those words, Lyra thought, Is he serious? Feeling somewhat uneasy, the cyan pony wondered, “And how are you going to do that?” A million other questions sat in her head, but she had time for only one.

Without hesitation, Kapura grabbed what looked like a lasso and wrapped it around Lyra’s neck.”You’re going to be my rahi,” he explained.

“I am?” Such a thought made Lyra wrinkle her nose. She took a look down at the rope tied around her neck. “Oh—I get it,” she sighed. I just wish he would stop treating me like I’m an animal—when I’m so much more than that!

Hopping back onto his ussal crab, Kapura said, “Now then—let’s head on our way to Onu-Koro.” And with that, he ordered his crab to turn around back home.

Lyra had taken less than two steps toward the volcano when she asked, “Hey Kapura?”

“Yes?” the Ta-Matoran replied.

“Why do your people hate me so much?”

“Well,” he began with a sigh. “It is not that they hate you. The only reason why they want you dead is because they think you are a wild rahi beast. If you stay with me, then they will think otherwise. The thing about us Matoran is that we have been tortured by rahi for years; my Captain even says they are becoming stronger.”

Taking Kapura's words with a grain of salt, Lyra wondered, “Do you think they’re getting stronger?”

Had he been walking—and not sitting on a crab—he would have halted right then and there. “I do not know, Lyra,” he admitted. “I just do not know.”

“One more question,” the pony began, resisting the urge to pant like a dog. “How in Equestria do you and your people survive in this heat?”

“Shh!” Kapura hissed. “We’re entering Ta-Koro and I do not want anybody finding out that I have a talking rahi with me.”

“Oh,” whispered Lyra. “Got it!” And with that, she locked her lips shut and followed behind Kapura and her crab. At the same time, she thought, How am I going to survive down here? I’m going to suffer from heatstroke if I stay here too long!

Regardless of such thoughts, she held herself close to Kapura—hoping not to lose herself in the horrid temperature. It didn’t take long for her to find herself crossing paths with other Ta-Matoran—each of whom seemed to share concerned murmurs whenever she passed them by. It’s great to know that nobody notices me, she thought while rolling her eyes. At least none of Kapura's friends are here to see me.

Just being here made Lyra's eyesight blur—made her head spin. Her vision impaired her so badly, Lyra wondered While she managed to keep herself close to Kapura and his crab, she swerved the whole way there.

As she and Kapura continued pushing through the village of Ta-Koro, Lyra noticed as the temperature gradually started decreasing. Good thing, too, she thought with a sigh. If I sweat any more, I’ll start dehydrating.

“We’re almost there,” murmured Kapura. “Just a few more steps.”

Oh, wow, Lyra panted. She could hear her heart racing—leaping up into her throat with every beat. Just a few more. She repeated those words in her head as she came closer and closer to sweet coolness.

Before her eyes came an aura of darkness—the likes of which brought down a wave of relief on her. Feeling as if her eyeballs had been stung with the heat, she rubbed her eyes with her foreleg. By the time she had finished doing so, she found herself standing within a deep, dark cave.

“Come on,” commanded Kapura. “Just a few more and we’ll be safe.”

Okay, Lyra felt tempted to reply. Sure enough, she found herself in a reasonably warm place. At the same time, she heard Kapura say, “You’re all good!”

The sound of those words vibrating within her ears, Lyra flicked her eyes wide open. A mix of sweat and tears covered her eyes as she found herself in the midst of the coolest place she had crossed paths with in what felt like months. “Whew!” she sighed, shaking the sweat from her hair. “I feel like a wet dog!”

Kapura found himself slightly confused at the pony’s words, but shook the thoughts out of his head. “Well then,” he began with a sigh, “I believe it is time for us to depart.”

Her ears twitching in response to those words, Lyra turned to the Ta-Matoran when she asked, “But—where do I go from here?”

After taking a deep breath, he explained, “Head down this tunnel until you find a dimly-lit village. Once there, sneak past the Onu-Matoran guards and see if Whenua has any answers to your question. He’s the leader of Onu-Koro.”

His crab turning around, Kapura kept his eyes locked on Lyra when he cried, “I wish you the best of luck, Lyra!” And with that, he strode off back into Ta-Koro.

Chapter 11 Underground City

Noticing as she stood all on her own within the cave, Lyra felt as the surrounding darkness clouded all around her. Such a notion sent a horrid shiver down her spine--the likes of which made her think, I don't know about this.

She wanted to return home to Ponyville--to see all her wonderful friends once again--but was afraid of the consequences she was to face. She had just been through hell; what worse threats awaited?

Some strange, hidden presence lingered here--ready to leap out at her at any given moment. Get a hold of yourself, Lyra! the trembling pony shouted at herself. I gotta find some way to get to this Onu-Koro place!

Keeping the thought in mind, Lyra pursued deeper into the cave. It didn't take long for her to catch a glimpse of light. Such a sight lifted a heavy weight off her heart.

Light! It was as if all her worries had vanquished. Increasing her pace to a brisk run, Lyra pulled herself closer and closer to the light. Such a sight almost brought a tear to the little pony's eye.

Here we go! she thought with a smile. This must be Onu-Koro!

Keeping this thought in mind, she peeped her head over at the light source. It's a--stone? Such a thought boggled the pony's mind--making her wonder, What else have I missed?

She looked over the corner and noticed a most peculiar sight: a stream of molten lava! Such a sight almost made her want to scream. After being through Ta-Koro, the last thing Lyra wanted to see was more lava.

Sweat dripping from her brow, Lyra pulled away from the fire-infested room. I don't think that was Onu-Koro! She thought whilst panting.

Feeling as her heart leapt into the bottom of her throat, she let out a sigh and turned to face the darkness. I'm guessing it's down here--only much further. A gulp slid down the pony's throat as she continued her descent into the shadows.

As she plunged further and further into this unknown territory, Lyra found herself constantly saying, "Just keep going--just keep going--" That was until one of her hooves bumped against a rock--causing her to trip and fall flat on her face. Such a phenomenon made her release an irritated moan. Stupid rocks, she thought while picking herself up, rubbing her sore nose.

In the midst of her small pain, yet another dim light appeared before the unicorn's eyes. This time, however, she made sure not to get her hopes up too soon. Could just be another pool of lava.

Much to her surprise, she found herself standing before a barely-lit village in a matter of seconds. Huts--the likes of which looked like they were made out of mud--littered the place. Each one had a slightly small light emanating from them.

There were a few poles with lightstones on them--but even that was not enough to keep the place well-lit. Is this Onu-Koro? Lyra pondered. It looks like a ghost town!

With shadows covering nearly every corner in sight, she could barely even see where she was going--but that meant the Matoran couldn't either! But where do I go from here? She scratched her head at such a thought. Who is this person Kapura told me about?

As the question rang within her head, Lyra took a look to her right. Standing before her was an Onu-Matoran--the likes of whom could see her without a problem. "Gah!" she screamed, startled by his sudden appearance. At that moment, the cyan unicorn found herself absolutely baffled--without any idea what to do.

Realizing she had nowhere else to go--and nothing else to do--the pony submitted. "Um--hi!" she piped, a wide smile on her face. "My--"

But before she could even finish her sentence, the Matoran let out a horrified screech--the likes of which made Lyra feel as if her ears were about to start bleeding. "Monster!" he cried, pointing a finger at the pony.

Placing a hoof over the Matoran's masked mouth, Lyra hissed, "Shh--keep it down! Don't get me in trouble!" The last thing I need is more trouble.

Despite his fear for Lyra, the Matoran hastily removed Lyra's hoof from his mouth and blinked twice in awe. "You're not a monster," he murmured. "You're a talking monster!"

Lyra wanted to knock this little black creature unconscious.

Before she could do so, the Matoran realized, "Wait a minute--you're perfect!"

Letting out a snort, Lyra wondered, "Perfect? For what?"

"I can see it now," the Matoran went on. "I will forever be known as Onepu: the one who rode a talking rahi beast!"

"Hey!" the pony shouted, breaking the Matoran out of his self-induced trance. "Just what are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't be like that!" the Matoran snorted. "Do you not even know who I am?"

Slowly, hesitantly, Lyra shook her boggled head--to which the Matoran replied with a sigh. "My name is Onepu," he began. "I am the greatest ussal crab racer in all of Onu-Koro!"

Wrinkling her nose, Lyra asked, "Ussal crab? You mean like the kind that Kapura was riding?"

"You know Kapura?"

Those words made the unicorn freeze. She felt the urge to wince away as thoughts of dread started poisoning her mind. Maybe I shouldn't have told him that. Oh--why can't I keep my big mouth shut?

As she silently scorned herself for speaking out of turn, Lyra noticed as Onepu placed a muzzle over her snout. In retaliation, Lyra tried protesting against the Matoran--only to find her words muffled against his restraining tools.

"There we go!" he cheered, a smile on his face. "Now then," he muttered. "I can get--"

Without warning, Lyra whinnied, hoping to shake Onepu and his muzzle away. Unfortunately for her, Onepu was strong--like all Onu-Matoran. As a result, he held her down with ease. "Whoa, there!" he exclaimed, looking the angry pony in her red eyes. "You're mine, now!"

In denial, Lyra screamed, "Mne!" Stupid muzzle!

"I'm going to use you for the crab races."

But I'm not even a crab! Lyra wanted to protest. And besides--I'm a horrible runner! It was true; every year during the Running of the Leaves, she was one of the last ponies to finish. It was such an embarrassment to have to come in panting--thinking she had done a decent job--only to realize she'd made a horrible performance. All Bon Bon's candy held her down.

Was it right for a horrible runner like her to lie so somebody like that--out of fear for what would happen if she refused? Her stomach churning with fear, Lyra decided to hold her tongue. It was the only thing she could do, after all.

With her mouth sealed tight and her eyes moist from depression, the shackled unicorn followed behind Onepu--a small line connecting her to him. Surrounding the newcomer and her owner was a rather large group of ussal crabs--most of which slept soundly within the large hut surrounding them.

"You'll sleep here!" Onepu explained, tying the pony to a nearby pole and taking her muzzle off. "Enjoy!"

Enjoy? That one word's utterance made Lyra want to tear off and smash the Matoran's mask. She could practically feel steam fuming out of her ears and nose. But now--as she stood restricted to the fence--Lyra knew there was nothing she could do to regain her freedom.

What am I to do now? she asked, hardly able to comprehend everything she had just been through within the past couple of days. Were all her efforts for nothing? She had come here just to fail in the end? Was this her destiny? Were all things destined to fail as she had? Even with their unities in place and their duties clear, was it everything's destiny to fall apart in the long run?

Once again, she asked herself, What am I to do? Then she looked over at the nearby crabs. I wonder if they can understand me? Is that possible?

The pony thought back to the buffaloes of Appleoosa. From what she could gather, the ponies involved in that crisis were able to actually talk to the foreign animals. Could Lyra do this with crabs?

Drawing in a deep breath, she decided to take her chances. It was a ridiculous and less than likely chance, but a chance nonetheless.

A gulp sliding down her throat, she looked one of the crabs in the eye. Such a sight made her shudder; it was like staring into two relentless black holes. Lyra had barely enough will to keep her eyes open.

Oh come on! a voice shouted at her. It's not that repulsive! The thought pulsating in her head, she opened her eyes wide and faced the crab once again. It's almost like when I met Onepu! she realized. Only this time, it's a lot less awkward.

Even with that being the case, she found herself struggling before finally receiving the urge to utter, "Hello?"

In a matter of a heartbeat, the creature started mumbling. In a matter of another heartbeat, it asked, "What do you want?"

Lyra jumped. Oh my, she thought, both surprised and relieved. It understands me! The thought sucked a sigh out of her. Clearing her throat, she began, "What's going on in here? Why is that Onepu guy holding us against our will?"

The crustaceous creature could only scoff. "Against our will, eh?" It rolled its eyes before confessing, "I may not have come to the master personally, but I've enjoyed every moment of the races here!"

Wrinkling her nose, Lyra replied, "I'm probably not even gonna be good at the races. I'm not a running pony!"

"A running what?" wondered the crab.

"Never mind." Lyra let out a sigh. "Just forget about it." With that, she lied down in the dirt.

Chapter 12 Crab Races

Was it an hour? Half an hour? Regardless of how long she had just slept, it comforted the pony to know she at least got a bit more rest. Her eyes didn't seem to burn as much as they had last time she awoke, but they stung enough to draw her to rubbing them furiously.

Seeing the pony opening her pinkish eyes, an ussal crab—the very crab she had spoken to before falling asleep—threw a pebble at Lyra. To such a rude action, she responded with a hasty, "Ouch! What did you do that for?"

"Wake up!" he replied. "The master wants us to get outside."

Those words alone brought a twinkle to Lyra's eye. Outside? she wondered, resisting the urge to smile. I haven't been to that place in ages! It was an exaggeration, but an exaggeration which made her feel a bit fuzzy on the inside. A large part of her felt like asking exactly where they were going, but an even larger part of her feared asking such questions would only result in disappointment.

Feeling the uncontrollable need to breathe in fresh air, Lyra started running toward the exit—only to remember she was tied to a pole. "Ack!" she choked. "I think I gave myself whiplash!"

All the other crabs had to cover their faces with their large claws just to keep the unicorn from seeing their humored expressions, from hearing their snickering.

Struggling to speak—almost as if he had just struggled to hold back a laugh, as well—Onepu told her, "You still have a leash on, you know."

I know, the pony silently growled, trying to rub her neck—only to feel her rope restraint holding her back. Don't chuckle; just take it off!

As if the Matoran had read her thoughts, Onepu reached an arm out to the pony and started untying the rope. "Oh, what am I doing?" he laughed, releasing his grip. Upon doing so, he picked up Lyra's muzzle—the likes of which sat atop a wooden crate by Lyra's tail.

To such a realization, the pony nearly facehoofed herself. It was there the whole time? She had to puff out her rosy cheeks just to keep from screaming.

"Knock that off!" Onepu demanded, referring to the unicorn's cheeks. As he slipped the noise reducer onto Lyra's snout, he continued, "You've gotta be grown up, at the least—so act like it!" And with that, he strapped the restraint over Lyra's mouth and nose. After which he pulled Lyra's head through the leash's lasso-like opening.

Lyra took only a few steps into freedom when her Matoran rival landed a firm smack atop her flank. The very sensation made Lyra freeze.

Not seeing her panicked state, Onepu murmured, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now!" With little warning, the little man jumped upon the pony's back.

Still frozen, Lyra silently wondered, D-did you just smack my butt? The simple thought of somebody touching her like that made her feel small—like she had just shrunk down to half her size.

Knowing nothing about the thoughts in the pony's head, Onepu landed a hand on Lyra's neck and asked, "Are we going to get moving, now?"

Her ears twitching and her eyes flaring just a little bit, Lyra replied, "R-right—moving!" The pony did as she was told, but felt confused as to where exactly the Matoran wanted her to go. Upon stepping through the exit of this little mud house, she noticed all the crabs following behind her, their many stumpy legs pitter-pattering along the dirt.

Once again, Lyra—her eyes very weak compared to the rest of the villagers'—found herself blinded by the shadows. Every step she took made her fear tripping—and the fear only built upon itself with a Matoran sitting peacefully on her back.

Despite all her seeing difficulties, the pony witnessed a familiar figure wandering around the shady ecosystem. Something about this figure—this character, more like—just made her want to squint her eyes and wonder, Who is that? A small amount of color came to the figure's body—telling her this person clearly wasn't from here.

"Oh, jeez!" the nearly-completely-silhouetted man moaned.

The sound of his voice made Lyra's ears twitch. He sounds—so familiar! she noted, her teeth lightly grinding together.

Hardly able to see, the little man reached into his bag and pulled out a lightstone—much like the ones Lyra earlier witnessed on her way down this village.

A great sphere of light exposed itself before the pony's eyes. Such a sudden difference in brightness nearly blinded her. The light held amazing power, but most stunning of all to Lyra was what it revealed: the colors red and blue.

With a gasp, Lyra took a step back and pointed at the figure in question. "It's you!" she screamed. "You tried to kill me!"

Onepu didn't ask any questions. "Oh, please!" he retorted. "Like there's anything dangerous about the Chronicler!"

"Chronicler?" the blue-and-red Matoran wondered. "Is that what I am?"

"Don't give us that!" Lyra hissed. "You're not fooling anyone; I know—!"

"Excuse me, sir!" an Onu-Matoran guard called out to Onepu from the end of the tunnel. "Is your rahi talking?"

Had he the ability, he would have started sweating. "Talking?" Onepu snorted, trying hard to hide his nervousness. "What are you talking about? Rahi can't talk!" He then bent down to Lyra's ear and muttered, "Talk and I'll have my crabs give you the business!"

A gulp sliding down her throat, Lyra decided to keep her lips sealed. I'm not even allowed to help myself. What am I gonna do? Keeping quiet seemed the best option.

"Yeah—it was talking!" the oddly-colored Matoran answered.

"Oh, would you just cut that out?" Onepu scoffed. "I mean, really!" He then turned and faced toward the colorful man and explained, "All this adventuring is giving you hallucinations, Takua. And you!" Facing the guard, he stated, "You're clearly overworked! You should take a break."

Hearing those words made Lyra want to nod her head in agreement—but she was wise enough to realize doing so would prove the Matoran's suspicions. Instead of nodding, she let a bead of sweat roll down her neck—as if to say, Please fall for it—oh please fall for it!

The guard looked at Lyra for a moment and then shook his head. "I've never seen that type of rahi before. It makes me wonder if it really does talk!"

Impatient, Onepu insisted, "No—it is not!" As those words blasted through the underground village, the small army of ussal crabs stirred uneasily.

Almost afraid of Onepu and his crabs, the guard took a step back. "Alright, alright—" he muttered. "I'm going to take a break and see if that creature of yours really does talk. Till then, stay out of trouble." And with that, the guard walked away—leaving Takua all by his lonesome.

Ignoring the Matoran atop her back, Takua sped up to Lyra—making sure she could see him. "I know I saw you talking!" But at the same time he couldn't help but wonder, Where have I seen her before?

In response to his snootiness, Lyra blew a raspberry right in Takua's blue face.

Shocked by such a rude display, Takua stepped back, wiping his face all the while. After getting her spit out of his eyes, he looked up and glared at Onepu.

"What?" asked Onepu, playing the innocent act. "That stuff happens when you're mean to animals."

"Oh, whatever!" Takua groaned. Without hesitation, the Matoran turned tail and walked away.

That'll teach him! thought Lyra. As the pony felt a small sense of pride well up within her thoughts, she felt Onepu pulling on her ear.

"Hey!" he shouted. "No time for dilly-dallying. Get moving!"

Feeling the small pinch at the tip of her ear go away, Lyra inhaled sharply and told herself, It'll be over soon enough. She crossed her imaginary fingers in the hope that people just would stop physically assaulting her. Despite these thoughts, she only managed to mutter, "Okay."

That one word flying off her tongue, Lyra started blindly walking through the village of Onu-Koro. She had no idea where she was supposed to go, so she devised one strategy: unless Onepu said otherwise, she would travel in the direction she believed he wanted her to go. And that direction was straight.

But first stood the issue of simply navigating through this never-ending shadowy landscape. Lyra could see a good three meters past her own nose, but that was about it. Because of this crippling factor, any sense of depth she wanted to see in this village held no place in her mind. She could not tell if this place was tiny and confined or large and open. The thought of it all made her bite the inside of her cheek.

"Hey."

His voice made Lyra flinch. It's that guard! she realized. But where is he?

"Oh, hello there," Onepu replied. "Are you feeling any better now?"

"I guess," he sighed. "Your animal hasn't been talking right?"

To such a question, Onepu merely chuckled, "No—no she hasn't, thanks."

"Okay," the guard confirmed, his voice—at least from Lyra's perspective—seeming to come from the blackness. "At least I can be sure that this world hasn't gone totally insane just yet."

That last statement nearly pulled a laugh out of Lyra. Puh-lease! This whole world went insane long before I set hoof in it! You think talking ponies is the beginning? How about red men who like to kill animals? Even with these thoughts in mind, Lyra still managed to keep quiet like a butterfly.

"Carry on, then," the guard mumbled and pointed toward a tunnel. "Po-Wahi is just that way."

What in the heck is a Po-Wahi? thought Lyra, confused, but feeling like the guard had just given her a huge helping hand.

That's where we're going? At that moment—once again, her thoughts were interrupted when Onepu pulled her ear, as if to say, "Get moving."

In response, Lyra walked off to the tunnel. Above it she saw what looked like a circle-based language; its presence made her want to scratch her head. The words—carved onto a stone banner—sat there under a small row of lightstones.

As she walked up to the tunnel's mouth, unsure what to think of this great cave, Lyra noticed one of the crabs walking up right beside her. Feeling like the crustaceous creature would snip off a bit of her tail at any second, she kept the crab occupied by whispering, "What does that say?"

The crab blinked. "What does what say?" Clearly it wasn't the same crab she had slept by earlier.

However, that didn't stop Lyra's temper from escalating. With a hiss, she explained, "Those circles up there!" As she uttered those words, she pointed up at the text with her eyeballs.

Just barely seeing the minute motion of her eyes, the ussal crab looked up and suddenly realized what the pony was referring to. "Oh," he murmured, feeling dumb. "I'm a bit rusty at reading, but I think it says,: Po-wahi left and Dig-site right."

Relieved, Lyra replied, "Thank you," and increased her pace. The longer she stayed in this blindfold of a village, the more she worried about tripping over something in the dark. But before she could find some good lighting, she first had to trudge through yet another tunnel.

Please have more lightstones! she hoped, her teeth grinding with the thought. I don't care how good the villagers or crabs here can see in the dark; I can't see worth squat! Oh, if only Onepu knew!

If Onepu hadn't been such a close-minded, bossy tyrant this entire time, he would have known the pony's limitations. He would have known she came not of this world, but from a world that—quite frankly—wasn't in some kind of mysterious disarray. Indeed, Onepu was nothing like Kapura. Hopefully Lyra wasn't mistaken by meeting Kapura first and thinking all the inhabitants on this island were nice. In which case, she had no one to blame for all these horrors but herself.

Before too long, the crabs—who held no fear of treading into the darkness—started making their way ahead of Lyra. You should have hopped on one of the crabs' backs, she silently suggested to Onepu. You should have smacked one of their rear ends—not mine! The thought made her slowly blow out some steam as she moved forward.

"Hey—talking rahi," grouched Onepu. "If we could move faster—"

"First of all—" Lyra interrupted, keeping her gaze forward. "I am a pony and my name is Lyra. Secondly, I can't move that much faster because—at least compared to everybody else here—my vision is terrible. If you wanted an animal—or rahi, or whatever—who could quickly get you through the darkness, you've chosen the wrong one."

"Don't backtalk me!" His words echoing through the tunnel, the angry Onu-Matoran squeezed the pony's two ears and gave a great yank.

Lyra started grinding her teeth, feeling like her ears would rip right out of their seams at any moment. Before this day, nobody had ever grabbed her ears—and never before did they pull them up to the point where tears wanted to fall from the unicorn's eyes. By the time it was all over, Lyra felt as if her ears had grown to twice as long as before.

Bending down to Lyra's sore ears, Onepu whiseer, "Going to try that again?"

"N-no!"

He pinched her ears. "No—what?"

Again feeling the need to start crying, Lyra corrected herself. "No, sir!" As if by voice command, the pinches in her ears ceased. Thank Celestia! She now knew Onepu's biggest expectation from his animals: loyalty. Too bad I'm not Rainbow Dash.

It looked like simply walking wasn't going to do it; Lyra needed to pick up the pace. Even with her eyes serving as a crippling factor to her existence in this place, she had no other option.

From what seemed like out of nowhere, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel—quite literally. However, with further inspection, Lyra realized out she had merely made it to an intersection between two tunnels, both of which had foreign text above them.

Once there, Onepu directed, "Go left."

At least now I'm getting some directions. Maybe Onepu's cryptic commands would finally end. Perhaps the end of this tunnel would lead her to her destination.

It all came down to hoping. She hoped she wouldn't trip over a rock. She hoped she actually had gone down the left path. She hoped Onepu didn't find any reason to tug her ears again. Lyra could only cross her invisible fingers for so long—for soon she took in the sight of a golden desert.

A beach with no water, a plain with no grass; it must have been her destination. She could not imagine having to go even further, and certainly wished to stay as far away from the darkness as possible. Thankfully, two words confirmed the answers to the cyan pony's questions.

"We're here," announced her master.

"Whew!" Lyra sighed. "I actually kind of like it here."

But if Onu-Koro was too dark, then this place was too bright. Onepu and a few of his crabs had to shield their eyes from the sun just to keep from going blind. Lyra saw this and scoffed.

Now without any real tasks in front of her face, she could really appreciate the soothing feeling of sand beneath her hooves. Her feet made round imprints in the ground, while the crabs left behind skinny holes.

"Alright, then!" Onepu announced. "I believe we have enough space out here as it is."

Enough space for what? thought Lyra.

Not even considering her question, Onepu shouted, "Everybody get in a line. Now!"

Almost immediately, the cluster of crabs scrambled. Such an unorganized mess of creatures running this way and that proved enough to make the pony's head spin. She could only ask, Where am I supposed to go? Just as that thought crossed her mind, all the crabs seemed to have already set themselves in an orderly line. Such a realization made Lyra's pupils shrink and her skin crawl.

"Pony!" Onepu growled. "Get in line."

Without hesitation, she trotted over to one of the lines ends. At least he's trying to get to know me better, she noted. But he still hasn't learned my name. The thought made her grunt.

The Matoran took one last look at his line before giving a nod of approval. "Excellent," he muttered. "Now then. Let's see who's best at racing."

Racing? Lyra silently shouted. Already?

"On your marks—"

No! Not those words!

"Get set—"

I guess there's no avoiding it now. She worried too much—rather than prepare for the inevitable.

"Go!"

And off they went. As if they all worked under one mind, the crabs moved as fast as they could, their individual paces not holding much variety. However, just seeing those crabs rushing out into the desert—with no fear of what lie ahead—set Lyra into a momentary trance.

"Pony!" shrieked Onepu, noticing as she seemed to freeze in place. He had to stomp his foot just to pull her out of hypnosis.

Violently shaking her head, Lyra knocked herself back into reality and started running. A flame sprouted beneath her hooves as she dashed forward.

Relative to a pony, she moved at a snail's pace; relative to a crab, she bolted through like lightning.

Even with the desert sun burning her eyes, she managed to see clearer than either of the ussals around her. Even with the ussals' natural colors blending in with those of the desert's, she easily picked the crabs apart from their surroundings. At the same time, she stuck out of the desert like a sore, green thumb.

Lyra looked back at the crabs. Wow, she thought with a giggle. Doesn't Onepu put these guys in racing competitions? What's so great about seeing slow things move? That's like when Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash put a turtle against all those other animals in a race.

Onepu found himself both stunned at Lyra's speed and ashamed that he hadn't seen this coming—so ashamed he was drawn to hitting himself atop his head. I should have guessed the pony would have done better than the crabs, he mused. Her legs kinda give that away. The thought in mind, Onepu called out, "Hey, pony!"

In response to those words, Lyra—having already escaped from the crabs' cluster—flinched and turned around immediately. With speed unimaginably slow for a pony, she returned to the Matoran. "Yes?" she asked, already feeling partially out of breath.

Bluntly, Onepu told Lyra the truth. "You're not fit."

Lyra nodded her head as she bit her lip. "I have been letting myself go," she admitted. "I think it's because Bon Bon's candies are really—"

"That's not what I meant," the impatient Onu-Matoran cut in. "I mean to say that putting you in the races would be unfair." Paused in between sentences, he looked down at his feet and thought about it for a moment. "How would you like to compete in the Muaka races, instead?"

One ear raised over the other, Lyra wondered, "What's a Muaka?"

Unsurprised by her ignorance toward the many rahi beasts looming around Mata-Nui, Onepu explained, "Muaka are tigers who chase—" Little did he know, he’d already screwed up.

"Tigers?" shrieked Lyra, not seeing how anybody could feasibly suggest such a thing. Is his mask on right—or has he just lost his mind? Either idea seemed to make sense. What kind of person would think a pony had anything against a tiger? "No way, Jose!"

His temper flared—and Onepu reached for Lyra's ear, but missed as the pony took a step back. Had he any teeth, he likely would have been grinding them.

"Ah ah ah," Lyra chided. "I think you've tortured me enough with that today."

"What are you talking about, pony?" growled the Matoran.

"My name is Lyra! L-Y-R-A! Get it right. Seriously—there are old people who remember my name better than you do. Old people!"

That whole time she had spent yelling at, correcting the Matoran, Lyra felt a small sense of bravado rising in her heart. Against her fears and her worries, the pony managed to stand up to the very creature who had imprisoned her in his home for what felt like a week.

At this, Onepu merely walked behind the pony. "What're you doing back there?" asked Lyra. Already feeling the fear coming back, already feeling the sweat dripping off the back of her neck, the unicorn bit her bottom lip and silently asked, If you slap my butt again, I swear—

Sure enough, the pony's sensitive ears noted the sound of Onepu's hand drawing back, ready to do something. That something simply made Lyra lose it. No! With that one silent word, she squeezed her eyes tight and gave a great kick of her hind legs. They are all the same, she thought while kicking the man behind her. Once they get on my nerves—

Wham! Like Takua, he went flying straight back. However, with nothing for him to crash into, he merely skyrocketed before losing altitude. Mere seconds passed after this loss of elevation when he face-planted into the sand. That may have stunned him, but Lyra realized she had to get out of there as fast as she could.

In spite of her slowness, Lyra ran straight out of there—out into the wild, dry desert.

The sound of hooves stomping against the ground caught the crabs' attention. "Hey," one of them uttered to the rest. "That other rahi is getting away!" All the other crabs flinched at those words.

Had she not been trying to get away from all those suddenly-alerted crabs, Lyra would have frozen in place. I hope those guys don't have enough energy to catch up to me! The thought in mind, Lyra let a grin cross her face. Phooey! They'll never catch me—even when I am slow for a pony.

By the end of it all—the end of the race, the war, the day—Lyra found herself panting like a hyperventilating dog. It felt like an hour since she had started running; she could feel it in her hooves. As the sun started its gradual descent from the sky, the broken-down unicorn decided to take a seat next to some desert rocks. I'm so glad I get a break and have some time to get away from everybody else.

Those thoughts playing over and over in her head, Lyra took a look around at the desert around her. Just that made her feel a culture shock.

What is with this place? she wondered. Six statuette masks—each one holding completely different features—surrounded her in a circle. One of them reminded her of Tahu. This whole land is just—just oozing with multiple cultures. Lyra felt that if she had to tell the multiple villages apart, regardless of their geological features, she could decipher each one apart easily.

Sitting in the midst of these stone monuments, the pony could hear something clicking from behind. Such a sound nearly caused her heart to stop. Oh no, she thought. They're still here! The pony ground her teeth in impatience.

Just when she felt like the crab would pop out at her at any moment, Lyra swallowed her pride and turned her head over her shoulder. As expected, a huge crab sat on the other side of her. "Gah!" she cried.

"Ack!" the crab screamed through a feminine voice. "Ah—uh—sorry!"

"I'm not going back!" Lyra declared. "You can’t make me!"

Had the crab any eyebrows, she would have raised them. "Going back where?"

Part of the pony wanted to believe this crustacean was telling the truth, but rather than show some sympathy, she retorted, "Back to Onepu—that's where!"

"Oh—I remember Onepu," the crab recalled. "He was always the best at racing crabs. I can remember all those things he taught us." The crab paused for a moment. "But I thought he was a bit too harsh on us."

"What do you mean you remember Onepu?" wondered Lyra, letting her guard down slightly, her voice calming down all the while.

"I'm retired," the crab admitted. "I was a crab racer for Onepu for many years. I already know how he works. And besides—"

The crab paused, looking at Lyra suspiciously.

"How would you know anything about Onepu?"

"Because," Lyra growled. "He tried to put me in his squad of racers. I got out, though."

"I'd hope so," the crab replied. "My name is Pewku."

In response to this, Lyra snorted. "We're not friends, you know."

"I—I know that!" the baffled crab replied. "I just wanted you to tell me your name."

"Lyra," the pony muttered. "But you may as well just call me the one-dumb-enough-to-leave-home-and-put-herself-through-this-punishment." She sighed, looking down at the ground and fighting back tears. "I just—I can't believe I lost so much in one day. And here I am now."

As those last few words ricocheted around the sculptures, Lyra took a look up at the strange masks. "It's like everywhere I go is different. I fear and I hope—with Princess Celestia as my witness—that I can remember where I've been and how to get back."

As Pewku stood by, listening to her pony acquaintance's every last word, she caught sight of a Po-Matoran wandering within the background. He seemed to be coming closer as every second ticked on by.

Her rant dying off, Lyra noticed the Matoran, as well. "Who is that?" Oh no! Did I speak too loud?

Chapter 13 Some Answers

"I love you—I love you so much!"

"Um—Fluttershy?" asked Twilight, nervous to even nudge her pegasus friend awake. The sleeping pony had some unusual sleeping habits. Come to think of it, Twilight recalled Fluttershy having ground her teeth, talk in her sleep, and snore; it wasn't the quiet type of snore, either! The princess-loyal unicorn couldn't sleep a wink with that chainsaw going off.

Pushing past her fears, Twilight poked Fluttershy on the shoulder. "Fluttershy!" she said again, her voice rising. "We are almost here; wake up!"

With a snort, her pegasus friend almost immediately stopped snoring. "Wh-what?" she asked, wiping the saliva off her lower lip. "What happened?"

Twilight chuckled. "You look like you had a good sleep." After giving a short pause, she asked, "Are you aware that you talk in your sleep?"

"I do?"

"And you snore—really loud. I could hardly sleep, myself."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head. "Oh," she whispered. "I'm sor—"

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Twilight interrupted. "But I think you might want to see a doctor about the whole situation."

Her ears still layered over her head, Fluttershy murmured, "Okay."

As the two friends sat down in the train's passenger seats, they sensed as the locomotive itself slowly drew to a complete stop. The chugga-chugging made like a dying record, shifting into a dramatic ritardando before its focus of energy stopped turning.

"Here we are, folks!" cried the conductor, running from one door to another in the hope of opening them all before anybody even dared to leave. In between heavy breaths, he continued, "Thanks again for choosing Equestrian Locomotives!"

A smile on her face, Twilight picked herself off her seat and muttered, "Well, here we are!"

"Yes," Fluttershy added meekly. She followed her unicorn friend out the door, making sure not to hold everypony back again. All the while she held Teridax on her bottom, knowing the rock wouldn't easily fall off. Once out, once absorbed in Canterlot's royal air, Fluttershy felt lost within the big city. It feels like forever since we've been here!

Indeed, whispered her stone.

Stop talking, Teridax! shrieked the pegasus. Just stop it, alright? I don't want to hear any of it!

Do you want me to hurt your animals? the stone threatened, shifting slightly as it sat upon Fluttershy's rump.

My animals? asked Fluttershy. Why would you bring— But then she halted, her ears perked and her eyes unblinking, when she realized just what Teridax was talking about.

Twilight—who had been walking by Fluttershy's side the whole time—stopped where she was and turned her head in the pegasus' direction. One ear twitching, Twilight stopped as well and asked, "What's wrong, Fluttershy?"

Her face locked in the same, horrified expression, Fluttershy could only manage to stammer, "M-m-my animals—they—they're in trouble!!"

"What? Trouble? What do you mean?"

Her breath heavy, her heart beating at the pace of a drumroll Fluttershy blinked once, then twice, then explained as calmly as she could, "The-they have nobody to look after them when I'm gone!" She could already picture all those innocent animals aimlessly wandering around her tree of a house, not knowing how to feed, bathe, or generally take care of themselves. By the time she could even return, an army of skeletons would have appeared, dwelling amongst her house. The thought terrified her, driving her to sniveling and covering her eyes with her hooves.

"Oh—oh right!" Twilight realized. "Of course. I'll send a letter."

Sniffling, Fluttershy uncovered one of her eyes and sobbed, "What's a letter going to do?"

"I can tell Spike to take care of your animals!" explained Twilight. "All I need is some parchment—which I'll be able to find in the castle—and we'll be good to go!"

Her ears perked up a little upon hearing those words. "Spike will take care of my animals?" asked Fluttershy, her tears dried up a little. "Well, I—I guess that's okay." The pegasus in distress paused, then realized, "Oh—but you have to remember to tell him to feed Angel cucumbers and carrots, make sure Angel is bathed at least once a week, make sure the butterflies get their fair share of nectar..." On Fluttershy went, every one of her words sharing her animals' concerns—or so she believed. Following close behind Twilight, she eventually made it into Celestia's castle—but even then, she still hadn't finished off her list of things for Spike to make sure of for when he eventually babysat the animals.

At that point, Twilight had already picked up a quill and a piece of parchment. Controlling the stylus with her magic, jotting down just about every one of her friend's words, Twilight felt like telling the overreacting pony to calm down and take a deep breath. Upon the parchment Twilight wrote:

Dear Spike,

I just realized that Fluttershy and I left without having somebody take care of her animals. Because of this, I want you to forget about that shelf reorganization I told you about and just take care of Fluttershy's animals.

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle

After sending the letter, Twilight let out a sigh and asked, “I don’t get it, Fluttershy. Earlier you said your animals could take care of themselves.”

Fluttershy looked like she would vomit. “What?” she screeched, her teeth grinding and eyes on the verge of balling. “I would never—I repeat—never say something like that!”

At that, Twilight took a step back and cringed. It was small, but enough for Fluttershy to see.

“What?” asked Fluttershy. “What is that about?”

For the first time in her life, Twilight felt genuinely afraid of the pegasus before her. What had Twilight done to awaken the demon hiding in Fluttershy’s heart? “N-nothing—”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Celestia took a step inside the room. The very sight made Fluttershy immediately close her jaws, made her pupils shrink, almost made her whimper. Seeing Fluttershy’s reaction, Twilight put a confused look on her face and spun around.

Just then both ponies noticed something peculiar about Celestia—peculiar, but devastating in their eyes. Something about such peculiarity made them wonder, Can princesses get sick? Celestia let out a yawn and a cough as she entered the room. Every step felt unbalanced and disorienting to her; her ability to walk in a straight line was out of the question. Simply looking down at the plight of stairs below her made her want to throw up.

Twilight—it seemed—was most concerned about Celestia’s current state, so concerned she forgot to bow to her. “Princess!” the unicorn exclaimed, pushing past Fluttershy and rushing to Celestia’s aid. Two steps at a time, she climbed up the plight of stairs and asked, “Wh-what’s going on? Did you catch a cold?” Oh, please tell me it’s just a cold!

“T-twilight,” Celestia began, hardly able to keep her eyes open. “I’m so glad you could make it in time.”

“In time for what?” wondered Twilight, trying not to get distracted by Celestia’s questionable posture.

“There’s something I need to tell you—before it’s too late.” She choked on her words. “It’s related to that letter you—” But before she could finish her sentence, Princess Celestia shot a look over at Fluttershy, instantly noticing the rock riding atop her flank. At that, her body froze—almost as if she hadn’t any balance issues.

Witnessing as the princess’s ears perked up, as she seemed to stare off into space, Twilight waved a hoof in front of Celestia’s face and asked, “Excuse me?”

A gulp slid down the alicorn’s throat. Much unlike a princess, much unlike a person with any sort of authority over Equestria, she started shaking in fear. “What is—that thing?” she asked while pointing with her hoof.

Following the princess’s hoof led Twilight to Fluttershy—specifically, Fluttershy’s rock. “Oh,” sighed Twilight. “That.”

Understanding what was going on and what Twilight and her mentor were talking about, Fluttershy put an angry look on her face and pouted. "I really—really wish everypony would stop treating Teridax like he's some kind of monster!"

The utterance of the name Teridax made the princess cringe. "Teridax, you say?" asked she, struggling to simply look at the rock. "Fluttershy—I apologize for my lack of patience, but get that rock off your flank right now!"

Challenged by a princess, thought Fluttershy, her teeth grinding once again. Enchanted by the bravery her stone seemed to bestow upon her, the pegasus swallowed her pride, held her nose high in the air, and replied, "Oh, Celestia—just because you're princess means you can boss everyone around, doesn't it? I think it's very funny the way you let power get to your head."

"And I for one think it's very funny how you let that stone of yours get to your head!"

Twilight, having stood quietly and patiently for the past minute, glanced at Celestia in surprise. She knows about this rock? she wondered. She knows what kind of awful feelings it can invoke? The unicorn blinked at the thought.

Not seeing the concern in Twilight's eyes, Fluttershy picked herself off her feet and started levitating toward the princess. Her wings beat faster than Twilight had ever even expected from a pony like her. The unicorn found it funny how Fluttershy—a pony who could hardly even keep herself afloat with those underpowered wings of hers—managed to fly with a rock glued to her rump.

"Well, you know what I think, Princess?" scoffed Fluttershy. "I think it's wrong for you to pick on little people! What if I became princess and started treating you the same way you—"

"That's ENOUGH!!" Those two words seemed to pull the breath out of Twilight. "Stop fighting, both of you! You're just making yourselves look bad!" Not to mention, you're embarrassing me to no end!

As they watched the unicorn come between them, huffing and puffing and struggling to keep peace within the castle, Celestia and Fluttershy both started calming down.

With a cough, Celestia began, "Oh—my sincerest apologies." She looked like she would start bowing to the two regular ponies. "Now—if you would please, I'd like to go into the castle basement."

Fluttershy—having dropped back down to the floor—nodded her head and murmured, "Y-yes—I'd like to go, too?"

Asked Twilight, "The castle has a basement?" I mean—not that there's anything wrong with that, but since when do royal castles have basements?

After walking through what felt like a hundred of Twilight's houses, the three ponies finally made it to the door of the basement—the likes of which had a lock covering the knob. Using her magic, Celestia entered a combination into the lock and twisted the knob, letting her guests and herself enter.

Before the three ponies appeared a long staircase—the likes of which lead to a room lit by a single window. The whole room itself looked like it hadn't been touched in years; a few spiderwebs and a lot of floating dust made that clear.

Twilight, resisting the urge to sneeze, turned her head toward Celestia and asked, "Princess Celestia—what did you bring us here for, again?

"It's about that letter you sent me," Celestia began with a sigh. "How the book has a foreign language printed in the back—and that it mentions Nuva Stones and a Great Cataclysm." The princess sighed again, this time feeling a little less congested. "There's a long history of Equestria you two do not know."

"Long history?" asked Twilight, turning and making sure Fluttershy was listening.

Celestia nodded her head. "It all starts long before any of those old pony tales—as you so called them, Twilight—ever took place." She bit her lip. "I've never told anypony this; I hardly even mention it to Luna." She paused and gave them the short and sweet version. "Fluttershy, Twilight—Equestria has a sister world."

Fluttershy set a puzzled look on her face. "E-excuse me?"

Twilight seemed just as confused. "A—a sister world, you say?" She didn't know whether to giggle or gasp. "I don't think I quite understand."

"I understand your confusion," Celestia said with a nod. "But I'll make it—" She broke out into a fit of coughing. "Sorry." Clearing her throat, the princess continued, "I'll make it clear. Every world in the universe has some type of spirit looming over it. For Equestria, Luna and I serve as that spirit. But do you know what happens when that spirit is unable to attend its regular duties?"

"Oh!" piped Twilight, feeling the drip of sweat falling down her face. "Well, it—" Her ears growing hot, she chuckled, "Oh my—I don't think I know this one. I've never read about that ever happening before."

"That's because it hasn't happened in Equestria," corrected Celestia. "But in our sister world, something horrible has happened to my brother."

"Y-you have a brother?" asked Fluttershy.

Celestia nodded, then turned around to face a dust-cloaked chest. Using her magic, she opened up the chest and pulled out a map—along with a small booklet. "My brother watches over this island."

Curious, Fluttershy and Twilight walked up behind their ruler. Upon doing so, they took notice of a large, diverse island—the likes of which covered the vast majority of Celestia's map. A few parts of it were green with vegetation, others tan with sand, and still others white with snow. "What is it?" asked Twilight.

Celestia could only sigh. "This, Twilight, is Mata Nui: an island paradise named in honor of my brother—or so it was until Makuta Teridax took over."

Those last few words made Fluttershy freeze—then take a couple steps back. "T-Teridax?" she wondered, her voice on the border of becoming inaudible. "Y-you mean to say my rock has been causing all this harm?" Before either pony had a chance to answer, the defensive pegasus growled, "You dare think that?!"

Oh boy, thought Twilight, taking a step away. Please don't start this. But this was all Fluttershy seemed to want to start.

"No, Fluttershy," began Celestia, trying hard to conceal her frustration. "Your stone merely represents a dark spirit." As those words escaped the princess's mouth, as sweat started dripping down the alicorn's face, her blood drew to a boil.

At that, the pegasus calmed down a little. With a sigh, she replied, "Fine."

It seems I have to choose my words very, very carefully when I'm around these two. The temperature of her blood started to decrease as those words flowed within her head. Her head inches from the map of this strange, foreign island, she continued, "My other brother, the Makuta, has began his invasion—and as a result, he has left its people in turmoil."

"How exactly did he put them in turmoil?"

Knowing how simple, how almost silly the concept seemed, Celestia shook her head and explained, "A spell. A sleeping spell, to be exact."

Beyond her control, a snicker dropped right out of Twilight. "A sleeping spell?" she thought out loud, trying hard to keep herself from laughing. "I'm sorry—but how can something like that cause a bunch of commotion on this whole island? Even if a high authority was intoxicated with that kind of spell, what damage could it do? I mean—really? Sleep spells are so Magic Kindergarten!"

"That may be true," said Celestia with a nod, "but are you aware what happens when the everyday sleeping spell is used by a dark wielder?"

"Well," Twilight explained. "When that happens, the results can be anywhere from harmless to disastrous."

"Then it should concern you that Makuta is the spirit of darkness in his world. Not only that, but he has used his power—to his full potential—on Mata Nui. The Great Spirit Mata Nui, that is." Just as soon as she had finished her sentence, the princess fought a cough, but failed her battle and ended up nearly hacking up on her two visitors. The tickle in the back of her throat was simply too much for the princess to stifle. It was after letting out some of the irritation in her windpipe when she cleared her throat and continued, "When that happens, when the balance of power is lost, nothing but chaos remains. Without Mata Nui, Makuta is free to do as he pleases—and what he pleases is nothing good for anybody!"

"Well, I understand how it would affect the people on Mata Nui's island," nodded Twilight. "But how would that affect Equestria—or even you, for that matter?"

Despite being so sick, Celestia's voice rose. "It's the balance of power, Twilight! With Makuta in control of the island of Mata Nui, he will only want to take more power for himself. And besides,” she coughed, “The Elements of Harmony are meant to bring harmony wherever they can—and that includes outside Equestria’s borders.”

Twilight felt an embarrassed blush go over her face. “I guess you’re right, but would it be inappropriate for my friends and me to do this mission? This seems more like a task for trained warriors, rather than the Elements of Harmony.”

Celestia chuckled and put a smile on her face. “When you get there, you’ll know why I sent you, Twilight.” She cleared her throat and continued. “Similar to the case I had with Luna many centuries ago, Makuta has infested his land with darkness—and now with Mata Nui out of the way, he needs another source of power: and that source is his eldest sister."

Dilated pupils showed on Twilight's eyes when she realized, "B—but, that's you!"

"Yes," said Celestia with a nod. "And soon enough, I will be put into a long—if not everlasting—sleep."

For what felt like the first time in hours, Fluttershy finally spoke. "What?" she asked, shaking the Teridax stone off her rump, making it fall to the floor on its side. "B-but if you're asleep, that leaves Luna—"

"—and if Luna takes over," Twilight interrupted, "Makuta will seek power from her!"

"Exactly," Celestia nodded. "And that is why I have summoned you here. The elements of harmony must be used with the elements of power to defeat this evil threat."

"But wait—" began Twilight. "If you needed all the elements of harmony, why did you summon only Fluttershy and me?"

"Because in my current state, I can only protect two additional ponies in my castle."

"Protect us?" asked Twilight, her interest perked.

But before Celestia could answer, a great haze clouded over her head, making her very dizzy. As a result, she lost her grip on the map and leaned toward the nearest wall. It wasn’t until doing so when she regained some composure. “M-Makuta is a stronger dark being than what Equestria is used to.” She paused for a moment, looking terrified, leaned in, feeling nauseous, and murmured, “Shadows are everywhere—and where they are, so is he.”

Alone, those words froze the two ponies, making the sound of silence split the air. It wasn’t until Twilight murmured the words, "I see," when the silence broke.

"Anyway," the princess continued, hoping not to jump on her hooves too soon. "Let's go get your elements—and you'll be on your way."

Chapter 14 Unity

"Where is it?!?!"

"Fluttershy, calm down!"

Teeth grinding together, the pegasus snapped, "You calm down!!"

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, Twilight cut in, "Fluttershy, please—you're making a scene in front of the whole train department." She muttered each word carefully and concisely, making sure not to stir up any more drama. "We'll deal with this after we get our friends and give them the elements."

Through her teeth did Fluttershy breathe, sucking in her last word of fury. All that air she let out in a simple, "Fine." Her ear twitched as the word came out.

"Thank you," Twilight sighed, making sure the elements were still in the bag Celestia had given her. Good riddance, thought Twilight, huffing some hair out of her face. She’s better off without that thing, anyway. The thought in mind, she shook her head and carried on, beckoning Fluttershy to follow her. Fluttershy, ever the quiet pony, followed behind, her face screwed up in frustration all the while.

“Where are we going first?” asked Fluttershy.

“First to your house,” explained her unicorn friend. “I need to tell Spike to stop babysitting—”

“No!” insisted Fluttershy, her wings flapping and her pupils dilated. “We’re not going to my house! Who knows how long we’ll be in Marta Nui?”

“Mata Nui,” Twilight corrected. “And if you’re going to be like that—then fine! We won’t go to your house.” She paused and sighed again. “But while we’re still on the subject, could you go get—"

"HERE COMES PINKIE!" Like a speeding bullet, Pinkie Pie came plummeting toward Twilight, tackling her to the ground as she did so. Nose to nose with her friend, the pink pony looked right in Twilight's eyes and asked, "Whatcha doin'?"

Twilight, caught completely unaware, blinked—as if to ask, "Why are you on top of me?" Lying below her friend like a rat in a cage, the unicorn set an unamused look on her face and asked, "Pinkie Pie—what are you doing?"

"Well, I was—" Wait, what was I doing? The thought running through her head, Pinkie removed her hooves from Twilight's shoulders and pondered Twilight's words. A few seconds later, she smiled brightly and replied, "I have no idea! But who cares?" It was almost immediately after uttering those words when she noticed the elements spilling out of Twilight's bag. "Hey! Why carry those around?"

Twilight turned her head toward the elements and immediately realized what Pinkie was talking about. "Oh!" exclaimed Twilight, hoping she hadn't lost or—Celestia forbid—broken one of the elements. To her relief, everything remained intact.

But before Twilight could put all the elements away, her pink friend caught a glimpse of her sapphire balloon element of laughter. Such a sight made her bounce, nearly pinning Twilight to the ground once again in the process.

"Hey!" shouted Pinkie. "I just noticed something—actually two things! For one, part of my hair is actually cotton candy—and for two, I think we're gonna go on another adventure!"

Slightly baffled by Pinkie's spot-on prediction, Twilight wondered, "How did you know?"

"Because!" snorted Pinkie. "If you flip to the next chapter, the story talks about us going to Mata Nui!"

The next what? Twilight shook her head. "Well, at least you know where we're going—and you seem enthusiastic—so here, take your element." And with that, Twilight used her telekinesis to take the element of laughter off the ground and clip it around Pinkie's neck.

"Ohhhhh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" exclaimed Pinkie. "So what now? Are we gonna find our other friends?"

"Yes, Pinkie," replied Twilight. "But first, Fluttershy—"

The pegasus' ear twitched when she looked up at the unicorn and said, "Hm?"

"Here." With her magic, Twilight let the element of kindness hang from Fluttershy's neck. "O-oh!" Fluttershy began. "Um—thanks, Twilight."

At that, Twilight smiled warmly. Slipping the slap over her sack of elements, she said, "Now, come on you two. Let's get going to Rarity's house."

"Okey dokey lokey!"

Slightly amused by Pinkie's cheerful, optimistic attitude, Twilight stifled a chuckle and sighed. "Let's see now—Rarity's house should be—I think it's this way!" she said while pointing a hoof forward.

And with that, the three ponies made their way to Rarity's humble abode. Twilight and Fluttershy walked as Pinkie hopped. Their stylish friend's home was not a hard thing to find—and as a result, the three ponies found themselves at her front door in very little time. Once at the front, Pinkie Pie shouted, "Ding dong!"

Twilight, rolling her eyes, waited for Rarity to come out of the door, but saw Sweetie Belle answering. Surprised, Sweetie squeaked, "Oh, hi!"

"Hello, Sweetie Belle," Twilight said with a smile. "We're here to see Rarity."

"Okay," the filly replied. "I'll go and—"

Before Sweetie Belle could utter another word, Rarity poked her head through the doorframe and exclaimed, "Oh, Twilight! There you are. I was wondering if somepony could help me search for diamonds—and I thought you were the perfect somepony for the job." It was at that moment when she noticed Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy huddling around Twilight. "Oh—I'm sorry," she began, her voice calming down a bit. "I did not realize you had company."

Caught slightly off-guard Twilight blinked, then cleared her throat and explained, "Actually, Rarity—I want you to come with us."

"Come with you, you say?" the white unicorn asked, one ear raised over the other. "Come with you where?"

"Mata Nui!" Pinkie shouted, making a ring form in Twilight's ear. "It's a big island with a bunch of cool, different cities in it. You should come!"

"Wait a minute!" Rarity began. "You're telling me to simply drop everything just so I can go to a strange island I've never even heard of? No thanks! I still have my own responsibilities here in Ponyville. I couldn't just leave my own little sister here!"

Frustrated, Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof herself. Hoping to clarify Pinkie's words, the unicorn explained, "Rarity, Mata Nui isn't just some vacation spot. Princess Celestia is sending us there on an important mission—one that requires us all be there so we can use the elements of harmony."

Those words proved enough to make Rarity feel slightly guilty. "O-oh," she murmured, her pupils dilating . "I'm sorry. Let me just take care of some things." And without hesitation, Rarity pulled herself out of her friends' sight, leaving Sweetie Belle to stand on her own.

"Hey!" the filly shouted back at her sister. "What ever happened to all that, Oh no! I can't leave my sister here! stuff?"

"In a minute, Sweetie!"

At that, the young unicorn sighed heavily through her nose and took a seat.

Seeing that frown on Sweetie Belle's face made Pinkie's ears perk up. "Hey," the earth pony said, her voice stuffed with sympathetic filling. "Rarity is just being—well—Rarity!"

"And I think I have an idea," Twilight added, changing the subject slightly. "I think if we ask, Applejack's family will take care of you, Sweetie—at least until Rarity and the rest of us come back."

Already the frown stood at the starting-line of the race off her mouth. "That sounds kinda fun, actually." She giggled at the thought. "I'd spend a few days with Applebloom, maybe do some tough work; I think I'd really like that."

Just as those words flew off Sweetie Belle's tongue, Rarity came waltzing out of the door, Opalescence resting on her back.

Almost immediately, Sweetie Belle placed a disgusted look on her face. "You're bringing your cat with you?"

"But of course!" insisted Rarity. "I want you and Opal to take care of each other—which means you're going to have to get along."

Her ears stung with the sheer amount of cluelessness Rarity's words held. That statement doesn't even deserve a facehoof.

Twilight, feeling no less dumbfounded than Sweetie Belle, popped in and told her friend, "Actually, Rarity, I was thinking Sweetie and Opal could stay at the Apple family's house until we all came back."

"Oh!" Rarity exclaimed, jolting and nearly making Opalescence lose her balance. "That sounds like a marvelous idea—just as long as I don't come back seeing dirt all over my two darlings' faces!"

Sweetie Belle, rolling her eyes, whined, "Rarity!!" Looking up at her older sister, she explained. "I'll be fine; just look at how much better things turned out the last time I tried living with the Apples."

"Well," Rarity sighed. "I suppose that is true." After a moment of thought, the unicorn decided, "Well alright, then."

"Well then!" Twilight began with a smile. "Rarity, let me just give you your element, and then we can head on over to Applejack's house."

As Twilight started pulling the element out of her bag, she remembered, "Oh yes—and Fluttershy, could you please go up in the clouds and get Rainbow Dash is doing?"

Despite already having a hunch that Rainbow Dash was sleeping, Fluttershy nodded her head and replied, "Okay," before lifting herself off her hooves and levitating toward the clouds.

"Okay. Now, then—let's go get Applejack."

"Thanks again for letting my cat and sister stay at your place, Applejack."

"Aw, shucks!" the orange pony replied. "It was nothin'. I'm sure my sister is just as happy as yours is about this whole getup."

Now all we have to do is wait for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and then we'll be able to travel to the Hayseed Swamps. The thought made Twilight shiver in fear, despite being right outside Applejack's sweet, old time-y house. Please hurry; I just want to get the swamp bits done and over with!

As if they could read Twilight's mind, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came floating down from the clouds. Dash had a rather large book—the likes of which looked way too big to be a Daring Doo book—in her mouth. The sight puzzled Twilight. What on Equestria is that book for? She wouldn't get her answer until both pegasi's hooves kissed the ground.

"I found her," said Fluttershy, her wings weary. "But she showed me this—well—this interesting book before leaving." At that, Rainbow Dash set the book on the ground.

"Here," Twilight began, pulling the element of loyalty out of her bag. "Trade me." Out went Dash's element and in went the bulky book; it was surprisingly heavier than all the elements of harmony combined. "I'll read this when we get there."

With all six elements together, Twilight recollected her thoughts and said, "Okay, then—the princess said to go to the Hayseed Swamps. From what I can understand, somepony went there and opened up a chamber of some kind. That chamber should have a portal—for some kind of means to get us to Mata Nui. I think Princess Celestia called it a Kinny." After a small pause, Twilight sighed, swallowed her pride and muttered, "Well, let's get going."

Epilogue

Author's Note

The end (of Part 1) has arrived at last! As Twilight gathers up her grounded friends, Fluttershy goes to see what Rainbow Dash is doing--only to find her holding something rather peculiar for a pony of her status.

Epilogue

An hour earlier....

Headstrong, for once in her life, Fluttershy flew up to the clouds in search of Rainbow Dash. It was there where she hoped some butterflies—maybe even hummingbirds—would accompany her. But alas, she flew alone. Despite being born a pegasus, she found the experience quite discomforting.

"Oh—Rainbow Dash!" she called, her voice not translating well through the sky. Where could she be? Is she sleeping and she can't hear me—or am I just far away from her? Either scenario proved enough to pull a sigh out of the tired pony.

Her wings already aching a little, Fluttershy decided to give them quick break. As a result, she ceased flying and landed upon a small, yet strong cloud. Up so high in the sky, she could hear nothing but her own breathing. Wait—was that even her own breathing?

It sounds more like— The pegasus paused and took a good listen. –like snoring! Those words on her mind, Fluttershy flinched and immediately faced the source of the noise. "Um—Rainbow Dash?"

She received snoring in response.

It looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way! And by that, Fluttershy meant hard for herself. Sure enough, as the pony followed the sound in her ears, the noise grew louder. Before long, it sounded like the roar of a lion; the sound nearly frightened the shy pony.

“Rainbow Dash?” asked Fluttershy once more, her voice just barely passing through the clouds. Yet even with her voice’s lack of strength, the snoring creature managed to pick it up—and let out a groan, as a result.

Swallowing her large pride pill, Fluttershy dashed off toward the source of the noise—and found Rainbow Dash sleeping soundly upon a soft cloud. Seeing this made her feel two things: relief and shame. For a reason unknown to her, Rainbow Dash had a book covering her face. Letting out a sigh, the pegasus rolled her eyes and drifted toward her snoozing friend. She used her hoof and her voice to wake Dash up.

At last, the sleepy pegasus managed to mutter some audible, understandable words. “F-Fluttershy?” she yawned. “What’re you doing here?”

“Twilight wants us,” replied Fluttershy. “Actually, she needs all the elements of harmony.”

Ears perked up, sleep completely out of the picture, Rainbow Dash sat up and asked, “Is it for—oh, wait a minute.” Guessing she must have looked like a total idiot right now, the blue pegasus pulled the book off her face. “I was just reading this weird book I found sitting on a dusty shelf—and lemme tell you: it is booooorrrrrriiinnngg!”

“That’s nice,” Fluttershy cut in, “But we need to get to get going.”

One last yawn escaped Dashie’s maw before the sleepy pony wrapped her hind-legs around the book and hoisted herself up from the cloud. “Let’s get going, then.”

For once in her life, Fluttershy led the way. Nothing but the soft whistle of gently-blowing wind filled the ponies’ ears. Nothing but light-blue and a few patches of white appeared before their eyes. Not another pony flew, walked, or stood in their line of sight.

Feeling slightly awkward flying in front of Rainbow Dash, not having a single word to say, Fluttershy cooked up a few questions for her friend. Her voice rose barely above the sound of the already-quiet wind when she asked, “So—Rainbow Dash—what all was that neat book of yours about?”

The blue pegasus rolled her eyes in agony and frustration. “Oh, Celestia,” she murmured to herself. “The book was talking about some animals called the Phantoka. The whole thing was like a record book for sightings that happened last year.”

“How did you find it?”

At that, Rainbow Dash snapped, “That’s none of your business!”

Fluttershy whimpered. “S-sorry!” Fighting back a couple tears, the yellow pony took a deep breath and thought. Boring or not, I think Twilight will want to see this.

End of Part 1