TAHU, TOA OF FIRE
RARITY AND FLUTTERSHY FELL OUT OF THE PORTAL, THEIR HOOVES LANDING on soft dirt. They took a moment to reorient themselves; going through that portal had thrown off their sense of balance.
"Is this a forest?" Fluttershy asked, staring at the dead, burnt-out tree husks surrounding them. The smell of burned wood filled their noses, and the dirt beneath their hooves felt more like ash and soot. From the look of things, whatever had burned this forest had occurred a long time ago, but the smell was so fresh, so crisp.
There was another smell in the air, a smell that Rarity had only smelled when she was near a volcano, or when she and Twilight had travelled with Spike to the Dragon Lands.
Brimstone. There must be a volcano nearby. But where is everypony else?
As far as Rarity could tell, she and Fluttershy were the only two here. Odd; they had all jumped through the same portal, so by that logic, shouldn't they have still been together? Or did the fact that they went through at different times have something to do with it?
"Where's everypony else?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm not sure," Rarity answered. "I think the best thing we can do right now is get to a town and ask about this fellow Kronos was talking about. Fluttershy, can you be a dear and get a Pegasus eye view?"
"Okay." She flapped her wings and took to the sky.
Off in the distance, about a half mile away, she could make out what looked like the outer walls of a fortress, but beyond that, all she saw was a rising plume of smoke.
"Northeast, about a half mile," she called down to Rarity, who had to strain her ears to hear Fluttershy's tiny squeak of a voice.
"I wonder if the others are there?" Rarity asked as Fluttershy landed. "Or maybe somepony there can tell us what we want to know. Half a mile northeast, yes? Then let's get moving."
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The entire forest seemed to have been burned and charred. Everywhere they looked, they saw the burned out husks of old trees, and the dirt felt like ash and soot beneath their hooves. The smell of the burnt wood was irritating their noses, just as much as the sulfurous scent of the nearby lava flows.
Rarity's ears twitched; there was a noise, and it wasn't coming from either of them.
She put a hoof up, stopping Fluttershy.
"What's wrong, Rarity?"
"Did you hear something just now? I mean, besides us?" Rarity asked.
"Like what?"
Rarity shushed her and listened. The sound was close; it sounded like a herd of animals moving towards them, and they were coming fast. She could hear the heavy footfalls and the trees being knocked over.
Something moved through the trees, something Rarity couldn't quite make out. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better view.
A better view came when a tree fell in front of them, and standing where the tree had been just a second ago, was a tall creature, dark red in color, its massive head shaped like a dome. More creatures joined the first one. They were all the same dark red color, with black highlights, see-through skulls revealing a strange insect-like creature, and armed with shields that resembled flames.
The creatures growled, making the ponies' fur stand on end.
Rarity quickly put herself in front of Fluttershy, shielding her with her body, and fired up her horn.
"Stand back, you fiends!"
The creatures growled and got ready to lunge. Rarity fired a blast of magic from her horn, hitting the nearest creature -
The blast bounced right off of its dome'shaped head and hit a nearby tree.
"Oh dear."
Once more, the creatures prepared to charge. Rarity shut her eyes and put up a barrier, hoping to stop them, even if it was just for a moment.
A curved sword appeared in the ground, its point sticking into the dirt. Slowly, Rarity opened her eyes, seeing the sword and the creatures observing it.
"Where did that come from?"
"Over here, Bohrok."
Rarity and Fluttershy turned in the direction the voice had come from, spotting a humanoid figure just a few yards away. The figure was tall, about as tall as the tallest human they'd seen, but lacked any skin that they could see - most of his body seemed to be covered in some sort of red metallic armor. The only other color they could see besides red was the silver chest and shoulder armor. His face - if it could even be called that - was covered in bumps and ridges, giving it a melted look.
The being slowly walked over to his sword and pulled it out of the ground; he held another sword in his other hand. He crossed the swords in front of him, using his body to shield Rarity and Fluttershy.
"Who are you?" Rarity asked.
The being ignored her, continuing to address the creatures - the Bohrok, he had called them.
"BEGONE!" He held his swords up, the edges of the swords glowing red and orange.
"What are you -" Fluttershy began to ask.
She was cut off by the being thrusting his swords forward, shooting out a stream of fire towards the Bohrok. The first three were hit by the flames, catching them on fire and sending them running, howling in agony. Two more were knocked back by fireballs.
One of the creatures approached. Its head opened up, and the insectoid thing inside leaped out, flying towards the being's face.
"That's not going to happen," the being said. A transparent barrier appeared around him, knocking the insectoid back. He stepped on it, crushing it beneath his foot. "Anyone else want to be next?" The remaining creatures looked at each other, then to the red being, before turning and running back into the forest. "That's what I thought." He hooked the swords to his back and turned to the ponies. "So, what exactly are you two supposed to be?"
Rarity cleared her throat as she brought down her magic barrier. "I am Rarity and this is my friend Fluttershy. And what might your name be, good...sir?"
The red being didn't answer; instead, he just crossed his arms and stared at Rarity and Fluttershy, studying them. "I've never heard of a Rarity or a Fluttershy. You don't look like you're from around here. Where did you come from?"
"One question at a time," Rarity said. "Your name first."
"Tahu. The Toa of Fire."
"And - and those monsters?" Fluttershy asked, her voice shaking with nervousness.
"They looked like Bohrok," Tahu answered. "The other Toa and I have fought them before, but they looked...different. Maybe Turaga Vakama can explain." He turned and started to walk away.
"Wait a moment. We're coming with you," Rarity called after him.
"And why would you want to do that?" Tahu asked sternly.
"Well, see, you're right. We're not from around here. We're from...someplace else." Rarity wasn't sure how Tahu would react when he heard that they were from another world. "And we've been separated from our friends. Maybe they're in that fortress Fluttershy saw a little ways to the northeast. If that's where you're going, then so are we."
Tahu scoffed. "Fine."
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It was a fortress, most certainly. The outer wall resembled something Rarity had seen in an old book about ancient Equestria castles. The wall itself was made out of a dark gray rock, and in the center was a large barred gate. Windows and port holes dotted the wall, and she could see little figures moving back and forth along the ramparts.
But that was all she or Fluttershy could make out, considering that the fortress was on the other side of a gorge, and at the bottom of the gorge was a river of lava.
"Well, that explains that horrid stench," she huffed as she covered her nose. "How could you possibly live in an area like this?"
"Easily," Tahu replied. "Guardsmen! Raise the bridge and open the gate! The Toa of Fire has returned!"
Rarity and Fluttershy heard a clicking noise, and a few seconds later, a large stone bridge rose out of the river, molten magma and hardened stone falling off of the sides. The gate at the far end of the bridge began to raise, beckoning the three of them to enter.
Slowly, cautiously, Rarity put a hoof on the bridge.
"Huh. I was expecting it to be scalding hot," she said. "But it's quite cool."
"Come on, you two," Tahu said. "Let's see if these friends of yours are around here, though I doubt it."
Rarity and Fluttershy followed Tahu across the bridge, walking behind him by just a few yards so they could talk in private.
"Do you think we can trust him?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"Fluttershy, darling, he went out of his way to rescue us from those horrible beasts," Rarity answered with a slight chuckle. "I think this fellow is trustworthy enough." She lowered her voice a bit more. "And besides, this person he mentioned earlier might be able to tell us what Kronos wants to know."
The passed through the gate, ignoring the watching eyes of the smaller humanoid figures, all of whom - like Tahu - seemed to be wearing red or yellow metallic armor rather than having actual skin. Now that they were inside the fortress, they could see several buildings - huts, shops, and what looked like a temple, all made out of the same dark gray rock as the outer wall. The semll of the lava was permeating even in here, filling their noses with its sulfurous stench.
"I don't see them," Fluttershy said, breaking the silence after a few minutes of walking. "Do you, Rarity?"
"I'm afraid not. All I see are these beings."
"You mean the Matoran?" Tahu asked.
"Is that what they're called?"
They followed Tahu to the temple. As they got closer, they could see the light coming from a flame, a flame that came into view as they walked through the door. Standing in front of the flame was another smaller being, this one slightly taller than the ones they had seen outside, and it carried a staff with a glowing orb on top.
The figure slowly turned to face them, giving them a good look at the cloak it wore over its shoulders - tan, with a flame pattern stitched into it - and its face, which, like Tahu's, didn't look human, appeared to have what looked to be a beard on it.
"Toa Tahu, you return to us safely." He noticed Rarity and Fluttershy. "You met these beings on your patrol, I assume?"
"He rescued us from some monsters, actually," Rarity said. "Pleasure to meet you. My name is Rarity, and this is my friend Fluttershy. We -"
"Came here from another world, yes?" the small being interrupted her.
"How - how did you know that?" Fluttershy asked.
"Turaga Vakama, I don't understand," Tahu said. "Another world?"
"There are more worlds out there than just our world, Tahu," Vakama said. He returned his attention to Rarity and Fluttershy. "And how could you not be from another world? You are not Matoran, and you appear fully organic."
"Yes, we are," Rarity replied. "And we were separated from our friends when we came here."
"And why did you come here, anyway?" Tahu asked, crossing his arms.
"We're on a mission," Fluttershy answered.
"Elaborate," Tahu said sternly.
"Well, there's a god named Kronos, the God of Dimensions, who asked us to look into something going on in this world," Rarity explained. "He said that someone - oh horse apples, what was his name again? - might use his evil powers to break the dimensional borders, so he asked us to look into it."
"Someone with evil powers?" Vakama repeated. "I assume you're referring to The Makuta."
"I don't know," Rarity said. "Kronos didn't give us a name."
"You agreed to a mission without knowing exactly what it was?" Tahu asked. He scoffed. "That is incredibly stupid."
"Maybe in hindsight, yes," Rairty agreed. "But when it comes to gods, we've learned not to ask too many questions - that tends to annoy them."
"Excuse me, sir?" Fluttershy squeaked. "But who was this person you mentioned a moment ago? Makuti or something?"
"Makuta," Vakama answered. "The Master of Shadows. It is because of him those creatures, the Bohrok, are free."
"But Turaga, the other Toa and I defeated the Bohrok," Tahu protested. "Remember?"
"I remember," Vakama said. He turned to the flame. "I have been consulting the Sacred Fire. It holds all the answers we seek."
He raised his arms. The flame seemed to grow in volume - where it had only been slightly taller than Vakama, it now reached up to the ceiling.
Rarity and Fluttershy watched in silence as Vakama stared at the fire, his arms still raised. Tahu kept his arms crossed, impatiently tapping his foot.
Vakama slowly lowered his arms and turned back to face them. "The creatures are Shadow Bohrok. As the name suggests, they are Bohrok born from the shadows. Makuta created them to finish what the Bohrok began all those months ago - razing the island and destroying the Matoran." He turned to Rarity and Fluttershy. "Perhaps that is why this Kronos sent the two of you here?"
"Maybe, but there are actually seven of us," Rarity said. "There's myself and Fluttershy, and then there's Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Starlight Glimmer. We were separated when Kronos sent us here, and it doesn't look like they're here in town."
"I'm sorry to say that no one in Ta-Koro has reported any other beings such as yourselves," Vakama said. "But they may be in the other villages around the island."
"Other villages?" Fluttershy repeated.
"You are now in Ta-Koro," Vakama explained. "In the jungles to the south is Le-Koro, the village hidden in the trees; northeast of that is Ko-Koro, hidden in the snowdrifts; go east from there and you will come to the desert village of Po-Koro; north of hear, situated on lake Nahoe, is the lovely village of Ga-Koro; and hidden deep underground is the village of Onu-Koro." He turned to Tahu. "Perhaps you could go with them to the other villages so they can find their friends?"
"With respect, Turaga, the defense of Ta-Koro is more important than babysitting a bunch of organic creatures from another world," Tahu said sternly. "As the Toa of Fire, it is my duty to defend the Ta-Matoran."
"A simple 'no' would have sufficed," Rarity scolded him. "You didn't have to be so rude."
"Toa Tahu, your duty is not just to protect the Ta-Matoran," Vakama said. "Your duty is to protect all who need it. And these two are unfamiliar with our island; even if there were no Shadow Bohrok, they still run the risk of getting lost."
Tahu pursed his lips. "Fine," he scoffed. He turned to Rarity and Fluttershy. "We'll leave when you two are ready."
"I think we're ready now," Fluttershy said. "I can't take the smell of the lava anymore."
"I must agree," Rarity put in. "I'm sorry to say it, because this is your home, but breathing in too much lava-heated air is just toxic for us. Please don't take it as an insult."
"No insult at all; truthfully, only Ta-Matoran can handle this environment for extended periods of time," Vakama said with a slight smile - at least, it looked like he was smiling.
"Fine then," Tahu grunted. "I guess we'll go to Le-Koro first. Come on."
Rarity and Fluttershy bid farewell to Vakama before following Tahu out of the temple and back across the bridge.
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They stood on a cliff, overlooking the area to the south. Below them, stretching out as far as the eye could see, was a lush, green, beautiful jungle, its tall trees and thick canopy offering welcome relief from the hot sun.
"And Le-Koro is in that jungle somewhere?" Rarity asked.
"It's hidden really well," Tahu answered. "Only those who live there or have been there know where it is. And maybe Toa Lewa knows where your friends are if they're not in the village."
"I certainly hope so," Rarity said. "I don't think it's a good idea to begin our investigation if we're not together."
"Then quit gawking at the jungle and let's move," Tahu ordered.
