Call me Lhikan.
Lhikan is my name. I know, funny name right? Believe it or not, my parents had the idea of naming me after the last surviving Toa Mangai. Lhikan was an honorable Toa, he wouldn’t give into the darkness of Makuta even after all of his Toa brothers and sisters gave into the darkness. Ultimately, Lhikan used the last remaining energies of his life to give Metru-Nui some slight chance at survival.
It’s funny how I’m named after a Toa. Despite my name, I assure you I’m pure pony. Neither my mother nor father have accepted a Kanohi mask. My ancestors never even laid hoof on one for crying out loud!
Right now, I live in Canterlot with my family. It just so happens that Ta-Koro was set up in the capital city. A thousand years later, they developed into the Ta-Metru. Equestria, if it hasn’t been plunged into a new era, then the new era began now.
Now was the time of mask-making. Both the Ta-Matoran and ponies all around Equestria have taken up the ancient art of creating Kanohi masks. From the Konoka discs, scattered by the Great Spirit Mata Nui himself, Kanohi Masks can be forged using a mix of fire and metal.
Again, despite my pure pony form, I work at one of the forges making Matoran masks. If we use the metals found throughout Equestria, we hoof it over to the Turaga or the Unicorns who have been taught the appropriate spell.
At first, with experimenting with the first masks, ponies often found that putting a mask on with an original enchantment from the island of Mata Nui, it erases anything known before and replaces it with its embodiment and powers. Ponies from the first age of the Equestrian-Mata Nui Era found that out the hard way.
Through the ages, ponies and Matoran have worked together to create masks of power without common side-effects. So far, the masks have the ability to let the pony who put them on have their special ability, while leaving the cutie mark intact. Dual Abilities, Dual Powers.
Usually, I etch my marks and craftsmanship in the great masks. I have a set of blueprints right out in front of me. The white hot flames skitter across the surface of the Kanoka metal. I’m only doing my job.
I wipe the excess sweat from my ratty black mane. It’s a good thing my mane is dark, that way, you cannot see the soot it has collected over the years.
Then, my hoof slips and the mask splits in half. I drop the welding torch angrily and pound my hoof on the anvil-desk. I rub my face in aggravation and examined the broken mask. Sighing, I tossed the broken mask into the rubbish bin.
“Mata Nui!” I curse, slamming my hoof into the desk again.
“Turaga Tahu has given you quite a doozy, hasn’t he?” My partner snickers in the background, taking his usual lunch break. He has a daisy sandwich in his hooves, and he is about to sink his teeth into it.
He is easily camouflaged amidst the fiery atmosphere of the Ta-metru. His mane is orange, while his coat is flame-white. On his flank, it has the cutie mark of a mint leaf being consumed in flames.
“That is the 7th time I fail making this mask!” I pound the desk again for good measure. Turning to my partner, I shout “How in Equestria do you have so much free time?”
“I have a steady hoof,” He bites into the sandwich and talks with his mouth full. “Unlike you, you gotta learn to not fidget!” While he says that sentence, a slice of lettuce flies out of mouth and lands on the ground. Upon contact with the floor, it catches fire and turns into a pile of ash.
“Turaga Tahu needs to understand that my job here is not permanent, I just need something to pay for my studies” I point toward my flank “What is even more confusing is that my cutie mark is too vague. Having the symbol of the nation of Mata Nui? That is not much to go onto,” I turn to my partner and ask “Do you even know what my cutie marks means?”
My partner shrugs. He continues to munch on his sandwich. I groan in frustration.
I look at him sullenly. “C’mon, how is it fair that I’m doing all the work, and you get to sit around all day?”
“I get finished with my projects early,” He answers. “Besides, it’s your time to learn. I’ve been covering your rump for half of the year already!” He finishes the sandwich in one more bite.
“I could use some help with this, Mint Fire! The mask is taking about a year to make now! You know how hard it is to create a mask?” I retort.
“Actually, it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it,”
“Shut up,” I pick up the last Kanoka disc from the stockpile. “Besides, why don’t you make yourself useful and fetch me some more Kanoka discs!”
Mint Fire rolled his eyes and trotted out of the forge. He disappeared into the steam surrounding the halls.
Now is the time. I pull out a book and start off with my studies. I shouldn’t be doing this while working. The pages could get scorched or my masks turn out to be completely different. Trust me, I know. But, as my mother said, I quote “You need to be well-rounded before picking a profession!”
I open to the page where I left off. Equestrian-Mata Nui Era Begins. I got past the part where Celestia turns into Nirva. Yeah, that was the most important part of the era. Our deity, Princess Celestia was turned into a Matoran Pony. On the next page, an inscription told by Turaga Dume when he first entered Equestria.
“Here it is!” I read through the words of Turaga Dume and the Prophecy of Equestria-Mata Nui. “When the Two worlds collide, on the thousandth year of her transformation, she will return, with the Spirit Stars aiding in her escape!”
It’s been a thousand years since Celestia transformed into Nirva. Ever since that time, a series of events has occurred. The Matoran started appearing all over Equestria. How the ponies reacted to this… that’s another story.
Gah! My mind is wandering again! I guess it has to do with my cutie mark, my understanding of the nation of Mata Nui is most likely my talent. Then, I just remember something.
“Wait, this year is the thousandth mark for when Celestia turned into Nirva! Does that mean she will return to being Celestia?”
KLUNK-KLUK.
Oh no. I close the book quickly as I hear the familiar steps behind me.
“You gotta stop reading those books, Lhikan! Your mask is overdue!” my boss snapped.
I turn around to meet his cruel fire-red eyes. “Sorry Turaga Tahu, just my studies at Luna’s University,” I apologize. This was the usual day.
“Get the mask ready by tonight! If not, I must expulse you from your work as a mask-maker and your studies.” Turaga Tahu clicked his tongue and looked over to the rubbish bin, which was about to be taken away to melt the masks into Protodermis. “Let that be a fair warning,” he says while trotting out of my workplace.
As soon as I know he isn’t within range, I open the book back up and finish the prophecy. “No time will be much darker and desperate when she returns, for Equestria will be thrown into chaos mixed with Protodermis,”
My partner returned with a stack of Kanoka discs and set them down on the countertop.
“Fine, I’ll help ya, you are getting the whiplash from Turaga Tahu… again,” Mint Fire puts on the welding mask nearby and starts to carve the shape out of the mask.
We finished the mask by nightfall and turned it into Turaga Tahu at his desk. He observes the craftsmanship, knowing that I had some help with it. But, he doesn’t give me a hard time about Mintfire
“That was a close one, Lhikan, next time a mask is overdue, I won’t be so nice,” Nopony can see through the masks of power, even if a spell was cast. But, if he didn’t have his mask on, I could’ve probably seen the sullen look on his face.
I knew he didn’t really mean that. Even if Turaga Tahu was heartless at times, he felt for everypony and every Matoran. That is what he earned from his days of being Toa. He just had to be mean and nasty sometimes to make sure the workers aren’t slacking off. This keeps the populous of Equestria happy with their surplus of masks.
Mintfire and I walked through the endless steam and sparks of the forges. That was the Ta-metru for you, an industrialized part of Canterlot comprising of mask-making, armor-making, and weapon-making.
We stopped by the forge to pick up our stuff. I shoved the history book back into my saddlebags and lifted it up over my back. Mintfire picked up a bucket of water sitting at the corner of the forge and extinguished the last of the flames. He lifted up his saddle bags, with the attachment of a Kolhii stick.
“Are you going to the Kolhii match today? It starts in an hour,” Mint Fire offered.
“Sorry, can’t, I have to catch up with my studies.”
“C’mon, Lhikan, you can spare some time, right?” Mint Fire nudged me.
“You know I’m behind with my schooling, right?”
“Forget Schooling for now, I want to introduce you to my friends!”
“But, I’ve never actually studied Kolhii, let alone play it,”
“Lhikan… just live and breathe a little, life is meant to be enjoyed. Make some friends!”
That caught me off-guard. One of the main virtues coming from the ponies. “I guess I can spare a few minutes, but just a half-hour okay?”
“Yipee!” Mintfire hopped up and down the grating that lined the hallways. I rolled my eyes and followed the stallion down the hallways, until we emerged into evening sunlight.