//------------------------------// // Ch 7: Secrets // Story: My Little Pony: Rebellion is Magic // by MetaLord395 //------------------------------// A few days later, the ponies had sufficiently recovered enough to leave the hospital. Rainbow was surprised to learn that it was less crowded than usual; clearly, the evacuation was taking place. Kanan had explained how they had to detail all the various evacuation routes with the princesses. But Twilight couldn’t help but notice that Kanan seemed a bit more . . . moodier than usual. By the time they went back to the library, he had refused to accompany Hera and Sabine on another trip to Canterlot. “Everythin’ okay?” Applejack asked him; clearly Kanan’s change in demeanor had been spotted by her as well. “Great,” Kanan lied, giving an unconvincing smile. Applejack raised an eyebrow; she could see the truth as plain as day. Zeb nudged Ezra in the arm. “What’s up with Kanan?” Ezra looked at his master’s fake smile. “I don’t know. Something’s up, and yet I can’t put a finger on it.” “Put a finger on what?” Pinkie Pie popped up right in front of him. “Rarity? Gummy? This Bo-Rifle?” She put her hoof on each of them as she said this. Zeb snarled at her quickly when she put it on his weapon. “Ah think what Ezra is sayin’ is that he noticed that somethin’s not right with Kanan,” Applejack clarified. “An’ ah can’ say ah blame him.” “Kanan?” Ezra asked his master. “You okay?” “I’m great, kid,” Kanan replied. “You sure, chief?” Zeb asked. “Yeah,” Kanan responded, rather a bit snappily. “Don’t you have any stormtroopers to beat up?” “But there aren’t any here,” Zeb pointed out. Kanan sighed. “I appreciate your concern, but there’s nothing for me to get worried about.” Applejack’s eyebrow went higher still. “Yah do realize yer in front of the Element of Honesty, right?” Kanan sighed again. “I’m sorry, Applejack, I just have a lot on my mind right now.” “Such as?” “I don’t want to talk about it.” He turned around and went straight into the library. The ponies and the rest of the rebels looked at each other. Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything. She already knew what was bugging Kanan, and she did not feel that now was the perfect time to say anything. “Okay,” Applejack replied uncertainly. “Maybe another time, then. Come on, y’all. Let’s go.” They all went into the library, except Hera and Sabine, who left for the Phantom for another trip to Canterlot. -break- Kanan could not sleep. He didn’t know why, but the shadows of the past kept coming back to him, as if they refused to just stay in the past where they belonged. After what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, he closed his eyes again in another attempt to get a fresh sleep. And just like that, he was fourteen-year-old Caleb Dume again, a bright-eyed, optimistic Padawan fighting alongside Master Billaba on Kaller in the Clone Wars. He had entered his Master’s meditation chambers outside the village one day to find her deep in thought. “Master?” he asked, curious as to what she was doing. Billaba did not respond. “Master?” he repeated uncertainly. At last, she opened her eyes. “Caleb,” she said to him. “There has been a great disturbance in the Force.” “What is it, exactly?” he asked. The smile faded from his face a little. “I have had . . . disturbing visions,” she responded. “Our Jedi brothers and sisters . . . they’re dying . . .” “Why?” Caleb asked, the smile now completely gone. “The clones,” Billaba gasped, placing her hand over her heart as if something was suffocating her. “The clones . . . they’re . . . killing them . . .” Suddenly, shouting voices came from nearby, loud, uncouth voices. Caleb had to stifle a gasp; they were the clones who had served the two of them faithfully. Surely this was a nightmare, surely they would never betray them like that, surely Billaba was joking, right? But then he had to remind himself that Billaba was usually not one to joke around, especially when there was a war going on. Caleb turned to his Master, who, out of nowhere, grasped his arm. Suddenly the boy was flooded of things that the Force was telling were happening everywhere else: a group of clones all had their laser rifles trained on a lone man who wielded a blue lightsaber and wore an expression of hurt betrayal. The clones all started firing; the man fought to deflect all the laser blasts, but alas, one had managed to get a hit on them, and another one, and another one . . . And within seconds, the man crumpled to the ground, never to get up again. “I’m afraid,” Billaba was saying, “that it is no longer safe for you. Caleb, we cannot win this battle . . . you must run. Go. I’ll be right behind you. Run.” Caleb nodded, knowing full well that her promise would never come to pass. Checking to make sure that the holocron she gave him was still with him, he turned and ran as fast as he could. Billaba, meanwhile, ignited her lightsaber for what would be her final stand. All of a sudden, he heard lasers fly everywhere. He turned around and saw her deflect every one of them with her lightsaber. One of the blasts hit her square in the stomach, and he felt his eyes water up as he felt helpless to do anything. The fool! He could have saved her, and yet he chose to run like a coward and leave her at the mercy of these traitors! “No . . . .NO!” And just like that, Caleb Dume was dead. -break- Kanan was not the only one with sleep issues. Ezra tossed and turned in his bed as he struggled to get his good night sleep. He was back in his old home, about to celebrate turning seven years old with his parents. He could remember the cake that they had bought him. He felt that this was the best day of his life, that nothing would go wrong. But he had not known what would have happened next. A loud banging came from outside the residence and several stormtroopers had charged in, their bone-white armor gleaming in the light. An Imperial captain in a black uniform stepped out in the middle of the troopers, a cold, smug expression on his face. “Ephraim and Mira Bridger,” he started, “you are under arrest for committing treason against the Galactic Empire.” “You cannot do this,” Mira spat. “Our friend Ryder Azadi-“ “-has also been arrested,” the captain finished, an arrogant smile playing about on his lips. “A few hours ago.” Both Bridgers looked at each other, surprised. As the governor, Ryder had seemed indestructible, untouchable, and yet these stormtroopers had captured him not too long ago. Ephraim spoke up, “But what about our son? Who will take care of him?” “I hope he knows how to survive on his own,” the captain coldly dismissed. “You should have thought of that before you sent out all those treasonous broadcasts. Capture them!” The stormtroopers pounced on the Bridgers without mercy, fighting to restrain their movements. Ezra heard himself cry out, almost in a childlike voice, “Mom, Dad, what’s going on?” “Be quiet, boy!” the officer yelled at Ezra. But he did not listen. “Dad,” Ezra called out almost plaintively, “what’s happening?” “Son,” Ezra’s dad turned to him while fighting the stormtroopers, “everything is going to be okay. Just . . . take care of yourself. We’ll come back . . . I promise . . .” “When?” Now Ezra was almost crying. He was scared, he didn’t want them to go, not now, when he was still a child! His dad opened his mouth to respond, but never got the chance; a blue halo went out from the stormtrooper’s gun and he fell to the ground, stunned. The mother had been taken care of as well. Within minutes, the entire party had departed, carrying the bodies over their shoulders like they were sacks of yams. Ezra struggled to not cry. This was happening all over again, it couldn’t be, no- Ezra woke up, his breathing coming out in short, hollow breaths. Staring back at him was the surprised form of Spike, who had obviously gone down for a glass of water. “Everything okay?” the baby dragon asked. “Yeah, I guess,” the boy responded. “Well, in that case, it’s back to bed for me,” Spike said. “The sun’s not up and neither should I.” And with that, he went back to his bed next to Twilight’s. Ezra sighed and covered himself with the pillows, hoping for some good sleep at last. -break- At breakfast, everyone ate rather silently. Whether it was because the threat invasion was now closer than ever, or whether the tension was seeping everywhere like noxious gas, nobody could tell. Even Pinkie Pie kept to herself, only speaking to ask for more food. As soon as Kanan was finished, he turned to Zeb and Chopper. “Zeb, Chop, come with me, we need to see if we can get the ship running by today. Hera, contact the others and tell them our coordinates. We’re going to need all the help we can get.” “You already do,” Rainbow Dash told him. “After what the Inquisitor did to you? No way,” Kanan rebutted. “Come on, Kanan,” Rainbow countered. “Sure, we didn’t come out so hot, but we’ve taken care of a lot of other bad guys. In fact, we’ve recently taken down Discord, a powerful chaotic spirit who tried to make Ponyville the chaos capital of the world.” “What did . . . Discord do?” Sabine asked. “Let’s see,” Rainbow Dash counted off. “He tried turning us against each other, sought to destroy our connections with our Elements, and he-“ “Still,” Kanan interrupted. “I’m not taking any chances. We’re fixing the ship and then we’re going home.” Rarity spat out her drink. “So you’re leaving? Just like that?” She honestly thought that he had a bit more nerve in him. “If we leave now before they arrive,” Kanan said, “then there won't be any more casualties.” “And what if these Imperials don’t leave?” Twilight said. “What if they decide to stay and bomb this place so they can lure you back?” “She has a point, ya know,” Applejack said. Kanan could not take any more of this. “ENOUGH!” he yelled. Everyone was taken aback by this, even Chopper. “We leave today, and that is final!” For the longest time, no one spoke. Then Hera said to Kanan, “A word, Kanan, if you please?” Kanan sighed and reluctantly followed her outside, with Twilight trailing him. She stopped outside the entrance and looked around the corner. Kanan and Hera were engaging in conversation, and, judging by Hera’s expression, she was angry with him, or worried, or both. “-what was up with you back there?” Hera demanded. Kanan sighed. “Hera, fighting alongside soldiers isn’t what I planned on doing. When we first started, it was ‘rob from the Empire, give to the needy’, a noble cause. But now look at where we are. The fate of an entire civilization- a pacifistic one, no less- hangs in the balance. On top of that, Twilight and her friends have never had to fight off an entire regime before. Maybe they brought down a spirit of chaos, but they haven’t faced anything like this.” Twilight was privately hurt by Kanan’s lack of confidence in her and her friends. “I’m not so sure they’ll make it out of this alive.” “You seem to forget, we have been in stickier jams than this,” Hera said. “What about that time we were almost killed on Stygeon Prime? What about when you almost got captured by Governor Tarkin after we sent out that transmission on Lothal? What about when the Empire was hunting us down for harboring Tseebo? I see plenty of reason otherwise.” “Hera,” Kanan continued. “I saw what one war did to the Jedi. I’m not ready for another.” Hera put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We are fighting the bigger fight here. You may not see it, but what we’re doing right now, at this moment, it is the right thing. And I know that they will pull through eventually, even if it doesn’t seem like it now. They’ve never let Equestria down before. Besides, if Celestia and Luna have faith in them, then so do I, and so should you.” Kanan sighed again. “All right, but if they are fighting this invasion, then we are too. Contact Commander Sato and tell him there’s a change of plans.” “Of course.” She turned to leave. Kanan followed her a few seconds later. Now Twilight stood there, trying to comprehend the situation. Kanan obviously had something from his past that he did not want to bring up. And Ezra had something that he was still struggling to deal with. She just stood there, wondering when all the secrecy would end, then Chopper made his presence known which a loud chirp, startling her out of her contemplation. “When did you get here?” she asked him. Chopper beeped in reply, as if to say, “Don’t mind me, I’m just passing by.” He rolled away, whistling. Twilight quietly moaned. -break- Sometime later, the rest of Phoenix Squadron, having been told of the Ghost team’s whereabouts by Hera, was all cooped up in library. Twilight was honestly surprised that the rebellion had this big a membership. Any more and they would have to make space at one of her friends’ places. Ezra paced nervously. “What’s taking Kanan this long? He should have had the ship up and running by now.” “Why are you concerned?” Twilight asked him. “I’m pretty sure he and Zeb are okay.” “But what if they don’t make it back alive?” Ezra rebutted, now worried. Rainbow had a strong idea where this conversation was headed. “Everything okay?” she asked him. “Yes, Rainbow,” Ezra replied, a bit exasperatedly. “Are you sure?” the pegasus replied. “Yes,” he replied, more annoyed. Commander Sato cleared his throat. “Captain Syndulla, when is Captain Jarrus coming back?” “He’ll come back as soon the repairs are finished,” Hera answered. “I just hope he and Zeb come back in one piece.” “But that’s just it, Hera,” Ezra started, stopping the pacing altogether. “What if he doesn’t come back in one piece? What if he and Zeb get attacked by the Inquisitor?” There’s some optimism for you, Spike thought, rolling his eyes. “Ezra, dear, what are you going on about?” Rarity asked, a tiny touch of concern in her voice. “What am I talking about?” Ezra turned to face her. “I have lost people I cared about when they would stand up and fight back. I have known people who paid the price for speaking the truth about the Empire. Maybe you don’t know what I’m talking about, Rare, but it’s made me wonder whether all this is even worth it sometimes.” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash flew up into the air. “Of course it’s worth it! This is the Galactic Empire we’re talking about! Every sacrifice made here is necessary to securing freedom!” Sabine had a bad feeling where this was going. “Rainbow Dash-“ “So you lost your parents when you were seven,” Rainbow Dash went on. “You’re not gonna back away just because of that, are ya?” The rest of the ponies gasped. Applejack took off her hat in mournful respect of the fallen Bridgers. Pinkie had a look of downright sadness on her face. Rarity and Twilight bowed their heads. Fluttershy whispered, “Is this true?” Ezra looked around at the whole lot of them, steaming furiously. “Alright!” he snapped. “It’s true! My parents are dead! I lost them when I was seven! But why should any of you even attempt to feel sorry for me? None of you”-he turned viciously to Rainbow Dash, who cowered – “know what it is like to lose someone you cared about! None of you even know how difficult it is to fight a government that is out to destroy you! What is there to expect from someone who has never been through what we have experienced?” Twilight honestly felt that Ezra was taking things a bit too far. She couldn’t say that life in Ponyville was all peaches and sugar. After all, there were times when she had to put with things that she couldn’t explain, or faced with impossible odds. Sure, she hadn’t been through his experiences, but that didn’t make her any less sympathetic. “Ezra-“ she started, but Ezra cut her off. “No,” he said flatly. “I don’t want any sympathy from you. I’m tired of people pitying because I’m the boy who lost his parents when they did the right thing!” Rainbow Dash, realizing her mistake, quickly tried to make amends. “But I need you!” she begged. “Your team needs you! We all need you!” She motioned to everyone in the room. Ezra stood there, fuming. Then he turned out and just ran out of the library. Hera activated her comlink. “Specter-6, get back here!” No response. “Ezra!” Hera shouted. Still no response. Hera sighed. Sabine tried to comfort her. “Hera, he needs some time to himself. I think that we all need to get some rest, in fact. The Empire is due to arrive any day now, and we will need all of our energy when they do.” Hera sighed. “I guess you are right. I just hope Kanan has the ship fixed soon. We will need all the firepower we can get our hands on.” “He’s right.” Rainbow Dash sighed and sank down in defeat as everyone turned to face her. “I don’t know what it is like to lose someone I cared about.” -break- Ezra ran through the almost empty streets of the city, furious and sad at the fact that his secret was now in the open. Karabast! If only Rainbow Dash had kept her mouth shut! Then he would not have been out here now! He kept running like there was no tomorrow, praying that every step he put forth distanced him further from the library. It was almost sickening, to have your darkest memory, your most private secret exposed to the world! How did she even know, anyways? He was willing to bet all his credits that one of the team members had told her. At last, he could run no more. Tired, exhausted, and cold, he slumped on a bench. A few ponies shot him odd looks, but he no longer cared. All he wanted was to be out of Equestria so that he no longer would have to put up with this. He bitterly convinced himself that none of the other ponies had ever lost someone they loved dearly. Serves her right, he thought waspishly. The sun had dipped underneath the horizon. A few birds sang songs and some fireflies chirped merrily. Once a cat came up to him and stared curiously at him, and he had to shoo it away by threatening to impale it with his lightsaber-blaster. “That’s not a nice thing to do.” Ezra started out of his misery and turned around. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie had somehow caught up with him. Ezra privately marveled at the fact that they had managed to find him despite the fact that he was far away from the library. “Sorry.” He turned around and sighed. Applejack sat down next to him. “You okay, sugarcube?” “I guess. I’m sorry for yelling at you back there.” Ezra continued to stare at the scene before him. A few schoolfillies were playing together without any cares. He wondered whether they knew that their whole world would be turned upside-down. “It’s just, if I let myself believe my parents survived, I would never have come this far. It was only by telling myself that they were never coming back that I was able to live on my own.” “It’s okay.” Pinkie Pie plopped herself on his other side. “You just needed to let it all out.” “An’ besides, you ain’t the only one with dead parents,” Applejack said. Ezra sniffed. “What do you mean?” “Believe me, sugarcube,” Applejack was saying, “you ain’t the only one whose folks ain’t around anymore. When ah was a young filly, times were tough. Mah parents tried to support the family by becomin’ traveling salesponies. And every dang time, they would always come back with enough bits to get us through for a few months. But one day, as they was gettin’ ready to leave, they said tah me, ‘Applejack, make sure tah take care o’ Big Mac, Apple Bloom, an’ Granny Smith fer us’. Ah didn’t know it at the time then, bu’ that would be the last time ah would ever see them. “Weeks, even months, passed, and every time somepony would come over to our farmhouse, ah kept believin’ they was gonna give us news of what mah folks were up to. One day, they did. But it was not the news ah was hopin’ for.” “What happened, exactly?” Ezra asked. “The messenger pony told us that they was accidentally run over by a careless taxi over in Manehattan.” Fluttershy and Pinkie gasped. “Ah know, ah know. When I heard the news, ah was crushed as well. But in time, ah have come to accept that even though they may be gone, they will always be a part of you, and that family is the always the ones who care about you the most.” Ezra quietly let that sink in. He did have a family, even if his parents were gone; it was the team, was it not? And besides, life had become a better turn for him since coming to Equestria; it was almost as if the Force had destined for the team to come here. “Come back, Ezra,” Fluttershy softly whispered. “We miss you.” Ezra smiled. At last, he could let go of the pain. “Okay, let’s go back and-“ All of a sudden, he collapsed to the ground, his head ringing in pain. Images swam throughout his mind . . . Agent Kallus . . . Star Destroyers . . . an Inquisitor with an oblong head with pale skin and almond-shaped black eyes with white pupils . . . another Inquisitor with a helmet covering his whole face . . . --break— “Do you think he is okay?” “Karabast, this is becoming a thing now, isn’t it?” “Is he all right?” Ezra opened his eyes, which felt as if they weighed at least a ton. When his vision finally righted itself, he was looking back in to the faces of Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Spike, Rarity and a few members of Phoenix Squadron. All of them had concerned looks. He quietly moaned. How long had it been since he had been out? “Kid,” Kanan said, “You okay?” “I guess,” Ezra responded. “I just had another Force vision.” “What did you see?” Zeb asked, a sinking feeling approaching in his gut. “Inquisitors,” Ezra said. “More than one.” Everyone looked at each other with worry. “How long until the Empire arrives?” Twilight drew back the curtains to her window. What she saw next made her eyes shrink in fear. “Um, yeah, about that . . . they’re here.”