//------------------------------// // Ch. 27; Field Work // Story: Star Wars: A Second Chance // by Dorath //------------------------------// “Legate Revan, Ma'am!” Looking up at the young pegasus guardspony hurrying down the hallway towards her, Revan moved aside so she wouldn't be blocking the flow of traffic as ponies left the mess for their afternoon duties, “What is it, trooper?” Catching up with the waiting Jedi, the guardspony saluted, “Ma’am, Princess Celestia would have you met her in her offices with all possible speed!” Revan nodded once, and then took off at a dead run, using her Force-enhanced agility to weave through ponies as she charged towards the palace. ________________________________________ Princess Celestia's private office was filled with several centuries’ worth of accumulated books, portraits and knickknacks and smelled of parchment, wood-smoke from the fireplace and tea. Usually, Revan found it rather relaxing, but the urgent summons, coupled with the grim frown the alicorn wore as she looked at the report held in her magic, caused the twi'lek to dispense with her usual impishness, “What's is it, Celestia, what’s wrong?” “Four foals have disappeared from the town of GreenWood in the past month, and unexplained lights and sounds have been reported from the Woods.” When the Princess didn't explain further, Revan gave a small cough, “Lost younglings are always a bad thing, but I think I'm missing something here.” Celestia blinked at Revan, before giving a small, embarrassed laugh, “I'm sorry, Revan, the Nightmare Woods have been a reoccurring problem for centuries, and I forgot that this is all still new to you.” Pulling a map from the shelves, she pointed at a large forest along Equestria's eastern marches, “The Shadowed Heart Forest forms the northern border between Equestria and Germane, but all of the neighboring ponies have called it the Nightmare Woods for the last eight centuries.” “The Woods are a place of wild magic, much like the Everfree Forest, but a century after I lost Luna, somehow the forest became twisted and corrupt, strange lights would be seen and inexplicable noises would echo from within the trees. Mares, stallions and even foals would vanish from nearby settlements, and never be seen again, while the beasts and monsters of the Woods became more hostile, and at times would even leave the Woods to hunt ponies. As for those ponies who braved the Woods, looking for answers or lost loved-ones, many did not come out, and some of those who did return were changed … turned mad, murderous, or both. “You've heard Licorice and River Breeze talk about Honey Grace, I believe? Before she started on her mad war against all living things, she was a traveling entertainer with a knack for illusions and an amateur archaeologist,” Celestia closed her eyes for a moment as old, painful memories returned, “A friendly mare, if rather fond of dramatics, who, much like our Pinkie Pie, lived for making other ponies smile. Then she went into the Nightmare Woods ….” “So-kay,” Revan whistled, “I'm starting to get the holo, though I have to ask why anyone is still willing to live near this place?” “The Woods have their periods of quiet,” Celestia explained, “Often several decades in length. More than enough time for ponies to start doubting the old tales, and GreenWood is a good hours trot away from the Woods ...” Leaning over the desk, Revan tapped a finger on the map, “And no one knows what's causing this corruption, or what wakes it up?” The solar diarch shook her head sadly, “No pony, the Magus Corps has sent four expeditions into the Nightmare Woods, all returned empty-hoofed. I have searched the Woods time and again with my magic, but I found neither points of power nor lay-line crossings that might justify the forest's darkness. Now, however, we have another possible explanation ….” “The Force,” Revan nodded as she finished the alicorn's thought, “If the forest was a Dark Side site, it could explain everything. I'll head out immediately,” she continued as she stood up. “Not alone,” Celestia said firmly, “You should take some of the apprentices with you.” “What?” the Jedi cocked her head at her sister, “I mean, sure, field work is a normal part of the training, but if this is a Dark Side site, they're not as resistant to Force influences as I am.” “And yet, they are still better defended they any other ponies, and unlike you, they have no previous Darkness that might be used against them,” Celestia argued, “You can keep watch over each other. And besides, searching for missing foals is not a one-pony job.” “Point,” the twi'lek agreed wryly, “Fine … River Breeze, Silver Chaser and Blaze are the most advanced of the class, I'll grab them, hit the armory to gear-up, and be on the next train,” she shot a glance at Celestia, “You'll let Twilight know what's happened?” “Of course,” the princess assured her, “How is Twilight handling her accession?” Celestia inquired, a look of concern crossing her muzzle. Revan gave a short bark of laughter, “She's a nervous-wreak part of the time, terrified of disappointing you, bothered whenever ponies treat her as a 'Princess' instead of 'Twilight', giddy at being able to research Pegasus and Earth Pony magic first-hand, and she's still looking for a guidebook on being a princess. Spike, the girls and I have been keeping Twi' from fretting herself sick, and making sure no one tries to take advantage of her. And I'm still pissed with Discord for the whole Plunder Vine thing,” she added with an angry snarl, cocking a brow at Celestia, Revan continued in a calmer tone, “You or Luna coming by to see her would help set Twi's mind at ease, and she would love to see you again.” “I know, I know,” Celestia replied, before winking at Revan as she held a hoof to her lips, “Luna, Cadance and I are setting up a 'Princess Summit' for a few months from now, but don't tell Twilight yet, I want everything ready first.” “My lips are sealed,” the Jedi promised with a laugh, before her face lost its humor, “Well, sooner begun, sooner done.” ________________________________________ Blaze, apprentice of the Equestrian Force Academy and all-around awesome pony, shifted on her train bench as she tried to downplay her excitement, 'We're going on an assignment! Yeah, I'm stuck with Silver, (stupid, annoying, cute Silver Chaser) but we get to go use our powers and help ponies!' The pegasus looked up as her instructor slipped into the compartment and latched the door behind her before turning to River Breeze, “Everything stowed and accounted for?” The unicorn mare nodded, “Weapons, armor, rations, field medical supplies, camping gear and cold-weather gear, despite it being mid-summer.” “Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it,” Revan replied as she dropped onto a bench of her own. “So, once we disembark at Fillyville our mission objectives are as follows: One, proceed to the town of GreenWood and locate four missing younglings if they are within the area of GreenWood, the two neighboring settlements, or the Shadowed Heart Forest. Two, upon finding the younglings, affect their safe return to their homes if possible, River, with your Magus experience, I'd like you to liaise with the local gendarme investigator and be the point man for these objectives. Objective three, deal with the reason for the younglings’ disappearance. Four, enter the Shadowed Heart Forest and attempt to determine the source of its corruption, this objective may be carried out concurrently with objectives one through three. Five, destroy or otherwise neutralize the source of the corruption if possible. The sixth and final objective, return the entire detachment to Canterlot in reasonable health and sanity, questions, ade?” “Reasonable health and sanity?” Silver muttered uneasily, voicing the concern that was on Blaze's mind as well, while River mulled over their mission. “Shadowed Heart … Shadowed Heart …” River's eyes widened as she turned to stare at the legate, “We're going into the Nightmare Woods?!” “Well, that doesn't sound good,” Blaze observed, her usual brazen demeanor shaken slightly by the older mare's reaction, “Just how bad is this place?” “Oh, it's just like the Everfree Forest, except with the addition that every single animal considers ponies to be good eating, and just going into the trees has rendered ponies irreversibly insane.” River looked over the little group and gave them a thin smile, “Granted, with this lot that may not be saying much on the last part,” she added, sparking a brief round of laughter from Blaze and Revan, and a annoyed sniff from Silver Chaser. “Since no one has ever found a magical cause for the Woods condition, Celestia wants us to check for a Force-based one,” the twi'lek explained, “If the Woods are a Dark Side site, well, such places frequently have a fount of unrestrained emotion at their heart, fear, hatred, battle-rage, what-have-you. And since windigoes are drawn to hatred …” she nodded at their packs with the cold weather garments inside. 'I wonder what other feelings have created Force-strong sites,' Blaze mused idly, 'Does it have to be the ugly emotions, though, or could it be something else? Hmmm, a lust-based site might be … interesting,' she smirked as lewd images began to play through the teen's imagination. “If there are windigoes, can we actually confront them?” Silver asked, distracting the pegasus from her salacious daydreams, “They're almost immune to any magic weaker than an alicorn's, and even that is more speculation than confirmed fact.” “I don't know, Silver,” Revan admitted truthfully, “We're charting new ground here. Still, we can deal with Force spirits or revenants that may be lurking in the Woods, although it may cost us, and I think we'll be able to handle any magic-spawned ghosts that we might stumble across as well.” Stretching out a hand, the legate called a weatherproofed pouch over to her from within the gear they had stored under the benches, “Anyway, I've got copies of the reports that were sent to Celestia, as well as copies of the most recent survey-maps of GreenWood and the surrounding farmlands. We've got three days until we hit Fillyville, let's get to work.”