//------------------------------// // Detour to Nar Shaddaa // Story: Star Crossed Ponies // by MillenniumFalsehood //------------------------------// Chapter 16 “I mentioned in chapter 12 that many planets my friends and I ended up on had glistening appearances thanks to the tall, shimmering buildings, glistening from the cleaning fluids that were applied daily, the holographic advertisements projecting into the air, and the hundreds of thousands of windows on them. Nar Shaddaa looked exactly like one of those planets from the air, but up close the lights and glistening were just pyrite and dirty glass, and through the glass you could see the worms crawling through it.” -Twilight Sparkle, On Extra-Galactic Voyages, p. 525 Blue swirls of energy flew past the ship as it coursed through the ethereal plane of hyperspace. Compared to the cacophony outside the ship, the interior seemed almost placid to Twilight. She paced in the enormous main cargo hold, alone with her thoughts. The events on Lahopa II were a stark reminder of how dangerous the Empire was. Despite the tension they had felt on the Maximum Thrust, that ship had seemed like a welcome abode, a place of security. Now even that had been taken from her. The interior of this ship, whatever its name, was as cold as the space surrounding them. Its green-accented corridors were empty and barren, and the closeness they had all felt on the Thrust’s deck stood in sharp contrast to the way they felt on board this freighter. The dim spotlights which peppered the floor contrasted with the blackness that surrounded her, a blackness which mirrored her disposition. But she wasn’t going to give up hope. Not yet. Her status as the group leader, despite the presence of Celestia herself, meant she must keep her head on straight. Cadance had been giving her lessons on controlling stress before she was hurled across time and space. Though they had been few in number, Twilight had enough information to figure out how to calm herself, at least when things were still. And now that they had all the time in the world, she decided to work on them as she paced the deck. She was practicing her breathing techniques when Hondo walked up behind her, his arms crossed but with a calm demeanor about him. “Yes, Hondo?” He hesitated a bit, startled that she knew he was there. “Are you some kind of Jedi?” he asked, squinting his eyes ever so slightly. The lavender unicorn turned and looked at him. “Sensitive ears.” “Ah.” She stopped walking, giving him a chance to get whatever was on his chest out in the open, and he obliged. “You’re a very interesting species, little pony. No matter what happens you always seem to have an optimistic attitude.” She shook her head sadly. “Why does everypony assume that about us?” When Hondo didn’t seem to grasp what she meant, she looked up at him with a sad expression. “We’re not perfect, Hondo. We have disappointment, sadness, and even anger, just like anypony else. We’re just as real as you, and it would be a mistake to assume we’re constantly happy and satisfied.” He blew air impatiently through his lips. “So you aren’t perfect. Hmph. I didn’t mean that. I meant that you always keep yourselves from going into depression, despite all the things that happen around you. That intrigues me, little pony.” She cocked an eyebrow. “You see, many so-called humanoid species would have simply given up and turned themselves in to the Empire, or else sought out a criminal life. But you have that rare combination of boldness and tenacity that keeps you going, no matter what. That surely counts for something.” Twilight smiled a little at what he said. “But,” he continued. “I wouldn’t be opposed to you joining my little empire. Y’know, whenever you get done saving the princess.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind, Hondo.” He shrugged his shoulders a bit, then turned and walked out of the cargo hold. As the pirate closed the door behind him, another one opened up on the other side of the hold. She turned to look as Junas ambled over toward her. “Hey, Twilight.” “Hey.” She sat down on the deck next to a large cargo crate as Junas crossed the distance between them. As he sat down next to her, she looked at him uncertainly. “Junas? What do you know about Hondo Ohnaka?” “You mean besides the obvious, that he’s a pirate? Not much. I do know that he’s probably not going to turn you over to the Empire. He and the Imperials are not exactly on the best of terms, so I’m pretty sure he’ll keep his word to deliver us to Bestine.” Twilight squinted suspiciously at Junas. “Pretty sure?” “Yeah. I don’t fully trust him, and neither should you.” “I don’t. But I have to put up with him until we get to Bestine.” Junas nodded. He and Twilight sat in silence for a few minutes, then the human rose to his feet and walked back toward the turbolift. “I’m gonna go up to the common room. The others have made up a pretty good meal. Come up whenever you feel like it, and remember that you owe Hondo a magic show.” The young student nodded in acknowledgement, swallowing the bile kicked up when she heard the phrase magic show, and then watched as he crossed the dozen meters to the turbolift doors and entered the chamber within. As the door closed and she heard the machinery take him to the upper level of the ship, she went back to her earlier pacing and breathing exercises. Suddenly she stopped, then trotted over to the turbolift, a grin playing on her lips. She could think of no better way to relieve stress than to share a meal with her friends. ----- Celestia paced in a circle around a coffee table in the starboard accessory arm of the ship, which in this particular model had been adapted into a lounge area. The large spider-web window dominated the far wall, illuminating the darkened interior with a deep blue glow from the hyperspace outside the ship. The great sun goddess glanced every once in a while at the swirling display outside the window as she waited for Hondo and Junas to meet her in order to discuss the three-day journey to Bestine. Three days. Three days until she was in a position to rescue her sister from the Empire. She was elated at the thought that in mere days she would be able to finally have a way to find Luna and deliver her from her Imperial captors. Celestia knew that those humans would be ruthless in their pursuit of knowledge of their species, and she could feel even across the tens of thousands of lightyears separating them the trepidation and fear that coursed through her sister. Even without the empathic nature between them, the ruler had experienced the torturous interrogation techniques that the Empire used. Such incredibly invasive and painful lessons in the evil side of humanity had not been lost on her, and she still bore the scars, both physical and mental, of the ordeal in the Imperial torture chamber. Celestia had always been compassionate and kind, while at the same time wielding great strength and a stalwart nature. But the Imperials had seen her compassion as weakness, her kindness as exploitable. They had pried past her mental shields and probed into the depths of her mind which, though it may be everlasting and of a higher plane than a mere mortal, was nonetheless vulnerable. They had used their terrible knowledge of psychology in an attempt to destroy her resolve. And they had almost succeeded. If it hadn’t been for Twilight and her friends freeing her from her prison, she would likely have succumbed to the torture. She shuddered as she thought of it, for she knew that Luna would likely be experiencing something similar from her captors. They didn’t value life the same way ponies did. They were cold, calculating and cruel, and were willing to stoop to any level to get what they wanted. Humans built Star Destroyers to subjugate worlds, trained Stormtroopers to control populations by force, and constructed torture droids to break beings and force them to reveal all they knew and more. So she knew they would likely attempt to break Luna in order to discover whatever secrets she knew about ponies and their nature, especially in the area of magic. Celestia stopped, then turned and stared angrily out the window. “Curse you, Emperor Palpatine.” As she voiced her vitriolic thoughts, the curved door to the chamber opened to admit Hondo and Junas. “Talking to yourself, princess?” asked the mangy pirate. She said nothing. “Well,” he continued, “let’s get down to business, shall we?” He and Junas took seats on opposite sides of the coffee table as Celestia sat down at the end between them. “Now,” said Hondo, “as I’m sure you’re aware . . .” Celestia barely paid attention to him as she thought about Luna and whatever horrible tortures the Empire was unleashing on her. I will find you, Palpatine, she thought to herself. I will find you . . . and I will end you. ----- When the door to the turbolift opened up and Twilight trotted into the common room, she stopped before she got very far. The sight that greeted her eyes was one of happiness. She looked at the relatively sumptuous meal set before them, noting how rich this meal was compared to the ration packs she’d consumed onboard the Maximum Thrust. She then set her eyes upon the ponies surrounding the table. Applejack was playfully annoying Rarity by throwing bits of food at her. Rainbow Dash was discussing something with Pinkie Pie, likely a prank. Fluttershy was smiling contentedly as she peacefully ate her meal, with Spike sitting next to her, eating a pile of vegetables. The warmth of the gathering was tangible, and Twilight’s spirits were lifted by it. The lavender unicorn walked calmly toward the table, then sat down and levitated a plate toward her. She was magically filling her plate with an exotic-looking vegetable when Celestia exited the turbolift door, followed by Junas and Hondo. The student watched as her teacher strode into the room and sat down, and could tell that the sight of all her subjects sitting and eating happily was just as heart-warming to her as it was to Twilight. The young student looked on as her ruler, the human scout and the pirate all sat down to eat with them. She noticed that Rainbow Dash eyed the Weequay with suspicion, and she couldn’t say that she blamed her. The pirate had been shifty ever since they met him, and she got the distinct feeling that he was hiding something from them. But she couldn’t figure out what. Twilight knew better than to just call him out on a hunch. Her relatively recent experience with the Changeling queen Chrysalis had taught her the value of collecting evidence before making drastic accusations. But there was no evidence to collect, at least none that she could find. She couldn’t use a computer to an extent that she could figure out whether he had been communicating with the Empire, nor was she experienced enough with their written language to know whether the crates in the cargo hold were Imperial in origin (though she strongly suspected Junas would know whether they were). Despite the feeling in her gut, she found it hard to concentrate on her suspicions because of the wonderful atmosphere created by the meal she was enjoying. Her friends having fun for the first time in what seemed like an eon was giving her waves of warmth and happiness, and it was intoxicating. The best part of it all was Celestia was actually smiling, a sight that caused Twilight to sprout a grin of her own. Her ruler was still talking with Hondo, but the small smile on her lips, perhaps at the thought of being so close to rescuing her sister, refused to leave her mouth. As Twilight was piling on a second helping of vegetables, Hondo stood up and held up his hands to get the ponies’ attention. “Well, my little ponies, I hope you have been enjoying yourselves. Ships don’t normally stock such fine foodstuffs as this, but being the leader of a pirate gang does have certain advantages. And now . . .” He turned and looked at Twilight with an expectant grin. “We shall be entertained by our very own Twilight Sparkle.” She grimaced, but stood up and looked intently at Hondo. “I hope you realize that I’m only doing this because we need passage.” He nodded at her impatiently, then gestured for her to begin. The next half hour was filled with Twilight going through her repertoire of tricks and skills. She teleported around the room, caused the fruit in a bowl on the table to perform a dance, floated the water in their glasses above their heads, and performed many other tricks for the amusement of Hondo. The Weequay clapped and hollered with great gusto, enjoying every minute of the performance. After she banished the group of animals that she’d conjured from thin air, she blew her horn to cool it down and wiped the sweat from her eyes. She then looked at Hondo expectantly. Before a moment had scarcely passed the pirate was laughing and applauding loudly. “Bravo!” he shouted. “Bravo, little Twilight!” The unicorn took a small bow, a bit proud of herself despite the alien who was complimenting her. Suddenly he stood up. “I propose a toast: to your continued health and rule, Princess Celestia.” They all raised a goblet and chanted their approval, then downed the sweet and spicy liquid within. Junas in particular relished his, letting it pool on his tongue and then slide down his throat with a satisfied sigh. “I’d almost forgotten what a good Corellian Ale tasted like.” Applejack slammed her own mug on the table with a satisfied belch. “Man! That there’s better than fresh-squeezed apple cider!” Suddenly getting a concerned expression, she leaned over to Rainbow Dash. “Don’t tell Granny Smith Ah said that.” The rest of the meal went very well. Twilight finished her dessert consisting of some kind of exotic ice cream, but she felt something was amiss. Maybe it was her dealings with humans and humanoids in this galaxy, but she had a bad feeling about her seemingly gracious host. As the server droids cleared the table and the mares and humanoids milled about the ship, she sought out Junas, wondering if he felt the same way. She eventually ran into him in the ship’s cargo hold and expressed her concern. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” he said as she finished. “He set out a bunch of quality food, and that’s a real luxury on a starship, but he barely knows us. He may be trying to make a good impression, or . . .” Twilight swallowed hard. “Or he might be trying to lure us into a false sense of security.” The human nodded in agreement as Hondo walked over to them jovially. “Well, my friends, did you enjoy your meal?” “It was very good, Hondo,” replied Junas. “I really appreciate the gesture. It’s not often a Rebel scout gets the royal treatment.” Grinning with satisfaction, the Weequay turned to Twilight. “And you, little pony?” Twilight nodded politely. “It was delicious.” Hondo bowed. “I’m glad you were as satisfied with my humble gesture as I was with your stunning performance, my dear. If you will excuse me, I must tend to the bridge.” As the pirate walked toward the doors at the far end of the hold, Rainbow Dash and Applejack stepped out from behind a pair of crates. “I don’t believe that creep for a second,” said the cerulean pegasus with a frown. “Ah agree, Rainbow Dash. He’s shiftier’n a coon in a henhouse.” “I’m with you girls,” said Twilight. “But he’s at the controls and this is his ship. He’s got a crew, and I’m sure if we try anything he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot us down. We’ve just got to wait it out and see where he’s taking us.” With that she turned and walked toward the turbolift. “Where are you going?” asked Dash. “To the cockpit,” replied Twilight over her shoulder. “Maybe observing him will give me a clue as to his true intentions.” ----- The door to the cockpit slid into its alcove and admitted Twilight into the blue-hued cabin. A pair of aliens was at the controls, guiding the ship through hyperspace as Hondo stood behind them, his arms clasped behind his back and a confident look about him. I’ve got to tread carefully, thought Twilight. She walked slowly to his side, taking a seat next to him. “I never tire of watching a hyperspace tunnel,” said Hondo. “Oh?” “It has an uncommon beauty about it.” She looked out the windows at the cyan clouds of cosmic background radiation and star dust. It was quite beautiful to her eyes, but she had more pressing matters. “So how long until we get to Bestine?” “Oh, a few days. We’re going to be making a slight detour. Not to worry, little one. We shall be but a moment.” She eyed him suspiciously. “Why are we going to make a detour?” He shrugged. “Just a cargo drop.” “Cargo drop?” “Yes.” The pirate looked down at her and spoke with a tone similar to a parent explaining something to a child. “We’re going to drop off some elicit cargo, an operation which will only take a few minutes, then be on our way.” A red light glowed on the navigator’s console, accompanied by a quiet beeping noise. The man at the controls pushed a set of silver levers forward, and the blue melted into white streaks, which condensed into a star-specked backdrop of black behind a gray, light-speckled ball with thick clouds of smog and traffic. Hondo grinned in satisfaction, then turned and strode out of the bridge. “If you will excuse me, pony, I must get my crew ready for the cargo drop.” She watched him walk out, her face contorted by uncertainty and suspicion. She went over several courses of action, but all of them led to the ponies getting shot if Hondo’s intentions were less than wholesome. The only one which led to even the remotest chance of survival was still “wait and see.” She closed her eyes and sighed, hoping that her suspicions were wrong, and that he was going to keep his word. But as she walked out of the control center, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be a new set of horrors awaiting her and her friends. ----- A creaky sound reverberated through the hull as the rusty landing gear unfolded and deployed to support the large freighter as it descended onto a floating landing platform surrounded by large skyscrapers and innumerable starships flying through the air with no discernible pattern. Puffs of steam emanated from the pressure relief valves on the underside of the ship as the loading ramp lowered to the ground. It groaned under the weight of the Weequay pirate as he walked down the ramp, leading a small group as he went. Twilight led the pack of equines down the ramp after Hondo, who had insisted they accompany him outside the ship, claiming it was a standard security precaution. Junas had followed the ponies, and as he stepped out from under the ship and got a look at the dirty, neon-studded buildings and air traffic his jaw dropped. He marched up to Hondo. “What’s the big idea, Hondo?” he asked as he flailed his arms at the pirate. “Why have you taken us to Nar Shaddaa?!” Twilight was shocked at the anger in Junas’ voice. Hondo looked at him with a steely expression, his nostrils flaring. “I don’t make it a habit to explain myself to people, human. But if you must know, I’m dropping off some contraband. It’s burning a hole in my hull, and I want to be rid of it as quickly as possible.” His sentence was punctuated by the whine of repulsors as a brown and white starship landed on the opposite end of the platform. “Looks like my contact has an appreciation for punctuality,” said the pirate with a satisfied grin. The foreign ship’s landing pads compressed as its loading ramp lowered to the ground and admitted several armed men who formed a line in front of it. As they assumed their positions outside the ship, a large, muscular man with a crew cut and a cigar walked down the ramp carrying a large blaster rifle. As he approached the group he looked right at Hondo and opened his mouth to speak. “The great Gurka the Hutt greets you Hondo and will pay you the reward of one hundred thousand credits.” Reward? thought Twilight. She began to glance back and forth between Hondo and the armed man, then felt a wing on her shoulder. “Be calm, my student,” whispered Celestia. “But be prepared to run for your life.” She nodded, then turned her attention back to the exchange of money taking place before her. The large man handed Hondo a massive bag of money, then walked back to the ship. The pirate jerked a thumb back. “All yours.” The armed men then began to form a circle around the group. As the last of the men reached their positions, Junas turned and looked at Hondo. “What the hell is going on, Hondo?” The Weequay took on a dark expression, then pulled out a small datapad from his long coat with a chuckle. He tossed it to Junas, who read what was on the glowing screen with an increasingly horrified expression. He didn’t even wait till he got to the bottom before he looked at Hondo with pure malice. “You set us up!” The pirate shrugged. “I suppose I did. But the credits were just too good. You shouldn’t have paid me up front, but I wasn’t about to complain about getting a bonus from the very cargo I was delivering.” Celestia and Twilight started to charge their horns, but clicking safeties brought their attention to the guns being aimed in their direction and they discharged their attack. Applejack and Rainbow Dash huddled next to each other with frightened expressions. Pinkie Pie stood behind them with Rarity, and Fluttershy cowered on the metal deck with her forelegs over her eyes and Spike standing next to her, trying desperately to comfort her. Twilight looked around at the thugs surrounding them, and then glared maliciously at Hondo. “You won’t get away with this!” He looked at her with a smug expression. “Oh, but I already have, my little pony.” The Weequay then turned and strode casually toward the loading ramp of his starship. The ponies looked up sadly as the repulsors kicked in and the boxy freighter took to the heavens. As the ship receded from view, the thugs surrounding them started to close in, their weapons pointing at the ponies. Spike looked up from Fluttershy and stared at Twilight with a frightened expression, who in turn looked up at Celestia. The ancient alicorn looked down at her student. “Shields up.” With that both of them instantly projected a shield around the group, and as soon as the aliens started to shoot, Celestia shouted, “Run!” ----- After several minutes of running through the streets of Nar Shaddaa, they had become separated into groups, but they all carried a small comlink which Junas had used to tell them that they should lay low while the heat wore off. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had wound up with Princess Celestia, who had chosen to stay in back alleys, and were walking alongside a large, grimy building with blue and green holographic signs hanging on the side and the stench of burnt oil wafting through the air. Smoke rose out of the streets from vents as the three equines walked through the crowds. “I’m so nervous,” muttered Fluttershy. “Fear not, my little pony,” said Celestia. “I will protect you from those who wish you harm.” “Yeah! Don’t worry, Fluttershy!” The pegasus looked at her bubbly earth-pony friend. “Celestia’s super-awesome at showing those meanie-mean-pants aliens what-for!” Pinkie Pie punched the air for emphasis. Fluttershy smiled weakly, but still wasn’t completely assured. However, she knew that Celestia would do her best to protect them. If a sun goddess couldn’t defend her, then hope was indeed lost. They passed a metal cart and a Klatooinian vendor who was dealing some sort of white powdery substance, a material that Celestia didn’t quite know the identity of. Fluttershy saw it and wasn’t quite sure what she was looking at either, but Pinkie Pie shot over to it with a huge grin on her face. “Ooo! Look! Powdered sugar!” The vendor grinned at her. “Yeah, sugar. Would you like to buy?” “Would I?!” Pinkie was practically bouncing in place. The vendor held up a small bag of the substance, letting the pony look it over. “Notice the purity? You’re not going to find anything more pure in the entire moon.” By this time Celestia and Fluttershy had caught up with Pinkie Pie, who was staring at the substance with glee. “How much is it?” asked Pinkie. “A very reasonable sum of three thousand credits.” Pinkie Pie became indignant. “Three thousand bits, er, I mean credits for that measly little baggie is outrageous!” The vendor huffed. “If you want it you’ll have to pay the asking price.” Celestia looked at the vendor suspiciously. “And what, pray tell, is this substance?” The Klatooinian looked shocked. “I didn’t think anyone in the galaxy was unable to recognize Spice when they saw it.” The alicorn used her wing to steer Pinkie Pie away from the cart. “I don’t think we’ll be buying any today.” She led the two ponies away from the cart before the vendor could raise an objection at losing a potential customer. Pinkie Pie looked up at the princess. “Why did you stop me from buying that sugar? I could have used that to make a yummy, hoof-licking good cake!” “I doubt you could have used that particular sugar for cake, my subject.” Pinkie was about to raise an objection, then thought better of it. They continued to roam the streets, hoping that Junas would call them with news of having found a way off this planet. ----- A large platform lowered from the upper levels into the darker areas under the city. Rarity and Twilight stepped off as various creatures scattered from their presence like roaches. The pair walked along a dank wall that was covered in a black slime mold of some kind which seemed to project tentacles in their direction, as if it were a living creature. The stench of sewage and rot permeated the air, prompting Rarity to hold a hoof to her nose. “My goodness,” she said. “You would think they would take a little more pride in their city. All this muck and grim is positively unacceptable!” They walked along the tunnel, avoiding hanging cables, until they found a room in which they could rest. Twilight sat down next to a large valve structure, while Rarity chose to sit next to a portal on the wall. “Twilight?” Rarity’s voice had an undercurrent of fear. “Yes?” “Do you think we’ll ever find our way home?” The question was something Twilight had been pondering herself for some time. “I think so. We made it here, so there has to be a way back.” Rarity seemed relieved, but Twilight knew that her words were optimistic at best. Magic which is powerful enough to transcend universes is usually unstable. They might be trapped here forever, even if she were able to complete a spell which could take them home and reverse time. A sudden, faint splashing sound in the tunnels connecting to the valve room alerted them. “Twilight! Do you hear that?” asked Rarity in a fearful whisper. “Yes.” They looked fearfully at the openings leading to different areas of the city, hoping that they could find a way out should a group of Imperial Stormtroopers or pirates come running through them. Standing up, they prepared to run, and when a pair of blaster bolts flew through the air with a terrible whine, they bolted into the tunnel ahead. Hooves pounded on metal tunnel segments as Twilight and Rarity bounded through the tunnels. They dodged machinery and sensor masts, their manes and tails whipping in the wind. Rarity cried out as a bolt of energy flew through the air and vaporized a chunk of the tunnel ahead of them. The chase couldn’t last forever. As the two unicorns rounded a corner, they slammed straight into a massive alien, his reptilian features twisting into a terrible smile and causing them to cower in fear of him. “Quite an impressive display of athleticism, little creatures. I’m afraid however that you are just too tempting a target for me and my friends to ignore. I’m sure you will make fabulous additions to my . . . collection.” ----- Rarity and Twilight were escorted through the tunnels of Nar Shaddaa, surrounded by thugs who were pointing blasters at them. Creatures watched them as they were shoved and pushed whenever they didn’t walk fast enough, and smiled evilly as rifle butts made contact brutally with their withers. “Move it!” shouted the thug right behind them, emphasizing his command with a knock against Rarity’s shoulder. Suddenly she stopped right in her tracks. “Alright!” Everyone stopped and turned to look at the white unicorn, including Twilight, who wore a look of alarm and confusion on her face. The fashionista marched right up to the thug who had struck her, jumped up on his chest and pushed him down into the filthy street. He struggled against her hooves but she pressed him down with all her weight. “I have had quite enough of you jabbing that dreadful gun into my back! I can put up with you shouting at me, and I will tolerate your insults, but I will not, I repeat: will not be struck in that manner! I am a lady and I will be treated as such!” She went on for a solid minute, and all the while the thug’s cohorts stood by, snickering at the victim of Rarity’s verbal barrage. Twilight wondered how long she could keep it up before the leader of the gang grew bored and decided to get back on their journey. “And I’m sure Twilight will agree with me . . .” The unicorn looked at her friend. The librarian pony noticed a particular look in Rarity’s eye: she was about to bolt. Twilight readied herself. “This treatment is positively unacceptable, and I—” She never finished that sentence. She slammed her hooves in the thug’s face, which was all the signal Twilight needed to run. The slavers didn’t even have a chance to ask themselves what had happened before the two unicorns disappeared into the crowds. ----- Putrid liquid dripped from large overhead pipes onto the filthy pavement as Rainbow Dash stooped to avoid hitting her head on a low-flying probe droid. Applejack followed suit, watching the droid as it flew past them. “Ah hope that thang wasn’ sumthin’ the Empire’s usin’ ta track us.” “I don’t think so, A.J.,” replied the rainbow-maned pegasus. “It’s too rusty and gross, and besides, I haven’t seen a Stormtrooper anywhere on this planet.” “Ah sure hope yer right, Rainbow.” They continued on past the towering buildings surrounding them. The sounds of crying children reached their ears, and even the normally nonplussed Rainbow Dash was unsettled by it. She imagined a foal wanting its mother, or perhaps a hungry baby griffon. She looked over at Applejack, who seemed to be similarly affected. “You hear it too, huh?” “Yeah.” They wended their way through all manner of alien beings. Some were rather normal-looking, but others looked like something a fisherpony might dredge up from the depths of the ocean, and they couldn’t gaze upon them very long without experiencing that ancient pony instinct to bolt. As one of the aliens brushed against Applejack, she cried out in pain. “What is it?” asked Dash. “It’s mah wound. It feels like someone’s stickin’ a knife right into it whenever it hits sumthin’.” Rainbow grew concerned. “Let me see.” Applejack stopped and turned her body so that Rainbow Dash could get a look at her shoulder. As she got a better look at it, she saw why Applejack was in so much pain. The bandage surrounding the open wound was starting to leak a brownish fluid, and the flesh around it had taken on a sickening pale green tone. She fought a wave of nausea as she gently peeled back the bandage. Applejack winced. “Hey!” “I gotta check it out, A.J.! Don’t be such a baby.” The orange earth-pony gritted her teeth as Rainbow finished pulling the bandage off the wound. The pegasus gasped as she saw the sorry state of her friend’s injury. It was covered in some sort of gray slime and pus, and looked to be extremely infected. She knew that her own blaster burn was probably in a similar state. Neither of them had thought to change their bandages on board Hondo’s ship, and because they looked white during their transit nopony else thought to remind them. “Applejack . . .” she began. “Yeah?” “Are you feeling okay? I mean, do you feel like you’re on fire, like a fever?” Applejack hesitated to answer. “Uh, yeah. Why?” The pegasus uttered a short curse. “I thought so.” “Why?” repeated Applejack. “Because I do, too.” The earth-pony knew there was something else that her friend wasn’t telling her. “Rainbow Dash, spit it out.” “Look, I once knew a pegasus who got hurt during a stormball game and refused treatment out of pride. He later died from his infection, and I heard that it was caused by blood poisoning. He had symptoms like a high fever, heart racing, and other stuff. I think we’ve got that.” Applejack looked stunned. “Well, do ya know how ta fix it?” Dash closed her eyes. “That’s just it: I don’t think there’s a cure after it gets this bad.” But the farm pony shook her head. “Uh-uh. Ah ain’t gon’ take this lyin’ down, R.D.! This place has stuff we pony-folk could only dream of. There’s gotta be some sorta docter er sumthin’ that can cure us.” The pegasus opened her eyes, then nodded grimly. “Well, I sure hope we find one before this gets too bad. I’m already feeling my heart racing.” After Rainbow reapplied the bandage to Applejack’s withers, they started walking again, and this time turned into an alley. It seemed as though the world had gone from a sprawling techno-sphere to a dark, twisted jungle, with vine-like power cables arcing up and down the sides of the buildings and strange, plant-like creatures growing out of the duracrete and moving slowly along the walls. The black-green setting caused both their hearts to skip a beat, but as they turned to trot away they heard something. Rainbow turned back and looked toward the sound. Applejack took notice and walked up alongside her. “C’mon, R.D. We gotta get to a doctor.” “Hang on, I thought I heard something.” The brave pegasus walked slowly and cautiously into the grotto, her eyes never deviating from the darkness. Then she heard it again. It was a strange voice, one which sounded like an old pony. “That’s it. Come closer, precious. We want to see thee.” No, thought Rainbow Dash. More like the Diamond Dogs. “Who are you?” she asked. “A friend, precious. A friend who wants to help thee.” Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “Why would you wanna help us?” Again the voice silkily slithered out of the darkness. “Because, my dear, thou art a pair of poor, puny ponies who need help, yes.” Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other nervously, but then their attention was drawn to a slender, clawed arm beckoning them into the dark cave. A pair of tiny, shimmering eyes pierced the black veil. “Yes, please come, my precious. We will help thee. We will heal thee, precious. Yes.” The pegasus looked at Applejack. “Well, he is offering to heal us. And I don’t think there are many doctors on this planet.” “No!” said the creature. “No doctors, just poor old Kredo, yes. Please, please come!” They hesitated, wondering why this alien wanted them so badly, but then they walked slowly with much trepidation toward the grotto. The arm started beckoning them with more urgency. “Yes! Yes, that’s right! Closer, yes! Closer! Yesss . . .” Entering the darkness, they hadn’t gone five feet before they passed through an electronic barrier and saw a small home carved into the duracrete, lit by small yellowish lamps and filled with an aroma wafting through the air which was a mixture of perfume and some sort of baked goods. The two ponies walked past small, oddly shaped tables and assorted furniture, not all of which they could identify, and then saw the alien. The creature was at least twice as tall as a pony, with a red, chitinous face which tapered into a mouth covered with shiny tentacles. He had a twinkling in his eye that the ponies found inviting, despite the frightening appearance of his hard-plated visage. He extended a long, clawed hand toward them. “Kredo greets thee, guests, yes. Thou art welcome in our house.” “Let’s cut to the chase,” said Rainbow Dash. “You said you could heal us.” “Heal you!” exclaimed the alien. “Yes, yes! Kredo has many potions and incantations which can heal thee, creature. Thou must only submit to the one true Master, and thy flesh shall be clean and whole once again.” The two ponies looked at each other, wondering how Celestia would feel about pledging themselves to some other god. But in the end the pain and fever won out. “Yeah,” said Applejack. “Ah submit ta the Master.” “Good, yes! Good! And what of thee, winged one?” Rainbow nodded impatiently. “Yeah, yeah, I do to.” The alien clasped his claws together in what seemed to be an expression of happiness, the exoskeleton sending a sharp crack through the apartment. Applejack could have sworn that she saw the plates of chitin on his face move into the vague approximation of a smile. “Yes! Good, yes! ‘Tis very good, my precious. Now, follow Kredo and soon you shall feel pain no more!” ----- “Corellian Ale. In a clean glass.” The smelly bar where Junas and Spike had chosen to hole up could hardly be called an establishment. It was painfully obvious that the owners either didn’t know how to deal with rock mites, or else didn’t care. Holes where the little buggers had burrowed into the duracrete pocked the walls, and the durasteel supports looked like they hadn’t had an anti-corrosion scrubbing since the formation of the Republic. Still, they needed to evade those slavers, and the best way to do that according to Junas was to find a local watering hole and shack up till the heat wore off. “Ain’t no Corellian Ale here, pal. You’d have better luck finding some in the Corellian sector.” Junas rolled his eyes. “Well we’re nowhere near the Corellian sector now, are we?” The alien bartender sneered with a growl. “Look,” said Junas. “I just want a drink.” “What ‘bout your little lizard chum?” Spike’s face contorted angrily at being called a lizard while Junas held him back. “He’s not going to have anything.” The alien shrugged. “Fine. You have something you’d like?” “Besides the Corellian Ale? Not really.” The alien gave him a rude gesture, and then slithered on a gastropod body toward the other customers at the bar. Fighting off the urge to hop over the bar and introduce the alien’s face to his fist, Junas slinked over to one of the empty booths along the wall, a flickering holoimage hovering over it providing the only light with which to see by. “Junas,” said Spike. “I think we better avoid any trouble.” He nodded. “I agree, little guy. There’s a fellow I know in this part of town who can help us find a ship. But we gotta wait until he shows up.” For several minutes the two of them waited. Suddenly Junas’ head whipped toward the door. Spike watched as his eyes followed a man who looked like a normal human other than the enormous pair of horns poking out of his head and the razor sharp teeth. The little dragon was reminded of a demon, like the ones in Tartaros. The man walked up to the bar and sat down, then began scanning the room. His eyes fell on Junas, and his mouth contorted into a devilish grin. Junas waved him over and he sauntered up to the table and plopped into the seat across from the human. “It’s amazing what kind of lowlifes they allow in fine establishments like this.” Junas belted out a laugh, then shook the alien’s hand with gusto. “How are you doing, Davorak?” “Just fine, Junas. You still in the, uh, spy business?” The human chuckled. “You might say that. Listen, I need a favor.” The horned man licked his lips with an unsettlingly long tongue. “Do you, now?” Junas smiled and leaned in closer, prompting the Devaronian sitting across from him to do the same. “I need a ship off this planet.” Davorak cocked an eyebrow. “You have any special destination in mind?” “Bestine.” The Devaronian’s demeanor changed dramatically. “Junas, you know that’s a hot area for me. I can’t have my ships seen traveling to a known Rebel world.” “You don’t understand. An entire world will be destroyed unless I get my companions to the Alliance.” “You mean those ponies the Empire is after? That’s even worse!” he hissed. “Nevertheless, I need passage. Do you have a ship I can borrow or not?” The Devaronian considered what Junas was saying for several minutes, with Junas wondering if he would say yes or not. Finally, he looked Junas in the eye. “I might have a ship at Zackis Docks. You know the place?” “Yeah, I’ve been there a few times.” “Okay, just give them my name and tell ‘em I sent you. They’ll show you the ship I mean.” They both got up and Junas shook Davorak’s hand. “I really owe you one, pal.” The horned man laughed and shook his head. “Junas, you’ve owed me one since we were kids. Just don’t get your head shot off in the mean time.” The human smiled and nodded. “Take care, my friend.” Junas watched as Devorak left the bar, and was just about to leave himself when a tall alien in durasteel armor sauntered over to him. “So you’re a Corellian, huh?” Junas looked at him with an expression of ambivalence. “Yeah, so?” “Well, I don’t like Corellians, not since that son of a chen’dor Corran Horn arrested my partner.” “What do you want me to do about it? Leave?” The alien tensed. “I think you’d better. I’d hate to have to cause any trouble.” Three more aliens joined the thug. Junas sat upright and balled his fists. “I don’t think you’ve got enough guys to handle me.” Spike’s eyes went wide at that statement, but the large alien inched closer. “Oh, I think we are more than enough, human.” Junas sighed. “And this was turning out to be such a nice afternoon, too . . .”