Six Toa Metru return to the city of Metru Nui to recover sleeping Matoran, only to discover it taken over by spidery Visorak webs. Transformed into half-beast Toa Hordika, the Toa must defeat Sidorak and Roodaka with the help of friendly Rahaga. The fate of all sleeping Matoran rests with the Toa.
Their journey from Metru Nui had been difficult at best. But the Toa Metru had rescued five pods containing sleeping Matoran, and were determined to retrieve the rest of the sleepers back in Metru Nui. They named their new paradise island Mata Nui, in honor of the Great Spirit.
Returning to Metru Nui was a shock. Shipwrecked after the destruction of their Lhikan II craft, the Toa were astounded to see the great city in ruins and covered in tangles of web.
The Visorak horde had invaded Metru Nui.
Confident in their new Toa powers, the heroes did not fully estimate the strength of the Visorak numbers. It didn’t take long before they were captured and spun into cocoons high above the remaining city towers. Venom within the cocoons transformed the Toa into something something terrible: Toa Hordika – part Toa, part beast.
Their cocoons shredded and the Toa plunged toward the city far below. Before they reached it, however, they were grabbed by small flying figures: saved by the Rahaga!
These new friends were once powerful Toa themselves, but transformed into small Rahkshi-like forms as a mockery of their former stature. They told the Toa of a legendary Rahi named Keetongu who would be able to change the Toa Hordika back to Toa Metru. But despite a deadline when the change became permanent, the Toa were firm: the need to rescue their Matoran friends came first, saving themselves was second.
The Hordika began scrounging parts to build airships large enough to carry all the Matoran back to Mata Nui. During this time, evading the Visorak and other creatures set loose throughout the city, Vakama began taking long solitary walks. He was captured by the spiders and taken to Roodaka, Viceroy of the Visorak. She showed Vakama the unswerving loyalty of the Visorak, and convinced the Toa that his friends no longer cared for him. Shaken, he agreed to join Roodaka, but she had plans of her own: the overthrow of Sidorak, king of the Visorak horde. All Vakama had to do, she told him, was capture the Rahaga.
Vakama’s decision resulted in the capture of five Rahaga, and he was named Leader of the Horde. The Visorak would answer to him.
The other five Toa sought out and found Keetongu, who would heal them only after they proved their mastery over their beast natures. And they needed Vakama. The Toa Hordika of Fire resisted their pleas, but during a huge confrontation with Sidorak and Roodaka, Rahaga Norik released his fellow Rahaga as Keetongu climbed up a tower. The Visorak king and viceroy managed to strike down Keetongu, but he was not out, only down – as Sidorak discovered, to his doom. Roodaka, undaunted, mounted a huge Visorak intending to steal away the Hordika’s elemental powers.
But Vakama recognized who his true friends were, and rescued a falling Matau as he rejoined his Hordika friends once more to battle Roodaka. Before the Hordika were able to vanquish the Viceroy, however, a dark ghostly hand plucked Roodaka from her spider mount. Makuta had escaped his protodermis prison.
Vakama’s last act as Leader of the Horde was to free the Visorak. Only then did Keetongu change the Hordika back to Toa Metru.
The city was freed from the grip of the Visorak. The Toa were back to their hero selves. It was time to bring the Matoran to Mata Nui. The airships labored to bring the pods all to Mata Nui, until finally all the inhabitants of Metru Nui were on the island. There was only one problem left: the Matoran still slept.
Recognizing the necessity, each of the Toa spent some of their energy to awaken the Matoran, who had little to no memory of their lives in Metru Nui. Such an effort drained the Toa of their powers so like Lhikan before them, they were transformed into Turaga. They constructed six villages, modeled after districts in Metru Nui, and under the leadership of the Turaga they lived on the island for a thousand years.
There they lived until the coming of the Toa and the quest for the Mask of Light forced them to journey back to Metru Nui. But that’s another story.