From One Ruler to Another
“We must be careful, Luna. We don’t what Discord may have left behind,” Celestia told Luna as the two trotted down the red halls of Discord’s old palace.
“I know, sister. He was a trickster, and could have left something wicked behind.” By the time Luna finished, she and Celestia finally reached their destination.
In front the recently crowned princess were a pair of wooden doors that led to Discord’s vault, sealed and locked with his chaotic magic. What was behind it, nopony knew for sure. Nopony besides Discord, and he could not speak from his stone prison.
“Here we go,” Celestia sighed and lit her horn.
Luna followed in suit and enchantments Discord placed on the doors were removed. The door knockers flashed white before the sisters’ yellow and blue magic encompassed them. A loud creak echoed through the halls as the doors swung open, revealing darkness that shrouded everything.
The two alicorns stared at the black chasm, then at each other. “Well, after you, dear sister,” with a coy smile, Luna gestured a hoof to inside.
Celestia returned the smile and faked a sigh of defeat, “Oh alright.” Luna softly giggled as her sister trotted in first.
Just as the princesses entered, the room went from dark to well-lit. Luna and Celestia were surprised as flames rose from the torches on the wall, but there were even more surprised at what was inside the vault: Jewels, diamonds, treasures beyond anypony’s wildest imagination, even scrolls and books Discord collected during his reign. And the vault was full of them.
Luna dashed towards the treasures, laughing at the sight. “So many treasures here!” Luna picked up a ruby in her hooves. “This could last an entire lifetime!”
“Maybe for a regular pony, Luna,” Celestia reminded Luna, though she herself went for the treasures.
As Luna continued inspecting her trophies on the left side, her older sister scoured through the right. Celestia spent most of her time glancing at the treasures with disbelief at its vastness. There was more than enough to rebuild Equestria and perhaps use it for some cake.
Suddenly, Celestia stopped when a glint of light caught her eye. She looked to the far end of the chamber, and saw the glint of light reflecting off of a metal object. Curious, Celestia trotted past her sister and towards the object.
She reached it and saw it what the object was: a golden mask melded into a face of a creature Celestia never seen before. The mask was also old, far older than Celestia and Luna, maybe even older than Discord himself. What was even more curious what that there was a strange feeling surrounding this simple mask.
“What is this?” Celestia muttered to herself, bringing a hoof to the mask.
Just as the hoof touched its rim, the mask glowed and Celestia took a step back. The mask was bathed in a light matching its color, and the light grew brighter with every second. Celestia shielded her eyes with a hoof, but it was futile as the light engulfed her vision…
Celestia’s eyes shot open and she gasped as she found herself no longer in Discord’s vault of treasures. She stood in a large void with not a creature or thing in sight, except for the only white nothingness.
“Where am I? What is this place?” Her words echoed and became the only sound she heard in this desolate place.
Quickly, Celestia tried to look for an exit. She looked right, left, up, and down, but there was nothing in sight. Celestia stifled a curse as she continued her vain search. “This must be Discord’s doing!” she told herself. “This must be some spell he placed as a joke!”
“I can assure you this is no spell,” a voice spoke.
The sudden appearance of this voice almost made Celestia jump. “Whose there?! Show yourself!” she demanded as she searched for the voice.
“Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm,” said the voice–a stallion’s, Celestia believed from the deep tone. The voice itself was coming from everywhere and nowhere, making it hard to find its owner.
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “If you do not mean any harm, then there is no need to hide!”
“Very well.” A moment later, and he added, “Perhaps, you should turn around.”
Celestia did and she gawked at what she saw.
There she was, staring up at a metal giant that stood on its two legs, thousands–no millions of feet tall. It was a ‘he,’ Celestia could tell from the facial structure, and from the upper body resemble a male minotaur. The block head lowered and its glowing yellow eyes gazed at Celestia. A smaller block that was the jaw lowered as he spoke.
“Welcome.” Celestia covered her ears from the sheer volume. Even if the giant was speaking “softly”–which she thought he was doing–his voice felt like a thousand bells ringing all at once.
“T-that is most impressive,” she admitted, her ears ringing a little. “Maybe you should try to lower your voice a little.”
The yellow eyes softened and the giant’s voice softened even more, though it still boomed in Celestia’s ears. “I see this form is intimidating to you. I will try something else.”
The same flash of light that brought Celestia to this place engulfed the giant, and she had to look away to avoid being blinded. A few moments later, and the light was gone. “Is this better?” Celestia heard the giant, his voice now at a normal volume.
She looked at the giant to find he was not a giant, though he was still bipedal. He was tall as a minotaur and covered in golden armor, the look completed with the strange mask Celestia found. The two crystal blue eyes filled the eyeholes and the mouth piece was gone, revealing a metal jaw.
“What are you?” Celestia could only ask. Her best guess was a golem, but what golem wore a mask and could speak like this creature did?
A chuckle emerged from the ‘golem.’ “I believe the first question would be who, not what?” He placed a metal claw on his chest. “I am Mata Nui. And you?”
Pushing away her surprise and curiosity, she replied proudly, “I am Celestia, newly crowned princess of Equestria.”
Mata Nui smiled. “Ah I see. So Discord has been defeated.”
Celestia blinked at the golden ‘golem.’ “You know Discord?”
“I have,” Mata Nui gave a nod. “It was not too long ago that he found me, inside of the mask.”
“Inside, what do you…” Her eyes widen as it hit her: “We’re inside the mask?!”
While the princess gazed around her surroundings in a new light, the golden being smiled. “Yes, we are,” Mata Nui said, his claw touching his own mask. “The Mask of Life’s power is something that even I cannot fully comprehend.”
Her attention back to Mata Nui, Celestia pointed a hoof towards the mask he wore, an ethereal projection of the one in Discord’s vault. “The Mask of Life, you mean that mask?” Mata Nui nodded and Celestia breathed, “Incredible. No wonder Discord kept it hidden.”
“Yes. When Discord first discovered it, one of his subjects experienced… an accident,” Mata Nui chuckled at the memory. “He was turned into a newt.”
“A newt?” she raised an eyebrow.
“He got better.”
Celestia giggled, her suspicions of this being disappearing. “It’s certainly no less astonishing than me raising the sun.”
Her words surprised Mata Nui. “You raise the sun?”
She nodded. “Here, magic is used to raise the sun and the moon, bringing day and night.”
Unfortunately, her explanation did not answer his question. “Magic? But there has usually, a planet revolves around a sun due to gravity and the rotations are what cause night and day.”
Celestia almost felt insulted. “I believe otherwise. Magic is part of everything, here. Ponies, animals, and even plants depend on it.”
“I apologize, I meant no offense,” Mata Nui quickly apologized. “It is quite amazing, though. You are not a Toa, but you have control of gravity. The Great Beings must have given you powers to accomplish such feats.”
It was the princess’ turn to ask, “Toa? Great Beings? I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mata Nui was silent for a few moments to ponder. “I see,” he finally spoke. “There is much I must explain. But where to begin?”
“I believe at the beginning would be best,” Celestia spoke with a small smile.
Mata Nui returned the smile. “Yes it would.”
His gaze went towards the white void and he waved a metal claw in the air. Again, Celestia was surprised as she saw the entire white void shimmered and was replaced by a field of stars. In the center was the giant whose form Mata Nui took.
"Long ago, I was a towering giant, created by powerful creatures only known as the Great Beings. Inside my body, the Matoran, my people, maintained its inner-workings while they were protected by their Toa guardians.”
Another shimmer, and Celestia’s wonder increased even more as she stared at the inside of the giant. Instead of stone and gears, it was like a world with a sky and a great sea. In that sea was a city that was beyond anything the princess had ever seen before.
There were tall buildings made of fine metals, strange tools, and even flying chariots. Throughout the city, small beings, the Matoran as Mata Nui called them, worked the mechanics. With them were the Toa, tall and armored warriors watching over the well-being of the Matoran.
“It’s incredible,” Celestia breathed, to which Mata Nui nodded.
“Yes, it was. Here, my people lived their lives in peace. To both Toa and Matoran, I was there ruler... their protector." Mata Nui's voice softened at the last two words.
Celestia turned to Mata Nui, noticing his tone. She had been in awe of this once powerful ruler, but now he spoke with regret as if he knew failure, as if…
“… Something went wrong, didn’t it?” Celestia finally asked.
"Yes,” he answered somberly. “I ignored my people and took them for granted. It was my arrogance that I let an enemy form inside of me."
The princess turned to the city and stared at it. What happened next could be only described as a nightmare.
The entire sky went dark and the city was covered in shadow. No light could be seen, save for the lightning flashes pulsing in the clouds above. The city turned into desolate wasteland as quakes turned its glorious buildings to mere empty shells.
The source of it was a dark and rusted mask hovering over the city. The red eyes glowed, and a chilling laughter echoed, sending shivers down the princess’ spine. The laughter was so full of darkness that it matched the rusted look of his mask. It was like looking at the face of a demon.
A flash of lightning pulsed in front of the floating duo, and they were back in the white void. Celestia realized she had been sweating and wiped her forehead with a hoof. “What was that?” she asked Mata Nui.
“That was the Makuta,” he replied grimly. “They were beings who originally maintained the Rahi, animals roaming in my body. In fact, one Makuta, named Teridax, worked with me and I once even called him a brother.”
“But why would they betray you. Weren’t loyal to you, weren’t they?” Celestia asked.
“They were, but they became resentful. The Matoran respected me, but shunned the Makuta. It was because of this the Makuta rebelled,” he said. “And it was Teridax who led them against me.”
Celestia was taken aback at that. His own brother had betrayed him? Alright, this Teridax was not really Mata Nui’s brother; still such a betrayal was unthinkable.
Yet, she did not say anything, merely watched the memory. The city was gone, showing Mata Nui’s gigantic form crashing into a watery world. “The Makuta planted a virus inside of me, shutting me down for centuries,” Mata Nui spoke as he watched his old body sink beneath the oceans. “It would take the courage and great sacrifices of the Toa to stop the Makuta.”
Another shimmer. Instead of single event, it was multiple scenes flashing in sequence. They came by fast, but not too fast for either Celestia or Mata Nui to know what was going on:
On a mysterious beach, six Toa set on their journeys, unknowingly about to unite into a mighty force…
In a darkened room, a seventh, golden Toa faced a rather tall and mighty Makuta Teridax…
Under the sea, a white Toa wore the Mask of Life as he fell into a darkened pit, and his body glowed with his life essence…
In an ancient cave, a silver Mask of Life landed in a circle before a dome closed over it, and a white light engulfed the cave…
Celestia used her wing to shield from the light. When it faded, she did not see the cave, but Mata Nui’s gigantic body rising from the oceans he once slept in. He stood tall and proud, pieces of old rubble and water running off of its body.
“They did it. The Toa succeeded in awakening you,” Celestia almost gasped, turning to Mata Nui.
“Yes, they did,” her guide nodded, “but still, Teridax managed to find a way.”
The princess would have asked but she found her answer. She was horrified to see to see the yellow eyes turn to a hauntingly familiar red color. Then, laughter emerged from Mata Nui’s titanic form, the laughter of Makuta Teridax.
“He took control of my body, and he exiled me in the Mask of Life,” Mata Nui continued, as Celestia saw the Mask of Life shot out of Teridax’s new body and into space. “I drifted through space, until I arrived on the world of Bara Magna. There, the mask gave this body you see now.”
Another shimmer, and Celestia saw the shorter, golden Mata Nui who acted as her guide. He stood on a barren desert with others beings with him, beings who were neither Toa nor Matoran. In fact, they were more organic than Mata Nui.
“On Bara Magna, I met its inhabitants, the Agori and Glatorians,” Mata Nui narrated. “I fought alongside them and it was with them that I learned the importance of friends, more so than I ever did in millennia.”
That caught Celestia’s curiosity, even more than everything else he spoke of before. He mentioned friendship, the very thing that powered magic and what Equestria was founded on. How curious.
Returning to the memory, Celestia saw a strange cavern where six chambers surrounding a central. Each of the adjacent chambers carried a different environment: a jungle, a volcano, sandy desert, mountains, a great sea, and an icy tundra.
“I also found something else,” Mata Nui continued. “Long ago, Bara Magna and its moons had once been a single planet, Spherus Magna. It was a bountiful world until a war over its core tore it apart.”
The image retreated to Bara Magna, where the princess saw another giant buried in the desert. This one was much similar to Teridax’s new body in design, but it was much smaller and seemed damaged.
“My creators tried to find a solution. They made another giant, a prototype to my own. But it failed and was buried in Bara Magna’s sands.” Then, Mata Nui’s former body replaced the fallen giant. “And so, they made me. I was to explore the universe to find a solution. When I would return, I was to reunite the shattered worlds into Spherus Magna.”
“That’s impossible!” Celestia wanted to say, but she held back. It was difficult enough for Luna and herself to move the moon and the sun, let alone combine worlds. Still, she kept her silence out of curiosity and focused on the memories.
In the memory, the Mask of Life floated toward the fallen giant, carrying Mata Nui’s spirit. Upon entering it, energy pulsed through the giant and its dead eyes glowed green with life. The giant stood on its shaking legs, now controlled by Mata Nui.
“I eventually found the failed prototype and took control of it.” Mata Nui told Celestia. “By then, Makuta Teridax arrived.”
A loud boom echoed across Bara Magna’s sands as Makuta Teridax landed in his new body. Bara Magna’s moons hanging over them, the two faced each other and exchanged words as they readied each other for battle.
Then, they fought in a battle between titans.
Mata Nui and Teridax fired bursts of energy from their stone hands and slung fists at each other. Mata Nui’s smaller size and older body left him at a disadvantage and Teridax used that. It was not the only thing, unfortunately.
Celestia was almost sickened seeing Teridax willing to destroy the Agori and Glatorian down, all just to threaten Mata Nui. And it was working. Mata Nui’s willingness to defend them left him open to attack from his so-called brother. With Mata Nui constantly beaten, it seemed like Teridax would win.
But there was a way. One of Bara Magna’s moons hung behind Teridax. All that was needed was the perfect timing and effort.
Mata Nui had that as he shoved Teridax in the path of the moon, and it went crunch against Teridax’s head. His towering form fell to the ground and his red eyes went dead. Makuta Teridax was no more.
“With Teridax finally defeated, I used the last of my power to reunite the three worlds into Spherus Magna.”
As her guide spoke, Celestia watched the two moons joined Bara Magna with a loud shake. A glow green surrounded Mata Nui’s giant arms and the princess found her mouth gaping wide open. The once barren wasteland turned into a paradise with running rivers, beautiful mountain, and lush vegetation.
“Spherus Magna returned to its former glory,” she heard. “In time, it would become the world that you live in young princess.”
A surprise Celestia whirled her head to see Mata Nui smiling. His story was amazing, but she expected it to be more closely related to her own world. There was more mystery to this Mata Nui than he let on.
She looked back to the memory. Mata Nui’s giant form collapsed onto the new world and it died. Yet, the Mask of Life emerged from the body, glowing with Mata Nui’s essence inside of it. The mask remained suspended in the air for Celestia to gaze at.
“My mission was over. With my destiny completed, I returned within the Mask of Life and have been in there ever since,” Mata Nui concluded.
The memory shimmered away one final time, returning the pair to the familiar white void inside the Mask of Life. “Now you know my story, young princess,” Mata Nui said, turning to Celestia.
“Yes, I believe ‘fascinating’ would be quite the understatement,” she nodded, “but there is one thing I’m uncertain about.”
“And that is?”
Celestia briefly hesitated before she spoke, “Makuta Teridax, you said he betrayed you, but he was like a brother.” Mata Nui nodded. “If that’s true, then could there have been another way for you to work things out with him?”
Mata Nui sighed. “Sadly no. Out of all the Makuta, Teridax was the most jealous. His jealousy grew into resentment and he became something dark, evil… and I was ignorant of it.”
The princess observed, “You carry some regret with you.”
“I do. I wish could have done more, but I know can’t. It’s a lesson I learned and one I intend to not forget.” He paused to ask, “Do you have any siblings?”
To that, Celestia answered softly, “My little sister, Luna. She’s the only family I have left. I can’t bear the thought of losing her.”
Mata Nui smiled. “Then cherish her. She may be the only source of strength you may have.”
Suddenly, Celestia was surprised to see the distance between her and Mata Nui become greater. Surprise She looked around herself to find the a familiar golden light covering her. The princess looked to Mata Nui, whose form became more distant with ever second.
“It seems your time in here is done. You should go,” she heard him say.
“Wait!” Celestia called out.
However, Mata Nui was gone and she was alone in the golden light smothering her. As Celestia was almost blinded, a familiar voice called out to her. “Sister! Sister, wake up!”
Celestia opened her eyes as she stirred with a mild headache. “Ow…” she moaned.
Her vision clear, Celestia looked around and found herself lying on a stone floor. The familiar stash of Discord’s treasures caught her eye and Celestia mentally sighed with relief. She was back in her body, and not inside of that strange mask.
Suddenly, something grabbed Celestia and pulled her into a tight hug. That thing, she found out, was a relieved Luna, who cried out, “You’re alright!”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Celestia wheezed from Luna’s tight grip. “Luna, let go! I can’t breathe!”
Luna released her sister after hearing her and sheepishly smiled. “Sorry.”
After breathing in some air, Celestia stood on all four hooves and asked, “What happened?”
“I thought you would know,” was Luna’s response, standing as well. “I saw you touching that mask and then, you passed out.”
“I see,” she said, turning to the Mask of Life, which remained mounted on the wall.
As Celestia stared at its empty eyes, her mind raced. She had just witnessed the memories of a ruler from long past, and she had many questions. Just what was he exactly and what were his creators like? Also, Mata Nui called her “young princess.” Just how old was he exactly, thousands of years old, millions perhaps?
“Celestia, are you alright?” She turned and saw concern on Luna’s face.
“I’m fine, Luna,” Celestia assured with a smile. “I’m just a little tired.”
“Perhaps we should leave, then,” Luna glanced at the chamber. “We shall have somepony else to collect the spoils.”
“Yes, that would be for the best. It has been a long day,” she agreed.
Nodding, Luna headed towards the door while Celestia glanced at her sister. Staring at Luna, Celestia could only remember Mata Nui’s words: “Out of all the Makuta, Teridax was the most jealous. His jealousy grew into resentment and he became something dark, evil.”
Out of all she heard, that unsettled Celestia the most. Already, Mata Nui and Makuta Teridax sounded like herself and Luna, as they once worked together. But Makuta Teridax’s jealousy made him betray his “brother.” Surely, Luna would not do something like that… would she?
Celestia shook her head. No, Luna never would do anything like that. She was much stronger than that. What happened between Mata Nui and Makuta Teridax would not repeat itself.
“Sister?” her sister called out and Celestia saw her at the doorway.
Celestia smiled. “I’m coming, Luna!”
And so, the two alicorns left the vault. Yet, as the doors closed behind the princesses, neither of them noticed the Mask of Life faintly glowing in the dark.