Sunset Shimmer woke up with a sharp inhale and her heart beating in her ears.
Taking a moment to collect herself the Equestrian tried to rationalize what her dream had meant or even what it had been, but to her dismay the nightmare had already faded from her mind before she could really ruminate on it.
Getting out of her makeshift bed of blankets and pillows that Yoda had scrounged for her when she first arrived, Sunset pulled out the data pad her Master had given her and looked at the time. Seeing that it was nearly four in the morning, Sunset sighed and knew she wouldn’t get back to sleep anytime soon.
Quickly putting her boots on and stepping out into the swamp, the Jedi Padawan shuddered as the moist cool air touched her, but began her morning jog early, without Yoda.
In the now four weeks that she had been on Dagobah, Yoda had taught her meditation techniques to calm her mind and connect with the Force. These techniques ranged from sitting still and reaching within yourself to just running until you lose yourself in the world around you, or as it was named back in Equestria, achieved a running high.
Sunset took to the running meditation quickly, which seemed to annoy Yoda, but Sunset paid him no mind. As she ran through the bog she let her mind drift and tried to let her issues flow into the Force as she had been instructed, and always failed to do.
Yoda, when she first started learning under him, had started preaching to her about “letting her anger go” and “releasing it into the Force.” What Yoda underestimated though, was just HOW much hatred and anger Sunset held within her heart.
She had a long list of ponies she disliked or hated on principal of interfering with her time with Celestia, but they were easy enough to let go of once she started her routine and started thinking things through.
Most of the ponies that interfered with her relationship with Celestia weren’t doing it on purpose, she had realized during her meditation. So, letting those feelings “go” into the Force was easy enough.
Forgiving Celestia and Cadence though? That was nearly impossible.
Cadence was everything Sunset had wanted to be, perfect, beautiful, a PRINCESS, and officially adopted by Celestia. They both started out the same in many respects. Orphaned at an incredibly young age and yearned for affection and knowledge; but Cadence was the one to randomly defeat a witch and be greeted by Celestia and awarded Alicornhood! While Celestia just kept pushing Sunset towards making friends and socializing, instead of having her gain the prestige and power Cadence had stumbled into.
Sunset inhaled sharply through her nose to try and calm herself down, she turned around the bend, leapt over a fallen tree and kept running.
Before Sunset could truly calm down however, her train of thought derailed itself on another point of her endless anger, Celestia.
Sunset abruptly stopped her run at that and clenched her fists as she thought about her mentor.
When the princess took her on a tour of the castle, Sunset had noticed the mirror, had noticed the reflection of herself with wings within it and being the excited student she was, she had asked Celestia what the mirror was.
Celestia had LIED to Sunset, she had told her the mirror was nothing, that it was just an old mirror that Starswirl had tinkered with. Sunset had believed her at the time, but when their final explosive argument had happened years later, she had run to the mirror and the rest was history.
‘I need to calm down’ Sunset’s thoughts whispered, she was shaking, and she could feel the Force heating the area around her, the mud was starting to dry underneath her and the water around her was bubbling.
Sunset once again took a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried once more to calm her volatile emotions ‘Peace, Sunset, Peace’
Opening her eyes once again it was then that she noticed something odd about the area she was in. This wasn’t the normal path she took when running, the trees were too thick, the fog pervasive. Looking around it was then that she noticed it, a gnarled tangle of roots and vines, with a slight opening that made it look like the mouth of a cave.
Walking up to it Sunset recoiled when she felt the temperature drop drastically near the cave mouth. ‘What is this?’
Swallowing her fear and letting her curiosity get the better of her Sunset stepped into the cave.
Sonata Dusk woke up with a muffled scream and the sound of beeping in her ears.
She tried moving her head to look around for her sisters, but she couldn’t. Her head was stuck between two hard clamps, her entire body tied down to a metal table that seemed to get tighter every time she moved.
Realizing that she was stuck, she instead made use of her eyes and looked at as much of the room as she could. It wasn’t much, the room was a gray, bare, metal thing. It was cold, much colder than the colony had been, and her sisters weren’t here with her, of that she was sure.
Sonata’s eyes widened, the image of that dark man destroying her sisters’ gems came to her mind, looking down she noticed her own gem was missing and her panic increased, as did the beeping in her ears.
Before Sonata could find any other reasons to panic though, the sound of an automatic door opening caught her ears, followed by the dreaded breathing of the bad man’s respirator.
She felt the table jerk underneath her and suddenly she was turning around to face him.
“So, you’re finally awake.” Darth Vader’s voice echoed through the room as he stood before Sonata, bigger than she remembered.
“Wmf!” Sonata tried to talk, tried to ask where Adagio and Aria were, but in her struggle to get free she hadn’t noticed the gag in her mouth. She looked back at Vader who just seemed to gaze at her curiously before crossing her arms.
“You worry for your sisters,” Vader walked forward, and Sonata flinched instinctively before she felt the gag lifting out of her mouth. With that out of the way Vader continued “Try to enthrall me again, Child and you will die.”
Sonata’s eyes must have shown that she understood because he continued, “Your… sisters are fine and are currently being interrogated.” He walked away from her before pulling out to her joy and dread a gem, and not just any gem, HER gem.
“They are surprisingly stubborn and refuse to answer any questions.” His gaze lingered on the gem a moment longer before he turned it once again to Sonata “You don’t have that luxury.” He took two steps forward and Sonata felt the rooms temperature drop with every step. “I wish to give you an offer Sonata Dusk, one you simply cannot refuse.”
With the Dark Lord looming over her Sonata said the only thing that came to mind, sealing her fate for the foreseeable future. “What… what kind of offer?”
Sunset had been wandering inside the cave for what felt like ten minutes now and she really wanted to know why she had even bothered to enter it in the first place.
It was cold, musky and dark, so why did she feel drawn here?
Turning a corner and pushing some vines out of the way, Sunset saw something strange out of the corner of her eye. It was bright and crystalline, but when she turned to see what it was, there was nothing.
Sunset stopped to rub her eyes, her exhaustion from before coming back and playing tricks on her. She turned around to try and leave the cave and head back to Yoda’s hut when something else caught her eye.
Walking a bit deeper into the cave she finally saw it, on top of a small pedestal about the same height as Yoda actually, was an ornate looking box. Sunset smiled and thought, ‘JackPot’ before runing forward to open it.
The box came open easily enough, it wasn’t locked or anything. The contents of it though surprised Sunset as she rummaged through it. First came diagrams of a body, with points outlined along the head, arms, chest, and legs. Putting those to the side Sunset then pulled out what seemed to be instructions for fencing? They had no writing, only detailed drawings of the movements and maneuvers.
Sunset absentmindedly put the drawings to the side, and without looking stuck her hand once again into the box, only for her hand to touch something cold and metal and voices to fill her head.
‘Into exile I must go, failed I have’
‘Master Yoda… You survived.’
‘the Dark Side I sense in you’
``I've become more powerful than any Jedi, Even you’
Sunset gasped lightly and shook herself out of it. ‘what was that?’, she thought pulling out the small metal object she touched, Sunset tried to understand what had happened and why this thermos had caused it. Turning the thermos around and running her fingers along its front yielded no results.
Then something amazing happened, her thumb must have hit a switch because the moment it did a loud snap hiss filled the air and a brilliant green blade extended out of the thermos and into the air in front of Sunset.
Once again voices filled Sunset’s thoughts.
’A toy, young ones, a Lightsaber is not.’
‘So, Lightsaber, not a thermos.’ Sunset snidely thought, wondering why Yoda had never taught her about these things during the time she had been stuck with him. Giving the small blade a few practice swings she noticed that it was lightweight and made a pleasant hum when it moved.
Sunset looked at the Diagrams she had put down next to the box, and suddenly it all made sense! ‘These aren’t for fencing they’re for the Lighsaber!’ before Sunset could even begin to start looking over the diagrams though and copying the movements depicted in them slow condescending clap filled the air.
“Oh bravo, Sunny you figure that out!” a deep distorted voice snarked from behind Sunset.
Sunset instinctively turned around and slashed at the air behind her, only for her blade to be intercepted by a longer red blade.
The being moved forward her red blade pushing the green blade towards Sunset and causing her legs to buckle under the strain. Her attacker was taller and stronger than her that much was obvious, but the light of the two sabers kept her from being able to see who her attacker was. All she could make out was a hood and dark clothing but not her face.
Using the Force Sunset pushed her enemy away from her and using her memory of the diagrams she skimmed over took up what she hoped was a defensive stance. Saber raised above her head, blade pointed towards her opponent and hand outstretched forward.
“HA!” her enemy cackled “Such a smart girl!” Her enemy took up a different stance, both hands on the Saber with it raised over her head. Rushing forward she brought the blade down like an avalanche and Sunset moved her blade to intercept the blow.
The two blades locked towards the ground away from both combatants and this time Sunset took the initiative. Pulling back her head she smashed her forehead into the dark girls’ nose causing the girl to stumble back and her hood to fall away from her face.
“Ow! You bitch!” the girl snarled rubbing her nose, casting a glare towards Sunset.
Sunset ignored that though, instead she felt the color drain from her body, and she took an instinctive step back as she finally got a good look at the person she had been fighting “No that…that’s impossible!” she screamed putting the lightsaber once again in front of her as if to ward off the image that this dark girl represented.
Sunset Shimmer scowled at her younger counterpart as she whipped the blood from her face, but then she smiled her yellow eyes burning like fire pits and her pale sickly skin stretching with the motion before she snarled “Surprise!” and once again launched herself at… herself.
so, battling her Darkness, young Sunset is. unexpected this is, and unfortunate...incomplete is her training...
When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back Sunset. See what you could become, and decide if that is the path you want to take.
Well this was definitely a surprise I didn't expect the dark side cave to come so quickly and if that were the case I was going to expect demon Sunset Shimmer
and let me guess she said surprise like this
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jLWOhOSFAes
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rzV3XMfaMog
What's in there? Only what you take with you.
9700597
It's not that Palpatine didn't recognize the possibility of danger. It's more that he dismissed it as ridiculous because he "knew," that Anakin was broken. As you said his ego was his downfall.
Fighting her darkness was the last thing, Sunset had in mind after finding her lightsaber & I'm so scared for Sonata... Vader better not hurt her!
Have to wonder if Yoda wanted this to happen or not.
oh man. wonder is sunset is capable of killing yet.
wait... are there any stories where luke and the cave luke team up?
9743244
I was trying to suggest Demon Sunset but in the end his idea was much cooler(though at one point there was also gonna be Celestia appearing in the Dark Side cave)
Wait a minute was “No that…that’s impossible!” a reference to Luke's line
Wait, that's the cave where Luke...Uh-oh.
Good chapter
9743587
I was thinking it'd be Celestia, the clap and lines following made me think Discord, but to my surprise it was more like the movie.
9743699
If next chapter she gets told to search her feelings for the truth, then the cycle will be complete.
Bonus because I can't not post it:
i.pinimg.com/originals/93/20/26/932026350848ecf820d19ccec7ad0521.jpg
I think Yoda is not going to be happy that Sunset stumbled across this cave so early into her training. Sunset needed this as she still has plenty of issues but I feel that unless Twilight where to ever show up and explain things Sunset will never be able to fully let go of the past.
She shall henceforth be known as Darth... Bacon.
Or for Sonata... Darth Durge? Too masculine. Maybe no Darth title and go with Taco Eater instead. I’m sure Starkiller will love her.
9743537
I'm pretty sure cave Luke isn't a real person. Technically anyone having that vision probably can't even hurt themselves. It's a spirit quest, and the revelation is the most important part. Physical damage is actually of far less concern than what they take away from the experience.
What would be terrifying is if you go into that cave with even a glimmer of a clue what's going on, and snark back to the cave projection, because you know this is just a head trip... and then it steps into the light, and you realize it's a nicer, brighter, and more powerful version of you. You stop, blink, and suddenly realize what that must make you...
I've never agreed with the jedi code, the idea of taking emotion out of the equation is wrong to me. We deal with emotions both good and bad every day, I know I have a dark side and I acknowledge that and I embrace it from time to time for small things but never the big stuff. The code outfight rejects emotion and attachment b/c it leads to the dark side but what they've actually done is make themselves weaker by neglecting emotion and attachment they've made it easier to fall b/c they aren't emotionally mature enough to deal with these things and say love develops b/t 2 that fear of loss or discovery is already a path to the dark side. Anger over not being able to be together can develop and so on until you've got 2 people ready to either flee the order completely or ready to fall to the Dark Side. Logic without compassion is tyranny, also emotion without restraint or temperament is chaotic and destructive. Jedi and Sith take it to the extreme sides of the spectrum and don't bother trying to find a middle ground. Attachment while being taught to accept loss and how to grieve is my solution.
9745327
While doing research for a Star Wars RPG I ran a few years ago, I came across something that's both canon, and gets absolutely no attention.
Apparently, in SW lore, about 1,500 years before the movies, the Jedi leadership was almost wiped out. Just the leadership. Only one of them came back. After that event, he completely reinvented the order, changed their rulesystem, what they stood for, replaced the books in the library, and even rewrote their Code.
Thing is, they also mention that news reporters of that era noticed that ever since he came back from that failed event that got his peers killed, he was never seen for the rest of his life without a small, pyramid-shaped crystal object in his pocket. He was even seen pulling it out and holding it to his ear on occasion, like it was talking to him.
This little detail explains so much about why the Jedi Order in the movies was as screwed up as it was. When you consider the KOTOR era clear to the TOR online game has the bloodline of Bastila Shan and Revan play major roles, it's pretty clear the position on marriage in the Republic was very different once. It's as if the rules were deliberately rewritten to cause a suble increase in tension in any affected Jedi, so as to encourage Dark Side leanings. Being taught to become virtual mentats and disavow all emotion as a path to true Jedi Enlightenment might have been part of that. It was certainly the angle I took in my game at any rate, and was well received by the players.
9745550
Interesting, I played The Old Republic mmo and one of your first missions on the jedi starter world is to look into 2 padawans who are suspected of being in a relationship you can either rat them out or say nothing. Marriage or relationships b/t jedi was frowned upon in the game and this is during the old republic era, but this was also a time when if you had force potential regardless of age or walk of life you were inducted into the sith or jedi ranks. You know what really gets to me though? Why are force users so dramatically affected by extreme emotions? Case in point if a normal person kills someone in anger or revenge nothing happens to them but have a force user do it, and a lightsider would wind up with yellow eyes and a darksider would most likely see an increase in power, yet and hear me out a jedi can run around casually murdering storm troopers all day and nothing happens to them. I guess it has to be something extremely personal. I'd love to know where you got that bit of reference material about the master though.
9745327
Bingo. What we know of Jedi history there was no sith at first. Only after a change in the council was a choice forced. Follow the light only or leave. Many left and became sith. The Jedi destroy the with but a Jedi will become disenfranchised with the order and seek out information. They find sith text and boom with are back. This happens repeatedly in history and the greatest heroes amount the Jedi are those that go grey. Even Luke is technically grey. And balance means balance of light and dark. Thus grey Jedi are the true Jedi. The order we know are extremist.
9746731
They started out as philosophers and had 8 temples called the Tho Yor, giant ships that called out to an order of force using monks this was circa 36500 BBY so a long time ago. They eventually settled on Tython and each temple was devoted to something different. There was light and dark but there was no divide somewhere down the line there was a difference of ideology and a group left eventually becoming sith. Check out Star Wars : Dawn of The Jedi they provide some stories from that era, also there are entire sections of wookiepedia on this stuff, it's really fascinating.
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Je%27daii_Order
9744528
Maybe alter the spelling a bit to get Darth Dirgeis (Dirge with the same -eis ending as Darth Plagueis).
Anyone else like the cover pic because Sunset looks AWESOME.
THIS IS AWESOME!
9777272
Indeed - balance was the most important... But it was lost as more and more extremists started popping up, balance coming forth in the form of (roughly) equal amounts of force on each side of the equation from differing sources, instead of a balanced forces from a single source.
Now, I'm not saying the Je'daii were wrong, weak, good, right, or anything, just another way to use the system on hand. But never forget that while corruption has purely evil connotations, you can be corrupted by neutral, good, and other forces too. Corruption is a disruption of purity or balance, not merely destruction of good
9744382
I like the idea of Sunset redeeming herself through Force training over her successor, and the one who succeeded where she failed, Rainbow of Friendshipping her into realizing what she did wrong.
The Dark Side that pervades Dagobah is the perfect place for Sunset to either realize what she's done wrong, or for her to break completely. Confronting her with what she would become before she falls too far to care would do a wonderful job of scaring her straight. It's like taking a nascent gang member to a local prison and showing him the grim reality of his choices, but y'know, deeper and metaphysical.
If I made a lightsaber, the hilt would be a bit longer than normal with all the saber parts in the top half and an empty canister in the bottom for hot coacoa or soup. Being a force user is hard work, so some refreshment right at hand could make all the difference during a mission.
I've never seen any of the source material, only read a bit into the wiki, so I am asking in complete ignorance.
Does this make her a Jedi Consular? I mean, it is a green saber, after all.
Then again, she didn't make the saber, so perhaps not.
9993617
No mainly because the conventional jedi roles arent a thing after order 66 at least until lukes jedi order is formed.
9766159
She does and I love it!!
Honestly being a sith isn't such a bad thing
10059472 True, but in the end it's not good either.
10207021
It only really ends bad for the sith because they're idiots
10207985
The Sith Fail because the Dark Side is inherently self destructive.
the Sith Code of:
Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion I gain Strength.
Through Strength I gain Power.
Through Power I gain Victory.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me.
Is wrong, mainly because it doesn't take into account how the Dark Side skews your mentality.
Anakin is probably the best example of this, he turned to the Dark Side to gain the power to save his wife from death, but his goal ends up being skewed by the end of episode 3, instead of saving his wife his goal changed to "make the galaxy safe for his wife by killing Palpatine and ruling the Empire" and then it was skewed AGAIN to be more about his own power and control of his wife instead of her safety.
Another good example is in KOTOR where theirs a Sith Acolyte who became a Sith to free the slaves on her home world, she goes to the Sith Academy to get more power so that she could free the slaves, but each time she rises in the ranks she keeps thinking "this isn't enough" and stalls her eventual goal until she loses sight of it.
The Sith are constantly like that, clawing for more and more power until they collapse in on themselves, Sidious did it too with the Empire. He already ruled the Galaxy but instead of keeping the facade of a benevolent ruler and making the galaxy a better place, cementing the peoples love for the Sith and hate for the Jedi, he let his cruelty and need for power define his empire, to the point where rebellions started springing up because of his constant need for more power.
10208099
The dark side kind of work like steroids. After using it you feel powerfull. But dosent last, and insted you become adicted to it.
How could Sonata cross her arms? She is tied to a table.
Ooh! A dark encounter in the Dark Side Dagobah Cave!
9744528
Oh starkiller working with sotona would be awesome,
This version of vader is also someone with brain….
Isn’t whole point of his original character arc is that he made a decision by himself, broke free being just a meat puppet of the toxic emperor. He fought against years of induced traumas, stockholmes syndrome and win.
We literally see him as a broken crippled man who have nothing but his son before he died.
He being a ringleader means he’s no different than any generic tragic-past-psycho-villian.
10436032
She has 4 arms?