Mata Nui's Diary

Mata Nui's Diary is a BIONICLE story included in BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna presented as a series of diary entries written by Mata Nui. The story contains eight entries and recaps the 2009 BIONICLE story from Mata Nui's perspective.

Entry 1

Once, I ruled a universe.

You might not believe me, for I look much like any other warrior on this world. You would have been less likely to believe me a few short days ago, when I first arrived on this strange planet of Bara Magna. But it is the truth… as cold and painful a truth as ever there was in any world.

I could tell you a great deal about the universe that once was mine, about its people, its heroes, and the threats to its peace. But none of that matters very much now. It is enough to say that my rule was stolen from me, because I was not wise enough to keep it safe. The thief was a being of darkness and fear, whose terrible plans for my people I can only imagine. He trapped me inside an object, a Mask of Life, and hurled me from my universe into the blackness of space. He believed I was gone forever, no longer a threat to him in any way. He believed he was safe from me at last.

I intend to prove him wrong.

I would be lying if I said I had any idea how I would do that as my prison soared through space. I felt shock, rage, and yes, fear, more for my people than myself. As the pull of Bara Magna's gravity latched onto the mask in which my spirit was trapped, I wondered if this was how my 100,000-year existence would end — burned up in the atmosphere of an alien world.

But that was not to be my fate. Rocketing down like a blazing star, the Mask of Life struck the sands of Bara Magna, scorching a deep trench in the floor of the desert. It came to rest, smoke still rising from its surface. And then the power buried deep in the mask exerted itself, and began to create a living body from the sand and the earth.

And when it was done, I, Mata Nui, stood on the surface of a new world.

Entry 2

I did not have very long to grow accustomed to my new body or my new “home.” My first encounter was with a curious beetle, who dared come close enough to touch my mask with its pincers. The power of the mask transformed him in an instant into a shield. No sooner had I recovered from that shock than I was attacked by an armored creature.

The beast was savage, wild, and determined to kill me. I had never fought before, or ever needed to, and I wasn’t used to this new body yet. But, somehow, I drove the creature off. This first fight taught me a great deal. This was not the peaceful universe I had once watched over. It was a dangerous place full of unknown menaces, and if I wasn’t very careful, I would die here.

I thought about the Great Beings, the wise men and women who had created me and my universe so many thousands of years ago. Could they ever have imagined all that had happened since? What would they think if they knew that their creation no longer towered above worlds, no longer had the power to split planets or travel between worlds at will? Now I was simply a being carrying a shield and a crude sword, with no real idea how to use either, surrounded by miles of desert and far, far from home.

Someone else might have wept or screamed in frustration or even given up right there and perished. But I didn’t have the right to do any of those things, not while my people were in danger. Like it or not, I would have to explore this harsh world on my own, and hope I could somehow find a way to achieve my destiny.

Entry 3

Shortly after my battle with the Vorox in the desert, I encountered a villager who introduced himself as Metus. He talked very quickly and offered me a ride to the nearest village, Vulcanus. Although I was hesitant, the thought of walking across a hostile desert was not very appealing, so I agreed. The trip was not without incident, as we wound up in combat with a creature he called a sand bat along the way.

My first reaction to Vulcanus was one of utter shock. Right in the center of the village, a crowd was watching two warriors fight in an arena. Was this the sort of barbaric society I had stumbled into, where battle was a sport? Even after Metus explained to me this was how arguments were settled here, in order to avoid wars, I was still troubled by it – where I came from, warriors fought for justice, not to decide who owned a strip of land or a wagon load of metal.

Still, in any society, there is right and there is wrong. I watched as the red-armored warrior, Ackar, defeated the white-armored one, called Strakk. I heard Strakk concede defeat, and then saw him reach for his weapon as soon as Ackar’s back was turned. No one else was willing to do anything… but I could not stand by and see someone attacked from behind. I ran into the arena and tackled Strakk, making his shot go wild.

Of course, now I was the one in trouble. He was a trained fighter, and I had only been in this body for an hour or so. He drove me across the arena and then down into the sand, ready to kill me… when a strange thing happened. The piece of Vorox stinger I carried as a crude weapon touched the mask I wore – and transformed instantly into a sword! The sight startled Strakk so much I was able to knock him off his feet. This time, when he surrendered, I made sure he meant it. I didn’t realize it then, but that short fight would change my entire future here on Bara Magna.

Entry 4

It soon became obvious that this world had its own share of problems. In addition to a lack of resources and a harsh climate, they were menaced by roving bands of Bone Hunters, savage Vorox like the one I fought, and a violent invasion by a race called the Skrall. It sounded all too familiar.

As I listened to the Glatorian tell me of these things, I struggled with myself. I had not come to Bara Magna of my own free will – I had been exiled here. The problems of these people were not mine. My own universe was in danger, because of my failings, and it was my responsibility to save it. Could I afford to get myself embroiled in the crises of another world?

The simple answer was no. What if the struggle here on Bara Magna took years? What if I was wounded or killed, who would there be to save my own universe? These Glatorian seem smart and capable, surely they could handle things here. And what help could I be? Stripped of my great powers, was I even the equal of Ackar or Strakk or any of the others? They had years of experience here… I had been here less than a day.

And yet… I turned away once before. I paid so much attention to the worlds I was visiting and the mission I had to carry out for the Great Beings that I ignored what was going on inside my own universe. Too late, I realized that there were hostile forces arrayed against me. It was because I was so oblivious that evil was able to take root in the place I was supposed to protect. Could I walk away again? Could I really turn my back on these people who had welcomed me into their midst? By doing nothing, would I not be allowing evil to triumph here as well?

This was something I would need to think long and hard about. The decision I made might change the course of two worlds. And I could not help but think – if the only way I could save my home was to leave this place to its doom, would I be able to do it?

Entry 5

Ackar is a most unusual being. Despite his own troubles – his fears that his fighting skills are eroding, his concern that he may be forced into retirement – he has offered to aid me in my quest to return home. He says he owes me for saving his life in the arena in Vulcanus, but I sense there is something more to it. Perhaps he wants… or needs… to feel he is part of something greater than himself.

He reminds me of someone I knew of in my own universe – a hero named Onua. He was tremendously strong, but his power was always tempered with wisdom. Like Ackar, he was a strategist… and also like the Glatorian who rides with me now, he was respected by all who knew him. I can tell from the way Kiina speaks with Ackar that both his word and his approval are things she values.

Ackar has pointed out, correctly, that I have a lot to learn about fighting. He has offered to teach me. Of course, his way of doing it is a bit strange. Rather than teach me maneuvers, he has me watching birds in flight. I am to follow their movements and try to predict if they will turn right or left. It is frustrating work and I do not seem to be very good at it.

Later, Ackar takes me up into the rocks and shows me a creature he calls a rock steed. It is a vicious, reptilian beast, and Ackar says it must be fought before it can be tamed. When he tries to do just that, the rock steed strikes him down. I challenge it… and find that I can do what Ackar taught, predict its movements from the smallest signs. I fight and I drive it off, only to learn that Ackar was not so badly hurt – he simply believed that I would learn best if I believed his life depended on it. And he was right – seeing him in danger crystallized his lessons in my mind. I had no time to think about what I was to do, only time to do it.

A wise being, indeed.

Entry 6

My first view of the "work" of the Skrall was when Ackar, Kiina and I arrived in Tajun. I have seen entire worlds devastated by war before, but this was something different. The Agori did not choose this fight. It was forced upon them by the greed and ambition of the Skrall and Bone Hunters. And… perhaps it makes a difference to see a battle from the midst of it, rather than from the great distances I have known before. I saw the young Glatorian, Gresh, badly wounded; saw the shelters burning; and realized that the water tribe had just had their lives shattered as surely as their planet once had been.

I have experienced many new emotions since coming to Bara Magna. Oh, the Great Beings gave me the capacity to feel when they created me, but I was always so far removed from everything around me that I have had no reason to experience emotion. Now I have known fear, facing the Vorox… friendship, with Ackar and Kiina… and now, anger at the senseless violence I see all about me.

The Skrall do not realize it, but in a strange way, they have done me a favor. I have wrestled with the choice before me – whether to leave Bara Magna as quickly as possible to go and save my universe, or to stay and help these people. Now I know what I must do. What the Skrall did today must be avenged.

Kiina pointed out Tuma, leader of the Skrall, to me as he walked amid the carnage. He is tall, strong, and obviously filled with enormous confidence. He shows no sign of regret for what his soldiers have done here, only pride and satisfaction. He reminds me of someone else I have known, an enemy I still must bring down. I think I will enjoy bringing this Tuma to face Agori justice one day.

In the meantime, there is work to be done. Kiina says there is a place we can go to where Gresh will be safe. It is the same cavern she spoke of, filled with ancient technology and strange inscriptions. I have a hunch that I am about to discover I am not so very far from home as I thought.

Entry 7

In the universe I came from, there was only one true source of evil. If he could be defeated, life, light, and hope would return to my people. As I traveled to the city of Roxtus to rescue the kidnapped Kiina and Berix, I believed the same would be true here. If I could defeat Tuma, leader of the Skrall, then the danger that threatened Bara Magna would vanish.

Defeat him, I did, although it took every lesson I had learned from Ackar to do it. But the menace to Bara Magna did not end with him. Upon his fall, Metus appeared, revealing himself to be a traitor to the Agori. He had somehow gained influence over the Skrall, perhaps by offering knowledge to Tuma in exchange for power. Whatever the reason, the Skrall attacked at his command. Badly outnumbered, it seemed my first major battle would prove to be my last.

Salvation, as it often does, came from an unexpected source. Despite my insisting they remain in Tesara, the other Glatorian – my friends, a word I still marvel at – charged Roxtus. They fought with heart, spirit, and pride, and those were three weapons the Skrall could not hope to stand against. The rock tribe and its warriors broke. I spotted Metus attempting to get away, but the power of the Mask of Life has a surprise for that traitorous murderer of his own people. In his heart, he was a serpent; the Mask of Life saw to it that his body would match. I watched him slither away into the desert and felt no regrets.

This experience had taught the Agori a lesson about unity. Now willing to work together, they brought all their scattered shelters together to form one great mega-city. It was only when the work was done that I realized what they had unwittingly constructed: a new robot body, much like my old one. With it, I knew I could challenge my ancient enemy and save my universe.

But before I could do that, there were new dangers to be faced.

Entry 8

The robot body was intact. I could only guess that it was a prototype for my own lost form, perhaps something that failed its initial test here in the desert of Bara Magna. I could will my mind into it, but that would not help any, for the body had no power source. Without energy, it was just a metal shell.

It was then that events took an unexpected turn. Berix produced a coin he had found in the cavern of the Great Beings which had a maze pattern on it. Then we found that the pattern on the Skrall shields matched that of the coin. Finally, Vastus told me of one of his tribe’s Agori, Tarduk, who was telling wild tales about a “Valley of the Maze” to the north.

I wanted to seek out this Tarduk and question him. But it turned out that he had left Tesara on an expedition of his own to find the maze and solve its secrets. Accompanied by Kiina and Gresh, I followed. Had I not, well, I doubt Tarduk would have lived to return and tell us what he had found.

The maze was a last riddle left behind by the Great Beings. Designed to keep intruders out, it concealed a source of great power. Once unleashed, that power fused the parts of the huge robot body together and powered it. Then I had only to send my spirit from the Mask of Life into the body to once more have the strength to challenge my foe.

The final battle approaches even now. I have no doubt my enemy knows what has happened and will seek me out. I may destroy him, or he may destroy me, but I fear that our fight will inevitably rain destruction down on those below. I have warned Ackar and the others to get themselves and the Agori to a place of safety. They have helped me, saved me, and shown me a world I did not know existed – but this was not their fight. It was mine… and it was one I should have fought many centuries before.

Characters

• Mata Nui
• thief
• curious beetle
• Great Beings
• creature
• warrior
  • Ackar
  • Kiina
  • Gresh
  • Strakk
• villager
  • Metus
  • Berix
  • Tarduk
• Skrall
  • Tuma
• Bone Hunters
• Onua