Dimensional Chronicles

Dimensional Chronicles: chapter 4, The Reluctant Shadow

Luna was going down her to-do list in an attempt to take her mind off of the recent Kenpachi incident. Even after five years there were still a lot of unfinished magics she had been working on before Nightmare Moon. She noticed one that she had finished but never checked off.

“Dimensional gateways, but I finished that?” She thought out loud as she wondered why it hadn’t been checked off. She ran the experiment through her mind and remembered, “I haven’t tested it myself yet.” She had tested it on Lyra but not herself. “Might as well get started.” She flew to Celestia’s tower and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” The familiar, casual voice said from beyond the door. “Ah sister how have you been?”
“I’ve been fine, but I found an unfinished project. It requires me to travel, so I may be gone a couple days.”
“Okay ‘hic’ have a nice time.” Luna noticed the bottle of wine on Celestia’s desk.
“You've talked the guards into giving you wine again haven’t you.”
“Nooo.” Celestia nonchalantly moved between the desk and the door.
“You know it’s too strong for you.” Luna scolded, Celestia had never grown a tolerance for alcohol, but that didn't stop her from trying.

“Oh bother, I’ll be sober by the time I need to raise the sun.” She wobbled a bit.
“Fine, but since you probably won’t remember that we even had this conversation I’ll have to write a note.” She levitated a pad and pencil off the desk and quickly scribbled down a note detailing what she was doing, when to start worrying and where to find her research.
“Oooh flaming magic paper.” Celestia said before she collapsed. How much did she have to drink? Luna thought, walking over to the desk, the bottle was empty.
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Later that night, when Luna had finished painting the runes needed onto her hooves she opened a gate. Probing the fabric of space for weak spots, she found a massive one, less of a weak spot more of a paper thin sheet. Perfect, she thought to herself. Something was nagging at her, she was forgetting something. Normally this would have made her stop the experiment but the paper thin spot popped, sucking her through.

“I won’t die, I won’t die, I refuse to die; Teridax you traitorous bastard.” A voice screamed in Luna’s ears. “Who are you?” It yelled. “Tell me before I drop you.” Luna opened her eyes; she was riding some sort of massive blue, silver and black bat through a maelstrom that threatened to tear them apart. Maybe opening the barrier tonight was a bad idea. “What barrier, who are you?” The voice yelled. “Tell me now or I’ll throw you to the storm.” She realized the voice was coming from the bat.

“I am Princess Luna.”
“Where is Gavla? I need my eyes.”
“Who’s Gavla?” It spoke of this Gavla like a tool but as it grew more panicked thoughts started to leak through into Luna’s mind.
“I don’t want her to die; oh my little girl, please be safe.”

Luna looked behind them and remembered what had been nagging at her; dimensional walls were only that thin during a calamity stronger than a supernova. It was a huge barely contained mass of energy, expanding at a rate just slightly faster than they were moving. It nicked the bat creature’s hindquarters and he panicked, driving itself even faster as its entire history poured from its mind; a silent history of evil along with its name, Vamprah.
“Listen, Vamprah.” Luna yelled. “I can get us out of here but I need you to calm down.” At that moment something started hurling fireballs at them, demanding evasive action. “On second thought, you just make sure we don’t die!” Luna’s self preservation instinct blocked out any distrust she had of this Vamprah. Well, this tops my list of clusterbucks.
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Almost a mile above them Gavla, a small blue and black matoran, saw Vamprah almost get swallowed by the storm that had been Karda Nui. He escaped and Gavla let out a sigh of relief. Then the loathsome fire toa started shooting fireballs at him.
“No!” She shouted, straining against Toa Takanuva’s grip. “Let me go! He needs me.” She begged.
“I’m sorry, but going after him would be suicide.” He responded stoically.
“Than I’ll take suicide.” She grabbed a gun from the water toa and blasted Takanuva in the mask, forcing him to drop her. She tried to flap her wings so she could get at Vamprah, but she remembered at that moment she no longer had wings; thanks to that despicable toa. “Vamprah, help me!” She screamed and fell.
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“What are you doing!?” Luna yelled as Vamprah turned on a dime.
“Gavla no!” He yelled. Despite his blindness he managed to angle himself perfectly to catch the falling figure in the distance and rapidly closed space. Unfortunately, this meant they were now flying along instead of away from the dome.

“Get back toa.” Gavla yelled, Vamprah shot a bolt of darkness at the second figure diving for Gavla, squaring a hit directly in the chest, how he managed this while blind was beyond Luna. “Vamprah!” Gavla yelled joyously; Vamprah wrapped her in his wings as the energy hit and Luna finished the spell to take them back to Equestria at the same moment.
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There was a power surge as a fragment of the explosion entered Equestrian space. Luna opened her eyes, which she had closed tight in anticipation of oblivion. Vamprah had changed shape, from a cybernetic bat to an average sized stallion. Although, he had two tails and horns, each wickedly pointed. His eyes were white, obviously blind. The mask Luna had believed to be his face was nowhere to be seen and in place of forelegs he had two massive wings, each with a serrated thumb claw. His coat was a dark, almost black, blue and the wing membranes were silver like his tails. Despite his fearsome appearance, Vamprah was feeling around frantically, no doubt searching for Gavla.

Luna caught sight of his cutie mark, it was a fang surrounded by a black blotch. Luna cast a quick spell.
“Vamprah.” Luna spoke firmly. “You are blind and I have rendered you mute. Evil like yours has no place in this world. This is the Everfree Forest, you will most likely be eaten here, normally I would not allow this. But as I said, you have no place here.” She lifted her wings and flew away.

Vamprah tried to scream in anger and frustration, but no sound escaped his throat so he sat down and silently wept until he felt the warmth of the rising sun. Warmth, his old mechanical body had not felt it in thousands of years, it inspired him. He took inventory of his body. Nothing had been lost, in fact he had gained tails. As he investigated these his thumb claw clacked, emitting a sound wave that bounced back, giving him an exact image of his surroundings. His new ears twitched. Oh yes, he thought, I can work with this. She wants evil, I’ll give her evil. He smiled bitterly and tested his tridax launcher, it still worked.
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One night later.
Gavla woke up with her head spinning, once she got control over her senses she noticed she was wrapped in something cold.
“Vamprah?” She asked. She put the side of her face up to one of the sides of whatever it was that surrounded her and listened. Normally, Vamprah’s ethereal inside was like thunder, strong and destructive but there was always a sorrowful rain behind the roll of thunder. Whatever she had her ear against sounded like wind, she punched it in frustration and noticed.

I have hooves, sweet Mata Nui. The shell she had punched fell back, Gavla was so shocked by her new form that for a moment she didn’t notice what it was. It was Vamprah’s bat body, with the back popped out from the inside. Judging from this Gavla concluded that he had changed shape. His mask was still on this body, she reached to take it but her hoof slid right off. “Oh, right.” She took it in her mouth and flipped it around to wear it over her own mask. “Take me to him.”
A map appeared in her mind, it didn’t show exactly where he was, but it did show where he had been using his power. Most of it was clustered around a town to the east.

“Okay let’s play hide and seek.” She said, determined. She looked to her back. Of course. She thought. Still no wings. Although, there did seem to be something projecting out of her skull. No matter, she would deal with that once she found Vamprah.
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Two days later.
Lyra returned home after a second day in a row of searching the Everfree for this monster Luna had reportedly abandoned in there.
“Bonbon I’m home.” She called, lighting a candle in the dark room. “Why are all the candles out?”
“Oh no reason, I just needed to think.” Bonbon said, walking down the stairs. In the light of the candle Lyra could tell something was wrong. Bonbon’s mane was darker, she was holding herself in a menacing posture and her smile was the kind Pinkie Pie got when somebody refused a party invitation. A ’they will never find your body’ sort of grin.

“Bonbon are you okay?”
“Just fine,” she paused. “Lyra.” She said Lyra’s name as if it was a feat to remember it.
“Glad to hear it.” Lyra said, nuzzling up to her. Bonbon went ridged and she knew. “But you’re not Bonbon. Ochestura.” The black and green gauntlet wrapped its claws around the not-Bonbon’s face, it smiled.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” It said in a clicking male voice, then in a creaking parody of Bonbon’s. “Lyra why do you still work for Luna? I love you, but the worry is unbearable. Sweet holy Celestia, what is that? ‘Hree!’” The not-Bonbon let out a bloodcurdling cry, like a bat attacking and Lyra was smashed out of the way from behind. She quickly righted herself, looking up to see the massive, fanged bat stallion Vamprah had become. He was at least as tall as Big Macintosh. “Your ‘Bonbon’ had a lot of light in her, and I grow when I absorb light in this universe.” Both Vamprah and Bonbon’s mouths were moving, but sound was only came out of Bonbon’s mouth.

“I,” he looked at Bonbon, “well we, are Makuta Vamprah. Tell your leaders that abandoning me to die was bad move. If they want me to be evil that’s what they’ll get.” The horns on his head started to swirl with shadows and the candle was snuffed out by darkness. “Oh look, my shadows still work, this will be ‘fun’.” He sounded bitter as if he was forced to this.

“You monster!” Lyra yelled and charged Vamprah, disregarding any resentment in his voice.
“Shut up!” Vamprah barked, batting her away. “I need my eyes and mouth. I am unfamiliar with this world, what am I supposed to do? And would anyone else be any more forgiving; I think not!” Vamprah’s stomach growled. “Now that’s a feeling I’ve missed, hunger. If you’ll excuse me I need to go eat something.” He spoke as if the word eat was in itself a delicacy.

He came as close to strolling as someone could with wings for forelegs as he stepped outside. Lyra got to a window in time to see Vamprah outlined against the moon. He had an impressive wingspan, each wing was at least as long as he was. Then Bonbon tackled her.
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Wind. How he loved it. It was liberating to be flying in a place with wind that didn’t threaten to kill you. Through Bonbon’s eyes he had seen the beautiful nights of this world; it had brought a tear to his. Not only to witness such beauty but to know that its crafter hated him.

I know why they didn’t appreciate your night Princess. He thought to himself. All creatures not born of the dark fear it in some part of their being. It was the same in Mata Nui, but we gave them reason to fear, after years of unearned exile we gave them something to fear. Oh yes we did. There was a high pitched noise and he was cut off from Bonbon’s mind. He silently cursed that ‘Lyra”.

Supersonics, the same thing that got them back in Karda Nui. No matter, that one had been more for exposure, to tick off Luna, to spite her by attacking one of her agents. He had others. And he opened the eyes of the resident mail mare.
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“He can what!?” Luna asked, shocked by the unsettling report she was getting.
“Meld his mind with his victims by sucking out their ‘light’. I believe this to be code for free will, this also causes a physical change but can be cured by a direct blast from a specific frequency sound. The curing phase causes extreme sickness, it is … unclear if the subject will survive.”
“Why are you talking about your wife like an experiment?” Lyra was taken aback; she hadn’t even noticed she was doing that.

“It helps me stay calm.” Normally this would be true, analyzing things down to their basest elements usually made everything seem manageable. But it wasn’t working this time, Bonbon was possibly dying and there was nothing she could do about it. Lyra decided to continue her report. “The being known as Makuta Vamprah seems to be able to see and speak through any being he has done this to, and seems to be able to grow when it extracts the ‘light’ from its victims. It can also manipulate shadows. Two possible weak spots I spotted are a bright orange spot in the middle of its chest and its wings, each of which is as least as long as his body. That is all the new information I have gathered; Lyra Elendi Heartstrings, signing off.”

The mirror turned back from a portal to a reflection. Lyra slumped against her chair and looked over at Bonbon, who was shuddering on the couch as the bright colors worked their way back into her coat. Maybe. Lyra thought to herself. He really does suck the light out of his victims.
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Present time after Lyra encounter
Twilight was startled awake by the sound of someone yelling.
“Yes!” She had fallen asleep looking for a spell that would have weakened the dimensional walls enough for Kenpachi to have fallen through the way he had. She had found nothing and was being forced to the conclusion that he had just bulldozed through those the way he did everything else, when she had fallen asleep. The cry of joy was followed by grunts of frustration. “Why can’t I get this open?” Twilight didn't recognize the voice.
“Hello.” Twilight said, opening the door. She was greeted with quite the sight, a light blue mare in a mask, another mask was on the front steps, and the mare was wrestling with what appeared to be a large pumpkin. Both masks looked like a cross between a bat and a wolf and emitted a strange power.

“Open!” The mare shouted. “Damn you!” She kicked the pumpkin apparently giving up. “Damn you!” She knocked the mask off her face, revealing pointed ears, a horn and a silver and blue mane. “And damn you all to Karzahni!” She turned around to kick the mask on the steps but stopped once she saw twilight, her eyes were an orange red. “Lucky,” she said enviously, pointing at Twilight’s horn. “You got a projection for the blasted thing in your mask, mine was just rattling around in there.”
“I’m not wearing a mask.” Twilight was slightly offended for some reason she couldn't put her hoof on. “This is just my face.”

“Oh.” The blue mare looked back at the mask she had thrown on the ground and sniffed.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“Fine, just remembering the skakdi hole who gave me the mask. That sphere is his calling card you know.” A look of realization crept its way onto her face. “It’s timed, of course it’s timed. He wouldn’t leave one just sitting around that didn’t open, he’s much too skilled a hunter for that. But why would he time it?” She looked back at Twilight, who she had obviously forgotten was there and, started grinning. “It’s been three days, that’s all he needs. Oh he’s a genius, he’s managed to map out your movement patterns in seventy-two hours. What time do you step out this door in the mornings?”
“Eight o clock usually, why?” The mare grabbed Twilight by the shoulders, shaking her and laughing as she elaborated
“I wouldn’t suggest that tomorrow or you’ll end up worse than a muaka’s dinner. People; well ponies, like you would not want to be hit by the shrapnel this thing throws out.”
“Who the hell are you, and what’s a muaka?” The mare let go of Twilight.

“If I can stay for the night, I’ll tell you everything about where I come from; deal?”
“Deal.” Twilight said. “We should put these masks away for stu- safekeeping.”
“Oh, so you’re like him.” The mare chuckled.
“Him?” Twilight picked up the masks with magic.
“Mutran, I liked him; always had something interesting he was working on or studying.”
“Sounds like a nice guy.” Twilight smiled.

“Not at all," Twilight's smile dropped as the mare elaborated. "But, he was at least pleasant to be around once he started talking about his research.”
“Is he the one who gave you the mask?”
“No, that was Vamprah.” The mare waved her off.
“Vamprah?” The name sent a chill down Twilight’s spine.
“He’s the one who came to this world with me." She stopped. “I’m forgetting something.” She muttered. “Oh right, my name is Gavla.” She bowed a bit.
“My name is Twilight sparkle” She returned the bow.

“I wonder how Vamprah’s doing without me; I was his eyes you know.”
“How does that work?” Twilight cocked her head.
“It’s a psychic link, but it only works like that when I’m near him, now I cant even find the viper.” She sniffed again.
“I’m sure he’ll show up; this is his calling card right?”
“Yeah,” Gavla muttered, “you should really avoid it though”
“How does this thing explode anyway?”
“Well it hatches, on a technicality, but the shadow leeches flying out make it more of an explosion.”
“Where are you from anyway?” Twilight asked.

Gavla took a deep breath.
“I’m from Karda nui, a massive cave in the heart of a giant comatose robot named Mata Nui. It was a productive place before he fell asleep and the bottom half turned into a toxic swamp. Then the Makuta showed up and started making shadow matoran, of which I was the first." There was more than a tinge of pride to this statement. "For most it was a brainwashing process, easily cured by the screech of a klakk. But for me it was like a homecoming. I had always been cast out by my ‘fellow',” she sneered, “Av-matoran. But the Makuta accepted me as I was, nurtured me, made me a leader, gave me wings and a best friend, Vamprah. He, like all the Makuta dreamed of ruling, but for him it was just so people would accept him. Normal toa and matoran, not just the crazies of the brotherhood.

"He was strong, quiet and, at least to me, kind. Everything was great again until the toa showed up and the battles in the sky got really intense. Then everything was perfect, Vamprah and I loved every minute of it. Until those self-righteous ‘heroes’ found the klakk and used them against us. Vamprah hid me away to keep me safe, but one named Takanuva found me and ‘purified’ me. Then the maelstrom started, I escaped from the toa almost fell to my death. Vamprah caught me and next thing I know I have no hands, a horn, my wings are still not back and I’m alone in this place. Oh and a muaka is a type of giant cat.”

“Well your world sounds better than Kenpachi’s at least.” Twilight sighed, wondering how often she was going to run into crazy people like this.
“Kenpachi?”
“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you inside.” She ushered Gavla in and shut the door with magic.
“Instead of that, how about you tell me how you move things without touching them. Is it a personal power or can other peop--ponies do it?” Gavla looked around the room. "Cause a lot of this stuff looks pretty hard to use without hands."
“You mean to tell me that you haven’t even tried the thing on your head out?” Twilight walked up next to her.
“It has to do with this blasted thing?” Gavla sat down on the floor and tapped her horn. “I thought it was just another stroke of bad luck for me. Adding insult to injury, you know.”

“No, that horn is an extension of your will, in order for you to do something like I did with the door and masks all you have to do is concentrate on it.”
“So like this?” She stared at the couch and it slowly lifted off the ground.
“Well yes, but I’m not so sure a beginner should be lifting something that heavy.” Twilight chuckled nervously, waiting for the inevitable backlash.
“Oh come on, its not that hard- Achoo!” The sofa flew across the room and shattered on a wall as Gavla grabbed her nose. “Except it makes your skull vibrate something awful; sorry.” Twilight sighed and mended the shattered piece of furniture carefully weaving the fibers of wood back together as easily as picking up a teacup,
“That’s why beginners should start with smaller things.”

“Your turn.” Gavla said, shaking her head to clear it.
“My turn to what?” Twilight asked.
“I asked a question about the details of this world, now it’s your turn to ask about the details of mine.”
“Okay.” Twilight thought for a second. “Were there any other sane Makuta?” Twilight tensed.
“Ooh, that’s a tough one. Well there was Krika, but he scared everyone around him. Which I think was partly because of the fact that he looked like a giant krakk shrimp -at least he did when I met him- and that he wears the mask of repulsion.” She paused, looking thoughtful. Twilight had visibly relaxed. “I don’t think he died.”
“He didn‘t.” Twilight said in a matter of fact manner.
“The storm before we came here, it killed everything, well almost everything.” Gavla was obviously talking to herself again.
“Pardon?”
“Vamprah and I survived, and if we found a way, I know Krika did. He was a genius, even among the Makuta, the only other one I can think of that was more brilliant than Krika was the leader, Makuta Teridax.” If ever there was an evil name it was this, for no sooner had the word escaped Gavla’s mouth then the entire room literally went cold and lightning flashed to the south followed by a boom of screaming thunder. It was as if the universe itself rebelled at the mere mention of this vile being. “Maybe I shouldn’t bring him up around here.” Gavla’s breath was laced with steam in the cold, she chuckled nervously. “Open a window, it’s freezing in here.”