//------------------------------// // Garbage Room // Story: Cinematic Adventures: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope // by extremeenigma02 //------------------------------// The team of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Twilight Sparkle, Storm Shield, and a few others made their way through the halls of the Death Star. Thankfully, they were able to rescue Leia, but still were not able to find Sunset Shimmer anywhere. Right now, they were in the process of continuing their search while trying to find a means out of this place. Eventually they stumble upon the elevator. “You all wait here,” Han ordered. “Chewie and I will check it out.” “I’m going with you,” Storm replied. Han chuckled slightly, with a head shake. “All due respect kid, I think you’d be better off staying here.” Storm glared at the narcissistic space pirate. “And all due respect to you old man, I’m a thousand years older than you and more battle tested than you could ever hope to be.” Storm pushed past Han, who stood there mouth agape as he watched the young prince walk by. Beside him, Chewbacca growled in a fashion that looked like he was laughing. This earned him a playful punch in the shoulder, courtesy of Han. “What are you laughing at you overgrown carpet?” He joked. That being said, Han and Chewie readied their guns as they walked around the corner and joined with Storm. Storm grabbed his saber pike from his back, ignited the blade, and held it at the ready. An ominous buzzing sound was heard on the other side of the elevator door. Chewbacca responded with a growling noise. A series of explosions knocked a hole in the elevator door through which several Imperial troops began to emerge. Han and Chewie fired their laser pistols at them through the smoke and flame. Storm, meanwhile, charged full speed and took out any imperials in sight. “Watch your left!” The trooper shouted. “They went down the cell bay!” When the smoke finally cleared, the line trooper was the last standing as Storm cut the rest of his squadron down before returning to the group. They turn and race down the cell hallway, meeting up with Luke and Leia rushing toward them. “Can’t get out that way,” Han spoke. “Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route,” Leia stated the obvious. “Maybe you’d like it back in your cell, Your Highness,” Han retorted sarcastically. “Is this really the best time to start arguing?” Rainbow questioned them. “She’s right,” Twilight nodded. “If any of us even have hope of getting out of here, we need to be on the same page.” Luke takes out a small commlink transmitter from his belt, as they continued exchanging gunfire with stormtroopers making their way down the corridor. “C-3PO! C-3PO!” Luke called. “Yes sir?” C-3PO called, over the commlink. “We’ve been cut off! Are there any other ways out of the cell bay?... What was that? I didn’t copy!” <> 3PO paced back and forth inside the control center, while little R2 beeped and whistled a blue streak. Applejack and her little group were preparing for a fight. 3PO yelled into the small commlink transmitter. “I said, all systems have been alerted to your presence, sir,” 3PO repeated. “The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out; all other information on your level is restricted.” *BAM! BAM!* All heads turned as someone was banging against the door. “Open up in there!” A trooper’s voice called. “Oh, no!” Spike muttered. “Looks like we’ve company y’all!” Applejack yelled. “Arm yerself with whatever ya can pick up.” “Oh… my…” Fluttershy whimpered. <> Luke, Leia, Twilight, and Rarity crouched together in an alcove for protection as they exchanged fire with the troops. Han and Chewbacca barely kept the storm troopers at bay from the far end of the hallway. The laser fire grew very intense, smoke filled the narrow cell corridor. Meanwhile, Storm and Rainbow battled another wave of troopers coming from the other end of the hall. During the battle, Storm passed Rainbow a blaster, which she proved to be a natural with. She blasted any of the troopers coming from the hall. “This is totally awesome!” She yelled excitedly. “It’s like a video game!” “Yeah except in this game you actually die,” Storm retorted, blasting a trooper. “There must be a way out of here!” Twilight called. “There isn’t any other way out,” Luke spoke. “I can’t hold them off forever!” Han called out. “Now what?” “This is some rescue,” Leia remarked. “When you came in here, didn’t you have a plan for getting out?” “Tell you the truth it was more of a ‘make it up as we go’ kind of plan darling,” Rarity admitted. “He’s the brains, sweetheart!” Han pointed to Luke. Luke managed a sheepish grin, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, I didn’t…” The princess grabbed Luke’s gun, firing at a small grate toward the wall next to Han. The blast nearly fried him. “What the hell are you doing?!” Han shouted. “Somebody has to save our skins,” Leia snapped. “Into the garbage chute, flyboy.” The princess jumped through the narrow opening as Han and Chewbacca looked on in amazement. Chewbacca sniffed the garbage chute and spoke something in his native growling. “Get in there you big furry oaf!” Han ordered. “I don’t care what you smell! Get in there and don’t worry about it!” Han gave Chewbacca a kick and the Wookiee disappeared through the tiny opening. Twilight and Rarity quickly made their way toward the grate. “The princess is right!” Twilight yelled. “It’s our only chance to escape.” But Rarity took one look down the chute and immediately started gagging. “Oh sweet Celestia!” She gasped. “I am NOT going down there! My hair will end up a complete mess and don’t get me started on how many baths I’ll have to take to get rid of the odor.” Rainbow quickly rushed up after shooting another trooper, when suddenly she pointed down the hall. “Rarity, look!” She yelled. Rarity quickly snapped her head the direction Rainbow pointed in and didn’t notice the latter using her foot to shove her forward and through the chute, screaming as she fell. Rainbow tried to contain her laughter as she looked over at Twilight who only folded her arms and glared at Rainbow. “Hey, if I didn’t do something we’re all going to die,” She said defensively. Twilight just rolled her eyes and jumped down the chute with Rainbow close behind her. Luke and Han kept firing as they worked their way toward the opening. “Wonderful girl!” Han remarked. “Either I’m going to kill her or I’m beginning to like her. Get in there!” Luke ducked laser fire as he jumped into he darkness. Han fired off a couple quick blasts creating a smoke cover, before sliding into the chute himself. Storm kept fighting off troopers until eventually he was the only one standing. With the area clear, he made his way over to the chute ready to jump. “Where do you think you’re going?” Storm froze where he stood, before slowly turning his eyes and caught a glimpse of Starkiller, the Sith standing behind him with his twin red lightsabers ignited. <> Han tumbled into the large room filled with garbage and muck. Luke was already stumbling around looking for an exit. He found a small hatchway and struggled to pry it open, but it won’t budge. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stood close beside Leia while Rarity leaned against the wall. She was hyperventilating, her hair was covered in that muck and her eyes were twitching as if trying to keep herself from screaming. “Oh! The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea,” Han spoke sarcastically. “What an incredible smell you’ve discovered!” “Don’t… mention… the smell!” Rarity muttered, gagging. “Let’s get out of here!” Han declared. “Get away from there…” “No, wait!” Twilight called out. But it was too late! Han drew his laser pistol and fired at the hatch. The laser bolt ricocheted wildly around the small metal room. Everyone dove for cover in the garbage, as the bolt exploded almost on top of them. Leia climbed out of the garbage with a rather grim look on her face. “Will you forget it?” Luke shouted. “I already tried it. It’s magnetically sealed!” “Put that thing away!” Leia ordered. “You’re going to get us all killed.” “Absolutely, Your Worship,” Han retorted. “Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here. You know, it’s not going to take them long to figure out what happened to us.” As the humans bickered amongst each other, Twilight Sparkle slowly looked around and started counting heads. It was then she noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Storm?!” Twilight called out. “I thought he was right behind us!” Rarity answered. “He must’ve stayed behind to fend off those troopers,” Rainbow assumed. “The guy gets all the action while we’re swimming in garbage.” “Rainbow Dash, you don’t understand!” Twilight argued. “Storm Shield is Princess Celestia’s son! It’s bad enough that Sunset’s out there, probably taken back to that Coruscant planet. But if anything happens to Storm, Celestia will kill me!” “It could be worse…” Rainbow shrugged. A loud, horrible, inhumane moan worked its way from the murky depths. Chewbacca let out a terrified howl and began to back away toward the door. Han and Luke stood fast with their laser pistols drawn. The girls looked around rapidly, leaning toward the walls. “It’s worse,” Han replied. Suddenly, Rarity felt something slimy crawl up her legs, and she released a loud scream. She raced toward Twilight Sparkle, clutching onto her as she felt the goosebumps after being touched by something lurking beneath the trash. “What is it, Rarity?” Twilight called out. “There’s something under the garbage!” Rarity shook, pointing below. “I felt something slimy touch me…” “Just stay calm!” Twilight soothed. “That’s your imagination,” Han replied. Just then, Luke Skywalker quickly turned around. “Something just moved past my leg!” Luke called. As they looked around the garbage, Rainbow Dash suddenly saw what looked like a slimy creature swimming in the murky muck. “Look! You guys see that?” “What?” Han asked. For a moment, neither one moved nor spoke a word. All eyes looked around through the garbage, trying to spot the mysterious creature. What neither one spotted was a single eye peek out from the water scanning the group standing in its wake before slinking back into the water. It was deathly quiet in the chute, as they each braced themselves. “HELP!” The group turned as Luke was suddenly yanked under the garbage. “LUKE!!!” The girls shouted. “Kid!” Han shouted. “Luke!” Solo tried to get to Luke, digging through the water trying to see him. Just then, Luke surfaced with a gasp of air and thrashing of limbs. A membrane tentacle wrapped around his throat. “Luke!” Rarity cried out. Thinking quick, Leia extended a long pipe toward him. “Luke, Luke grab a hold of this!” Leia called out. “Blast it, will you!” Luke groaned. “My gun’s jammed.” “Where?” Han shouted. “Anywhere!!!” Solo fired his gun downward, as the girls tried to pry the tentacle off Luke’s neck. But the slimy tentacle pulled Luke back down into the muck knocking the group back. “Luke! Luke!” Han shouted. Suddenly, the walls of the garbage receptacle shuddered and moved a couple inches. The group looked around as everything suddenly turned deathly quiet. Han and Leia gave each other a worried look, while Chewbacca howled in the corner. Just then, the girls spot a rush of bubbles and muck as Luke suddenly bobbed to the surface. “There he is!” Twilight pointed. “Grab him!” The girls helped Luke to his feet, noticing he seemed to be released by the thing. “What happened?” Leia asked. “I don’t know,” Luke gasped, coughing. “It just let go of me and disappeared…” As Luke cleared his throat, that familiar rumbling sound emerged again. Everyone looked around, trying to figure out just what was going on. “I’ve got a very bad feeling about this…” Han broke the silence. Before anyone can say any more, the walls rumbled and slowly edged toward the Rebels. “The walls are moving!” Luke called out. “No kidding!” Rainbow retorted, looking around. “Don’t just stand there,” Leia called out. “Try to brace it with something.” The group dug around and grabbed poles and long metal beams. They tried placing them between the closing walls, but most of them simply snapped and bent as the giant trash-masher rumbled on. The situation was not looking good for our heroes. “What a way for us to go!” Rarity whimpered. “We’re about to be crushed by walls in the middle of all this disgusting sludge and our friends don’t even know we’re even here!” “Wait a minute!” Luke pulled out his commlink and tried to contact the others. “3PO! Come in 3PO!” Luke called. “3PO! Where could he be?” <> A soft buzzer, followed by the muted voice of Luke calling out could be heard on 3PO’s hand commlink, which sat on the deserted computer console. Spike, the other girls, R2, and 3PO are seemingly nowhere in sight. Suddenly, there was a great explosion, and the door of the control tower flew across the floor. Four armed stormtroopers entered the chamber. “Take over!” The First trooper ordered, standing over a dead officer. “See to him! Look there!” A trooper pushed a button and the supply cabinet door slid open. The other girls, all dressed as Stormtroopers, emerged along with Spike, who was held in one stormtrooper’s arms. R2-D2 and his bronze companion, emerged out into the office. “Thank goodness you’re all here!” A stormtrooper cried out energetically. “It was terrible; horrible! Those people were madmen! They’re heading for the prison level! Hurry and you might catch them!” “Follow me!” The First Officer ordered his troops. “You stand guard.” The troops hustled off down the hallway, leaving a guard to watch over the command office. “Come on, y’all!” One stormtrooper told the droids. The one guard aimed a blaster at the group before they could leave. “Oh! All this excitement has overrun the circuits of my counterpart here,” 3PO spoke up. “If you don’t mind sir, we should take him down to maintenance,” A stormtrooper spoke softly. “All right,” The male trooper nodded. The guard allowed the other troopers and 3PO, with little R2 in tow, to hurry out the door. Spike, held by one trooper, waved a salute to the guard as the guard did a double take. But they were already on their way before the guard could question. “Brilliant plan Pinkie Pie,” A trooper spoke, with a southern accent. “I don’t reckon they suspected nothing.” “A wise man did say there are ‘alternative’ means for fighting,” Pinkie replied. <> Meanwhile, as the walls rumbled and slowly closed, the trash room grew smaller and smaller. Chewbacca whined and tried to hold a wall back with his giant paws. Han and Rainbow Dash leaned back against the other wall. All around them, the garbage snapped and popped. And in all that time, Luke tried to reach 3PO or at least someone else topside. “3PO! Come in, 3PO! 3PO!” Han and Leia tried to brace the concentrating walls with a pole. Rarity, in her effort to help, felt herself sinking deep into the trash. “Ooh… I can feel it sinking through my clothes!” Rarity whined. “Get to the top!” Han shouted. “I can’t!” Leia shouted back. “Where could he be?” Luke muttered. “3PO! 3PO, will you come in?” Twilight struggled her way through the trash, reaching for the commlink and desperately shouted. “APPLEJACK! FLUTTERSHY! PINKIE, SPIKE! ANYONE!!! ANSWER US!!!” <> “Girls, I have a bad feeling something’s happened to them!” Fluttershy spoke to the group. “What if they got captured trying to find Sunset?” “We have to hope that’s not the case,” Spike replied. “Our friends are much tougher than that!” Little R2 carefully plugged his claw arm into a new wall socket and a complex array of electronic sounds spew from the tiny robot. The girls, still in their disguise, looked around making sure their actions weren’t caught. “C’mon Twi!” Applejack moaned. “Where are y’all?” <> Back in the garbage room, the walls are only feet apart. Leia and Han braced against the walls. Princess Twilight and her friends were frightened as they struggled to hold the walls back, the only other thing they can do was face each other. Leia reached out and took Han’s hand, which she grasped tightly. For the first time, they could see the terror in Leia’s eyes. Suddenly, she groaned as she feels the first crushing pressure against her body. “One thing’s for sure,” Han replied. “We’re all going to be a lot thinner!” “Oh, that was a really bad joke!” Rainbow groaned. “We’ve got to get out of this!” Twilight shouted. “Try to get on top of it!” “I’m trying darling!” Rarity cried, clawing her way up. “I’m trying!” <> “Good thing those troopers haven’t found them yet!” Pinkie replied, looking around. “But where could they be?” R2-D2 frantically beeped something to 3PO. “’Use the commlink’?” 3PO asked, realizing. “I forgot I turned it off!” “YOU TURNED IT OFF?!?!” The girls and Spike shouted. <> Meanwhile, Luke laid on his side trying to keep his head above the rising ooze. Luke’s commlink suddenly buzzed and he ripped it off his belt. Muffled sounds of Luke’s voice over the commlink could be heard, but not distinctly. “Are you there, sir?” 3PO called out. “3PO!” Luke shouted. “3PO, is that you?!” Twilight called out. “We’ve had some problems…” 3PO began. “Will you shut up and listen to me?” Luke shouted. ‘Shut down all garbage mashers on the detention level, will you? Do you copy?” “Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!” Twilight shouted. <> “Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!” The commlink shouted. “No. Shut them all down!” 3PO cried to R2. “Hurry!” The girls listened anxiously, while 3PO held his head in agony. From the commlink, the shuddering and rumbling ceased… followed by incredible screaming and hollering from Luke’s commlink. “OH NO!!!” Fluttershy cried out. “Twilight! Girls!” “Listen to them! They’re dying, girls!” 3PO whimpered. “Curse my metal body! I wasn’t fast enough. It’s all my fault!” “Oh… Dash…” Applejack sighed, looking down. “YO A.J.!!!” Rainbow shouted. “We’re all right!” “Huh?!” <> As it turned out, all the screaming and hollering was actually joyous relief. The walls stopped moving and everyone embraced in the background while Luke and the girls spoke through the commlink. “We’re all right!” Luke repeated. “You did great!” Luke moved toward the pressure sensitive hatch, looking for a number. “Hey… hey, open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number… where are we?” “Three-two-six-eight-two-seven!” Han shouted, over the commlink. <> In the midst of all the chaos, Ben Kenobi entered a humming service trench that powered the huge tractor beam. The trench was seemingly a hundred miles deep. The clacking sound of huge switching devices could be heard. The old Jedi edged his way along a narrow ledge leading to a control panel connecting two large cables. He carefully made several adjustments with the computer terminal, and several lights on the board drop from red to blue. <> Finally, the group exited the garbage room into a dusty, unused hallway. Han, Luke, and the girls removed their trooper suits and strapped on the blaster belts. “When we get back to the falcon, I’m the first one in the shower!” Rarity declared, sniffing her shoulder. “Urgh!!! I’m going to have to shower with bleach!” “If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able to get out of here,” Han remarked. Luke smiled, scratching his head as he took a blaster from Solo. “Hopefully, Ben was able to weaken the tractor beam,” Twilight spoke. “We still don’t know where Sunset is and now Storm’s missing… probably taken too! We just have to find them!” “Well come on, let’s get going!” Rainbow ushered. Before they could get moving, a slithery tentacle rolled from the garbage room hatch, edged behind Rarity, and clasped her left cheek. Rarity’s eyes went wide, and she screamed loudly, racing away from the hatch. Chewie growled, pointing toward the hatch, as he raced after Rarity. “Where are you two going?” Han called out. The creature, called the Dia Nogu, banged against the hatch as the long, slimy tentacle worked its way out the doorway searching for a victim. “Not so fast, pervert!” Rainbow shouted, aiming her pistol. “No wait!” Leia shouted. “They’ll hear!” But Dash fired at the doorway, the noise of the blast echoed relentlessly throughout the empty passage. Twilight groaned, as she simply shook her head in disgust. Han turned toward Chewie and Rarity, who huddled closely together. “Come here, you big coward!” Han gestured. “Chewie! Come here!” But Chewie shook his head ‘no’, while Rarity whimpered and leaned against the Wookiee. The Alderaan princess soon approached Han, after finally having enough. “Listen. I don’t know who you are, or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Okay?” Han stood stunned by the command of the petite young girl. “Look, Your Worshipfulness, let’s get one thing straight!” Han argued. “I take orders from one person! Me!” “It’s a wonder we’re still alive,” Twilight sighed. “But we really should be far from here before the troopers start looking.” “First smart thing I’ve heard today,” Leia replied, facing Chewie. “Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?” Han and the rest watched her start away, as the man faced Luke. “No reward is worth this,” Han groaned. “And I thought having to deal with ‘our’ princess’s ‘Twilighting’ was rough enough,” Rainbow shook her head. To which Twilight rewarded that response with a glare, as she wiped the muck off her glasses. “I’m not going to comment on that,” Twilight muttered. Nevertheless, the group followed Princess Leia as they swiftly moved down the deserted corridor. The Equestrians prayed to Celestia that the rest of their friends were okay, as they hoped to get themselves out of this station as soon as possible.