"Alright, buster! Who are you and what did you do with Nightmare Moon!?" Pinkie Pie roared at a helpless Maul. Maul slowly regained his consciousness from passing out into a nightmare of his own design. His body was bound to a tree by a rope and was surrounded by Twilight and her friends. The ropes that bound his body down squeezed down on his chest keeping him in place, His wooden prosthetic limbs were also removed to hold him down, and he was simply too tired to use the Force and escape.
"Just tell them who you are." A disembodied voice said to Maul. Maul looked around and found Obi-Wan Kenobi once more. But he wasn't in the dream world anymore.
"What are you doing here?" Maul asked Kenobi. Or at least, so he thought.
"I'm not even here. Apparently you took such a huge dosage of that nightmare flower that I'm stuck haunting you." Kenobi explained. Maul wasn't happy with what could happen next.
"So I'm stuck with my worst nightmare: having you as a friend?" Maul asked Kenobi once more. Maul realized Kenobi was just a hallucination, and that he couldn't do anything about it, except put up with Kenobi.
"I'm afraid so, Maul. Just explain to them who you are, and we'll sort this all out later," the Kenobi hallucination advised, as Maul decided to do just that, much to his disbelief.
"Okay, you win. My name is Maul, and I'm a former Sith Apprentice," Maul started explaining. Twilight raised her eyebrow at Maul. She had no idea what a "Sith" was, and her curiosity peaked.
"Maybe he's lying. Or maybe he's delusional," Twilight thought to herself, as she examined Maul closely. Maul eyed at his legs, who were being guarded by Fluttershy to make sure Maul doesn't get his hooves on them, though she felt more fear than her peers, despite Maul being their prisoner.
"You there, yellow one," Maul called out to Fluttershy, who suddenly felt like she was the prisoner.
"Umm...yes?" Fluttershy replied, her voice quivering.
"I take it you're curious about my prosthetics?" Maul asked, probing Fluttershy's mind in the process. He felt an overwhelming sense of fear in her that just wouldn't go away. Maul even pondered taking her in for a few seconds. Fluttershy blushed and didn't answer Maul's question.
"We ask the questions here Maul! Besides, I actually am a bit curious about them. How'd you bring them to life if they're just wood?" Applejack asked. She couldn't read minds, like Maul could, but she could tell he was thinking about doing something to Fluttershy, and Applejack didn't like what could happen, so she decided to ask in Fluttershy's place.
"I'm glad you asked. I used my anger to fuel the Dark Side of the Force, therefore giving me the boost I need to control the wood and become a support for my broken body," Maul explained, sneering at his six captors.
"Hold on. Dark Side? Force? What is all this?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"The Force is an energy field harnessed by powerful warriors. A large portion of these warriors used their powers to help others," Maul explained, intriguing Twilight.
"These warriors sound like nice people," Pinkie Pie commented, evoking Maul's wrath.
"Well, they were fools!" Maul yelled startling Pinkie Pie "These warriors call themselves 'Jedi' and are only rivaled by another band of people, my people, who harnessed the Force for themselves. Those rivals called themselves the Sith," Maul continued. Twilight started to understand Maul.
"So you're a Sith, and that means you use the Force?" Twilight said.
"Yes," Maul replied. Twilight smirked a little at her new discovery.
"So You were the one who kept us stalling, by breaking our wings and summoning a mama manticore out on us? And it wasn't magic Nightmare Moon used at all?" Twilight yelled. Maul was honestly impressed with her rage.
"Magic? Isn't that what Nightmare Moon used to create those flowers with?" Maul asked. Suddenly, everyone's eyes shot out at Maul. They almost forgot about her.
"Tell me! Why were you with Nightmare Moon?" Rarity lashed out at Maul.
"She promised me a way home," Maul said.
"Can you tell us where she went?" Twilight asked in Maul's face. She can't believe they were almost distracted by his stories.
"Of course. But you have to get me out first," Maul explained. The six friends hesitated. They knew what he was capable of now, and they were worried they would unleash something terrible if they did. On the other hoof, they could just leave Maul behind and face Nightmare Moon themselves. They'd be throwing away someone who would help save their hides.
"Well, what are we waiting for? I've got a score to settle," Maul said impatiently. Rainbow Dash grabbed the wooden legs and re-attached them to Maul's body. Applejack untied Maul, as he fell on his four hooves. Twilight levitated Maul's wood staff, but pulled it away from Maul's hoof as soon as he almost grabbed it.
"You'd better not stab us in the back," Twilight warned Maul, before finally handing the staff over.
"Oh, don't worry. I'll be out of your hair as soon as she's dealt with," Maul promised, as the band of seven marched forward. The six friends, with Maul as their guide, paused at a large river, too far to jump across and too steep to swim in, and no bridge to cross. They suddenly heard crying, and after some investigation found the crying coming from a giant purple sea serpent.
"Oh my beautiful mustache, gone!" The serpent cried. The ponies gathered around the crying sea serpent, while Maul just scoffed and walked off.
"What happened?" Rarity asked the poor serpent.
"My mustache was taken by a big black cloud, and now I'm hideous," The serpent cried. Rarity empathized, and wanted to help. Maybe he'll repay them by giving her friends a bridge.
"Hey, ponies. I made a bridge for you!" Maul yelled, showing the six ponies a tree that Maul toppled down with the Force, and used it as a bridge.
"You're no fun, you know that?" Pinkie groaned as all but Rarity crossed.
"Before I go, I just want you to have this." Rarity said, as she shaved her tail clean and attached it to the serpent's mouth with her magic, restoring the serpent's once broken mustache.
"Thank you, oh thank you," The serpent cried out. The serpent gave Rarity a hug before putting her down to the other side of the river, where her friends and Maul waited for them.
"We don't have time for this!" Maul scolded at Rarity for her generosity. Rarity did not like Maul's behavior one bit. and it wasn't just her. All six of the ponies were not happy with him.
"She could have made a bridge too, with that serpent," the Kenobi hallucination returned to comment.
"You know what, Kenobi? I really don't give a bantha poodoo. At least Nightmare Moon didn't listen to my advice," Maul remarked at Kenobi, as the seven of them marched forward.
"And what did you tell Nightmare Moon to do instead of that?" Rarity asked Maul, thinking he was talking to himself. The Kenobi hallucination was no longer there, leaving Maul by himself at the moment.
"I was gonna have her build an ice wall with that river," Maul commented. Twilight was puzzled by how that was possible, but decided not to ask too many questions and continue trekking forward.