> Infinity's Edge (Beta)
>  by Caldoric
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

>  A Prologue, If You Can Call It That.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time: Years(?) In the "future"... But not many(?)... 

Location: An undisclosed world, in a backwater corner of the Omniverse.



In a tavern, situated snugly in the branches of the biggest Banyan tree you've ever seen, sat a figure. In fact, there were several figures in said tavern, each of various species and gender and color. But there was one who stuck out, ever so subtly, even to the untrained eye. One's attention just seemed ever-so-slightly drawn to the figure, like a microscopic black hole, or like one's tongue is always drawn back to the site of a missing tooth. He (for it indeed was a he,) was sitting with his back to the bar, nursing a simple cup of coffee. He did little more than bob his head to the music being played, which he knew was from another place, another time, and occasionally sip at the beverage in his hand. He still remembered the simpler days of his long and strange life, thanks to the music.

He wore very light armor, which was slightly unusual given the peaceful nature of the local land at present, but nobody seemed interested very much. It took all kinds to make a universe, after all, and in the Omniverse, where anything could happen (and probably already had, in a way)? Said armor was nearly equal parts monochromatic and red-and-orange, if that makes any sense. To be honest, only he knew the exact proportions, having designed it himself, not that anyone ever seemed to care. (41.3% monochrome, 50% red-and-orange, and the rest was a metallic silvery color, slightly bordering on gunmetal or dark steel, to be precise.)

He turned his head towards the door, and seconds later, it opened to admit three small figures. They seemed drawn to him, as young folk everywhere always seemed to be. He didn't mind too much, though. The figure liked children, for the most part. He was GOOD with kids. Always had plenty of stories to tell, he did, and was usually up for whatever off-the-wall game he was challenged or invited to. Most folks who knew him well, (and there were precious few of those to be had at the best of times,)  said he was young at heart, yet seemed to have an old soul. He usually laughed if someone said the last to him, for reasons of his own. After all, his was probably older than most...

And there they were, the three younglings. Now that he got a closer look, they seemed to be in their mid to late teens... He didn't seem to recognize them, but they recognized him for sure. One was a griffon... mostly. There were some draconic aspects to her appearance, and she had what was definitely a Unicorn horn sticking out of her forehead. The second was a bio-mechanical being, (similar to an Agori, Matoran, or Protector,) was definately male, with a blue mask, and red armor that covered the rest of his body. He dubbed that one "Takua." The third... appeared to be a hybrid of a Dalek, an Aperture Turret, a mech of some sort, and a Rahkshi. That was new to him, but he didn't seem phased. Much. They took up a few seats near him, and ordered a Root Beer Float, each. The strange figure chuckled and shook his head. Some things never changed, no matter what corner of the 'Verse you were in.

He'd had run-ins with the various reincarnations of the once-legendary "CMC" down through the ages, and these three seemed like just the type. Perhaps something akin to girl scouts or boy scouts had finally cropped up in the Omniverse? Yes, there; they each wore badges, bearing the crest of the original legendary triad, he could see. Oh, not with his eyes, of course. Those were focused on some figures across the room. No, he had other ways of seeing. The figure smiled faintly. That was a long story of its own.

He closed his eyes as he took a deeper draught of his chosen beverage, using the opportunity to "watch" the three newcomers in extended detail with his mind's eye. He observed them stealing frequent glances his way, and decided now would be the time to cut his impish side a little loose, if only for the moment. He opened his eyes once more, let his energies flare in just the right way, and lifted the mug to his mouth. But instead of drinking, he spoke, affecting a slight southern drawl, voice slightly muffled and distorted by the mug.

"Y'know, kids, if'n it's a story ya want, ya could'a just asked." He then opened his eyes and smirked, looking at the trio.

Their reaction was priceless. The mechanical one stiffened and gave a small "eep" sound, "Takua" merely froze in place, and the semi-griffon started so hard she fell off her seat. She was was helped back up by her friends to a hushed chorus of childish cursing, a mumbled "I meant to do that," and something about a bucket.

The figure's eyes had gone a solid lime green, with a slit pupil in the left one, with six more slits orbiting a slightly larger, boxy-shaped oval pupil in the right. Draconic Vision Eightfold, at its finest.

He discretely looked a bit closer at the griffon, who had regained the top of her barstool once more, and nodded mentally. Yes... He'd THOUGHT that one'd seemed familiar somehow. The way she held herself, which was proud, but not snobby. The pale pastel ruff of feathers at the back of her head, which was a smidge more noticeable now that they'd been disturbed when she fell over. She obviously had some of the genetics of some of his earliest friends here, though he'd been afraid to call them anything more than acquaintances back then. Ah, the old social stigmas of his homeworld, and the things they did to young folk.

"H-how did you...?" The mechanical one's question tapered off. He definitely has their attention now.

"Oh, not to worry," he replied, smiling kindly as he relaxed his eyes, and they returned to normal once again. "I get folks asking me for stories all the time. I'm always happy to oblige, though I usually ask for a reason as well. Have you one?"

The triad looked at one another, and "Takua" spoke. "Y-yeah, sir. It's... for a school report. 'S due in a month or so."

"A report, eh? Well, I've helped with a few of those in my time. I'm game. It's about time I did another retelling, from what I've gathered, my last one's gotten garbled in the history books. Again." The trio smiled at that. "Now, before I get started, I'd like to know what specific part, if any, you're looking for. Your names wouldn't go amiss, either." They looked at each other. Finally, the griffon spoke up.

"My name's Cloudsnatcher. And these are my totally rockin' friends." She gestured to the mechanical menagerie, and continued. "This is A.L.E.X., they're from a relatively new species calling themselves 'Glitch.'"

"Hello!" Said A.L.E.X., whose voice, while slightly tinny, gave no indication of gender, or even a synthesized nature. Given Cloudsnatcher's use of a gender-neutral pronoun, A.L.E.X. was probably either hermaphroditic, or asexual. Didn't matter to the coffee-drinker either way. He gave a polite nod, and said "hi."

"And this," continued Cloudsnatcher, "is Zaka. He's descended from the Okotoan Spherus Magnans."

"Greetings," said Zaka.

"Salutations," returned the taller figure, and took a sip of coffee. "And you already know my name, so that's that, eh?" The kids giggled, and the stranger pressed on. "Alright then, if you're ready to begin, then let's move over to one a those booths over there," he said, gesturing near the door, "and while we're at it..." He turned his attention behind the bar.

"Ey, Smoakey, old pal," he called, getting the Barkeep's attention, "I'm gonna move over by th' door with these young'uns. We'll probably be there a while, so... could we get some new drinks for the little ones, on me? And some food as well?" The barkeeper, who was in fact a large bipedal bear who always emitted faint whisps of sweet-smelling smoke, and was presently wiping out the inside of a large crystal mug, nodded. "Alrighty then. Let's move, kids."

And so, they picked up what was left of their respective drinks, and migrated over to one of the available booths. It was near the door, and had a good view of the inside of the tavern, but wasn't next to a window. They sat down, the kids on one side, and the stranger on the other. He began preparing himself to tell his story, rearranging certain items in his possession, mentally laying out the path he was going to take them through, and then steeled himself for one final thing he knew he must do before he could properly start.

Normally, the figure put limiters upon himself during day-to-day affairs, to keep from going mad with his own abilities (that HAD happened on more than one occasion, with spectacularly disastrous results.) He had, long ago, spread his consciousness across many places, many worlds, many focal points. But when it came to telling the many tales under his belt, he always gave it his all.

Normally, the figure saw what went on through his own life "nowadays" in a sort of "third person" mode. He liked it that way. It reminded him of when TV used to be a thing, or reading books, or even video games. But at times like this...

He pulled himself together, and felt his sense of self come to rest where it had originally been birthed. He felt himself sliding together, becoming more "whole," and closed his eyes...

For the first time in a long while, I reopened my eyes, which were now their old nearly chocolate-brown color, and felt my form shift into something more casual, more familiar. More... original. The armor had vanished, and the tall figure that I once had been was now replaced by a strange-looking, seemingly fragile figure. It had been a while since I'd last used this form, and I actually had to readjust. As I did, I took in the three amazed faces before me, and began to speak.

"Now, let's start where it all began for me. After all, as the song goes, it's a very good place to start.

"It was a Monday, as to be expected. Nobody has ever really liked Mondays, as far as I know, but this one was the one that changed my whole life. Not to mention, I looked a whole lot different back then... Something a lot like this..."

And so, I released myself to the rigors and waves of the story, and the weaving of the vast tapestry that was my history began anew...
> 1: Dimensional Disaster
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are a lot of things that I've done, experienced, whatever, that I never intended to. They just kinda happened of their own volition. Like how I accidentally shut down an Air Force Base when I was 2 years old. Or, more recently, how I accidentally stole a Kanohi Olmak from a museum, or nearly causing a nearly-over inter-dimensional war to flare up again with said Kanohi. I've been shot, stabbed, and otherwise injured beyond count in my time, most of that since said museum incident.

Wait. Does it count as "inter-dimensional" if the different worlds have, due to preexisting shenanigans, been brought into the same solar system? Ah, whatever. You probably wanna know about how it all kicked off, am I right? Yeah, well, here goes nothin'. So, I was at this one museum near where I used to live, back on good old "Datum Earth," as I call it. There's a long story behind that, and I'd recommend looking it up. (It's from the "Long Earth" series by Terry Pratchett and Steven Baxter, FYI.) It helps to have names for various different iterations of one's homeworld so everyone knows what you're talking about, take it from me.

Augh, sorry, I tangentialized there for a second. That's ADHD or whatever for ya. Anywho, back on the Datum, in a museum. I was wondering about, looking at various exhibits, when I found myself in a room filled with a large quantity of masks from several cultures worldwide. I was looking at the few they had in the Egyptian corner, when my eyes fell upon one that seemed to be made entirely of gold (or maybe brass, it's hard for an untrained eye such as mine to tell the difference,) which made them open all the way, and my jaw nearly hit the ground.

I recognized it at once, as it stood out immediately from the other paltry samples around it. The lateral ridges running front to back on the top; the fin/blade/spike-ish extensions on either side of the... weirdly-shaped... mouth bit; the perforated mesh betwixt the fins and mouth; the slanted eyes; the holes on either side of the eyes, like ports for something to plug into; and the overall alien-spaceship-looking air to it's design. All characteristics of the legendary Kanohi Olmak, Mask of Dimensional Gates. They had it labelled as a death mask for some lesser noble back towards the beginning of Egyptian history.

I took this all in within a moment, barely caring about the presence of a nearby tour guide going through his standard routine. My reaction?

"Holy FUCK!" I said.

He turned to me, and said, "excuse me, ma'am--"

I cut him off immediately. "I'm a dude, sir," putting extra venom on the last word, "don't go judging just because I have long hair, and you've also got this mask COMPLETELY mislabeled. It's a Kanohi Olmak, the Great Mask of Dimensional Gates." I began pulling up the Bionicle wiki page about it, but he cut me off.

"I am sorry, sir, for mistaking your gender, but we do not allow profanity here."

"I apologize for my outburst," I replied, tacking on some extra formality, both to match his, and to try and make up for the earlier exclamation. "I just never expected to see a REAL Kanohi Mask, I thought they were only something from the old Bionicle storyline..." He waved his hand dismissively, like he got this sort of thing frequently, glaring at me all the while.

"Yes, yes, they based that off this specimen here. Now..." He trailed off, tapping his foot and glaring at me. What, did he expect me to "vacate the premises" for accidentally swearing? Well, no dice, pal.

I went back to staring at the mask, and shortly after heard the guy clear his throat, still tapping his foot. I looked at him with the most deadpan raised eyebrow I could muster.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Leave. Now." He commanded. I was about to argue, possibly getting myself into more trouble, when I noticed the mask rapidly beginning to glow, and it didn't feel friendly.

"Get down!" I yelled, as the glass case began splintering and cracking from whatever forces were raging inside. I turned as the case exploded, fully expecting to feel shards of glass entering my body, but the pain never came. All the shrapnel seemed to avoid me, which was weird, but it hit the guide guy worst of anyone. And, of course, alarms went off everywhere.

The mask began floating, and hovered over towards me. I backed up a bit, but it followed me, so I reached out a hand, and the mask placed itself withing my outstretched palm. I could feel it thrumming with ancient and pent up energy. Suddenly, a beam of light shot out, and struck one of the other cases, shattering it as well. Another mask came my way, and I recognized this one as well, to a lesser extent. It was basically one of the masks worn by the Protectors from the G2 Bionicle line, but stylized.

I didn't really stop to worry about why two masks seemed interested in me, seeing as guards were headed my way, so I grabbed the second mask, and crammed the Olmak onto my face, and thought "HOME!" as strongly as I could. A portal appeared, and just before I could jump through, the guards arrived.

"Halt!" they cried, but I had no such option.

"Sorry!" I called, and jumped in. It closed not a second later, and I found myself in my living room. I quickly gathered as much stuff as I could into an old backpack, like a couple pocketknives, a few tools, phone charger and external batteries, some extra clothes, stuff like that. Anything I might need for running away.

I then grabbed a few non-essentials, such as a certain pocketwatch, a ring, necklace, watch, a high-quality lightsaber I'd bought online once, a couple old NERF guns and the one NERF sword I owned, my laptop (and it's few accessories,) and shoved them into yet another couple of backpacks, and headed back to the living room. I left a note explaining what happened, grabbed some of our old camping gear, (sleeping bag, pillow, a few blankets, etc,) and sent a text to my family, giving them the short and sweet of it;

"Accidentally caused some shenanigans at the museum, now the government's probably hunting for my ass. Will be back after things cool down... Eventually. Full explanation is at home. I'm sorry this happened. Love you all. Please don't try to find me, though." That done, I went to the top of the stairs, turned around, and thought: "Get me out of here. Someplace safe. Someplace I can hide." A portal appeared in the air above the steps, and I jumped into it. A literal "leap of faith," if you will.

Of course, it was at that precise moment that the front door opened, and I saw the briefest glimpse of my parents and sister, looking up in shock and confusion at the portal, and myself entering it. I didn't have a chance to say goodbye. It closed right after me. I fell for a couple minutes, judging by my watch, though I wasn't sure if time flowed the same in between the dimensions as it did within each individual dimension. I chuckled a little after a while, and said, "into the rabbit hole I go, it seems. Curiouser and curiouser as well, eh?"

When I eventually was ejected out of the exit portal, I came out almost horizontal, feet first, like I'd just jumped off a swing. It was the dead of night, I noticed. I landed a little harder than I liked, but I managed not to fall over and break my stuff, mostly because I suddenly had some sort of armor now. I needn't have worried, though, because something far more concerning happened. My stuff seemed to vanish into nonexistence, piece by piece. I panicked for a moment, before I had an idea.

I reached behind my back, about hip level, and felt... well, it felt like a... "soft" spot in the air, for lack of a better term, and I could sense multiple items on the other side. It seemed that, should I but focus on one with my mind and stick my hand into the space, the object would solidify, and I could pull it out. I smiled, and sagged against a nearby tree, which was part of a somewhat dark and foreboding forest. "Hammerspace," I said, grinning like an idiot.

On a whim, I concentrated on the Olmak, willing it to shift places with the other, unknown mask. I was rewarded with a glorious sound, as the masks complied with my desires. It was one from the old Bionicle flash animations, used whenever one of the Toa switched masks. It was, however, a rather unique sound, and as such, would stick out even at a very loud party. I removed the strange mask, and pulled a flashlight from one of my Hammerspace pockets.

Once I actually got a good look at it, I found that it looked a whole lot like a Kanohi Arthron, the Mask of Sonar. Except almost the entire bottom half of it was "missing". And a few other details were changed. This was not, in fact, a Kanohi Arthron. It was, as I said earlier, a stylized version of the elemental protectors' masks. The main part of it was a deep midnight black, whereas the ends of the flanges that stuck backwards off the top of the mask were a translucent lime green. The whole thing had what looked to be scales faintly carved into it. Needless to say, I didn't know what power it possessed. With nothing more to learn from it at the moment, I put it back on.

I looked around at my surroundings, and noticed what looked like a small town relatively nearby. I squinted, but couldn't make out any real distinguishing features, aside from a large tree near the middle, which almost seemed to be glittering, in a strange way. Abruptly, I heard a whirring from my mask, felt something shift on the right side, and then there was an object sliding across my right eye's field of vision. It turned out to be a sort of telescopic lens, and I could now see things a fair bit clearer.

The "tree" I had seen turned out to be some sort of carving, all angular and such, and appeared to be made up of one solid, translucent substance. Alarm bells were ringing in my head at this point. I quickly scanned the rest of the town, finding one building that looked like a miniature circus tent, and another that looked like a gingerbread... house...... More alarms went off as time went by. More out of fear than actual sense, I muttered "show me thermal," to nobody in particular, and the view switched, from a monochromatic blue-and-white, to a spectrum of reds, yellows, whites, blues, and black. I zoomed in, focused on the few sources of movement  in the streets. They shaped up to be four-legged creatures of some sort. Most certainly equine in origin.

I don't remember getting to my feet. I just suddenly remember running at top speed, away from the town, crashing through the underbrush, mask set to some sort of night vision, and mentally cursing myself. Of ALL the various worlds I could have fallen into, it HAD to be fucking THIS one, didn't it. I had landed myself in the world of talking, sentient horses, where friendship is... (gags...) MAGIC... (shudders). I jumped over a wolf-shaped pile of wood and sticks, and kept running, thinking nothing of it.

I have to say, here, that although I knew where I was, and the name of said location (sort of), I was NOT a fan of the TV show that this place was a reflection of. I do everything possible to avoid it and anything pertaining to it at all costs, due to the controversy surrounding the subject. I mean, I'm divided over it, to a degree. I like to be open-minded about things, so naturally, a part of me is curious about the show.

But I never actually act upon that curiosity, because another part of me is.... Well, not so much REVOLTED by it, but... desperate to stay away, due to seeing how male fans of the show were treated at my high school, and online. So, I ran. Even though I've graduated, long ago, I still run. And it's not like I didn't try using the Olmak again to escape. It just wouldn't reappear. Just. My. Luck.

I eventually stopped, and made camp for the night, setting up my tent, sleeping bag, blankets, and a tarp I'd brought. I didn't bother removing my armor or helmet (which the mask both was attached to, and served as a visor for). The padding inside it was actually pretty comfortable, in addition to the pillow. I made sure to turn off my phone before going to sleep, both to conserve power and because I wouldn't be able to use it anytime soon, seeing as this planet, which relied more on magic than science to get things done, most likely didn't have any sort of satellite technology.

I awoke the next morning, and had no idea what time it was, due to the fact that my watch was still set for Datum Earth Pacific Standard time. It read about 7:30 pm. I kept it on my wrist, though, for the little comfort it offered. I heard something moving outside, and unzipped the front flap a bit to see what it was. When I laid eyes on it, I had to blink and rub them a bit. There was a Gukko bird roosting outside my tent, though it flew off in a flurry of giant wings once it noticed me.

"Ok, THAT just happened," I said, stunned. With that, I crawled out of the tent, zipped it up, and took a look around. I was in a very small clearing in the forest. A few of the trees had a strange feel to them, but there was nothing else unsettling nearby. I could hear strange birds in the trees. The trees themselves looked like very eerie willows, but that didn't bother me too much.

It was at this point that I noticed a familiar synthesized female voice cutting through the silence around us, and gradually getting louder. I soon saw why: the source of the voice was being dragged unceremoniously by a large gold-and-purple being, whose mask seemed to have something similar to ram's horn curving down the sides, like the ones on the stereotypical iron helmet from Skyrim, except that the mask was golden. This seemed to be the G2 Makuta, but given he was in the same world as me, dragging none other than GLaDOS herself behind him, I had my doubts.

I waved frantically to get his attention, at which I succeeded. I quickly made a "shoosh"ing motion, and indicated to him by way of pantomime that I wished to speak with him, without GLaDOS getting involved. He carefully dropped the end he had hold of, and waved a hand in GLaDOS' direction. The orange-yellow glow of her singular "eye" faded significantly, and her constant death threats and complaining died out. She was, for lack of a better term, out of it. Makuta marched over to me, and I felt the distinct urge to go hide in my tent. Perhaps, if I had, things would've been different, but it was too late now...

"What do you want, human?" He demanded. I knew then, from his unique baritone voice, that this was not the fallen mask-maker of Okoto. No, this was Makuta Teridax, master of shadow, who felled Mata Nui himself and took over the entire Matoran Universe, but in a forcibly powered-down state. I had no idea what was going on, but I decided to bluff it.

"I am requesting your help, Teridax. And I will help you in return, eventually, assuming that THING on your back hasn't dulled your edge by that time." He was obviously intrigued by my offer, if you knew anything about him. I could see the gears turning in his mind (not literally,) at the thought of returning to his dark throne, as it were. I had to let a bit of my (very feeble) dark side come into play here.

"I just KNOW you're planning something," I said. "It's classic 'you,' Teridax. I look at that... suppressing thing on your back, and I see a leash. Whoever managed to knock you down a peg or two decided to rub some salt and dirt in the wound; add insult to injury. They wanted to turn the Big Bad Wolf, the baddest of the badasses, into a little lapdog to use at their bidding. Back on my world, within the circles that knew of you and your universe, you were the bad guy that everyone loved to hate.

"I mean, that whole 'slipping into the central processor before Mata Nui could and taking everything over' move? The ultimate coup d'etat! Everyone was at their deepest point of hate at that moment. But, inside, deeper than they'd admit, they LOVED it. They ate that shit up like CANDY! I'm still geeking out a out it, all these years later. You know how some beings will look at someone they idolize, and think, 'that's my hero'? Well, in a weird way, the Bionicle fans did the same with you, but more along the lines of 'he may be a complete scumbag, but I wouldn't have anyone else, because he's my villain'.

"Every world needs a proper bad guy to throw it into jeopardy once in a while, to keep things interesting, else it gets stagnant. And you, good sir, were the top-of-the-line, grade-AA, very best at being the absolute WORST bad guy. And then, all... THIS... happened," I gestured vaguely in his direction with both hands. "I'm starting to think you're going the way the LAST major threat here, and you've seen how HE ended up." Teridax scowled at me, dangerously. The only real threat I knew of was Discord, so I was referring to him, but I was sure that Teridax' took it a different way. "But I can possibly change that, if you just do me a few couple small favors."

Once my monologue ended, he gave me an intensely dark look. Like he was trying to decide if he should kill me outright, or torture me. Then he spoke. "You're not like the other humans-turned-Toa that have shown up here. Why do you not like this world?" I frowned. "Well, you're the expert mind-reader, you figure it out," I said. As I felt his mind slip tendrils into my own, I have him a pointed look, adding "Look, but don't touch. You'll find what I'm asking of you in there as well."

"Yes, I COULD do that. But why? Why can you not just go back to your home world? I know you have an Olmak, I felt you arrive last night."

I deadpanned, slightly. "Dude, you were just looking through my mind, how can you not know this?" I sighed. He was playing dumb, I was sure. "I got it under shady circumstances, and I'm on the run from gods know how many organizations because of it. And now, it's not working, let alone showing up when I summon it. To make if worse, I'm stuck in friggin' Equestria, of all places! Where I came from, all of this was just part of... Actually, I better not say. Just.... will you do it, or not?"

He thought for a moment, most likely debating how it'd benefit him in the long run, and then reached out his strange hand. It had three fingers, and two thumbs, and they were all clawed. "Yes," said Teridax, "I will... ASSIST you." I shook his hand.

"Oh, where are my manners?" I asked. "My name, while I'm HERE at least, is Caldoric." He nodded. I'd decided not to use my real name, for various reasons.

"An interesting choice, Toa," he began, but I had to cut him off there.

"Please, don't call me that. We both know I'm all kinds of unworthy to bear that title, now. I'm a... Well, let's just say 'pariah,' and have done."

And with that, he used what parts of his power he could access, and enough of mine to flesh out any shortcomings, to conceal a good sized area around the small clearing, making it so that anyone who came near would not be able to see or approach whatever I would build there. Only someone with a Kanohi Rode (Mask of Truth,) or possibly a Kanohi Akaku (X-Ray Vision) would stand a chance of surpassing it. It was linked to my mind, so I could "open" and "close" the field and allow someone in. That was the first favor done, and he set off again, once again towing GLaDOS. After he'd gotten a fair distance away, he brought her out of her stupor, and she went right back to berating him, and throwing stupid insults and vague threats around as usual. The second favor would be to not let anyone find out I was here until I decided to reveal myself.

"Well, THAT went over like a lead balloon. Now, let's go see if I can find something useful around here," I told myself, psyching myself up to explore my new surroundings. I discovered there were some wild pigs, cows, and such living nearby, which I could possibly kill for food, as well as a river that was usually filled with fish. There were also, possibly, edible plants around, but I was hesitant to mess with them. I took a look at the options on the HUD to see if there were any way of setting a waypoint so I could return, and noticed a certain readout in one corner.

It stated that I had two masks collected, one accessible, and only one whose powers were usable at present. It also, theoretically, gave the name and power of which mask was presently in use, assuming I had unlocked it. I ticked a box that kept that up on the standard viewscreen. There was, joy of joys, a waypoint option, with teleportation settings, though they were locked, requiring something else to unlock them.

I took the opportunity to take in my armor, since I'd been busy up till then. It was almost all black, with the lower arms being white, the legs and the fingers were grey, and there was some stray extra plate armor on my right shoulder and forearm, which were reminiscient of Edward Elric's automail in FMA. I also had a cloak/cape hybrid, which was either black or a very, very dark grey.

I set a waypoint, which I labeled "DrakeHeim Keep," for personal reasons. After that, went off exploring deeper in the dark forest that was now my "home." I must say, it was a rather pleasant walk, despite being on another plane of existence. Having spent most of my life in the Pacific Northwest, I was comfortable in forests, to an extent. There was a certain dark serenity there, amongst the creepy trees, which seemed to hold up the desolate grey-brown sky above them. They were a comfort to me, a sort of reminder not to get complacent, because things could always be worse than you first thought.

Almost to prove this point, I was swooped down upon by a very large dragon. I mean, seriously, tempt fate, and you'll get a response. Part of me was excited, because I love dragons. Part of me was scared shitless, for all the natural reasons. Part of me was angry, and that part was yelling and screaming at the dragon to put me back down and go to hell. And the rest of me was strangely calm, even resigned. I'd see soon enough what was in store for me. Within a few minutes, we came to a cave, where the dragon dropped me, before landing itself. I was cornered.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, more out of habit than anything else. I wasn't sure if all dragons could talk here. I'd heard of one, who lived in the town I'd arrived near, but he might have been an exception for all I knew at the time. I hadn't even seen the show before, except for a snippet or two when I was at my friends' house, and their little sister was watching it.

"Not you specifically, mortal," the dragoness corrected, "but the sheer, untapped power you hold within you, just waiting to be released." I raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about that? The only power I've got is being annoying, causing accidents, and being a total klutz."

"You shall be the final piece," she continued, as if I hadn't spoken. "Your power will be the driving force behind my great creation, made to rival the most powerful beings in this universe."

"Uh, what? No, thanks, I think you've got the wrong guy--" I never finished the thought, for with sudden speed belying her size, her face was abruptly right in my personal space, breathing some sort of solid air at me. I fell over, curled in the fetal position, having had my breath knocked out by both the smell and force of the blast. A moment later, I was unconscious.

When I came to, I was unable to see, because I was in a dark, highly enclosed space. I was a bit freaked out because of this, but I was glad I wasn't claustrophobic. The inner surface was smooth, and curved. And the outside was not attached to anything, because my moving around caused whatever I was in to roll over violently, until I was on my back. I needed some way to break out of here, and I had an idea. I reached into my Hammerspace (via my sleeve,) and pulled out the lightsaber handle I'd brought with me. It was aerospace-grade T60-61 billet aluminum, and it had two sharp points on one end. Perfect.

I began using it to scratch at the surface before me. A moment later, something heavy settled on my cage, holding it still, and I heard the voice of the dragoness who had trapped me, now muffled by the walls of this... thing I was in. "Hush now, my little knight in the shadows. Your day of awakening shall come soon enough, and by then, your master will have come to claim you. Sleep, now, and dream of darkness and destruction." Well, THAT wasn't a good sign.

Without really knowing why, I pressed the button on the lightsaber, pointing the operational end at where I'd been scratching. I was rewarded with a distinctive loud screech and a blast of warmth as a blade of light and plasma shot forth, piercing the wall, sending cracks all around. I heard a scream of pain and rage from outside, the weight was removed, and fresh air rushed inside, allowing me to breath freely once more.

"Gotcha, bitch," I said, gave an almighty kick with both legs, and the container shattered violently. As I picked myself up from the mess, I saw that the jail that had temporarily held me had, in fact, been an egg, though I was unsure at that point as to what purpose it would have served by holding me.

"Wha--? Impossible! How are you still alive?" The dragoness screeched at me, clutching her left forepaw, which I saw had a large, scorched hole through the "palm." Score one for me, it seems.

"Surprise, motherfucker," I said sarcastically, "nothing's impossible; only improbable. And, it seems, that goes double for this world." I hefted the lightsaber, giving it a few swings to test the weight and feel of it, before I resumed speaking. "I don't particularly know or care how I ended up in that egg thing, but I've had it up to HERE with this place. And I think I've just found something to vent some karma on." And with that, I charged.

I'll just say it now: I have no weapons training whatsoever, so it came as a shock to me that I was able to hold my own against a dragoness. Then again, it's hard to lose against an unarmed opponent of ANY size when your weapon can melt through titanium like it was nothing. Pretty soon, I had dismembered the dragoness, and I held the humming blade against her throat.

"I wish it hadn't gone down like this," I said, disappointedly. "Normally, I love dragons. But you left me no option. And now your life is forfeit." She turned her head to me, and opened her mouth to speak.

"You cannot stop us. Our plans WILL come to fruition. There is nowhere that the Hand of Makuta cannot--" a quick slash of my blade put an end to her words, and she drowned in her own blood.

"So uncivilized..." I muttered, turning off the lightsaber and dropping it into Hammerspace once more. I returned to the shattered egg, and began gathering up as many pieces as I could, storing them in Hammerspace as well. I'd need to analyze them later... somehow. Knowing what I did about dragons, I figures it wouldn't hurt to look around the cave for valuables. 

My curiosity paid off, in the form of heaps and heaps of coins (of various denominations,) gems, gears, (widgets?) and other treasures. I took it all, sorting it out into separate Hammerspace pockets. It was made easier by the fact that the late dragoness seemed to have had OCD, or was very organized. I found a couple of old Kanohi and Toa tools as well, which might be handy. The masks in question were a Mask of Quick Travel (Kualsi) and a Mask of Telekinesis (Matatu.) I put them both on, but their abilities were locked as well.

After I had looted everything from the cave, (and placed a waypoint,) I spent the next hour or two walking back to the waypoint I'd left at the tent. I arrived right about sunset, having fought off (read: "took a few swings at and then absconded the hell away from,") two or three small groups of wolves made from scraps of wood on the way. I got into the tent, shoved the sleeping bag off into the corner, and tried to catch some sleep. But I just couldn't seem to shut off my brain. So, I began sorting through the tools I'd found, deciding which to put into use and which to set aside.

Over the next few days, I knocked over a few trees to use for a more permanent dwelling, and began digging out sub-levels below ground (using some digging gloves I'd found in the loot,) to expand into later, Minecraft style. Most of the local area seemed indecisive between "normal" and "Minecraft" physics, which I used to great effect.

There was one memorable evening when the ground suddenly lurched beneath my feet, and the sun and moon spun crazily across the sky for a minute or two before slowing to a stop. I was pretty sure something had just happened involving the local princesses, which I'd heard could do such things. After that, things settled into a routine: dig out more tunnels, flesh out the preexisting cave system I'd found, furnish any bits I saw need for, collect food, etc.

It was on the evening of the fifth day that things changed. I was digging about as usual, working on making a replica of the Gate Room from Stargate SG1 on the third sublevel, just because I could, and pondering what I should dig out next. In the midst of my musings, the icon for the Olmak began flashing, and the words "commencing teleportation" began pulsing gently on one screen, while a thirty-five second timer appeared on the other.

"No, no, no..." I murmured, racing upstairs and grabbing all of the loose stuff I'd left lying around the house.

Five seconds...

"Abort!"

Three seconds...

"Cancel Teleportation!"

One second...

"Stop!"

No luck. A portal grew beneath my feet, and I fell into its gaping maw, and through to another location, and continued falling. I crashed through something hard before I hit the ground, with the sound of splintering wood and the tinkling of smashed dishes, with one or two latecomers. I raised my head and opened my eyes, to see a grand chandelier above me, hanging from the ceiling of an even grander room. There were two noble-looking Alicorns, one on either side of me, with highly shocked expressions on their long faces. Evidently I had interrupted them in the middle of having tea together, hence the broken china. I proceeded to wheeze like Loki after being onwned by the hulk.

The figure to my left was the tallest of the two, with a white coat, a pastel tri-colored mane (and matching tail,) that seemed to flow in an unseen wind, and a fair bit of golden ornamental jewelry. The one to my right was smaller, almost younger looking, with a dark blue coat, silver jewelry, and her mane and tail were a midnight blue-black filled with stars, which behaved the same as those of the first figure. From what little I knew at that time, I could infer that these two were the ruling entities of this world, the Princesses Celestia and Luna, respectively. Definitely the two people I LEAST wanted to have dropped in on.

"Seriously," I said, reaching under my mask to massage the bridge of my nose, as the Princesses exchanged concerned glances. "Fuck my life. Sideways. With a shovel."

I had a feeling... that it was going to be a long night.
> 2: Phase Gearing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

About three seconds later, seven guards burst into the Hall through various entrances, both conventional and concealed, and armed to the teeth. I raised my hands in a submissive manner, indicating I was unarmed and friendly.

"Who goes there? What are you doing here at this time of night?" One of the unicorn guards, (presumably the senior officer of this watch, judging by his armor,) asked of me, holding a spearpoint to my throat by way of magic. The effect, however, was ruined by the fact that (had I been standing,) he would have come up to, what, my hips? My lower abdomen, tops.

"Parleleley," I slurred, slightly concussed, and furrowed my brows. I tried a few more times, with less success: "parlelellyleloooo... Par le nee... Partner, par...snip? Parsley? Parliament..." All that got me was some very weird looks all round... Until a small, slightly nerdy-lookin' fellow towards the back of the group got an "oh, I get it!" look, and raised a hoof the way a human would hold up a questioning finger.

"Parley?" He suggested, helpfully.

My eyebrows skyrocketed. I propped myself up on one elbow and pointed an enthusiastic finger in his direction. "That's it!" I exclaimed, "That's the one. Parley." I spread my arms wide. "Parley!"

"Parley?!" Growled one of the more intimidating (and slightly aquatic,) looking guards. "Blast to the depths whatever pony what thought of 'parley'!"

"That'd be the French," I said, holding up a finger as I laid back down in the debris, with warm tea beginning to wick through my scale mail under-armor.

"What happened here? And who is he?" These were leveled at the princesses by the first guard that had spoken, (whom I had mentally dubbed "Commander Vimes,") seeing that I was obviously going to be of no help in the matter. Luna went to speak, but was beaten to the punch by her sister.

"Oh, it was merely a sparring match that got out of hand, nothing more than a slip-up." Luna gave her an intense look at the blatant lie, as Celestia continued. "He is a local Glatorian I hired, for the purpose of keeping us on our toes by 'attacking' at random times of the day or night, attempting to 'assassinate' one or both of us. He's only just started tonight." One of the guards quirked an eyebrow at that.

"Are you sure that that's such a good idea, ma'am?" She said. "I mean, we ARE in the middle of a cold war with the GCA. If they were to catch word that you two had been injured or killed, they'd not hesitate to swoop down and rain destruction on our planet and many others?" It was dead quiet for a moment, in which time I took the opportunity to act a little loopy, in case they weren't convinced.

"We jumped outta window!" I said, slightly slurring, and allowing my eyes to unfocus, for added effect.

"Shhhh!" Luna growled to me. I put a finger to my lips, and spoke again in something akin to a stage whisper

"We jumped out a window!" Then I let my arm drop heavily.

"As I was going to say," continued Celestia, "that is EXACTLY the reason for it! And need I remind you, Lance-Constable, that it is not your place to question what we do in our free time, or how we choose to enjoy it? I do appreciate your enthusiasm on the matter, but there is such a thing as being overzealous. On another note, none of you are to ever speak to anyone of this, or let it get out in any other way. And, no, I don't want to see any paperwork on it either." This last was just after the nerdy-lookin one's hoof shot into the air, like a child with a question at school. "This occurrence does not leave this room. That is all." With that, the guards left the room via the front door.

I waited a few seconds before speaking. "That was a tad... harsh, for someone who's supposed to be all sunshine and rainbows, all the time."

"Well, as the Lance-Constable said, there's a war on. Just a bit."

I folded my arms, looking her dead in the eyes as I did so. "Pull the other one, it's got bells on." Then I smiled. "Cross one off my bucket list, I've been looking for an excuse to use that phrase for years now. As long as I'm here, my name's Caldoric, and I'm already certain of who you are."

"Thee should be grateful to my sister that she hath saved your flank," said Luna, sharply. I bristled a bit at that. I'd heard that she occasionally spoke in a faux "Olde Englishe Mannere," but this was ridiculous. And her use of the word "flank" rubbed me the wrong way, just a little. "By rights, we should have had thee thrown in the dungeon for appearing as you did in our home."

"Calm down, sister. You're just upset because he landed on your favorite tea set. Kindly refrain from antagonizing our guest," said Celestia, calmly. I took the opportunity to get up and brush myself off, before facing them both with my hands clasped behind my back as she continued speaking. "If you'd look closely at him, you would find he's no mere Glatorian, nor is he a newly ascended Neu-Toa."

"A WHAT Toa?" I asked incredulously, looking at Celestia, as Luna walked up to give me a more thorough once-over. I leaned away a little as she raised a hoof towards my mask, trying to lift it up I suppose. I wasn't sure why she didn't use her horn, which was slightly above my eye level, but I was glad she didn't, since it was a long, sharp object. Not good around the eyes. I finally let her lift the mask, and she gasped in surprise.

"A human?" She asked, incredulously, as she backed off a couple steps. She then put a hoof to her chin in a contemplative manner. "But... The last one to arrive was a couple YEARS ago! I didn't think there would be another!"

"Yes, Luna," said Celestia, a sly look playing across her face, "I also made that assumption, which I maintained until a few days ago, when he arrives by way of an unstable portal."

"Wait, you noticed that?" I asked, a little scared now. She nodded. "Well, so much for nobody knowing I was here!"

"As a matter of fact," she said, "although I could sense the injection of your presence into the Everfree Forest, I couldn't track your exact location, which intrigued me. That being said, I can feel you right now, which is all the more unusual. I would have alerted my brother, Nova, of this in the morning and sent him to find you. But then you saved us the trouble."

"Lucky me..." I said, processing just how much of a close shave I'd just had. "And, just for the record, it wasn't my decision to just drop in on your little conference." I sighed, and decided to tell them my story, leaving out the encounter with Makuta. I then pulled off the helmet, and both of them raised their eyebrows when my long, dirty-blonde hair tumbled out.

It was in a decent-sized braid that reached most of the way down my back, tied off at both ends, with a black elastic hair tie at the bottom, and a slightly lighter blonde one at the base of my skull. What I found strange was the fact that woven amongst the strands of hair were lengths of what seemed to be copper wire, though I knew they had to be something else, based on how flexible and durable they were for their thin diameter. Same thing with my facial hair. And then there was the rest of my face. It was now covered in strange green and black circuitry-looking lines, all angled corners and ending in small empty circles. All of this had shown up after I'd woken up that first morning, which seemed a long time ago, now.

"I'm not proud, or even happy, about the dragoness, and I'm not even going to sully her memory by trying to excuse or justify what happened," I said, then decided to backtrack the conversation a bit. "Anyways, you mentioned something about 'Neue' Toa? Are they German or something?" The two sisters looked at each other for a moment, before turning back to me.

"Thee speaks Germane?" She asked. My eyes narrowed for a moment, and I took a moment to murmur something unflattering about horse puns before answering.

"Ein bischen," I said, holding up a hand, with index finger and thumb about an inch apart. "Aber, es heißt 'German' wo ich komme sind. I'm a bit rusty, though, as you can tell, since I probably didn't conjugate it properly."

"Yes," said Luna, "thee should have said 'wo ich herkomme,' but it was close enough. And we are well aware of what thy world's equivalent names for the language are."

"I'll remember that, thanks..." I said, feeling a tad embarrassed.

"In answer to your question," said Celestia, "no, they are not all 'German.' My brother, Nova, hailed from Scunthorpe, in Great Britain."

"Aaand... How exactly does a member of Equestrian royalty claim an Earth city as a birthplace? Let alone become a Toa... I mean, if one of your folk was born on Earth, it would have been all over the news."

"That is because," continued Celestia, "he was born human, to human parents, who raised him until he was transported here."

I had to parse that for a second. "Ok, then, how did he become royalty HERE? And how is he your brother, too? Like, is it just in name, or...?"

"Our mother, Fantasia, who is a most powerful goddess, interfered at his conception," said Luna. "If not for her, he would never have existed."

I hummed for a second, before I said, "Must have been one helluva three-way then." Next second, Luna's wings suddenly shot out, stiff as a board, with a feathery "floomph!" Celestia's seemed to be trying to do the same. Both of them blushed. "Did I... Did I say something offensive? Or do I even want to know?" Nowadays, I know exactly what that meant, but back then, I had NO clue. Honestly.

"Nothing, it's nothing," said Luna, struggling to get her wings under control once more.

"Anyway," continued Celestia, "our mother wasn't there at that point in time. She was here, on Terra-1. She used her magic to... Ah... ensure his existence. As to how he is allowed to lay claim to royalty, because of Fantasia's actions, Nova's DNA is 90% alicorn."

I smiled. "Ok, now you got that song stuck in my head." Seeing their looks of confusion, I elaborated. "You said 90% alicorn DNA. That leaves ten percent unaccounted for. And there's this one song on earth whose chorus goes like this: 'ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will. Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain, 100% reason to remember the name.' So, now you get it."

Celestia shook her head, chuckling slightly. "Yes, I'm familiar with that piece of music. The other ten percent is human, like several others of the Neue-Toa. They are... Different from the Toa you may be familiar with. And please, if you run into Nova at any time, don't tell him I told you about his heritage. Nowadays, he'd rather forget he ever was human at all, after the Battle of London."

"I'm sorry, London?" I asked. "You've got a city named London here in Equestria?"

"No, no," said Luna, shaking her head. "Thee are most mistaken. There is no London on this world. It happened on thy own homeworld last year, which is called Earth-1 now, ever since the Convergence a few years ago." They both started looking at me funny, probably because of my evident confusion. "Thee should know this already, should thee not?"

"Um, no? I'm pretty sure there's not been any attack on London in recent memory... The closest thing to that was the ISIS bombing in Paris last year."

"Um, Caldoric," said Celestia, "that... wasn't LAST year. That was SEVERAL years ago. It's currently the human calendar year of 2021."

My knees nearly gave out after a moment of stunned silence, and I had to stagger over to the nearest wall for support. "Holy fuck..." I muttered, sliding down until I was sitting, hunched over, with my hands over my face.

"I'm so sorry, Caldoric," said Celestia. "If you want, we have something that might help..."

"No," I said, frozen. "It wouldn't work. If I were to go back, I would have prior knowledge of future events, and that very fact would change said events, thus altering the timeline, nullifying this one. I have to stay in the present point in time. *sigh* It figures that the Olmak would shift me in time as well as space. They're both dimensions in their own rights. Just my luck... Maybe I'll go back in the present day? Heh, what a surprise. Hey guys, I'm not dead, I was just kicked across time and space to another world! It's only been a few days for me! LOL!"

"Methinks he has cracked under his predicament," suggested Luna.

"Maybe, maybe not. I'd have to say I'm probably in shock," I replied. "Give me a while, I'll get used to it." I sat there for a moment, hugging my knees and thinking. "On a different topic, how many other Toa are there around here?"

"Last time we checked," replied Celestia, sensitive to my fragile state, "several thousand."

"What-- how? Spherus Magna isn't part of this reality... Is it?"

"Did we not tell you? They are the original inhabitants of this world, formerly known by that name. A few years ago, we discovered them far to the south, and they have since incorporated themselves into our society, to a degree. After that, a spell was put into development that would allow travel between dimensions, so Nova and the other humans could return home, but before it was finished, a member of the Second Brotherhood of Makuta stole a copy, and when it was cast, it merged several universes into one, including ours, and yours."

"Wait, really?" I asked, a glimmer of hope appearing on my horizons, a silver lining to the clouds in the sky. "That means... I can go home, at least. But, as long as I'm stuck here like this, and there's a war going on like you say there is, I'd better get some sort of combat training. Any recommendations?"

"Thy attitude has turned around rather quickly, it seems!" said Luna, evidently impressed. "Most of the other humans we've met tended to have longer moody streaks over less portentous subjects than this."

"Oh, trust me, I'm still in 'a right old state' about it, as you'd probably say, but I am feeling marginally better, now that I know I might get to meet some of the original Bionicle characters. Anyways, Cel," I said, turning to Celestia, "recommendations for combat training. Got any?"

"Well," she said, looking up in thought, "my first thought would have been for you to seek out one of the Neue-Toa, such as Nova's brother, Minion, Toa of Magnetism and weapons specialist, or maybe Vapaa, Toa of Light and user of many martial art forms."

"Wait, hold up. Two things. First: ANOTHER Toa of Light? And second: no, thanks, I'd rather not be suddenly thrust into a group of strangers, until I can defend myself. Besides, they'll probably freak out about my unprecedented arrival, and start asking questions. Not to mention, since they're part of Nova's team, they're probably high-profile targets right now, and possibly quite busy."

"Agreed," Celestia responded, nodding enthusiastically, "that's why I said 'would have.' I have a strange feeling it's be best if your presence went unknown by them for the time being. As such, my second thought is to direct you to New Altero, where the greater part of the Spherus Magnan populous currently resides. Specifically, I was thinking you might spend some time with a certain Glatorian named Ackar, with whom I believe you might be framilar?"

"Aw, HELL yes!" I said, punching the air. When do you think I could start?"

"I could have a train ready for you in the morning, if you'd like," she said, kindly.

"Um," I replied, chewing my lip, "I'd rather not take public transportation, if possible. I don't feel ready to mingle with the local folks too much."

"Yes, of course," she said, nodding sagely, "I understand. Perhaps spending time with framilar faces would help. I can teleport you there tonight, then, if you so desire."

"Sister," Luna interjected, "is that wise?"

"I believe that, given the present circumstances, it is the best course of action. I'll have to let Ackar know in advance, though, and arrange somewhere for Caldoric to stay."

"I've got a place to stay already," I interjected. "Where did you think I've been hiding out these last few days? I just need a way to get go and fro. If it helps, I could show you where it is..."

"I believe that might be a good idea," Celestia responded. So, I toggled a setting on my HUD, and the solitary waypoint I had set up appeared as a transparent lime green diamond off in one direction, with it's distance measured in meters. I had set it that way a few days ago as a reminder of certain Minecraft minimap mods I used to use.

"Shall we go, then?" I asked. They nodded, and Celestia's horn was suddenly encased in a wavering envelope of what looked, to me, like gelatinous plasma.

"Brace thyself," said Luna, "the first time is usually the worst." And with that, we vanished, reappearing on the wooden roof of the aboveground portion of my base.

"Welcome, ladies," I said, with a sweeping gesture, "to my humble abode: Drakeheim Keep." I then fell to my hands and knees, lightheaded and blinking furiously, like I'd just stood up too fast, or taken too many consecutive deep breaths at once. My stomach churned dangerously, threatening to revolt. "Man, you weren't kidding, were you?" And with that, we left the roof, and I gave them a tour of the parts I had made habitable so far. However, it was slowed slightly by the fact that I hadn't designed the level exchanges to be equine-friendly. I'd have to fix that later. And something else felt off, as it had been since the dragoness incident, but since I couldn't identify it what it was, I ignored it. As I showed them around, I picked up the last of the stuff I'd left behind before being metaphorically dumped on their doorstep by the Olmak.

After the tour had ended, Luna went back to their castle, Celestia pulled out a quill, some ink, and some parchment, and began to write a letter, which she explained would be delivered (by way of magic) to Ackar as soon as she finished it. We got a reply within a few minutes, giving us the go-ahead, and some bonus news. If I required it, a local maskmaker named Nurhii had a spare room available. I was torn for a moment, but I eventually decided to go with the new option. That settled, we returned to the castle, which I learned was located in a city known as "Canterlot." I wasn't amused.

I asked if I'd be required to register for anything, like citizenship, or whatever the local equivalent of armed (hooved? Ugh, nevermind...) forces was, but she shook her head at the thought. That earlier foreboding had come around to us both again. She argued that it was better if I was kept off the books entirely, for now. I admired how much she trusted her gut instinct on things like this, and so I didn't question it.

She also explained the various types of currency I'd absconded with in the dragoness' cave, pointing out which type belonged to which nation, what their relative worth was, and I sorted them out into separate Hammerspace pockets. Once the most locally used form, "bits," was explained, it was fairly easy to remember. It was, in a way, similar to the US currency system I was used to, with a few tweaks. The Widgets were a bit harder to understand, but I tried. Oh my god, did I try. I tried all the... Yeah, sorry, old Earth joke. I'll stop now.

Anywho, she sent another letter, telling Ackar I'd be coming shortly, which made me wonder...

"Um, Celestia, on the off chance that I have to contact you, how would I do so?"

"You'd just write a letter, seal it with wax using an enchanted ring, and then burn it. It'll go to whomever you addressed it to. I'll have a ring made for you discretely made for you, if you have a design in mind."

"Oh, yeah, I've got a couple. I'll send them to you later. Let's do this thing!"

And with that, I knelt on my right knee, fist on the ground, left arm over my left thigh, head bent. She set off the spell, and suddenly I was somewhere else: a bedroom, it seemed, with a framiliar red, and slightly startled-looking, Glatorian looking down at me.

"Hello, Ackar," I said, standing up slowly, "my name's Caldoric. It's a pleasure to be meeting you in the flesh."

"By the Great Beings, I'm getting too old for this shit," he muttered, covering his face, "I mean, call me old fashioned, but I'll never get used to things whizzing back and forth across time and space on a whim. I'd take a good old Thornatus over magic any day."

"I know what you mean, man," I said, chuckling. "I've pretty much just been shunted a few years into the future, as of a couple days ago."

Ackar blinked. "My condolences, Caldoric. I didn't realize."

"Oh, it's no problem, Ackar. At the very least, it's more interesting here and now than it was back home. If I hadn't come across that Kanohi Mask, I'd probably still be working the Toys department at my local Department store." I then proceeded to sit on the bed, and tell him my story.

When I was done, he nodded. "I admire your determination, Caldoric, and I believe you have a bright future ahead of you. My only regret is that we couldn't have met under better circumstances. The war with the Galactic Conquest Alliance has taken its toll on everyone, despite how little it shows." He stood up, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Get some sleep. We will start in the morning."

"Um," I said, "where should I sleep?"

"Right where you are," he said, gesturing to the bed. "I'll be right across the hall if you need anything."

"In case you haven't noticed, Ackar, I'm a little old for a nightlight, but thanks for the offer."

He froze for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion, before he facepalmed with an audible clang. "You humans have a strange sense of humor, I swear. Nova was just as bad as you, I'll have you know."

"Really?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, him and most of his team. I trained them up a bit."

"Ah, makes sense. Um, if you don't mind, could you refrain from telling them or anyone else about me, if at all possible?"

He nodded. "If you wish, Caldoric."

The next morning, I got all kinds of distracted on the way out of the shop. There were so many tools, weapons, and most importantly, Kanohi Masks. I swear, I dropped a few hundred Widgets on Kanohi alone, plus a sword and a couple of knives (just to be safe,) but it was well worth it. I was rather enamored with the workmanship the matoran had put into them, and so I complimented him on it.

My new host of masks now included: a Kakama (speed,) a Hau (shielding,) a Miru (levitation,) an Akaku, (X-ray vision,) a Huna (concealment,) a Mahiki (illusion/shapeshifting,) a Kiril (regeneration of inanimate objects,) a Kanohi Kadin (flight,) a Volitak (stealth, a 1-up on the Huna,) a Mask of Growth, a Mask of Intangibility, a Mask of Possibilities, Sensory Aptitude, Rebounding, Silence (Shelek,) Repulsion (Crast,) Biomechanics, Diminishment (Pehkui,) and a strangely-shaped Mask of Incomprehension. He gave me a weird look when I chose some of them, because most Toa would consider them "immoral" powers, like Incomprehension, but I waved it away saying "I'm not a Toa, so it doesn't matter. Not yet, anyways."

With my little shopping spree over, I headed out back, to find Ackar leaning on his sword impatiently. "Sorry, Ackar," I said, "I took the opportunity to get some masks, and a couple weapons." I then showed him the sword, which looked somewhat like a cutlass, and the two mismatched knives. He didn't mind the sword, but the knives gave him pause.

"You... You know they're not matched, right?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said, matter-of-factly, "that's the point. One's a hunting knife, the other's a Saxe knife, or Seax. I have my reasons for that combination. Mostly defensive."

"Alright," he said, raising his hands, "well, let's get started, then. I half expected him to start teaching me various parries right then and there, but that didn't happen. Instead, he started me on getting my footwork up to par. You know, balance, firm footing, stance, that kind of thing. It didn't take long, though, and soon he had me starting on parries and other defensive maneuvers. Partway through that, I told him about something called 'The Double Knife Defense,' which was the prime reason for the mismatched knives I had at my hip. He was rather impressed with the idea.

The next day, we had a few visitors. The first was an old friend and ally of Ackar's, from way back, named Gresh. He was a Jungle Glatorian, who was given control over the element of Air by Mata Nui, and wielded twin blades that swept back along his arms. With him came a rookie Glatorian that he was training up. The new guy, named Durath, was a Fire type who favored a type of bladed mace, but was still rather good with other weapons as well. He and I got along like a house on fire. Durath seemed to be about my age, and was rather interested in Earth, which seemed so strange and alien to him.

After the initial meet-n-greet was over, Ackar decided that it might be a good idea (just to switch things up a bit,) for me to learn a bit from Gresh, and have Durath learn from Ackar, which would provide new perspectives on fighting methods. I'll be the first to admit, learning with Gresh was interesting. He was a much more active person than Ackar, and it showed rather exceedingly in his fighting style. For a general idea, Gresh's moves were like Aang's Airbending in "Avatar: the Last Airbender," all spins and jumps and being everywhere at once, and Ackar's were more along the lines of Zuko's Firebending; sturdy, sweeping steps, and focused strikes meant to finish a fight swiftly.

I personally liked them both, and figured it'd be interesting to see how well they meshed together. Durath had the same idea, so in our off time during the next four days, we would occasionally spar, trying out new ideas, usually gaining a new bruise or two in the process. At one point, I had the unique (and frightening) opportunity to demonstrate the Double Knife Defense firsthand. We had both been using swords in a training exercise, and Durath had begun to get a tad overzealous in his attacks. Needless to say, he managed to disarm me, but had gotten so caught up in the pattern that he went to follow through with the next few steps.

I managed to avoid everything up to the final overhead stroke, and got out the knives on instinct. As his sword came crashing down, I crossed both knives in front of me and, using the smaller hunting knife to support the larger Saxe, thrust them both firmly upwards, and stepped forwards. The sword came to a halt with a respectable clang, caught neatly near its crossbar, in the valley formed by the two knives. That was the important part, catching the sword as low on its blade as possible, so that you have less rotational momentum to negate. I didn't take the time to admire the fact that it had actually worked, though.

I shoved the sword to one side with the Saxe, and used the other hand to punch him in the face. He staggered back a few steps, and shook his head. "Whoah... What was that?" Durath asked.

"I believe that was the Double Knife Defense, was it not?" Said Ackar.

I nodded. "Yep. It's all in the application of the knives." I then explained what little I knew about the technique, how it could be used for stopping side slashes/chops, and redirecting straight thrusts. I also told them where I had gotten the information: a series of books titled "The Ranger's Apprentice." Of course, the technique was only good against swords, not maces or axes, for obvious reasons.

We wound up practicing that for most of the rest of our fourth day together. And on the last bout between Durath and I, something very weird happened. I basically repeated what I'd done the first time, except at the point where I'd gone to punch him, I instead thrust my hand at him, palm outwards, with all fingers extended (save my thumb, which had the knife's hilt pinned to the side of my palm.)

As my hand thrust forward, I felt a surge of some kind of energy cascade down along my arm, (accompanied by a pulse of bright green light between the scales etched into my outer armor,) exploding from my palm, and coming to a halt against Durath's chestplate point blank, both firmly and with a vengeance, sending the unfortunate Glatorian flying backwards a few feet and landing flat on his ass.

Post release, I could sense the energy I'd somehow channeled, in a strange way. Meaning both "it was strange that I could sense it's lingering presence," and "the way I sensed it was weird." I could feel it, yes, but... by way of taste, if that makes any sense. Like, those rare times when you catch a scent that (near?) exactly mimics a taste you've previously experienced, or vice versa. Trust me, I've had that happen several times in my life, but this was different.

I "tasted" the smell of ozone, and freshly cut celery and cucumbers and grass, all at once, as well as the normal tastes of copper, Granny Smith apples, and sour limes. There was a sweetness there, too, that I recognized, but had never been able to name the source of. It wasn't a good type of sweetness, either. As I slowly exhaled, I also registered a heat dying down in the back of my throat which I hadn't felt building up.

I heard exclamations off to one side, eerily distorted, and with agonizing slowness I looked over to see Ackar, Gresh, and Nurhii (who had come to watch the new technique,) were surging to their feet in extreme slow motion, and getting even slower. I turned back to see the air within a small radius of my hand distorting wildly, before slowly blossoming into a glob of some tepid flame-shaped plasma, (lime green in color,) like a bubble popping in reverse.

I had no time to recognize the full implication of this, as my viewpoint was suddenly rocketing backwards, the small courtyard narrowing to a mere pinprick, and I faintly felt my now-distant body slowly beginning to sag at the knees. When I came to a stop, I turned around, and was faced with an infinite wall of green fire, stretched as far as the eye could see and more. Nevertheless, I still could tell that it was curved ever so slightly. I knew what this was.

"The Green Sun," I whispered, reverently. And then I was back in the courtyard again.
> 3: Fyld Trippyng
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time quickly returned to normal, and I reflexively took a step back, blinking. Then I was suddenly jumped by Gresh, who pressed one of his blades to my throat.

"What's the big idea, blasting him like that?" He shouted at me, "you could have killed him!"

"I'm fine, honest!" Durath called calmly, throwing a hand in the air, still laying on his back. "Just startled is all."

"That's nice, Durath," called Gresh, "but I'm more concerned with the fact that Caldoric just blasted you across the courtyard with some sort of green fire!"

"That's not fire," insisted Ackar, pointedly.

"Yeah, well, what IS it then?" Demanded Gresh.

"Looks to me like plasma," I said as I stared at the offending hand, which was still engulfed, "but it's not hot, or even warm, which is not something indicative of plasma."

"It's magic," said Ackar, shrugging. Everyone looked at him with an exasperated "really?"-type look. "Yes, magic. I've occasionally seen Nova's hands do something like that when he used magic. Same with most of his teammates, though its manifestation seemed unique to each individual user..."

"Now that you mention it," I said, thinking, "I have seen something like this stuff in action before, around... the, uh, horn... of one of the locals..."

"You mean Celestia, don't you?" Asked Ackar, with genuine innocent curiosity.

My lips pursed as Nurhii began to freak out a little. "You know the princesses? OH boy..." he fretted.

"Kinda," I said, making a comforting gesture, "I only met them a couple days ago, before Celestia sent me here to train with Ackar. I wasn't going to MENTION it," I looked through my eyebrows at Ackar here, "but, hey, whatever. You got something to hide, Nurhii?"

"Ah, no, just... Y'know, normal shopkeeping stuff. They're like the head bosses of the whole country, and... Yeah..."

I chuckled. "I totally understand, man. I used to work retail like you, until my destiny took a Kanohi Olmak to the knee." Ackar and Gresh chuckled a bit at that. "I mean, seriously, mother glubbing CUSTOMERS, am I right?" Nurhii's mouth quirked up a smidge at the edges. "Like, they'd ask me if a specific type of bike came in a different color, and I'd tell them all we have are the ones on the racks, and they'd be all like 'but does it come in green?' And I'd say no, the ones on the racks are the only ones in the entire store, and there aren't any in the back either. Then they'd ask again, and I swear, that's about the point where you want to start screaming at them, just to try to make the stupid go away, but you can't. You want to gently encourage them to visit the garden supplies area, purchase a shovel, then return home and use it to assist in the indulgence of copious amounts of self-procreation."

Ackar's eyebrows shot up, Durath made a strangled snorting sound, Gresh tried to suppress a laugh and failed spectacularly, and Nurhii just kinda stood there, mouth slowly moving as he worked it out. I said his name, but he just held up a hand for a moment, before he smiled hugely, and began guffawing so hard he fell over... And kept laughing. We all joined in, of course.

Once we were done, Gresh pulled me up. "So," I said casually, "speaking of magic hands and Celestia, think we should message her about this? I mean, I wanna know if I can turn this off, so I don't have to walk around half on fire."

"Sure thing," said Ackar, and went inside. He came back with parchment, a feather quill, and a jar of ink.

"Um, I've never done quill-based writing before, and my handwriting's bad enough as is. Mind if I just... dictate it to you?"

"Sure thing, Caldoric," he said, and sat down, quill poised.

"Just so you know," said Nurhii, "I said the same thing about using paper and ink for the first time, and yet it's very convenient for storage."

"Yeah," I said, "I know, you guys used to carve on stone tablets. I mean, how is that even possible?"

"No idea," Nurhii supplied, shrugging. "More permanent, I guess."

"Let's focus, shall we?" Asked Ackar.

"Yeah, letter. Ok," I said, taking a breath, "here goes.

"Attention, High Princess Celestia. Training goes well with Ackar, and I have befriended another Glatorian named Gresh, along with yet another Glatorian named Durath, whom Gresh is training. In addition, it seems that, like Nova before me, (and possibly others, according to Ackar,) I seem to have developed/acquired the ability to wield magic, of some sort, manifesting as a nebulous shape around my hands, and a glowing between the scales etched into my outer armor, which I can't seem to get to go away. Any ideas? Sincerely, 'Noob-Toa' Caldoric. PS, the nebulous stuff has also shown up behind my ears, for some reason."

With that, Ackar rolled up the parchment, sealed it with... something, it looked like it mighta been wax, and pressed a sort of signet ring that he had on his right hand into the waxy stuff. He then set it ablaze, and the ashes and smoke whisked away northwards. A few moments later, in which I began trying to figure out how to manipulate the thaumic aura around my hands, a scroll appeared in a flash of light, which I caught and opened, before reading it aloud.

"Dear Caldoric, I am glad to hear of your progress, though I would implore you to take heed when you send me a message to me, especially through Ackar. I had just finished speaking with Nova when this last one arrived. As one might assume, a message from the Prime Glatorian himself would be of obvious interest to him. I will be stopping by shortly with some reading material on beginner magic that I believe might be helpful. It's a now-standard set, given to any newly ascended Neu-Toa who shows magical propensity. Sincerely, Princess Celestia."

I looked up, to find Nurhii had hightailed it back inside, and he seemed to be cleaning everything with quite a passion, bordering on a vengeance. I was about to ask why, when there was an abrupt commotion behind me. I turned to see the others kneeling/bowing to Celestia, who was now standing in the courtyard, using her magic to hold up a collection of books, and the odd scroll.

I raised a hand as I returned outside, and said "Yo, Cel!" Her head turned my way. "Drem Yol Lok, eh?" I continued, and she nodded.

"Well met to you, too, Caldoric. Here are the books I mentioned. Mind if I take a look at the focal points you made note of in your message?"

"Sure," I said, as I took the proffered books, dropped them (carefully,) into a Hammerspace pocket, and let Celestia take a closer look at my hands and armor.

"Hmmm..." She said. Being curious myself, I raised an eyebrow. She noticed my look, and extrapolated. "It's... highly unusual magic that you've got, Caldoric. This shouldn't last too long, however. It's just excess power, which had previously continuously collected over your lifetime, being burned off. It's projection, though, is rather unlike Nova's, which took the form of flames. Yours seems to be more like magic when it was young; less bounded, more chaotic, yet powerful all the same. Both creative and destructive. It stems from a source that is, was, and has yet to be, existing beyond our perception of space-time."

"Lemme guess," I said, holding up a hand for dramatic effect. "It's called the Green Sun, isn't it."

The effect was instantaneous. Her eyes opened exceedingly wide, and her jaw dropped a few inches. "H-- how..?"

"Eh, shenanigans," I said. "Long story short, I saw it shortly after I accidentally used the magic to blast Durath flat on his back. And let me tell you, it's huge. I mean, despite having prior warning as to its mass, it still comes as a surprise. No, I tell a lie, it comes across as a giant fucking wall of green plasma that goes on forever in all directions, that's what."

"That's... Quite a colorful description, Caldoric."

"Sorry," I said, hunching my shoulders.

"So, how exactly do you know of the Green Sun?"

"Well... It's shown up in multiple works of fiction back home, an possibly a religion or two. The most notable appearance was in a webcomic called Homestuck, where it is described as having the mass of nearly two universes. This is paralleled in some of the other works, but only Homestuck describes it as the semi-sentient power source of the First Guardians, (long story,) and that its mass actually comes from two preexisting universes, which were 'destroyed' in order to fuel it . That's just the tip of the iceberg, however, and I'm sure I needn't say more."

"Yes," said Celestia, "I believe you are right about that, for now. But I would like to know more about it later, possibly."

There were a few other facts I'd neglected to mention at this point, which I could have just thrown in, but I'd kept them to myself because I had a few sneaking suspicions about... certain things, including my armor.

At this point, I noticed that the list of acquired masks on my HUD had gained a new feature: under each icon, there was a loading bar of some sort. Well, most of them had one. The Olmak just had the word "ERROR" scrolling across it in big, freaky red letters. But of the masks that did have loading bars, the closest to being full was...

{Kanohi Kualsi Status:}
{#Software: Updated}
{#Firmware: Updated}
{#Pigmentation: Initializing Setup}
{#§Primary: Black}
{#§Secondary: LGreen}
{#§Tertiary: N/A}
{#§Glow: LGreen}
{#Pigmentation Settings: Saved}
{#Jumpstart Completed, Internal Power Full}
{All Systems: Go}
{Initiating Preliminary Testing…}

"Oh... Shit..." I thought, looking in the general direction of Nurhii's shop as my mask switched over to the Kualsi. «Zip!» Suddenly, I was bouncing off part of the doorframe, as if I'd just charged at it full tilt, and I landed on my back. "Owwwww.........." I stared, groggily, up at the clouds. «Zip!» Once again, I was abruptly somewhere else. I was up in the sky, and falling fast. "Whoooooaaaah, shit!" I swore, not liking this situation. Down below me, I could see the grand skyscrapers of New Altero, swiftly rising to meet me.

"Well, well, what have we here?" asked a voice next to me, quite clear despite the air rushing past me.

"The hell?" I nearly shouted. To my left, keeping level with me as I fell, was a figure I'd only ever seen images of. He was lying on his back in the air, sipping some sort of drink from a martini glass, complete with a paper umbrella speared through a green olive. He seemed to be a regular Frankenstein' monster type of being, with each part of his body claiming origin from a different species than the rest. My eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's just YOU, Discord."

Yes, I was somewhat familiar with his identity and backstory. It's surprising what you come across when surfing your way across the internet. You find some cool things, and you also find other things you wish you hadn't. Some of the latter are harmless, like stuff from a fandom you're not following, for whatever reason. Others... Well, they SAY there's a dark side to the Internet for a reason, don't they? Definitely cringeworthy. One might even go so far as to call it nightmare fuel. Moving on...

"Yes, I know it's me. The question here is: who are you? And what are you doing here now? You're late!" With that, he was suddenly wearing a "Sherlock Holmes" style outfit, and looking at me through an absurdly large magnifying glass.

"Not important! I'm falling here, can you please do something helpful about it?"

"Oh, SURE," he said snidely, "I CAN, doesn't mean I WILL."

I snorted, and turned my attention back to the ground beneath me, which was fast approaching for a final reunion. I could see the courtyard, in which everyone was looking up at me, panic-stricken. In particular, I was focused on a sheet of corrugated metal leaning against a wall near one corner. "C'mon, Kualsi, don't fail me now..." I muttered. «Zip!»

Not a moment later, I was sent tumbling across the courtyard, and bowling Ackar over, having been "launched" from the sheet of metal. Apparently, momentum is somewhat preserved during transportation...

"See, there you go," said Discord, standing over the two of us, "you totally had it handled."

"Oh, hey Discord," said Ackar, "thanks for the help."

"He didn't help!" I interjected, "He just hovered there next to me, being annoying!"

"Um, excuse me? That's my JOB. y'know, Discord, spirit of Chaos."

"Yeah, Chaotic GOOD, not NEUTRAL!"

"Please stop, you two," said Celestia, stepping between us. "Resolve your differences later. I need to return to Canterlot, lest my absence be noticed." And without further ado, she vanished in a flash of light.

Discord looked to the skies, obviously sensing something we couldn't. "You all might want to head out too, Ackar. Take as many Spherus Magnans as you can to the far side of the city, and get there quick." Then he, too, vanished, with no further explanation. Of course, being himself, he left behind a hot pink mushroom cloud, which began precipitating a brown liquid that I couldn't identify. Trust me, there's nothing more disconcerting than seeing a man-sized, dayglo-pink mushroom cloud form out of nowhere.

As Durath and I looked at each other in confusion, Ackar and Gresh spoke into something on their wrists, probably calling in old favors or something. Nevertheless, I had a distinct feeling things had just gone to shit. And if we were headed to the other side of the city, I figured I might need to leave a HUD marker here, since I'd never been more than a couple blocks from the workshop. I'd seen just how big the place was during my little skydiving incident just now, and I didn't want to get lost if I had to walk back.

Soon enough, Ackar had brought both of us (Gresh had stayed behind to protect Nurhii in the event of something going horribly wrong,) to an literal flying ship of some sort, where many various biomechanical beings were waiting. We boarded, and were off within minutes.

In an effort to conceal my identity to a degree, I had switched to a Kanohi that covered my entire face, tucked my hair down the back of my armor, and became engaged in conversation with Durath. We spent nearly half an hour playing Q&A about our respective homeworlds, before our little session was broken up by a loud BANG, a sudden lurch, and a very annoying alarm going off.

Ackar's voice crackled over the comms: "We've been hit, guys! Buckle up back there, it's going to get bumpy!"

I got really nervous right about then. I mean, my first flight on an alien world, and we get shot down? Bad luck doesn't cover it.

"Shouldn't this thing have had some sort of shielding?!" I yelled. "Seriously!" There were some muttered agreements from the others amongst the clatter of buckles being latched, as gravity's attention to us seemed to wane.

"Normally, yes," said Durath, semi calm, "they might have had it off, expecting---" He didn't have the chance to finish as the ship suddenly impacted with the ground, hard. I was shaken up pretty bad, but made it out in one piece. We all loaded up with what looked to me like some sort of military-grade firearms, with some modifications, and faced the cargo bay door. I was near the back of the group, with Durath.

The door opened and those in front fanned out, only to take heavy fire from unseen sources. Some of the rounds I saw looked a tad familiar, like the pinkish-purple crystals that were embedded in that one unfortunate Toa over to the left... Or the hissing blue sphere that hit the head of Vortixx on the right, and then exploded...

"Shit, we got Covenant..." I said. I'll admit, those who survived the initial onslaught (and there weren't many of us to begin with, being a hastily assembled group at best,) fell back, taking cover where they could, be it in or around the ship. On Ackar's order, they parted momentarily to allow two Equestrians, a Po-Matoran, and a... um, a Lower Steltian, I think, to pass through and take cover near me, under a large metal plate that had come loose in the crash. I was never really sure what species the Dark Hunter known as Krekka had been, but this guy looked like him, give it take a few things, including a recolored set of armor.

Suddenly, the rate of plasma fire increased dramatically, before halting abruptly. A very self-important, slightly tinny voice called out to us: "Spherus Magnans! You have defended yourselves gallantly. But, in case you haven’t noticed, the battle still rages on elsewhere in your city. Soon, all will fall to the might of the Conquest Alliance. But I am a merciful Shipmaster; surrender now, and I will grant you all swift, honourable deaths, and mentions in the history books."

"We will never surrender to the likes of you!" one of the Toa in the group shouted back, with some muttered agreements from the others.

"Very well," the unseen speaker replied, "Prepare to die." This was followed by the sound of something heavy, tall, and presumably bipedal approaching the ship. Of course, I chose this point to have a bit of a panic attack. I was going to die. Plain and simple.

I was shaken from my brief doom and gloom session by the sight of Ackar running after Durath, the latter of which had run out, sword drawn. I didn't remember what happened after that, though... I think I blacked out, or my mind just shut down at whatever horrible thing happened next. That, or I got minor amnesia from being propelled through several walls. The next thing I DO remember, though, is waking up on my back amidst a pile of debris, staring at said series of vaguely me-shaped doorways through said walls, and my chest HURT. Worse than I'd ever felt before... It hurt to breathe... and suddenly Luna was there, her horn glowing, my pain fading away, and I could breathe again.

"Please," she said, her voice full of sadness at seeing me in my present state, "I need thee to stay here once I'm done, I can't stay long. Nova's here, and he's still unaware of thy existence for now. Once we've left, thee must go back to thy base in the woods."

"But... How will I get back there? It's half a continent away..."

"Not nearly that far, Caldoric. But I hear thy Kualsi is working now, so thee could try putting it to use. Alas, I must leave thee now, lest Nova come investigate. And, just so thee knows, we head south, to the ancient home of the Matoran, though I would advise against trying to follow us, and instead head back to Nurhii's shop. Fare thee well, Caldoric, and safe travels." She looked down and to one side. "I am sorry this happened to thee..." And with that, she left, acting for all the world as if our encounter hadn't occurred.

A few moments later, I heard something nearby taking off under fire, which died down. Looking about the place where I was resting, I saw my sword and one of the strange guns lying nearby. I carefully moved myself, wary of the many bruises covering my body, and picked them up, stowing the sord in my Hammerspace.

The way the gun was designed sort of reminded me of a P-90 assault rifle, (which I was only familiar with because of Stargate SG-1,) due to the style of grip, and how it was more forward on the weapon itself than other grips tend to be, though it was definitely a bit behind where a P-90's grip would go. Aside from that, it was almost completely different. It didn't have the unique top-insert style of clip typical of a P-90, opting instead for a more normal "banana clip" plugged in near the back, and slightly to one side. And there were several addons, like a couple scopes, a flashlight, a longer barrel, etc. I noted an inscription on the side, which read "AR150." I heard the crash of something falling over in the cargo bay, (at least, I HOPE it was that,) which shook me out of my inspection of said weapon.

"Enough faffing about," I said to myself, "let's get the hell outta here." I stood up, quickly checking myself over to ensure that all my stuff was still there and undamaged, and then frowned at the nasty gashes in my chest armor. "What the hell HAPPENED to me?" I asked, wondering how I'd get that fixed... "Oh, wait. Dume's mask, the uh... Regeneration or whatever! That might work..." I summoned it, placed my hands over the holes, and concentrated.

{Torso Armor: Damaged, 7.238%}
{Initiate Repair: Y/N?}

I gave the mental equivalent of a nod, and the area around the holes began glowing, then shrinking. I wasn't sure if the Mask's power was bringing back the missing bits from thin air, or if it was just redistributing what was already present in my armor. Either way, it was a bit disturbing.

Once it was fixed, I got up and carefully made my way back to the cargo hold. Whilst there, I took the liberty of stuffing all the ammunition clips I could get my hands on into Hammerspace, as well as about 10-12 more AR150s. Hey, you never know.

"Ok," I told myself, after I'd grabbed what I could, "time to head out, face whatever's out there, and head home." Yeah, I was probably going to get killed out there, judging by the distant weapons fire I could hear. I cautiously summoned the Mask of Shielding, and left the ship. As I made my way back towards Nurhii's shop, I saw the death and destruction left behind by the Covenant's attack, and I got a weird feeling in my gut, and in the back of my mind. I was angry that this could have happened, and scared shitless that it might do so again, with me as the victim.

The thaumic burnoff around my hands and within my armor, which still hadn't stopped, began rapidly giving off purple bubbly bits, and turned burgundy, then a shade of black that was so deep it made the normal black armor around it look merely medium grey. My eyes prickled strangely, my right one more than my left, and I could suddenly see multiple spectrums at once: thermal, x-ray, sonar, etc. I counted about seven or eight, but I couldn't identify them all.

With my now-altered vision, I could see a strange black-and-purple Rahkshi, wielding a shadowy double-ended trident, (or "2x3dent," as I liked to think of it,) and terrorizing a group of Matoran and Equestrians around the corner about a block down. I ran as fast as I could, tore around the corner, and slammed into the Rahkshi, sending staggering back a few meters. "Run!" I shouted at the group, and all but one obliged. In hindsight, the ones who ran were probably more afraid of me at that point. "Go, now!" I yelled at the remaining Matoran, and turned my attention back to the Rahkshi, which opened its head, revealing the ugly yellow face of the Kraata inside the casing, which screeched at me.

"Two heads are better than one," said the crimson Ta-Matoran, who was now standing beside me and holding a short blade. "And one is better than none."

{Great,} I thought, {it's Kapura. Ah, well, he might be helpful nonetheless, or he might get killed.} I opened fire on the Rahkshi, but the strange, glowing rounds merely ricocheted off, leaving nary a scratch. {Useless,} I thought, and put away the gun. This was bad. As I drew my cutlass, black crystals poked up from the ground around me, like plants sprouting. One grew to a rather decent length, before my "magic" took hold of it on its own, and yanked it out.

Neither taking my eyes off the Rahkshi, nor knowing why I was doing what I was, I reached out and grabbed the crystal near its base, even as my rogue "magic" reshaped it into... a sword? Yes, a sword, whose dark blade was between that of a longsword and a katana, with an angular tip. Gazing at the blade itself, you would swear it was a window in time and space, allowing one to look upon a starry expanse filled with strange, unfamiliar constellations... Running up from the base of the blade was a pattern of translucent green flames that moved in an eerily slow manner. Below the blade, another type of crystal, very dark teal in color, was set into the crossbar, which itself was a dark steely grey. The hilt was wrapped in what felt like black petrified stingray leather, which felt both warm and cold at once in my hand. The pommel was identical to those found on old Viking swords.

"Frostbrenne," I said, naming the sword on the spot, and smiled. I turned to Kapura. "I got this. Get somewhere safe." I then turned back to the Rahkshi, in time to dodge a thrust of it's staff.

"What, you think I'm just going to stand here and TAKE a hit like that?" I shook my head, smiling. "It's a beautiful day," I said casually, deftly sidestepping another swing with dark satisfaction. "The birds are singing..." (duck,) "the flowers are blooming," (jump over a low swing,) "and things like YOU..." (stop downward overhead swing with crossed swords,) "SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL!" I thrust the staff aside with the cutlass, then used the flat of Frostbrenne's blade to whack the Rahkshi upside the faceplate. The kraata opened it to shriek at me again, and I took the opportunity to swiftly reach up, grab it behind its head and start pulling.

It didn't like that one bit. Nope. It tried to close the head around my wrist, to little avail, and then the Rahkshi's arm came up and grabbed ME by the throat, lifting me several feet above the paved road. Its staff came around, ready to turn me into a fresh Toa shish kebab.

"Not today," I choked out, then sent a flood of magic up my arm and into the Rahkshi, via the Kraata controlling it. Tiny black crystals began poking out of the Rahkshi armor, spreading from the head and Kraata chamber outwards. The Rahkshi armor slowly ground to a halt, trying to bring the pointed end of the staff into contact with my chest, as the Kraata I held voiced its vengeful wrath to the world.

Using the mask of Telekinesis, I pried open the claw holding my neck just enough for me to breathe, brought my feet up to brace against the frozen armor's chest, and shoved off as hard as I could, yanking on the Kraata as I did so. With a slithering sound, the Kraata finally parted ways with the armor it had been inhabiting, and I was propelled into a decent backflip, which I landed, still holding the writhing Kraata in one hand. It was mostly a bright yellow, with noticeable reddish-gold accents and spines.

{Weird,} I wondered to myself, {I always thought that the Kraata was supposed to match the color scheme of the Rahkshi armor it piloted...} I filed that info away for later. To be honest, calling a Rahkshi "armor" was a bit of a misnomer. It was more like a humanoid mechsuit, in the respect that there was a cavity for the Kraata to sit in and pilot the Rahkshi, while the rest of it was just made up of robotic parts. Y'know, gears, pistons, wires, servos, that kind of stuff.

I stowed the Kraata in one of my Hammerspace pockets, (not necessarily wise, but I wasn't about to just let it run loose,) and placed a hand on the Rahkshi's chestplate. With a thought, the thousands of tiny crystals vanished, and the Rahkshi ragdolled. Picking up the discarded staff, I stowed it in Hammerspace as well, and swept my cloak over the fallen Rahkshi. Once the cloak's edge had settled, I saw that the armor had vanished, stored inside my Hammerspace. I honestly don't know how I knew to do that then, but hey, I now had something to play around with when I got back hom... Back to base...

Without warning, Kapura hit me in a flying tackle, and we were unexpectedly, (but not unexplainedly,) 300 feet down the street from where we had been. Which... suddenly wasn't a good place to be anymore, because it had just exploded. Violently. Michael Bay would've been proud. And I saw why it had exploded, as two twin giants, armed and armored to the teeth, came round the corner. I didn't know much about Halo, but I recognized these brutes. "Hunters..." I muttered, and then (scooping up Kapura,) I booked it as fast as I could.

I felt something closing fast behind me, so I leaped forward, pirouetted in midair, and made a slashing motion with my free arm. Black energy trailed behind my hand, and the fuel rod round that had been mere feet away suddenly rebounded, returned to its senders. I didn't stay for the resulting explosion. I switched to the Mask of Speed, and sped all the way back to the shop, whizzing past several skirmishes between Covenant forces and the various locals. I could have sworn I saw a beefed-up Brutaka at one point, but I didn't have time to double check.

Soon, I had returned to Nurhii's shop, which seemed lucky enough to have been missed by the Covenant. Nurhii let Kapura and I in the back way, and brought us behind the counter, where he'd been hunkered down  with Gresh after the initial Covenant landing party had been reported on the city's emergency radio broadcast system. Speaking of which...

"Attention citizens of New Altero. We are happy to report that the Covenant appear to be pulling back. Repeat, the Covenant appear to be pulling back. Whilst this is a good thing, we encourage you to remain in safe hiding locations until a city-wide sweep has been conducted, and the all clear is given."

The three of us heaved a great sigh, and were then startled by the thaumic burnoff around my hands going out with a loud FWUMP, like a burner on a gas grill that's just been turned off. Between the engraved scales of my armor, the purple bubbling ceased, and the über-blackness faded to maroon, then back to the normal lime green, and finally dissipated entirely. Frostbrenne, which was leaned against the counter next to me, stayed where it was, unaltered. I was glad about that, because it was a cool sword, and perfectly balanced, near as I could tell. Something began niggling at the back of my mind, but I let it be.

"Hey Kapura, you OK?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied, "I am holding up just fine. But I've been wondering, what element do you wield?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "I'm only familiar with a few of the different types available, but not their specific colors. You got any idea, Nurhii?"

"Huh? What? Oh, um..." He blinked, obviously distracted. "Uh, no, can't say I'm familiar with your particular color layout, and the manifestation of your elemental energy is new to me as well. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance."

The feeling that had been growing in my mind peaked. "Um, where's Gresh, by the way?"

A different radio transmitter than before suddenly burst into life, a voice on the other side asking Nurhii for a status report. From the sounds of it, the speaker was Ackar. Nurhii scrambled over and fingered the transmit button. "This is Nurhii speaking. The new guy just showed up a minute ago, with an old friend of mine. They're both just fine."

"Ackar, you OK?" I asked, temporarily commandeering the radio.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The Toa Nova showed up and brought us to a hospital, then headed south. Don't worry, nobody told him about you. I'm just glad we didn't lose you, too."

On that note, I was about to ask about Durath, but Ackar spoke again. "Listen, as good as it is to hear you're doing OK, I gotta go before people ask questions... Go home. I'll talk to you there, later." And the radio cut out.

"Well," I said, "I guess that's it for me. What's the quickest way to get to... Eh... Ponyville? And where's Gresh?"

"He's at the hospital, with Ackar. He left once he heard about Durath being in critical condition, after the ship went down. They're not sure he'll make it..."

"I have a friend who might know a shortcut back to Ponyville" suggested Kapura, effectively taking my mind off Durath. "He's helping the Onu-Matoran build a chute line from here to there."

"Great! Um, is there anywhere I can get some sort of electricity-based generator on the way?"

"Yes, next door," said Nurhii, "I can get the guy to cut you a deal."

So, I got my stuff together, bought an arcane generator or three, and we left for the chute station. On the way, I turned on my phone again. I noticed in the bluetooth menu that there was a device available for pairing named "NTA-C:001.5," which none of us recognized, but I paired to it anyways. When we got to the station, I couldn't help myself: I began singing, but soon stopped, having just run into someone short, wearing a blue hoodie.

"Hey, watch it buddy. Do you wanna have a bad time?" The figure asked, in a slightly deep, yet otherwise friendly voice, and if one judged by the smile on his head, you'd think he had been joking. Suddenly, a jaunty yet somewhat menacing piece of music filled the air...
> 4: Fryndly Fyre
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took me a minute to realize what had happened. The music was coming from the general area of my shoulderblades, but it stopped after a few seconds.

"Hey, uh..." said the figure before me, "you alright? And what was that bit of music about just now? It was kinda... catchy." I just stared at him with a look of confusion on my face. "Seriously, kid, you OK? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Not sure about a ghost," I replied, "but I think I've definitely just seen a skeleton in a hoodie."

"I believe he's fine, Sans," interjected Kapura, "he probably recognizes you."

"Oh, hey Kapura," said the skeleton, "long time no see, old friend!"

"To be honest," I said, still dumbfounded, "I DO recognize him."

Truth was, I honestly did recognize him. He was a character in a game called "Undertale" that kind of took YouTube by storm in late 2015/early 2016. He was about three or four foot tall, and yes, he was also a walking, talking skeleton. He loved making puns of any type, though preferably bone- or skeleton-related ones, often to the annoyance of his brother, Papyrus. His voice... Well, it was similar in pitch and timber to that of the character of Rocky Balboa, but less gruff and less slurred.

More like your favorite chubby uncle from Brooklyn who loved cracking jokes. Theoretically, I mean, since I don't have one of those, but, yeah, you probably know what I'm talking about from TV. Just for reference, his younger (and much taller,) brother, Papyrus, had a voice that sounded a lot like Skeletor from He-Man: high pitched, slightly nasal, and he had this tendency to say "Nyeh heh heh!" a lot.

They both used to live together in an underground town called "Snowdin," before... Um, a long series of events freed them and the rest of the folks trapped underground.

As to what he was doing HERE, I had no idea. So, I asked...

"Hey, Sans, what exactly are you doing on this world? And how the hell do you know Kapura?"

"Well, here recently, our equipment's been going a bit haywire. We've been detecting a lot of timeline anomalies local to my homeworld, which we eventually figured out."

"Yeah, I know what THAT was about," I said, bemusedly.

"Right, I thought as much. But then, here recently, we noticed there was this massive jump on this world's timeline, the second in such a short timeframe, and, well, I knew Kapura was still here about the time when it happened, so I came to check up on him. Of course, there are bound to be a few differences, the specifics of which I am mostly not at liberty to say. Though I will tell ya this: before the last one, YOU weren't here. At all."

I blinked. "You sure? 'Cause, there's this kinda shield thingy over my base..."

Sans shook his head. "Nah, man, that's new too. We could definitely detect it's presence on this timeline, as well as yours within the shield. I'm pretty sure yer not the cause of this, though, merely a 'symptom,' as it were."

"Well," I said, concerned, "I'm not sure whether I should be glad it's not my fault, or disappointed and bitter that I'm just an unintended side-effect." I was scowling at this point, and kicked a loose stone. It sailed over the heads of the Matoran around us, bounced off the top of the chute, and landed on the other side, startling someone.

"Hey, don't worry too hard, man," said Sans.

"Fucking alpha timelines," I muttered darkly. I felt a bit of an existential crisis coming on.

Sans looked taken aback. "W--what... did ya just say?" The little white sparks floating in his otherwise empty eye sockets (which seemed to serve as his eyes,) changed. The one on his right had vanished entirely, whereas his left had blossomed into a small ball of slowly-burning blue flame that flickered yellow on occasion, with a black spot hovering in the middle.

"Alpha timelines," I repeated, "it's a concept I'm well familiar with, thanks to a certain webcomic. Let's stop talking about them though, I'm getting a headache."

"Alright," he said, and I leaned against a nearby I-beam, which was supporting the ceiling, embedded in both the floor and ceiling to keep it from moving. I was beginning to succumb to the crisis again, with new theories about the world... Er, worlds... rushing through my head. I was in a place inhabited by beings which only existed in stories back home. Had this place's existence resonated in some way with my homeworld, embedding itself in our subconscious?

Or were the folks who originally wrote the stories able to somehow peer into this world on an active basis, merely jot down what they saw, and pass it off as a script, or a pitch for another wave of toys? And what about all the other stories we told ourselves, like the Halo universe? Perhaps, maybe, it was just freak chance? Or the stories we mad somehow became real after being told, through the sheer power of our belief? I mean, I'd heard the mind is a powerful thing.

Supposedly, if you got a decent sized stadium full of people, and had them all focus as hard as they could on a tree planted somewhere on the field in the middle, it would burst into flame. But it would never really happen, because humans, by nature, can't stay work together lime that. They wouldn't take it seriously...

"Whaddaya think, Caldoric?"

"Hmm?" I said, snapping back to reality. "Sorry, I missed that, what?"

"See," said Nurhii, "I TOLD you he was dozing off. He must be tired after fighting off all those baddies earlier."

"Yeah," I replied, sliding down the beam into a sitting position, "I admit, I'm tired. DOG tired," I gave Sans a LOOK, since he'd had the type of expression on his face that meant he was winding up a bad pun, "not BONE tired, not BONE weary, nothing bone related in any way."

I got a saddened look in return. "Aw, yer less fun than Papyrus."

"Only when I'm tired, man. Besides, I had fun once. I didn't like it, though, so I stopped."

He blinked for a moment, then gave me a "did you really just say that?" look.

Of course, at that point, I saw a disgruntled-looking Matoran that I couldn't identify ducking under the chute, holding a familiar stone, and sporting a large, fresh looking scratch on his mask.

"Aaaand, I think that's our cue to leave," I said, getting up and nonchalantly making my way to the chute, as the others followed me. "This goes to... I can't believe I'm saying this... to Ponyville, right?"

"Yep," said Nurhii, handing me a watch-like object. "You can contact me on that, if you need. Feel free to drop in sometime, say hi. Maybe I can teach you something about mask-making, if you're interested."

"Alright, sounds good, little fire-spitter," I said, placing my hand on top of his head and rubbing it in a good-natured manner, "see ya soon, I hope."

And with that, Sans, Kapura and I jumped in. Of course, I'd never been in a chute before, and so was not expecting the sudden lurch of speed. I was holding my breath for a while, before Kapura noticed.

"No need to hold your breath, Caldoric," he said, slightly muffled, immediately causing me to prove his point. I exhaled in surprise, and promptly got what felt like a lungful of the protodermis around us. Don't ask me how, but somehow it was able to carry oxygen just as well as regular air. It felt weird as hell "breathing" the stuff, but hey, it worked. I was breathing a bit faster than normal, too, because I was technically underwater, which I normally wasn't comfortable with.

I'm not a strong swimmer, y'see, so... yeah, I'm a tad afraid of drowning, of sinking down into the crushing black depths, with no hope of help or return... I shook my head to clear the thoughts away. I took the time to begin reading the books I'd gotten on magic. For the most part, I focused on manipulative magic, which was basically a fancy way of saying "telekinesis." Yes, I already had a Mask for that, but it never hurts to have some redundancies and backups. I practiced on the various containers and bits of cargo floating alongside us, pushing and pulling, spinning, causing them to orbit, etc.

Once I felt I'd gotten a decent start on that, I began taking a look at offensive and defensive magics, such as bursts and blasts, shields and deflections. The defensive stuff was relatively easy to pick up, moreso than the telekinesis, especially with Sans using his own version of telekinesis to move the cargo in my direction. I personally knew that he could be quite formidable with his powers when aroused, as evidenced by his final battle scene in Undertale, should the player choose to take the genocide route. As such, I knew that I could always at least try to fall back to the same tactic in a pinch.

I only had enough time to begin on the theory of offensive magic, before we came to the final stop on the chute line. It WAS still under construction, after all. Nevertheless, we'd gotten about ⅔ to ¾ of the way to the town in question in a much shorter amount of time than we would have by train. Not to diss the trains, of course, because they were pretty fast. The preexisting lines had been upgraded drastically over the last few years, I heard...

Hmm... I'd need to buff up on the history of this place, it seems, and the best way to do that would be... I shuddered a bit. The "best" way would be to watch the show, up till around the point where things here began seriously deviating. According to some of the notes Celestia had left with the books, that would be about the end of the fourth season, when some guy calling himself "Tirek" returned and made his presence known. As we walked, being led by Sans to one of his local "shortcuts," I began considering my options.

I wasn't exactly planning on doing anything here in the immediate future, so perhaps I could sorta listen to the show like an audiobook back ho-- at my base (damn, I needed to stop doing that,) whilst I continued my exploration into the world of magic.

"Here we are," Sans announced, gesturing to a small shack.

"Looks a bit small," said Kapura, "how well does it fly?"

"It doesn't," I said, "right Sans?"

"I 'wooden' know," he said, turning to smile coyly at us, and I facepalmed. "The place ain't mine, it's just a means to an end. And no, we're not going inside."

This last was due to the concerned glance I'd given him. He led us around back, then had us each hold one of his hands. On his count of three, we stepped round the corner, and the scenery changed, plain and simple.

"Ok," I said, intensely curious now I'd actually seen it done, and partially to block out the sounds of Kapura being violently ill, "how EXACTLY do you do that?"

"I just kinda look fer areas where the distance between places seems...THINNER, y'know?"

"What, like a... a soft spot in the fabric of space-time?"

"Yeh, that works. It's easier near certain boundaries fer me. Edges, stuff like that."

"That sounds familiar..." I said, thinking of something from a book I'd once read, "hang on, let me find something real quick."

A quick search on the web brought me to the particular passage I was looking for:

“ "We look to ... the edges," said Mistress Weatherwax. "There's a lot of edges, more than people know. Between life and death, this world and the next, night and day, right and wrong ... an' they need watchin'. We watch 'em, we guard the sum of things. And we never ask for any reward. That's important." ” Sans found it rather interesting.

"That was from an author named Terry Pratchett, once upon a time." I said. "Good man, he was. Great writer, too, one of my favorites." As you could probably tell by now, stranger, I was fond of reading. I enjoyed curling up with a good book, be it fiction, or (occasionally,) factual, allowing me to learn new things, like the books I now had on me...

I shook my head. That was Third Thoughts for you. First Thoughts are the kind that you have most everyday. Second Thoughts, and I mean REAL Second Thoughts, are the ones where you're thinking about your First Thoughts. People who like to think about things a lot tend to enjoy these. Third Thoughts, however, are the ones that go off on their own and think about the world around you, often without your consent or notice. When a huge rock is going to land on your head, they're the thoughts that think: "Is that an igneous rock, such as granite, or is it sandstone?" They're rare in most cases, though not so much in folks with attention-based "problems," it seems (I see my attention "issues" as a mixed blessing.)

As all this went through my head, I took a closer look around the corner of the building. It definitely wasn't the same as the one we'd started behind. We were near the edge of a slightly war-torn town, looking in at the central... I don't know what it was, frankly. A plaza? Town square? Whatever it was, it has a fountain, and while not being crowded, there were definitely Equestrians everywhere. And, to top it all off, the marker depicting my hidden base's location was on the side of town directly opposite our location.

I saw a unicorn using his magic off to one side, stacking some pretty good sized crates on the back of a cart, which was hitched to a normal-looking pony. This gave me an idea. Grabbing one of the lower-denomenation "Bits" I had, I placed it between thumb and forefinger, and raised it to about the level of my ear. I explained to Sans and Kapura what I was planning, as I aimed with my elbow. Right as I was about to snap my fingers, thereby putting the plan in motion, I was startled by a voice that sorta grated on the nerves ever so slightly.

"What'cha doin?"

I jumped ever so slightly as I snapped, sending the offending Bit on its merry way.

"Oh, noth--" I began, as I turned to see who had spoken, but stopped immediately upon seeing that the speaker was, in fact, a sky-blue pegasus with a flyaway mane and tail that looked like they'd just been in a dye factory explosion. She was also laying on her belly on top of a small cloud, just about head height. My eyes widened dramatically. "Ehhhhhh.... Goodbye!" I finished hastily, grabbing my companions 'round their waists and turning around.

I was just in time to see the Bit I'd launched hit the stallion hitched to the cart right above his left eye, causing him to rear up as the unicorn was placing the last crate on the absurdly tall pile. The whole thing came crashing down on both of them, which attracted the attention of all the nearby residents, who ran over to help. I took this opportunity to summon my mask of speed and book it for the forest.

"Hey!" I heard the pegasus yell, her voice dopplering extremely as I sped away, and I could only assume she'd give chase here shortly. True to chase logic, a pair of unicorns carrying a large mirror had moved across our path. I didn't hesitate to just smash through it, headfirst, and land in a roll before taking off again. Sans and Kapura were fine after the roll, so no worries there. Had I not been flipping completely the hell out, I probably would have been thinking something along the lines of "Everybody outta the goddamn way! I got arms full o' friends, feet full o' runnin, a pegasus full o' angry, and a goddamn partridge in a freakin pear tree!" Instead, I was thinking more along the lines of: "SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!"

I quickly came to, and passed, a small cottage on the way, startling countless small to medium sized creatures and a pastel yellow pegasus  as I passed, (possibly giving the latter a heart attack.)

"Sorry!" I called back, not sure if she would hear my apology. We were soon back at the base, and I dropped my two passengers by the front door before turning back around. I was just in time to see the blue pegasus rebound off the shield, face first, landing on the ground heavily. Soon after, the yellow one I'd startled flew into the clearing at a much slower speed, and landed carefully next to her friend.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, are you OK?" She asked. Her voice was soft, and quiet. She was the shy type, who didn't speak much to those outside of a close-knit circle of friends.

The blue pegasus, who I'd suspected the identity of when I first saw her, sat up. "Yeah," she said, "I'm fine, Fluttershy."

"What happened?"

"I... can't remember. I was chasing... something, and then suddenly I'm here on the ground, and you're asking me if I'm fine."

"We should go talk to Twilight, and see what she thinks we should do about this." She hesitated. "I-if it's OK with you, that is."

"Yeah, but if I see whatever it was again, I'm going to beat it to a fucking pulp. Now let's get the hell outta these creepy woods before we get attacked by Timberwolves or something."

I was a bit shell shocked at that. I'd never expected those words to come out of the mouth of someone from this world, but then again, they'd had humans influencing their culture for a while now, so...

The two of them left in the general direction of their homes, and I turned back to the others, looking a bit concerned.

"Hey, uh, kid?" asked Sans, "I don't think we should stick around here for long."

"Yeah," I replied, "safe as this here base of mine is, they're bound to send out a 'search party' to find us once those two get back, and I don't want to be stuck here whilst they search."

"Can't stop what you can't catch," said Kapura, simply, "and you can't outrun what's already here."

"Pretty much, Kapura," I answered, a little shaken. Those were two lines from my favorite webcomic, said by two totally different characters... who were at odds with each other, and destined to fight each other, now that I think about it. New theories began swirling in my mind, but I had to push them aside.

I went to open the door, but stopped, with my hand on the grip, as I noticed a couple things. It was pitch black inside, and I knew I'd left torches burning inside. And I mean Minecraft-style torches, the kind that never go out on their own. That wasn't too much of a problem, seeing as there were some mods out there that gave the game some more "realistic" physics, but I never liked the kind that made torches burn out.

The second thing I discerned was some movement inside, and a slight susurration (a soft sound, as of whispering, rustling, or murmuring; it's a good word, makes one think of mysteries, and secrets whispered behind closed doors.) After a moment, a face that was similarly structured to that of the nearby ponies, and yet unlike I'd ever seen before, came into the light let through by the door's window.

It had wide, alien eyes, which were a solid, pale milky blue throughout. It's skin was shockingly black, with a strange sheen to it. It had a curved horn poking up from its head, small, funnel-shaped ears, and had something that looked similar to a spinosaurus' sail, only miniaturized, in place of where the pony-types hereabouts had a mane, not to mention two wicked-looking fangs sticking down out of its mouth. Its eyes narrowed upon seeing me, before it turned its head and let out a spine-chilling, warbling, screechy clicking sound. The susurrus immediately became an angry droning, and I turned and ran, grabbing my companions as I did so.

I had NO clue what that thing had been, but I wasn't about to stick around and find out. "Sans, get us out here!" I said, as I heard the door splinter and explode behind us.

"I can't, not like this!" He exclaimed, looking behind us.

I turned to Kapura, who was muttering something about balance, about to ask him the same question I'd asked Sans, when the world around us vanished for the merest moment, and we were suddenly falling in a heap in a new location. As it turned out, we were in somebody's living room, and not on the ground floor, if the windows were anything to judge by. More specifically, on a (now broken) coffee table. What little skyline I could see through said windows suggested we were once again in New Altero. No other place had such unique buildings.

Just then, someone came storming up the stairs, and we soon saw that said figure was...

"Nurhii?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Caldoric?" He replied. "H-how...?"

"Courage is the soul of movement," mumbled Kapura. "You must have courage, or you will be frozen. Fear stops all. Courage defeats fear. Balance."

"Wait, you... You did that?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yep," said Sans, getting to his feet. "He's the best there is. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but... He's the one who taught me about those 'shortcuts' I use. I shoulda told ya this earlier, but I kinda got sidetracked with the timeline questions. Sorry."

"Eh, no prob," I said, waving my hand a couple times. Then a thought struck me. "I'm gonna need him to teach me as well, sometime. Um, speaking of which, if he taught you that, then why'd he get sick when you moved us?"

"I'm more concerned with the fact that the lot of you just appeared in my house with no warning," interrupted Nurhii, who'd been waiting impatiently till this point for an explanation. "I mean, I did say 'drop in sometime,' I'll give you that, but I didn't mean it literally! And not this soon after you left!"

"Dunno," I said, wryly, "seems like we're having a 'smashing' good time to me." I eyeballed what little I could see of the table beneath us.

"Heh, nice one," said Sans, chuckling.

"Yeah, this sure was a bone-headed move on our part, eh?" I replied, feigning innocence. Sans covered his mouth, snickering mildly. "OK, OK, all jokes aside, we're sorry for just appearing unexpectedly like this." We all got up off the table, and I took a moment to fix it. "Would you guys believe that this isn't the first time I've dropped on someone's table like this?"

At their curious looks, I explained the incident in the castle, when I'd met the princesses.

"Enough of that," I said, when I was done, "we should get going soon, but first I'll need a shower or something."

"Um, why?" Asked Nurhii.

"Well, for one, I haven't had a proper one since I got here, which poses problems of its own. And second, we got scared by a massive pack of creatures before we came here, and the human body does weird things when startled unexpectedly."

He got the hint, and directed me to the bathroom. Upon entering, I found a variety of different machines, designated the cleansing of armor or clothing, in addition to a conventional shower.

Making sure to lock the door beforehand, I stripped, tossed my armor and clothes in their respective machines, and hopped in the shower. It felt good to have the water cascading over me, caressing and soothing the various bruises and scrapes I had. As I washed, I found that some parts of me had changed since my arrival. The strange circuit-like lines and circles that had previously been contained to my face and head seemed to have spread across my body.

Also, along my spine and down the back of my elbows, strange ridges had appeared. I couldn't tell what color the ones on my back were, but the ones on my elbows seemed to be black, so it was safe to assume that was the case all round. I was concerned, but decided against freaking out just yet. Maybe they were some sort of interface for the armor? I mean, I HAD noticed that "armor status" message on my HUD earlier... Also, they looked sorta draconic, which made them cool in my eyes.

My back basically consisted of two lumpy, swollen masses of bruising, most likely from having been smashed through those airship walls... How the hell had I survived that, anyways? By rights, I should've been a pancake several times over, armor or not. I guessed I'd have to figure that out later... And as to why those bruises were still there after Luna's healing spell, well... Maybe magic couldn't fix everything immediately. The upside was that they weren't TOO sensitive, or sore, just... a little tingly.

I hopped out of the shower, and finished drying off just as the machines completed their cycles. I put the now clean clothes away in my Hammerspace, and switched to some of the spare clothes I'd brought from home... I had to switch mental tracks to keep from getting all mopey. I wasn't going to allow my homesickness to slow me down. Rather, I was going to do my best to turn it into a driving force that would propel me back home, come hell or high water.

Heh. Yeah, right. Like THAT was going to happen. I donned my armor once more, leaving off the helmet long enough to tie back my hair. I left it unbraided so it could air dry, and then looked at my helmet. It had reverted to what seemed to be my "default" mask, the one that Nurhii had kindly identified as a Mask of Adaptation for me a few days ago. He'd called it a Kanohi "Aptare" at the time. It had a few scratches, nicks, and dings, as well as a passable scar over the right eyehole. I don't remember what could've caused it, but I still thought it was cool.

All the while, I wondered what to do since my base'd been invaded. Then I realized... There was an adventure just calling my name down south.

The Great Spirit Robot. There was bound to be some fun stuff left behind in there. Maybe even weapons I could use to clear out my base! I jammed the helmet on, ran downstairs, and immediately exclaimed my plan to the others. Understandably, they were shocked, but in the end, I managed to convince them. We left for the nearest train that was headed south, but it was mid afternoon, and the last one for the day had already left.

I was ready to say "ta heck with it," and try the next day, but Sans wasn't having it.

He came up with a brilliant plan, which I was more than happy to try out myself. It was time to see if I could learn one of his moves. I mean, Kapura had figured it out, why couldn't I do the same?



"Hold out yer arm," he said, taking a slightly aggressive stance and holding out his left arm as an example, palm down, fingers extended like he was trying to make contact with something. I mirrored his motions with my right arm and leg, and casually stuck my left hand in my left pocket. Yes, my leg armor had pocket slots. Deal with it.

"Ok, good. Now, channel yer energy into yer hand, and let it leak JUST a little." As he demonstrated, his eyes did that thing where one disappeared and the other turned to blue-yellow flame, and this time, a small amount of blue-ish smoke wafted up from his hand. I did as he said, remembering the feeling of the magic that had flowed so freely before, and willing it to come to my aid, to do as Sans had told me. I felt the familiar shift of my magic "awakening." Similar smoke began drifting up and around my palm.

"Very good!" He said, an eyebrow raised. "Ok, next, ya gotta sorta set it off to the side of y'self, give it space to work." And with that, a large skull that was about half as big as Sans himself appeared next to him. "Keep it small, this time. We don't want the locals freakin' out just yet, eh?"

I nodded, still a tad startled at the thing's sudden appearance. It was also looking at me. Like, it actually had glowing blue irises, which were pointed my way. I did my best to ignore them, and concentrate on the task at hand.

Not a moment later, I heard a sound, and turned to see a floating head on my right, slightly bigger than the one Sans had summoned, and it was draconic, covered in black scales. To be honest, it resembled the head of a Night Fury in some ways. Its irises were the same lime color as my magic, whereas the pupils and "whites" of the eyes were black, so it must've been mine.

"Alright, nice!" Exclaimed Sans, punching the air. "Ok, Kapura, summon yers, and we're off!"

Kapura's looked biomechanical when it appeared, and he promptly hopped on top once it was there. Sans did the same with his own, and I followed suit, not sure what we were doing.

"So, these things can move wherever ya want 'em to, at pretty much whatever speed you need 'em to. They only disappear if ya dismiss 'em, fire 'em off, or get KO'd, capiche?"

"Yep," I said, giving him a thumbs up. "So, uh, how do I ride it?"

"On top is usually preferred," he said, smiling.

"Ha, ha," I said, giving him a wry smile. "Seriously, standing, sitting, what?"

"However you feel comfortable," he said, smirking. "I've found it hard to fall of however I tried it. It's like yer practically stuck to it. Now, let's get moving!" And with that, the two of them shot off.

I laid belly down on my... head thing. Ok, to be honest, it's called a "Gaster Blaster," just letting you know, and it has a fun sound when it fires. You definitely don't want to be standing in front of them when that happens.

Anyways, I patted a patch of scales near me, and said, softly, "hey, there, friend, you wanna go for a little ride?"

The head sort of tilted below me, in what felt like an affectionate manner, like a cat rubbing its head on your leg, and a deep-throated purr resonated through it.

"Awrite, buster, let's go then!" I said, and we were off like a shot into the desert, leaving behind nothing but a trail of dust. As we accelerated, clear lenses slammed down over the eyeholes in my mask, keeping out the wind and debris.

We soon caught up to the others, who'd been hanging back slightly in anticipation of my arrival.

I faintly heard Sans' voice over the wind, asking how fast we were going. According to my HUD, we were over 70 MPH already. I then decided to see just how fast I could go, so I mentally opened up the throttle, shouting "last one there's a rotten egg!" as I did so. That seemed to get the others' attention, as they sped up as well, trying to outpace me.

I allowed my blaster to drift sideways enough to bump Sans', sending him a few feet that direction. He seemed surprised at fie, and then got a mischievous grin and rammed me back. Once we'd grown tired of that, I decided to try standing up, which wasn't all that hard, despite the wind shear. I saw something huge, far in the distance, which we were rapidly approaching.

"Now" I muttered behind my mask, "bring me that horizon."

I felt a relaxed purr beneath my feet, and suddenly we were off, faster than ever.
> 5: Dark Descent
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sans POV, 3rd:

Sans had to admit, this stranger was surprisingly good with his blaster, managing to get up the nerve to try standing up on it in a matter of minutes. It was rather a shame that it wasn't ENTIRELY his, though. Sans had secretly provided the bulk of the power necessary to bring it into being, leaving space (where it counted) for Caldoric's power to have the maximum shaping effect. To be honest, he was impressed at how well the new blaster had taken shape, looking vaguely draconic in nature.

This kid showed lots of promise, and seemed to have a strangely deep reserve of soul power at his fingertips, despite how bottlenecked his access appeared to be at the moment. Perhaps this was as a result of the kid's determination? Sans HAD been finding more and more often, as he traveled the cosmos, that species which possessed that quality, the ability to be determined on such a high level, were more a rule than an exception. His friend, Dr. Alphys, hadn't been able to make any progress in successfully inducing it by artificial means. Then again, there WAS the fact that she was now in an open relationship with Undyne. In an attempt to avoid any strange thoughts about the two ladies' romance, he carefully brought his mind back to the topic of Caldoric.

There was something else that Sans just couldn't put his finger on about Caldoric, and that worried him. There was a sort of hidden darkness to his soul, and it wasn't entirely natural... Sans would have to keep his guard up until he figured it out.

Nevertheless, he definitely liked the kid. It made having to tell him that much harder, but he had to try. If he'd learned anything about humans from Frisk, it was that they could be quite open to change... Or they could be murderous assholes, depending on the timeline... Sans decided that, once they stopped, he'd take the chance and tell Caldoric. The guy didn't seem too interested in power as an end goal, and WAS rather all over the place at times, but still... he had to play it carefully.

————————————————
Caldoric POV:

Pretty soon, we began nearing the abandoned Matoran Universe. I had anticipated it being big, having housed untold thousands, if not millions or trillions, of sentients long ago. And yet it took my breath away when I realized how big it was. I mean, holy shit. I lost track of how long it took, or how far we'd traveled, but we were still whizzing by the occasional settlement or forest by the time it seemed to take up half the sky.

Judging by the fact that this thing was supposed to be on the southern continent, (according to Kapura,) the blasters could travel insanely fast, but didn't seem to generate much wind around themselves, which was good for me. I did get bored with standing for such a long time, so I eventually sat, and then laid down on my back, face first. THAT was an interesting experience, I'll tell you.

It seems, however, that using the Gaster Blasters for any great length of time (no matter what it's used for,) has a draining effect on one's stamina. Long story short, by the time we got close enough to see the large ship parked next to the giant-ass robot's head, I was tired as all get out. We stopped behind some giant rocks that were a comfortable distance from both the Robot itself and the ship we'd spotted, taking the opportunity to enjoy a breather.

"Alright," I said, once I'd recovered sufficiently enough to hold a coherent conversation, "what do you guys think we should do? Should we risk drawing the attention of the ship way over there by the head by trying to get into Metru Nui, or whatever's left of it? Or, should we continue on past the ship, and try to find another way in?" In all honesty, I wanted nothing better than to go in the head, getting in as fast as possible. But, at the same time, I didn't want to run into whoever was on said ship.

As we discussed which course of action to take, I brought out the Rahkshi staff I'd appropriated, and began twirling it about. Eventually, we decided to move further along down the robot's side, and try to find a way into Karda Nui. There had to be a way, I reasoned, due to the fact that the Kanohi Ignika, the Legendary Mask of Life, had been ejected from the robot's midsection during Teridax's reign of terror, carrying the spirit of Mata Nui trapped within it. And, where there's a way out, there is also a way in.

Having made our decision, we prepared to move out. I summoned the Mask of Speed, but the others put the kibosh on my plans of carrying them each under one arm again. While that was a great makeshift escape plan, it wouldn't be so good for long-distance jaunts. They could only withstand the shaking for so long before it began having deleterious effects on their internal organs. Sans and Kapura informed me that they'd make their own way there, but try to slow up enough for me to keep pace.

"Ah, a race, then?" I asked, replacing the staff in my Hammerspace.

"Alright," said Sans, shrugging indifferently, "if ya wanna call it that."

Kapura nodded, and we all got into starting positions. "Ok, first one on top of the torso wins a cookie," I said, jokingly, "and no doing anything that puts the others in danger. Ready? GO!" And we were off, like three shots from a cannon.

With the exception of the Mask of Speed, I was running pretty normally, arms and legs pumping back and forth at insane speeds. Kapura was running as fast as his short little Matoran legs could carry him, (which was no faster than normal Matoran running speed,) and he was augmenting his motion by "jumping" forward with every step. I was surprised to find I was having trouble keeping up! Sans, though... He was a whole other matter of his own. He was running almost exactly like the ninja characters you see in most animes, especially Naruto; whole body tilted forward at nearly a 45 degree angle (or less,) with the arms straight back. He was moving about as fast as Kapura, left eye glowing all the way.

Time to step it up a notch, I thought, and altered my running pattern a bit. Instead of the normal fast, short steps I took when running, I began taking longer, bouncing strides, and slowly pulled ahead. Seeing a sloped rock outcropping up ahead, I veered right, then swerved sharply left, cutting across Sans' path. Once I reached the tip of the rock, I leapt forward, throwing myself as far forward and upwards as I could, as I switched to the Mask of Flight. I only activated it once my ballistic arc had started to decay noticeably, and soared upwards.

Below me, I could see Sans tic-tacking madly up the side of the Robot, using two decently spaced plates in it's gigantic armor. Kapura was popping from ledge to ledge, keeping pace with Sans. The residual speed I'd had from my leap had begun to peter out, so I pressed forward as hard as I could. It was going to be close.

As it turned out, Kapura came in first, followed a hair later by Sans. I landed about half a second later, stumbling to a stop.

"*huff*...*puff*...Nice...*huff*...race...guys..." I said, desperately trying not to be sick whilst catching my breath. "Grats... on the win... Kapura. You too, Sans... Nice moves back there, buddy. Love to see you guys go at it full speed sometime. No holding back."

"Um," said Sans, who was sweating profusely, "I only really cut loose at the end, there, when ya went flyin'. Nice trick, there, pal."

"Where's my cookie?" asked Kapura.

I looked at him for a moment, before understanding dawned upon me. "Oh, um... There wasn't... It's... It's an internet thing... It's not really... I... *sigh,* I'll buy you one when we get back to civilization."

"And I'll cook us up a round of hot dogs when we get back," added Sans, and I could see the slightest smirk on his face.

"I'll pass," I replied. I knew what he put into his "hot dogs." Mainly, the brown oval-shaped bits on the end of cattail plants. But most folks said they were delicious, so hey, maybe he was actually on to something.

"Hey, uh, y'think we should, I dunno, maybe try to find a way in, now?" Asked Sans.

We began looking around, searching for a possible way in through the various pits and divots in the robot, but no dice. I'd hoped to find the point where what used to be Voya Nui had returned, sealing a hole to Karda Nui, just after Matoro had gone through. Our only other option was to find where the Kanohi Ingnika had been ejected. Assuming that said aperture wasn't part of Voya Nui itself...

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "At this rate, we'll never find a way in..." I muttered, a little louder than I intended.

"Not with the naked eye, it would seem," Kapura added, which surprised me.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, and he just shrugged.

"You have many masks, and yet you rarely use them, it would seem."

I smiled sheepishly, rubbing my hand over the back of my head. "Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about those..." I summoned the Mask of X-ray vision, and tried looking around through the various filters, but I couldn't see anything of import, since all the holes and pits were playing havoc with my reception.

I remembered I had other ways of seeing, though. I switched to the Arthron, drew my sword, and focused on the Mask's power. I was startled at the "ping" that the mask sent out, so I didn't get a good read on what came back. Once I'd gotten ahold of myself, I flipped the sword point-down, and jammed it into the metal between my feet. Or, I tried to. The tip of the blade skated off to one side, almost causing me to fall on my face. After trying a couple more times, I gave it up as a bad job, and switched to my other sword. The shadowy, crystalline, star-filled one.

Frostbrenne. I had some mixed feelings about it. I mean, I'd summoned a bunch of crystals whilst in some sort of rage state, using my magic, which had gone all scary and Grimdark, and then formed said crystals into a sword. I had no idea what it could do, and it also served as a reminder to myself about how scary it felt to have such power running through me at once. As I looked at Frostbrenne, I vowed from then on out to refrain from using it unless the situation got really dire. As a certain character in the show "Once Upon a Time" always said, "magic always comes with a price." I had a distinct feeling that this sword was of the double-edged variety, in more ways than just the physical.

I jabbed the tip of Frostbrenne into the surface beneath our feet, (and it went in a couple inches this time, I noticed,) and sent out another "ping", doing my best to focus it down through the sword blade. I got a REAL good image that time, and I felt something... different... a few hundred meters lower on the sternum of the giant robot, just beneath where the massive "pectorals" came together. "This way," I said, gesturing with the sword as I yanked it out of the strange metal. I didn't know what it was, but I had a sinking feeling that it was probably something meant to be stronger than protodermis, or even protosteel, if I were to hazard a guess. Wouldn't want the inhabitants breaching a hole in the Robot during interstellar travel, eh? And all the more reason to keep Frostbrenne under wraps.

A few minutes later, we stood over a circular indentation in the armor, about 20-30 feet wide, and 7 feet deep. Unlike the rest of the surface of the Robot, the bottom was completely flat, and a few shades lighter. It was also segmented, though I couldn't tell how I knew that... I could also "feel" mechanisms present in the walls of the indentation. I could feel several points that stood out amongst the rest, and I could tell that if I reached out and turned them JUST so...

I switched to the Mask of Telekinesis, and was about to turn them, when a voice I didn't recognize at first stopped me. "I wouldn't do that just yet, if I were you." I turned my head to look at the speaker. I was actually shocked when I saw who it was. He had short, very blonde hair, very pale skin, and wore a pair of Aviator sunglasses. His entire outfit was themed in red, with a bright red 12-toothed gear on his chest, and he held a broken sword, with a very elaborate crosspiece in one hand. There were two floating turntable-lookin thingies on either side of him, with a red gear around the area where the records would lay. Timetables, I believe he called them, and aptly so. They were his way of traveling through time.

"Dave? Dave Strider?" I asked.

"Man," he said, laughing, "you really ARE slower than John, aren't you?"

I frowned, and the others jumped in surprise. "I'm not slow, I'm just surprised to see you here. I mean, I only know who you are because..."

He held up a hand. "Because you read about us in a webcomic on your world? Yeah, you already told us. Or, you will. Later, after we actually get here, which will be a while. For you, that is."

I deadpanned. "Dude," I said, "don't patronize me about timeline shit, I understand the 'Alpha vs Doomed Timeline' thing, and the stable time loops, and all that. Now why're you here, Dave?"

"Ironically enough," he said, and I groaned, "it involves one of those stable timelines. Future you told me, to tell Present you, to be careful with this thing, because HE was told to be careful with it..."

I sighed. "Just tell me what he told you to, Dave. Exact words and phrasing, if you please."

Dave raised an eyebrow at me. "Wow, man, and I thought you were a broom up your ass when you sent me here. Then again, your tail DID look... Um... Ah, shit...." He facepalmed. "I'll just give you the info, shall I?"

I nodded, a mix of emotions running through me at this little slip-up. "Yeah, that'd be best. Causal spoilers and all that."

Dave nodded. As he fumbled with a bit of paper, Sans sidled up to me and asked, in a hushed voice, "Hey, kid. Who's this douchebag?" I nearly choked trying to suppress a laugh.

"Oh, hey there, Sans," said Dave, inclining his head, "good to see you, ya little scamp. You weren't joking when you said these two were shorter when you first met them, were you?" I scowled.

"Right, right, causal spoilers, got it. Now," Dave said, holding up the paper, "the message Future you sent me with is this:

'Remember the first challenge on Riven, and the rotating puzzle on Amateria, and that should help. Three times it drops: the enemy's gate is down, round and round it goes, and the itsy-bitsy spider did a barrel roll.' And that's all he wrote."

Dave crumpled up the bit of paper, and shoved it into a pocket. "Did he send me anything, or have any parting words?" I asked.

He frowned, and looked at me funny. "All he really said was a bit of nonsense. 'Even in the darkest of times, one can find happiness, if you only remember to turn on the light,' he said. 'Your sword is sharp, sharper than almost anything else, but you brought other blades with you as well,' he said. He also said 'It's dangerous to go alone! Here, take this!' And then he made and handed me these."

Dave tossed me four objects, which looked vaguely like some sort of rebreathers. "Look, man," said Dave, "something obviously happened to scramble your brain between now and then, so take care." I crossed my arms.

"Or," I supplied, "he was just being cryptic, and fulfilling the stable time loop. How'd he manage to coerce you into doing this? You don't do things for random strangers, if my guess is correct."

Dave nodded. "Yeah, but he bet that he could beat me in a duel. Obviously, he won." He froze for a second, probably blinking behind his Aviators. Then he did a 2x facepalm combo. "God dammit," he muttered. I smirked.

I honestly hated taking advantage of his laid-back coolkid attitude, but this was important. "Yeah, for a supposedly 'fully realized Knight of Time,' you're pretty shit at this. You lost your touch or something? Should I take you to see The Doctor?" I asked, innocently. I was familiar with the Dr Who franchise, but had been unable to watch most of it, because it got taken off Netflix when I was just getting into the show. I honestly had no idea if "The Doctor" had ever been in this reality at any time, or what form he'd take if he had, but it never hurt to err on the side of caution.

He backed away, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "Nah, man, I'm fully realized and all that, it's just an off day, after the events of what you call 'Act Seven.' And I'm a God Tier now. We don't get sick, and you won't go near any of the local physicians."

My smirk widened. "True, but I was talking about a very powerful time traveler, who calls himself 'The Doctor,' though everyone else calls him Doctor Who. He's also an alien, older than can be counted, and has lived multiple lives."

As I finished, Dave walked over to the floating... things, and placed his hands on the top surfaces. "No thanks, Caldoric, I'm good. See ya in the future, man." He then spun his hands, and vanished in a flash of red light.

"Well, he seemed nice," said Kapura, as I did a little dance and made small excited noises.

"An' he used a lotta quotes, if I'm not mistaken," added Sans. "Hey, Caldoric, ya OK over there?"

I stopped dancing. "Huh? Oh, yeah. That was just a message from my future self, which was probably sent in a cryptic manner to throw off anyone nearby who might be listening, or put us on the proper timing," I said, and focused on the machinery in the wall of the indentation. Indeed, it appeared that if I hadn't been interrupted, I'd have broken a subcomponent or something in my haste. With some fiddling, I figured out the proper opening sequence, and activated it.



 just a few seconds in... Take that grindy stone-on-stone sound, amplify it, and boom. Glorious Crunchy Rumble.



And with that, the ground beneath us opened up, separating into several curved segments, which were rotating into the walls with a glorious crunchy rumble. This revealed a large cylindrical tunnel going straight down. There were only seconds left to us to figure out what to do before we fell to our death. I had a crazy idea, and it probably wouldn't work, but I put it into motion anyways. I summoned the Mask of Speed again, grabbed Kapura, pulled him to my chest, told Sans to follow, and ran off the point of one of the floor segments, which was nearly in line with the wall anyways. "Grab a lightstone when we hit bottom!" I shouted to Kapura. I hit the wall feet first, nearly perpendicular, and began pouring on the speed. I ran, round and round the side, going downwards at a steady and fast pace, and we eventually found another "floor" to rest at.

"That was... interesting..." I said, slightly dizzy, and removed my helmet. Kapura produced a few small lightstones, and passed them around. After I received mine, I dug in my Hammerspace, pulled out a roll of semi-clear tape I'd filched from home, and used it to secure a lightstone to the front of my chestplate and the inside of my wrist and ankle armor. Noticing the strange looks I was getting, I said, "it keeps my hands free, and lets me see where where I'm sticking my appendages."

A few minutes later, I activated the machinery in the walls once more, and the floor beneath us split in the same manner as the surface above had, but this time, there was a great rushing of air through the gap. We repeated the same process as we had with the last descent, with myself carrying Kapura, and Sans running alone. On the way down, I had plenty to think about. The exchange of atmosphere as the "lock" above us had opened... That didn't bode well for the internal portion of the Matoran universe. How long did it take for all the air in a space the size of a giant robot like this take to stagnate, and become completely devoid of breathable oxygen? Already, the air around us both smelled and tasted stale, with a hint of ozone. Was 400,000,000 years enough?

Once we reached the bottom, I called for a stop. We had to talk.

"Ok, first thing," I said, once our vision had ceased spinning, "put these on." I then handed out the rebreather things, and left the fourth one, which was purple instead of black like the others, in my Hammerspace.

"What're these?" Asked Sans, holding his up.

"I'm pretty sure they're some sort of rebreather, or oxygen scrubbers. Long story short, they should allow us to breathe properly once we get inside."

"Why do we need them, though?"

"The robot's been lying here for about 400,000,000 years, give or take. The air's probably gone stagnant, and become unbreathable. Not to mention any sort of super-bacteria that may or may not have evolved in there."

"Um," interjected Kapura, uncertainly, "are you sure they'll work?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure. After all, future me made these, which means that the three of us manage to survive in there..." I trailed off. Something Dave had said had just hit me.

Then again, your tail DID look... Um...

I pushed the memory aside, and focused on the present once more. Time enough for that later. Presently, the others were getting ready to move on again. I sighed, got up, extended my mental reach into the walls, and manipulated the mechanisms inside.

Three times it drops...

My eyes snapped open as the floor beneath us separated, and air began rushing through the cracks at an insane speed. A grey, murky light was shining up between the retreating segments of floor.

"PUT THE RESPIRATORS ON, NOW!" I shouted over the wind, summoning the Mask of Flight as I jammed my own respirator underneath it and into my mouth. I felt it expand to cover my nose, then wrap around the back of my head and latch onto my helmet, effectively placing my head inside a hermetically sealed environment. I watched the same thing happen with the others as they put theirs on.

I had to grab the others before they got sucked in by the wind shear. Looking over the edge, I was glad I'd gone with the Kadin this time, since there was nothing below us except clouds, it seemed, and the occasional supermassive stalactite which had fallen from the ceiling, impaling itself in whatever ground there was to be had so far below. This was the last, and longest, drop.

"Alright, boys," I said, voice slightly muffled by the rebreather, "drop your socks and grab your crocs, it's about to get crazy." And without further ado, I jumped, letting the slipstream pull me in. Amongst the buffeting, I could feel my armor shifting slightly, becoming sleeker, more aerodynamic. At the same time, I saw the icon for the Mask of Adaptation flash twice.

The tugging of my cape in the wind changed noticeably, as a pair of forward-swept, airplane-like wings unfolded from my back, complete with engines. They didn't look strong enough for sustained flight, but powered gliding (and minor hovering,) appeared to be working options, as I soon found out.

What I needed to do, though, was find some solid surface to stand on so I could shut one or more of the segmented... floor... wall... things. What even WERE they, anyhow? Doors? Seals? Yeah, seals, that'd work. I needed to shut the seals, before the atmospheric exchange could potentially cause more damage inside and outside of the Robot than could be fixed.

I landed on top of one nearby stalactites and set the others down. As I summoned the Mask of Telekinesis once more, I could feel my "wings" fold up behind me, in a sort of "Buzz Lightyear meets Michael Bay style Transformers" kind of way.

"We got company," I heard Kapura's voice say, practically in my ear. I turned sharply to see him several yards away, pointing at a few dozen large dark shapes that had broken off from one of the neighboring stalactites, and were now swooping up towards... Oh no.

"Take them out!" I shouted, and turned my attention back to their intended target: the seal I had foolishly left wide open.

"Got it," said Sans, his voice coming to me, not from his location, but from inside my helmet. It seemed that the rebreathers had radios.

As I was wondering about that, Sans went at the creatures hammer and tongs, using a combination of summoned mystical bone attacks, Gaster Blasters, and gravitational redirection attacks. He managed to get most of them, and Kapura helped a bit by launching Kanoka disks at them, as I did my best to close the seal. It was harder than I thought, due to the increased distance.

Two or three managed to slip past the impromptu blockade, though, and they made an attempt on the exit, which was still allowing air inside. The largest of the black shapes was making headway, while the others were swept away, finally knocked out of the sky. It was a race against time, between the closing seal and the rising creature.

The seal slammed shut with a clang just as the entity reached it, but something was wrong. I could feel that the seal hadn't fully closed; there was something stuck in it, slowing it down significantly. The creature, from what I could see, was pulling at the seal, pushing with it's hind legs. And then, with a shower of dark liquid, it pulled itself free.

Minus half of it's right foreleg. And it was pissed.

It saw us, and somehow I knew that it had figured out we were responsible for this. It gave an almighty roar, and began diving towards our location.

"Run!" I cried, before turning and doing the same myself. Turns out the others had already had the same idea, and were way ahead of me. "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered, running after them.

As I raced forward, I caught a glint of light off one of the clouds in the distance... Except that it wasn't a cloud. It was the topmost part of a giant metallic dome, whose outer surface was moving. The flash had come from the edge of a hole in the outer shell that was sliding across it's surface.

"Guys, the Codrex is dead ahead!" I shouted, pointing.

"I see it," replied Sans.

"If we make it to the edge, don't stop! Just jump!"

We all managed to reach the edge at about the same time, and we jumped. I felt claws snatch just behind me, missing by inches as I grabbed my companions around the waist once again. Activating the Kadin, I unfolded my newfound wings enough for the engines to get clear of my legs, and turned downwards. I'd need them shortly.

"Wait, what are you... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGHH!" screamed Kapura, as we punched through the cloud layer.

I had been listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks on the days leading up to when I ended up here, so I decided I'd try something that might get us out of this.

Something dangerous.

The Wronski Feint, to be exact.

"Why aren't we flying?!" Yelled Sans, over the rushing air.

"I have everything under control!" I replied, not entirely sure that I actually did. I was freaking out, internally, to be truthful. "We gotta shake 'em, and I have an idea, but I gotta focus, so hush!"

I risked a glance in the direction of my feet to make sure the monsters (for several others had joined in the fray,) were still on our trail. I was disconcerted to find they were closer than I had anticipated. I felt my lips tighten as my eyes went slightly wider.

Ever so slowly, I turned myself so that my belly was no longer facing towards the receding stalactite, but away from it. This was to prevent any G-forces generated by the maneuver from ripping Kapura and Sans out of my arms when I pulled it off. Without warning, I felt my ears pop from the change in air pressure. That was the last straw.

See, I have what most normal folks would call a "fear of heights," inaccurate as that is. I mean, I can be up high, like on a mountain or on top of a climbing wall and be just fine. I do get slightly nervous looking down, but I'm still fine. To be honest, I'm afraid of the "falling to my death" part, that's all. So you can see why I was scared, and not exactly thinking rationally.

I chickened out at that moment. I snapped the wings out to full extension, set the jet engines at max throttle, arched my back, turned the ailerons and other flap-looking bits to the "down" position, closed my eyes, and said a little prayer:

"If we die, I commend my soul to any gods that can find it."

Slowly, slowly, I felt us turning, leveling out. I opened my eyes and looked forward, only to see a "ceiling" of foliage just a few meters "above" our heads, rushing by at insane speeds. I looked behind to see the beasts attempt what I had done, and almost all of them ploughed themselves into the ground, leaving bloody messes behind in the marshy, foul smelling ground. The one who'd gotten caught in the seal was among them, I was glad to see.

I flipped over, gained some altitude, and turned my attention to my charges. "You OK, guys?" I asked, as we continued coasting.

Sans groaned, arms clamped firmly over his stomach. Kapura merely nodded, eyes closed.

"Don't ever do that again," I heard Sans mutter.

"Wasn't planning on it," I said in a small voice. I folded my wings in, since they were no longer needed, but kept the engines out for the extra speed.

We still had five or six of the creatures on us, so I had to act once more. "Hey, Sans... Could we, maybe, use some Gaster Blasters on those guys?" I asked.

"Nope," he said, resignedly, "too worn out."

I thought for a moment, and then came up with an idea. "Could you handle a gun?"

"Maybe," he replied.

So, careful not to drop either of them, I pulled a couple of the AR150's I'd absconded with out of my wrist-access Hammerspace spots, and passed them to my passengers. They made short work of the monstrosities following us.

That threat taken care of, I was able to slow down and find a spot to stop for a bit. My arms and neck were tired, OK? Actually, my whole body was sore, to a certain degree, but those were the top of the list at the moment.

Up until I heard the signature double beep of my watch chiming the hour. I was surprised that I actually heard it, seeing as it hadn't registered with me before. I looked at it, shocked that it was still working after what had happened on the airship earlier today... Wow, that seemed like a couple days ago, now, to be honest. Anyways, the time read 4:00 AM, which had no real bearing on the time here. Even then, it was about 2 minutes fast, but still, it was the closest thing I had to "normal" home time.

And then my eyes caught the date, displayed just above the time.

It was Friday, April 22nd, 2016.

My birthday.

I blinked a couple times, and then my face fell. I let my head bend forward, then sank into a crouch. This had to be some sort of sick joke.

And to think I'd been worried about getting my taxes filed on time, just a few days before I arrived...
> 6: Energetic Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How long had I been here?" I asked myself. "How could I have forgotten my own birthday?"

The answer to the last question, of course, was simple. I'd been so shaken by the events of my arrival here, and everything since, that the more trivial things of life were shunted onto the back burner. The former question was less easy to answer.

With my hands steepled in front of the nose of my mask, and my elbows resting on my knees, I counted back to my arrival. I'd been in the Everfree for five full days, plus the night I'd arrived, but that didn't really count... Then a couple days with Ackar... And another four with Gresh and Durath, including today... That was a grand total of eleven days. Of course, that was subject to scrutiny, seeing as I'd been discretely trying to adjust my already screwy sleep schedule to sync with local time, resulting in some sort of jetlag.

I felt a hand come to rest on my shoulder, and looked up into Sans' face. "Hey, man," he said, concern evident in his complexion, "what's up? You OK?"

I shook my head, and stood up. "Oh, you know, I just found out that I turned 21 about four hours ago." I said, somewhat bitterly. "So nothing really important."

His eyes widened. "Oh, hey! Happy birthday, man! But, why do you seem so unhappy about it?"

I gave him a deadpan glare, and spoke a moment later. "Think about it for a second. I've been kicked several years forward in time, remember? And transplanted to another planet entirely in the process. I should have been at home, on Earth, with my family right now. But I don't have a way to get there right now without some sort of paperwork or public appearance involved. And even if I did, I doubt they'd even accept me after all this time. Not to mention all the shit that's gone down today. I mean, I STILL don't know what happened to Durath, among other things."

Sans blinked, then sheepishly broke eye contact with me. "Oh," he said, shoulders hunched, "sorry. I understand where yer coming from, though, and I shouldn't've asked. But hear me when I say this: you're not alone, Caldoric. You may not have your family right now, but you've got us to help you through this."

I looked sideways at him for a moment, before abruptly snaking my arm around his shoulder, and pulling him into a tight one-armed hug. Sans was surprised, but momentarily wrapped his arm around my back nonetheless. "Thanks for that, man," I uttered softly, "and I'm sorry for snapping at you guys like that. I need to get my head back in the game, and save the mental breakdowns for when we're in a less potentially lethal situation."

"Speaking of which," said Kapura, "moving on'd be a good idea. There may be worse things about."

"Yeah," I said, releasing Sans, "there's always a bigger fish." That got me thinking about Star Wars. I was lucky I'd even gotten a chance to watch The Force Awakens before I ended up here, despite the fact that my family had decided to watch it on Blu-ray without me earlier that day, while I was at work. There was a reason for that, but it's not important. Then I began musing on the last actual meal I'd "shared" with them, (Reuben sandwiches, which were a sort of comfort food for me,) and regretting that I'd missed the end of Homestuck, my favorite webcomic.

I shook my head, abruptly. That was a dangerous road right now. I mean, hadn't I just decided I shouldn't be doing that? We had to get somewhere safe before I could let myself go like that. Sans and Kapura moved to hand me back the rifles, but I declined. They'd need them more than I would.

"Alright," said Sans, as they stowed the weapons in their respective Hammerspace pockets, "let's get a move on." I nodded my agreement, picked them both up one last time, and took off.

The rest of our flight was uneventful. As we got close to the Codrex, the outer layer stopped moving quite so fast, and the circular hole settled into a position near ground level. I was a bit concerned, since the outer layer had never moved (that we ever knew of) in the original story. Then again, between the comics and the online animations, we were presented with two different visual explanations of how the Toa Mata entered the structure itself, so...

I landed us on the now-horizontal edge of the hole, face to face with an embossed depiction of a spread-eagled Bionicle, split into six pieces.

"What is that?" Asked Sans.

"It's the Makoki stones." At his blank stare, I extrapolated. "Key-stones. They had to be gathered in order for the Toa Mata to get in and do their stuff. Or anyone else, for that matter." I rubbed at where my chin would have been if the rebreather weren't in the way, muttering to myself. "We're lucky they're still here. But, how do we get it to open?"

I reached out my right hand to touch the embedded stones. "Surrender your hand to the heart of the warrior..." I said, with a half chuckle. When my hand made contact with them, the stones went from cold to warm, and the surface before us moved upwards, revealing another hole in its surface, and an additional layer behind it, which was moving, and it too yielded a hole...

Once the tunnel had fully formed, I picked up the others, and we descended into the darkness, lightstones at the ready. By which I mean we slid down it, and I then kept us from falling to our death once it ended. And end, it did. It opened up onto a large semi-spherical room, containing several consoles, a large hole in the floor, and some sourceless ambient lighting, which was a slightly bluish color.

I looked at the hole, noting it's perfectly circular nature, before turning my attention to the consoles. There were screens, buttons, levers, and switches galore. One of them, a large, domed button, was placed in a conveniently central location and just screamed "push me," but I abstained from doing so. If I remembered correctly, this was the one Onua had pushed, which caused the platform that had formerly been in the middle of the floor to descend, leaving the hole that was now there.

Looking back to the controls, I found a medium-small button that bore a symbol I'd never seen before in the Bionicle 'Verse, but it was familiar nonetheless. As I came closer, I could have sworn it glowed faintly. I stuck my hands in my pockets, and took a moment to think about where I'd seen it before... And then it came to me.

Reaching into my Hammerspace, I pulled out a few fragments of the "egg" I'd been put into, back on my first day here. Sorting through them, I found the piece I was looking for, and put the others back. Yep, the images matched, although the one on the button was a bit smaller.

"Hey, guys," I called, "check this out." Kapura was there in a flash, with Sans sauntering after him.

"Wassup, Caldoric?" Sans asked. "Find somethin'?"

"Yeah," I said, and then brought them up to date on the whole "egg" thing.

"Whoa," said Sans, surprised, "any idea what that was about?"

"No clue," I replied, "but she did say something about the 'Hand of Makuta,' which I can only assume is some weird cult, or worse. And I think she might have been trying to use me to 'fuel' the creation or summoning of something. Whatever it was, it wasn't good."

"How do you know that?" Asked Kapura, in an unusually pointed manner.

"Well, like I said, she was talking to whatever she thought was in the egg at the time, calling it her 'Knight in the shadows,' whatever that means. Also, you sometimes find weird stuff in books and on various fanfiction websites..."

"So," said Sans, "d'ya think you should push the button?"

"Not sure..." I muttered, as I stared at it, brows furrowed.

"You look angry," said Kapura, after a moment.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I'll admit, I was getting a tad irritable, but that was because my face was a little itchy. I rubbed my mask against my shoulder, trying to alleviate the itch.

"Your mask. It's been more expressive lately."

I stopped rubbing. "How long has this been going on?" I asked, cautiously. "And are my eyes glowing, by chance?"

"Ever since ya put on the rebreather," said Sans, helpfully, "and nah, the eyeholes aren't glowing. They're dark as always."

That was interesting, I thought, as I turned back to the button. It was probably something my future self had built into the device. Useful, but dangerous all the same. As for the button...

"Ah, screw it," I said, and mashed it. A few seconds later, a new, differently designed console rose from a hidden hatch in the floor nearby. On the console were three adjacent miniature daises, arranged in an upward-pointing triangle. Each of these had multiple identical sets of interlocking and circumscribed segments of circular metal wire. I smirked, because I recognized the arrangement immediately. It was part of the final puzzle from "Myst III: Exile," which was one of my favorite computer games from when I was younger.

My smile faded. If that was from Earth, before this whole "Convergence" fiasco, then what was it doing here, in the Codrex? It must be coincidence...

I hesitantly prodded a few of the wires, and those I touched glowed reddish-orange, becoming warm to the touch. Doing so again merely reversed the process.

My concern grew. Experimentally, I punched in a series of four images on the topmost dais. Clockwise from the top, they were: a sort of wave/yin-yang hybrid, a sunset behind a tree branch, a frowning face next to a blade, and some sort of fruit (well, it looked like an apple to me, but whatever).

Dynamic Forces Spur Change, I thought, naming the concepts each image stood for as I pressed the last bit of wiring.

To my consternation, the glow of the combined symbols then went from red to white with a sizzling sound, and they grew very hot.



 go to about 2:17 here, that's when the original devices are introduced, and about 13 minutes in for the actual symbol placement and color change...



Yep. This was the endgame puzzle, alright. I heard some machinery briefly fire up in the floor and walls around us.

"Whoa!" I heard Sans exclaim. "Caldoric, what was that?" 

"Uh, nothing, really!" I turned, and found both him and Kapura sitting on the floor, their guns in various stages of disassembly before them. Sans' was basically a mess of parts, whilst Kapura's was neatly set out in a strange sort of grid. "Wh- How even?!" I exclaimed, in shock.

"They had tools 'n a manual on field-strippin' in this little dimensional pocket thing," explained Sans. Kapura seemed to be in his own little world, too involved with his own weapon to notice us. I rolled my eyes as I calmed down. I'd have to look into the whole "gun pocket" thing later.

Whipping out my phone and pulling up my image gallery, I turned back to the console. It took me a bit to find the image I was looking for, but find it I did. It had a red background, depicting the four symbols I'd punched in, and many others of a similar nature. Each had a word underneath it. I picked out eight of them, and focused on the bottom left dais. They were as follows: a curled vine ending in three leaves, (or was it a three-pronged leaf? I couldn't tell...) a ball above an upturned cup/scoop, two oval beads on a string, and another ball beneath a downturned cup/scoop.

Nature Encourages Mutual Dependence...

As the second set of symbols turned white, more machinery began rumbling, and Sans again voiced concern, I quickly replicated the final four symbols I'd selected on the bottom right dais. A fancy capital "E" with a barb hanging off the top, a fragmented pair of opera glasses, something that I could only describe as looking suspiciously like a bubble-butt, and a lowercase "e" with an apostrophe.

Energy Powers Future Motion...

"Hey, Caldoric, whatever yer doin' over there, I think ya should stop!" Said Sans over the third bout of grinding and rumbling, concern very evident in his tone.

"Don't worry, I'm done here," I quipped, as I pressed a button that had popped up betwixt the daises. This caused an even greater rumble, and a massive grinding sound came from the big hole in the floor. It seemed to be receding from us as well. I quickly dashed over to the hole and peered downwards. A set of spiral stairs had emerged from the side of the hole, starting at the top and progressing lower.

"I don't trust these stairs," glowering at the stairwell in question.

"Why not?" Asked Sans, downing a swig of ketchup through a special port or something on his rebreather. "Aside from the creepy rumbling and such?"

"Because," I replied, eyeing him and smiling, "they're up to something."

His reaction was nigh instantaneous. His eyes went wide, made a strangled snorting sound, and lurched forward. As he did so, most of the inside of his visor went red with ketchup that had just come out of where his nose should be. As I fell over laughing, (away from the stairs, thankfully,) I could hear Sans chuckling weakly between coughs. I could just see Kapura, whose expression was torn between concern and bemusement.

"You OK, man?" I managed to ask. "Did I blow your mind with that one? Cause it looks to me like your head just exploded." I lost it again, as did Sans.

"Yeah," he eventually said, "I'm fine. But now I can't see anythin'."

"I can see that," I replied, smirking.

"Ha, ha," replied Sans, arms crossed good-naturedly. "Now fix this."

"It should already be fixed," I said, "I mean, future me should have–" but I never got the chance to finish, because suddenly, something like a cross between a rubber spatula and a windshield wiper ran across the inside of Sans' visor, clearing most of the mess in a single arc.

"Um, Sans?" I asked.

"Yeah?" His eyes were wide, following the wiper's progress back across the transparent surface.

"Do you, as a skeleton, have sinuses, and/or the ability to produce any sort of nasal excretions?"

"Uh... Not sure about the first one, and sometimes on the second. Like, when I'm sick, for example."

Kapura had returned to his disassembled gun, with a sort of glazed look in his eyes.

"Well, then," I said, "assuming future me was smart, you should be able to either finish drinking what was wiped off the visor, or dump it if your not sure it'd be safe."

"Yeah," said Sans, looking a little put off, "I think not."

Without warning, a sort of capsule popped most of the way out of his mouthpiece, filled up with the offending ketchup, and dropped into his lap.

"Oooooh...Kay..." Said Sans, holding it up for inspection.

I shook my head. "Guys, let's get going, eh?" I asked, as they quickly packed up. "And, seriously, I'm warning you guys, be careful around stairs of any type, not just these. It's all too easy to fall down them without provocation."

We descended along the stairwell. There wasn't much light, though I was sure I could see a faint purplish glow far beneath us, and I was pretty sure as to the identity of its source. We got to the bottom of the hole, and found it opened up about 30 feet above the floor, with the final segment of stairs having been extruded from the floor in a great sweeping arc. And just inside the curvature of the stairs were six tall, slender crystalline spires, which glowed faintly from within. It seemed that their energies had been somehow drained, because I distinctly remember them being brighter in the comics.

There were also three vehicles around the central area, and I recognized them. The Rockoh T3, the Jetrax T6, and the Axalera T9. Far, far beyond those were the walls, which had circular holes interspersed randomly around it's perimeter. These were probably the tunnels that Lewa and Pohatu had chased Antroz through. As awesome as this all was, my attention was drawn more strongly to the crystals.

I approached the nearest pillar, and moved to touch it. However, my hand came to a stop a few inches away from its surface, held by some invisible barrier. I moved my head closer to get a better look, and allow the few sensors that were still operating in my helmet to collect better data. Upon closer examination, I saw that the glow inside the crystal was slowly moving, with small arcs of electricity snaking their way through it, only marginally faster.

I tasted something metallic, and felt the cold presence of metal pressed against my tongue. I looked down inside my helmet to find that, without my realizing it, I had stuck my tongue out, where it had just run into the inside of the rebreather. In the moment that I noticed this, the forehead of my mask brushed the surface of the crystal.

I was abruptly blasted backwards by a surge of energy from the crystal, and went sliding on my side for several yards, until my back came softly to rest against another console, which had just risen from the floor.

My whole body was sore and tingling, my back more than anything else, and my teeth ached, and the rest of my mouth felt like a cactus had just detonated inside of it. "Thun of uh bit'th... Wait, wuht thuh thuck?" I said, thickly. My tongue had become swollen, and was sticking out between my teeth. It had, apparently, taken the brunt of whatever energy had surged through my frame at the moment of contact. "Ah, thit."

"Caldoric!" Sans and Kapura rushed over, having just gotten past their shock, and began trying to help me up.

Looking down at my body as I regained my former verticality, I saw my armor had acquired a sort of glittery, golden aura to it, but it was fading even as we watched.

"I'm thime," I said, leaning on the console.

"What...?" Asked Kapura, concerned.

"Mah tung ith thwollun. Happun'd when I got blathded. It wuth thticking out of my mouth an' tut'thing my mathck when it made contact with the crithtal."

"I didn't understand any of that," said Sans, giving me a sideways look, "and I had to deal with Gaster's particular speech differences, so that's saying something."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll eckthplain later, then, when my tung'th back to normal." Turning to the console, I found that it was similar to the one on the floor above, but with just the one miniature dais, and a little lever-shaped knob. The knob pointed to one of two symbols: a sort of dome-shaped thing that looked similar to Tahu's Suva in the movie "Mask of Light," and a circle containing a stylized number 7 (or a canted ">" symbol?) with an off center dot. I left it on the 7-looking thing.

I punched in four final images on the mini dais: a backwards capital "S", a twisted vine with two leaves in the middle, a crystal ball depicting two clouds obscuring the sun, and a sort of mushroom-shaped waterspout thing.

Balanced Systems Stimulate Civilization...

Off in the distance, beyond the three great vehicles, I saw a disturbance in the otherwise flat floor, causing fluid ripples to spread in all directions. Something tall, and vaguely bullet-shaped, shot up in the midst of this, and bobbed vertically, as if floating on a sea of mercury... Or protodermis...

Moments later, it turned and began moving in our direction. Soon it was close enough for me to make out details. The "nose" of the object was a deep shade of purple, and it looked remarkably similar to the canisters the original Toa Mata came in, but without the face in the center that the others once bore.

"C'mon!" I said around my uncooperative tongue, waving, before I rushed off towards the approaching canister. I stumbled a little over the wake-like fluctuations that were rippling through the otherwise solid floor as I came around the back of the canister, and began pushing, urging it to go faster. "Come on, guyth, help me beach thith thing!" My tongue had deflated a bit by now, so I could speak in a more natural manner.

Kapura showed up a moment later, and began helping me push. "Who do you think's in here?" He wondered aloud. "Another Toa?"

"Yes, I believe so," I said, smiling at the Matoran, my lisp mostly gone, "he's sort of a 'legendary seventh' type. Or, he's supposed to be."

"Really? What kind is he? What's his name? What----"

I cut across him, saying, "I don't know for sure, Kapura. We don't even know if it's him in there, or something else."

The canister was abruptly enveloped in a blue glow, and began moving much faster. Sans had just decided he'd help out, it seems. I had to run to keep up, and was shocked to see Kapura keeping up, pushing as well.

"Hey, how're you--"

"Vakama once told me that I must slow down in order to become faster."

"Yeah, I'm familiar with that. Soon after, I hear, you developed a sort of teleportation ability of your own, and have been using it ever since."

"That is correct," said Kapura, focusing his attention abruptly on the canister. Based on my observations of characters in books and movies, I was pretty sure this sharp clamming up was because I'd broached a topic he didn't like or want to talk about. But my social skills were never good at the best of times, so I let loose the question I'd been dying to ask.

"Ok, I see you're uncomfortable with this topic, but... D'you think you could teach me?"

"No." His expression was very steely. He was staring not just daggers, but other melee based weaponry as well. I could have sworn I saw a corkscrew.

"Alright, if you say so," I replied, jovially, "then I'll try not to ask you again."

For my troubles, I was rewarded by smacking face-first into the back of the canister, seeing as it had just stopped abruptly. Yeah, thanks for that, Sans.

As Kapura and I came around to the front of the canister, I readjusted my mask. "Alright, let's get this thing open," I said, and pulled out my sword, intent on using it to try and pry open the lid. I handed Kapura one of my knives. "Ok, when this comes off, it'll do so explosively, and will be going at speed, followed by a bunch of parts, if I'm correct."

"Uh," said Sans, raising a finger, "shouldn' we move these vehicle things, so they don't get hit?"

I looked at the angle that the canister made with the dais and vehicles, and was about to say it would be fine the way it was, when I heard a "thunk," followed by an abrupt hissing sound beside me. It appeared that Kapura had sunk my knife into the gap between the lid and body of the canister, setting off the release mechanism in the process. "Get down!" I yelled, and dove for safety. I was immediately glad that I hadn't made it behind the canister, because it jerked back violently with an explosion that sent the lid flying.

I heard a couple loud, metallic-sounding collisions, several shattering noises, and a crash behind me, and turned to see that the Rockoh T3, which had been on the left of the canister, was now several yards further to that side. The Axalera T9, however, had been hit pretty hard, and was now laying on its side, having been knocked off the dais, with a large dent in its hull. The stairs were unharmed, fortunately, but five of the six crystal spires had been broken by the canister's lid in flight. The lid itself was some good distance away, and I watched it roll, smoking, before it fell over and oscillated like a dropped plate. I could also see a burning rubber tire bouncing along in the distance, though I couldn't figure out where that had come from.

"Whoops..." I said, nervously rubbing the back of my head. "Wish I'd gotten that on camera. Woulda been a great 'Fus Ro Dah' moment..."

"I told ya," said Sans from behind me, startling me greatly, "we should'a moved 'em first."

"Dude," I said, clutching my chest, "don't do that."

He shrugged. "Eh, it looks to me like you need to work on your--"

I grabbed his collar, brought his face up to mine, and stared him dead in the eye. "I don't care how little HP you've got, If you so much as THINK the words 'situational awareness,' I will not hesitate to chuck you across this room." I then set him down, and walked over to the scattered pieces, looking for the head. It took a few minutes to find, since some of the parts had been flung off in one direction when the lid glanced off the Rockoh. Turns out, it was sitting in the seat of the Jetrax. When I picked it up, its eyes were closed, and it seemed to be having trouble breathing...

Eyes wide, I panicked. What could I do to help? Then it came to me. The fourth rebreather Dave had tossed me. The purple one. I jammed the rebreather in the head's mouth, and held it facing away from myself and the others. "Guys, get all the pieces together, now!" I said, but I needn't have worried. The scattered parts had already gathered, and begun reassembling themselves.

I set the head down near the pile, still facing away from us, and then dragged the other two to the far side of the canister to watch. Soon, what had once been a pile of practically useless pieces had formed the visage of a new Toa, though without a Mask or tool. Those were still lying near the newly awakened stranger, who merely flexed his fingers as the organic portions of his anatomy regrew with shocking speed, looking around with great curiosity. I could see that his glowing yellow eyes weren't focused on anything around him, though. No, he was thinking, trying to remember his past, if I was correct.

"Uh, what's going on?" Asked Sans, whispering.

"It's just like when the Toa Mata arrived," answered Kapura in a hushed tone.

I pulled them back behind the canister, got out the confiscated Rahkshi staff, and activated my Kanohi Mahiki, Mask of Shapeshifting and Illusion. My body shrank, and I felt weaker, as the staff changed into something like a miniature scythe of sorts, with a hammer on the bottom: a modified Kolhii staff, of my own design.

"What...?" Said Sans, but I hushed him. Kapura stared at me in excitement, clearly understanding what I was doing.

"I have to earn his trust, and get him up to speed," I told Sans, my voice now huskier and somewhat older-sounding. I looked around the canister to see the stranger placing his mask over his face, and I felt the surge of power that flowed through him, even from several meters away.

As the energy wracked his grey frame, his armor changed color, becoming a violent shade of purple. I walked out from our hiding place and hobbled nearer to the Toa, as he picked up the strange staff/scepter thing near his feet. Its topper looked similar to Tahu's original sword at the base, but the rest seemed comprised of multiple bent bolts of lightning. I smiled, as I heard Kapura explaining to Sans, over the radio, about Turaga and their role as guides for a Toa's destiny.

"Greetings, oh great Toa," I said to the purple stranger, amicably. As he turned to look at me, I got a better look at his mask, as well as the shocked expression it now carried. His Kanohi Mask looked like a Pakari that had been badly Photoshopped into the shape of a five-pointed star, and then had four lightning bolts stuck on for good measure.

"Wh-- who are you?" Asked the Toa, pointing his staff at me, which was now crackling with small arcs of electricity.

I leaned casually on my staff, saying, "I am Caldoric. And you are--"

"Why is your mask glowing?" Demanded the purple Toa, suspiciously. I had to hand it to him, he was quite perceptive.

"That is because I'm making use of its powers," I responded, doing my best to hide my concern. This did not seem to be going well.

"I can see that. You've changed your form, for whatever reason. I don't know much except my name, but I'm pretty sure that I don't like deception."

"I am sorry for that, then," I apologized. "I only meant to present myself in a way that would put you at ease. I know you have many questions--"

"Cut the crap. How do you know I have questions?" Demanded the Toa, very nearly irate. "And reveal yourself, before I blast you clear to Karzahni." For the merest moment, a look of confusion flickered across his face, but he retained his threatening demeanor.

"Ok, Ok, hold your Rahi!" I exclaimed, before anyone (including Sans and Kapura) could do anything rash. I could just see Sans trying to jump out and defend my honor or whatever in my mind's eye, only to get blasted himself. I refused to let that happen. I was, however, glad to have a reasonable use for that phrase. "I was getting tired of this form anywho." I winced, and continued. "Word to the wise, if you ever have the option of becoming a Turaga, don't take it lightly. The arthritis isn't worth it." With that, I let the power of the Mahiki fade, and stowed the staff as I regained my previous form. Sort of.

"Thanks for complying," he said, lowering his staff, and then began looking me over. "Your legs are... strange." Observed the purple Toa, critically. "Are they normally like that?"

I looked down, and was shocked to see that my legs had been restructured. They were now distinctly digitigrade. "No, that's new," I said, concerned. I'd have to take a closer look later. Returning my attention to the other Toa, I spoke once more. "As I said, my name, here, is Caldoric. Something about this world prevents me from utilizing my real name, so... yeah. Your name, if I'm not mistaken..."

"Voriki," said the Toa.

"Right, thought so. Moving on; you are Voriki, Toa of Energy." I said, and then cut across him as he went to ask a question. "Please, I'll explain any terms or phrases you don't understand later, once we've gotten outta here, and my phone has reception again, OK? It'll go faster that way." Voriki nodded, but he didn't seem happy about it.

I then walked over to the console from earlier, which was thankfully unharmed. "So, as a Toa, Voriki, it was supposed to be your job to protect and assist the Matoran as they went about their daily lives. Fortunately, one of my companions is a Matoran, so I can at least show you that." I turned back to the canister, and spoke into the radio. "Hey, guys, you can come out now." And so they did.

"Um," said Voriki, confused, "which one's the Matoran?"

"Me!" Exclaimed Kapura, raising a hand. "My name's Kapura."

"My other friend here is a skeleton, name of Sans," I said, tilting my head in Sans' general direction. "Long story, and I don't even know the half of it. Now, since we're all here..."

I turned to the console, and flipped the nob to the dome-like symbol. Immediately, the canister and lid dissolved into splashes of... whatever the floor was made of, and became part of it once more. The center of the dais opened, and a domed shape similar to the symbol on the console rose from said hole.

"That," I said, surprised, "is a Suva, I think. Voriki's, to be precise."

"What's a Suva?" Asked both Sans and Voriki.

"It's where Toa, and occasionally Turaga, store masks and tools," I explained, and Voriki reached out to touch it...
> 7: Quantum Traversal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The colorless dome momentarily took on a metallic purple hue, and a holographic version of the circumscribed "7" appeared over the Suva, slowly turning. Where the back side was supposed to be, though, there was nothing. In time, the front of the image swung 'round again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Voriki, pointing at the symbol. There was a definite note of anxiety and suspicion in his voice.

"It's your symbol, kinda," I explained. "It's unofficial, but it's supposed to signify your position amongst the other Toa Mata, or something..." At Voriki's questioning glare, I raised my hands. "Like I said, man, I'll explain later. Maybe introduce you, assuming they're still alive." He just rolled his eyes, and began investigating the rest of the Suva.

I was a bit concerned about Voriki. By rights, he shouldn't even exist. His was a sort of fan creation, from before Takanuva had even been conceived of. He was a hoax, with his own website and everything, and many people fell for it. Most of his backstory was similar to that of Takanuva's, such as having to be found, having his own "tribe" of Matoran, and possibly even "evolving" from a preexisting Matoran (Onepu, the Onu-Matoran who wore a purple Pakari).

As such, his continued existence in this reality did not bode well. If Teridax had been defeated for good, then why had Voriki made his appearance? Was he, like the Toa Mata, "made" by the Order of Mata Nui, with a specific purpose in mind? After being concealed for, what, 400 million years or so, had his destiny changed, or was it only now coming into fruition? And most importantly...

What would happen if he ever ran into Takanuva?

My musings, as they so often had been these days, were interrupted, this time by Voriki calling my name from the other side of the Suva.

"What's up, Voriki?" I asked, looking across the Suva at him.

"I asked what this weird symbol over here is supposed to be." He crossed his arms and gave me a frustrated look.

"Oh, sorry," I said, rubbing the back of my helmet again as I meandered over to where he stood. "I was just thinking about some stuff. I do that sometimes. Now, which..." I trailed off. There was only one symbol on this side that Voriki could've been talking about. It was the same one I'd seen upstairs, and again on the eggshell. "Oh... That one. It's kinda got something to do with me, somehow. I think." I took a moment to explain, showing him the fragment of eggshell that bore the symbol in question, before turning and placing a hand on the Suva. Setting aside the theories I had begun generating about the symbol's significance, I cautiously ran my thumb over the strange image so heavily embossed into the surface of the strange metal.

No sooner had my thumb made contact, the symbol glowed green, and a wave of color seemed to sweep temporarily over the dome, just like with Voriki, except it was black this time. With a groan of protesting metal and stone, the Suva slid upward, supported by a pillar of sorts. One side of the pillar was black, and the other purple.

This revealed an array of strange weapons, tools, and other implements of destruction, in addition to a few masks. There was also a timer, which was counting down quite obviously. Fortunately for me, the wording above it was a simple English-based substitution cypher, meaning that each letter had a corresponding symbol in Matoran, this time. It didn't take me long to decipher it, though. It read as follows;

"Codrex Core Unestablished In:"

Beneath these words was a space where numbers would presumably go, which was very long, like it had been counting down for a long time, only to short out or something. Not a good sign.

Beneath the sign itself, and embedded in the pillar, was a multi-faceted panel of sorts, which I recognized from a show I liked, called "Stargate SG-1." Anticipating what would happen if I leaned too close to the window-looking bit in the center, I turned to warn Voriki... Only to see him leaning in for a better look himself.

"No!" I cried, as the center of the panel seemed to stretch outwards a few inches before pausing, and I shoved him sideways. I, myself, had no time to move out of the way of what happened next. The panel extended forwards a couple of feet, and two prongs wrapped around my helmet, pressing the eyeholes of my mask against the aperture.

"No, no no no no no shiiiiiiiiitttt......" I groaned, as lights began to flicker deep behind the viewing window in front of my face. Abruptly, the HUD over my Mask's eyeholes polarized a fair bit, like those reactive sunglasses you see people wearing sometimes, and displayed a message, which read "downloading..." I mean, the three individual dots of the ellipsis were animated for Pete's sake, appearing one after the other, before they all disappeared again and then repeated the process.

I could hear Voriki striking the side of the device, trying to free me, but it was no use.

A few seconds later, I received multiple messages on my HUD in quick succession:



•"Main drive full, compressing excess files to backup drive..."
•"Primary backup drive full, compressing excess files to secondary backup drive..."
•"Secondary backup drive full, compressing excess files to tertiary backup drive..."
•"Tertiary backup drive full, compressing excess files to quaternary backup drive..."
•"Quaternary backup drive full, no quinary backup drive detected: switching to direct neural interface..." 



"Oh, shit..." I thought, eyes widening as the HUD de-polarized the eyeholes. I felt a swarm of information flood into my brain for about a second and a half, including words that may have been "Initiating," and "Quantax," before the device released my head, retracting into the pillar once more. It actually wasn't as bad as I had expected, considering what had happened to Col. O'Neill...

"Are you OK?" Asked Voriki, quite concerned. He helped me up as I responded.

"Famous last words, but... I think so. Hopefully I'll be alright in the long term..." The sentence petered out as I looked back at the sign on the pillar.

The numbers underneath the sign, which I now saw followed the same substitution system as the words above them, had become illuminated, and read something along the lines of four minutes and thirteen seconds, by my reckoning. This, combined with the phrase "unestablished," did not bode well.

"We'll discuss what just happened later. Grab everything on the purple side, now!" I said to Voriki, panicking as I stuffed everything on my side into a brand-new Hammerspace pocket, so I could take inventory later.

"Um... How do I...?" Asked Voriki, confused, as he watched things apparently vanish into midair behind my back, up sleeves, or wherever else I decided to stick things.

"You just gotta try," I replied, distractedly. "The knowing will come. Trust me, it should come naturally, just hang it over your shoulder or stick it behind your hip." Stowing the last three items away, (a solid black Kanoka disk, a strange face-like Kanohi, and a cubic box that was about two feet on a side and bore the likeness of a strange Kanohi Hau,) I turned to Sans and Kapura. "Guys, I need y-- What're you...?"

The two of them had been gathering the broken shards of the crystal spires, and were now holding entire armfuls up for inspection.

"They've still got power, and they look nice too." Explained Sans, and Kapura nodded hastily. I sighed, swept the shards into Hammerspace, and continued as if this hadn't happened, and they hadn't been completely oblivious to my predicament.

"Sans, I need you to flip the Axalera back upright, (that's the red ship by the way,) strap yourself in, and fire it up. The ship'll give you what you need to know." He began to object, on the grounds that he didn't know how to fly it, but I cut him off to speak to Kapura. "Kapura, I want you to get in the Jetrax, the blue one, and warm up the engines for me. I'll be along in a minute." I then turned to Voriki, who had apparently gotten the hang of Hammerspace, and was stuffing the last of his items behind his back.

"You, friend, can jump in the..." I trailed off as, with a clang, the panel that had grabbed my head mere moments before extricated itself and whatever was behind it from the pillar and fell to the floor. I rushed over and grabbed it, since it might be useful later.

The Suva dropped back down quite abruptly, nearly costing me a few toes for my inattention, before the polished dome opened like a mechanical flower, and a glowing ball of white light appeared. It seemed to burst, and in its place was a new vehicle: pitch black, and awesome-looking. I was in love.

"Ok, I call dibs on this one." I said, before turning back to Voriki. "Anyways, you get in the Rockoh, the green one. It'll give you what info you need to fly it. And you," I said, turning to Kapura, "New plan: I'm trusting you to fly the Jetrax yourself. Chop chop!"

At that, we jumped into the vehicles, an eerie familiarity stealing over me as I closed the cockpit and turned the ignition. There was a small timer on the controls, which was counting down from 45 seconds.

"Alright, wheels up, boys. Let's blow this popsicle stand!" I exclaimed, and led the others up and out of both the chamber and the Codrex itself.

A note here: some sources referred to the spherical structure we had been in as the Codrex, while others referred to the entirety of Karda Nui as the Codrex. In this instance, I was using the term to refer to the silver structure.

As we ascended, I could hear Kapura whimpering from the speed overload and Voriki whooping with joy over the radio. I had to agree with both of them. This was cool beyond belief, but it was also scary. Less so, since I now knew a few things about how to fly this contraption, due to the magical implantation of the pertinent information by said vehicle, but still.

"Now, this is pod racing," I said, slightly sarcastically.

"This way, guys," said Sans, taking the lead.

"Alright," I said, following at a courteous distance. "Any particular reason for this direction?" I asked.

"Nah," came Sans' voice. "I just got a feelin' we should do it."

"Hey, Caldoric?" Asked Voriki, cautiously.

"Yeah?"

"So... Would now be--" he didn't get the chance to finish, as the Codrex sort of imploded behind us with a rather interesting sound that carried for miles, and some parts of the ground around it heaved upwards quite violently. I saw several metallic glints that stood out amongst the debris and, switching to the Kanohi Matatu, I mentally grabbed hold of them and pulled them in for inspection.

"Oh, score!" I said, holding up a badly scorched yellow and black beetle-like Kanohi, a black and green mosquito-like one, a blue and silver fanged one, and a green and black mask with mandibles, similar to the Shelek (Mask of Silence) I already posessed. There were some weapons, of course, and everything was rather badly damaged. I kept them all nonetheless, shoving them into my Hammerspace as we flew on.

Towards the edge of the cavern, the boggy ground gradually gave way to "clearer" water, if you could call it that. After dodging through an artificial-looking hole in the cavern's wall, we found ourselves flying over an ocean in near total darkness. It seemed that, after 400,000,000 years, the lights had finally gone out, except in Karda Nui. All we could see of each other were the running lights and other minor sources of illumination on our craft.

"Uh, maybe we should go back," said Voriki, a definite note of fear in his voice.

I looked in the rear-view camera on my dashboard, and my back stiffened a bit. "Heh, I don't think so, Voriki. Not unless you really feel like facing those things behind us."

For indeed, we were being followed by a large mass of the dark creatures we'd met before entering the Codrex. Apparently the few we'd left behind had gotten reinforcements. I heard the roars of three distinct sets of engines, which dopplered off in front of me.

"Oh, wow," I muttered darkly, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "nice move guys. Just friggin' leave me here, will ya?" I switched on the headlights, and floored the accelerator. The burst of thrust from the engine pressed me deep into the seat, as the light coming from the tunnel behind me faded into the distance. I soon caught up to the others, and slowed to their speed.

"What took you so long?" Asked Sans, bemusedly.

"Piss off, bone-head," I muttered in turn.

"Hey, Caldoric?" Asked Voriki.

"Yeah?"

"Returning to what I was about to ask earlier, before the thing blew up... D'you think now would be a good time to explain things?"

I considered the question for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, I reckon so. Here, gimme a sec..." I pulled out my phone and checked my reception, but I had no bars. "Ah, dammit. Turns out the robot's shell blocks WiFi signals... if you want me to tell you now, it'll have to be from memory."

"Wait, wait. What was that about a robot?"

"Oh, yeah. We're currently inside the body of a giant robot that's about the size of a moon, I think. It used to be active---" I got no further, as a new voice joined the conversation, practically in my ear.

"Well, well, is it storytime already?"

I swerved so hard in surprise, I nearly ate surf for dinner. By the time I had gotten back up to level with the others, I could see our latest addition to the party flying along under his own power, having just recovered from a laughing fit. Voriki was just staring at him, totally shocked and confused. And it was easy to see why.

"Discord, you bastard! Don't do that to me! Are you trying to get me to fall to my death again?" I was severely peeved at him now.

"No, no," the god of chaos replied, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye with the claws of his left hand, "merely dropping by, since you're in the area."

"Yeah, riiiiight..." I said, giving him the stink eye.

"Um, Sans?" Asked Voriki, quietly. "Who is this guy?"

Sans had barely had the chance to say "no idea," before Discord rounded on Voriki and, affecting an air of indignation, addressed him in a perfect imitation of Mushu from Disney's Mulan. I facepalmed.

"Who am I? Who am I?" He drifted closer to Voriki. "I am the guardian of lost souls! I am the powerful, the pleasurable, the indestructible Discord!"

"Hello Discord!" Said Kapura, waving. Discord returned the gesture.

"He's the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony," I explained, as Discord turned his head to look at me, "and he's supposed to be reformed... I think."

"Indeed I am." Discord said haughtily, and turned his attention back to Voriki. "Which is why I'm able to match the quite admirable speed of your incredible ships." He snapped his fingers and vanished, only to reappear on Voriki's dashboard as one of those bobble-headed hula dancer things. "Where'd you get 'em?" I was about to answer, but Sans beat me to the punch.

"It's none of your business where we got these. Caldoric?" He threw me a pleading look "I don't trust this guy, he gives me the creeps." With a flash, Discord was suddenly floating next to Sans' ride, giving him an insulted look.

"You better trust me, Sans," Discord told him, and Sans' eyes widened, the left one glowing again. "I could be oh so helpful if you did. My powers are beyond your mortal imagination. For instance..." He snapped his fingers again, and appeared on the front of Kapura's ride, in a reclining position. Discord craned his head back, so he was looking upside down at Kapura, who waved again. "My eyes... can see straight through your armor."

Out of the blue, he was blasted off the ship, and I turned to see Voriki, his staff raised and slightly steaming, aimed at the place Discord had just occupied.

"Oooh! All right, that's it!" Said Discord, still following us. "Dishonor! Dishonor on your whole party! Make a note of this:" He snapped his fingers at Kapura, in whose lap a pen and a pad of paper appeared, then turned back to Voriki and began ticking things off on his fingers. "Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow, dis--"

Without thinking, I used my magic to hold his mouth closed, and then spoke myself. "Stop. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We're just nervous. We just escaped an explosion and stuff." I glared at Voriki and Sans as I let Discord go. I was actually a tad ecstatic that my magic had worked for once.

"Then you're all gonna have to trust me." Discord glared at Voriki, who lowered his staff. "And don't you shoot me no more. We clear on that?" Voriki nodded, mutely, and Discord clapped his hands together before continuing. "All right. Okey-dokey, let's get back to why I'm here. Caldoric?" With a flash, he appeared on my dashboard, about a foot tall.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I've been traveling with Nova and a few others here lately, and we've been tracking some... dangerous entities, and the trail's led to Metru Nui."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because it just so happens that you and your fascinating little group are headed right for us."

My eyes widened. "Oh," I said, "well, that sucks." I noticed a pinprick of light in the distance, and zoomed in on it with my Kanohi Akaku. My now-augmented vison revealed a skyline that was faint, but familiar nonetheless. "Looks like it's too late to turn back, though."

"As if we could, anyways," sniped Voriki, "with those things that were on our tail."

"True," said Sans, nodding.

"I think we should take a look around the old place," chimed Kapura, "see if we can salvage anything left behind. I know I forgot a few things when we left..."

"It's settled, then," I said, turning my attention back to Discord, "we'll continue on our way, and try to avoid Nova's group."

"Whatever for?" Asked Discord, innocent as a letterbomb. "Why not team up?"

"I've just got this bad feeling that, if we run into each other, terrible things will happen," I said, "that, and he'll start asking awkward questions."

"True..." Said Discord, rubbing his chin, "I'll try and steer him away from you four, then." He looked at a pocketwatch that he'd pulled from nowhere, and made a "freaking out" face. "Oh, dear, I must be going. My absence will have been noted. He's quite observant, Nova is. And, one last thing, Caldoric." I raised an eyebrow, and he continued. "You should definitely get checked out by one of the local doctors, have that little problem of yours looked at before it progresses too far." With that, he vanished in yet another pink mushroom cloud, which drenched my dashboard in chocolate milk.

"What did he mean by that?" Asked Voriki.

I had my suspicions. Taking great care, I removed the armor on my left arm, and pushed up the scale-mail sleeve. What I saw was not good. The ridges along my arms had gone from black to dark grey, and black scales had started growing around them, and there were some patches of scales in other places on my arms. Where there weren't scales, my skin had gone dark and leathery, and my wrist seemed to have swollen a bit. To be honest, it looked slightly like the forearm of a night fury... I quickly replaced the armor, and loosened the wrist straps on my gauntlets just a bit.

"Caldoric?" Someone asked, though I payed them no attention.

Now that I was paying more attention to what my body was telling me, I could feel that the bruises on my back had become somewhat itchy, and... cramped, even. Not to mention the awkward feeling at the base of my spine, or how strange my face felt...

The Quantax beneath me gave an abrupt lurch to the left, and I scrambled to right it. That done, I looked over to see that Voriki had nudged me with his own ship, shaking me out of my stupor.

"What?" I demanded, startled.

"Dude," said Sans, "we've been trying to get your attention. What'd Discord mean when he said 'get your little problem checked out' earlier?"

"Not sure," I fibbed, stone faced, staring straight ahead, searching for an excuse. "In case you haven't noticed, his definition of 'normal' is distinctly unique from practically everyone else's."

"Yes," said Kapura, thoughtfully, "he did seem a few Mahi short of a herd."

I raised an eyebrow, but Sans was the first to speak.

"Uh... What's a 'Mahi'?" He asked.

"It's like a cross between a goat and a very small cow," I explained. The concerned look I got from Sans encouraged me to do some quick thinking. "Uh, no offense to Toriel, man. It's more of a physical description than anything, since I'm not sure myself what they do." I mean, I knew the two of them were close, like maybe friends or something, because of their love of bad or even "terrible" jokes. But I wasn't sure if that was as far as it went after the events of the pacifist runs of Undertale... I'm not a shipper, but it's a nice thought that they might be together.

"Eh, no problem, man," said Sans, waving a hand. I nodded, and idly began humming a tune as I dug a hand into Hammerspace. I then pulled out the tome of magic I'd been practicing from earlier, and by the light of the instruments on the dash, I began reading where I'd left off. (Obviously I set the cruise control and autopilot before doing so.) We had some time before we reached the Metru Nui.

I had to admit, this magic stuff was rather fascinating to me. The book explained things in a simple, straightforward manner, listing theories and practical uses for the topics discussed, occasionally giving cautions as the need arose. I mean, some of the concepts were slightly over my head, given that the book was written with the expectation that the reader had grown up around the various forms of magic natural to this world, making allusions I didn't fully understand, if at all.

It arguably wasn't the same as the magic of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels. Nowhere did I find mention of necessary patterns of motion for whatever part of the body channelled one's magic, nor accompanying words or phrases needed to make the spells work. Admittedly, there was some mention of the occasional magical instrument, like a staff, an orb, or something else that had once belonged to some mage with a strange sounding name, such as "Starswirl the Bearded," and the like. So, it wouldn't hurt if I had, say, a spruce wood wand, with a dragon heartstring core (12", surprisingly swishy, according to Pottermore... Yes, I'd taken a look at that a long while before I ended up here. I was best suited to Ravenclaw, apparently.)

Nor was it like most forms of magic I'd used in Minecraft, though the mod called "Ars Magica" came closest with regard to the end utilization of the spells in question. It was a shame I'd never really gotten far in that mod in all the times I'd used it. In fact, I occasionally did begin referring to certain spells I found potentially useful by the names they might carry in the mod, such as "touch dig," or "projectile light."

There were some similarities to the style of Alchemy utilized in the nation of Amestris, from "Fullmetal Alchemist" (FMA). There were certain things you had to keep in mind, like equivalent exchange, and other less easily explained concepts. I made a note to look into that later...

The closest thing I could think of was the style of magic that the witches of Discworld used. Well, technically everyone and everything there uses it, but I'm referring to the way the witches use it. To be completely honest, they do their best not to unless necessary, instead resorting to honest medicines, "headology," and plain old common sense when it came to taking care of the different village or town each one was responsible for. They only really used it for emergencies, and sparingly even then.

"Headology," and balance. Sort of... getting your mind right. Those were the main things that both types seemed to rely on. Well, the rather flashier magic used by the wizards of Unseen University had some measure of balance needed, too. One couldn't simply just pick up a mountain with telekinesis, since their brand of magic would tend to use your mind as a sort of lever. Try to move something too big or heavy, and you ran a greater chance of "flipping your brain out your ear," or something along those lines. Oh, and they used the "thaum" as a unit of measurement for magical (thaumic) particles. Sort of like atoms, but different.

Moving on. Long story short, I had a better understanding, or so I thought, of how this stuff was supposed to work, which was good. The main issue would now be a matter of putting these ideas into practice. Which is where my time in physics class might come in handy...

I was still absently humming the song at this point, too, but I made no move to stop. I decided to try and create a point of light, similar to the Lumos spell from Harry Potter. Concentrating on how light worked, (basically, super tiny micro-vibrations,) I focused on a spot just above my upturned palm. Summoning my magic, a small starburst of light appeared in my hand, but only for a moment. The sharp arrival of light in this darkness had nearly blinded me. It definitely caused me to lose concentration, which is why it went out so fast.

The others saw (and in Voriki's case, probably felt) it as well, and began trying to garner my attention over the radio. Urging them I was OK, I calmly explained what had happened. Voriki, as expected, seemed both interested and put off by my magic, seeing as he didn't seem to have any. I merely countered that he at least knew his element, and had a basic idea what he could accomplish with his elemental powers, whereas I had no such clue as to what I was even capable of. He had a definite direction to focus his energies through, but I would have to look every which way to find mine.

The conversation petered out again, and I was left to my internal musings once more. I was glad that my magical prowess was growing, but... it came at a price, didn't it. I smiled as a character from a certain TV show floated across my vision, his catchphrase playing in my ear...

"Magic always comes... with a price." Good old Rumpelstiltskin.

The fact did not escape me that this change in ability just so happened to coincide with the acceleration of my physical change. To me, this revealed that what enabled someone to use magic was either a physical presence in the body, a mental mindset or brain chemistry, or perhaps genetics. Either way... this world was altering me in more ways than one, and I wasn't sure I was fine with that.

This world... no, this clusterfuck of a universe... had already taken me from my family, and taken five years with them from me. Five whole years of my life. That's not something that could be so easily replaced. And now, it was taking my very self away from me. My physical identity. Admittedly, I was becoming more draconic as time went on, and I'd always loved dragons. I'd even wished I could be one, to a certain degree, hadn't I? Well, half dragon, at least. A hybrid of the best from both worlds. And with powers to boot!

But... Could I ever really return home if this continued? People would stare and point, asking me for magical solutions to everyday problems... Not to mention all the folks who'd either want to dissect me, kill me, whatever. Not a moment's peace.

No, I couldn't go back like this. I'd either have to find a way to get this reversed, or find a way to shapeshift without the Mahiki. It was a dead giveaway when my head was glowing like a small star.

The other option... perhaps the only one... was to remain here, where the folks were at least marginally more accepting, and I'd feel at least partly comfortable amongst the Spherus Magnans. Maybe even happy? After all, I'd spent a good ten years of my life chasing their story. Maybe now I could do something more... I don't know, helpful? Interesting? Something different from my job in the toys department... Then I realized what that thought would mean.

Spend the rest of my life, here? in Equestria? Land of the magical, talking, Technicolor ponies? I shook my head as my ever-present internal debate raged on, stronger than ever: Hate this world, and everything in it, or open up to the possibility of acceptance? I was so conflicted, so divided. I continued wracking my brain as we made our final approach to the city, which loomed large on the horizon.

Yes. There it was, the City of Legends itself: Metru Nui. It's skyline was a magnificent sight to behold. I could make out the remains of the coliseum, tipped over slightly like the Tower of Pisa, but the other direction. There, too, was that one dome one saw in Le-Metru, where who knows what happened. Probably vehicle testing or something. Maybe chute control? Yes, there were the old chutes, strung between buildings like webs, the entire city shrouded in fog. And there, the foundries of Ta-Metru, which... were still smoking... after all this time...

"Ok, guys, looks like the city's still in full swing, which is odd considering it's been abandoned for 400,000,000 years"

"Wait, what?" Exclaimed Voriki. "Excuse me? Did you just say million years?"

"Yes, I did. And yes, apparently you biomechanical folks can live a good long time, too. I mean, Lewa managed to survive this long, and he's crazy impulsive."

Voriki frowned. "He sounds... familiar, somehow. Augh, I wish I could remember..."

I peered ahead. There had been an addition to the skyline some time ago. "Over there's where the moon hit the robot's head," I explained, pointing at the jagged edges of the bent bits of metal near the coliseum.

"Uh... Yeah, that looks like a long story..." Said Voriki, sitting back in his seat, looking dumbstruck.

"Yeah, ten years in the making. Like I said, I'll tell you later."

With that, we reached the city proper, and proceeded to land in a low rooftop in Ta-Metru, a couple blocks from the Great Furnace. I chose the spot because I wanted to see what had been powering it all this time. As we stood up, I removed my Mask of Adaptation. Sans looked over at that moment, and gave a great gasp.

"Caldoric, wh-- your face!" He cried, rushing to my side.

"What?" I asked, and my hand dove into my chest armor, emerging again with my necklace. It bore a dogtag-like pendant, with an image on one side of Toothless the dragon curled up playfully on his back. The other side had a mirrorlike finish, with some copyright information on the bottom. Looking at that side, I saw my reflection and gasped.

"Oh, no," I moaned.
> 8: Chilly Contacts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I saw behind the transparent dome of the rebreather shocked me. Nearly my entire facial structure had changed. My nose was much flatter, nearing the proportions of Voldemort's nose as portrayed in the movies. My mouth was wider, and my lips had become almost nonexistent. My jaw and cheekbones had widened noticeably, as well as having been covered in some black substance I didn't recognize right off the bat.

At first glance, I'd thought that it was burnt skin because of the tendrils of the stuff that trailed away from it, like electrical burns. Then I realized it was that my original assumption had been wrong. My skin there was healthy as ever, but it had begun transforming into the same kind of leathery skin as I had discovered on my arms a moment ago. And it was spreading the fastest along the circuit-like lines on my face, turning them black.

The change had already reached my eyes, the whites of which were, in turn, beginning to transition to a familiar lime green color around the edges. From what I could see, my ears also seemed a bit higher than I remembered them being. They were now definitely above eye level. My earlobes, which had once hung independent of the side of my head, were now stretched almost to the point of nonexistance. Fortunately this hadn't affected the lone piercing in my right ear, which played home to a simple, gunmetal-grey ball bearing stud. No, I was unaware of the traditional meaning behind having just one's right ear pierced when I had it done, but when I found out later, (it's meant to signify that one is gay,) I was all like "you know what, screw labels."

As my mouth opened in shock, my eyes were drawn back to it once more. I saw that my teeth, (the top row of which had been a bit... off in the front,) were more normalized, and quite obviously had a more pointed quality to them. And my tongue... it had split, starting at the tip and stopping again about an inch or so back. Needless to say, that freaked me out. I mean, my tongue (and the rest of my face, come to think of it,) had definitely been feeling weird since I'd gotten the urge in my head to try to lick that damn crystal, but I'd just chalked that up to aftereffects and general healing or whatever. I hadn't expected this.

Long story short, my face was starting to look disturbingly more like that of a Night Fury, and less like a human. The only possible explanation for this sudden acceleration was that the energy the crystals had zapped me with had had something to do with it. Stowing the necklace back under my armor, I turned the Mask of Adaptation over in my hands and stared at it, unseeing.

"Caldoric?" Asked Sans. "What the hell's going on? What's up with yer face?"

"I... I have no real idea. A hunch or two, but nothing solid." Actually, I was pretty sure now what had happened, but I needed proof before I went shouting it to the world. I turned my unfocused eyes back to the Mask, as I thought back to a series of books I'd never got around to finishing, by the name of "Pendragon." It was about this kid who goes hopping between worlds, and each world has it's own set of rules, sort of.

There must be something similar going on here. I had to play by the rules, even if it meant taking a form more in line with the local fauna, sentient or no. As to why this hadn't happened to the other humans who'd shown up... why they'd only become Toa, while I was turning draconic... I had my suspicions, and none of them good. I'd need to speak with Makuta when I got back home.

I mean, back to base. Dammit. That spot in the woods that I'd claimed as my own was nothing more than a base, despite all that I'd done to make it liveable. Home was millions of miles away, and I had no way of getting there just yet. Yet another thing I'd have to deal with once we got out of here... I was starting to get fed up with all these shenanigans. I thought back to almost two weeks ago, in the museum. Should I have stopped, and let them have the masks? Perhaps things wouldn't have been so stressful if I had. Yes, it was kind of fun here, but... was it worth it? Losing 5 years with my family and friends? Heck, I didn't even know if they were still living in the same house anymore.

I was pulled from this new downward spiral by Kapura's hand on my face shield, turning my head to face him. His eyes, from what I could tell, were scrutinizing the altered details of my new face, taking in every inch. There was curiosity there, and sadness. Pity, perhaps? I softly pulled my head from his grasp, then placed it in the palms of my hands and sighed.

"The caterpillar sheds his skin, to find the butterfly within," said Kapura, quite sagely, though there was a discernable quantity of concern there. I felt Sans rest a bony hand on my shoulder.

"We should get moving," he said, not unkindly.

"Yeah, you're right," I said, and groaned a bit as I stood up. "Oh, hello legs," I continued, as the appendages in question tingled and made their objections known from having been seated for so long. Once they'd calmed down, we climbed down the side of the building. Upon reaching the bottom, I took a wide stance, locked my fingers together, and swung my arms and upper torso sharply from side to side a couple times. This elicited several audible pops from my spine, which had been feeling slightly out. I tipped my head to one side, then the other, bringing forth more pops from my neck.

Sans gave me a concerned look. "That can't be good for you," he commented.

"Oh, please," I replied, rolling my eyes as we began walking, "I do it all the time."

"Um, pardon my asking, but what exactly was it that you just did?" Asked Voriki, a slightly sickened look on his face.

"I was just popping my back. Some of the vertebra were slightly out of alignment, which happens to me from time to time. If I let it go for too long, it can literally cause me headaches, especially the ones in my neck."

"But how do they get out of alignment in the first place?"

"Eh, bad posture, carrying heavy loads, sleeping in a weird position, things like that. It's sorta natural for me. Not to mention, I think I've been exacerbating it because I don't often take off my armor."

"Um... Should I be worried about doing that?"

I waved a hand airily. "Nah, you're fine. Your armor is sort of part of your body. It is possible to remove it, but it makes you feel weaker. Especially if you were to lose your mask, that's a big no-no. Always keep that on. Same thing for other Toa, or Matoran like Kapura here. But humans, like what I used to be, don't wear armor all the time. We don't have the strength or dexterity to do so. The individual pieces of armor, being made of Protodermis or Protosteel, are much lighter than what we mad armor out of in the old days, but when added up as a whole, it's still a rather heavy set of metal plates you're carrying around on your back, and extra weight beyond that makes it worse.

"For example, those wings I had back in Karda Nui? Those threw me off a little when it came to balance and such. Speaking of which, where are they now?" I asked, looking over my shoulders. I'd just noticed their absence.

"They vanished after you changed back from being a Turaga," Kapura pointed out. "And then your cape came back!"

I hadn't noticed its disappearance when it happened, but it made sense. Wouldn't want it getting sucked into the engines of the wings, or creating drag. Matter of fact... my cape had probably turned into the wings, in a sort of "equivalent exchange" type thing.

As I returned from my tangent, I began gesticulating to emphasise my point. "Anyways, folks like you or Kapura, collectively known as either Spherus Magnans or Bionicles, are what're known as 'biomechanical beings,' meaning you're part organic, and part machine, hence the presence of pistons and servos and stuff like that on your body, which augments and compliments your organic strength, as well as giving you a vastly expanded lifespan." I gestured to Sans and myself at this time. "But folks like Sans and I are completely organic in nature. Barely a trace of metal in our bodies, and even that's in our blood, carrying oxygen to various places, keeping us alive. Your body automatically repairs itself much faster than mine or Sans' can. Toa can still die, of course, but they're naturally resilient, and harder to kill because of their elemental powers."

Voriki looked down, considering this. "That's... a lot to take in." He said at last.

"Oh, then just wait till I can show you the backstory for this whole world." His eyes widened a bit at that. I smiled, and looked up at the "sky," noting the faintly shining twin "Suns." I was pretty sure they were really the eyes of the GSR, or something like that. I mean, somewhere up there was his face, right? Metru Nui had been the brain of the Robot back when it was running. "So," I said, changing the subject, "how far to the Great Furnace?"

"Oh," said Kapura, straightening up, "sorry, it's this way." He turned around, and headed back the way we came, but didn't go more than a little ways before turning down a side road. We followed close behind. "It's not far."

"By the way..." said Voriki, making me jump. He'd silently moved up to walk by my side while I wasn't paying attention. "You never explained the giant robot thing."

"Jegus, man," I said, hand on my chest, "don't scare me like that." I then chuckled weakly.

"My apologies," he said, dipping his head momentarily.

"Ah, no harm, no foul." I replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And you're right, I do owe you an explanation." And so I gave him the short and sweet of it, doing my best not to ramble and tangentialize: how it had been made to explore the universe, learning about other planets and life forms and such, so as to fix the planet that had been known as Spherus Magna... THIS planet, Terra-1. I then went on to explain the highlights of the main Bionicle storyline, such as Makuta's antics, the adventures of Toa Mata, Metru, and Ignika, then Makuta's coup and subsequent war on Bara Magna. Finally, I summed up with the reuniting of Spherus Magna, the supposed death of Teridax, and the 400 million year gap between then and now.

"Cool story, bro," said Sans, once I'd finished.

"Yeah, wow," agreed Voriki, "that's.. heavy stuff right there. No wonder you wanted to wait till we got outside..."

I nodded. "Of course, that's a heavily summarized, semi-biased, secondhand account of things. You'll definitely want to hear it from Turaga Vakama, though. He and the other former Toa Metru are great storytellers."

"Hmmm," said Voriki, running a finger along the bottom of his mask, "sounds like a plan."

"Yep," I said, then took a moment to think. "Now that I mention it, I'll have to speak with Vakama as well... see if he might know a way for me to get home..." I was, understandably, thinking of a particular Kanohi he had in his possession. Or, I hoped he still had it...

"We're here!" Announced Kapura, spreading his arms wide. And indeed we were. Before us was the largest building I'd ever seen in person. Not the tallest, mind you, but the largest. The tallest one would be the Space Needle in Seattle, though the Great Furnace definitely ran a close second. This was wider by far. It had to be, because if the network of forges and smelteries here in Ta-Metru were in any way like a human circulatory system, then the Great Furnace was the heart itself. It had provided all the molten protodermis to the various workers back in the day.

I stepped forward, and laid my hand on the latch of the front door. I had barely begun to turn it, when I heard shifting metal nearby. We all turned to see several slender, multicolored robotic figures emerging from some of the nearby piles of scrap and general debris. Most of them were familiar, but none were a welcome sight. From around a corner, two more of the smaller figures stepped out, one green, and the other black, wearing gigantic suits of Exo-Toa armor. To this day, I'm not sure where the hell they got ahold of those...

A white-armored figure that was slightly taller than Voriki stepped forward, raising it's staff weapons. In a cold, clear, synthesized parody of a voice, it said something I didn't understand. Well, it's mouth moved, so I assumed it was speaking.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiit......" I said, "Vahki... and I think they're the talking type."

"It said 'halt,' I think," replied Voriki.

"That is a correct assumption," agreed Kapura. All our eyes turned to him.

"Ok," I said, "you're officially the group's translator."

The white Vahki uttered another strange string of syllables, sounding angrier this time. I carefully raised my hands in a sort of "I surrender" gesture, with Sans and Voriki following suit.

"Alright, alright," I said, "sorry!"

"Um, he said 'stop speaking nonsense, immediately, or we will fire," muttered Kapura, and then he turned his attention to the Vahki. He uttered more strange sounds, and this time I noticed they sounded something akin to Hawaiian, if what little I'd heard of it was anything to go by. Something in my head clicked, and I realized what language he must be using.

"It must be Maori, or something close," I muttered, thinking aloud.

"What's 'Mah-oh-ree'?" Asked Voriki, quietly. He, like Sans and myself, had his hands in the air, and was giving me a confused look.

"It's a language used on my homeworld by the native folk of New Zealand, whose culture bears the same name. Years ago, the LEGO--"

There was an abrupt burst of Matoran from the white Vahki, who jabbed it's staff in our direction. Kapura quickly waved his arms, and responded in rapid-fire Matoran, which seemed to calm the figure, but only just. The Vahki in the exo-toa armor were getting antsy, and seemed to be looking for an excuse to maim or kill us.

"He says..." Began Kapura, "he says we are in an area that is off limits to the general public, and are to be detained for questioning as to our origins. Not to mention, we've got several charges against us: trespassing, breaking and entering, flying unlicensed vehicles in a legal no-fly zone, parallel and double parking, and other things."

I winced and swore, then turned to the lead Vahki. Clasping my hands together in front of me, I bowed forward at the waist by about 10-20 degrees, then began spewing apologies and assurances that we'd rectify the situation as soon as possible. Kapura translated, hopefully giving the gist of what I was saying.

Sans wasn't too happy about how quickly I turned submissive in front of these mechanical strangers, and made his displeasure known. "What's the deal, Caldoric?" He asked. "Why're you so afraid of these guys? We could take 'em, easy."

"No!" I said, firmly. "These're the local equivalent of policemen. And odds are, if there's this one group still up and running after all this time, then there's bound to be hundreds, if not thousands, of others running about. I'm not eager to end up on the wrong side of the law. Are you?" Sans shook his head. "Good. Now, no fighting, unless shit hits the thresher, 'k?"

"Alright..." He said, admitting defeat.

The white Vahki shot a string of sound at me, and judging by the raised tone at the very end, it was a question. It also sounded a bit frustrated.

"He asked if we're sure there's no way for us to communicate more clearly," translated Kapura.

"I don't know..." I said, rubbing the respirator, before having an idea. "No, wait, I think I saw something..." I pulled out a couple of the magic books, and flipped through them. I could see in my peripheral vision that some of the Vahki seemed curious or suspicious. A few of the red ones even seemed to be getting impatient, and some of the others had to calm them down.

"Aha!" I shouted triumphantly, jabbing one page in particular. "A translation spell! But... Oh, jeez, this is complicated..." Kapura explained what I'd found, which seemed to interest the lead Vahki. Through Kapura, I told him what the spell was supposed to do, assuming it worked. "After all, I'm still new to this whole magic thing myself." He nodded, and motioned for me to carry on.

Setting the book down, and putting the others away, I summoned as much energy as I could between my outstretched palms, and followed the instructions in the book as best I understood them. I formed, as closely as possible, the proper "shape" in my mind, selected my target, and cast the spell.

The sphere of energy sank into the white Vahki's chest area without leaving a mark, and he staggered back a step as I sagged to my hands and knees. He glowed for a moment, then returned to normal.

"Did it work?" Asked Voriki.

The lead Vahki looked at him, taken aback, and nodded. He said something to the others, who visibly relaxed.

All this had somewhat unnerved me. From what I remembered of the old storyline, the Vahki didn't have emotions, or act the way they had been here lately. There was no conversing with them back in the old day. If they thought you were guilty of something, they'd hunt you down and take you in, not stop and talk.

"So..." I said, trying to stand up, "you guys seem... different from the Vahki I've heard about."

As if to prove my point, the lead Vahki stowed one of his staffs and helped me up, speaking as he did so. Kapura provided the translation.

"In what way do you mean 'different'? Do you, perhaps, speak of those who came before the Great Surge? Or those who survived the Invasion of Shadows?"

The Great Surge... Could that be referring to when Teridax had absorbed all the power in the city during the Great Cataclysm? After all, that had caused a feedback loop that had destroyed most of the Vahki units who had been hooked up to charging points back then. Most of those who survived had been damaged in such a way that they became able to "speak." Of course, they'd always been able to, but they had previously done so at such a high speed and pitch that only other Vahki could hear and understand it. And then there was the Visorak invasion... During that time, it was said that the remaining units had been wiped out by the invaders.

But... Maybe some of them had developed some form of self-preservation trait, and left the dying city, and escaped that grizzly fate? That would explain the stories I'd heard of Vahki units in some far-off city called "Manehattan" during the war with the Makuta a couple years ago... Unless they were newer models made after the GSR was abandoned.

I heard a sound above me, and looked up in time for me to see an old lampshade of sorts landing on my head. Oh, the irony. I pulled it off, and threw it into storage. It was a rather nice-looking lampshade, after all.

After that, I winced slightly, suddenly feeling sore all over, like I'd been slammed into a brick wall, but without having experienced the actual event itself. There was a sort of warmth all up and down the front of my body, like I'd been standing in front of a roaring fire for too long. Not to mention the intense discomfort I felt in the base of my spine felt both oddly stretched and like a hornet's nest of pain that made me wince. And, topping it all off, my vision was slightly unfocused. I rubbed the back of my head, which felt like it had found the hardest part of the aforementioned brick wall, and gave a slight groan.

"Uh, Caldoric? What's with your armor?" Asked Sans, looking at me sideways. I looked down, and saw that there were new scratches, and a couple of small dents. There were also a few wisps of steam, which dissipated as I watched.

"No clue," I admitted. I looked at my watch, making a mental note of the time: it was 4:45 am. I had this sense of deja-vu, combined with a nagging feeling that I was forgetting something... "Hey, uh, Sans?"

"Yeah?"

"What... just happened?"

He raised an eyebrow. "A lampshade fell on your head, and you stuck it... wherever it is you stuck it, and then you ended up like this. I'm digging the new tail, though."

I blinked. Yes, there had been a lampshade, but that suddenly felt like it had happened a while ago, rather than mere seconds before... wait, had he just said "tail?" I spun around, catching a glimpse of something I'd only ever seen in a certain pair of DreamWorks movies swinging the same direction I'd just turned. Strangely enough, I could even feel it dragging across the ground, and when I tried to stamp on one of the fins on the end of the appendage, I definitely felt it.

"Caldoric?" Asked Kapura, getting my attention. "The Chief says that, if you're done playing, we're all to come with him now."

I raised an eyebrow, again, and turned to the "Chief," as he called himself. "Really? Um... Ok, just out of curiosity, why specifically do you require us to come with you?"

{Well,} he replied, by way of Kapura, {after much deliberation with the council, we have decided that we would hear more of the outside world from which you have come.}

"Wait, deliberation with..." I began, before my brain caught up with, and took control of, my mouth, doing some thinking along the way. "Oh, yeah. I forgot, you guys have radio communication, or something." I shook my head. "Nevermind."

{Let us hurry,} said the Chief, {it is unwise to linger so long in the open these days. Come, we must away, to the hive.} And with that, he turned and lead us all off down the seemingly abandoned streets. As we walked, he explained himself a bit more. {Recently, we have had ominous reports from the other hives; rumors, at best.}

"And... at worst?" I prompted. I was on edge, because something felt definitively wrong here in the city, and it seemed I wasn't the only one. After a moment, the Chief continued.

{And at worst... living horror stories. Nightmarish tales, of hives and sub-hives alike being overrun, destroyed, or... corrupted, one might say.} And with that, he fell silent once more, refusing to continue. I decided to change the subject.

"Um, we had some vehicles that--" I began, but I was interrupted by the Chief.

{We know,} he said, {we have units bringing them to the hive for inspection as we speak.} And indeed, at that moment the four ships flew overhead, along the general route we were taking. In response, the Chief had us quicken our pace.

As we continued along the deserted streets, my mind wandered, and my legs went into a sort of autopilot mode, which was not unusual for me, though I had to adapt to the additional presence of my new tail. This time, my thoughts turned to Ackar, and how he was faring. Man, if he only knew what I'd been up to, he'd flip his lid. From there, my mind turned to the battle in the city earlier today, and that momentary blackout I'd had. What the heck had happened? I thought back to the last moments I remembered, before said lapse occurred. I remembered the group of civilians rushing in, hiding in a corner. Then the sound of something large and heavy approaching, followed by Durath's headlong charge out of the cargo bay...

I focused hard on that final piece, trying to glean as much as I could from those few seconds. I saw, for the briefest instant, as Durath turned his face upwards at something outside my limited vision, his expression contorting into a grimace of fear and shock, as...

In my mind's eye, I saw a large, dark figure, wreathed in shadows and smoke, land heavily on Durath's chest, bowling him over like a set of tenpins. This was definitely new to me. I watched as the figure turned it's flaming purple eyes towards our ragtag group of heroes, and then it smiled. This rictus of insane glee stretched far to wide across the stranger's face, reminding me of certain moments from "Full Metal Alchemist," and "FMA: Brotherhood," when either "The Truth" or "The Dwarf In The Flask" had first treated the viewers to their creepy smiles. The shadow-thing said something in a language I didn't know, it's voice so soft, yet louder than anything else around; the sound of silence itself.

I tore myself away from the vision, and began analyzing what I'd seen, my new tail swishing slightly of it's own volition. There had been something off about the figure, like the shadows were merely obscuring something, but not truly existing except in my head. Something about that thought was familiar to me, and it took me a minute to find.

The answer once more lay in the FMA storyline, but this time in the from one of the movies: "The Star of Milos." There are moments in it where one character is trying to remember the face of the person who killed their family, but all they see is a demon the first time. After that, the image becomes progressively clearer each time, until the audience sees the true face of the killer. I could only hope the same would happen to me.

By the time I'd come to this conclusion, we'd reached the hive. Once through the entrance, we found ourselves in a sort of loading bay/kill box hybrid. There were at least eight or nine Exo-Toa in individual charging berths, their eyes green instead of orange, and several dozen Vahki of all types. All of them turned their heads to face us.

The eyes on a few of the Exo's flickered orange momentarily, all but two returning to green as they lost interest. The two that stayed orange raised their left arms and aimed the attached electro-rocket launchers at us. However, they returned to their "at-ease" mode after a few stern words from the Chief, and the two Exo/Vahki pairs of our group stomped off to their assigned berths to disengage or whatever they called it. As the green Vahki stepped out of its suit, I noted with some interest that it had a decidedly more effeminate look their build.

Over in the corner, a sudden gleam of light and no small amount of movement caught my eye. Turns out that what I'd thought to be just a pile of scrap and spare parts was actually another Exo, but in a sorry state of disrepair. I watched as its eyes flickered on, the lights inside barely illuminating the transparent lenses as several Vahki scurried over to it. Curious, I wandered over there myself, as the rest of the group was deep in discussion about other things.

Once I got near the pile, the Exo took notice of me. What little light there was in its eyes went from green to blue, and it became excited. It tried to raise its right arm, probably to gesture in my direction, but quickly noticed that everything just below the shoulder was a complete shambles, all bent metal and dangling wires. Its eyespots went yellow at this, and it began speaking with the Vahki around it, its voice deeper by about an octave and a half, looking itself over as it did so.

It's left arm was missing its electro-rocket launcher, several bits of armor were damaged or gone entirely, and it's legs were completely shot. There was also a major dent in its chestplate.

<Damn,> I thought, <this guy's seen some serious action. I wish I could help, but... this isn't just some LEGO set that I could just swap pieces out on. It's a real, working robo-suit. This is way past anything I could hope to fix.>

I was about to turn back to my companions, when my HUD seemed to momentarily go crazy, almost as if in response to my unspoken desire to help. A series of symbols or pictograms flashed across the display, almost (but not quite,) reminiscent of the Shaper Glyphs from Ingress. My right eye suddenly pricked, hard, and I spent a short moment holding the palm of my hand to the eyehole in my mask, which strangely seemed to help. By the time I could open my eyes again, the Glyphs had gone, and my HUD's color had gone light blue, instead of its standard green.

Not only that, but I was now seeing double, kind of. Like, when I looked at one of the nearby Vahki, or an Exo, or Voriki, I saw multiple overlays of the same thing in the same place. One version was the same as what I'd seen before, which was similar to what the movie renditions looked like. Another view offered me moving versions of their original LEGO sets, perfectly mimicking their every action. Yet a third view showed me "revamped" versions of the set forms, which were cool, but the first two were most prevalent. I wasn't sure what this was, but I might be able to use it.

Looking at the "spare parts" around the mangled suit, tail twitching in excitement, I decided how best I could help fix it. I would rebuild it! Of course, I'd completely forgotten about my Mask of Object Repair, but I'm grateful for that blunder nowadays. Anywho, making use of my Mask of Telekinesis, I pulled over a few replacement parts and got to work.

As I did so, to the general interest of the nearby Vahki, I noticed that I, too, seemed to be operating on multiple "planar spectrums." On one level, I was quickly and carefully soldering together wires, fixing gears, and all the technical stuff of the "real" version, while on another level I was just snapping giant pieces together like I was building the set again from scratch. I soon found that if I tried to focus too much on what my "real" hands were doing, I faltered badly, and nearly got myself and a couple others hurt. So I focused on the "lego-style" method, and soon had him in almost up to par again, minus the rocket launcher and the head/neck joint.

Obviously, there was nothing to be done with the launcher, since they didn't seem to have a spare lying around, but I could  fix the head. Coming around the back, I had the Exo lean forward so I could get at the mechanism. As I did so, I began thinking of how to deal with the left arm.

Standing on its shoulders, I pondered the best way to go about it. True to the original set, my "LEGO vision" showed me two long white axle pieces which were holding the neck assembly in place. I tugged on the right one with all my might, and it slowly gave way. If I remembered correctly, it was one of the old 5.5 length axles. So, leaving nearly a full unit of length unpulled, I shoved it to the side, which caused the single piece it was stuck in to hinge over. I repeated the process on the other shoulder, and the main body of the Exo went limp, while the head began freaking out. I carefully pulled the neck assembly off, and dragged it a little way from the main body. I needed room to maneuver.

I made quick work of the problem, replacing parts like it was nothing, and then reseated the whole unit in its slot. Once the axles had been pushed back in, the Exo went into a system-check cycle, powering down before booting up once more, and then getting to its feet. It began moving about, carefully, testing everything out. With the exception of its left arm, it seemed satisfied. It turned to me, placed its boxing claw on my shoulder, and warbled out a sort of "thank-you." In response, I performed one of those fancy bows, placing my left hand to my chest and throwing my right to the side as I took a knee, and lowered my head.

Getting up, I looked at the Exo's left arm, and sighed. Taking a moment, I pulled a few more pieces from the pile of bits, and did my best to give it a new hand to replace the electro-rocket. It turned out rather nice, if I do say so myself. It had complete 360° rotation at the wrist, a total of three fingers, (I'd have to fix that later,) and I'd even managed to incorporate an old Bohrok shield into the back of it, though that was partly out of structural and aesthetic necessity. The design had been influenced by a design I'd seen online for an Exo-toa revamp, but the final build was my own design. The Exo flexed the fingers of its new hand, and its eyespots turned into upward-curving half-circles, which I took as it's equivalent of a smile.

Using its new hand, it pressed a conspicuous orange spot on the newly-repaired chestplate, which swung forward to reveal the rider's cockpit, then gestured for me to climb in. And that's when our little visit started going to shit.
> 9: Fight or Flight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hadn't really noticed just how quiet it had gotten, until the silence was broken by the sound of someone approaching. I turned to see the Chief had come over, and though he seemed happy that I'd fixed this particular Exo-Toa, he also seemed displeased with the fact that it had offered to let me pilot it.

Around the room, I could see everyone else was just staring at me, with a range of different reactions. Some shocked, others politely interested, and a few (mostly those that'd been near the damaged Exo when I came over,) were even in the process of taking notes on what I'd been doing. I was glad about that last bit, because I had no clue how I'd done what I'd just done, in terms of "real-world" techniques and such. As I looked on, sheepishly, my HUD returned to its normal green color, and I stopped seeing everything in triplicate.

The Chief grasped my hands firmly and gave me a half smile, as he said something similar to the phrase the Exo had used as it had stood up. After that, he turned his attention to the Exo, and engaged it in a mildly argumentative sounding conversation. They seemed to be having a disagreement over... something. I turned to Kapura, who had come up next to me, and asked him what was going on.

"This Exo-Toa wants you to be its pilot," he replied, simply, "but the Chief insists that it should have one of the hive members as a pilot, to help defend this place, as is tradition. It can't just bond with an outsider and go galavanting off, never to be seen again."

I nodded. "Understandable," I replied, "They can't spare any resources at times like these, facing attacks almost every day."

Suddenly, the Chief threw his hands in the air in apparent defeat, and returned his attention to Kapura and I. {Make him see sense,} he told us, and stormed off.

"As you wish, sir," I called after him, "I'll do my best." I then sighed, turned back to the Exo, and scratched the back of my helmet. "Kapura," I said, "mind translating for me?" He nodded. "Alright then."

Turning to face the Exo, I hooked my thumbs into my pockets. "Ok, Exo-Toa," I began, but the pointed at a particular spot on its armor. Closer inspection revealed a series of Matoran alpha-numerics, translating to a serial number (which wasn't important,) and a unit model number: Z4-4NA. How had I missed that? "Ok, then, Z4, if you want. I must admit, I'd just love to work with you, but... *sigh,* I just can't. I have no means of transporting you out of here. And, besides, you're needed here." Z4 made a sad whirring sound, its whole demeanor changing as it sagged. "I'm sorry, man. Honestly."

Moments later, the chief returned with another figure in tow. They were feminine, and shared some similar features with the chief, like head structure and such. I wasn't sure how I could suddenly differentiate, so I let it go.

{This is my daughter,} he explained. {She will be the one to pilot Z4, as everyone who lives here knows. } The chief glared at Z4, who "harrumphed" it's disagreement.

The younger Vahki spoke up, and Kapura continued translating. {Yes, father is right. It is necessary for me to have use of an Exo unit in case of emergency, though I'd personally prefer not having to resort to such desperate measures. Nonetheless, I've had my eyes on him since he was salvaged a while back. He fought bravely in the battle preceding our arrival, nearly at the cost of his own survival.}

I nodded. "I can totally understand where you're coming from on that. If tradition or whatever demands that you be the one to bond with him, them I'm more than happy to step aside. Heck, even if it were just up to me, I'd still step aside, because I'm merely an outsider to your world, with no real claim to anything inside it."

The Chief's daughter looked confused for a moment, before her father translated what I'd said. She smiled, giving me a first real glimpse of Vahki pearly-whites, before she repeated the phrase that Z4 and her father had spoken before, which I was coming to think equated to "thank you": W̵̷͟h̴͜a̛k̨áw͏͟h̛eta͢͡҉i̵͟ ̡k͢oè. Then, in a surprising move, she gently grasped my shoulders and planted a light peck on either cheek of my mask, which caused her father to raise an eyebrow.

"Wh... whakawhetai koe...?" I tried, politely dipping my head in her direction. She smiled again, chuckling slightly, then began speaking with Z4.

"So," I said, turning to Kapura, "that meant 'thanks,' I take it? How was my pronunciation?"

{Boorish.} The Chief said, before the Ta-Matoran could answer. {Provincial. And you speak it through your nose. But, yes, you were correct in your deduction.}

"Oh. Well..." Said Voriki. "I'll have to keep that in mind as well, Jarei. Sir."

"Wait, Jarei?" I asked, confused. "What?"

{That is my name,} said the chief, {short for "Jarei'nakuros." I explained this on our journey here.}

"Ah. Well, I can see why you shortened it." I said. "And... out of purely platonic curiosity, what's her name?" I hitched a thumb at his daughter.

{Her name is Shelau, friend. But you would do well to make sure your curiosity stays platonic. And, also "out of curiosity," as you say...} Jarei folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. {What were your plans for the aircraft you rode in on, if you say you have no claim to anything of our world?}

I had to think for a moment on that one. "Uh... I was actually kind of considering the idea of giving them to a Museum or something back on the surface world, where this place's former inhabitants now live. In fact, if things are a bit difficult for you guys here, you'd be welcome to join--"

My next words went unheeded as an explosion, the kind that was more felt than heard, took place somewhere outside, and not too far off. Jarei's head snapped up at the sound, before he took off for the still-open doors. I followed as fast as I could.

"Chief, what's going on?" I asked as I approached, but he was already issuing orders to some of the nearby Vahki. As they began closing the giant doors, I caught a glimpse of what looked to be a large fire from a few streets over. "Uh, Chief?!"

He began making shooing gestures in my direction as he continued speaking, but I only caught on word out of the otherwise unintelligible language. It was enough to send shivers down my spine, and put me on red alert.

"Did you just say Lohrak?" I asked, highly nervous. Jarei nodded quickly, his face a mask of fear and concern, then continued speaking and gesturing towards the back of the room. "Alright, alright, I'm gone, man!"

So, without further ado, I booked it to the back of the room, past my companions, and attempted to get through the door to the rest of the hive. Unfortunately, I was stopped by one of the Vahki standing nearby. Judging by his tone of voice, he was asking me either what I was doing, or what the commotion was about.

"Lohrak!" I exclaimed. "Jarei said something about Lohrak, and sent me over here...!" His eyes widened, and he called out to the Chief, though he didn't look away from me as he did.

"J̕a̶re͢i̛͘,̵̡͜ ͠he͠ ̀á͠ha͘ ̡̡t̀͞e t͏͘en̛͢ei̢ ̢͟r̢̧͞o̴̢͞n̷͜g̕͟o͏ a̷̛̛ha҉̶u̵ ̴̨͢e̵ ̢́p͏̕ā͠ ҉̸a̧̛͟ņ̕a ͘k̷͞i͏҉҉ ̸̧͢L̴ơh́̕ra̢ḱ̕?̨" Were his words, which caused a stir amongst those present.

"Ų͟ t́é͢ ͡͠t҉a̸͠͡h̴͘í͏̡ ̶́m̕͟e̵͠a ̨̀̕i̷͟ ͏r̷̨͝ù̵ǹ͏̕g͘͠͡a͟ ̵͟i̸̸̢ t̡̀͢om͢͏ok̛a̸̡n͡͞g͏͜a̸ ҉̶̕ḿ̵ą̧t҉ua͏ ͝o͢ ͠t͠҉e̷ ̢̧o̢h͝ąn̴̴ǵ̛a̡!̴" Came Jarei's reply, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Ka̴̡͜ ̶̸kia͡ ̷̸hae͞r͝e͏̛ ͏m̵a̡͏͢i̡ r͠at̕ò̶́ư ͘í̡ ̸͠r͜ò̡͜t͟o͠ ́͝i ̛̕t͡e͘͡ ̷a̴̸r̵a̢͝͏ ho͜k̴̕i͞ ͘t̴̶͡e҉t͘a҉̀̕h̵͜i͘͡ ḿe̵͞ne͏͡ti̷͢͟ ì͜ ̕͝ţ͠e͏̸͟ie҉̵ ̵n͘͏̸ȩ̸i͏̸, n̨a̡ ̡t̸̀͞e ̧̀t͜í̵ḱi̷͢͡ t̡́è̀͝ ̧̀͟k̨a͟͜͠t͟͟o̡̢͢a̢͘ ͟ki͟ ̨t͟e̴̶͘ ̶̀h̵̵̀á̢ù̴m҉̛ar̀u̧!"

That said, (whatever it was,) the guard hurriedly opened the door and ushered both myself and my companions, who had mostly come over to see what the ruckus was about, through to the other side. We were followed by the most of the Vahki.

On the other side of the door, there was a space about as big as your average department store, and thrice as tall, which was being used as a community living space. There was a swiftly increasing level of activity from the assortment of semi-robotic inhabitants. Obviously, they'd already got the message, and were preparing in whatever way they normally did for something like this. I took off in a random direction across the room.

"Uh," Sans said, rather confused, as we ran,"I got one question, kid. What's a Lohrak?"

"Slimy green flying lizards with big, nasty teeth!" I explained quickly, dodging through a small crowd of Vahki, the new tail making things a bit difficult. "They're small, fast, and like to swarm their targets! Do not engage except as a -- sorry ma'am! -- as a last resort!"

"But where are we going?" Voriki demanded. "What's the plan?"

"Find the ships and take off, then go from there."

"You mean we're gonna... wing it?" Sans asked, as I sent a door crashing open with a flying kick.

"Not the time for jokes!" I declared, taking in the contents of the new room. "But we're apparently in the right place!"

For, indeed, we were in another antechamber, similar to the one we had entered from, except that this one had multiple types of ancient, dilapidated Vahki transports. Our ships were also there, being secured by some of the locals.

I surged forward, intent on getting to the Quantax, doing my best to dodge around Vahki that tried to stop me. To my surprise, however, I saw Kapura open the cockpit from the other side of the ship, climb in, and give a yank on something under the seat. In response, a decent sized panel on the back opened up, like the cargo bay doors on a C-17 airplane.

As I continued to dodge around the locals, who weren't trying to stop me nearly as much now, I saw that beyond the new opening, there was a massive cargo hold that, according to physics, shouldn't have existed. And I do mean massive, especially in proportion to it's comparatively small door. There was a commotion behind us, and we turned to see Jarei's daughter entering the room, flanked by what I could only assume were guards, as well as Z4 himself, though he didn't look too happy. Outside the main building, off in the distance, I could hear shouts, explosions, and the sound of lazer rifles going off.

Jarei's daughter began yelling at us and gesticulating wildly, and with Kapura preoccupied with whatever he was doing, I had to improvise. So, hitching a thumb at the Quantax and hoping she'd get the gist of what I meant, I did my best to assuage her concerns.

"If you could get everyone into that wierd, impossibly large cargo hold thing, we might be able to get them all out alive!" I added a few gestures of my own to try and get the point across. I needn't have worried, though, because Kapura was suddenly there to translate. Man, I'm still not used to him randomly appearing out of nowhere...

Jarei's daughter, whose name I now realised I had forgotten, looked at the Quantax's secret compartment, apparently came to a decision she wasn't entirely happy about, then began giving orders to those around her. She then turned to us, pointed in the general direction of the ships, and barked something at us before she turned and left in a hurry.

"She said 'get those machines online'," Kapura translated.

"Got it," I answered, making my way to my ship, "what's her name, by the way? I didn't catch it."

"It's Shelau, but she's out of your league!" Sans commented with a smile, as he hopped into the Axalera once more.

"I know, and that's not why I was asking!" I snapped, sliding into the Quantax. "I was getting tired of thinking of her as just 'Jarei's daughter,' alright?"

"Uh, what's 'out of your league' mean?" Voriki chimed in, starting up the Rockoh. "Is it that she's better at combat than you?"

"She may well be, but that's not what it means," I answered, looking over at the crowd of Vahki swarming towards the back of my aircraft. "It's... It's complicated, and it would take longer than we have to explain it."

Before I could say anything else, another commotion broke out by the room's doorway. Looking over, it became apparent that Jarei and Shelau were having an argument over her decision to evacuate everyone. I sighed, and put my masked face in my clawed hands as the sheer absurdity of the situation finally got to me. It was too much. I zoned out a bit, letting my thoughts wander along the familiar corridors of my memories, wondering where it all went wrong, and idly began fiddling with my tailfins...

~~~~
"But father, we have to evacuate...!"

"No, Shel, we don't!" Jarei countered, disappointment etched into his mechanical face. "I thought you were more mature than this, old enough to know better than to go galavanting off at the slightest hint of danger! Maybe 2,500 years was too soon to start your Trials..."

Shelau's jaw dropped, the Kanoka-shaping "mandibles" on either side of her face going slack in shock. "Wh-- father, this isn't like anything we've faced before! Yes, we've taken on bands of Lohrak before, among other things, but not a whole enraged nest at once! Especially not in conjunction with a downed airship nearby that's playing host to a firefight!"

"We are the Vahki, the ancient protectors of this noble city!" Jarei declared, standing up to his full height. "We maintain the peace! We do not back down from a threat, we hold our ground! And if things get difficult, we call reenforcements. That is how we have always operated, and we will not diverge from tradition on the whim of a stranger!"

"You and your traditions!" Shelau exclaimed. "They have blinded you to the truth! This is not a city anymore, it is a graveyard. We are one of the last three hives on this half of the island, and the nearest of the others is half an hour's flight away! The time has come for us to move to fuller capacitors again, father: we stand a 57% chance of survival with these strangers, as opposed to 34% if we stay. Continuing to cling to the old ways will see us scrapped like our neighbors, the Frostgear hive, before we recovered Za'ana. Or the Brightdisk hive before them, when we lost my moth--"

"Enough! You will mind your mouth, young sprocket, when you speak of the old ways. It is in our life-code and gearing to defend this place against threats, both foreign and domestic, and it was decreed by the Makers. Yes, the sacrifices of the fallen hives, and of your mother, were... unfortunate, but--"

"Unfortunate?!?" Shelau cried. "The death of my mother -- your wife, I might add, -- was more than that! It was tragic! Oh, rust it, I hate you! I wish that Knowledge Tower had fallen on you, not on her! She would have understood this! Augh, to the Reclamation Yards with you! I never want to see you again!" And with that, she dashed off towards the strangers and their ships, one of which was still taking on an impossible amount of cargo and passengers for its size.

"Shelau!" Jarei called after her. "Shelau Silvercrest, you come back now, or--!"

"I hope you short-circuit, you cross-wired monster!" She threw back at him, not looking back. Mercurial tears ran down the side of her facial carapace as she sought solace as far as possible from the being she had formerly seen as her father until now.

Jarei, for his part, was taken aback. He had been shocked by her words, despite only wanting to do what was best for her, whilst still fulfilling his duty to the hive. And yet, he had only seemed to drive a wedge between the two of them. He passed a hand along the top of his long head, worrying at a few of the scars and scorches from old battles. Could she be right? Was it, as she had said, time to search for fuller capacitors? He didn't know, and wasn't sure what to do. With a sigh, he made his decision.

He, and most members of their rag-tag hive, were getting old, and replacement parts were scarce, even with the help of the few other inhabitants of the city that they had come in contact with. And yet, half of the strangers seemed to have newer, less damaged parts, and one even seemed to possess knowledge of how to repair the ancient armored golems. His hive, his family... they were up against a wall now, with no other options in sight. Perhaps...

Yes, perhaps it was time to move on. To throw their fates in with these newcomers...

~~~~
I was startled out of my reverie when a wailing figure suddenly glomped onto my shoulder, nearly knocking me out of my seat. It turned out to be Shelau, who was sobbing wildly. I froze for a moment, before I dared to speak up.

"Uh... Hey, Shelau... What's wrong?" She muttered something unintelligible into my shoulder in response, so I awkwardly tried to comfort her. "Um... Alright. I'm sure everything is gonna be fine. We'll have everyone safe and sound soon... I hope." I then called out to Kapura for a translation.

He showed up a second later, and the two of them began a brief conversation before he turned his attention back to me. "Shel says she's had a falling out with her father. He doesn't want to leave, and--"

Jarei's voice cut through the clamour of the hive, barking a short order to everyone present. His voice seemed to crack a little at one point, as if giving the order caused him great despair. Abruptly, all activity halted, and then every Vahki and Exo-Toa in the hive began furiously gathering various supplies and making their way in our direction. Shelau muttered something darkly between sobs, which drew Kapura's surprised attention.

"What was that about?" I asked, allowing more concern to seep into my voice.

"Besides the scathing remarks about his... well, everything, really... He's had a change of mind. Everyone's coming with."

Shelau grumbled a bit more, and I leaned my head against hers. After a few more seconds, she pulled herself out of my awkward half-hug, and began assisting the rest of the hive with putting everything they could in the cargo hatch. I was still nervous, however, seeing as the gunfighting outside was still in full swing, and I could now hear multiple somethings scrabbling against the outer walls... pretty big somethings, too.

Even as I was musing on the inevitable inadvisability of staying put, a large, reptilian head with a split lower jaw smashed through one of the walls. And, by large, I meant "big enough to eat a Matoran in a chomp and a half." Without even thinking, I summoned one of the assault rifles I'd nicked earlier, and opened fire on it from the open cockpit amidst choruses of screams from the Vahki. The beast retreated after the first couple of busts, only for other heads and appendages to begin smashing through the walls, one by one.

"Everyone who doesn't wanna die, get in the ship NOW!" I shouted, then returned to shooting whatever dared poke their ugly mug through the holes, with Sans and Kapura joining in with their own weapons, and Voriki just chucking energy balls from his staff.

"Are those Lohrak?" The latter asked, as Vahki streamed past us.

"Yeah, big damn ugly ones!" I replied, as another of the giant Rahi poked a face into the building, and then spat a glob of saliva randomly into the hangar. It hit a Vahki transport, which began to dissolve in seconds. "And they apparently spit acid now! Watch yourselves!"

Soon, everyone was in the back of the Quantax, and Kapura pulled another lever on the console, which closed the back hatch. "Mount up!" I cried. Seconds later, all four ships were in the air, and we quickly found the weapons controls. With the simple push of a button, spheres of pure light flew forth, blowing an even bigger hole in the outer wall that we could fly through.

Without giving myself a chance to think about the stupidity of what I was about to do, I lanced the Quantax forward through the hole, then directed it up at the steepest angle I could. This afforded me a brief overview of the surrounding area, and an attack of opportunity on the Lohrak that were on my tail. Allowing the ship to turn of its own natural momentum, I gunned the throttle and mashed the trigger when I finally pointed straight down at my quarry. The enemy's gate is downwards! I mentally reminded myself, using the old mantra to take my mind off the thought of how many creatures I was sending to Death's door...

"Caldoric, where are ya?" Sans asked over the radio.

"I am a leaf on the wind! Watch how I soar!" I replied, leveling out above rooftop level.

"Hey, uh, while we're out here, how 'bout we help out that downed airship we saw earlier?" Voriki asked.

"Yeah, we should probably do that," Sans agreed.

"Alright!" I cheered, and made a pass around the now-abandoned hive before turning in the general direction of the fallen lighter-than-air-craft. As it turned out, however, there were two airships in relatively close proximity, with the occupants of one having engaged a group of beings on a nearby rooftop in a firefight. It was hard to get an exact count of which species comprised the second group, due to the low ambient light level, but the ones from the ship were comprised of partially bioluminescent Skakdi, whose spines appeared to be the source of the natural illumination.

Making a snap decision, mostly because I didn't really like the permanently-smiling bastards (and who ever would, to be honest,) I mashed the triggers for the onboard weapons, and Kapura followed in my wake, and I let out a cry of "LEEEROOOY JENKINS!" over the loudspeakers during my approach. Once again, orbs of solid light parted company with the Quantax's and Jetrax's weapons, impacting with the street in a line that culminated at the downed ship, tearing deep into its armor and effectively shearing off one of the turbines.

"YEEEEEE-HAAAW!" I exclaimed, as we pulled up and away from the crippled vehicle, quickly getting out of range of their technically inferior weapons. As I looked back down, I caught a glimpse of a red-and-gold armored figure poking his head out of the other airship, holding a fireball and a big-ass sword at the ready.

Unexpectedly, Shelau's head was abruptly next to my ear, and seemed to be asking me something in a disapproving tone, though Kapura thankfully picked it up over our comms.

"She's asking why the hell you did that." He said, simply. So I had him tell her I was merely taking out the trash, which confused her enough that she pulled her head back through the window to the "hangarspace." Yes, there was a window just behind my seat, and no, I hadn't noticed until then. My situational awareness sucks: deal with it.

"So, what's the plan?" I heard Voriki ask. "Where do we go now?"

"We get outta here, and head home-- I mean, back to my base. Maybe I can find someone to reverse this transformation..." I said, wiggling in my seat to find a more comfortable position for my new tail, and forced the Quantax to climb higher.

"Wait, where're ya goin'?" Sans demanded, though he still followed.

"I'm taking a shortcut, I think." I explained. "I'm pretty sure that those twin Suns are actually the eyes of the giant robot we're in. Imma shoot 'em out, and leave this damned place behind."

There were exclamations of fear and reluctance, as well as a few curses from Sans, before I spoke again. "Yeah, I know, it's stupid, but I'm tired, and I want outta here just as much as you. But I'm not taking the long way back, and I'm not gonna try the massive hole in the back of this thing's head, because it's sandwiched against the ground, and will likely dead-end faster than we can turn these ships around." There was silence for a moment, before Sans spoke up again.

"This ain't exactly the wisest course 'a action, y'know," he quipped, "and I'm not even sure I follow your logic on the Suns being 'eyes,' either."

"When Wisdom and Valor fail us, all that remains is Faith, and Faith can overcome all." I quoted. "Now, will you help me do this so we can get outta here, or are we just gonna screw around?" There were some grumbled complaints, but I wasn't fazed. "Alright, let's blow this popsicle stand," I said, and went into a full-on vertical course, aiming straight for one of the Suns. With the four of us reluctantly working together,  the combined might of our ships' weapons and Sans' Gaster Blasters were more than a match for the "Sun," which exploded magnificently.

Unfortunately, it then turned into a deluge of (mostly) some form of glass, and a respectable amount of sand (which nearly took out our engines.) The now-cleared opening sent a brilliant shaft of late-afternoon sunlight spearing into the darkness at an oblique angle, lighting the area below a bit better... though not by much.

Seconds later, our four ancient ships had carried us all through the remains of our recent work, and treated we four pilots to the remainder of what may have been a glorious sunset as we lazily hung above the robot's left eye socket. I yawned and absentmindedly tried to rub my face under the mask, only for my hand to meet the rebreather's clear visor once more. Seconds later, said protection retracted, and cool, fresh air played across my face.

Judging by the chatter over the radio, the others had just experienced the same thing, with Voriki beginning to freak out. So, I did my best to calm him down, explaining as best I could. Or, I was going to, but an unfamiliar voice suddenly cut across our airwaves.

"Unidentified vessels at vector 257, you have just entered a controlled airspace from a highly quarantined area." The voice said. "Identify yourselves and your allegiance at once. Do not move from your current positions, or you will be destroyed."

Of course, being the glorious idiot that I was, (and still am at times,) as well as being nervous and sleep deprived, I decided to try and "defuse" the situation.

"Ah... Was? Was hast du gesagt?" I asked in German. "Es tut Mir leid, weil wir kein Englishe sprechen. Auf wiedersehen!" I'd probably butchered my impromptu "no speak English" excuse, but hey, I thought it'd work. So, imagine my surprise when it didn't.

Not three seconds after I finished speaking, whoever was on the other end of the line began speaking in rapid-fire, angry sounding German. And, trust me, though the language's harsh syllables make it sound generically angry to someone unfamiliar with it, one eventually learns to pick up on when the speaker really is angry, and not just being confidently fluent.

"Aw, crapbaskets. Everyone, floor it!" I commanded, already putting the hammer down on my own accelerator. And, just like bats out of hell, we fled the scene, our flight punctuated by lasers, bullets, magic blasts, and even a large, crackling ball of plasma being forcibly directed our way by the silvery imperial ship far below. Soon, we were out of their range, and flying smoothly.

"So, guys," Voriki eventually began, something on his mind, "friends of yours?"

"Not exactly..." I replied, with yet another yawn. Man, I was tired. "I'm sorta trying to avoid revealing my presence to the general public, not being too fond of this particular world."

"Why?" Sans asked. "This place seems pretty cool, from what I can tell. Maybe you should just pony up and--"

"Don't you fucking start with the horse puns!" I snapped, cutting across him. "There's already an inordinate amount of them embedded in the names of towns and cities, as well as their day-to-day speech, and I'm sick of it. It's a really sore subject for me."

There was silence for a moment, before Sans spoke up again. "Jeez, man, lighten up...!" He said. "D'you wanna have a bad time?"

"Sorry," I replied awkwardly, and hung my head. "I'm not really thinking straight. I've been awake too long. Probably shouldn't even be flying right now..."

"Probably." Voriki agreed. "I must admit, though, the sky is so... big."

"This is true." Said Kapura.

We flew on in silence for a good while. Something was nagging at me, however, so I eventually spoke up.

"Sans..."

"What."

I could tell from his tone that he wasn't exactly happy with me, but I pressed on.

"It only took us a few hours to get here on those Gaster Blasters, but... We're on what's basically the Southern continent of this hemisphere, and we started on the Northern continent... That should've taken us most of a day."

"So?"

"So... You were using those 'shortcuts' of yours when I wasn't paying attention, weren't you?"

"Maybe. What of it?"

I paused a moment. "Could you, perhaps, show us another one? I'm sure we all could appreciate getting back faster, so we could maybe get some rest?"

No response was forthcoming from the skeleton prankster for several seconds, long enough that I tried to look behind myself and see if he was still with us.

"...I'll think about it," he said at last.

"Thanks."

Once again, we flew on in silence, though it wasn't so companionable this time. At last, the air before us rippled, and I could feel a faint yet distinct pulling sensation behind my navel as I looked at it. Seconds later, as we passed through the warping air, the scenery changed. One second, we were flying over desert sand, and the next we were soaring over a verdant countryside, with the lights of a small town clearly visible as the sun finally set beyond the horizon.

As we flew over it, mere blurs in the night sky, I recognized the place to be the infamous Ponyville, which I wasn't in too much of a hurry to return to. Which meant that the forest just beyond it, which we were fast approaching, was the Everfree Forest.

I smiled wearily, grateful for a somewhat familiar sight. I'd never expected to find any part of Equestria to be a welcome relief, yet here I was.

"Oh, thank you so much, Sans. I'm totally making some beds tonight, and yours is gonna be the biggest." I said, as we came to the clearing. Even as early in the evening as it was, I could already see a dense layer of fog on the ground around the little wooden hut that marked the entrance to my underground base. Man, it felt like months since I'd last seen it. And yet, why was my safe haven suddenly sending chills up my back as we descended into the ancient woods?

"Welcome to my base." I said, as we approached the upper canopy. "This is just the entrance, most of it's below ground."

"Why am I getting a bad vibe from this place?" Voriki asked.

"Dunno, maybe it's the trees." I replied, shifting a little in my seat. I had this annoying cramped feeling in my back, and this sudden, unexplained sensation of phantom arms, somehow trapped... "I hear there's ancient magic in these woods that's been left to run rampant over the last millennia, though I'm not sure how true that is. Anywho, mi casa, su casa, boys. Welcome home."
> 10: Captured!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Being the first to land, I disembarked from the Quantax, and approached the small entrance to my base with caution. The bad vibes I'd been getting from the woods were going haywire, and the thick fog hovering tantalizingly over the ground didn't help. It was like I was wading in the shallows of a ghostly ocean, which came midway up my thighs. My tail swished to and fro, echoing my own concern and fear, leaving eddies and swirls in the fog with each pass. My back ached more than ever, and that strange feeling of cramped, phantom arms persisted.

I noticed "holes" in the fog, each of which surrounded patches of strange blue flowers. I gave these a wide berth. Anything that could "out-weird" this fog was not to be trifled with, especially barefoot as I was. Warning the others of these patches, I made my way past the barrier, and turned to see the others' progress.

But something was already going wrong. As they came into view, Kapura shouted "look out!" and pointed behind me, at which time I noticed a strange green glow in the air, coming from the general area where he'd been looking. Snapping back around, I saw a spinning, three-spoked wheel of green energy, the source of said light, come flying my way. It was a Rhotuka spinner. Leaning way back, Matrix-style, I barely managed to dodge it. "Run! Get help!" I called over my shoulder, watching it hit the barrier and dissolve. I was immediately rewarded for my distraction with a second spinner, which swept my legs out from under me.

Almost immediately, I was wrapped in tendrils of sickly green energy, numbing my extremities, and causing me to fall, limp as a ragdoll, to the ground. "Go on, scram!" I shouted as loud as I could. Not a moment later, I saw all four ships rise into the night, dodging spinners and green spells left and right, and heading off towards the town. I smiled. At least they'd be safe...

My hope turned immediately to fear as, next to me, a squat, shadowy figure lifted its ugly countenance skyward, and let out an ear-splitting, grinding screech of metal on metal, paired with the sound of a rattlesnake's namesake. Another took up the call, as did a third, before a hush fell over the clearing.
(Web of Shadows 6:00-7:30ish.)

Visorak. It had to be Visorak, didn't it. The other, slightly taller figures, the very same ones I'd seen behind my front door earlier today, chattered excitedly among themselves.

"Well, we didn't get them all, but it's not a complete loss. See, what have we here?" Asked a strange, yet familiar, voice. Into my view, sideways as it was, came a four-legged creature, similar enough to the insectoid "ponies," only taller and more slender. I rose into the air, enveloped in a green aura, which precisely matched the one surrounding this stranger's jagged, gnarled horn.

She, and it was indeed a she, judging by the facial structure, had eyes that were different from the other semi-ponies around us, who seemed to serve her. Her eyes had slit irises, and the "whites" were more of a turquoise-green, giving the overall appearance of an Eye of Ender from Minecraft. She also had a tiny black crown on her head, set at a very jaunty angle atop her long, ragged, dark teal hair.

I felt something peel off of my mask, (yes, strange, I know,) and fall to the ground. Looking down to see what it was, I noted that I'd fallen into a patch of those strange blue flowers... I returned my attention to the stranger holding me, as she had shaken me in her magic. "Wh... what even are you?" I asked, thickly. I was pretty sure I had a concussion from the fall.

"I am Queen Chrysalis," she said, placing a forehoof full of holes and pits upon the point where her windpipe met her chest cavity (I knew nothing about horse anatomy at the time I was caught, don't blame me,) in what would have been a regal gesture on any other species. Say, an alicorn, such as Princess Celestia, or Luna. I shook my head, as much as her magic grip would let me.

"No, no... not who, what. What are you? Never seen your kind before..." I said, still slightly concussed. "I mean, I saw them last time, but I still don't know..."

She rolled her eyes in disgust. "We are Changelings, though it matters not to you. Now, just be silent, we have plans for you." She then addressed the beings around her. "Wrap him up, and bring him with the others. I'm sure that my, ah... sister... will want to see him..." With that, I was dropped like a bag of laundry, and many Visorak came forward. Within moments, I was trussed up like a pig, and several of the "changelings" took their place.

They began excreting something gel-like from the lower-most holes in their forelegs, and smearing great swathes of it over the web cocoon. Once I had been sufficiently coated, some of the changelings spat a second substance onto the bottom of their hooves, and mixed it into the first layer of goop (which had achieved an almost waxy consistency.) The effect was nigh instantaneous: wherever it was added, the gel hardened, becoming rock-solid, yet crystal clear. Whilst most of me was "squicked out" by this, there was one part of my mind that was quite impressed with this natural resin of theirs.

The "others," as Chrysalis had put it, turned out to be a few handfuls of Vahki who had been unlucky in their attempt to return to the ships. They, too, underwent the same process as myself, though perhaps their outer shells were layered more thickly than mine. To my dismay, I was almost certain I heard Shelau's voice amongst those crying out in fear.

We were swiftly dragged into my base, then carried down through my impromptu mines, and into what was (for me, at least,) a hitherto unexplored portion of the local cave systems. Down, down into the darkness we went, though I could still see as if the tunnels were bathed in sunlight.

I took a moment to attempt something somewhat sensible, and looked through the various functions of my HUD to see if there was some sort of pathing function. The thought was that I could possibly find my way back, assuming I could escape whatever these freaks were planning. One of the myriad gods of this multiversal mess must've seen fit to smile upon me back then, because I found what I was looking for.

We continued onwards for at least half an hour, and I was just starting to get bored of my moving view of the ceiling. The struggling of the ensnared Vahki around me had quieted, my fellow captives having exhausted their energy.

I was at a loss for what to do here. Should I try what I'd done with the dragoness, and pull my lightsaber? No, I was too tightly bound to try that without risking injury or death to myself. And that was just from turning it on. So I tried the next best thing: my sword. Summoning it from my Hammerspace, I felt its blade slide along the inside of my right wrist. It had a little trouble piercing the sticky webbing around me, but stopped dead when it hit the outer shell. So, that was a bust.

Dismissing the blade, I summoned one of my knives, but it merely got caught in the webbing. That, too, was dismissed in short order, and I began trying to get into a more comfortable position, settling in for the long haul.

"Stop struggling," ordered a commanding voice nearby, with a disturbing undertone of buzzing. I moved my head around until I could see the one who had spoken.

Finding the closest armored changeling, which seemed to be a rarity, I spoke back. "I wasn't struggling, honest."

"You were thrashing about in there, however subtly. That's struggling." It seemed I'd pegged the right changeling.

"Nope, I wasn't thrashing about, either. Just trying to get comfortable, since we're obviously gonna be a while. No real use trying to fight it till we get there, eh?"

I got a scrutinizing glare in response. "Keep an eye on 'im, he's planning somethin." Said the armored changeling to one of the unarmored ones. He must've been a commander or something.

"Me, planning something?" I asked, feigning shock. "Oh, no, no, no. You must have me mistaken for a hero or something. I don't do plans very well."

"Shut up." Said the Commander.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, how about no?" I replied, sarcastically. All I got was a glare in response. "So, commander dude. Yeah, you, the one in the armor. You got a name? 'Cause I can't just keep thinking of you as 'commander dude,' capiche?" I got no response. "Seriously, if you don't gimme your name, I'll start calling you 'Commander Keen,' or maybe something worse."

He growled. "It's Nymph, if you must know. Now, shut the buck up!"

I winced. "Alright, Mr. Nymph, sir. It's nice to meet you, too. My name's Caldoric, just so you know."

Nymph closed his eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and then let it out, slowly. "Chrysalis, give me strength," he muttered.

"Don't worry, sir, we're nearly there," said a young, energetic changeling nearby.

"Can it, Midge," warned Nymph, "we do not fraternize with the enemy, or new 'experimental' subjects."

"Whoa, hey, I'm not your enemy. I'm not exactly allied with the pony folks upstairs." I said. "I'm more neutral than anything. And what's this about experiments?"

I didn't get answers though, because we finally entered a huge cavern at that moment. I was amazed at what I saw there. The walls had patches of some bioluminescent substance, probably moss, which was spaced evenly enough to illuminate the place. There were many changelings and visorak all around, some on the "ground" level, others in the various galleries up above. Interaction betwixt the two ranged up and down the scale, from fear and suspicion to downright friendliness. Who knew?

There were also tents, of a sort. They seemed to be made of a translucent green material, probably a derivative of the resin that bound me.

The Visorak carrying me broke off from the others in our group, trailed by Nymph, Midge, and a few others, and headed towards another tunnel entrance nearby. This was, fortunately, quite a short one, leading into an adjacent "room," which was still quite spacious. I was dumped unceremoniously on the ground, and left alone with the few changeling guards.

"Sooo..." I began, casually, as the resin shell was removed, and I was stripped of the webbing. "What's going to happen to me, if you don't mind my asking?" Even if I had wanted to attempt an escape at this time, I couldn't have, because I was held by magic through the process. Once said bindings were removed, my wrists were tied in front of me, and encased in changeling epoxy once more. My feet were shackled in a similar manner, but they left enough space between my legs for me to effectively shuffle forward.

"I really hope you survive this, freak, because if you do, I'm gonna kill you," Nymph said. "It's always fun exterminating abominations such as yourself, especially the talkative ones." Midge, however, seemed to disagree, though he wisely refrained from saying anything.

"This just in: future pot calls kettle black!" I said, and glared at Nymph. It was the best threat of retribution I could come up with, given the circumstances. Yet the reply, when it came, was not from his lips, but from those of another being, who had just entered the spacious sub-cavern.

"Hero undergoing imminent horrific transformation into pot correctly identifies color of kettle," said Chrysalis, smiling sedately as she mimicked my headline-style retort. "But not to worry, dear, soon you won't have to worry about anything ever again. Not once we've had our way with you."

"And what way, exactly, is that, pray tell?" I asked.

"We are going to make you one of us," said Chrysalis, though her voice had changed. It no longer had that triple-echo quality to it, and instead had a more sultry, serpentine tone. It took me a moment (and noticing Chrysalis's attention shifting to the entryway,) before I realized her mouth hadn't moved with the words. I turned, and was truly afraid in seeing the figure who stood there.

"Roodaka," I breathed, "well, that explains the Visorak."

"Indeed I am," she replied, then turned to Chrysalis. "Now, 'sister' dear, care to explain what is going on here?"

"We have caught a Toa!" Chrysalis exclaimed. "He's everything I hoped he'd be. And we got a few of his friends to experiment on as well."

I snarled at that. "Let them go. Seriously, they just managed to escape the destruction of their home, and now you subject them to this? Not cool."

Roodaka looked at me, paying me far more attention than was good for my continued health. Once she felt she'd gotten enough information from me in that one look, she returned her gaze to Chrysalis.

"You fool," she snapped, "this is no Toa. This is merely a dragon in Toa armor. In your haste to bring our plans to fruition, you ensnared a local cosplayer!"

"Watch your tongue, Roodaka," hissed Chrysalis, dangerously, "and mind who you call a foal."

"Never mind that," snapped Roodaka, who then turned to me. "What were you doing in here in the Everfree Forest? And how did you bypass the barrier?"

"Yes, I was wondering that myself," said Chrysalis, nodding thoughtfully.

Some part of my brain that wasn't flooded with "panic!" chemicals, like adrenaline and norepinephrine, had noticed a difference in their voices, as helpful as that was at the moment. Chrysalis' voice was almost "friendlier," it's apparent levity born from arrogance and, dare I say it, complacency. Roodaka's, however, had a darker quality, which gave away her many levels of cold calculation and multi-contingency planning, a trait learned from the master himself: Teridax.

No doubt they'd both try to stab each other in the back come the end. Come to think of it, given Roodaka's history, she probably already had at least five subtle knives in her reflection's back, and was just itching to start twisting. There was little doubt she'd come out on top in a fight, in my books.

"Ok," I said at last, "that's two things that you assume I am, but I'm actually not."

"Oh, pray tell," replied Roodaka, stroking the underside of my chin with her clawed fingers. I carefully jerked my head away. I'm not fond of sharp objects in close proximity to my Jugulars.

"The first thing that I am not: a dragon," I said, looking at Chrysalis. "At least, I wasn't when I showed up here."

Roodaka raised an eyebrow, but gave no further indication of interest on that topic. "And the second thing?" She asked, sweetly.

"That," I said, with a little venom, "would be having anything whatsoever to do with you, Roodaka. I know full well what went down between you and Vakama."

Her eyes sparked with malice and confusion at that last jibe. "How could you know-- wait." For the merest moment, she had a faraway look in her expression, but it quickly was replaced by one of astonishment. "No... it couldn't be. It's been years since the last arrival..." She began pacing around me, looking as if she'd just discovered a new and interesting species of animal. "And yet..."

Finally, Chrysalis' curiousity got the better of her. "What is it?" She snapped. "Why is he suddenly so important to you if he's not a Toa?"

"He said he arrived here from somewhere else," replied Roodaka, insidiously, "and he knows of something that happened millions of years ago, but he's not of Spherus Magna, or the inhabitants of the Great Spirit Robot, so he couldn't have been there to witness it. Can't you see?"

"Skip to the point," I groused, internally berating myself. I'd given her too much information, and her vast intellect was piecing everything else together.

"You're another human, brought to this planet from Earth, chosen as one of its new protectors. And here you are, right in the palm of our hands." Roodaka turned to Chrysalis. "He may not be a Toa, this much is true. At least, he's not one yet."

"Oh, really?" Asked Chrysalis, suddenly interested. "Well then, if he's supposed to be human, then why does he look like that?" Using one of her forehooves, she made a vague gesture in my general direction.

"You just gestured to all of me," I snarked, completely deadpan.

"She has a point, though," replied Roodaka, ignoring my remark. This frustrated me. What was even the point of dropping a clever quote if nobody got the reference? "How did you end up like this?"

I turned to Chrysalis, acting for all the world as if Roodaka simply wasn't there. "The first day after I arrived, some bigass dragon swoops down on me, drags me back to her cave, and hits me with some sort of breath attack. Next thing I know, I'm in some stupid egg. Then, nearly a couple weeks later, and BOOM, I'm half dragon, and talking to the twin Bug Queens."

Chrysalis looked thoughtful for a moment, before she deigned to speak again. "A dragon, you say? Hey, Roodaka, didn't we have a dragoness member stationed out here somewhere? What was her name?"

"Gilraea, I believe," said Roodaka, distractedly, still pacing. "I must admit, this does look like her handiwork, but last I heard, she hasn't reported in once during the last week and a half... About as long as our little intruder says he's been here. Could you check--"

"I already have some of my number investigating as we speak," interrupted Chrysalis, before she impaled me with another scrutinizing glare. I looked about, and saw that most of my guard crew had vanished during the intervening conversation. "What say we show this impudent whelp our latest creation, and see if he likes it?" She asked. "Might give us some leverage, if all goes well."

Roodaka's lips parted, thinly, but there was no mirth in the thin smile. No, there was only malice. "Leverage, says you... 'I think I feel a change in the wind,' says I," she replied, feigning a Pirate accent. As she looked at me, we both knew in that moment that she'd been watching Earth movies. A shudder ran down my spine, all the way to the tip of my tail, at that thought.

And with that, Roodaka went off to presumably grab whatever their "latest creation was," and Chrysalis dragged me off to another tunnel, which was short, and concluded in a shallow pit. There were many changelings in this tunnel, on the walls, the ceiling, and anywhere else they could stand. There wasn't much light, except for some more of that luminescent moss, which grew in a tiny patch over said pit. Even with my newly augmented night vision, I couldn't see much beyond the circle of light. Nevertheless, I could still see the faint glow from the eyes of the Changelings, as they blinked and shifted position. About then, I heard the sound of something coming down the tunnel.

My attention was drawn to a new pair of the luminescent, pale blue eyes, but these were shaped far differently than the others. They were narrower, and longer. Pointed, almost, and lower to the ground. There was a different sort of chittering coming from this one, and it seemed to unnerve the other changelings just as much as myself, since they gave it a wide berth. Would that I could do the same... A large pair of metallic pincers came into the feeble light, long before the face they were attached to ever reached it. The bad thing is, I recognized those pincers. They were from one of the worst Visorak possible, given the situation: an Oohnorak.

When it stepped completely into the light, however, I could make out distinct differences between this specimen and the normal breed. The monster's entire body was pitch black, minus the Rhotuka launching mechanism (which was a sort of light green,) and the pincers. There were erratically placed holes scattered across the lower halves of its fore- and hindlegs, similar to those of the changelings around us. Also, the standard... fin/horn... thing... that all Oohnorak had on their forehead was 180° out from the normal orientation, pointing forward like a unicorn's horn. Or, more accurately, a changeling's horn, for it, too, had jagged holes along its length.

"No way..." I said, unwilling to believe it. If Night Furies were supposed to be, and I quote, "the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself," then this thing was Devil spawn.

"Oh, you better believe it," said Roodaka, with a smile.

"Yes, it took us months of trial and error before we got our first viable crossbreed," said Chrysalis, "and you're looking at our fifteenth so far."

Roodaka chuckled, and said, "Indeed. The first Changeling-Visorak hybrid, the symbol of our united efforts. We present to you..."

"The Chanarak," finished Chrysalis, dramatically. "And you're the first test run of its mutagenic prowess."

"As we said before," added Roodaka, "permitting that you survive the process, you'll be joining our army. An army that will extend the reach of the Hand of Makuta beyond the shadows, in which we have lurked for so long." 

"Uh..." I said, very intelligently, and finally managed to sit upright, "you said fifteen of them were running around, yeah? So... where are the-- AAARGH!" I was hit from behind with another spinner, but this felt different from the last one I'd been hit with.

My body went numb and limp, and I fell over onto the floor. I felt weak, weaker than ever before, and cold too. All the energy seemed to be draining out of me...

"Like it?" Purred Chrysalis. "It's slowly sapping you dry. We designed it ourselves."

My body was slowly being enwrapped in another cocoon, made of more of the thick Visorak webbing, courtesy of the spinner. I was dragged into the shallow depression by the Chanarak that'd hit me from behind, and my cocoon (which by now covered everything except my head,) was strung from the ceiling. As I was secured to the floor as well, to keep me from swinging too much, the numbness faded, and I squirmed a little.

Just then, several more Changelings (including Nymph, I think,) came bustling down the tunnel, only to stop next to Chrysalis. There was a hurried exchange of information, and her eyebrows skyrocketed. "What?!" She exclaimed. "Dead?! But... but how?" More chittering. "Impossible! Nobody has weapons that could sustain that high a temperature...! Unless..." She turned to face me. "You. You must've done it, somehow..."

"Done what?" Roodaka asked, the epitome of impatience. "Who's dead?"

"Gilraea," muttered Chrysalis, in a dark undertone. "She was sliced to pieces, but the wounds were unusual. They had to have been cauterized as they were made, because they're charred and there was little to no blood, meaning whatever blade he used was over 400° in temperature..."

"Oh, you got me," I said, sarcastically, "I give. I used my scathing wit to cut her to ribbons."

This seemed to enrage Chrysalis, as she glared at me for a moment, then gave the two Chanarak a significant look as she jerked her muzzle in my direction. If I had to say, it looked like the two of them were pleased with this development, as their eyes took on what could only be called a "satisfied" expression. They crept toward me, slowly.

The moment my attention was locked on the left hand one, it's twin leapt at me, and sank it's overlarge mandibles into my side, curling them up under my ribcage.

The pain was unbearable, and I now had trouble breathing. I gasped for air, but my lungs weren't having any of it. The double points of entry began burning, and the feeling spread, following the poison being pumped into my system. I yelped as the pincers were yanked out with (ha ha,) venom. Once the fiery sensation had covered my entire body, it faded to a feverish feeling, both hot and cold, shaky and weak, and achy all over. I felt myself begin to sweat as my immune system began attacking the foreign elements, but I knew it'd be no good.

I could also sense the tears in the webbing close themselves, and looked down through heavy-lidded eyes to see small patches of redness blooming there. Then, strangest of all, I felt the puncture wounds in my sides close up. No sense in having the victim bleed to death, is my guess. It still hurt like hell, though. I gritted my teeth, and raised my head to speak.

"F-fuck... you..." I spat, as best I could. Breathing was definitely easier now that the mandibles had been removed, but something still felt wrong inside, somehow.

"Be careful with him." Roodaka chastised the Visorak. "He's completely organic, remember? Not like what we're used to."

"Yeah," I added, half-heartedly, "like a punctured lung would be the worst of my problems..."

"How about a collapsed lung?" Snapped the former Viceroy. "Though I do have myself to blame for that... I let them have too much free rein. Not anymore, however..."

The webbing at my neck began giving off a faint glow, and started squirming a bit as the bottom of the cocoon began hardening.

"Ah, it's beginning," observed Chrysalis, with obvious glee.

The cocoon itself began widening from the bottom up, and filling with a viscous fluid. Soon, it had reached my lower leg, then my hips, then my upper chest (which still stung around where I'd been bitten, though the itching on my back was soothed,) and seemed to slow there.

As if given a hidden signal, the glowing strands around my neck crept upwards, reaching up to pull my head into the cavity below. In response, I summoned the rebreather, battered and worn as it was, and it snapped together around my face.

"No!" Shouted Chrysalis, lunging forward, but it was too late. With a slithering sensation, I was completely encased in the cocoon, head to toe, and dunked into the goop inside. I found there was a pocket of air for me to breathe, but it probably wouldn't last long. Especially not with someone pounding on the outside of the cocoon.

"It's no use," cane Roodaka's muffled voice, "it's completely impermeable now. All we have left is to wait and see what comes back out." She then stationed a set of guards nearby, to alert them if anything changed.

After everyone and everything else had left, I heard a hushed voice saying, just outside the cocoon, "I'm sorry you had to get involved, stranger." It was Midge! "Just... just so you know... you're in for a rough time in there. I don't envy you what's coming. I'm sorry..."

"No problem, Midge," I said, raising my voice a little, "I've had worse. Don't pity the victims, friend, pity the aggressors. Pity those who live without love." He chuckled softly, but the voice of another guard cut him off before he could speak again.

"Oi! Get away from there! Or do you want another week scrubbing out the refuse pits?"

"N-no, sir..." Came Midge's hasty reply, and he shuffled back to his assigned post.

I sighed, and checked the status of my rebreather's filters. I'd noticed an unusual scent in what little air was available, and while not entirely unpleasant, it was disconcerting. My rebreather should have a hermetic seal in place, unless it was banged up too badly. To my chagrin, I noticed that whatever I was smelling had a sort of soporific effect. For no other reason than to annoy my captors, I looked through my HUD's settings, and started piping one of my playlists through my shoulder speakers, set to shuffle.

On screen, the phrase "Now playing: Dark Dreamers," followed by the first title: "Mull of Kintyre." It was a song my dad used to sing me to sleep with when I was little, so it had a special place in my heart. I sang along with the first chorus, but was soon too sleepy to continue, so I just listened, unsure if falling asleep here would be the last thing I'd ever consciously do.

As I finally drifted off in the gentle arms of Morpheus, I caught the title of the next song to be played (Caught Up In A Dream,) and smiled, then closed my eyes.
~~~~

"And that's it for tonight, kids," I said, lacing my fingers behind my head as I leaned back in my chair. The resounding "awww...!" of disappointment that echoed from all corners of the tavern caused me to overbalance, and I fell backwards with a crash. Getting up again, I looked around to find that I held nearly the entire place's attention. "What, were you all listenin' to my story?" There were scattered noncommittal answers. I rolled my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose, and took a deep breath.

"They were listening for most of the day," said A.L.E.X., politely.

"Good fer business, too," Smoakey drawled in his deep, rumbling voice. "I wouldn't mind you havin' you do it again soon, as long as I know 'aforehand."

"Yeah, but he can't just leave it there, can he?" Interjected Cloudsnatcher. "We gotta know what happens next! That's not cool, man!"

"That's the best part about it," I countered, righting my chair, "some of the best episodic stories I'm familiar with have cliffhangers at the end of each instalment. It keeps you coming back for more. Besides, it's as good a stopping point as any for the night. It's nearly 11, you should be at home right now."

"But," began Zaka, "weren't you part of the--"

"Yes, several times," I said, cutting him off as I sat down, "but i'm not up to discussing that ahead of its place in the tale. Not to mention, if you don't go home and rest up, you'll be snoring through all the best parts of tomorrow's portion!"

"Tomorrow?" Asked Smoakey, startled. "Well... It is the start of the weekend, so it wouldn't really hurt... Yeah, tomorrow's fine by me."

"I think it may take longer than just tomorrow, old friend," I replied, turning round in my seat. "Maybe a week or so, but I'll try not to take up all your shop hours. Now..." I turned to address the room. "I'm gonna turn in for the night. Sleep well, all, and those of you going out on the roads, stay safe out there, eh?" There was a chorus of agreement, and I turned back to the kids. "Now, seriously, you lot should go home. Your parents should be worried sick about the three of you by now."

With reluctance, the trio left the establishment, and I went up to my rented room, where company awaited me.

"Heh. Long time no see, old friend," I said, closing the door and crossing to the window, watching the kids' progress along the road.

INDEED, TOA OF SPACE, came the reply. His voice wasn't heard, so much as just dropped into your head. After all, he had no lips, or lungs, or vocal cords. The skinny yet imposing figure leaned on his scythe, it's edge glowing blue. YOU'D MAKE A DECENT STORYTELLER, said Death.

"Nah," I replied, waving a hand, "there are better folks than me who're already paid to do that. No, as much as I'd like that, I'm more the type of person to have stories told about." I turned away from the window and began checking the bed for traps, then flopped down on top of it.

NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE A WANTED BEING AT THIS TIME, SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU EXIST. Death added. SURELY THAT WOULD PUT A DAMPER ON YOUR BUSINESS PLANS.

"True, that. But enough about me, and how messed up the current legal system is. Why are you here? Has my time finally come?" I spread my arms wide on the bed, my guard completely down. "You know I'd be helpless against you in a real fight."

Death shook his head and chuckled. NO, IAN, YOUR TIME IS NOT YET UP... AS FAR AS I CAN TELL. THAT LITTLE TRICK YOU PULLED BACK THEN HAS DONE SOMETHING TO YOUR HOURGLASS, SUCH THAT IT NOW HAS A SPECIAL PLACE NEXT TO RINCEWIND'S. YOU WILL, HOWEVER, BE INVOLVED IN A SORT OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE FOR SOMEONE ELSE SOON. YOU REMEMBER HOW THIS MUST PLAY OUT, DO YOU NOT?

"Oh, shit, yeah! Almost forgot, actually." I sat up, and placed a fragile hand to my forehead. "Man, this is gonna be... difficult, so to speak. I'll have to tread carefully, again. Those Chimeras won't be fun to deal with..."

INDEED, Death agreed, as he moved to the window, YOU SHOULD GET SOME REST, AND BE PREPARED TO DO WHAT MUST BE DONE. BE CAREFUL, OLD FRIEND... I'D WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK, BUT WE BOTH KNOW HOW THIS MUST GO. And so, without a further word, the legendary anthropomorphic personification of oblivion walked through the very wall, and placed a skeletal hand on the horse standing in midair just outside. He spoke to it, his voice slightly muffled by the wall itself. COME, BINKY, THE TIME TO RIDE IS HERE. WE CAN VISIT YOUR FRIENDS ON A LATER DATE.

The horse (and it was indeed a horse, seemingly of the kind native to Earth, instead of the pony-types that comprised the majority of the populous of the solar system,) wickered a little, and nuzzled Death affectionately. And, with that, they were gone.

I slept a dreamless sleep that night, but it wasn't as restful as I would've liked. I definitely wasn't looking forward to going downstairs, but it had to be done. So, I got out of bed, and prepared to face the day.
> 11: Musicals and Mutagenics
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke, slowly, and sat up in the tavern bed. Oh, by the Rebel Prince's flames, I'd slept well. It had been ages since I had last laid my head to rest in a proper bed, and it was something I'd sorely missed in the interim. I swung my legs over the bed, as something began niggling at the back of my mind. I paid it no real need, though, as I stretched and collected my few loose possessions. It'd come to me of its own volition when the time was right.

Stepping out of the room, I turned and locked the door, then yawned as I allowed myself to float down the stairs. Call me old-fashioned, but I didn't exactly trust the new-fangled teleporters. Not since it became mandatory, 'Verse-wide, to swipe your i-dent card to use one. Smoakey himself barely used the thing either, but he was a pretty big guy, even for a bear.

I hovered, half-awake, to the bar, and requested a full Old Canterlot breakfast: thick, crispy bacon, (of the non-hay variety,) a medium fried egg, two halves of a fried tomato, lots of fried mushrooms, buttered toast, a few sausages, baked beans, and some glorious hashbrowns. This was accompanied by my favorite drink, which I called a "Ranger's Special." It'd become a bit popular over the last few decades, once I'd introduced it... Ah, good times.

I was finishing my third cup when the tavern door opened, and three kids walked in... three kids I recognized. I facepalmed. Crap. Had I really just been spouting details about my past yesterday? With everything going on right now? Crap, crap, crap! I was an idiot...

"Hey, Caldoric!" Said the Griffin. Cloudsnatcher, I think her name was... "How's it going?"

"Agreeable: Yes. Inquisitive: Did you sleep well?" Intoned A.L.E.X.

I raised an eyebrow at the young Glitch. "You ok yourself? You weren't speaking like that yesterday."

A.L.E.X.'s head drooped. "Ashamed: It's a fault in my code, hearkening back to the old days. Admission: It sometimes happens to me early in the morning like this. Hopeful: My subroutines should clear it up soon."

"So can we hurry up and get back to the story?" Zaka asked. I gave him a flat look in return.

"Can I have my breakfast first? I kind of just woke up..." I replied, as a yawn cut me off.

"Here's your order, Storm..." Said Smoakey, setting a plate down on the bar.

"Oh, thank you, man. You're a lifesaver. A shining beacon against the darkness for those who cry out in hunger..." I praised, and noted something different about him. He smelled like warm honey today, which was just unusual enough for me to notice... "Hey, you using a new cologne, Smoak?"

He nodded slowly. "Eeyup. Could barely get the missus offa me this mornin' after I put it on..."

"Well, that explains the cowlick..." Noted Cloudsnatcher. Smoakey's eyes widened marginally as he touched a paw to the fur on the back of his head, which was indeed sticking up noticeably. He ran a claw through the slightly matted area, smoothing it out, and gave the young Griffoness a grateful nod.

"You've got a bit o' one yersel'," he rumbled, and she touched a claw to her chest in mock insult.

"Oh, that's not a cowlick, that's my style, sir," she replied.

"Anyways," I said, "I could probably get back to the story while I'm eating..."

And so, grabbing my food and coffee (and some stuff for the kids, because I'm not heartless,) we made our way to the booth of the previous day, and I once again began to spin my tale.

"Now, where was I...?" I mock-wondered, through a mouthful of Hashbrowns. "Oh, yeah..."
~~~~

You know how, after you've held something that vibrates, like the handle of a lawn mower, for too long, and then release it, you get this sort of continued feeling of vibration in your hands? Or, failing that, if you continuously hold onto one of those joke gum packages that shock you when you try to take a piece of "gum"? Well, I had that sort of feeling all throughout my body, but gentler, and it felt pleasant as I floated there in the empty grey nothingness behind my eyelids.

I'd had this experience once before in my life, when I was younger, and having my adenoids removed, though I don't know why that had to happen. This time around, I was aware of having been here before, and like the first time, I was vaguely aware of what had been going on in the real world before I went under, though it didn't bother me too much. It wasn't happening to me, here and now, so what did it matter? I mean, I felt a little short of breath, but aside from that, I was content to stay where I was, out of the way, and let it happen.

The empty greyness darkened around me as  my feet found a solid surface, and gravity took hold of me. I opened my eyes to see I was standing in front of a cave entrance, and began walking aimlessly inside. The walls weren't too close for comfort, though they looked slightly unstable, being made of stones piled in an arch shaped tunnel.

It was at this time that I became aware of a bit of music playing around me, but thought nothing of it, since it was a song I liked. I continued walking as the chorus echoed around me, starting off the song itself:

♪Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright.
We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,
You'll be so happy, just as long as you survive the night...♪

Here, I began walking faster, having realized that the stones were actually heads, whose faces were looking at me... And they were primarily those of the "changelings" I'd been caught by.

♪Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,♪

Oh, gods, they were SINGING! I began running, faster and faster past their alien faces...

♪And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright...♪

I was running pell-mell for the opening up ahead, panting hard...

♪We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,♪

I tripped, flying headlong and landing on my back, with my legs propped against the wall...

♪You'll be so happy just as long as you survive the night--♪

A face cut across my vision, upside down, and its eyes were wide with excitement. I recognized the light pink equine face, the insanely frizzy and curly dark-pink hair, those blue eyes, and that excitable attitude. It was the infamous "Pinkie Pie," to my chagrin. She got way all up in my personal space, squeezed my face with her hooves, and began singing:
♪Hey there! How ya doin'?
Nice to meet you, are you new in town?♪

A purple alicorn, wearing a tiara of sorts, butted in at this point, and continued where the pink one has left off as they both helped me upright:
♪Don't think I've seen you befo-ore,
It's great to see new faces around!♪

♪And if you'd like it, I can give a tour...♪
Added another pony, this one orange with a yellow mane and tail, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, who was followed up by a shy-looking pastel yellow pegasus with light pink hair:
♪Of our enchanting wonderland;
New and improved, without the doors!♪

Wait, what? I quickly looked around, and saw as we walked down the road that the houses around us didn't have doors, only windows! The inhabitants were smiling and waving, but the smiles were forced, I could tell. Also, I somehow knew the windows were irrevocably locked from the outside, too. This was wrong...

♪There's no escape, but, then,
Who would wanna leave?♪
Asked the selfsame sky-blue pegasus I'd run into before.

♪It's a fan-tas-ti-cal paradise,
And it's not make-believe!♪
Said a haughty looking white unicorn with a curled purple mane and tail, as she gave a fancy little spin on one hind leg.

Great. My dreams had been invaded by the central characters of Ponyville.

♪I'm so glad to have another member of the band,♪
Said a new white unicorn, with a short, two-tone blue mane, a matching tail, and wearing a set of purple shades. I was pretty sure she was a DJ...

♪You're one of us now,♪
Announced a robotic alicorn, who turned into a Toa that looked like a hybrid of G2 Tahu's 2015 and 2016 forms, with a few modifications. He seemed vaguely familiar, too, though I couldn't remember why...

♪So let me take you by the hand!♪
Requested a new entity, who looked to be a fusion of a dragon and one of the local pony-types. He was mainly red, with orange accents. His right arm, from just below the shoulder, was robotic, and extended towards me in greeting. I hesitantly reached out to take it, and...

♪BUT WHAT IS THAT I SPY,♪
Asked another of the strange hybrids, whose features and colors were the exact opposite of the first, switching pony parts for dragon ones, and vice versa. I could tell her arms were entirely unaltered, as she grabbed my own right arm and twisted it to get a closer look...
♪WITH MY ROBOTIC EYE?♪
She looked up abruptly, staring me dead in the eyes with a hungry expression on her face. Indeed, I now saw that she had a scar over her left eyelid, and the eye itself was a cybernetic replacement, which emitted an evil-looking red glow as she bared her fangs. I was definitely starting to hyperventilate now, which I never did. My sides were hurting, too...

♪I THINK I SEE A BIT OF FLESH INSIDE THE NEW GUY!♪
Sang an effeminate yet feral-looking Draconic figure, who had just jumped on my back. I was nearly bowled over.

♪MAYBE HE ISN'T EVERYTHING THAT HE SEEMS...♪
Sang a green, bird-faced Toa I didn't recognize, who gave me a piercing look as he walked around me.

♪TIME TO INVESTIGATE
WHAT'S UNDERNEATH THE SEE-EAMS!♪
Decided a blue-green wolfish Toa, who had long, saber-tooth fangs, and Freddy Krueger style claws. He went to take a swipe at me, but before he could, the world dropped out from under me, and I fell into another tunnel. I began running, gasping for breath, followed by those I'd just seen.

The tunnel was again covered in changeling faces, once more singing the chorus:
♪Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright.
We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,
You'll be so happy, just as long as you survive the night!♪

I looked behind me, and saw what was practically an army of Bionicles and ponies that stretched to the horizon haring after me. The tunnel was gone, as if it never existed, but I could still hear the changelings singing...
♪Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright.
We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,
You'll be so happy just as long as you survive the night!♪

I tripped once more, and sprawled on my front. I looked up to see a small purple dragon named Spike flying around cherub style with tiny wings and a harp, and singing:
♪If you survive the niiiiiiiiiight...
Oh, I'll take you awaaaaaaaay...
To our enchanted land of play!♪

♪Forgive me for being suspicious,
Mischief's not on my brain,♪
Sang Discord, helping me up. I was feeling very sick, and it was getting no easier to breathe.

♪We're programmed to be pragmatic
If someone messes with the mainframe,♪
Chimed the Toa Nuva, Takanuva, Kapura, and Voriki.

♪It's not that we don't trust you...♪
Sang the strange, Tahu-like Toa from before.

♪'Cause we do! We love you, too!♪
Added an orange pegasus mare with a maroon mane and tail, who had just stepped out from behind the fire Toa.

♪It's just that... here in Equestria...?
Heh, heh...♪
Said another new Toa, who looked similar to the previous one, but taller, beefier, and he had silver, black, and gunmetal grey armor. He was also cracking his knuckles meaningfully.
♪We have a few rules...♪

♪AND IF YOU BREAK THEM,
WE WILL HAVE TO BREAK YOU
LIKE YOU BROKE OUR HEARTS!♪
Exclaimed a sudden crowd of various types of ponies to my left.

♪WE'LL BE FORCED TO REWIRE YOU,
AND REPAIR YOUR DAMAGE PARTS!♪
Finished another sudden crowd of Spherus Magnans to my right. I shrank away from them both.

"Now, you wouldn't want that,
And, frankly, neither would I..."
Recited the fire Toa from before, with a slight British accent...
♪But sometimes, to do some good,
You've gotta BE THE BAD GUY!♪
He grabbed my neck and slammed me against a wall, as two Hero Factory robots grabbed my upper arms. My sides were burning, and my chest felt too tight.

♪IN THIS WORLD WE PLAY,
WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL STAY,♪
Announced the conglomeration of ponies, smiling.

♪AND WE WILL THROW OUR MOST
ELECTRIFYING SOIRE'E!♪
Concurred the Spherus Magnans, following suit.

♪FORMAL ATTIRE IS REQUIRED
FOR YOU TO TAKE PART...♪
Said the left robot, as I was frog-marched to my presumed doom.

♪YOU'VE GOT SOME SKIN THAT NEEDS
REMOVING BEFORE WE START!♪
Agreed the one on my right. I was suddenly pushed forward, and fell into darkness.

I closed my eyes as I fell, and the chorus of changeling voices returned, singing softly and gently.
♪...Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright.♪
I could sense beings moving around me in the darkness, doing... something.
♪We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,
You'll be so happy, just as long as you survive the night!♪

»Mwa ha ha ha ha...« laughed a baritone, semi evil voice in my head... My eyes snapped open, and I saw Teridax at the foot of the operating table I was strapped to, with his clawed hand resting on top of the fire Toa's head. The Toa's eyes were heavily glazed, and Teridax's were an identical color to those of a changeling. As if they had noticed my attention, the voices of the changelings became louder and more intense as they sang.

♪Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright.
We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,
You'll be so happy, just as long as you survive the night!♪
All around me was everyone I'd seen since entering that first tunnel, except they all had the heads of changelings. They had begun removing pieces of my body, and replacing them with mismatched pieces from an untold variety of creatures. I struggled, trying to escape, to fight them, even to breathe, but to no avail...

♪Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright.♪
I began to grow weaker, struggling less and less, before giving in completely as they removed and replaced my face...
♪We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,
You'll be so happy, just as long as you survive the night!♪

Eventually, I was let up, and was assisted in hobbling over to a crystal mirror of sorts... I wasn't sure I wanted to see my reflection though. Knowing what'd happened to Vakama during his first return to Metru Nui...

♪Let's try to make it right,
Don't wanna start a fight,
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright.♪
A finger lifted my chin, forcing me to look in the mirror. There I stood, next to the fire Toa of earlier, whose arm was now draped over my shoulders as if we were old friends...
♪We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight,
You'll be so happy, just as long as you survive the night!♪
I was a complete mess. My mismatched body made Discord look normal by comparison. I was a monster. A freak. And my new face? It, too, was now that of a changeling. That, and the rest of my head. I could feel my eyes tearing up, but the face of my reflection did not follow suit. It's face remained cold and emotionless as I turned to look at my companion.

"I'm SURE you'll survive..."
Said the fire Toa, in a reassuring manner.
"Just... don't break the rules...
And... play nice!
And I'm sure that we'll all get along...
Ahahahah..."
It was here that he removed his strange Kanohi Hau, revealing that his head was really that of Queen Chrysalis.
"We'll be the best of friends..."
She leaned in close, and whispered:
"Forever!" 

My eyes widened. "Nooooooooooo!" I screamed, and awoke.
~~~~

I came to, gasping for breath. My chest was on fire, and felt like it was being squeezed by metal bands. I had to act fast.

Taking as deep a breath as I could, I unfolded from my fetal position, and moved my right arm to try and claw at the outer shell. It moved sluggishly, and looked a bit strange through the murky goop I was submerged in. There was a tearing sensation, and the green wall before me split, spilling the entire contents of my ersatz prison. My whole body felt strange against the cold stone floor, but that was nothing compared to the more pressing issue. I still had a hard time with catching my breath, though it was a little easier now that there was no longer a viscous fluid compressing my chest. I dismissed the rebreather, no longer needing its services in the clear air, and it retracted from my mouth and nose once more.

Abruptly, there was a shadow hanging over me, which muttered darkly in Matoran. "He's barely breathing..." Said Roodaka, pulling something from her Hammerspace. I was fading back into oblivion, once more unable to draw breath. With a short, swift motion, she jabbed the item she had been holding into my chest(!), which was followed by *hissss...POP!*

I shot back to full awareness as I suddenly drew a deep, full breath, gasping in as much as my lungs could hold. For several moments, I allowed myself to just lie there, enjoying the simple act of being able to inhale without restriction. My breath came fast, and my vision cleared enough to see what she'd done.

There was a large hypodermic needle or something (minus the plunger,) stuck into my chest, which had presumably done... something...

Wait. Alarm bells were going off in my head, and had been since Roodaka had acted, but it had taken till now for me to realize what they were trying to tell me because I was so tired.

I raised my left arm to feel the black, slightly iridescent material that now covered my torso. Material which, as I now realized, the former Visorak Queen had plunged a large syringe into, and it rose and fell with each breath I took, like it was nothing...

"Wh-what..." I began, then stopped, coughing in surprise. My voice had dropped about half an octave, and sounded... well, "dangerous" was a close enough adjective for the situation.

"Your lungs collapsed because excess air was introduced into your chest cavity through the bite you received," explained Roodaka, "I just let it out. You should be grateful.""

I shook my head, still a little punch-drunk from the oxygen deprivation. "No," I croaked, "my... chest. What is this... stuff?" I gestured to my chest with my left arm, since my right one had that painful, tingly "waking up" feeling.

"Chitin," said Chrysalis, who rounded the bend in the tunnel, "as is to be-- Roodaka, what is that?" She gestured to the syringe.

"His lungs collapsed, and I rectified the situation," came the automatic reply. "But his blood pressure is still higher than it should be." At Chrysalis' stunned silence, Roodaka continued. "You pick up a few things when you work with a horde of mutagenic spiders for as long as I have. That, and I did some research on humans while we worked on this. They're amazingly fragile, when all's said and done."

"I thought you were joking..." Came the Changeling Queen's amazed response, as Roodaka removed the plunger-less syringe from my chest.

Of course, I didn't take all of that in at first, because I was staring in mute horror at the rest of my body. It, too, had changed. My arms were laughable parodies of what they once had been. My right was now longer, and slightly bulkier, but it transitioned into a large crystalline blade at the wrist, with a sort of hand under the "hilt." My left, however, was more diminutive, almost runty in comparison. The fingers on both hands had small holes through them, similar to the legs of the changelings. Actually, my forearms had holes as well... and so did my lower legs.

"Wait, something's wrong..." Noted Chrysalis.

"He's in shock. It's also to be expected." Assured Roodaka, before turning her attention back to me. She bopped me lightly on the top of my head and said, "Hey, Terra-1 to Caldoric. Wake up." That got my attention.

"How'd you know...?"

"The guards told us," she explained, serenely. "Quite helpful of them, really."

"True," continued Chrysalis, "and young Midge seems quite taken with you for some reason. He has this strange obsession with you humans..."

I gave a single scoff of laughter, then returned the conversation to my predicament. "What the hell did you crazy-ass spider-bitches DO to me? What'd you hope to achieve with this?" I demanded.

The two of them shared a look, though it's meaning went over my head. Chrysalis was the first to break the silence.

"It seems there are some definitive defects in the latest venom formulation. His body looks deformed and his arms are mismatched--"

"That's the Hordika Venom, as I explained beforehand..."

"OK, but his right eye is still green--"

"Total Heterochromia Iridis, we knew it was a potential side effect..."

Chrysalis glared for a moment, then continued. "Fine. But he's still surly and impudent." Oh, so I was impudent, now? She didn't know the meaning of the word...

With no warning. I surged forward, aiming to stick the blade of my right arm into her throat. I never got there, because I was knocked back by a bolt of purple shadow energy, courtesy of Roodaka.

"See?" Asked Chrysalis, pointing my way.

I pretty much tuned out the conversation at this point, because I'd noticed something. As I'd been sliding along on my back, the stone floor had partially alleviated the itch on my right shoulder momentarily... So I began rubbing my back against the floor, desperate for release from the stupid itch.

The result was a pleasurable sensation along both shoulderblades, which waxed and waned with each time I scraped my back against the floor. I eventually made my way up to the wall, Roodaka and Chrysalis too busy arguing over the former's attack to notice what I was doing. I felt something tear on the right side of my back as I moved incautiously against a rough patch, but the sharp pain it caused was immediately eclipsed by the immense sense of release.

I felt air moving over the open spot; cool, clear air, contrasting sharply with the warmth of the pocket I'd just torn open. The constricted-arm feeling I'd been enduring recently had lessened on that side, and as I attempted moving the phantom appendage, I felt something shift in the torn pocket, pressed against my back.

Wings! I thought to myself, hopefully, and tried wresting the appendage further out. The tearing sensation returned, followed by a great, leathery *FLWOOMPH!* as the wing escaped its prison.

This had, of course, attracted the others' attention. As I scraped my other shoulderblade against the rough spot, they exclaimed with shock and surprise at the appearance of the new limb. With another leathery snap, my left wing entered play. That done, I sat down and began pulling at the remains of the wing sacs, which peeled off quite easily. And kept on peeling. In fact, the sacs seemed to have been covering my entire body like a second skin. Where I peeled it off, the dulled colors and matte areas of my chitinous skin were revealed to be shiny , bright, and smooth. It felt good, creepy as that sounds nowadays.

"He's... molting...?" Said a stunned Chrysalis, who looked at Roodaka for explanation. But she may as well have asked the wall for all all she got.

"That was... not expected." Stated Roodaka, intrigued.

"Wait, what's...?" Began Chrysalis, looking over my shoulder. I personally didn't care, because I felt a lot of tension leaving me, going... somewhere else. Tension I didn't even know I had. I leaned forward and laid down on my belly, spread-eagled on the cool stone floor, letting my wings enjoy the ambient chill, and their hard-won freedom.

"No way..." Breathed Chrysalis.

There was the stomping of someone coming over to my position, but I was tired, and didn't exactly care. It didn't bother me when I felt Roodaka's cold fingers press against the side of my neck for a moment, before being withdrawn. As she moved away, I felt her arm brush... some unknown part of me.

"His blood pressure's normalizing..." Said Roodaka.

Looking back over my left shoulder, I saw another  set of wings UNFOLDING behind me, but these were insectoid, akin to those of a dragonfly; long and slender. Blood was slowly being pumped into the transparent set, which was apparently the source of my relieved tension. I sighed, and closed my eyes. By this point, I was completely done with today, and all I wanted was a good night's sleep. Or, a happy thought, maybe I was already asleep, and when I woke up, I'd find this whole encounter had been a weird dream.

"Wow..." Muttered Chrysalis, "he tired out quickly... Let's get him in a cell. One of the nicer ones, for now."

"Fuck you," I said, half-heartedly. Man, I was tired.

"And we'll post a guard," added Roodaka, a wry smile playing across her countenance.

I nodded off for a little bit, and woke up on a semi-solid surface in another chamber. Looking about, I saw Chrysalis leaving through some sort of door flap thing, so I charged before it could close. She caught me in her magic, however, and somewhat gently pressed me against the wall.

"Sleep, Caldoric. It'll be better for you if you do," she told me. I merely snarled in response. I wasn't sure where this sudden anger was coming from, but I was pretty sure it wasn't unjustified. "Oh, well," she sighed, "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this..."

She set me back down where I had woken up, and held me there as she began singing a slow song.

♪Come, little changeling, I'll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment...
Come little changeling, the time's come to play,
Here in my caverns of shadows...♪

The melody was somehow familiar to me, yet foreign at the same time. As she continued singing, I found myself slipping into a light doze, tranquility stealing over me out of nowhere.

I woke once again with a jerk a few moments later, just in time to see her disappearing through the doorway as the flap thingy closed. I rushed to the doorway, but the translucent green barrier had sealed itself somehow. There was no moving it from this side.

I tried kicking, scratching, punching, anything I could think of, but to no avail. In frustration, I stabbed at the barrier with my bladed arm, and was surprised when the blade passed through it, but stopped at my fist. I withdrew it, and stored that info for later.

I moved back into the center of the chamber, and began thinking. There was no going through that barrier, but maybe there was a way around it?

I looked around the small cell, lightly illuminated by the "door," but there was nothing but a giant shelf mushroom on one wall-- wait, had I just been lying on that?! Yuck!

Momentarily grossed out, I returned to the task at hand. Perhaps I could dig my way out? Yeah, maybe...

I tried to summon my digging claws, but... they didn't show! I couldn't even feel my Hammerspace very well, let alone access it. This was bad...

There was a shift in the lighting, and I turned to see the door had become crystal clear. Behind it, with one hoof raised to touch the edge of the doorway, was a smallish changeling. He looked guiltily up and down the corridor, as if it was doing something it knew full well that it shouldn't be.

"Caldoric?" It whispered at last. "It's me, Midge!" I raised an eyebrow. "No, really! I'm here to get you ou-- Aaaugh!"

Midge was blasted to the right of the door and out of sight by a beam of green energy. From the left came another, larger changeling, wearing armor and an angry look. "I am highly disappointed in you, Midge," said Nymph, "I half expected something like this from you, but I had hoped I was wrong." His horn lit up, and he shook his head. "So be it. You like humans so much? Then you can be with them, for all I care."

With a jerk of Nymph's head, Midge was sent flying through the barrier and into me, bowling me over. "I wash my hooves of you, Midge. I give up on trying to keep you out of trouble. It's time you saw the repercussions of the path you now tread." Nymph dipped his head, and I'm not entirely sure, but I think I might have seen something glisten as it fell from his face. The world may never know. "And to think I once called you brother..." He walked away, and the door returned to its former translucency.

Midge sniffled a little, a disbelieving look on his strange face. "B--brother...!" He whimpered, "N--no! Don't leave...!" He sagged, then leaned against me for support.

Awkwardly, being careful of his wings, I put my left arm across his shoulders and did my best to console him. Even my left wing, acting on its own, loosely draped itself around him. ♪Lean on me,♪ I sang, softly, ♪when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on...♪ Midge smiled a little.

"I'm sure he doesn't really mean it..." I told him, reassuringly. "He's probably just trying to 'scare you straight,' or something."

"H--how d'you know?" Midge asked, switching to a "you don't understand" look. "You haven't lived with him like I have. He was never proud of me. I was always trying to follow in his hoofsteps, to be like him, but he only considered me a pest." Midge ran a hoof under his nose, sniffed, then continued. "He only got worse after he joined the army."

I nodded sagely. "At least you had a brother..." I said. "I'm rather jealous. All I got was a younger sister who thinks she's gotta boss me around. I mean, I love her to death, but I swear she's starting to take after our mom."

"Yeah," Midge scoffed, "my little sister, Gnat, did the same thing with our brother after our parents..." He trailed off, and his head drooped. "Our parents..." He said again, in a softer voice, then broke down in quiet sobs.

"There there..." I said, "don't think about that right now. Think about this: your brother's just trying to help you get stronger! He wants you to follow your own path, not just be a carbon copy of him."

"By saying... that?"

"He didn't mean what be said." I answered, but I wasn't completely sure that was the case. "My mom did something similar when I was younger. I threatened to run away for some stupid reason or another, so she basically said 'Fine, then go. Get lost.' and tossed me out in the back yard, locking the back door behind me."

"She did that?" Midge asked, incredulous. I merely nodded, and continued.

"Yep. I don't remember how long I was out there, but I do know I tried to get my sister to open the door and let me back in. She didn't, obviously, because mom told her not to or something. It wasn't until after my dad came home and unlocked the back door that I was let back inside."

"Wow," said Midge, "harsh."

"Yeah, well, that's my mom for ya. It's part of her whole 'control' thing." I decided it was time to change the subject. "So, how do we get outta here?"

"We can't," replied Midge, downcast. "It's impossible."

"Nonsense," I replied. "Nothing's impossible, only improbable. Besides, if what little I know about the show is anything to go by, this world's supposed to run on cliff hangers and happy endings, with semi-simple story arcs."

"Uh..."

"Meaning, there's always a way out of any situation for the good guys, if they just try."

"Ah...! Do-- This isn't a story!"

"Says the person whose species shares a name with a mythological race back on Earth," I countered. "I refuse to give up hope. Now, what's this door thingy made of?"

Midge blinked. "Um... Magic."

This gave me pause. "What," I said at last, in a flat tone.

"Magic. Just like how we make those 'cocoons,' and the tents."

"But... I... Your hooves, I thought..." I stuttered.

"Oh, these?" Asked Midge, raising a leg. "Yeah, we... we do that sometimes, as a sort of psychological weapon. Under normal circumstances, or I'd we're in a hurry, we just use our magic in the usual way, like anypony else." I winced at the phrase.

"I see. But it feels so... real, so smooth..." I trailed off. "Too smooth..."

"Yeah, it's something Chrysalis' been working on for a while now. It's a special variant of what we normally use, mixed with some kind of shield spell."

"A shield spell, huh?" I said, fingering my chin. According to the books I'd skimmed through, shield spells could, with care, be broken.

"That's what I said. And it's strong, too. Not even our most powerful kicks or spells have managed to even crack it, let alone shatter it."

"Doesn't shatter... doesn't shatter... because..." I searched for an answer, then looked up in surprise. "Because it isn't there!"

"What?" Asked Midge, startled. "Y-yes, it is! Are you--"

"There's no barrier that can't be brought down. So, if it's still standing, then... It can't be real! See?" And with that, I plunged my whole arm through the barrier, with nary a ripple. "Stop believing in it, and it simply disappears!"

To prove my point, I stepped completely through the barrier and into the corridor. Looking back, I saw that the barrier was clear from this side, and Midge was coming closer to my position, perplexed. I couldn't pass up this opportunity...

As he placed a hoof on the barrier, I shoved my face through it and shouted "Boo!" He immediately fell over backwards in shock, and I doubled over, laughing like crazy.

"Shut up!" He hissed, getting back up. "Somepony will hear you!"

I calmed down. "Yeah, yeah, just get over here." I reached through the barrier, grabbed his hoof, and pulled him through. "Let's go." And so we set off up the corridor, Midge leading the way.

"Halt!" Cried a voice behind us, and we spun around to see who it was.
> 12: Freedom Fracas!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

{Luna's study, a little while ago...}
Luna was hard at work, trying to resolve an issue between two neighboring farm ponies, regarding a certain fruit tree that grew squarely on the border between their two plots of land. Every year, come harvest time, it was the same: each claimed that it belonged solely to themselves, and that the other had no rights to it. This year, she was getting an early start on the issue, just to be prepared.

And as fate would have it, her nightmare sense went off, big time. Somepony, somewhere, was having the nightmare of a lifetime... So Luna went over to the small bed she kept to one side in case of such an occasion, and lay down.

Entering into a sort of trance-like state, she searched for, and quickly found, the source of the nightmare. The problem was... she couldn't find an entry into the dream! She quickly scanned the mind of the individual, only to recoil at the sheer alien-ness of its inner workings. What shocked her was how fast it was becoming even more alien as she watched. All the same, there was also something familiar to its structure.

Before she could try anything, the dream came to an abrupt end, and she could feel the being's physical, real-world pain. There were fleeting glimpses of the familiar stranger's surroundings before the link broke. "What was that about?" She asked herself, debating whether she should alert her sister.

Moments later, she sensed the being falling asleep once more. This time, though dreamless, the stranger's slumber was not untroubled. She picked up feelings of fear, despair, entrapment, and confusion in these dreams. She did what she could to assuage the negative emotions from the outside, but it was of little use.

Luna sensed the stranger awaken once again, though they still felt half asleep. She had to act fast. Seeing the telltale sign of a half forgotten memory that had been provoked, she grabbed it, and dove into the stranger's mind.

It was strange, and caustic, and most of all, it seemed to be at war with itself. Nevertheless, she managed to discern where the tendril of memory was trying to go, and with a supreme amount of effort, bridged the connection. It was all she could do, before she forcibly withdrew from the being's mind. An instant later, the being woke almost fully, and was beyond her range of influence once more.

All she could do now was watch...

~~~~
{Caldoric: the present}

What we saw was a guard, ready to attack. There had been something unusual in the way he's said the word, but I didn't have time to think about it. "Run!" I said, and the two of us took off down the tunnel.

"W-- hey, GET BACK HERE!" Cried the guard, who then fired off a green spell. Strangely enough, it actually bounced off the walls of the tunnel and skittered away, missing us both completely.

"That was a warning," gasped Midge, "we should get outta here fast."

I shrugged as best I could, given my new form, and said "Lead on, McDuff." This got me another strange look, but we kept moving nonetheless.

We ran for several minutes, meeting no resistance as we made our way forward. I almost lost Midge a couple of times when the tunnel forked, due to inconveniently timed yawns. I was still tired after all, and not yet used to moving in my new form.

I finally took a moment, before rounding a sharp bend in the tunnel, to look behind us, just in case we were being followed. This was a mistake, however, as when I looked forward, I saw the tunnel had forked again, and I had no clue which one Midge had taken. I could hear him moving away from me, but it was far enough away that I couldn't discern anything from that alone.

"Midge!" I called. "Miiiidge! Which way'd you go?" No response, except for the continued fading of his hoofsteps, and then nothing.

I waited a few seconds more, then made a snap decision. I bolted down the left tunnel, hoping to find my new friend. It wasn't long before I came to a screeching halt, however, because I once more caught wind of Chrysalis' singing. It was the same song she'd used to put me to sleep in the cell a few minutes ago, and though it was faint with distance, it still made the air heavy, and my mind fogged up as the first line rolled through my ears.

♪Come little changelings, I'll take thee away...♪

I could distantly hear someone humming a slightly different tune, as my body began moving of its own accord, back up the tunnel from whence I'd come. The humming turned to full-on song as Chrysalis' song hit its second line...

♪Into a land of enchantment...♪
(Hear this song, and remember...)

I wished whoever else was singing would stop, because I so desperately wanted to hear the Queen's music in it's entirety. It was soooo beautiful...

♪Come little changelings, the time's come to play...♪
(Soon you'll be... home with me...)

Ok, now I was really getting pissed. Not only was my Queen calling for aid, there was someone who had the bright idea of singing over her, so the Queen's message was hard to make out clearly. Thus, my job as an officer was being made harder. When I found whoever was singing, I'd give them a smack upside the head they'd remember for a good long time.

♪Here in these caverns of shadow...♪
(Once upon a December...)

I stumbled to a halt, once more at the fork, snapping out of the illusion by the last word. What the hell? I'd been brainwashed into thinking I was part of her army... and worse, that she was my Queen! I had to keep singing, though I couldn't actively remember the words...

♪Dancing bears; Painted wings...♪

I sang, loud and clear enough to drown out the echoing verses of Chrysalis' song. I began running up the other tunnel with a renewed sense of anger, taking each twist, turn, and fork almost without care. I now knew, deep inside of myself, which way to go.

♪Things I almost remember...♪

How dare she try to take my memories, my identity?! She'd already taken my freedom, my humanity, and my time.

♪And a song... someone sings...♪

I would not let her have my sense of self as well, or my loyalty.

♪Once upon a December... ♪

I barreled onward, scattering changelings with wild abandon. Some I knocked out, while others I slashed at with my bladed arm. The message soon spread ahead of me, and my path was mostly cleared, with only the occasional guard standing in my way.

♪Someone holds me safe and warm,
Horses prance through a silver storm...
Figures dancing gracefully,
Across my memories....♪

I allowed my newly-found bestial side take over at times like these, making short work of the various guards. That was another thing: they'd injected me with Hordika Venom, of all things. They'd pay for that.

I was close, now, to the main chamber. I could almost smell it. I couldn't stop now.

~~~~
{Chrysalis: seconds in the future... but not many}

♪Far away, long ago,
Glowing dim as an ember...
Things my heart used to know,
Things it yearns to remember...♪

Chrysalis faltered in her own song, then stopped completely, the magic aura surrounding her jagged horn fading as she did. Somepony else was singing, and it was interfering with her summons. As whoever was singing came closer, their voice became clearer, it's point of origin narrowing to one of the side tunnels: the one that the traitor lying at her hooves had come from.

♪And a song... someone sings...
Once upon a December...♪

The voice was much closer now, and approaching fast. The song that it carried was similar enough to her own, but the lyrics were different. Whereas hers had been about abandoning hope and surrendering to the will of the singer, the newcomer's song told of remembrance, and trying to reclaim one's forgotten past.

♪On the wind, 'cross the sea,
Hear this song and remember...
Soon you'll be... home with me...
Once upon a December...♪

This... was bad. Chrysalis quickly finished what she had been doing, then looked up to face the figure careening through the tunnel entrance and into the main cavern. To her surprise, the figure then launched themselves high into the air, their abnormally long right arm aglow, then seemed to hang there for longer than should have been possible...

~~~~
{Caldoric: the present}


♪--remember...
Soon you'll be... home with me...
Once upon a December...♪

I barged into the main chamber, unfolding my right arm to its fullest extent as I charged up a spell. I wasn't sure it'd work in my new form, but I had to try. With a subconscious flap of my wings, I leapt high into the air, arm drawn back, then hung there for a couple seconds as I drew out the final line of the song.

♪Once... upon... a Dece-em-berrrrrrr!♪

And with that, I dropped, plunging the bladed portion of my right arm into the ground as far as it could go. This released a shockwave of magical energy, which rolled through the multitude of changelings and Visorak that were present.

I wasn't sure how I'd stayed in the air that long, but there really was no point in questioning it at this time: there were more important matters to attend to.

Looking up, I saw I wasn't too far from Chrysalis herself, who looked shocked at my appearance. Still filled with somewhat righteous fury, I gave her a predatory smile, ripped the blade out of the ground, and said:

"The Knight is awake.
Your shit is wrecked."

~~~~
{Luna: minutes ago}

Pretty soon, she could vaguely sense a mixed range of emotions from the stranger. Rage, sorrow, companionship, then elation. This was followed by surprise, slight fear and, finally, confusion. Then the stranger seemed to start falling asleep again... But moments later they fought their way back to wakefulness, and became entrenched in rage.

This... isn't good at all, Luna thought to herself. Focusing on the stranger's mind, she worked to find a better way in. She didn't get far, though, before there was a knock at the door. Rousing herself from the trance, Luna used her magic to lever the door open.

"Milady," said the Night Guard in the hall, "we've just received information from several urgent visitors. They are clamoring for you and your sister to help them rescue their friend."

Luna frowned. "Could this not wait 'till the morrow?" She asked. The guard shook his head.

"They said he and some others of their number were captured by four-legged spiders and dark, bug-like ponies in the Everfree."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "I'll see them, then."

~~~~
{Chrysalis: the present}

The changeling Queen was shocked, to say the least. Not only had her new project managed to throw off her control, he'd managed to escape the cell as well. His appearance was a little intimidating now that he was really angry, too: there was a section of his chest that positively glowed orange under the chitinous shell, creating a sort of "lava-peeking-through-cracks-in-volcanic-earth" look. The glow also made its appearance along the back ridge of his rough head, though it was more uniform there, and a green glow emanated from deep within his throat.

Wings spread, teeth bared, and an ominously dark ball of pulsating purple magic cupped in his left hand, she could easily see him at the head of an army.

"What's going on?!"

Chrysalis swung her head around to face Roodaka, who was not happy. Evidently, she'd been interrupted in the middle of one of her endless personal experiments.

"Our new pet has gone rogue," replied the Queen, "and he's managed to sway the allegiance of at least one of my hive."

Roodaka gave her a questioning look. "And this ability is surprising... why? After all, you did supply me with genetic material from both your warrior and commander castes for the venom."

Chrysalis returned her attention to... what was his name? Caldoric? Anyways, she focused on the former human again, because he was getting antsy. She didn't want to leave herself open to a surprise attack, though she wasn't sure why he hadn't taken the opportunity to attack while she was distracted. Perhaps he was going by some sort of code of honour, or something similar?

"White moves first," said the human, "and then we play."

Chrysalis sighed. Humans, she decided, were strange. "Let's just get this over with," she said, then sent a mental command to the figure at her hooves...

~~~~
{Caldoric: the present}

In front of me, Chrysalis sighed, then said; "Let's just get this over with."

Without warning, Midge leapt up from his prone position at the Queen's feet, and attacked with a ferocity I wouldn't have expected, coming from him. Almost without thought, I hit him with the ball of magic I'd prepared in my left hand, and he landed in a heap several feet away. He didn't get up, or even stir.

This appeared to shock both Roodaka and Chrysalis. "Why would you strike him so readily," asked Chrysalis, "if he was your ally?" Meanwhile, Roodaka looked on with mild approval.

"He isn't my friend, you dumbass," I growled through clenched teeth, "he's my brother." I then decked Chrysalis in the face. She didn't like that very much.

"Oh, you'll pay for that, you misbegotten little traitor," she growled, as she rubbed her bruised cheek. "You'll pay dearly indeed."

"Hey," I countered, "mutating shit was your idea in the first place, so you've only got yourself to blame for the 'misbegotten' bit. And, (fun fact!) you can't betray someone you're enslaved to."

I caught Roodaka's surprised glare as I said that. While I was distracted, Chrysalis ignited her magic once again and used it to lift me, bodily, bringing me face to muzzle with her. "I hope you enjoyed that jibe," she said menacingly, lifting her left forehoof to just touch the bottom of my chin, "because it was your last. Once I counteract however you negated my Hivesong--"

She never finished that sentence, as an explosion broke through the cavern wall off to my left. I don't mean "the wall shattered violently and fell to pieces all over the place," I mean "fire and flames and ballistic chunks of wall flying everywhere, with lime green magical energies flickering amidst the chaos." Yeah, BOOM. The aforementioned slabs of wall that had been displaced by the detonation ploughed into the amassed ranks of Visorak and Changelings nearby, decimating that area of the army. It was the perfect distraction.

Apparently, my right arm thought so too, because it suddenly acted on its own. It jerked backwards, initiating a strange spinning sensation in my wrist as the blade whooshed twice behind my back, before snapping forward once more. This brought my crystalline appendage around and up in a great sweeping arc, accompanied by a wave of heat and a flash of orange and black.

*Swish! Shwlock-chk!*

"NGYEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

I was nearly deafened by Chrysalis' incensed, gutteral scream of fury and agony. And, because of this, I almost didn't see Roodaka's blind-fired Rhotuka spinner (prefaced by a loud "no!") in time to smack it out of the air with the crystal blade.

Right as that happened, the thaumic aura around Chrysalis' jagged horn dissipated, and I was dropped to the ground. My fall was accompanied by the tip (about ¾ inches) of said horn, and most of her left foreleg (cut off just above the "elbow" joint.) I caught the earthy scent of charred flesh, mixed with the odor of singed hair, sautéed almonds, and something else that I couldn't place. That, coupled with the lack of blood gushing from the severed limb, and the slight wisps of smoke emanating from both the Queen's severed horn and ruined foreleg, meant that the blade had somehow gotten very hot, and very fast. But I didn't have time to wonder how or why just now.

Folding the blade back along my arm once more, I paused to deflect another of Roodaka's spinners at the cavern roof before bringing the "hilt" down on top of Chrysalis' wailing head. She shut up immediately, and sagged the rest of the way to the ground. Looking up and around myself, I saw green spells and spinners flying every which way. Any that were (seemingly) aimed my way either missed by a mile, or came uncomfortably close. Looking at the ruined wall, I saw what had gone on while I was fending off Chrysalis.

The explosion itself had been caused by a ragtag group of Changelings, Visorak, Vahki, various folks who looked like prisoners, and several abominable looking entities. This was a prison break if I ever saw one. I had to make a snap decision here.

For a moment, I considered snagging the severed foreleg and pulling some form of "stop hitting yourself" thing on Chrysalis, but it would be wasted. Instead, I picked up the severed piece of horn, grabbed Midge by the chest, and booked it for the escapists.

"Rebels, with me!" I shouted over the din, followed by the first warcry I could think of as I thrust my bladed arm into the air: "EULALIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" And with that, I physically delved into the fray.

An unknown age of fear, confusion, and fighting later, I found myself alongside the crew that had smashed through the wall, and with a little urging, we made our way over to the exit. By the time we got there, Midge was back up on his legs and fighting like a mad thing to help us. The way he and I both worked together, it was as if we'd rehearsed the whole thing. Suddenly, a loud voice rang out amongst the melee.

"STOP!!" Commanded Roodaka, from where she stood by the still-unconscious form of Queen Chrysalis. And shockingly, everyone complied, including myself. "Surrender, now! You and little band of friends have--"

"Have fought bravely, but if you join me, blah blah, mercy and riches, yadda yadda!" I interjected, earning everyone's attention. "I know, Roodaka, I've seen this trope unfold too many times. And so, it seems, have you. Look around you! Your so-called 'troops' aren't fighting at full force, because they can't tell friend from foe right now. If they could, this cavern would've been brought down around my ears before I even got close to Chrysalis. So, let's make this easier on everyone, alright?"

I spread my arms, and lifted my voice even higher as members of the impromptu rebellion behind me slunk off down the tunnel. "Any of you who are tired of slaving away under the regime of Roodaka and Chrysalis, or living in constant fear of being nabbed for experiments; if you want out, then come with me to freedom. I won't judge you for it. Hell, I could probably even use your help, after this."

There was a shaky silence, and then movement, as several members of the opposing group came over to join me. Many of those left behind had looks of concern and hesitation, or consternation, on their long faces. People of various species continued trickling out through the tunnel.

"Not again!" Complained Roodaka, exasperated. "Why does this always happen?"

"Maybe it's because I offered them an actual choice? Obviously something you two never did..."

"Yes we did!"

"What?" I asked, sarcastically, "work or die? Not much of a choice in my opinion."

"Midge!" came Nymph's voice. "Midge, you get over here right now! I am your older brother, and you will do as I say!"

"Buck you, Nymph!" replied Midge, "You flipping disowned me a few minutes ago, in case you've forgotten."

"Oh I remember alright. It's called 'hazing'! I never actually thought you were dumb and weak enough to believe me, though! Boy, was I wrong!"

"Piss off, asshole," I interjected, yelling in his general direction, "you have no honor, and have forgotten the face of your father. You don't deserve a brother like him!"

"ENOUGH!" cried Roodaka, and launched another spinner at me. I moved to slash it, but something... something went wrong. I cut through the glowing wheel of energy, but instead of dispelling, it merely split and warped as my blade made contact, before the two pieces flew around me. To my horror, they then converged on Midge, hitting him as he had moved behind me to look for his former brother.

He cried out in pain, and I called to the last few in the group as they moved to make their escape. With the friendlier Changelings picking him up in their magic, and the two or three Visorak standing guard, we made haste into the darkness. As the remainder of the horde surged forward to give chase, my newfound allies somehow brought down the tunnel's entryway behind us, and continued collapsing the rest of the tunnel as we absconded.

Thanking them profusely for their efforts, I moved up the tunnel to where Midge was held aloft, embraced in the soft green glow of his fellow Changelings. Well, former fellows.

As I had feared, he had been hit by a mutation spinner, Roodaka's signature parting gift. For within the embrace of Changeling magic, ribbons of purple energy danced and played across his form, doing what they did best.

Motioning for the carriers to let Midge go, I took him in my arms, gently holding him as he occasionally spasmed. This was my fault, my cross to bear. I had failed him, allowed him to come to harm, and this was the least I could do. Seconds later, the ribbons broke, and the pent up tension in Midges rigid body was released, at which time he visibly relaxed. Nevertheless, he still slept fitfully in my arms. I barely felt his weight as I continued along the tunnel, but there were many possibilities as to why that was.

I continued like this for several minutes, near the back of the group, before something strange happened. My surroundings began greying out, and the Changelings slowed way down, before freezing entirely in place. I slowed as well, but through my own free will, and a desire not to walk into anyone. They hadn't come to a rest, this much was evident.

Soon, even they had become mere blurs in the grey nothingness around me. My nerves, already on edge, became even more alert.

"Ah," said a voice that sounded suspiciously similar to my own, "I was wondering when this was gonna happen again."

I turned my head to the left, attempting to look at the speaker, but some force seemed to intervene. As I moved to turn around, my actions met greater and greater resistance, until I came to a full stop, my chin resting on my shoulder. What little I could see in my peripheral vision was... strange, to say the least. There was a figure, whose back was to me, and holding two swords at his sides. He, too, seemed to have wings, and--

"Yes, Storm, I'm you from the future. For the sake of convenience, and to head off that whole 'future-past me' nonsense, call me Drake."

"Uh," I said, "dude, what are you doing? No time travel!"

"Hey, you remember the second Simon Bloom novel, where he met his future self?" Asked the being calling himself Drake. "This is like that moment, except neither of us is causing this. It's some outside force beyond our control, like circumstantial simultaneity, so don't worry about it. How's Midge, by the way?"

"He, uh..." I was a bit confused by the abrupt topic change, but rolled with it. "He's just been hit by Roodaka..."

Drake chuckled. "Ah, yeah, those were the days. That explains a few things on my end, too, now that I think about it."

"Like what?" I demanded, exasperatedly. "What does Midge's circumstance explain?"

"Like I said, circumstantial simultaneity. The worldwalls are really thin thanks to that spell the Makuta stole a while back, just before the Convergence. It was unstable. So, certain events can connect to others like what we have here. Anywho, don't worry about your journey back topside: It's smooth sailing the rest of the way."

"Whoa, whoa, back up. What, exactly, is circumstantially simultaneous about our two points in time?"

Drake sighed, and flicked his tail. "Emotions. We're feeling sorrow, and guilt, and rage. We're feeling all these towards ourselves, because we believe that we've failed a friend in a moment of need... That we weren't there to help them the way we should've. And it'll come to bite us in the ass eventually."

I looked at the mutated Changeling in my arms, and realized that what Drake had said was true. I was angry at myself, and disappointed, and guilt was also present.

"Fortunately,we both know the remedy for Midge's condition," continued Drake. "But that won't be too hard to make amends for. Just figure out a way to get Roodaka to undo the change, if he's willing to return to normal. But, in the meantime, you should go visit the New Altero Hospital after you hit the surface again. There's someone there you should speak with."

"Someone I need to talk to?" I asked, then realized what he probably meant. "Ackar, of course!"

"And another someone, Storm. Don't worry, you'll remember soon enough, though I'm disappointed you don't remember him right now."

I wracked my brain for a moment, before I realized what he'd meant. "Durath...!"

"Bingo! Give the guy a prize!" Replied Drake. This made me wonder about something, though...

"Why am I supposed to be called 'Storm' in this conversation?"

"Because of the idea we had a while ago, before we arrived on Terra-1, for a procedural trans-timeline self-referential naming convention."

"Oh. Forgot about that..." I muttered.

"Yeah, but now that you know, you should probably work on expanding it to at least a tenth-level encounter. Meaning, of course, ten of us together at one time."

I parsed that for a moment, before he began speaking again.

"We don't have long before this contact breaks up, so a few final things. First, the sword you bought is a sabre, not a cutlass. Don't let the handguard fool you. Second, the things you got from Dave are respirators, not rebreathers. Third, work on your magic and other new skills, even if it means giving up a few other things. Trust me, it'll help."

"Ok..." I replied, turning to face forward once more. "Hey, uh... Drake?"

"Yeah?"

"Something I noticed... you haven't turned to look at me this entire time."

"That's because I don't look back. I stopped thinking about my past after I went looking for our family, and my home. Took me a while to finally find it, though."

"Oh. Well, uh... that sounds promising." I began to feel hope rekindling itself in my chest. "Hey, um... You're from the future, so you probably already know this, but I have to ask nevertheless..."

"No, I'm not telling you what element we wield. You have to figure it out for yourself, or it won't actually work, ya know?"

"Alright, alright, damn," I chuckled, "I get it, Mr. Miagi. Wax on, wax off, and all that."

Drake chuckled back. "Yeah, paint the fence. Anywho, time's up, Storm, so take care of yourself, and Midge. I don't want to stop existing because you screwed up somewhere, regardless of alpha timelines."

"Ok, then. And good luck with whatever you're doing, Drake. Bye."

"See ya, glad I've already been ya."

With that cryptic statement, everything faded back from greyness, and reality returned to it's rightful place. I blinked for the first time in what felt like forever, and was nearly knocked over as one of the Changelings behind me walked straight into my backside.

"Ey!" He said sharply, his voice slightly buzzy. "Give a pony some advance warning before you just stop on a bit like that."

"My apologies..." I replied. "Just... I had a bit of a wierd moment there, like vertigo, déjà vu, and an out-of-body experience all rolled up into one."

He inclined his head momentarily in understanding, and gave a minor apology before continuing on past me.

"...stop on a bit..." I muttered to myself, amused, "that's hilarious." I resumed walking, looking down at my new friend. At first glance, you'd think the mutation spinner hadn't done all that much to him, aesthetically. He still had the same general profile of a Changeling, but there were some more noticeable differences. His face was a bit more... well, predatory, I guess. His wings had changed as well.

Whereas previously they'd been single, jagged-looking affairs with a cyan/teal hue to them, they were now distinctly blue, and seemed to be almost completely separated into three distinct pieces. They were also now made of a tougher material than they had been before, among other things.

Then there was the fact that he now had a second set of wings to complement the first. These were a bit more bat-like, and folded flat against the sides of his chest like those of a Pegasus, instead of sticking up like normal Changeling wings always seemed to.

Both his ragged black tail and his dark grey, sail-like "mane" had changed color as well, matching the blue color scheme of his insectoid wings. The array of holes in his fore- and hindlegs didn't seem any different, as far as I could tell.

In my arms, Midge stirred slightly in his unconscious state and mumbled unintelligibly. As he waved his forelegs a bit, and rubbed the side of his long face against my chest, I felt my heart melting, and a new weight settling on my shoulders. He was my responsibility now, for better or worse.

In my arms, Midge began stirring fitfully...

~~~~
Fears, half-formed images, and mangled memories were all that came to visit Midge in his unconsciousness. And they only got progressively worse as time went on, until he suddenly woke with a start, lashing out with a foreleg at the imagined terrors. This had the unfortunate effect of catching Caldoric a good solid hit on the chin. Midge felt his new friend staggering, and Caldoric nearly dropped him before bumping forcefully into the tunnel wall.

"Oh, geez, sorry!" Cried the Changeling, as the biped blinked and tried to clear the stars from his vision.

"Anyone get the number of that donkey cart?" Caldoric slurred, sliding to a sitting position. Midge carefully rolled out of his arms and stood up. Chalking the strange (and slightly racist,) phrase up to cultural differences, he reached out with a forelimb to investigate the point where he'd made contact. There was a slight dent in the chitinous-looking shell on his friend's chin, but barely noticeable in the long run.

"I'm so, so sorry for that..." He apologised, hoping the former human wouldn't just dump him for his mistake. What little information that had been gathered about Humans in general was unsettling, to say the least. From the looks of it, they were quite a violent race from a rather unfavorable planetary situation: They were the only dominant species on their world, and their worst war-based death toll was supposedly 85 million! And that had been in something called a World War, which he refused to consider the implications of...

The only qualities that came close to their capacity for violence were their sheer ingenuity and their pure determination, and even those tended to be channelled towards the whole violence thing, especially when provoked. Or, so Chrysalis and Roodaka had told them. Knowing that, Midge had become determined to find out for himself if that were true. And now, here was the moment of truth.

Caldoric blinked a few more times, then seemed to get his eyes to focus again. He gave Midge a strange look, cocking his now unnatural-looking head to one side. Then, rubbing his jaw with a slight smile, he spoke.

"You got a mean punch there, bro." He then held out a fist at arms length, and Midge gently tapped a forehoof against it with some trepidation. That done, the humanoid gingerly got to his feet and gestured for Midge to follow.

"So..." the Changeling began, quite nervously, "y-you're not mad about that?"

"Nah, not really. I mean, I sorta am, but mostly at myself, because I couldn't do anything to help you fight whatever you were dealing with while you were unconscious." Caldoric's brows furrowed a little as he lumbered along, then he looked at Midge with some mild concern. "What was that about anyways? Bad dream or something?"

"..." Midge opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find anything to say for a moment. "I... I really don't know. Something like that, I guess, but I honestly don't remember."

The taller of the duo hummed in acknowledgement, and they both fell silent for a bit. At last, he spoke again.

"What I'm wondering is, why did the spinner knock you out? Or, what remained of it, anyways..."

"Uh, don't they normally do that?" Asked Midge, confused. He hadn't had much interaction with the Visorak portion of the combined armies.

"Nah, not all of them." Caldoric scowled a bit, obviously reliving some not-so-fond memories involving the four-legged biomechanical arachnids. "There are about as many spinner powers as there are folks who can use them. From what I've heard, that spinner would've normally left you conscious as your body changed. Then again, there are some variables to consider..."

"Like what?" Midge was curious now. He'd been surprised to find that the former human seemed to know Roodaka almost personally, as if they'd met before, even though she hadn't reciprocated.

"Well," he began, and Midge could tell that his companion-- no, his new brother, was about to go into lecture mode, "there is the fact that you're completely organic, whereas the only instance I've seen of it in use was when she took retribution on two Toa that'd stolen a valuable Kanohi Mask from her... They kept running, even as they changed."

He paused in his diatribe, gathering his thoughts. "Then again, the original Toa were made of sterner stuff... Not to mention I have no idea what effect my magic might have had when I tried and failed to stop it, so it might be my fault. The fact that I have no way of finding out what that last spell was, and if it could be reversed... that's gonna haunt me."

"So..." Midge began, fear rising like bile in the back of his throat, "will I... will I be stuck like this? Forever?" He could definitely feel that his body had changed from what he was used to, and had some very valid concerns.

"No, not necessarily. If we can eventually get Roodaka to set the mutation setting to the exact opposite of what she tried to use before... But there's still the issue of the spell I used..." Caldoric began muttering to himself, seemingly trying to work something out. Midge felt hope beginning to glimmer in his heart, and it flared up when he saw Caldoric's lime green eyes glitter with an idea.

"Hey..." he said, turning to Midge in excitement, "you know about magic, right? D'you think there's some sort of spell or charm or something that could, like, check what the last bit of magic someone used was? Like, um... augh, what was it called... oh, yeah, Priori Incantatum, from Harry Potter."

Midge was taken aback. That sounded like a good idea, but... he had now knowledge of such a spell existing. He did think he had an idea of who to ask. "I don't know of any such bit of magic myself, but... we could always ask a pony called Twilight Sparkle. I hear she's good with magic..." He trailed off, startled at the sudden upsurge of negative emotions in his newfound friend at the mere mention of the name. "Caldoric, what's wrong?"

It was Caldoric's turn to search for the proper words. "I... I'd rather not say just yet. The gist of the fact is that I'm not sure I'm ready to talk to her yet... Or her friends..."

Midge shook his head, silently. He could tell that his companion was hiding something, but there was no use prying. Caldoric'd speak about it when he felt like it, no sooner. "Well, what about you, then?" The Changeling asked, throwing him a bone with an ease that came from years of emotional juggling.

"What about me?" Returned Caldoric. "Whaddaya mean by that?"

Midge rolled his eyes. "I mean the fact that you got mutated too. Whats the plan on that?" Caldoric's gaze dropped to the floor, then his eyes widened in fear. Midge could literally feel the fear rolling off Caldoric in waves now.

"Oh... Shit." Was the only response.
> 13: Light Banter, Heavy Sleep
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midge was taken aback. "Um... 'Oh shit'? What do you mean, 'Oh shit'?"

Caldoric remained silent for a few seconds. "Hordika Venom." He said at last. "It's got a side effect. If it's not removed within a certain timespan, the change becomes permanent, and the infected being's mental stability degrades into a full-on bestial state."

"Is there an antivenom?"

"...perhaps... I need to find Keetongu, if he's still around."

"Who?"

Caldoric hesitated for a second, before giving a simple "Long story," as a response, then looked away.

Midge was nonplussed. So much so, in fact, that he was almost minused. "Caldoric, we've got time. Were in a tunnel that takes about 35.7 minutes to traverse. What aren't you telling me?" Once again, he began wondering if it had been wise to throw his lot in with this former human.

Caldoric sighed. "Many things, friend. Many things, and for each it's own reason." They walked in silence for another while before he spoke again. "I'm afraid of what might happen, what I might become, if I can't find him in time... if the venom fully takes root in my system before he has a chance to remove it."

Midge smiled sadly, taking this in. Yeah, this human was definitely wierd. While Caldoric was impish at times, and even downright unpredictable on occasion, he still seemed to have a certain regard for the safety of others. "Don't worry, Caldoric, I'll be there for you, no matter what. We're a team now."

Caldoric chuckled. "Heh, that reminds me of a song..." He remarked, and then sang a couple lines.

♪If I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman?
♪If I'm alive and well, will you be there, holding my hand?
♪I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might: Kryptonite!♪

Caldoric's singing was a little flat, but it got the point across. Not to mention, the lyrics were rather appropriate to the situation.

"That was... kinda nice, actually." Midge was appreciative of the fact that his new friend had felt comfortable sharing a bit of his people's music with him.

"Thanks, bro." Caldoric looked over and nudged Midge's shoulder with his hip. "For the most part, my family can't stand it when I sing, because they say I'm 'off key,' always too low or too high."

"Oh, come off it," Midge replied, smiling, "you're not so bad at it. I personally don't mind if you share whatever song's going through your head with me like that." He gave his friend an encouraging grin, the effect only slightly marred by his fangs.

~~~~
I looked at Midge, who was grinning like an idiot, but in a loveable way. My attention was drawn to his fangs, and I began wondering why an equine being such as himself would have evolutionary need for such a thing: perhaps, some time back, his ancestors had wielded mandibles in their place? Setting my theories aside, I returned my focus to the conversation at hand.

"Thanks for the encouragement, Midge," I told him, "I'd be glad to share more music with you, but it's all on my phone, in my Hammerspace. And it seems I've lost access to it since the mutation."

Midge's smile fell immediately, to be replaced by a look of deep worry. "What? How?" He asked, concerned.

"Well, when I was locked in the cell back there, I tried retrieving a few items that I felt would be handy for tunneling out, but it didn't work."

Midge's eyes went wide, then he dropped his head with a deep sigh. It took a second, but I finally realized that he had started shaking with suppressed laughter.

"What? How is this funny?" I demanded.

"Ah, you whacko," he said, "it's because there's a jinx on those cells, to prevent anypony from doing exactly that."

I was so stunned at the revelation, that I didn't even flinch at the use of the word "anypony."

"Wait, what?" I reached behind my back with my left arm, and found the familiar "soft spot" near where my jeans pocket had been. My inquisitive hand sank deep inside, and on a whim I pulled out my lightsaber. I mashed the button with a bit much enthusiasm, and the weapon's glowing blade thrummed to life as per normal, both illuminating the tunnel and nearly blinding everyone nearby; I hadn't realized how much my eyes had adjusted to these dark surroundings, which meant it had to have been worse for everyone else. Quickly putting the hilt away, I floundered for something to make up for my blunder as I blinked spots from my vision.

"So..." I said awkwardly, waiting for my eyes and ears to readjust themselves. "You said the cells were 'jinxed,' correct?"

"Yeah," came the reply from my left, "I did. Why?"

I thought for a moment, and tried to figure out where my subconscious had been going with that question. "Well, not to be a Grammar Nazi, but... don't you think 'enchanted' would've been a better choice of word? Or even 'cursed'?"

Midge shook his head. "No, enchantments are closer to charms in nature, while curses are way Tartarus and gone past regular old jinxes. Just don't get me started on 'ensorcellments' or 'bewitchings,' alright? That's more advanced stuff." I was silent for a moment, then...

"Huh...?" I said at last, blank-faced. "...I'm confused."

Midge turned his head in my general direction, and I could only guess at the sort of look he was giving me, what with my eyes still not having reacclimated to the darkness. "You really don't know anything about magic, do you? Not even the basics?"

"Um..." I said, running my left hand along the back of my rough head. I really needed a mirror... and a shower. "No. I mean, I'm familiar with the words you were using, but I always assumed they were just synonymous verbs pertaining to magic in general... sorry. Magic is not something that exists, where I come from: I've recently been trying to get up to speed with book learning, but it's been hard without someone who has practical experience with the type of magic that's natural to this world."

"I'd be more than willing to teach you," replied Midge, "I've got a fair amount of experience to go round. And, depending on what they put in that venom, I may have to teach you a few other things."

I chuckled. "And here I was about to ask." I hesitated for a second. "If I remember correctly, I think I heard either Chrysalis or Roodaka mention something about adding Changeling DNA to the venom. Like, warrior or commander class, I think."

"Caste," corrected my companion, "they're called 'castes' within the hive. They're like genetically dictated jobs. Anyway, back to the magic thing. What've you managed to figure out about it on your own, so far?"

I thought back to yesterday's events (which seemed so long ago, now,) and tried to remember what I'd accomplished. "Um, let me think... Well, I've got a bit of a hold on levitation-slash-telekinetic manipulation, and a little bit of shielding, which probably saved our butts more than once back in the cavern. I tried my hands at offensive blasts at one point, but something wasn't working, so I decided to come back to it later. I'd like to do teleportation as soon as possible, but that seems a bit out of my reach at the moment. Oh, and I pulled off a sort of imperfect translation spell; Not sure how long that'll last..."

Midge nodded. "Seems about right, as far as I know. Maybe the problem is in the technique? Whatever books you're learning from were probably written with Unicorn casters in mind, not some other species... What's your focal point?"

I blinked. "Uh... my hands. Maybe I need to focus the energy through both of them simultaneously? Sorta like a Hadouken or Kamehameha kind of thing?" Midge was definitely lost at my choice of terminology, so I attempted to elaborate. "Sort of a plasma ball or energy wave, generated between one's hands whilst held close to the body, then thrust forward and released. Huh... maybe I could replicate a Rasengan if I play my cards right..."

Midge's eyes had glazed over, which was a feat unto itself, given their insectoid nature. "They're from various animes..." I said. "But that's besides the point. Let's get back to magic stuff, shall we?"

His attention immediately returned to our conversation. "Uh... Wha-? Oh, yeah. Magic. Um... What do you wanna know?"

"Everything you can tell me." I replied. "Starting with what you were saying about charms and curses and stuff being different things..."

Midge smiled. "Ah, magical theory; As good a place to start as any. To start with, we have spells, which covers basically any piece of magic that can be used. It's a very vague term most of the time. Usually, it just involves gathering and shaping the proper amount of magic energy (regardless of what the user calls it,) before sending it out towards one or more targets, or 'casting,' with a semi-specific intent in mind. Anything that doesn't fit into any of the other categories can usually just be referred to as a spell."

"Ok," I replied, internalizing that, "sounds simple enough. What's next?"

"That'd be charms. They're sort of a grey area, as I'm about to explain." The former Changeling paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "They are one of two things: one, a spell that adds or changes a quality of a given target, though not on a fundamental level."

"And the definition of 'fundamental' is subjective to the beliefs of the caster?" I asked, curious.

"Yes, which is one reason I called it a grey area. There's also the fact that there's two types, as I just told you. The second of which, by the way, is a physical item that's been made to bear magical properties--"

"Like a necklace, pendant, or bracelet," I continued, stroking my chin, "makes sense."

Midge gave me a look. "Ok, you catch on quick, I'll admit, but could you please let me finish my own sentences?"

"Sorry."

"Accepted. Now, on to jinxes."

"Wait..." I said. "Wouldn't the spell that was on the cell technically be a charm then?"

He smiled. "Ah, you'd think that, wouldn't you? But if you would let me explain, you would understand."

"Ah... well then... continue, I guess."

He nodded. "As I was saying: Jinxes are considered to be slightly 'dark' in nature, because of what they entail, though they're definitely not as bad as hexes. Usually jinxes are of a more prankster-y bent, targeting either one's luck, fortune, or ability to do something, though there are always exceptions. The magic on the cell was more of a lingering AoE type."

"Huh..." I said, momentarily shifting my attention as the tunnel took a sharp bend to the left. "That... explains a few things..."

"True. Now, after that, we have hexes." Midge took a moment to step around a stalagmite. "Those are definitely problematic. Distinctly darker in nature, they're more for causing displeasure, discomfort, or even minor harm. In a way, they are similar to bewitchments, yet different enough to warrant their own category."

"Like that 'eat slugs' thing that Ron tried to do to Malfoy..." I muttered, nodding. "It's from the 'Harry Potter' series, by J.K.Rowling."

"Sounds like fun. I'll have to read it sometime." 

"Yeah, you should. Now, what's next, after hexes?"

Midge cleared his throat. "Those would be curses. The 'darkest' of dark magic, by most standards."

"Oh, yeah, I'm familiar with those." I said. "They can range from minor injuries, such as losing an ear or a finger -- which can be incurable, depending on the magic system -- to death. For example: there's the Imperius curse, for mind control; the Cruciatus curse, for torture; Sectumsempra, which causes lacerations upon the target, and is probably more on the borderline with hexes; Avada Kedavra, the Killing curse, usually characterized as a jet of green light; and Fiend Fire, which is devilishly difficult to control even under the best of conditions."

"What are you two talking about?" Buzzed a nearby Changeling, who had fallen back to our location without me noticing.

"Magic." Replied Midge, not missing a beat. "Caldoric here is relatively new to the concept, so I'm running him through a basic crash course on spell vernacular."

"Uh, Midge? Who's this?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, sorry, man! Lemme introduce myself!" Said the new Changeling. "The name's Fracker, nice to meet you!"

I took the proffered hoof, hesitantly, and shook it. "Caldoric, though you already knew that." I winced, my tail momentarily lashing as I pressed my left palm and right wrist to my temples. "Ow..."

I looked up from the momentary headache to see Midge and Fracker involved in some form of non-verbal conversation. "What's up?" I asked, concerned.

"Oh, nothin', dude." Said Fracker. "Just gettin the down-low on your particular situation from my best bro, man."

"Y-yes," said Midge, before I could speak, "and I was just wondering... Do you know which of the Chanarak were you bitten by?"

I thought back to just before I'd been dunked in bug juice. "...13?" I supplied, hazarding a guess. "Or maybe 15; I... I don't know for sure. Like I said, I think Roodaka mentioned something about it having both warrior and commander caste DNA...?"

Midge sucked a shaky breath in through his teeth as his ears pinned back, and Fracker gave a whistle of astonishment as they both locked eyes once again. A half second later, they nodded, and looked back to me.

"I think..." Began Midge, "I think it's time we introduced you to the hive-mind..."

~~~~
Chrysalis woke on a soft bed in what passed for the Med ward. She could hear the repetitive droning of a heart monitor, and a few other machines besides.

"...Ohhhhhhhh, my head..." She muttered, idly brushing aside a stray lock of her long, greasy-looking mane. In truth, it couldn't be any cleaner: after all, the look was one she had carefully spent the last two decades sculpting and coordinating. Like most things, it was intended to provide a psychological deterrent to those who would get too close, but because she was royalty, she had a certain set of standards.

"Ugh, what in the name of Tartarus is going on?" The erstwhile Queen muttered to herself. "Why am I in Medical?"

"Oh, good, you're awake!" came the voice of her sister in crime, Roodaka. She moved into Chrysalis' vision, carrying a sort of lantern that contained a few glowing, snake-like creatures.

"Wh... What are those?" Chrysalis asked. She could sense the warmth that was positively radiating from the small creatures, and wasn't sure she wanted them too close to her at the moment.

"Lava Eels," Roodaka casually remarked, as she set the lantern down on the bedside table, "long story."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "We've got hotter irons in the fire that need dealing with first." She said. "What happened back in the cavern? Last thing I remember, there was an explosion..."

Roodaka chuckled. "Good, good... It seems that's a universal constant." She noted the glare her quadrupedal counterpart leveled at her, and continued. "See, our latest pet project managed to escape, along with a sizable number of our forces and all our former captives. In addition, if my information is correct, I believe a couple of my-- er, our, Chanarak have gone unaccounted-for in the aftermath. In addition, the escapees managed to collapse the tunnels to the surface behind them to try and hinder attempts on our part to follow. Your chief strategists and I are certain they have no intention of returning with reenforcements, but given that we cannot follow them quickly, we've decided to cease operations here, pull back, and attempt another approach vector at another date. We'll backfill and/or collapse these tunnels once all traces of our workings have been swept clean.

"Also, more importantly..." Roodaka continued, looking uncomfortably down at Chrysalis' side as the Queen seethed, "there's the matter of your forelimb."

Chrysalis reflexively lifted the hoof that seemed to be in question. Or, rather, she tried. All she saw move was a small portion of the limb, which came to an abrupt end just above where the first joint should have been. The sharply-angled point of termination had been capped off with a blue medicinal gel only used for serious injuries, as was SOP among the Hive, but even through the gel Chrysalis could see the scorched edges of the chitin. As soon as she laid eyes on that particular detail, memories surfaced of the semi-toa they'd captured. His mutation, his subsequent shattering of her control, and...

"He cut off my leg...?" Chrysalis asked, her voice carrying several dangerous undertones. "The recalcitrant bastard, I'll have him flayed alive! I'll make him regret the day he crossed me and my hive...!" She cut herself off and cupped her remaining forehoof to the gel'd stump. It had begun to itch, which meant that the long and uncomfortable healing process was starting.

"I understand -- from what the medical experts of your hive have told me -- that it could take anywhere between several weeks and a couple of your months for that to grow back," Roodaka supplied. "Of course, given a little time and the right materials, I could make -- or, better yet, procure, -- a synthetic replacement for your lost limb. A prosthetic, of sorts, except that it would be superior to the original. After all, the Ghosts of Nynrah have had millennia in which to advance their skills since my Master's confrontation with Mata Nui. I have a certain pull with them, and I'm certain they'd be only too happy to oblige such a... simple request from myself. If you're interested, of course."

Chrysalis, of course, was skeptical. "What good would a phantom leg do me? I need something better than that if I'm to be back on my hooves in short enough order to exact my vengeance."

Roodaka merely smiled and shook her head at her reflection's unintended ignorance. "I assure you, sister, the Nynrah Ghosts are only that in name; one which they earned through their extreme preference for solitude. They rarely, if ever, let themselves be seen, but the sheer quality of their work far outmatches the peculiar quirks of these master artisans. These Matoran's skills are nigh legendary, second only to those from Artakha." Then, the Vortixx reached behind her back and pulled a strange device seemingly out of nowhere. It was a long, scepter-like object, save that it had an unusual and dangerous-looking mechanism mounted on the functional end.

"You remember what I told you about Rhotuka spinners...?" She asked. At Chrysalis' hesitant nod, Roodaka hefted the device and gave it a slight shake. "Among other things, this is able to snag any spinner thrown my way that I so desire to catch, thus allowing me to send it right back at whoever was so foolish as to have sent it my way in the first place. It is the second of its kind: the first was destroyed after I entrusted its care to an utter buffoon. This one, however, is far more durable: I designed it myself, with upgraded features, and even had a hand in its construction. However, the Nynrah Ghosts were the ones responsible for the greater part of its making, and it is all the better for it. Do you understand, now? Mark my words:  there is no greater endorsement for something than the word of a Vortixx."

Chrysalis took a moment to ponder her options. Normally, the mere suggestion of a Queen asking another for aid, especially the leader of another Hive, was all too easy for an overeager rival to "misinterpret" as a sign of weakness. However, given the circumstances... there were procedures that allowed for the leader of an afflicted Hive to band together with other hives if a threat was faced by Changeling-kind as a whole, or if some other affront was made to the species collectively. And Roodaka was very much like herself, Chrysalis thought; a strong leader of her (usually) loyal subjects/army. Accepting aid of this kind would, she reasoned, not be frowned upon if word got out.

Reaching a decision, Chrysalis nodded. "I'll accept the prosthetic, but I want to go over the design first, to be sure of what I'm getting out of it."

Roodaka smiled. "Good, good... I'd expect nothing less of you, Chrysalis. That said, I'd best be on my way: I have places to be, things to do, heroes to fool... you know, the usual for our kind." She got up and began walking towards the chamber's exit, only to pause in the doorway. "Oh, and whilst I'm out placing the work order for that leg, I'll see if I can't have the Ghosts come up with a little something for your horn..."

And just like that, Roodaka vanished into the shadows of the hall beyond.

"Wait, what...?!" Chrysalis demanded of the empty air, her one good hoof darting up to her horn. Running it along its gnarled length, she was shocked to feel that it was now a noticably shorter length. Her subsequent scream of indignant, inarticulate rage shook the caverns for several minutes beyond the point when she'd stopped for a calming breath; the echoes fed on one another as they played strangely off of the artificial walls until they eventually faded. Every Changeling who heard knew to keep their head down around their Queen for the immediate future, assuming they hoped to continue living.

~~~~
(Elsewhere...)

I flinched momentarily as I felt a wave of pure emotion wash across my mind. Apparently I wasn't the only one; many of the Changelings in our party did the same before glancing back the way we'd come.

*Ooh, that wasn't good; Chrysalis is super peeved.* I heard Midge think at me privately over the mental link we'd established. Though he'd first introduced the concept to me as a sort of "hive-mind", he was quick to disillusion me of any concerns regarding mental privacy or individuality. In fact, they only referred to it as a hive-mind when speaking with or near outsiders, just to throw them off. Privately, their race referred to this particular form of mental connection as "The Sending," and thought it well worth the capitalized letters they'd given it. *'Scuse me a second...* Midge continued, then turned his attention to the Changelings in our rag-tag group.

«Attention, everyling...!» His thoughts carried over a more public link of the Sending. «I'm certain you all just felt that, so schism up, you hear? We're going Hive-dark from here on, for our own safety. Most of you have been on sensitive ops that required similar action before: as such, share SOPs with those who haven't.»

‹But who's rooting?› An unknown voice asked. ‹We'll need a root if we're going to go full schism...!›

«Not to worry, just form up on Caldoric here.» Midge replied.

‹The outsider...? Why that one? They know nothing of our ways; they have no experience!›

«He is of Caste to lead us, by the grace of Chrysalis herself!» Midge retorted. «And he has been burned by her, same as us. I trust him to get us through this. If you want to try surviving on your own, you're more than welcome to try; but with given that we're probably on Chrysalis and Roodaka's shitlist now, to borrow a human expression, I  feel we're better off together.»

There was a bit of grumbling across the mental network, but it seemed the case had been made.

"Uh, Midge, I do--grrk...!" My words were cut off as I felt something akin to a series of weights begin laying themselves against the back of my mind, and suddenly each weight became a connection to another mind; one through which I could receive information, and then send back orders in return. It was a frightening sensation, like having a new array of semi-independant limbs willing to do my bidding. Along with the new weight of responsibility that this came with, there was a sense of exhaustion. I allowed myself a long blink to try and clear it, to no avail.

*So, Caldoric, what's our next move...?* Midge asked me, once again on a private channel. Unsure how to respond in kind, I instinctively fell back on some of the commands available on certain Minecraft servers that'd had player-to-player messaging plugins enabled; I prefaced my reply with a mental "/r".

/r Uh...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that had to have been the most elegant reply to any question asked in the history of ever. Not.

*You do have a plan, don't you?* Midge asked. *As our leader, they'll be expecting some sort of direction from you shortly.*

/r Right, uh, I don't actually have a plan. Yet. I reported. /r I mean, I have an idea or two, but I think I should bounce them off you first to see if you think they'd jive with SOPs or whatever.

*Ok, first off, what's with that "/r" thing you're suddenly tacking onto your sendings? It's weird. Secondly, I'd be more than happy to check your ideas, if you want to share them with me.*

I explained as best I could. Midge tried to understand what I was telling him about Minecraft, though he had no real frame of reference for what I was talking about on that front. As for my ideas... well, he wasn't exactly positive that they'd go over well with the Changelings in our group: they'd had some bad experience with some of the areas my ideas would likely take us to, and weren't likely to be happy about potentially going back.

So, with Midge's guidance, I sent out a sort of all-call message stating that we were to regroup once we got back to the underground vicinity of my base so I could have an opportunity to tell everyone my plan. The message was also to be passed to the non-lings in our group, so we'd all be on the same page.

Once we had gotten to the large artificially-made cavern near the surface, -- the very one I had once intended to make an SG1 Gateroom replica out of (by the gods, that seemed so long ago now,) -- we came to a stop, I had a chance to go over my plan, and the Changelings subsequently proved Midge's initial presumption correct: most of them didn't like the idea, and objected heavily. However, after a long discussion -- wherein most of the non-changeling, non-vakhi members of the crew showed support and/or approval for my idea, -- a good percentage of the Changelings came around. As for the four or five who made it clear they'd rather leave than be part of it, I kindly made it clear that they were free to do so if they so wished. I would not try to stop them; in fact, I would be willing to encourage them to do so if they so truly desired, as I was one for free will. I also assured them I'd try to arrange for safe passage for them to get wherever they wanted to go instead, (assuming my plan worked at all,) and expressed hope they'd have safe, fulfilling journeys on their chosen path.

After the little pow-wow, I was exhausted; nonetheless, I led the final stretch up to the surface, reassuring 'lings, Vakhi, and others as I went. However, what I found waiting for us was not what I expected.
> 14: Rescued, But Not Recovered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna stood in the clearing, looking at the small, unassuming wooden construction that was Caldoric's home. Alongside her stood several concerned figures, each of whom had practically stormed Canterlot Castle in their haste to beg for her assistance. Foremost among them were a rather strange Ta-Matoran, an unfamiliar purple Toa who seemed perpetually out of place, a diminutive bipedal skeleton who -- despite the direness of their claim -- continued to crack the occasional joke, and a female Spherus Magnan who called herself "Shelau" and self-identified as a "Vakhi", whatever that was...

A contingent of Lunar guards stood to attention around the area, though the nocturnal Diarch could tell through minute details they let slip that there was confusion amongst their rank. Her guard could not see what she could at this moment, and she doubted they ever would.

Motion caught her eye, and she turned her attention back to the "house". The door had opened, and the procession that came through it would most likely become one of the strangest sights she had seen in a good time. At the head of the ill-matched crew was an almost bestial Toa-like figure, leaning heavily upon an abnormally large and feral-looking Changeling. Behind them came many other Changelings of the more normal variety, several giant four-legged spiders with oversized mandibles, a few bestially-disfigured entities of widely varying description, and a small crowd of beings who bore striking resemblance to Shelau.

Shelau, for her part, rushed forward with outstretched arms and cries of joy to meet several of her apparent kin, who had all done the same. Meanwhile, the spiders and most of the Changelings began wandering out to the  clearing's edge, possibly setting up some form of perimeter as the rest attempted to usher the pair of strangers who were formerly at the parade's head off to one side; however, neither of the odd duo would be turned from their unsteady walk towards Luna.

When they got within fifty feet, the hunched being dropped to its knees, looking at Luna with its strange, bi-colored eyes, and spoke.

"Par... Parrrrrrrrliament?" It paused, looking confused. "Parse? No, no; parrrrticulate, perrrrrsnickety...?"

"Parley?" Luna suggested, at the same time as the strange Changeling that'd been attending the speaker.

The speaker looked up sharply, snapped with the clawed fingers of his left -- and seemingly only -- hand, and then pointed at Luna with a smile. "Aye, that." He affirmed, his voice gruff, but still somehow familiar. "Knew you'd remember, Lulu. 's not every night a guy accidentally crashes the royal tea party, eh? And once again, I'm in a spot of bother, so I throw myself at your mercy."

"C-Caldoric?" Luna asked, shocked. The figure nodded and, before she could continue, he turned to his companion and spoke.

"Midge, you know your my second in command, yeah?" He asked the tall Changeling, his words beginning to slur drastically as he swayed drunkenly. "I gotta crashhshsshh here in a bit, so take the helm...! You c'n trus' 'er, arait?" He moved to gesture at Luna, only to pitch forward and nearly land flat on his face. The only things that stopped him from achieving a full faceplant were Luna and "Midge" seizing him in their magic. As they hoisted him upright again, they could hear him snoring softly as his head tilted forward.

After a second of this, Luna and the Changeling looked at one another. "Well... Midge, was it?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mind explaining what happened here?"

Midge gulped nervously, and did his best to tell her everything he could about the situation.

~~~~
(Later, inside the "house"...)

Luna massaged her temples thoroughly. She then lifted her gaze, locking unamused eyes with Midge, who sat opposite her at what had most likely been a sort of island-counter in Caldoric's crudely-furnished "kitchen". Luna took another deep breath and screwed her eyes closed for a mere moment before speaking to the Changeling before her.

"So, thou art telling us that Chrysalis and Roodaka have joined forces, pooling their resources to create an as-yet unknown breed of Changeling-Visorak hybrid, armed with the best of both its progenitors' races. They also had been tunneling towards the Capital with intent to enact a strike against Equestrian high society, focused particularly upon myself, Celestia, and anypony else capable of maintaining order in the country. Thoughts art also asking us to believe that the two aforementioned just so happened to run across Caldoric's admittedly expansive network of tunnels, then decided to use it as a breach point to the surface hidden away in the Everfree Forest. Afterwards, Caldoric and his friends arrived unexpectedly, and we're attacked by Roodaka and Chrysalis' joint forces, whom Caldoric and several of his party were subsequently ensnared by, after which several of the captives -- including Caldoric himself -- were experimented upon and mutated by the venom of the previously mentioned new Visorak."

"Uh, yes, but--"

"After that," Luna continued, holding up a hoof to forestall Midge's words, "Caldoric then led an aggressive escape attempt, with no training, no plan, and seemingly little skill...? And that, subsequently, those of you who had followed him out severed ties with the Hive and formed a new one with Caldoric at its center?"

There was silence for a moment, and then Midge spoke.

"Yes. That's... That's pretty much what I just told you, though a bit simplified."

"And why did he fall unconscious?"

"Er..." Midge rubbed at the back of his head. "I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest, ma'am. My best guess is that the transformative effect of the venom may have called upon the energy stored in his body's cells as it worked, leaving him drained afterwards. I'd recommend he get a good meal of... Uh. Food; food and rest. That's my recommendation, at least. I don't exactly know what his biology was like before the transformation, though he looked half-draconic. As for now?" He did his best to shrug, which seemed awkward with his new, second set of wings getting in the way. "I don't even know what I am anymore. Who am I to judge?"

Luna turned her gaze towards the presently semi-monstrous form of Caldoric, which presently was curled almost restlessly on his makeshift bed in the adjacent room. His eyes were screwed shut, his brows knit together, and he occasionally muttered things like "no, don't" or "please, stop it...!"

"We must need look deep into his subconscious." Luna stated, though there was a tone to her voice that hinted she would probably rather not at the moment. "In this case, unusual as it is, We shall be needing permission. From you, specifically, young Midge. He seems to trust you implicitly with his well-being, so I leave the decision up to you."

"A valid point," Midge said as he gratefully gestured to the lunar princess. "However, it would be much appreciated if you would be willing to send a few of your forces down with ours to round up as many of Chrysalis and Roodaka's forces as--"

A faint rumbling and shaking of the cavern around them brought the conversation to a halt. Luna's gaze moved this way and that as she sought an unknown danger. Meanwhile, Midge's gaze shot to the tunnel leading to the lower levels of Caldoric's former exploratory mining efforts.

After a few seconds of Midge supposedly staring off into space with a vaguely growing look of concern, Luna was about to ask what had happened, only for Midge to finally speak up once again.

"They've just collapsed the tunnels... Shit!" The harsh word took Luna by surprise: it had been a while since she'd heard any pony swear, let alone with such a vehement tone. "If there's one thing we Changelings know better than burrowing in secret, it's how to collapse our tunnels and confuse those who would wish to follow us . It's only a last resort option, however... I doubt there's anything we can do now to track them down. You have full permission to access his mind, as long as you leave it intact: we'll keep things secure here in the real world alongside your guards, in case any sort of suicide squad was sent up to cause us some last minute trouble." He then nodded and walked off without another word, his face a mask of concern and uncertainty.

Luna discreetly gnawed the inside of one cheek, considering her options as she glanced at Caldoric. As if sensing her gaze, the stricken figure fidgeted momentarily. Luna knew this wasn't going to be an easy task, but it had to be done. With skill born of many years' worth of practice, she closed her eyes, settled herself into a comfortable sitting position that could be maintained for hours on end, and cast her spell.

The still, motionless underground air began to stir, swirling around her faster and faster with every second as she built up power. When she had enough set aside, she let it flow through her horn. As it moved, it drew a line of pale, silvery-white light along the groove that curled along the horn's entire length, until it reached the tip. Once there, it pooled in a small marble of power, and then a small tendril of energy journeyed forth from it, seeking its way across the chamber towards Caldoric's sleeping body. Luna discreetly cracked one eye open to ensure her aim was correct, and was just in time to notice something unusual transpiring.

Normally, when she cast the spell, the tendril would make contact with the subject's forehead, and a connection would be established between their mind and her own. This time, however, the tendril had its own ideas; just as it was about to touch Caldoric's forehead, it suddenly jinked upwards, shot forth over the top of his head, and split in two. Before Luna had time to so much as gasp, each of the new sub-tendrils had wrapped themselves around the smoall hornlike protrusions sticking out of the back of Caldoric's head, and then buried their probing tips into the material at the horns' base.

Thus, the connection was established, and Luna's awareness of the world around her faded as a pulse of energy made its way along the cord of light between their minds.

~~~~
Luna's eyes shot open as she came to consciousness in unfamiliar surroundings. Scrambling upright from her formerly prone position. The motion had been somewhat undignified for someone of her status, but she did not see anyone else around to take notice of the incident, so she wasn't concerned. Her momentary comfort, however, was short-lived as she finally took real notice of her new environment. Everything she saw was blurred and unfocused, almost as if she was looking at it all through her peripheral vision. Her head felt strangely foggy as well, and she had no idea why. The scenery itself was chronically inconsistent: there were trees, and there were not. There were hills, and there also were not. There was a cabin, of sorts, and there also was not.

The colors of everything were somewhat faded, slightly more greyish than she was used to seeing things, with the sky itself being the largest offender; it looked vaguely overcast, but not in a dark and gloomy way. In fact, if she hadn't seen the actual, vaguely amorphous clouds hanging in the distance, (which were also not there,) she would've been convinced the sky was overcast. Of course, as she quickly discovered, she was hard-pressed to focus her attention on anything for very long, perhaps because of the unfocused nature of everything around her.

During this first impression of the place in which she currently found herself, Luna reflected on the fact that it had been quite some time since a dreamscape had altered her perception of things so dramatically. She also couldn't help but wonder if Caldoric's dreams were always so drab, or if this was a unique circumstance. The lunar princess was shaken from her musings by the sight of Caldoric wandering aimlessly around. He, at least, was fully colored, though his form was as inconsistent as the surroundings, and he did not look the same as Luna remembered him; he currently appeared to be human, though clothed in a mix of casual cloth and metal armor that shifted almost constantly. As she watched, he was suddenly an anthropomorphic dragon, then a Toa, and then a hybrid of all three.

Luna briefly looked down at herself, to see if she was also as colored as Caldoric was, though she couldn't tell for sure. Turning her attention back to her surroundings, she was surprised to find Caldoric was now standing incredibly close to her, looking almost exactly as he currently did in the real world, save that his eyes were both silver-grey instead of heterochromic orange-green. His gaze shifted all over the place, almost as if he was looking at her for the first time.

"Cold Winter fast approaches as we fearfully wait," he said, absentmindedly, as Luna reeled from shock. "The simplest of simple creatures, bound by the laws of fate; yet as we shivered in the forest -- worlds away from home -- we lost our last vestige of hope, freezing and alone. Now, a shadow comes to us in our dreams, with tales of better times; is the royal princess of the night to save us in our time?"

Luna was thrown momentarily off-balance by his words and unusual use of rhyme in the situation: even in the dreams of her subjects, unusual though they may be, things always made a certain degree of sense, even if only to her.

Perhaps her confusion had shown through to her face, or perhaps it was because she chose that moment to shake her head in a vain attempt to clear the fog from her mind; whatever the reason, Caldoric's expectant face fell, and he shook his head in turn as he looked away. "Nay, the surface world did overlook us as a monster we became; our flesh made shell and armor, nigh extinguished was our flame."

Luna had had about enough of Caldoric's brief spell of speaking in verse: it was bad enough that, in the time she had been banished from Equestria, the Zebrican ponies had apparently picked up the habit of communicating only in poorly-constructed rhyming couplets to show how "wise" they were. And now, this human was not only addressing her in a very similar fashion, he was practically accusing her kingdom of -- what, exactly?

"Lo, Lunarabelle," Caldoric said, one hand stretched dramatically towards the sky above as he gazed into the heavens. "Behold, and heed well my words."

Luna was so shocked at this relative stranger -- who apparently knew her true first name (which only Celestia was supposed to know) -- that she almost didn't look up at the sky as he had requested. When she did, though, all other concerns were forgotten in a heartbeat; Clearly visible in the uncertain sky was an array of several planets.

While none of the overlarge planetoids were native to either Earth or Terra's solar systems, they were quite obviously bigger than they ever should appear in any sky without the aid of a serious telescope. This meant that each of the planets had to be impossibly close, both to one another and to whichever world they were on now. Of course, it was only after this revelation that Luna realized Caldoric had been speaking.

He was doing so in some tongue that she couldn't place at first, though by the time she did, she had also come to realize that she might as well not bother listening to Caldoric's words. It was an old, old tongue called Eldrantz Equii, and given the particular "speaking forward and backward simultaneously with a mouthful of peanut butter" inflection he was giving it, she had to guess that it was an Inactive form of the language's Lesser Invocative recension. This being a dialect with no real delineation between past, present, and future (among other things,) it meant that if you accidentally checked out of a sentence for even a second, you could render entire swathes of conversation untranslatable.

In short, because she had missed Caldoric's first couple of statements, he may as well have been speaking Klingon for all the good it would do her. Yes, she had occasionally taken to watching a series of human television broadcasts known collectively as "Star Trek" in her spare time; however, she sometimes had trouble understanding some of their cultural cues, let alone being able to separate human science fiction from "real" human science (as they understood the concept, that is.)

When Caldoric finally came to a stop, dramatically dropping the raised hand to his side, she finally spoke. "Caldoric, what is the meaning of all this...?" She demanded of him, and the reaction was immediate.

Caldoric tensed, almost as if startled, then looked frantically around for a moment before his gaze settled upon her once more. His eyes, Luna idly noted, had gone back to there previous heterochromic state: his right eye glowed an unusually vibrant spring green once more, while his left glowed pumpkin-orange. Once again, his form had changed once again, leaving him in the guise of his "Hordika" form. Caldoric also did not appear pleased to see her.

"Th-the blood... moon!" He exclaimed softly, his voice brimming with panic and his eyes filled with fear as he leveled a shaky finger at her. "She rises...!" He then glanced about for a moment, before suddenly booking it in a random direction.

"Wh-- get back here!" Luna demanded, and made to follow him. She soon discovered that nothing seemed to work properly anymore, now that she desired to run; first her hooves seemed to stick to the ground, and then, once she'd tried flying to get out of the predicament, her motions felt impossibly slow, like trying to run through molasses. It was a disturbing sensation, one she'd not known personally for eons, though she had encountered it often enough in some of her subjects' less savory dreams.

To have it affect her, personally, -- and now, of all times -- it was a disturbing omen. Perhaps Human minds were more different from those of Ponykind than she had previously thought? After all, given Humanity's overall lack of obvious offensive or defensive physical attributes -- especially their lack of magic -- it made sense that they'd evolved to operate differently in the realm of dreams as well as that of the physical.

Eventually, she found herself atop a gravel hill that'd taken far too long to crest, looking down at a landscape that was even more grey than before. In fact, it seemed almost metallic, like polished steel: there were slightly darker lines curving and weaving their way across the otherwise nearly-featureless ground, with no discernable pattern. What caught her attention most of all, however, were two biomechanical figures apparently locked in a slightly animated disagreement next to a large, crater-like hole in the landscape. Others like it -- each different in size -- occasionally dotted the landscape, though at a fair distance from  one another. She couldn't see  very far into this closest one, though she felt uneasy considering where it could possibly lead if one of the two figures were to fall in somehow.

Abruptly, the ground came loose beneath her hooves, sending her scrabbling and skidding down the gravel slope towards the two strangers. When Luna finally came to rest, she found herself staring up at the two figures, who were looking at her in return, and she was able to notice several details about them that had gone unobserved from atop the hill.

One of them, who was nearly cowering, appeared almost malformed; his back was hunched unnaturally, there was almost no symmetry to his physical form, and his right forelimb ended in a strange crystalline contraption that looked almost akin to a crudely-designed sword. His left forelimb, by comparison, was shriveled and practically vestigial, his tail was bent and crooked in places, and he was covered in old, deep scars that stretched across both flesh and metal.

In short, he looked to be an almost pitiful creature, save for his beautiful emerald eyes. Behind the ever-present fear, there was a sort of defiant quality to his gaze that appeared at complete odds with everything else about him. They spoke of intelligence, weary but determined, and they almost seem to indicate he was used to the situation.

The other entity, however was the complete opposite of his companion. His form was sleek, and his armor spoke of lean, toned muscles set to pounce on anything that gave it half a chance. "Predatory" would be a good way to describe him: just looking at him forcibly put Luna in mind of the most elegant hunters of the animal kingdom: large jungle cats, ancient dire-wolves, snakes, sharks. However, far more prominent than the feral characteristics were the anthropomorphic ones, which reminded her all too well of Rahkshi and the Sangheilian "Elites". Speed, elegance, and fatal grace this one had, all wrapped into something Luna could easily believe would not stop hunting a target until he had caught it, no matter the cost.

He, too, had a blade sprouting from his forelimb, though it made that of his companion look like a club by comparison. It was comprised of a single large crystal, meticulously ground down and sharpened to a razor-fine edge all around. It was an elegant instrument that promised a most sublime destruction to those unfortunate enough to be on the wrong end of it. It almost seemed to hunger for blood and carnage just by existing, moreso than the being of whom it was part. His eyes brilliant orange eyes, however, were wild and unfocused, indicative of a mind unhinged, though nearly as sharp as the blade he wielded.

Of course, for all their differences, the duo also had many similarities between them. For one, their color scheme matched that of Caldoric's armor near perfectly, though with strange splotches of what appeared to be rust scattered unevenly across their forms. They both also had chains running from just below where their respective blades met their wrists, though where each chain led differed. The hunchback's chain trailed off into the hole and vanished from sight, while that of the hunter drooped briefly before rising into the sky, terminating abruptly and illogically a few feet above his head.

"E-excuse me..." Luna said, getting to her hooves once more, "but could you please tell--"

"Ihr hat vielen Gelt!" The predatory one screeched, taking advantage of the momentary break in conversation to whirl on his companion, shoving him sharply towards the hole in the ground. The shabbier figure stumbled backwards a few steps, though he mercifully came to a stop while he was still several yards from the edge. At this point, the more feral of the duo suddenly grabbed hold of his chain and gave it a mighty heave, causing a greater length of it to be pulled from the midair vanishing point. Simultaneously, the chain attached to the weaker-looking one was suddenly pulled further into the hole by some unknown force, almost causing him to be dragged closer once more before he stood his ground against it.

 They're... connected? Luna wondered. But what happens if one is pulled to the extreme?

"Ehess, du weißt es anderes," the struggling figure stated, "das wir nicht sehr viel Gelt haben."

"Ihr hat Gelt, Eickh. Geben sie mir...!" The other figure -- "Ehess," Luna supposed -- said to the one he'd addressed as "Eickh". It sounded like they were speaking Germane, but her knowledge of the language was quite rusty: she was more familiar with what was now an antiquated dialect, but from what she was picking up, it seemed they were arguing over... Gold? Money? Luna couldn't exactly tell; she was definitely missing something.

"Intruder."

Luna jumped and spun around at the word, which had come from almost directly behind her. She had hardly completed the motion before a metal, gauntleted hand snapped closed around her neck and lifted her bodily into the air. As her hooves scrabbled fruitlessly against the armored forearm before her, Luna came face to visor'd face with the entity that held her. It wore an old, medieval-style set of plate armor, of the type that Paladins of old would be proud to wear. It, too, bore the same color scheme as Caldoric, though the distribution of colors and detail were more refined, suggestive of a high-ranking entity within whatever organization of which they were part.

"So, it would appear that the would-be Usurper has come into our domain." The stranger declared, the seemingly empty eye-sockets of their helmet suddenly blazing with white flames as they locked gazes with Luna. "But to what end? Did you think you could just enter uninvited, without consequences...?"

"U-usurper...?" Luna choked out, confused and concerned. "What are you...?"

"Do you know what your sins are...?" The Paladin asked, ignoring her question. "I do. I see everything about you. Would you like me to tell you what I see? Pride, do I see. Envy, too, do I see, and Greed, and Wrath, and Sloth. And yet, no sign of Lust, nor -- unlike your sister -- Gluttony."

With each conceptual sin the figure accused her of, images flashed through Luna's mind. For Pride, she saw Equestria from her balcony in Canterlot, the entire vista shaded in the blues, whites, and greys typical of her carefully-crafted nighttime displays. It was true that she took satisfaction in a night well done, and with the advancements in society that had been made during her banishment, her work had gone far more appreciated than it ever had before. And yet, the land she saw before her now, blanketed in darkness, was not modern Equestria: it was the one she had known before her banishment, before the very castle whose balcony she was now standing on had come into existence. But why?

For Envy, everything shifted. She still saw Equestria as it was more than a millennia ago, but bathed in golden sunlight this time, and full of ponies frolicking and playing, which it had not possessed during the night. And those who moved in this light gave praise to naught but her sister for this light, never giving thought to herself or her nocturnal works.

For Greed, she saw fragments of moments scattered across the many months before she had succumbed to the entity known as Nightmare Moon. Each moment was accompanied by excerpts of thoughts -- innocent enough at first, though they quickly grew dark in nature -- as to how great it would be if the residents of their kingdom would only appreciate her Nights as well as her sister's Days... or if they would appreciate only her Nights, forevermore!

For Wrath, she caught snatches of the moments across history when she had let her temper's leash out just that little bit too much. Prominent among them was the evening after the foiling of a particularly dangerous attack against her sister: for the first time in anyone's memory, she had raised a rust-red moon, and it was so brilliant the night sky was tinged with echoes of its overtones. But, more importantly, she saw her final transformation into Nightmare Moon, and the subsequent battle with her elder sister and best friend; it had left their home of the time in ruins, with Luna entombed within the Moon, Celestia drowning in grief, and their kingdom in turmoil.

For Sloth, she saw the day of Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding, the attendance of which she had foregone in favor of maintaining a "functional" sleep schedule, subsequently leaving the defense of their kingdom up to her sister, the then-fledgeling Princess of Love, and the unprepared Elements of Harmony. She had slept through the entire invasion, while several guards had been injured and even put into critical condition. This was followed with every time her sister had chosen to send Twilight's little circle of friends off to save Equestria from whatever new threat faced the nation, and Luna had done little or nothing to show objection to the thought: Discord, Sombra, Tirek, and more had come knocking at their doors, and she had sat idly beside her inactive sister. It was only due to the timely intervention of Autum Skies and the first Human to have ever arrived on their world that the country was saved in that last instance. Various other, lesser incidents made their presence known to her once again as well, particularly the matter of Prince Blueblood; then again, none of the royal court wanted to hoof the bill on the ancestry of that hot mess, especially herself. Luna shook her head, clearing the haunting mental images from her sight.

"As you can see," said the stranger who still held her by the throat, "you possess an inordinate score of red within your ledger. Though the history books may have forgotten, your soul will always remember; see, it betrays your past even now..." The stranger reached forward, pinching at a patch of Luna's coat, and coming away with a small clump of the same rustlike substance that coated portions of Ehess and Eickh's metallic hides. The armored stranger then crumbled it between his finger, and flicked away the resulting dust. Of course, it was only then that Luna realized that it wasn't rust; the smell was wrong for rust, though there was a definite metallic undertone to it.

What she had seen crumbling between the armored digits of her captor was blood. Dried blood.

She looked down at her body, dangling loosely from his hand as her hindlegs kicked feebly, uselessly, at the unresistant air. Her coat was matted with various large splotches of dried blood, so much so that barely any of her natural color showed through. Luna took a long and shuddering breath, her nostrils filling with the unfavorable scent as she did, and her mind reeled. What could this possibly mean? Who, or what, had such power to affect her on such a level while she was dream-walking?

"Uhlbreickh, stop tormenting her...!" Eickh called, from outside Luna's field of vision. "We've all made mistakes, as you're fond of reminding us every five seconds. But for every mistake made, we grow a little. And she's done a lot of it, faster at some points than others. You're in this thing just as much as we are."

"Not as much as you presume, Eickh," Uhlbreickh countered, dropping Luna to the ground and drawing an impressive-looking sword of knightly design. You make mistakes, I don't; I merely experience momentary lapses in oversight."

"Oh, yeah? Then what do you call letting us get blasted by the Visorak after we landed outside the base? Admit it: you fucked up, and fucked us over...!"

Something clicked in Luna's mind then, as the pair of unusual beings squabbled. Eickh and Ehess hadn't been saying "Gelt" during their brief exchange in Germane: they had been saying "guilt".

Another realization came hot on the tail of the first, like a pair of dominoes being toppled as part of a chain. The dried "blood", the talk of guilt, the strange trio's individual behaviors, the use of Germane... In fact, even their names; Ehess, Eickh, and Uhlbreickh. It was all part of an old psychological theory that had long since been disproven -- or, so the residents of the waking world believed.

Es, Ich, und Über-Ich...! Luna mentally remarked. The carnal Id, the self-important Superego, and the arbitrative Ego! And yet, the Ego is overmatched here by both the Id and Superego together; I must do something to resolve this! But what?

"Oh, I'm sorry, we'd just spent the last several hours crossing two entire continents, give or take, so I was off the clock...!" Uhlbreickh replied with a superior-sounding tone of voice. Meanwhile, Ehess jumped Eickh, and began trying to throw him into the pit.

"Enough...!" Luna shouted, getting to her hooves and firing off a spell in desperation. Tendrils of brilliant white energy lanced forth from her horn and wrapped around Ehess and Uhlbreickh's necks, dragging them both away from Eickh. She then tenderly picked Eickh up and set him on his unsteady feet several extra yards from the pit's edge. This had the side effect of leaving Ehess hanging from the chain on his wrist in midair. "The three of you, stop this madness at once! Thou shouldst be operating in peaceful cooperation, allowing Caldoric to live a normal, stable life. But here you are, bickering like foals over a toy. What have you to say for yourselves?"

All three of them turned to look at her in surprise, then at each other.

"Er, Luna..." Eickh began awkwardly, "perhaps it would be best if--"

"Scram, bitch!" Ehess shouted, looking terrified out of his mind at her presence.

"Er, sorry, 'bout that," Eickh apologized, glaring briefly at Ehess, before continuing. "You might want to vacate the area shortly: this place is less welcoming to folks of your kind than you're used to." He then looked up, grimacing nervously at the sky.

"Indeed, Princess; you be best served to wake up very shortly." Then he, too, looked up at the sky, pointing a finger upwards as well. "Like, now...!"

Luna, curious, looked up too, and saw something she would have deemed impossible if she weren't looking at it just then: there, in the sky, was a strange and artificial-looking moonlike object of some kind, though larger than Terra's moon and very very far off. Around the edges of a great dish-shaped crater in one hemisphere, several green lights twinkled ominously before sending forth beams of energy to collide and focus above the crater's center point.

"That's no moon, is it...?" Luna asked herself, knowing full well that it couldn't possibly be a naturally-occuring satellite. As she watched, the orb of condensed power that had created atop the intersecting beams seemed to busrt, sending forth an even larger beam of deadly energy on a trajectory that seemed eerily spot-on with her current location.

"Luna, WAKE UP!!" Uhlbreickh shouted, and as she looked down from the spectacle in the sky, she caught a glimpse of the Paladin's fist just before it connected with her jaw, and everything went white.

~~~~
The real world, Caldoric's base.

Luna was knocked to one side as a hoof collided frantically with her chin, and quickly went over sideways. She briefly noticed the web of discolored magic that tore itself from her face and discorporated, before her field of vision was flooded with the extremely concerned expressions of several Changelings, Vakhi, Lunar Guards, and one Ta-Matoran. She shook her head and sat back up as best she could, then turned her attention to Caldoric's prone form through the quickly parting crowd. There, she saw something that concerned her greatly.

Caldoric's hands were holding themselves in the air above his face, a veritable cat's cradle of magical energy strung between his splayed fingers, like some arcane dreamcatcher. The line she'd previously used to connect herself to him had somehow been snarled in the construct's center, where it had blackened disconcertingly. Between the thaumic net and Caldoric's head, the line had turned a sickly green. As she watched, the whole thing fell apart, and Caldoric's arms dropped limply to the bed, and he mumbled incoherently.

Luna absently rubbed her chin, noting that she was probably going to develop a bruise where she has been struck. "Pray tell," she said to the crowd at large, "who struck me...?" Her tone was not one of anger. Instead, it held notes of sincere and benign curiosity. After a few seconds of awkward shuffling, a single figure stepped forward nervously: it was Midge. He took a shaky breath, and then -- without warning -- dropped himself to the floor, prostrating himself before her, apologizing profusely whilst shamelessly bowing and scraping as if his life depended upon it. Luna held up a hoof, and his verbal activity came to a swift halt.

"Thy actions were most fortuitous, Midge," Luna said, and the members of the crowd looked about at one another in confusion. "Events in the dream realm were proceeding most unfavorably. If it were not for thy most timely intervention, then I fear both Caldoric and myself might have been irretrievably lost. And so I say... Thank you."

"R-right..." Midge said, awkwardly, as he returned to his hooves. "Is, uh... What should we do next?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "We would recommend that he be moved to the Royal Canterlot Hospital, so we may better keep an eye on his condition. Of course, we leave the decision to you, Midge, since Caldoric left you in charge."

Midge blinked, then glanced around at the crowd for a moment. "Uh, yeah, let's do that. I'll be coming with of course, for, uh, security reasons, and... and we'll have a group of Changelings stay behind to make sure Chrysalis and Roodaka's forces don't try sneaking back through. I mean, I'm pretty sure they're not gonna be back anytime soon, but just in case. Also... any victims of the experimental stuff Roodaka was doing, you're welcome to stick around if you want, or if you wanna go try and find a way to have whatever she did to you undone, you're free to do that; I'm not gonna stop you. Same goes for the Vakhi Caldoric brought with him when he landed; you can stick around, or go ahead and make a life of your own in the outside world, whichever. I'll have to ask those who do choose to leave to not tell anyone about us being here; I get the feeling Caldoric wants this place kept secret."

"We will speak with our sister," Luna added, "and we shall see if aid cannot be offered by the crowns to those who wish to return to the public, especially the Vakhi; the world is a strange and unusual place if you're not prepared for it; much has changed whilst you were living in Metru Nui."

There was some murmuring in the crowds, but decisions were eventually reached, and everything was set into motion as Midge had decided.