//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: My Little Pony X Bionicle // by GundamBrony //------------------------------// At the parts of the Everfree Forest, an ancient graveyard was laid at the parts of Equestria, deep at the darkness of caverns. It was a forgotten place that once laid ancient ponies warriors and other mythical creatures to rest after a terrible war before Equestria was formed. It was also a resting place for important ponies that change Equestria in the pre history date. Since that, Star-Swirl the Bearded created this graveyard in hoping to laid the souls of the dead to rest and as that day, nopony ever founded that cave to the ancient graveyard guarded by two demon like beings that prowling at total darkness. Until, somepony or something founded. A large steps was heard as the demon like beings heard sounds. Sounds of a intruder as they flow to the source as even in total darkness, their poor eyes' vision see a skeletal being holding a large staff. From behind it, two other beings appeared each with skeletal features as the demon like creatures charging at them only for the large skeletal being to swung its massive staff and knock them down. Then a dark magical energy begin coursing through the tip of the staff as the large skeletal being jabbed one of them on the chest and turned them into dust. Then it did the same thing despite it attempts to charge back. "So, this is the Ancient Graveyard of Equestria, the place laid the ancient and primitive ponies and mythical creatures......." Kulta looking around the ancient tombstones as Slicer, still wearing the Golden Mask of the Skull Spiders, and Basher look around it too. "My liege, this place is so familiar yet different..........." Slicer said. "This place is a parallel to the Graveyard at the Ancient City of the Mask Maker. This place along with Okoto share many similarities to this world." Kulta said. "But why are we here, my liege?" Basher asked "Shouldn't we go and find the Crystal Masks before the Toa gets there?" "Patience, Basher. We can't go charging in with only a few numbers of our army consider that our Skull Warrior and Scorpio were destroyed by the Toa." Kulta said as the Skull Army found a mausoleum with pictures indicated a pony with a long beard as they open it, a large tombstone is at the middle. "Now let's get started." Kulta said, having a wicked smile as he twirled the staff, he slammed it on the ground as dark magic poured onto the cracks traveled to the rest of the tombstones. Then all of the tombstones begin to rumble as the dark magic energies begin shine brightly. At the Canterlot Castle, everypony begin rebuilding the damages from the Skull Spiders army did along with others being infected by them, taken to the castle and being examined. The Toa and the ponies along with the Royal Sisters watched as each of them rested on the medical beds. To the ponies, they're worried of the darkness that the Skull Spiders infected might still have a ting of evil within them. As the Toa, they felt guilty of this. All because of their quest to stop Makuta and the darkness that's growing in Okoto but now it spread onto this land too. Hopefully once they awaken Ekimu and find the Mask of Creation, Equestria and Okoto will be saved. After a few minutes, the door open up as the doctor came to the heroes and the princesses. "So how are they?" Twilight asked. "All of them are okay. No sign of any tainted darkness from those spiders you mentioned. All of them woke up with no memories of what happen only that their minds were taken by a skull creature that they seen when infected." The Toa and the ponies along with the princesses have a worried expression. "Can you describe what skull creature they seen?" Pohatu asked. "Hmmm....." the doctor tapping her hoof onto her muzzle "Well, from what we gather from our patients, they describe the skull creature as a bipedal with four arms with a golden mask that looks like the spiders along with three hook like swords and a whip with a claw at the end." "Oh no." Lewa groaned as the ponies glance at him "That must be Skull Slicer." "Skull Slicer? You mean that thing with a maniacal laughter and the one you fought before?" Pinkie asked as he nodded to the pink pony. "The one and the same." "When we encounter it, it stole Lewa's Golden Mask and upon wearing it, it greatly drains his energy." Pohatu explained. The Toa and the ponies along with the Princesses listening the Toa's quest on the Ancient City of the Mask Maker. "So how come you and the villagers need masks? Can't you guys live without one?" Rainbow asked. "The Protectors explained that without wearing them, each of us would grow weak in the minutes or seconds and very fatal." Pohatu explained "It's the same as your all depend on 'Equestrian Magic'." The ponies were stunned to say the least at his statement. To them, it's like they're seeing parallel versions of ponies with different sacred magic to survive. "I'm sorry about asking that." the rainbow pegasus apologizing to the Master of Stone. "It's okay. You just wonder about things." he replied. "But, one thing that bother us, if our masks were removed before the Skull Spiders army, then how come we're still conscious before recovering it?" Tahu asked as the Toa simply shrugged. "Perhaps, it possible that some of Equestrian's magic must allow you six to be conscious for the time being when you guys enter here even with your Golden Masks removed from your face." Twilight guessed. "That's make sense. This magic of this world carried many secrets similar to Okoto." Gali said. "So who're those 'Protectors' fellers you mentioned?" Applejack asked. "The Protectors were leaders of each of the elemental tribes. " Gail explained "They guided us to the shrines of the Golden Masks when we were summoned along with told us of our destiny." "What do you mean?" Spike asked "When we were summoned by them, we have no memories of our past life and purpose but only that we fell from the stars." Kopaka said. "Wait? Fell from the stars?" Twilight asked as he nodded. "But thanks to the Protectors, they gave us a purpose : to save Okoto from Makuta's darkness." Tahu said. The ponies at first felt bad for the Toa to come to Okoto without memories and purpose but at least the Protectors were able to give them a new purpose for them. "So we been trading our stories, what about yours?" Onua asked. "Well......." Twilight said as she begin explaining her adventure from the day she moved to Ponyville, met Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy, to facing Luna's dark self, Nightmare Moon, finding the Elements and purified her, to the adventures of learning friendship, facing a spirit of chaos (and reformed him), a power hungry king unicorn, Twilight's accession into a princesses, the mirror world, unlock the mysterious chest and gained new magic to fight a power mad centaur, Twilight's official castle and her tittle, Princess of Friendship, and facing in the mirror world three evil sirens. After that, the Toa were amazed by their adventures. "That's some adventures that you girls have." Pohatu said. "I agree, we never knew that friendship is that powerful." Gali agreeing with him. "It is. It what keeps us connected and bring harmony to Equestria." Twilight said. "Come to think of it, why did you allow the darkness to consume you into that Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna?" Kopaka asked. "It's because of how my sister's morning always worship her light while my nights, they only shunned and slept through." Luna lowered her head in regret. The Toa felt sorry for the princess of the night. To them, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were much like Ekimu and Makuta, only that the Harmonics able to purified her and return her to her sister to ruled together. "If only I know it sooner........." "Luna, what's happened is in the past. Never dwell on it." Celestia trying to console her which she nodded. The Toa begin to think about their quest with a uneasy question. Consider how the Harmonics able to purified Princess Luna from her darkness, would it possible that Makuta can also be purified and returned to Ekimu? "In any case, Toa, we would like to thank you for saving our guards and also defend our home from the Skull Spiders." Princess Celestia turned to them as all nodded at her. "It's our duty to help those who can't protect themselves even though it isn't Okoto." Tahu said. Hearing those words from the hot headed Toa, the ponies felt admiration of the six heroes. "We must be going now, my friends." Luna turned to the hallway leading her to the adjacent tower "My sister and I need to prepare for the night. Princess Twilight, would you lead the Toa to their guest rooms?" "Of course." With that, the two royal sisters heading to the adjacent tower as the ponies and the Toa continue walking to the hallways. "You know, there's one thing that I'm wondering." Twilight said as Kopaka glance at the princess. "How you six got here to Equestria in the first place?" "When we about to awaken Ekimu, he forewarned us of the Skull Army searching for a mask hidden underground of the Ancient City of the Mask Maker, the Mask of Parallel Universe. We fought against them but even we're united, they still outnumbered us. They manage to escape using the mask's powers and came to this dimension. Our Golden Mask's powers able to use the ruined shrines to open the portal for us to head to your world." Kopaka explained. "The Mask of Parallel Universe?" Fluttershy asked. "From what Ekimu said, it was created when he learns the truth of the Crystal Masks. Before The Great Cataclysm, the Mask Makers discovered from the villagers six crystals that came from the heaven. At first, they designed them as one of special masks, but as he wore it, he glimpse of you six and feared that they were deemed too powerful for anyone to use it and in the wrong hands, it can spell destruction upon Okoto. He tried to reason his brother to destroyed them but his jealously blinded his reason so he took it upon his own matter and studied and founded that it came from another world, precisely yours." Gali said. "Whoa, whoa what?!" Rainbow got in front of them "Are you guys tell us that the Elements of Harmony were created from your world?!" "No, it originate from your world. The Mask Maker created them into six crystal masks and sealed them here into its original world." Pohatu said as the girls sighed in relief. "One thing I don't understand." Applejack asked "If both Ekimu and Makuta are in a deep sleep, then how did all of the Skull Army along with the Skull Spiders varmints came to be." "To be honest, we don't know. But from the Protectors, they believe that Makuta's spirit survives and his dark powers is growing in Okoto." Onua said. "He controls the Lord of The Skull Spiders and countless monsters in Okoto." All of the ponies nodded as all of them make to the stop at the hallways as each of them taken their separate rooms on each sides. Each of the room is like the others with a royal decorations on the walls and a curtain on the left/right sides. Their beds is like the others with a hue of dark blue in a wave like design. The drawers on the sides have a curvy like design with a mirror on top as each of the Toa examine their rooms. "This is where we will be sleeping?" Tahu asked as the girls nodded. "It may not be like whatever you guys sleep but it'll do well." Twilight said. The Toa nodded as they set their weapons down on the wall as they examine their beds as they sat down on it, and, with Onua, being the biggest Toa, sat on it as the bed stands broke down as it slammed on the floor creating a crack on the hard floor. "Oops, my bad." Onua rubbing his head at the shocked ponies. After a few hours of fixing the bed stands with magic, the Toa gaze at the skies from the windows as it turns night time as all of them laid on it, preparing to sleep soon. "Well, we better get going now." Twilight said "Thanks again for saving us." "You're welcome, princess. Hopefully we can find the Crystal Masks quickly before the Skull Army does." Kopaka said as the ponies nodded as each of them close the door. Then they headed to their sleeping quarters as both ponies and Toa fall into a deep sleep. In The Ancient Graveyard of Equestria, Kulta smirked from his skeletal mask as a rumble was heard as both Basher and Slicer have the same expression as their leader as multiple skeletal hooves and claws thrust out of the tombstones as skeletal ponies comes out. Each of them have almost have a design that of Okoto's Skull Warriors but more of decease Royal Guards armors as well as Skull Armors. The others, rising from the tomb, have skeletal wings on its back as few more have dragons design on them as well as bat wings design. The last one, had a unique design, has a decayed bearded on the muzzle along with a wizard hat and robe but mostly noticeably it has horns similar to Kulta and Skull Armors around the arms and legs. Like the others, it has a newly Skull Mask like the others but some have a different design than the others. All of the Skull Creatures turned to Kulta as he raised his staff "Rise, my army! Rise!" All of them march towards him as they bow to him, awaiting for command as Kulta laughing evilly of his new creations. At the cave where the Tree of Harmony reside, the magic that still produce despite of the Elements now turned into Crystal Masks and scattered, sense the dark magic as it begin shone brightly. While the Toa and the ponies are alseep, a old and weary voice was heard. 'Fateful Toa and Harmonics........' A voice was heard from the Toa's and the ponies' prone as their eyes shot open and glow white. As the light died down, a image of the Crystal Masks was shown inside of shrines. 'The time has come to find the Crystal Masks is at nigh. The Skull Army now prepare to headed to the shrines that holds the Crystal Masks. You must find it quickly. All of them are in specific places that are untouched.'The Crystal Masks then shown in places that hidden before their visions ended. All of them shot up from their beds as they breath heavily as the visions they saw. Then all of them have the same questions in mind. "What was that?"