Beginning Editor's Note: I do not claim to own the Bionicle characters or the majority of these plot points. The material here is simply an edited and compiled version of original Bionicle material. Decanonized series, books, guide books, novels, comics, story serials, blogs, etc. have been transcribed in novel form and fully integrated into one chronological read. The poetic liberties of novelization and editing are all I can claim.

Feel free to discuss any questions and feedback on this project, and be sure to keep following/favoriting so you know when a new story or chapter is posted. Reviews are always welcome for reactions, questions, concerns, or general feedback.

These parts constitute material from the story years of 2009 and 2010, constituting what I've called "Phase 08: Revolution."

Enjoy!


Sequel to "Bionicle - Phase 08: Revolution - Part II: Iron Frontier"

Unlike most other beings on Bara Magna, it was not death, but life that was on the minds of a swarm of Scarabax beetles in the eastern desert. As they did on any normal night, they were out searching the sands for food. They scurried across a sand dune, in search of their evening meal. On most evenings, this hunt was uneventful. The beetles would feed and then return to their underground tunnels.

But this was not a normal night; this night was destined to be different.

One beetle lifted its eyes from the sand and saw something strange. A bright light shown in the middle of the dark night, heralding something new and unexpected. Whether they knew it or not, the light came from an object flying overhead, moving so fast it was nearly on fire and glowing with energy of its own. The beetle began clicking its pincers to alert its comrades. Other Scarabax joined in, watching as the point of light streaked through the night sky and became a large fireball.

The object falling from the sky was known on another world as the Mask of Life—an ancient object of great power. Its journey to Bara Magna was a long one…and it just came to an end.

The Scarabax scattered. With an impressive explosion, the glowing Mask of Life screamed down from the heavens and slammed into the sands of Bara Magna's surface, skidding across the sands and digging a trench in the charred ground as it traveled. The intense heat fused the sand to glass. Finally, it came to a halt on the edge of a dune, several yards from its point of impact. Smoke drifted upward from its still-white-hot metallic surface.

Had anyone been present, they would have correctly guessed that it was some kind of mask, which would have been quite unconventional, compared to a helmet. It was golden in color and quite beautiful, despite having been through a long journey and an abrupt crash landing.

A native of Bara Magna would most likely have seen it as a potentially valuable item that could be traded for water or some other needed resource. Even if it was just ornamental, someone would want it to hang on the wall of their shelter. Maybe it could even be melted down and the metal used to make a tool or a weapon.

But the only living things around was the small army of desert beetles. And their only interest was to find out if the object was something they could eat. If it wasn't, they would most likely turn away and leave it where it lay. Over time, the sands would cover it, and its appearance would be quickly forgotten.

And if that happened, no one on all of Bara Magna would know that the salvation of their world had indeed fallen from the heavens.

How the mask survived was a mystery, and not on the beetles—now scattered and hiding in fear—cared to solve. Slowly, the Scarabax emerged from hiding. They could feel the heat coming from the object. The swarm moved closer. They didn't realize that it was a metal mask. Still, there was something about it which compelled them to draw near… One brave insect dared to come close and inspect this new arrival…and got more than he bargained for.

Without warning, the mask rose into the air. The beetles jumped back in surprise as the sand beneath it swirled like a miniature cyclone. Now the mask hovered more than seven feet in the air, surrounded by a contained sandstorm. After a few moments, the sands began to take on a recognizable shape. Ablaze with the energies of the Mask of Life, the sand of Bara Magna began to transform. Two arms, two legs, and a torso formed from the whirling grains, then turned solid.

The storm ended. There now stood a being wearing a mask—a legend, reborn. His armor was yellow, black, and gold, and his body lean and strong. On his shoulders were two regal, double-spiked pieces of shoulder armor. He brought his hands to his mask, gently, as if not certain it was real. Then he looked down at his new body.

Hesitantly, the newcomer took a step, and his knees buckled. Catching himself, he took a deep breath before trying again. He took a couple more tentative steps, each time causing his entire form to waver. The Mask of Life which contains my spirit crashed on this strange world, he thought. Its power created a new body for me, one I must learn to use if I am to survive here.

But the first thing he encountered did not seem to be a threat. As he lifted and extended his leg, he heard a clicking sound. Looking down, the strange being saw a Scarabax beetle right where his foot was about to land. He pulled back, saying, "Sorry, little one."

The beetle moved back, cowering in fear.

"Easy," said the being. "l will not hurt you."

Responding to the stranger's gentle tone, the beetle lowered its pincers and looked up, cocking its head to one side.

"My name is Mata Nui," said the stranger. "And as you may have noticed, I am not steady on my feet yet." Mata Nui knelt down, extending his hand to the small purple-shelled Scarabax. "Well, little one, have you come to welcome me to your world?"

The beetle sprang into his palm and tentatively scampered up his arm, clicking furiously. "I have the feeling you're trying to tell me something," said Mata Nui. The beetle was on his shoulder now, close to his mask. Mata Nui rose to a standing position. "Ah, so it's the mask you're interested in, is it?"

The beetle brushed its pincer against Mata Nui's mask, making it glow brightly. A burst of power flashed, startling Mata Nui. "What—?"

For a moment, it seemed like the mask and Scarabax were one. Then the glow faded, and Mata Nui could see that the insect had been transformed. Where once there had been a small beetle, there was now a full-sized shield with the symbol of a pair of eyes in its center.

"Magnificent…" whispered Mata Nui in wonder, as he raised the shield into the air.

Then the eyes on the shield blinked.

Mata Nui jumped back, startled. "Which you can…see…for yourself," he added to the beetle. "With no weapon, a shield might be just what I—hmmm?"

There was no time to ask questions. Mata Nui whirled at the sound of an angry hiss from above. A large, clawed creature was leaping toward him. Mata Nui tried to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough. The attacker clipped his shoulder, slamming roughly him into the ground.

Mata Nui got a better look at his attacker. It was roughly seven feet in height, tan, with claws like spikes and a stinger tail like a scorpion. For a moment, Mata Nui wondered if this was some crazy Toa gone mad. Then he reminded himself: This thing isn't a Toa…there are no Toa here! This is not your home. Alright, I can lie here and see just how tough my new "shield" is, or I can—

The creature attacked Mata Nui again.

Move! Mata Nui just barely got out of the way, but the movement was uncoordinated and sloppy. At best, he only managed to throw himself a few feet away before landing awkwardly on his side. I know enough to know to back away from the slash of a stinger…but not how to make this new body move the way I need it to, he told himself, grabbing his shield again.

The creature came at him again and again. Mata Nui used the shield to block its blows, making it angrier. Mata Nui rolled aside to avoid a strike. The beast's claws slashed deep marks in the stone where Mata Nui's head had been a moment before.

Okay, not good, thought Mata Nui. If I stay on defense, I'll wind up in pieces.

Mata Nui scrambled to his feet as the beast attacked again. The creature whipped its tail around, preparing to strike with its stinger. Mata Nui took a step back—and stumbled over a boulder as he tried to avoid being skewered, landing on his back in the sand. "Oh!" he sounded when he landed.

The creature hit the boulder with its stinger instead. The force of the impact was so strong that it shattered the rock and broke off the tip of the attacker's stinger tail at the same time. Screeching in pain, the beast ran off into the night, fled up the wall of the Mask of Life's crater and then disappeared into the sands.

Mata Nui lay on the sand and rested near his shield, trying to catch his breath. Saved by accident—I can't count on that to happen again.

He considered again the past several minutes. He didn't know how he had gotten here. He wasn't even sure where he was. The only thing he knew was that he was a long way from home. Once, he had been the ruler of an entire universe. But everything he cared about had been taken from him by an evil villain. With his power gone, he couldn't save his people. Then that villain forced Mata Nui out of his universe and into this one. It seemed dangerous—nearly the first thing that had happened to him was an attack by some kind of beast. He had managed to beat it, but now he wondered what other creatures might be hiding in the sands.

There was a bright flash of light from his hand. "What—?" said Mata Nui, in surprise. When the light faded, his shield was gone, returned to the form of the little Scarabax beetle, standing on his clenched fist he used to hold the shield a moment before. The size of it compared to him reminded him of those smaller beings he used to rule, beings who depended on him. "Another reminder that I am a long way from home…and a long way from being what I once was," Mata Nui said sadly.

The beetle clicked at him.

Mata Nui looked around again. He was looking for other animals or threats, but instead he took in the scenery. The Mask of Life had impacted Bara Magna just north of an area that appeared to be a vast expanse of mud and liquid quicksand. Had it crashed in that sea, it would have sunk without a trace, taking Mata Nui's mind and spirit with it. Saved by luck at least twice already… he thought. He would have to learn fast—he couldn't keep counting on good fortune to keep him alive in this harsh place.

Mata Nui looked back at the insect and smiled. "Before this day, I never needed help from anyone or anything. Thank you."

He gently lowered his arm toward the ground, to allow the insect to run free. "Well, little one, I spared your life and you saved mine," he said. "Shall we call it even and go our separate ways?"

The Scarabax responded with the rapid clicking of its pincers. Mata Nui chuckled, saying, "Okay, easy, it was just a—"

Mata Nui heard a sound before he saw the source—someone was approaching. He turned and saw a small, white-armored figure approaching in a land vehicle. It was mainly propelled by one main, large wheel in the back, as tall as the cockpit. Its slender body extended forward with other support wheels on either side of the hull. Mata Nui was amazed that the machine could even move. The vehicle looked like it had been patched and repaired a dozen times using pieces from wrecks, made by nailing together pieces of other vehicles.

Was this another attack? Mata Nui grabbed the broken tail of the tan beast. On this world, there was no telling if this newcomer was a friend or an enemy; he raised the pointed stinger like a small sword. The Scarabax scampered up to his shoulder and hid on the back of his neck.

The crude vehicle pulled to a halt near Mata Nui. The driver looked at Mata Nui, then at the impact crater left by the mask, and back at Mata Nui again. He looked as startled to see Mata Nui as Mata Nui was to see him. He raised a crystalline sword and said, "State your business."

Mata Nui did not relax his guard, thinking of the best response. "I'm just a traveler. I'm looking for the nearest city," he replied.

To Mata Nui's surprise, the driver lowered his weapon and broke into a grin. "Well, then you may as well start digging," he laughed. "Here on Bara Magna, you're bound to find the ruins of one or another."

Mata Nui stared at him for a moment. When Mata Nui didn't react, the visitor added, laughing again, "Heh. That was a joke…. Right. Guess you're not much of a laugher, huh? Well, to answer your question, the nearest village is Vulcanus. I've got some business there and am headed that way myself, if you want a ride. That is, unless you'd rather wind up running into and being captured by a pack of Bone Hunters, or worse, Skrall."

Mata Nui didn't know this being, but he seemed friendly enough. The alternative was walking through this vast desert, with no idea which direction to go. "Thank you for the offer. What are Bone Hunters and Skrall?" asked Mata Nui.

"No one you ever want to meet."

Suddenly the driver struck at Mata Nui, who blocked the blow with the stinger tail.

"Relax!" said the driver. "You've got a filthy Scarabax on your back. I was just trying to knock the disgusting thing off."

"Thanks, but I like him right where he is," answered Mata Nui, with a trace of warning in his tone.

The driver shrugged. "Alright—whatever. To each his own," he laughed. "My name is Metus, by the way," he said as Mata Nui climbed on the outside of the vehicle.

"My name is…Mata Nui," came the reply, along with a clasp of their hands. At least that's something familiar, Mata Nui thought.

Metus looked at his passenger. "Interesting name…." He started up the craft again, which sputtered to life. "Alright. Now hold on!" The villager gunned the vehicle into motion and it shot across the desert sands.