This is where our story begins...
Long ago, when time first began to flow, the arcane gods created six masks. These masks were known as Masks of Power, or Kanohi, and each tribe was given two Kanohi to guard and protect until a single hero rose up to fight a great evil. But, tragedy befell the tribes as dark times fell as the sun went dark and night ruled over all... and no hero ever came to their rescue.
Thousands of years passed while the tribes lived in the darkness, they abandoned the Kanohi they guarded. Until, six ponies came across an ancient temple in the Everfree Forest. As they explored it they saw a giant metal cylinder, buried deep within the temple. As they approached the cylinder, they saw that it was designed to hold something inside it.
One of the ponies gently rubbed the cylinders outer shell, triggering it to open. The door to the temple sealed itself shut, and cutting off what little light seeped inside. Steam poured out from the cylinder as it’s sides began to slide back revealing a tall, bipedal creature.
Two of it’s appendages were crossed over what they considered to be it’s torso. It’s eyes began to open and it began to wake up. It reached out and pulled itself from the metal chamber, startling the six ponies.
Twilight Sparkle trotted backwards as the siding on the metal cylinder moved. The sound of metal rubbing against metal filled the dark room, “W-What’s happening!” Rainbow Dash said as she flew around the room, bumping into walls.
Suddenly, small stones embedded in the wall began to glow, dimly illuminating the room revealing a creature inside the cylinder. It was tall and oddly colored, its body was hairless. It also seemed to be wearing clothes, it’s forehooves crossed over it’s torso.
Fluttershy moved towards the creature, “W-What is it?” She said, her voice quiet and nervous. She jumped back and let out a squeak of fear as the creature began to move, “I-It’s alive!” She said, running behind Twilight.
The creature reached out and grabbed a hold of the metal sidings, causing a metallic clang to ring out in the dimly lit room, to pull itself out. Once it was out the creature fell to one knee, weak from it’s time spent in the chamber, “Ugh... Forgive my appearance Young Ones... I’ve been in the chamber since the dawn of time...” It told them as it stood up, “You may call me Alpha... May I ask, tell me your names and whom freed me?”
Alpha’s body seemed gleam in the dim light, it’s body made of both machine and organic components. This was because as Alpha’s body was inside the cylinder, some of his more organic parts began to decay. In order to preserve his existence, the cylinder began to remove the skin and replace it with a metallic equivalent.
His eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit room, "Well, speak up?" He said again, turning around to retrieve what looked like a metallic faceplate. In the low light of the room, the metallic faceplate seemed to be a grey near the top and red near the bottom, he brought it up and placed it over his face, "Damn... the Great Ones left me a Powerless Kanohi." He muttered, the mouthpiece on the "Kanohi" glowed an orange light.
“What in the hay is that?” Applejack asked, as she saw him retrieve the weird metal faceplate.
“I don’t know... It looks like some sort of party mask!” Pinkie Pie smiled, noting how he gripped it with his strange hands.
“Um, sir, what are you? I’m sure me and all my friends are wondering.” Twilight Sparkle eyes the beast with a bit of fear in her eyes.
“Pardon me. I am-” the creature started to talk, but was interrupted by a high voice.
“Oh! It’s all clear now! You’re the party host!” Pinkie Pie smiled with laughter in her eyes. All the ponies blinked.
“Excuse me?” The creature stared at the pony with the pink mane. “Are you making fun of me?” He asked.
“Fun? Of course not! The only fun here should be the fun of partying!” Pinkie Pie smiled and laughed with joy.
“Uhhh, Pinkie Pie, what are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash flew over to the over excited pony.
“Twilight, didn’t you say we were heading to a party in the forest, this is obviously our party host!” Pinkie laughed.
“Pinkie Pie, I said that we were going to Zecora’s for a get together, not a party.” Twilight rolled her eyes. The being stared down at the ponies as they spoke to each other.
“You, small purple one. Are you going to answer my question?”
Twilight blinked, and blushed. She forgot about the question that was asked. “Um... Yeah, umm...” Twilight gulped. Rarity sighed.
“Oh, Twilight, must you always be so forgetful?” She sighed again. She walked up to Alpha, “Well, Fluttershy obviously freed you, you could tell if you felt that sweet, gentle rub.” Rarity said, looking over to the yellow pegasus, hiding in the far corner.
“Um, well... I...” Fluttershy looked down at the ground.
“So you should be respectful, and call her your master.” She said, flipping her mane.
“M-Master? No, no, that’s unnecessary. I-It’s fine...” Fluttershy, trying to be as modest as she could, crouched even lower in the corner.
“Oh darling, nonsense!” Rarity smiled a small grin.
“That will not be necessary.” The being said, looking at the pearl white pony, “Don’t assume that I am just a wild animal that can be ordered around.” Alpha told her as he glared at her through the mask, his eyes seemed to bore into her soul.
Am I to save these moronic ponies from the unending darkness... what were the Great Beings thinking? He thought. I won’t take orders from such a bossy creature assuming that I am to be a slave
“Thank you for freeing me.” He said, the metal mask gleaming in the dim light, “But, I will need some assistance finding the other Kanohi.” He said.
Fluttershy looked up ever so slightly. “Really?”
The creature sighed. “I am Alpha, a Toa--”
“Question!” Pinkie said, raising her hoof up.
“What is it?” Alpha said, looking at her with a bored glare.
“What’s a Toa?”
“I was getting to that...” Alpha sighed, “Anyway, a Toa is a being gifted with powers of a specific element and trained to protect and defend the innocent. I came from the time where the gods were just beginning to form the Earth.” He said, “This is a Kanohi...” Alpha said pointing to the mask that he placed on his face, “A mask forged from Kanoka or Power Discs.”
“This one I have is called the Kanohi Huna, The mask of Invisibility. Unfortunately, the mask was forged from level 5 or lower Kanoka... Resulting in the grey parts you see on it, making it powerless... I need to find ones forged from at least level 8 Kanoka, for they retain their full power.” Alpha explained, looking around the room as if he were searching for something, “Ah-ha! There it is!” He said, pushing against a dimly glowing panel, causing a loud clack to reverberate throughout the temple. The lights in the room became brighter, revealing the true condition of the room. The walls were made out of a metal and there were panels written in an ancient language, seeming to label something.
The ponies gasped as they saw Alpha in the light, his torso was completely covered in a shiny black metal, a small red stone embedded in the center of his chest. His legs were covered by what looked to be Crimson Platelegs, while his hands seemed to be completely mechanical. His head was an entirely different story. It seemed like it was covered by metal, yet white hair still came from it. The mask rested snugly on his face, covering the features behind it.
“What happened to you?” Twilight asked him, her voice shaky from seeing his body.
“You don’t want to know.” Alpha told her, turning to face away from the ponies. He began to walk towards one of the walls, examining it, “I’m to assume that Princess Luna has been corrupted by the Shadowed One, changing her into Nightmare Moon?” He said after a while, turning back to face them.
“If this is true, we must hurry before the corruption permanently changes her. Now tell me, where can I locate someone who knows where the other Kanohi are hidden?” Alpha said, looking at the ponies.
Twilight stepped forward, “There’s just a few things wrong... One, Luna transformed into Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago... and two, this is the first time any of us, let alone anypony else, have heard of... whatever it is you’re looking for.”
Alpha sighed, “Nothing is ever easy is it...” He said, turning back to the wall and began to press symbols. The sounds of machines waking for the first time in centuries were heard as the entire temple began to shift and move around. Walls sank into the ground, revealing rooms that had been sealed off since time first began to flow, “Ponies... Welcome to Kini-Nui, the Grand Temple.” Alpha told them as the machines stopped.