BIONICLE: Toa of Harmony

by ToaofTwilightZ

Chapter 5: Stare Master, Attention Deficit Ooh, Lava!

BIONICLE: The Toa of Harmony
By ToaofTwilightZ
Disclaimer:
I own no ponies, save for 2 plushies and a Pinkie Pie figure. Bionicle belongs to Lego.

Chapter 5: Stare Master, Attention Defici-Ooh, Lava!
*****

The little blue ones were screaming. Many had turned to run away. The Tarakava of Ga-Wahi couldn’t remember why that was bad. The beast only heard the deep voice in its head again, telling it not to let any escape.

The Tarakava couldn’t remember how long ago it had begun hearing the voices. Rahi don’t count years, or minutes, or much else for that matter. If the beast was given a tablet asking for two-plus-two, the answer would be 'smash'. The creature had a vague memory of going to sleep in its den many moons ago. When it woke up, a small trail of slime was seen leading from the mouth of the cave to a blackened scrap of metal stuck on the creature’s nose. It was then that the voices started, telling the Rahi to attack a small boat travelling just outside the bay.

The Rahi roared before the assembled matoran as a bolt of pain shot through its thoughts. The voice was reminding its tiny, waterlogged brain of the task at hand. The creature turned to pursue the escaping villagers before a spot of orange caught its eye.

“What it this?” the voice rumbled from his lair, viewing the ‘pony’ through the eyes of his pet. “You were not in Kini-Nui when I showed the rest of your kind my power. Do not worry, brother; these, like the others, will learn to fear the shadows.”

Scootaloo stood petrified, staring as the gigantic beast, twice as tall as a pony, reared to face her. When the monster’s red eyes met her purple ones, she saw they held violence and insanity of a predator. Her own eyes reflected in those savage orbs with all the fear and helplessness of cornered prey as the wall of the hut she had just liberated held her prisoner before the mighty beast.

Scootaloo squeezed her eyes shut and screamed as the creature lunged at her, extending its powerful forelimbs in preparation for a brutal punch. As the filly waited in the dark, she felt the sensation of being grabbed as she was lifted off her feet. She felt herself flying through the air, skimming over water. The light pressure under her barrel hadn’t lessened, and she risked letting her eyes open a little. She was initially greeted by a mess of long, pink mane hanging before her face. Below, her hooves hung suspended above the bluish waters. Raising her head, she met the aquamarine eyes of a light yellow mare. “Fluttershy!” the filly exclaimed with relief. Her hero smiled before wheeling in mid-air and flying back to land atop the hut in Ga-Koro. Setting down the rescued filly, Fluttershy turned to look directly into the eyes of the aquamarine monster before her.

“You!” she shouted (for Fluttershy, shouting was just a little louder than Dash’s ‘inside’ voice.) The villagers stopped panicking to see who had spoken. Nokama had to do a double take to make sure that this angry mare was indeed the same pony from before: the gentle Pegasus’ face had hardened into that scowl which haunts the dreams of cockatrice and dragons alike. Scootaloo grinned as she recognized that legendary look of the one and only ‘Stare Master’. Somewhere in the shadowy depths of Mata Nui, a dark being recoiled in shock.

“How dare you attack a peaceful village like this!” Fluttershy continued, her aquamarine eyes set in the look of maternal disdain that the most unruly of critters spoke of in whispers. “What did they ever do to you, huh?! And what could possibly make you think that it was OK to attack helpless fillies? You should be ashamed!” The creature cowered as the pegasus flew straight up to look the creature in the eye. The shadows in the rahi’s mind recoiled, speechless. “Now you take off that ugly mask, and don’t you EVER let me catch you being a bully in these waters again!” The rahi nodded obediently before removing the mask and diving into the ocean.

Fluttershy hovered in the air, smiling confidently for all of three seconds. It was then she noticed the assembled villagers staring at her, jaws hanging open. The mare landed on the leafy platform below her and backed away, blushing furiously behind her pink mane. “Oh, um, hello…m-m-my name is-”

Suddenly, Scootaloo zipped down to appear next to the shy mare, holding Fluttershy's hoof in the air in victory. “All hail, Fluttershy," the filly yelled, "the Stare Master!” The crowd mumbled in astonishment.

“Fluttershy?”

“The Toa of Kindness!”

“Her?”

“Stare Master…”

“…who's the orange one?”

The chatter died down as the village elder raised her hand for silence. “We thank you, Toa Fluttershy, for the service you have done us in driving away the Tarakava. I see my faith in you was not misplaced. And who is your young herald?”

“Oh, yes! I mean, I don't actually know what Scootaloo is doing here,” Fluttershy sputtered. “She’s a filly from my town that I foalsat for once. I heard Rainbow mention she was here, and Applejack said Applebloom is in a place called Po-Koro, and – wait…” Fluttershy looked at Scootaloo. “Pinkie Pie was supposed to pick you and Sweetie Belle up from Ta-Koro!”

“Did you say Applebloom is here too?” Sweetie asked, coming out from the hut Scoots had left her in, the one that she had fled back into when the monster showed up.

“You know what this means, right?” Scoots grins conspiratorially, getting close to whisper so the adults wouldn’t hear. “This’ll be awesome! We can go on adventures, and help more villages, and fight evil monsters like that Terra-… Terrakion-… Tamaranean-“

“Tarakava,” finished one matoran.

“Right, that! And we can get our cutie marks in vine-swinging, or lava-surfing, or - wait, where is Applebloom again?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak before being interrupted by another matoran, this one with a blue Akaku. “Po-Koro is the village of Stone, located approximately 160 Kio to the north the crater of Mangai, in the Motara Desert. Po-Koro is the northern-most village, known for its spectacular stone-crafting and for being the birthplace of the popular matoran sport known as ‘kohlii’, as well as the home of some of the sport’s greatest players, the greatest of which Maku made me swear not to mention she has a giant crush on.”

“Hey!” shouted Maku, just running up from the beach.

“For four widgets,” continued the matoran, “One can have an employee of Pelagia’s Ferry Service (owned by yours truly) take tourists directly from Ga-Koro to Po-Wahi in a matter of minutes. Heroes of Mata Nui, as well as their companions, ride for free.” Pelagia winked to Scootaloo and Fluttershy as her tourist speech drew to a close. “That is, if someone hadn’t stolen my boat.”

“Borrowed!” exclaimed Maku. “And only to find Toa Fluttershy!”

“It’s true,” confirmed Sweetie. “When I met her around Ta-Wahi, she said right away she was looking for help.”

“I’m sure,” Pelagia answered. “It’s just that every other time she’s ‘borrowed’ my boats, I’ve found them around Po-Wahi the day after a big kohlii match.”

“It seems her sneaking out worked as a blessing in this case-” Nokama argued, giving Pelagia a glare telling her to zip it. Nokama’s gaze softened as it drifted to Maku. “-in spite of how she makes us worry.” Nokama turned back to Fluttershy. “Sorry about that. So I take it you and your friends were able to plan something while you were at the Great Temple?”

“Oh, don’t apologize. I’m used to having to break up arguments among some of the animals back home. Sometimes my friends need a little help with that too. We split into groups of two to look for more masks before confronting that 'Makuta' person you told me about.” Fluttershy’s gaze dropped as she scraped at the ground. “I, um, I did hear that you might have a mask that would help me? I mean, that’s why I was on my way here before, but if you don’t want me to have it…”

Nokama's face brightened as she realized what Fluttershy was talking about. “That’s right, I didn’t have the mask with me on the beach!” The village elder turned to one of the matoran standing next to her. “Kotu, run to my hut and get Toa Fluttershy the Mask of Water Breathing.”

“It’s done, Turaga,” the matoran name Kotu said, bowing before hurrying back through the village. Scootaloo facehoofed. A mask that lets you breath water? I could have used that when I was looking for that missing gear earlier!

Nokama turned to talk to Fluttershy again. “So your friends have split up to look for the masks? That is distressing. There is a reason our people place value in the virtue of Unity. This island holds many dangers, some of which even a Toa with the power to move oceans should not face alone.”

Fluttershy started at the last part. Move oceans? the mare thought. Was Toa Gali really that powerful? And Nokama thinks I can to do Gali’s duty? Duty… The mare pondered that last word. And Unity? Fluttershy let her eyes drift over the matoran, resting on Maku before coming back to meet Nokama’s own yellow orbs.

She cares for them like they were her own children. I should know, I’m the same way about animals. And she trusts me to defend them, to take care of them. Just like I trusted her with Angel Bunny… she thought as the white rabbit, thouroughly soaked, hopped up to rub against her leg affectionately. In that moment, Fluttershy thought she understood this strange being, one who walked on two legs and carried a spear made of bone. The moment after that, she realized that she’d been staring into a virtual stranger’s eyes for 5 seconds longer than she was comfortable with. Fluttershy’s resolve hardened even as she retreated behind her mane once more, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. I will protect them! But I can’t do it alone…

A groan from below caught their attention. The two looked down to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle dragging on the floor in agony. “This is soooooo BORING!”

“More boring than when Rarity is ‘in the zone’!”

Fluttershy smirked as Nokama let out a light chuckle. “Scootaloo, was it?" the turaga asked. "Do you and your friend still wish to travel to Po-Koro?” the elder said.

The filly jumped up with an excited grin. “Do we?!!”

Nokama called to Pelagia, who had just finished retrieving her boat in from the beach. The matoran tied her vessel to the dock before coming over to address Nokama. “Yes, Turaga?”

“I assume your offer for a free ride still stands for our young guests?”

Pelagia smiled at the fillies in question. “Where is it you’d like to go?”

Sweetie jumped into the boat and pointed a hoof. “To Po-Koro!” she said, before remembering something. She hopped out of the boat, blushing. “Just…let us get a few things first.”

The two fillies raced to the town square and returned with the scooter, helmet, wagon, and lava-board in tow. Following closely behind her was Kotu, carrying a gray mask with a clear visor above what looked like the mouthpiece of a scuba apparatus. Fluttershy recognized it as the same mask carved from the waterfall outside the village. “Your Kanohi Kaukau,” the matoran said, bowing as the Toa of Kindness took the mask and put it on. The mask changed from the color of clay to a bright metallic blue.

Scootaloo tossed her gear into the boat as Sweetie once again pointed a hoof toward the horizon. “To Po-Koro!”

“Um, miss?” said Kotu. “North is the other way.”

“Oh. I knew that.”

“Thank you, Kotu, Pelagia, and thank you, Nokama,” said Fluttershy. “I won’t let Ga-Koro down.” Fluttershy seemed to think for a moment, before adding, “Scootaloo? If you see Applejack, would you please tell her to meet me and Pinkie in Ta-Koro? I’d like to have another meeting. I think Nokama is right. Nopony should be exploring this place alone. Be careful, girls.”

“We will, Fluttershy,” Scootaloo replied before hopping in the boat herself. As Pelagia shoved off, Scoots called back, “And don’t worry! I won’t do anything that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t do!”

“Oh, dear.”

*****

Deep beneath the surface of Mata Nui, a pair of glowing red eyes watched as the pegasus mare said her goodbyes to her new friends in Ga-Koro.

"So, there is more to these ponies than meets the eye. Fear not, my brother, they will not disturb your slumber. For where there is power hidden, so too is there darkness to be had."

*****

Pinkie Pie skipped down the beach toward the charred forest in the distance. “A long, long time ago, there was a volcano...living all alone in the middle of the Omygosh what is THAT!?” The pink mare stopped singing as she spotted something in the shadows of the jungle. Resting in the shadow of the foliage, a mask sat upon a rock. She trotted up to get a closer look. “Hi, there, Mr Mask! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I’m your knew friend. I bet you thought that nobody would ever pick you up because you’re all dull and rusty, but I know that with a little love and care, we can make you nice and shiny and green again,” she assured the poor object before popping it on her face.

“Eeewww,” she shuddered as her head started to feel funny. “Maybe I should have washed you off in the ocean first, you’re really slimy. Come on, let’s get you clean, then we can go visit the volcano and I can introduce you to my friends!”

“You don’t want to do that,” she heard a voice in her mind tell her. Pinkie stopped in her tracks.

“I don’t?” she asked as the funny feeling spread to other parts of her body

“You will exactly what I want you to do.”

“Okie Doki Loki,” Pinkie replied, removing the mask as she trotted off into the jungle.

*****

Twilight watched as Spike pulled himself out from a pool of molten rock. “Any luck?”

“Nope,” the dragon replied. “Swimming across a tunnel flooded with lava? No sweat. But on the other side, there’s this machine with all these buttons, and I don’t know what I’m doing.” Spike turned to the black armored matoran at her side, holding a golden key. “Sorry, dude.”

The Onu-matoran rubbed the chin of his purple mask. “That’s alright. I wish I didn’t have to bother a toa and her scribe with our troubles. The lava pump is a handful; some of our best engineers need to bring written instructions with ‘em cuz they’re such a pain to try and memorize. Problem is, even if you could swim back and forth here while we tell you each step, the thing resets after so long. And anything we could write it on would either melt or burn in the flow.”

Twilight shook her head. “Turaga Whenua told you need the stash of light stones at the end of this tunnel. He’s been a big help to us so far, answering all our questions, and we’d be more than happy to help if we only knew a way how. If it weren’t for the glare from the lava, I could just teleport over there with a set of instructions, but without being able to see where I’m jumping, I could end the jump too short, leaving me to fall in lava, or worse, I could reappear inside a wall.”

“Really? A dirt wall is scarier than 2000 degrees of pain?” the matoran asked.

“It is when the dirt is where your lungs used to be,” Twilight answered. “Statistically speaking, 2000 degrees will end a pony’s life in a matter of seconds. Suffocation can last for minutes on end, and you’re awake for most of it.”

Spike looked like he was gonna be sick. “Twi, you know how I felt after helping you research those statistics. It took a week before I got the image of that pony’s guts out of my head. Every time I thought about it felt like the time the princess was sending you those letters nonstop.”

“Sorry Spike, I forget my big, tough, fireproof dragon can get a little squeamish,” Twilight apologized. rubbing the top of head as if messing up his mane. “I just wonder what the princess will say when I send her letters about...this… letters… Spike, you’re a genius!”

“Well, yeah, don’t forget brave, and manly, and good-looking, and…” Spike listed out his positive qualities on his fingers. After a bit, he turned back to ask Twilight “what did I say that was great again?”

“Letters, Spike!” Twilight grinned. “Princess Celestia taught me the spell a while ago that she uses to send you letters! All we need is for you to swim back across the lava to the shore with the machine, and I can send you the instructions through your firebreath.”

“Oh yeah! That was a pretty good idea. Glad I thought of it!” Spike said, striking a pose.

Fifteen minutes later, at the end of a tunnel of freshly-cooled stone, Twilight, Spike, and the newly returned Rarity and Turaga Whenua stood in awe of a massive chamber riddled with glowing crystals. “Oh my, I must apologize, Turaga Whenua. When Spikey-Wikey told me of your realm, I was expecting the dingy tunnels of the diamond dogs back home. But I just returned from a beautiful shrine in the middle of the subterranean lake where I found my latest mask, and then this! I only wish whatever brought us here had brought my fabrics with me! Twilight, can you imagine what the Canterlot elite would say if I studded my gowns with gems that could actually SHINE?”

“I’m impressed how many miners are already at work here again, considering the passage has barely been safe for one or two minutes,” Twilight remarked, observing the scores of miners loading fresh lightstone into carts being drawn by ussal crabs.

“The matoran of earth are nothing if not diligent!” Whenua chuckled. “You should meet Taipu, one of the diggers for our new tunnel to Le-Wahi. We have to limit the use of torches that close to the swamps, but even when the others gave up digging as our lightstones ran low, Taipu simply stuck a small wax candle to his mask and kept right on going! Not that one matoran was going to make much progress, but now…!” Whenua shook his head. “I can’t thank you enough. I’ve been worried about Le-Wahi lately. No one has seen or heard from Turaga Matau, the leader Le-Koro, the jungle village. I fear the worst, that perhaps the Makuta has destroyed our brothers to the south, or worse! Added them to his ranks…” the short elder leaned heavily on his staff as he finished, looking centuries older as he worried about his old friend.

Rarity caught on to something else. “Twilight, weren’t Pinkie and Fluttershy talking about returning to that jungle village? You don’t think they’re in trouble, do you?”

“I don’t know, Rarity, but so long as they stayed together, I wouldn’t worry too much.”

Author's Note:

Dundundun!
So, as Bart Millar would say, "Welcome to the New!" New content, huzzah! The chapter length has been doubled!
I have the next chapter finished as well, but I'd rather not post it until I have the chapter after that ready to go. Just in case I need to make some changes, and also to motivate me to write more.
Next time, pack you canteens and you sunscreen, folks, and get ready for sand, sand, and more sand. We're going to didneyworl Po-Koro!

Comments

[Vutava]

Ga-Koro is best Koro!

[ToaofTwilightZ]

6441858 Bob and Steve - wonderful!

[ToaofTwilightZ]

6442087 If you notice some plot-holes, send me a pm and I can see about smoothing em over.

[Me Myself and J]

I got so happy when I read that Spike was going in and out of the lava. I forgot he had that ability. Hey! Didn't Kopaka have to get a mask that was in the middle of a lava flow once? Oh Spi-ike~

[ToaofTwilightZ]

6462106 Crud, I had an idea for that, but yours is better.