Jedi Master Yoda watched the young girl and took in her features as she slept. She was around 13 standard years old, much older than Vader had been when he had come to the temple for training. She had anger, fear, and jealousy in spades though she tried to hide it behind a false wall of curiosity.
“Can you teach me?” Those words echoed through his mind and he wondered why he even agreed to teach her in the first place.
“She is too old” he had told himself as he paced the room delaying his answers to her many questions “Too angry and fearful,” but when he turned to reprimand her for these exact flaws, just as he had let the Jedi Council do to Darth Vader when Qui-Gon had brought the boy before them, he had to pause and keep himself from gaping at the young girl.
Strong force sensitives could see things others could not, this was a known fact. When he had told the council that the force was clouded on Coruscant he had meant it. Looking at anyone and trying to read them through the force was like reading a data pad without glasses, everything was fogged and clouded.
Here on Dagobah away from Palpatine's influence, he could finally see clearly and what he saw from Sunset Shimmer amazed him. At first glance, the child gave off the emotions he had originally condemned her for. Anger, fear, and jealousy, but then on a whim, he looked deeper using the Force to guide him to the hidden truths that the child held beneath. Something he now wished he had done with Vader all those years ago.
What he found astonished him, her strength in the force was immense, nowhere near as strong as Vader’s had been at her age, or as strong as the Skywalker Twins, but all the same, it was strong and while it was touched by the dark side it was not yet fully tainted, it even seemed as if that darkness was being cleansed, something that he had thought was unprecedented.
She shone like a beacon and while Dagobah hid her just as it did him, her raw power was causing the world’s presence so much strain. While Yoda could exist as a sole light within the darkness that was Dagobah and fade into the background, Sunset Shimmer refused to, her presence burned bright and pushed constantly against the shelter that Dagobah provided as if her very essence was offended by the darkness around her.
This wasn’t what cemented Yoda’s decision to train her though, what had done that was the presence that outlined Sunset’s very being. Around the child’s heart, he could see the roots of a crystal tree, its roots cradling the sun that was Sunset’s soul, nurturing her and keeping the darkness away.
At that moment the old Grandmaster knew, that the force had brought her to him, while she may not be the one that would eventually bring balance, she brought him something that he hadn’t felt in his heart since the birth of the twins those three fateful years.
She brought him, Hope.
3 Weeks Later
Sunset Shimmer was frustrated and failing miserably at hiding it. Her new Master, Yoda, was a taskmaster, with a Doctorate in slave-driving. Every day for the past week, he had forced her to do the most asinine things to have her focus on the Force and its flow.
She was drinking some water after what she assumed was a mile run with Yoda on her back. He told her that the force required not only a healthy mind but also body, and that exercise of the body could sometimes promote deeper reflection into the Force.
Before, more specifically the day after she had just arrived, she had face-planted multiple times into the muck of the swamp, still not used to running on two legs instead of four. Yoda just shook his head and told her to get up and continue at her own pace, and not to rush.
Now nearly 3 weeks later she was leaping over fallen trees and ignoring the mud in her shoes like a professional runner. If Yoda was surprised by her progress he didn’t bring it up.
He was currently letting her rest, so she used that time to think about all that she had learned in the week that she had been stuck on the swamp world she now called home.
From what she understood, the world she was on, Dagobah, Yoda told her, was a planet in what was collectively known as the Outer Rim Territories of the Galaxy. Yoda chose to live on this remote world because of its connection to the Force, specifically the Dark Side so that he could use that connection to hide from what he called “The Galactic Empire.”
Yoda had been in exile for nearly 3 years, alone in his vigil until Sunset was dropped on his metaphorical doorstep. 'Maybe that’s why he decided to train me,’ Sunset thought 'He was lonely.’
She stood up and continued her run, Yoda not speaking a word on her back as she did so. She thought about what he had taught her and tried to piece together why he would even bother training her.
He had recited the Jedi Code to her, had told her the original requirements to become a Jedi and she only met one, according to him she had a strong connection to the Force, but otherwise, that was it. She was angry, impulsive, and according to what Yoda had said during one of their conversations, too old.
Jedi were trained from as close to birth as possible. According to Yoda, they were given to the order by their parents once it was found that they were Force-sensitive. This was, from what she understood, to keep “attachments” from forming that could lead to the dark side.
Sunset had mixed feelings about that. On the one hoof, from what she understood, the Jedi were great scholars and warriors, something that she could respect, especially since some ponies back home such as Star Swirl the Bearded were the same, excellent warriors and scholars. On the other hoof, training from fillyhood and preventing attachments felt...wrong to Sunset.
Training from foalhood was fine, she was taken in as a filly after all by Celestia and she wasn’t one to form needless attachments, but even she knew that at least Equestrians were a social species and needed attachments, it’s why most ponies in Equestria no matter the race, had tightly knit family structures.
Then there was the Jedi Code, and that brought up a whole new can of worms for Sunset.
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.
Sunset didn’t like the Code, she wouldn’t go so far as to say she hated it, but she greatly disliked it. She wasn’t going to bash on a code that according to her Master a thousand generations had followed, but to Sunset, the Jedi Code felt empty. Yes, it talked about serving the Force, and yes it talked about peace, harmony and so on but at the same time, it made no mention of protecting the innocent, of helping those that couldn’t help themselves, and other things Yoda had claimed the Jedi of old did.
Sunset Shimmer would be the first pony to admit that she had her own agenda and looked out for herself first, but she still found it fishy that an order that was known for “defending the weak” and “protecting the republic” had none of these things at the forefront of their creed.
On a less serious note though, Sunset had learned a lot in the three weeks that she had been stuck on Dagobah. Yoda hadn’t just been teaching her how to sense the Force or be a Jedi.
He was surprised that she already knew the Galaxy's language instinctively, but chalked that to the strange way she arrived. He taught her about the Galactic currency, how the Old Republic’s government worked, Galactic history, and anything else he thought she might need.
Finishing her run near Yoda’s hut and setting the small troll down she sat down on the dry patch of land that Yoda maintained around his home and waited for the next lesson to start.
Many light years away from where Sunset Shimmer was training in the Jedi Arts, Darth Vader marched towards the center of the Imperial Palace.
He had been recalled from his current mission of hunting down the remnants of the now-defunct Jedi order for reasons he had yet to understand. His Master, Darth Sidious, had just told him to arrive at Imperial Center, the new name for Coruscant that Vader personally detested, and be timely about it.
So Vader had to put his mission on hold for the whims of his master, and he rushed to the galactic core to see what Sidious had planned for his apprentice.
Pausing at the large double doors he waited for the Imperial guards to admit him, not wishing to upset his master by barging in unannounced.
The guards looked at the Sith Apprentice and opened the door, not bowing to him nor showing him the proper respect he deserved and Vader ignored them, making his way to the throne.
“Ahh, Lord Vader, on time as always!” His master crowed from atop his obsidian throne as Vader came to a stop and knelt before him.
“What is thy bidding, my master?” Vader’s low timber echoed through the empty throne room followed closely by the deep rasp of his respirator.
Palpatine smirked at his apprentice and stood “Raise your head Lord Vader, we have much to discuss,” with that the Emperor of the Galaxy stood and walked down the stairs of his throne to his rising apprentice. “It seems, there have been many a disturbance in the Force lately my apprentice, have you felt them?” He questioned his apprentice, as they slowly began to walk out of the throne room.
“No, Master, I have not.” The last time Darth Vader had felt a disturbance in the Force was three years ago, when his wife was pregnant... when he sold his soul, since then he had felt nothing of the sort, just cold and angry.
“Hmm, It is probably because of you're still recovering skill in the force, after all, Obi-Wan did do some damage to you on Mustafar.” Palpatine mocked, egging his student and hoping to get a reaction out of him, but Vader was used to these pokes at his failure and remained silent.
“That is in the past.” Palpatine continued “It would seem that the Outer Rim is just rife with disturbances, I have sent out the Inquisitors to...find the first of the disturbances, a small fluctuation in Dark Side energy, probably just a new Force Nexus but we can never be too careful after all.”
Vader looked to his master “And what of me, Master?” he asked “Why call me out here to tell me something that you could have relayed over holo communications?”
“Ah, yes, the second disturbance,” Palpatine shivered and Vader knew the reaction was fake and only put on for the soldiers and staff wandering the palace “It would seem that a recently colonized world in the Outer Rim has been experiencing many unforeseen complications.”
The Emperor handed his apprentice a data slate and continued “The colonists, all Human mind you, and non-Force sensitive, have been reporting back odd findings, missing gaps in memory, and odd fluctuation in mood.”
Vader looked from the slate to his master. “You believe this to be a Jedi?” his rage began to bubble to the surface at the thought that yet another of the Light side's servants had escaped from him.
Palpatine smiled “Your rage is well placed Lord Vader,” He clasped his hands in front of himself and continued “Yes, I believe this to be the work of a Jedi, and a sloppy one at that, go to this unnamed world and remove the Jedi by any means necessary if they can be integrated all the better but kill them if you cannot capture them.”
Darth Vader bowed slightly and rumbled a stiff as you wish. After this dismissal he made his way back to his shuttle, to begin hunting down his newest quarry.
Interesting. Sounds like a mix of Memory Stone and Sirens.
9657724
"Remember: abilities are not inherently good or evil, it's how you use them."
―Kyle Katarn
This.
9657724
People forget that the darkside is naturally corrupting
Is this where vader finds his apprentice ... starkiller?.... damn just pictured sunset and him forming a team ... pretty bad ass if that happens.
9658655
Yah but if you know its naturally corrupting youll know to use it sparingly and then spend some time cleansing themselves through meditations or balancing/cleansing it with the light side. Sunset being celestias student might know of dark magics corrupting influence so might use what celestia taught her to overcome it. Which is also probably meditation and not to use it constantly.
to
Too
You should probably add 'ago' after years.
,
the
This should probably be 'Yoda chose to', but I'm not positive.
*Remembers Yoda's enthusiasm to train Luke after over 20 years on Dagobah*
Ha!
I'm fairly certain this is a run-on sentence, and I'm almost positive the comma after Equestrians should be removed.
teaching
I'm almost positive it's galaxy's language, unless you're including more than one galaxy.
apprentice.
The
pregnant... when
Needs punctuation after master.
light side's
A bit of advice: use the spelling and grammar checking tool on some word processing software, it should identify most errors, even if they aren't always the best at fixing them.
9658706
Vader found Starkiller three years ago. It's not him.
9658646
Throwing lightning at your enemies isn't inherently corrupting, using the Dark side to do so is.
9658721
Again, People ignore the fact that it's naturally corrupting, look at Anakin who fell so hard he tried to kill the woman he loved. the dark side takes the emotions that you have, your anger, fear, and hatred and amplifies them and very few people can actually manage them without going full tilt towards the darkside.
9658655
Omg is sunset is spotted by sidious of unatural force also i think sunset need to be grey jedi and follow grey rather jedi code .
9658740
Thank you for the different corrections, I'll have to fix them when i get home from work but again thank you for the help!
9658740
Also I wrote this in Google Docs out of habit i need to start writing it in Word for the grammar checker
9658747
Lemmiguest sunset need to be on grey brother light or dark side so my guess where she going build her own lightsaber?
9658740
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Electric_Judgment
what if you throw this.
9658774
That was exactly what I was referring to. Throwing light side lightning is fine, dark side lightning is fueled by, well, the Dark side.
The Dark Side is a hell of a drug, as evidenced by Anakin going from 0 to butchering jedi younglings in a few hours.
9658742
Yah but the only thing anakin knew about the dark side could be summed up into. Dark sides bad dont use it mkay...it uses anger and hatred and it will consume you thats pretty much all the light side goes into because experimenting with it is forbidden because it opens you to temptation. Hell even yoda pitting luke against his inner darkness was probably forbidden but yoda was on a time limit. Its why they brainwash kids ... they stolkholm the shit outta those kids ...they can justify it however they like ... their a danger to those around them or its for their own protection will get parents to concede or if their strong i bet theyd just take the kid and consider it justifiable even if the parents refused. Which is the real reason they dont take older kids theyd see through the shit their spouting. Or the other end of the spectrum from the dark jedi who view the corruption as a means of leading them to power so they dont fight it period. So truthfully the only knowledge sunset would have concerning corruption is whatever celestia taught her when it comes to dark magic and its counters.
Whelp, looks like Sunset is going through boot camp, and she somehow swung getting one of the most chill drill instructors. I'll be interested in seeing just how her training under the old master will go, and to see if she'll bring up some good points in regards to not liking the Jedi creed... like the fact that it encourages sociopathy in communal species.
9658803
In the first chapter sunset points out that magic is just magic she hadn't gotten to the point where Celestia was going to teach her about dark magic yet.
Also Jacen Solo who was basically a scholar in the force fell to the dark side even though he could use both the light and dark. The dark side is a tight rope , using it even with the best intensions is like playing russian roulette you might not be harmed or killed yet, but the chance is always there and moderate use drove people mad.
From the wiki
The dark side, much like a strong, addictive narcotic, affected not only the mind of the user but the appearance as well. As one immersed oneself deeper within the dark side of the Force, its malevolent power took a toll on the body. Darth Bane explained that the reason for this physical degradation was because flesh and bone lacked the endurance to channel the immense power of the dark side indefinitely. Revan also explained that while the light side and Jedi teachings were devoted to preventing physical change through the Force, the dark side changes had to be accepted by the Sith, or they would fail due to their attempts at moderation
9658742
As someone who read the novels and a fan of almost all the EU especially KOTOR light and dark are definitions applied by force users. There is no light or dark side there is only the Force. There are many cases of light side users falling faster than dark side users because their actions. Balanced users are aware of the temptation and actively resist it where as 'lightside' users tend fall easier due to their arrogance in self-righteousness not realizing the fault in their actions/decisions while 'darkside' users care only for the power. Many Force powers have both 'lightside' and 'darkside' variations that are determined by the user.
9657724
In regards to players using darkside powers without consequence in RPGs I suggest looking through the Force and Destiny system and it expansions which handles it the best from what I've seen in balance, role-play, and consequences for using powers that have inherent corruptive risk as well as using normal powers in ways that would cause it. One of the examples is drawing on the darkside to attempt to power a Force ability if you fail to activate it which triggers what is referred to as internal conflict which causes several drawbacks for the character unless you are full darkside but that has it's own drawbacks as well.
9658826
The dark and light especially in legends were very well defined. Abeloth became what she became because she drank from a light side well and bathed in a darkside one to become what she was.
Without Darkness there will be no Light.
With out Chaos there will be no Harmony.
With out Death there will be no Life.
With out Passion there will be no Hope.
With out ignorance there is no one to learn.
If there is nothing bad, there can be no good.
The Force exists in the balance of all things.
Assumption of being Right will lead to ones fall.
Never liked the Jedi Creed, and The Sith code while better balanced is not much better.
I’m glad Sunny dislikes the Code. The Code is how we got Darth Vader in the first place. I’m thinking Yoda should try to send Sunny to a centrist group or master since he knows Sunset will likely dabble in the dark side as soon as she leaves the planet. Better to have someone versed in both light and dark to complete her training
9658824
You allready gave her a means of regulating the amount of her corruption anyway with the tree in effect it sounds like it'll filter out corruption in small amounts at a time .. so as long as she doesnt use too much force lightning, screams, or pulling a destroyer outta orbit she should be fine.
But still gotta stick with my guns... when it all comes down to it midoclorians are a biological means in which force users use the force and magic trumps science. So corruption can be cleansed using magic maybe not brain damage if the corruption is that advanced ...maybe .. itll depend on the limitations you put on her access to magic...the problem is the narcotic effect it has but magic could make you not wanna use it like with the fruitbats and apples. But now where stepping on a slippery slope when it comes to free will vs. whats good for the person.
9658866
As far as Yoda knows he and Obi-Wan are the only masters left
9658840
True but places like that existed due to the actions of others. At it's core the Force is neither light nor dark and balance is about realizing the flaws in both concepts and moderation of it's use responsibly.
9658898
Those places were natural dude just like how the darkness on some planets are natural
9658866
He should send her to mandalor after shes done with yoda she can find a ex commando who doesnt immeadiatly shoot force users on sight. A mandalorian trained force user would be pretty kick ass.
9658867
Me I see midichlorians as a result of high force energy. Not the source. The greater the force the more midichlorians not the other way around.
I know this isn’t canon but it How I interpret the idea.
9658906
Midichlorians i think of them like a radio antenna. They determine how easily you get a "signal" from the force
i well point out yoda using the 'he is too old' line is hypocritical both yoda and mace windu where well into there maturity when trained.
9658841
Flowing through all, there is balance
There is no peace without a passion to create
There is no passion without peace to guide
Knowledge fades without the strength to act
Power blinds without the serenity to see
There is freedom in life
There is purpose in death
The Force is all things and I am the Force
"There must be both dark and light. I will do what I must to keep the balance, as the balance is what holds all life. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am a wielder of the flame; a champion of balance. I am a guardian of life. I am a Gray Jedi."
nearly 3 weeks later
9658924
Oh shit
9658902
Except they weren't. They've just been around so long people didn't know how they formed. This was regularly addressed in novels through visions in the Force or the will of Force ghosts that would explain some of the events when it was necessary for a story. And while there are areas that are saturated with the Force they go neither light nor dark till events happen there to tilt them one way or the other. Even Dagobah with it's 'darkside' caves is considered simply heavily saturated in the Force. Yoda wasn't relying the 'darkside' to hide himself, the simple fact that it was effectively an ocean of the Force made it easier to hide him and likewise to train Luke.
9658922
Thank you for posting this, in classic lore the Gray Jedi code is actually closer to the original Jedi code.
Thinking its the Dazlings Vader is off to see, though it could be Wallflower with the stone already, that would be interesting.
Heck, the Dazlings eat negative emotions, the dark side is also fueled by them, could be a hard counter.
9658940
There is no gray jedi code. They follow the old code before it was made stricter Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force.
9658922
All of those codes that people made for the gray jedi aren't actual codes for an order of gray jedi. The only "code" the grey jedi follow is the old jedi code if they are apart of the jedi order they ignore the councils rewrite that happened during the old republic era.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force.
9658841
the jedi we're basically a bunch of hypocrites weren't they?
i mean their whole thing was to bring balance to the force yet they seek to destroy the sith who represent the dark side, with no dark side there can be no balance
for a force user to be truly balanced.... well i think Carl from Detroit become human sums it up perfectly
"face the abyss, but don't let it consume you"
9658969
Right on all counts. I was responding to a poster that seems to think that the choices were Jedi or Sith. And, while what I posted are not official canonical codes (or even codes of official, canonical orders), there has been enough philosophizing about it even within the universe that, I feel confident in saying, it's not as though the idea of an alternative path has ever been raised.
9658977
My main issue with all these comments basically saying "just have sunset use the dark and light be balanced yo"
Is the fact that i am going with legends canon for most things including the force. The Darkside isn't going to just sit there an let you casually let you use it it wants to devour you it always has.
where is vader off to is this a refrence to a expanded universe thing
9658994
Palpatines sending him off to find his Muse my dude
9658983
That's fair.
9658966
You mean the real code before the Jedi contradicted themselves by altering it because of fear. Yet many students still learned that version early on and were then tought to ignore it in favor of a version that through fearmongering kept them from proper balance making it easier for them to slip to the darkside without the emotional anchors for support that the original allowed. The fact that it is the code the Gray Jedi chose to follow means it's still their code.
9658983
I hope that isn't what you think I'm saying with my comments. Even balanced users suffer from the risks of delving into the 'darkside'. They work hard to maintain their balance and not abuse their powers. After all, all power corrupts depending on how it's used. Even the Jedi council is not above that as Legends has shown in many instances of TOR.
Are we going to see characters from star wars rebels?
9658904
Just like how in the EU when Jaina Solo went to Mandalore and ended up having Boba Fett teach and train her how to take down a force wielder, in order to defeat her brother after he turned to the Dark Side.
9658904
Mandalore is still under heavy imperial rule so i doubt she's going to go there
You know, I'm with Sunset here. The Jedi Code has always rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not saying I prefer the Sith; I don't. The Sith are only marginally better than Chaos-worshippers in Warhammer, becoming slaves to their basest instincts and calling it 'Freedom.' Disgusting. That doesn't mean I like the Jedi though. How are you supposed to truly defend the galaxy if you don't have a passion for justice? A righteous anger at evil? A fierce, protective love that drives you to defend the innocent? Sunset is right to be skeptical.
I always liked Master Altis's Jedi (seen most clearly in No Prisoners by Karen Traviss). They're true light side users, who embrace healthy emotions while resisting unhealthy emotions rather than rejecting emotion itself. Perhaps it's just my preference for the Christian ethic over the Buddhist one, but I prefer rightly ordered passion to being dispassionate.
9659112
How dare you question our great Lord and Savior Khorne.
Blood for the Blood God!
Where does love fit into the force? The Jedi shun and even forbid it, and the dark side only seems to care about fear and anger.
Either love is dark side, since it is a passion you draw strength from, or it's light side and the Jedi have just been made fools of for 1000 generations.
9659084
Is deathwatch still a thing or was it nightwatch? a little foggy. Could be a retired mandalorian seeking a warriors death that she gets to join her crew if she makes one. You always need one mentor type that eventually dies to teach a final lesson to the main characters.