Bionicle: The Magic of Light

by MicroChip


Welcome to Ponyville, where Nopony Likes You.

If one were to travel north, past the Crystal Empire, they'd quickly find themselves in the frigid wastelands of ice and snow. There were a few Griffin settlements, as well as those of more adventures ponies, but other than that, it was void of life. At least, that's how it looked. Stories and legends about the White Plains are commonplace, very few of them the kind to be told to foals before bed. They spoke of Windigos that could freeze whole lands, Yetis who strolled on their hind legs and dragged travelers to their lairs, and Ice Wolves, with fangs of frozen water. Finally, there were dark worms. Tales of these creatures are few, but they exist.
They tell of mysterious creatures, covered in slime. The evil within them could be felt long before they're seen. Those unlucky enough to encounter them suffer a wide range of injuries. Sometimes they're shocked with lightning, or return blinded or deafened. Others return jumping with fear at everything they see, or are often found to be nothing more babbling lunatics.
While the Worms where often spoke of, they weren't native to Equestria, or even the universe it resided in. They came from another place, with their creator, who was a master of fear and darkness. Sent to his current residence in the mountains several hundred years ago by a group of powerful, if novice, heroes, the being had sat waiting. Waiting for the time to reveal himself to these backwater creatures. Waiting to banish the light.
He'd felt a shift in the universe a few minutes ago, and he didn't like it. It sensed of light and power, much like the ruler of this realm had. However, this was different. It was tinged with shadow in a way that made even the manipulator of darkness shudder.

***********

Takanuva watched the creature in front of him for a reaction. It was obviously curious about him and had reacted positively to most of his actions so far. There was still the question of whether it was intelligent or not. The best the Toa could come up with was that it looked like it was probably some kind or Rahi, only without any form of armor. Jaller had told him about life-draining squids used by the Barraki that were like that, but this thing seemed a lot friendlier. Honestly, there was no way to know everything. His resent adventures had severely reinforced the idea that you can NEVER make assumptions about creatures you meet, especially in alternate dimensions. He'd tried to break the ice with a light joke, and now it seemed simply stand there as if unsure of what it was seeing. Suddenly, before he had a chance to react, it shook its head then flew up to press its nose against his mask, causing him to lean back slightly. The glazed look in its eyes was now replaced with distrust and a bit of cockiness.
“What the buck are you and what are you doing at Ponyville?”
Well then, I guess I can check off the 'Intelligence' box.
To the Toa's credit, he matched the gaze before evenly replying.
“My name's Takanuva. I'm a Toa. And I'm just passing through.”
It didn't back down, but instead push harder against his face.
"Really? You're not here to take over Equestria?"
Takanuva held back the urge to laugh.
"Actually, it's my job to stop others from taking over places like...Equestria."
The multi-colored being backed down, lightly landing on the ground, her eyes still expressing distrust.
"I duno...Maybe I should get Twilight to judge that."
"Who's Twilight? And probably more related to now, who are you?"
Its ears perked up at the question, and the creature’s body language immediately changed to one that oozed confidence.
"Me? I'm Rainbow Dash. The most awsomest pegasus pony around."
She flew up and poked the Toa in the chest, probably a bit harder than necessary.
"And I've already got the job to protect this place, so you won't be needing to do any of that."
Takanuva sighed. This was going to be another long day.

************

If the pegasus had expected him to be left behind when she shot into the air, she would have been severally disappointed. Takanuva had little trouble following her, thanks to the Makuta virus he'd inhaled on his last adventure that gave him the power of flight. Rainbow Dash had given no indication for him to follow, but he wasn't going to let her out of his sight.
The pair passed over a hill to reveal a village of some sort. Takanuva's smile grew and he looked across the settlement, taking in all the beings wandering the streets, going about their daily tasks. With a sharp twinge of homesickness, the Toa was reminded of Metru Nui, which was once again brimming with Matoran doing much the same as these creatures.
He took a closer look at the inhabitants as they approached the buildings near the outer edges of the village. They all resembled Rainbow Dash in terms of basic body structure, but there were several differences that clearly stood out to him. For one thing, there were more colors here then a Naming Day parade. Everything from earthen browns to bright blue was walking the streets, and Takanuva had to take a moment to adjust from the barrage of tones on his eyes. His second observation was that not all of them possessed his new companion’s wings. A few appeared to make up for the loss with some kind of horn protruding from their heads, but the rest looked perfectly happy without either.

Takanuva looked to his side to see that the rainbow pegasus had begun trotting off towards what seemed to be a large tree, but was in fact covered in windows and large building made out of what looked to be a tree. He shrugged and followed her, noting how the tree resembled some of the old Le-Wahi homes on Mata Nui, only on a much smaller scale. So caught up in the sight, he failed to notice that their path had taken them right through a busy street.
He did realize when the screaming started, though.