Equestricle: Coming of Harmony

Chapters

Twilight, Toa of Magic
Pinkie, Toa of Laughter
Applejack, Toa of Honesty
Fluttershy, Toa of Kindness
Rainbow, Toa of Loyalty
Rarity, Toa of Generosity
The Toa United
Mask Hunt
The Flight of Rainbow

Twilight, Toa of Magic

Gathered friends, listen again to our legend...of the Equestricle.

In the time before time, the Great Spirit descended from the stars, carrying we, the ones called "Ponytoran" to this paradise. We were separate, and without purpose, so the Great Spirit illuminated us with the three virtues: Friendship, promise and future. We embraced these gifts, and in gratitude, we name our island home Ponyville Nui, in the honor of the Great Spirit.

But our happiness was not to last. the Great Spirit had a sister, known as Marekuta, who was jealous of the honors she had given the Ponytoran and betrayed her. In her anger, she cast a spell over the Great Spirit, who fell into a deep slumber. Marekuta was free to unleash her power on the island. and unleash it she did. Sunlight grew cold, fields withered away, and ancient values were forgotten.

But hope is not lost...Twilight....

A beach. She was lying on a beach. she could tell as sand shifted around her as she got up, stretching both her legs and flexing her arms. Opening her brilliant violet eyes, she was dazzled by the sudden glare of the sun, rising over the clear blue sea, breaking over a rich coral reef, and stretching out to an unbroken horizon. A flock of great bird-like creatures raced past the sun, casting their great shadows over the beach. She shook the remaining sand from her body and looked around in confusion.

Where am I? She thought to herself. Who am I?

Twilight....

The word...possibly a name?...drifted through her mind. The word seemed to fit in her head. It made sense.

"Twilight...my name is Twilight."

That decided it for now. As for her other questions, there she was at a disadvantage, until she saw something that raised even more questions in her mind.

A silver object, perfectly cylindrical, lay on one side of the beach, a large bird sitting atop it and attempting to peck it, causing the cylinder to emit a clinking sound. Curious, Twilight walked up to it, at which the bird flew away towards an impressively great mountain range, and touched the surface of the object. It was smooth, cold, and slightly wet.

"It must have come from the ocean." Twilight walked around to the front and saw that the front of the cylinder was completely hollow. There was enough space inside to fit someone of her size inside.

"Is this how I got here?" Twilight asked aloud. As she walked up to the cylinder, she felt her foot collide with several objects lying, half-covered, in the sand. Twilight crouched down and picked two of the pieces up and tried to put them together. They connected into a long blade that fit well in her hand, but when she swung the sword, it felt heavy and awkward.

"Well then, I can see that this isn't going to work for me." Twilight laid the sword gently down on the sand and looking at the canister again. Something...she didn't know what...made her look down towards the base of the cylinder, and a pair of eyes met her's. A mask, almost circular in shape, was lying in the sand, staring at Twilight with hollow eyes. Sand was falling through the vents on the face of the mask, and a protusion, not unlike a horn, spiraled out of the top of the mask. What was even stranger was the decoration on the mask-a red, six pointed star, overlapping a similar white star, and surrounded by five smaller stars.

"Here goes nothing, I suppose." Twilight picked the mask out of the sand, and lifted it to her face. The mask slid comfortably on, and Twilight felt a surge of energy flow through her body. She bent down and picked up the sword again, only this time, the blade was pulsing with a purple aura. Even though Twilight was holding it at arm's length, she could still feel the power emanating from it. As an experiment, she waved the sword over her head. Purple sparks flew from the sword and hit the sand.

"Yes! Now we're getting somewhere!" Twilight shouted with glee. But was she really? She let the sword fall to her side as she was overtaken by a strange feeling. A feeling that this sword, this body, even this island, weren't meant to exist. It was as though the whole world around her was the cause of the strange feeling, and she wanted it to go away. The feeling stopped, but was replaced by a dark thought. A figure, shrouded in darkness, a pair of monstrous blue eyes, and a voice filled with contempt and hatred. And Twilight didn't-couldn't-remember who this figure was. And it made her panic. She dropped the sword, which sent sparks flying all over when it hit the ground. and tried to calm herself down by breathing deeply. In time, her hands stopped shaking and she picked up the sword.

For now, she had to find some answers to the infinite questions she had circling around in her mind, like "where am I?" and "What am I supposed to do here?". She seriously doubted that the island was uninhabited. It seemed huge, so there had to be civilization of some kind somewhere. She had to know. She needed to learn more.

"The knowing will come." Twilight said as she walked along the beach towards the same mountain range that the bird from before had fled to when she had approached it.. "At least, I hope it does."

Pinkie, Toa of Laughter

“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” The pink figure shouted as she fell from the top of a tree, and went speeding towards the ground. She nearly touched the ground, but was sent flying back up by the elastic material attached to her leg.

This was the life she loved. Pure, unfiltered fun. It was all she really knew. That and her name; Pinkie. It was a fairly random name. It suited her.

"Pinkie, master of silliness and smiles! That's me!" She said to herself. She admired her mask in a puddle as she fell down again. A bright shade of pink, with a darker pink for the unusually messy top half of the mask. Part of it went down past her left eye. The mask she wore was decorated with picture of three oval-shaped objects, two blue, one yellow.

Almost ever since she had found herself washed up on the shore of this mysterious island, and found her mask, she had just wanted to have fun. Many of the smaller creatures like her she had met didn’t seem to mind. In fact, they had been encouraging her to do just that. And Pinkie loved them for it.

As Pinkie shot upwards, she undid the elastic around her leg in mid-air, so that she flew over the top of the tree, did a backflip, and landed in yet another tree. She breathed out in excitement. “That was fun!” she shouted, and her voice echoed through the small forest area she was in. A couple of birds flew out of the trees and into the sky, forming a triangular formation.

Pinkie grinned to herself, though that grinning stopped when she saw a being, similar to her in design, yet much smaller than her, or so it seemed by this height, sitting underneath a tree, wearing a sad face that showed through her mask. Pinkie stopped grinning and dropped down from the tree and crouched next to the being.

“Hey, what’s the matter?”

The being gazed into Pinkie’s blue eyes with a mixture of both sadness and amazement. “What…are…you?” it asked with a light, yet still hard to make out, voice.

“I’m Pinkie, silly!” Pinkie said, smiling and patting the being on the back. “What’s your name?”

“T-Twitht.” The being stammered, a lisp apparent in its voice.

“Twitht? That’s a funny name.” Pinkie smiled, giggling slightly.

Twist didn’t seem to think so, because she looked even sadder than before. “Y-you’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” she said, apparently on the verge of tears.

“No, no, no! I’m laughing WITH you.” Pinkie said, comforting Twist again.

“Really?” Twist wiped her eyes and smiled hopefully.

“Yeah!” Pinkie said, drawing Twist into a hug. “Now, come on and smile!”

Twist stopped frowning and slowly, very slowly, began smiling, until Pinkie could see a great big grin plastered across the being's face.

“Heh…Twitht ith kind of a funny word, I gueth.” Twist said, giggling slightly.

“I know, right?” Pinkie said, letting go of Twist. “Now then, let’s get you home. Where is home for you, Twitht?”

“There’th a village called Pie-koro a couple of minute’th walk from here. That'th my home” Twist said, pointing to a path on the forest floor. “I’m thure Turaga Puddinghead will want to thee you, Toa Pinkie.” Twist began to walk along the path, with Pinkie following her.

“What’s a Toa, Twitht?” Pinkie asked as they walked. “It sounds like a silly name. I like it.”

“You are a Toa, Pinkie.” Twist said.

Pinkie started to giggle. "Toa Pinkie? That's super-duper silly! I love it!"

And she and Twist kept smiling, laughing and joking until they reached Twist's home village.

Applejack, Toa of Honesty

Buck...buck...buck...

Applejack used her powerful legs to kick through the solid stone cave. Something about this felt right to her. Honestly, it was the only thing that did feel right, aside from her name. Even after the power that her mask granted her, she still felt...wrong. This was the only thing that kept her focused.

As Apple jack gave one more buck, she burst through the rock and out onto a field, filled with lusciously green grass and gigantic trees, practically decorated with leaves. The sun blazed down brilliantly, so Applejack had to adjust her mask to keep it from going in her eyes. Her mask was also unique. A large round object on top of her head, held onto the mask by a hinge, served as an eye shield. It didn't bother Applejack too much, as long as it didn't get in front of her eyes fully.

As Applejack wandered through the orchard, she came across a large statue in the middle of a clearing. The statue was familiar to Applejack. Very familiar. It was a statue of herself, raising an arm in a victory pose, accompanied by five similar figures, all of them wearing masks of varying shape and size. Applejack went to take a closer look at the statue, and as she did, saw a word laid out in cobblestones at the base of the statue.

Apple-Koro.

"What in the hay is Apple-Koro?" Applejack asked aloud. It had part of her name in it, but she couldn't remember any Apple-Koro. In fact, she couldn't remember much, aside from her name and a few snippets of dreams. At least, she thought they were dreams. HOPED they were dreams, for some of them had been dark, and full of fear, but others were good, and filled her with a sense of happiness and belonging. Of...harmony.

A scuffling sound made Applejack turn her head. She noticed a shape running along through the forest. It looked an awful lot like her, only it was smaller.

"Hey! Hey! Howdy!" Applejack called to the smaller being. It paused in its tracks, turned, saw Applejack, and froze.

"Oh." It said, not closing its mouth. "Oh oh."

"What are you blabbering on about?" Applejack raised an eyebrow underneath her mask, then paused. Maybe this being didn't speak the same language as she did.

"Hel-lo." She said slowly. "Me...Apple...jack." She raised a hand to her chest armor, making sure to break up her name. "Who...are...you?" She pointed at the smaller being. "Understand?"

"Wha? Oh, yes, of course! Toa Applejack! We've been waiting for you!" The being unfroze and bowed low. "It's an honor...oh! The Turaga will want to see you! Follow me!"

"I...uh..." Applejack was taken aback slightly. She had just acted like an idiot in front of a being that obviously revered her, and understood her.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" She asked the being.

"Oh, sorry for not introducing myself before. I'm Apple Bumpkin." Apple Bumpkin bowed again as she walked. "I work for the Turaga."

"The what now?" Applejack asked.

"You'll see soon enough, Toa." Apple Bumpkin smiled as they reached a large red building. It resembled a farming barn, but was well built, like a fortress. It stood in the middle of several fields, all of which were dominated by large bulks of crops and plants.

"Wait here, Toa. I'll get the Turaga." Apple Bumpkin bounded off in search of this "Turaga". Applejack was just left standing in between a couple of fields. The workers in the fields stared at her in awe, as if they had never seen something like her before. Honestly, it was creeping Applejack out.

"Here she is, Turaga." Applejack heard Apple Bumpkin's voice and turned to face her. Apple Bumpkin was escorting another being like her, only this one appeared older. It was a light green color and the eyes behind its mask seemed to hold untold wisdom. The two of them were accompanied by a veritable giant, by their standards. This giant being had a half-bored look plastered onto his face and carried a powerful-looking axe weapon.

"I am Smart Cookie, Turaga of this village of Apple-Koro." The Turaga's voice sounded wavy and cracked. "We've been waiting for you, Toa Applejack."

"Have you now?" Applejack asked. "I was hoping you have some answers for me."

"That depends on what you wish to know." Turaga Cookie replied. "Big Macintosh, you can leave us now. I'm in capable hands."

The giant called "Big Macintosh" (and Applejack could see why) simply said "Eeyup." and walked away, swinging his axe over one shoulder.

"My bodyguard." Turaga Cookie answered Applejack's questioning look. "He's very loyal."

"I'm sure." Applejack said. "Now then. Where am I and what am I doing here?"

"This is the island of Ponyville Nui. Our home." Smart explained. "We were given this paradise by the Great Spirit, long ago. As for what you are, that's a bit harder to explain."

"Why?" Applejack asked.

"It is said that the Toa would come to us in our darkest hour of need." Cookie said. "They would possess the powers of the Elements of Harmony themselves, and would have to master that power in order to defeat the Marekuta."

At the mention of "Marekuta", Applejack felt a dark vision tug at the corner of her mind: a dark face, shrouded by shadow and smoke.

"What in the hay is a "Marekuta"?" Applejack asked nervously.

"She is the darkness. The embodiment of hatred and fear." Turaga Cookie said reluctantly. "She imprisoned the Great Spirit on the island, and holds it in an iron grip. Only the Toa have the power to defeat her and drive her from the island."

"But I don't have any great power!" Applejack protested.

"But you do! You just need to learn to harness it." Cookie replied calmly. "Your power comes from your honesty. Be true to yourself, and your power will be strong."

"Honesty? That's my power?" Applejack looked incredulous.

"Indeed. But just honesty is not enough." Turaga Cookie continued. "You must find the other Toa."

Fluttershy, Toa of Kindness

the sun shone through the clusters of trees, and the warm breeze carried her aloft. The small forest was very calm today, as it had always been. This was her environment. She knew that much for sure. Her name, Fluttershy, was the other constant knowledge she had.

Oh, I can't just stay here. she thought. I have things to do.

The only trouble was, that she didn't know what exactly she was supposed to do. She had visions before finding herself in the forest. One vision stood out above all: an island, surrounded by a body of water, soothing it, healing its ills. That was the nicest vision she had seen. The other visions were dark and scary. They almost brought her to tears.

Fluttershy touched down lightly on the soft grass, and began to walk through the forest. Birds called out softly from the branches of the trees, and squirrels dashed in and out of their holes, carrying acorns. Fluttershy smiled at those sights. They made her feel happy and comforted. Nothing could go wrong in this place. It was a forest of peace and tranquility. And Fluttershy felt right at home. she touched a hand to her mask, feeling the power pulsing within it. Hers was decorated with a trio of butterflies and a large curl came out of the top.

A slight rumbling in the earth made her stand alert. Animals were hiding in their holes and the birds flew out of the trees.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Fluttershy called out to the animals, but none of them answered her call.

They must be scared stiff, poor dears. Fluttershy thought as the rumbling grew louder and louder. She began to panic. What could possibly be so scary that the animals ran away. In her panic, she dashed around a tree and held herself close to it. She quickly peeked around to see what could be causing such panic.

A powerful shape moved through the forest. Teeth bared, it was snarling silently. Its yellow eyes rolled around its head, looking for any prey. Its wings were outstretched, and the tail, which was a scorpion's, was raised, ready to strike at anything that even moved an inch.

Fluttershy squeaked and hid herself behind the tree again. She was scared right down to the bone, and didn't want to face this monster, whatever it was.

On the other hand, she didn't want to see the animals afraid of this...whatever it was. She could feel their terror. And she couldn't stand it.

Fluttershy slowly walked out from behind the tree and stood her ground, shaking on the spot. The beast spotted her immediately and roared angrily. It raised its tail and started to move towards Fluttershy. Fluttershy started walking slowly and calmly towards the beast, which roared again.

"Um..n-n-nice monster...g-g-g-good m-m-monster." Fluttershy stammered and held out her hand. As if it had heard her, the monster lay down calmly on the ground. It looked as if it were safe for Fluttershy to approach it, which she did. She crouched down beside the monster and, slowly, carefully, stroked it. The beast purred calmly as Fluttershy petted it, and rolled over.

"Aww, you're a dear, aren't you?" Fluttershy cooed as she stroked the monster. "Yes you are. Yes you are."

A rush of energy caused Fluttershy to gasp and raise her hand to her mask. The power it was exerting seemed to have increased.

"Oh my." Fluttershy said. "What does that mean?" Just a little act of kindness had increased her power tenfold.

Maybe that's how it works. she thought. If I show kindness to animals, my power increases.

Rainbow, Toa of Loyalty

"Now that was an interesting visit." Rainbow turned and waved to the assembled Ponytoran, who waved back and cheered. "It's not every day you find ou you're the Toa of Loyalty."

Rainbow had found herself on the shore of Ponyville Nui, and had been immediately attracted to the large, open sand dunes.

Lot of racing opportunity in there. she had thought. Then she met that Ponytoran-Scootaloo, was it?-and had been taken to a village. Rainbo-Koro. There, she had been introduced to their Turaga, Turaga Hurricane, and told of her apparent mission to defeat this "Marekuta" nutjob and bring order back to the island, and of her abilities, which she was intent on using for the first time since she arrived. She had also been told of other Toa, whom she was keen on meeting.

Not looking where she was walking, she almost tripped on a stone that didn't rise far from the ground. After gathering herself, she looked down at the stone and saw three words made out in glittering red cobblestones.

Friendship

Promise

Future

"Hmm, where have I heard those words before?" Rainbow chuckled to herself. Those three words were used very often in her talk with Turaga Hurricane. Those were the three values the Ponytoran held most dear in their lives. Those three virtues served as an example to every being on the island, Ponytoran and Turaga alike. As of today, they also applied to Toa. But Rainbow wasn't too interested in that. Instead, she was thinking about which of her powers would suit a race.

Turaga Hurricane said that I was supposed to have incredible speed. Rainbow thought as she stretched her arms. Why don't I put that to the test first? She closed her eyes and concentrated. Concentrated with all of the might she could muster. And then...she ran.

Her own speed caught her off-guard and she rocketed forward with no way of slowing down or stopping. the landscape blurred into a red and brown blur. In time, the blur became flecked with bits of green, indicating plants. Rainbow shouted and dug her legs into the ground, but that only left deep gouges in the land, and hurt beyond belief. The landscape soon became filled with a brilliant white.

Snow? I must be near that big mountain! Rainbow thought. The Ponytoran called it Mount Canter. It was a waypoint of sorts, for Smarty-Nui, the largest temple on the island, was at the exact center of Ponyville Nui, right next to Mount Canter. Rainbow thought that she wouldn't be able to stop herself, and would break through the mountain and fly right into the sea. Fortunately, Mount Canter stopped Rainbow for her, sending her sprawling backwards into the snow and knocking her mask off. There it lay in the sun, decorated with all the colors of the rainbow, and imprinted with a cloud and lightning bolt symbol. Rainbow picked it up and put it back on, after slowly getting up. She felt the strength that came with the mask flow back into her.

"I must have gone for miles!" Rainow exclaimed. She could no longer see the wide open spaces of Rainbo-Wahi, the desert area containing Rainbo-Koro, and could only see snow, and Mount Canter. "This must be...what did the Turaga call it again...Rari-Wahi?" That seemed about right to Rainbow, so she started walking in what she hoped was the way back to Rainbo-Koro. Instead, all it did was take her to more snow.

"Arrgh! This is getting me nowhere!" Rainbow shouted. Her voice echoed all around. Some snow slid off the mountainside and down a slope. Rainbow quickly looked at it, did a double take, and became confused straight away,

"Snow can't move that gracefully." Rainbow narrowed her eyes and tried to get a closer look at the snow pile. There seemed to be a figure like herself atop it, sliding down the slope.

"Another Toa?" Rainbow asked aloud. It had to be. The figure appeared to be taller than any Ponytoran, even from this distance.

"Couldn't hurt to go and say hi." Rainbow said to herself. Being careful to prepare this time, raced up the slope to meet this other Toa. All of the preparation in the world, and Rainbow still overshot, running smack-bang into a set of boulders, which shook and started to roll down the slope. Rainbow started running ahead of the boulders, but one of them hit her leg and she fell. She started sliding down the bank along with the boulders, shouting for someone to help.

Rarity, Toa of Generosity

Rarity heard the boulders long before she saw them. Turning, she saw the giant round rocks bearing down on her. She screamed and started running down the slope of Mount Canter, her shouts mingling with other shouts and creating a cluster of noise that echoed around the flat, snowy area of Rari-Wahi.

"Look out!" came a brash voice from behind Rarity. Just then, something hard hit her in the small of the back and she collapsed onto the snow. She landed flat on her face and skidded along the rest of the slope, until it leveled out and she ground to a halt.

"What an absolutely HORRIBLE experience!" She moaned as she stood herself up. "I've got snow in my mask!" This was true. A lot of snow had been caught in the exotic purple curl on the top of her mask, and covered the trio of diamonds emblazoned on the front.

"Sorry. Heh heh." Someone laughed behind her. Rarity turned, at which a lot of snow fell out of her eyes, and saw a brightly colored figure scrambling to her feet. This figure resembled her a lot, and not just in stature. For this being was also wearing a mask and armor like hers. Could this be one of the other Toa that Turaga Platinum had told her about?

Rarity flung her purple scarf around her neck. "What were you thinking?" she shouted madly. "Now I've got snow EVERYWHERE!"

"Let me help out with that." The other being said, raising her hands. Once Rarity calmed down, she stood still and let this other Toa clean her off. In a most unexpected maneuver, the Toa started running in a circle around her at a frightening speed, until all that Rarity could see was a rainbow blur.

Eventually, the Toa slowed down and left Rarity standing weakly, but free of snow nonetheless.

"Sorry about that. I find it hard to stop once I get going." The other Toa admitted sheepishly. Rarity's eyes slid in and out of focus and she wobbled on the spot for a few seconds.

"I, uh...woah...why is the mountain spinning?" she asked, before she shook her head and brought herself back to reality.

"Yes, that's okay, dear." she said, with an air of refinery in her voice. "That was much appreciated."

"Glad to be of help. I'm Rainbow, Toa of Loyalty." the other Toa held out her hand.

"I'm Rarity." Rarity took Rainbow's hand and shook it lightly. "Also a Toa."

"Awesome." Rainbow grinned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm searching for something in the Wahi." Rarity explained. "My Turaga said there was a mask here."

"A mask?" Rainbow asked. "Remind me, why do we need to go into dangerous places and look for masks? Aside from it being fun?"

""Fun" is hardly how I would describe it, Rainbow." Rarity said. "If we find a mask, our power increases, according to my Turaga."

"Having an adventure AND getting a power boost? Awesome!" Rainbow shouted. "Where is this mask?"

"I think it's in the cave at the base of the mountain." Rarity pointed to Mount Canter.

"Can I come with you?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity considered her options. In her opinion, Rainbow was exceedingly brash. She may do something that would prevent Rarity from getting her hands on the mask. However, she had gifts, and if they were used correctly and controlled...

"Okay then. It would be nice to have an extra pair of hands." Rarity inclined her head.

"Yeah!" Rainbow cheered and dashed towards the base of the mountain. Rarity barely had time to call out to her, sighed, and started walking up to the cave.

"What took you so long?" Rainbow grinned as Rarity tramped up to the cave mouth. Rarity scowled at her.

The two made their way inside the cave, which was very narrow initially, but soon expanded into a gigantic cavern, filled with glittering crystals of all colors, shapes and sizes. Rarity was immediately captivated by their beauty.

"Hey, eyes on the prize, Rarity." Rainbow prodded her in the shoulder.

"Which one? They're all so...dazzling!" Rarity grinned.

"That one." Rainbow pointed to the opposite end of the cavern, where a mask lay embedded in the surface of the wall.

"Wha-oh, the mask!" Rarity shook her head. "O-of course. After you, dear."

"If you say so." Rainbow walked to the mask this time, instead of just dashing off. Rarity followed behind her. However, the two found themselves at a large crevice between the cavern and the mask.

"Woah! How deep is that?" Rainbow looked down into the crevice. It was too dark to see if it ended, so it appeared to go on forever.

"Too deep, if you ask me." Rarity turned away. "However are we going to get to the mask?"

"I have no idea." Rainbow held her head in her hands. "There's a very narrow ledge on the other side. I could jump to it and get the mask."

"It's worth a try, I suppose." Rarity nodded. "Go on. Let's see if it does work."

"Okay. Here we go." Rainbow walked back a few meters, tensed herself, then ran towards the crevice with all her energy. When she reached the beginning of the crevice, she jumped over the crevice, and landed on the ledge.

"That was easy." Rainbow extracted the mask from the wall and tossed it from hand to hand. "Let's get back over there!" There was no room for a run up this time, so Rainbow jumped straight up, but misjudged and dropped down the crevice, hanging onto the ledge by a single hand.

"Rainbow!" Rarity dropped to her knees and grabbed Rainbow's hand just as she slipped. "I've got you!"

"Great! Now don't let go!" Rainbow warned. The two stayed like that, until something fell from the ceiling of the cavern and hit Rarity on the head, sending her to the ground. Rainbow slipped down into the crevice, taking Rarity with her.

The pair of Toa were sent falling into the crevice, screaming at the top of their lungs. It seemed to go on forever. Rarity grabbed Rainbow by the waist and held on tight.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow shouted.

"Saving us!" Rarity shouted back.

In an instant, the ground at the end of the hole rushed up to the Toa and they collided with it. Rainbow felt herself collide with something soft and squishy. For a moment, she thought, with horror, that she had crushed Rarity. And, in fact, she had. Rarity had turned herself into some kind of malleable substance to protect both her and Rainbow.

"Rarity! Are you okay?" Rainbow jumped up off Rarity, who returned to her original solid state.

"I'm fine, dear." Rarity flicked her scarf out behind her. "Are you okay? and what about the mask?"

"It's okay." Rainbow held out the mask. Rarity could get a better look at it now. It had a strange circular object on the top, held by a hinge. Possibly some kind of shield?

"Here." Rainbow held the mask out to Rarity. "You went looking for it, and you saved my life. It's yours."

"No no no, Rainbow, I insist. You take it." Rarity pushed the mask back towards Rainbow, who looked confused for a moment, then smiled, nodded in thanks, and placed the mask over her face. It began to glow with a blue energy as it seemed to absorb itself into Rainbow's mask. Within seconds, it had disappeared.

"A mask of Honesty. Nice." Rainbow grinned. "What did you say you were a Toa of again?"

"I didn't, Rainbow." Rarity replied. "I'm a Toa of Generosity." She held out her hand to Rainbow, who took it and gripped it firmly.

"Now, how are we going to get out of here?" Rainbow asked, getting back to the situation at hand.

The Toa United

A scraping sound at one end of the crevice drew Rainbow's attention.

"Rarity! Something's moving inside the walls!"

Rarity jumped to attention and raised her weapon-a pair of what appeared to be gigantic sewing needles. "What? Where? I'll get it!"

"Just here." Rainbow crept up to the wall an placed her hand against it. The scraping sound seemed to be getting closer and closer by the minute. She could also make out faint sounds that could pass as distant voices. And they seemed to be getting closer towards her.

"Get back!" Rarity shouted as the sounds reached the very edge of the wall. Rainbow dashed back to Rarity and raised her own weapons-small blades that had the appearance of wings.

The stone wall exploded in a shower of rubble and dust. Rainbow and Rarity coughed and spluttered, holding their hands up to their mouths and shutting their eyes. Rarity opened her eyes first, and saw a powerful looking figure, not unlike herself, standing in the midst of the cavern, dusting itself down.

"I found 'em!" the figure called back through the tunnel it had apparently dug out. Whatever it was, it had quite the heavy accent.

"Great work, Applejack!" another, lighter voice shouted back from the tunnel.

"What is going on?" Rainbow piped up irritably.

"Calm down, sugarcube." the other being raised a hand peacefully. "We're rescuing you."

"Wha-oh, yeah. Rescue. Thanks." Rainbow smiled.

"Think nothing of it. It was Twilight's idea." the other Toa said. "Name's Applejack. Honesty Toa."

"Honestly?" Rainbow joked, and the two Toa giggled.

"That was an AWFUL joke!" A high voice shouted from the tunnel.

"Aw, be quiet, Pinkie!" Applejack shouted back, still smiling. "It was better than that one about Cheerilee and the beans!"

There was a puase. Then Pinkie responded with "Good point."

"Thought so." Applejack grinned, tipping back the headshield on her mask. "Now come on, you two."

Rainbow and Rarity followed Applejack back through the tunnel. Rainbow and Applejack didn't seem to mind the dark, dirty atmosphere of the tunnel. Rarity, on the other hand, detested it.

"Eew. It's just so...yucky." she complained and moaned all the way along the tunnel and out of the side of Mount Canter. She was definitely glad to see the light of day again. Applejack helped her and Rainbow out of the tunnel and led her to a stone circle, around which three other figures stood. One was a light violet color, another many different shades of pink, and the third was bright yellow.

"Oh, hello." The violet Toa said. "My name is Twilight, Toa of Magic. This is Pinkie, Toa of Laughter," at which the pink one bounced up and down, grinning her head off. "And Fluttershy, Toa of Kindness." the yellow Toa gave a small wave and a sheepish smile.

Oh, hello? Rainbow thought as she stared at Twilight. We were just stuck in a cave!

"I'm Rainbow, Toa of Loyalty." Rainbow introduced herself. "That's Rarity, the Generosity Toa."

"Thank you, Rainbow, for that introduction." Rarity said and gave a low bow.

Twilight bowed back, a little unsure of why Rarity had done that.

"We're honored to have you two with us. Now we can begin our first meeting."

"A meeting? What are we having a meeting for?" Rainbow asked before she could stop herself.

"Don't feel too bad, Rainbow." Applejack put her arm over Rainbow's shoulder. "I don't like these much either, but they're important."

Rainbow couldn't argue with that. It was, after all, the truth. "I guess so, Applejack." she said as she took a spot in the circle, in between Applejack and Pinkie.

"Hi." Pinkie grinned at Rainbow. "I'm Pinkie."

"Hi there." Rainbow replied. "I'm Rainbow."

"Isn't this exciting?" Pinkie squealed. "I'm so excited, I can hardly breathe."

Rainbow could tell, for each syllable Pinkie said was punctuated by a breath.

"Alright, everyToa, gather round." Twilight called. "We've all been called to this island to fulfill a destiny. We are going to protect the Ponytoran and drive the evil off Ponyville Nui."

"Marekuta." Applejack said grimly. At the mention of the name, Fluttershy squeaked and ducked down in her spot.

"Where? Don't let her get me!"

"It's okay, Fluttershy darling." Rarity helped the Kindness Toa up. "She's not here."

"Oh. Um...thank you, Rarity." Fluttershy smiled.

"Anyway," Twilight continued. "Turaga Clover told me that we need to find the masks located all around the island if we're to even stand a chance of defeating Marekuta."

"Um, my Turaga Pansy also told me of the three virtues." Fluttershy said. "Friendship, promise, future. She said they were important to our survival."

"Thank you, Fluttershy." Twilight smiled a reassuring smile. "Yes, the three virtues. We need to promise to stay together as friends if we ever want to create a good future for the Ponytoran."

"Great! Now when do we go and sock it to Marekuta?" Rainbow punched the air to punctuate her comment.

"Not yet, Rainbow." Twilight said. "We still need to..."

Twilight was interrupted by the sudden darkening of the sky. Rain started pouring from the sky as lightning flashed and thunder boomed all around.

"I was told this never happens in Rari-Wahi!" Rarity shouted, obviously distressed.

"This storm ain't natural!" Applejack yelled over the thunder. Lightning hit the ground, splitting it open and creating a yawning chasm in the snowy earth. As soon as the storm had come, it mysteriously dissipated, revealing the damage it had caused. The lightning had burned the ground and melted holes in the snow. Fluttershy, who had disappeared as soon as the storm had started, re-emerged from behind a large rock close to the circle, which had been cracked in two.

"Is it over yet?" she squeaked.

Pinkie gaped incredulously at Fluttershy. "She can move super-fast! Seriously, did you guys see her? She was like "swoosh!" and was over there in a snap." She snapped her fingers to demonstrate.

"Clearly, something here doesn't want us here." Twilight said, lowering her sword. "that "something" may just be Marekuta. We need to start collecting masks quickly."

Mask Hunt

Following their meeting, Twilight had returned to Twi-Koro to work out where to find her first mask. By her logic, if Rarity had found a mask in her home village, then maybe there was a mask in her own village. She traipsed through the winding spires and towering...towers of Twi-Koro, until she found what she was looking for; the Grand Koro Library. The entirety of the knowledge of Twi-Koro, maybe even Ponyville Nui, was catalogued here. It was one of the first places Turaga Clover had ever taken Twilight when she arrived, and she had practically fallen in love with the place. It was full of raw, unchanged knowledge.

Twilight gave a brief nod to Moondancer, the gate guard, as she entered the building and went up a flight of stairs to the legend wing on the fifth floor. This wing was almost always empty. Not many others came up here, save for Cadenza, the Chronicler, who was charged with recording everything on Ponyville Nui, and a couple of other Ponytoran.

She carries a heavy burden. Twilight thought as she spotted Cadenza poring over several old-looking stone tablets and rolls of paper. Having to know the island inside out. In a way, I guess I'm jealous of her. It must be both a burden and a privelige to know all of that. She has the strength of a Toa.

Twilight made her way into the middle part of the wing, where all the information on the Toa was supposed to be kept. Pulling up a chair that was far too small to fit her, she grabbed several scrolls and tablets, put them on a table, and began reading.

Most of the scrolls told her what she already knew: the Toa would have to find the masks in order to save the island from Marekuta and free the island. Some told her of the abilities that the Toa possessed, and another showed drawings of the Toa Canisters that they had arrived in, among other information.

Twilight had no idea how long she spent looking over the gigantic amount of scrolls and tablets, but soon she found herself being shaken awake by a Ponytoran.

"Toa Twilight? Are you okay?" the Ponytoran asked.

"Hmmm...wha?" Twilight shook her head drowzily as the Ponytoran came into focus. She could see that he was primarily a stark white, with piercing blue eyes, and clad in the golden armor of the Twi-Koro guard.

"Hey, I know you." Twilight said, blinking a few times. "It's Shining Armor, isn't it?"

"Captain of the guard, at your service, Toa." Shining Armor struck a respectful salute.

"What are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining, of course." Twilight asked.

"The guardsmen got a little nervous when you didn't come out for 4 hours." Shining Armor replied. "What were you doing?"

"Looking for the locations of the masks." Twilight said as she started collecting up the scrolls and tablets.

"In a library?" Twilight could see the guard captain supressing the urge to chuckle. "Forgive me, Toa, but surely you'd be out in the wilderness looking for them. I doubt there's a mask with all of these dusty scrolls."

Twilight frowned. "I was trying to look through all of the prophecies and myths about Toa and the masks to find something like a map. I don't need a guardsmen, much less the captain, to laugh at my methods." Her voice unexpectedly raised, causing the other Ponytoran to look up.

"My apologies, Toa." Shining Armor bowed his head. "I was never one for looking through scrolls to find answers."

Twilight knew that all too well. The first time she had come to Twi-Koro, she had trained with the guards for a time. Her combat skills weren't exactly warrior-worthy, and Shining Armor had beaten her soundly.

"I gathered." she said, placing the scrolls and tablets back in their shelves. "I just thought I could get a sense of direction to help me find them."

"Direction, eh?" Shining Armor thought for a moment. "If I remember correctly, the guardsmen at the northern gates said something about there being a mask in the caves by Apple-Wahi."

"Surely it would be Applejack's, then." Twilight replied. "It's in her region, after all."

"I don't know. They definitely said it was one of yours. They said they could sense the same energy coming from it that comes from you. It's certainly... Twilight?"

But the Magic Toa had already vanished.

Twilight made her way across the narrow bridge linking Twi-Koro to Apple-Koro. Technically, it was meant to be a stone structure, apparently built before Marekuta ever came to the island as an act of peace between the Ponytoran, but it was really just a big bridge. Twilight had never really broken the code that the Ponytoran lived by since her arrival, and thankfully, there was nothing about crossing the bridge in that code.

As she ventured further across the bridge and into Apple-Koro, she noticed several small animals skittering about over the fields. Other, smaller creatures were waving what looked like farming tools at the animals, driving them back. Twilight dropped down from the bridge and landed by the creatures, which turned out to be Ponytoran.

"Toa Twilight!" one exclaimed as the Magic Toa got to her feet. "You're just in time."

"Time for what?" Twilight asked, drawing her blade.

"These creatures are at our crops! We have to stop them!" the Ponytoran said.

"Alright. These are Nui-jaga. It's best to hit them hard." Twilight jabbed at one with her blade, and it went flying.

"Hey there, sugarcube." a familar voice said as a silvery foot came down on another Nui-jaga.

"Applejack!" Twilight exclaimed as the Honesty Toa swung her foot back down. Twilight noticed that her feet were surrounded by silver, powerful-looking objects. Her Toa tools, no doubt.

"Watcha doin' in my neck of the woods?" Applejack asked, kicking a Nui-jaga in the face.

"Looking for a mask. I thought you'd be looking too." Twilight began stabbing at the Nui-jaga.

"I already found one. I'm taking a break." Applejack said. Apparently, kicking Nui-jaga in the face was Applejack's idea of a "break".

A long while was spent driving back the Nui-jaga. In time, they retreated back through the orchard and towards the cliff face that overlooked Apple-Koro.

"Thanks for the help, Twilight." Applejack kicked her Toa tools off her feet and stowed them away. "Want me to help you get your mask?"

"Yes please, Applejack. I could always use some help." Twilight replied. "My mask is meant to be in the caves by the cliff."

"Where the Nui-jaga went? Are you sure your info's true?" Applejack asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"The captain of the Twi-Koro guard wouldn't lie to me." Twilight said.

"If you say so, sugarcube." Applejack followed in apparent defeat.

The pair ventured deep into the caves. According to Applejack, they were very unstable, and might collapse at any minute. It was an ideal place to test a Toa's mettle. Twilight was careful where she put her step, while Applejack just bounded through the caves, disturbing some of the rocks, and more than once, making the ceiling shake a little.

"Applejack! Be careful! You could bring the cave down on us!" Twilight exclaimed as she jumped over a small stream that ran through the floor.

"Sorry, sorry." Applejack said, a little embarrased. They descended further into the cave, Twilight leading the way.

The cave didn't seem to end, and Twilight had to light her blade up with energy to see where she was going.

"Uh, Twilight, I hate to be a spoilsport, but can we turn back?" Applejack asked nervously. "I'm starting to get the jitters about this place."

"But we haven't found the mask yet." Twilight replied. "If we just keep going."

"And they call me stubborn." Applejack muttered. "Look, sugarcube, it ain't here. Let's just go back."

Twilight was about to reply, paused, and gave up. "Fine. Let's go back."

She turned around to leave, and as she did, a pair of Nui-jaga skittered up to her and stung her in the foot. She keeled over in pain as Applejack brought her foot down on the scorpions.

"Twilight, you okay?" Applejack asked, but Twilight didn't respond.

"What in the hay?" Applejack asked, as the Nui-jaga came back, raising its pincers. Applejack could see a mask stuck over where the face would be. The mask seemed too big for the little scorpion, and was blackened with dirt and shadows. Another Nui-jaga seemed to have the same mask stuck over it. Applejack took another swinging kick at the Nui-jaga, but it swung its tail forward, and stung Applejack in the leg. She gave a cry and dropped to her knees, clutching the part of her leg where the scorpion had stung her. The Nui-jaga bared down on her, snapping their pincers.

A blast of purple energy blew one of them backwards. Applejack wheeled around to see Twilight, still on the ground, holding her sword out in front of her, which was glowing with power. Another blast, and the second scorpion flew backwards, the mask flying off its face. The moment the masks came off, the Nui-jaga stopped moving. For a second, the thought crossed Twilight's mind that she had killed the beasts, but she noticed their tails waving weakly in the air.

"What was that?" Applejack asked, helping Twilight to her feet.

"I don't know." Twilight said simply. "Why would Nui-jaga be wearing masks? It doesn't make sense." She bent down to pick up one of the masks. At her touch, the mask changed colour to a scheme similar to the mask Twilight already wore.

"This is the mask that Shining Armor told me about." Twilight exclaimed as she lifted it over her mask. Instantly, a rush of strength filled her. "I think it was a mask of Loyalty." She said, feeling able to run as fast as Rainbow.

Applejack took the other mask and placed it on. "And there was a mask of Kindness." she said, beaming. "Hey, Twilight, why'd you fall over when the Nui-jaga stang you?"

"It knocked me unconscious." Twilight said, walking towards the cave mouth.

"Weird. Didn't do that to me." Applejack shrugged as she followed her sister.

The Flight of Rainbow

Rainbow looked tentatively over the giant gorge that spanned Rainbow-Koro.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, squirt?" she asked, a little nervously.

"Yeah, it's a great idea, if I do say so myself." the Ponytoran known as Scootaloo grinned broadly at her. Ever since Rainbow had arrived, it had almost been impossible to shake off Scootaloo, who followed her wherever she went. Honestly, Rainbow would have preferred looking after a baby Ursa-Nui than deal with Scootaloo. Her heart was in the right place,no doubt about it, but she was just straight up annoying sometimes.

"Very well." Rainbow sighed. Her blades had been strapped to her back by Pinkie, and Fluttershy stood ready to give her first aid, in case something happened to her. Rainbow still couldn't believe it. How was she supposed to fly through this? Even if there was a Mask on the other side of the gorge, surely walking around it and climbing down would be less dangerous. The time to argue, however, was past.

The plan was for Rainbow to run at the gorge, then jump and see if she stayed airborne. It was at this point, Rainbow thought, that she desperately hoped Pinkie's bonds would keep the blades on her back, and she actually would fly.

You know, you should really have more faith in your sisters. Something in her mind said. Harmony, promise, future.

"I know, I know." she muttered, dismissing the thought with a casual flick of her wrist. "Hey, Pinkie, you ready?"

"Almost!" the pink Toa said cheerfully. "I brought some friends along to watch. Come on out, she's ready!"

What appeared to be the entirity of Pie-Koro had turned up, including Turaga Puddinghead. They were emerging from the line of trees beyond the gorge. Rainbow sighed. So many people were going to watch her fail. She would be dead before she could ever take on Marekuta...

...no, she wasn't. Not yet. She wasn't going to die at the bottom of some gorge. She wanted to go out with a bang. Today wasn't the day for her to die. She stood still for a moment, letting the cheers of the Ponytoran, Turaga Puddinghead, and even her fellow Toa, fill her up to the brim. They had confidence in her, and she wouldn't disappoint. It wouldn't be great if she did.

Gathering her breath, she jumped backwards to the point where Pinkie had marked as her starting line. With the eyes of several Ponytoran on her, Rainbow took a deep breath...and ran. She ran straight for the edge, not stopping for anything. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a pink blur keeping up with her. Since Pinkie had already aquired a Mask of Loyalty, Rainbow assumed it was her. And she was most likely carrying Fluttershy. Poor Fluttershy must be frightened out of her mi...

No! Concentrate! Rainbow thought to herself as she drew closer to the edge. As she drew closer, she jumped.

Her jump sent her soaring right through the air. She even surprised herself as she soared right over the edge. Clamping her eyes shut, Rainbow expected to fall through the air and hit the bottom of the gorge.]

Nothing happened. Rainbow opened one eye, and noticed that she was still flying through the air, at a slower speed than her running, but flying nonetheless. She could hear the cheering voices of the Ponytoran getting higher and lower pitched as she raced past them.

Okay, I can fly. Rainbow thought. But can I control it? As a test, she leaned to the left, and immediately banked left towards the wall of the gorge, yet she pulled herself back just before she could collide with it. She soared up, and down, then began to spin. At one point, she almost lost control and crashed, but she recovered herself.

She could see the end of the gorge, and, unless her eyes were deceiving her, something that looked very similar to a Mask of Magic. Keeping her eyes on the prize, Rainbow darted forward, extending her hand. The moment she grabbed hold of the mask, she swooped upwards, keeping a tight hold on the mask. A large amount of cheering ensued from the Ponytoran crowd as she touched down lightly.

"Wowee! That was the most splenderificous flying Toa I've ever seen!" Pinkie practically screamed with delight, dragging Fluttershy with her, who seemed apparently dazed.

"Wow, Rainbow, you rock." Fluttershy said meakly, raising one arm half-in the air and muttering "Woo-hoo."

"Thanks, you guys." Rainbow said as she put on the Mask and experienced the surge of power that came with it. "I wonder how Rarity's getting on in Shy-Koro."

"I, um, hope that the villagers are treating her okay. I don't want to see her angry." Fluttershy mumbled.

"You worry too much, Fluttershy." Rainbw clapped the Toa on the back, almost knocking her over. "She's capable, despite being..." she made a funny face and put on a very Rarity-like voice "a lady!"

Pinkie burst into a fit of giggles and had to lean on Rainbow for support. Fluttershy just smiled weakly.

"Anyway, let's go and get Fluttershy's Mask of Generosity." Rainbow said, leading the trio of Toa past the cheering and whooping Ponytoran into the forest.