Chapter 7—Attack on Aboda
Mata Nui looked out at the sky, deep in thought. He took the time to smell the fresh sea air. While he despised fish, he liked the unique scent of the sea. It reminded him of a the day he and his companions back on his home world arrived at Tesara. However, rest was not an option, no matter how much he desired it. The Spirit of Destruction would order a squadron to attack, and could do so at any time. But, there was a bright side—with two makoki stones, they now had a head start. He looked back on the Guardian's gift. It told Mata Nui that the Brotherhood's members had 42 powers. That made Mata Nui apprehensive, and with good reason. For one, his brother was already the most powerful being in the universe, nay, the multiverse, and here was this stone informing him of another 42 powers on top of that. Not for the first time, he wished that he paid attention to his world. Perhaps, then, he would have his memories and not be in this situation.
There is no time for regrets, Mata Nui, said Ignika.
I know. I just hope I can defeat my foe.
You can. You must.
Mata Nui nodded to no one in particular, and looked up towards the blue sky.
Link's eyes fluttered open. He had evidently fallen asleep with his head on the right of the mattress. He lifted his head to see Zelda still fast asleep. He was worried about her safety more than ever now, now that he knew she was a target. But why? What does The Makuta want with her? He then heard a light yawn, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked to see she was awake. She rose slowly and looked to her left, then right. She saw Link, who had a look in his eyes that told her he was overcome with joy and relief.
"How… long were you there," she asked, more concerned about him than herself.
"Since you fell unconscious. I carried you here, a-and I … didn't want to leave you." She smiled at him.
He's so sweet. If I could only muster up the courage to tell him… She knew it had to happen eventually; love could only be bottled up for so long. She looked outside the doorway and asked the question Link had been wondering himself:
"Where's Mata Nui?"
"I don't know. Before I dozed off, I heard he was going outside. To think…" she frowned. Zelda knew Mata Nui had a troubled past filled with nothing but a constant struggle. Plus, she was sure he knew what the glyphs said, and her curiosity was now overwhelming. She jumped out of bed and ran off to find him.
"Zelda, wait up," Link cried after her.
Mata Nui was still lost in thought when the duo found him. He eyed them curiously as they caught their breath.
"MN," Zelda huffed, "I noticed these strange symbols on the makoki stones, and I was hoping you could tell us what they said…" The Great Spirit's eyes widened behind his Kanohi.
How the hell did she notice that?
"I cannot tell you. The knowledge is forbidden."
"Can't you read it?"
"Yes, but—"That was when they heard a yell. Turning in the direction of the noise, they saw monstrous creatures at least 9 feet tall fire red energy from their scythes. Mata Nui growled in anger.
"Space Pirates," he said. He then received a message from the Guardian
Use of the thornax launcher and morph ball bombs has been authorized.
Authorized?
To protect the villages, some of your weapons are too powerful, so I have to restrict some of them for the time being. If this was a place like Norion, that's a different issue.
Got it.
Mata Nui sent pulses of pure energy at the pirates. It hurt them, angered them, and got their attention. They ran to him, sending a volley of red energy blasts at the Great Spirit. Mata Nui sent four explosive thornax at the horde, tearing them apart, quite literally. Trails of green blood came from the flying limbs. Zelda and Link gagged, for the scene was highly gruesome. Link, even though he was absolutely disgusted, could not help but applaud Mata Nui's aim. None of the homes were seared. Mata Nui himself truly began to tear at the pirates. He began charging his power shots, slowing down the rate of fire, but still affecting them greatly. Suddenly, a pirate jumped Mata Nui, threatening to kill him. But Mata Nui grabbed the pirate and impaled him with his sword.
Surprisingly, it took five minutes to reduce their numbers by half. Link wasted no more time. He got out his light arrows and began launching them, impaling several pirates at once.
"Impressive," said Mata Nui.
"You've seen nothing yet," said Link slyly. He handed the bow to Zelda. "Princess, show him how it's done!" She smiled at him, thanking the spirits silently that she got a shot.
"My pleasure," she said. She turned to the pirates with a serious expression. She aimed for a line of pirates and launched the arrow. But it coincidentally bounced of a metal slate, and stabbed through another line. The pirates then knew the time to retreat was now. They ran towards the direction of Castle Town. "Take that back to your master," Zelda called after them. Link laughed and high fived her. He did not care how un-princess like that was, it was cool. And it added a little spice to her… he then blushed a little at the thought.
C'mon, coward, tell her! No, he couldn't, not in front of Mata Nui. The Great Spirit turned to them and read both of their thoughts. He knew this "friendship" would build into something more. He had seen this sort of thing 400,000 years ago. And, from the couple's past adventures (mind reading, that's how he knows) he knew it would happen while he was here. But, there were more important matters to focus on. The Dark Spirit's minions made a move, and now it was his turn. It was time to find the third makoki stone. But, then
"Hey, MN," exclaimed Link, "Nice aim!"
"You're not so bad either, especially you, princess. Someone in your family must have taught you."
"My grandmother taught me a lot," she replied.
"She must have been an excellent archer," the Great Spirit replied. But a sudden shift in the air told him of another presence. Link and Zelda were wide eyed as soon as Mata Nui uttered the newcomer's title.
"Guardian." The being known as the Guardian, appeared.
"Each leads to the next…" he then disappeared. The two hylians behind him were stumped. But Mata Nui knew what that meant: Each stone, once gathered, leads to the next one. He pulled out the two stones and noticed they could fit together like puzzle pieces. When they did, they glowed green. He turned to the duo and asked, "Where must we go?" Link shrugged.
"No idea. But around here, travel is not possible without a train." Mata Nui pointed in the direction of the train station.
"You mean like that?" The princess and the hero were speechless. It was the Spirit Train! And it was intact! "The Guardian did this. Teleportation does come in handy…"
