//------------------------------// // Redirection // Story: Across the Stars // by SonnyStar //------------------------------// Twilight had spent all morning preparing for her trip to Canterlot. A pit of dread began to form in her stomach as she trotted with her bags to the train station. She had sent a letter to Princess Celestia as soon as she had woken up and as of now, hours later, she had not received anything in response. “Are you sure this is a good idea Twilight?” Spike asked from her side, panting slightly, equally laden with luggage. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” “Okay…if you say so. Shouldn’t you at least tell the girls?” “No time.” “But-” “No time! This train will get us there by noon. Hopefully we can get there and back before nightfall.” Twilight sped off towards the platform as the train began to pull into the station. “What’s gotten into you Twilight?” Spike muttered to himself, hesitantly following after her to board the train. *** Despite the invitations of Rainbow Dash and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Jorcen opted to spend another night at his crash site. This gave him the peace and quiet he desired…for a time at least. “Greeting Princess, what brings you to my dreams tonight?” He was standing alone in an endless plain of wispy mist. From behind a swirling wall of fog stepped the princess of the night. “We’ve come to assess the threat you pose to our world.” Her eyes were narrowed in a stern glare. “Well, I thank you for your honesty but I’m afraid you might have the wrong impression of me.” He started, moving to approach Luna. “There are many misconception of the Jedi but I assure you that we are keepers of the peace, enforcers of justice and seekers of knowledge.” “We did not come to hear your lies. We came to see the truth, we will examine your memories and we will know you. Jorcen Alketses.” The mist around them began to gain color as it swirled around them like a tornado. When it faded away, they stood in a large, rocky canyon. In the distance was a village with the telltale lights of torches flickering in the wind as the sky darkened. Luna stepped forward to investigate the village, leaving Jorcen to stand in confusion. He remembered this place, this night but this wasn’t where he had been. This wasn’t just reliving his memories, it was watching them from a completely different angle. He had never seen anything like it. Luna’s abilities were truly extraordinary. After his mind caught up he followed after Luna and caught her just in time to see the first event of the evening. Luna entered the street and gasped, lying in the middle of the path were two dead Twi-leks with a younger female standing atop them, both fists clenched tight as she scowled. A bit further down the street was Jorcen, a younger Jorcen with shoulder length hair and a clean shave. He held his lightsaber out in front of him, though his stance was neutral. “You don’t have to do this young one. Surrender and I can help you.” Past Jorcen started, extinguishing his weapon. “I can give you a home, a life, a purpose.” Past Jorcen continued, taking cautious steps toward the young Twi-lek. “G-get away from me!” The young Twi-lek yelled, blasting the ground beside Jorcen with the Force. Jorcen didn’t flinch. “I can teach you how to control your power. To use it for good, for children like you.” Jorcen took another few steps closer, undaunted. “Stop!” The young girl screamed as she began to cry. When she opened her eyes Jorcen was directly in front of her, hand extended. “Take my hand and leave your old life behind. For good.” Jorcen smiled softly down at her, not a hint of deception in his being. Through tearstained eyes the girl hesitated for a moment, took his hand and the memory vanished in fog much as it began. “What? Who was that?” Luna asked, she had focused on a particularly emotionally charged memory and the result was not what she had been expecting. “That was fifteen years ago. The day I met my Padawan.” Jorcen answered, standing just as cool as ever. “Your what?” “It’s what Jedi call our students. Her name is Norana Venn. She was an orphan on Ryloth, her home planet. The Jedi sent me to investigate rumors of killings where the victims had died without an obvious cause or cases that left behind no evidence.” “So what? You imprisoned her?” Could she have been completely wrong about the man? What about that vision she saw through him? “No. I inducted her into the Jedi Order. It took her a few years to adapt to such a life and when the time came she requested me to supervise her Jedi training. I had become like a father to her and I feared that she wouldn’t take it well if she were apprenticed to another.” Luna suddenly felt a strange sense of empathy towards the man. “W-well it is the duty of all to help prepare the next generation.” “A wise observation Princess.” He smiled at her. “Is there anything else you’d like to see?” Luna accepted his offer and spent a short time on memories she felt might contain something. At the end Luna had proven herself right. She had misjudged this creature and what he stood for. She watched him jump in the path of weapons fire to protect civilians, watched him care for the soldiers under his command, and watched him walking the Jedi Archives late at night with Norana. She had seen enough but that vision wouldn’t leave her mind. “Jorcen…may we ask you something?” She idly dug at the dreamscape with her hoof. “Of course Princess.” He replied, giving the night Princess his full attention. “We have seen your memories, seen the truth of who you claimed to be. We would like to apologize.” “Apology accepted. You had a question?” “Yes…This power of yours…the Force…what is it? Last time we entered your dreams we…saw a vision through you.” “And what you saw…unsettled you?” Jorcen stroked his beard, his intuition addressing the matter precisely. “We saw fighting, destruction…” Luna hesitated a moment, a new pit forming in her stomach. “Death.” She finished. She had thought the vision had come from Jorcen, that he was responsible for what she saw. Now she wasn’t so sure. “I see.” Jorcen started, placing a hand on Luna’s back. “The Force doesn’t belong to anyone. It is an energy field created by all things that live. Whether by design or chance, certain beings possess a greater sensitivity to the Force, being able to call on it for aid. Everyone sees the Force differently the first time, what you saw was simply your first look into it.” “W-we can touch the Force?” Luna was dumbstruck. She was already an extremely powerful being, practically a living goddess and now she discovered that she could possibly draw on a power that literally spanned the entire galaxy. “In time perhaps, your species has a high affinity for the Force.” Jorcen had meant the hand on her back to be one of comfort, however he was secretly probing her for her hidden potential. Like Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash before her, he could feel it deep within Luna although on a much grander scale. “We…we thank you for tonight. We found it most enlightening.” Luna turned her back on the human, preparing to return to the waking world when something in the back of her mind stopped her. She doubled back and hovered next to Jorcen. “Do you have something more to ask?” He asked, not turning to face her. “Our vision…will what we saw happen?” Luna’s fear had been eating at her since she had the vision. Her fear had been great enough to warn Twilight Sparkle, a warning that had been made in falsity. “That…is difficult to say. The Force is always moving, any action can send ripples through it. You must be careful when sensing the future Princess. Many Jedi have lost their way following a future that never came to be.” “We understand.” It wasn’t a lie per se but it wasn’t the truth either. “Goodnight Jorcen.” “Goodnight Luna.” *** Jorcen rose early as he often did and walked to the middle of the clearing where he had sparred with Princess Luna, reflecting on what they had spoken about in his dream. He sat and began to meditate. His senses spread out over his surroundings, feeling the abundant life within the forest. He probed deeper than he had before and found new sensations. The deeper he probed into the forest the more he felt…a disturbance. The force was strong in this forest but something within its depths was twisting his ability to see. There was more to this planet than meets the eye. When Jorcen opened his eyes, he saw that the sun had moved and that he had accidentally spent hours meditating. However, noon was still to come and he moved into the next part of his routine. He ignited his orange lightsaber and began to practice his technique. He fell into the sequences of Makashi. Jorcen had only just started training in the form. He saw it as a necessity after the first battle of Geonosis when Master Kenobi and his Padawan had been defeated by former Jedi Count Dooku. In the end it turned out to be a wise decision with the introduction of Dooku’s assassin; Ventress and the cyborg General Grievous both of whom fought with lightsabers. Forms blended into each other as he moved into Shii-Cho then Soresu and even Djem-so. Jorcen was no blademaster by any sense of the word but he was no slouch either. He had never faced Grievous or Ventress in combat but it never hurt to be prepared. His swings and jabs began to slow as he sensed the presence of another. Just out of sight beneath the tree line was a pony. Jorcen wiped the lone bead of sweat form his forehead and extinguished his weapon. “Hello there.” He called out, waving in the direction of the observing pony. “Don’t be afraid. You can come out now.” Jorcen could sense the pony’s hesitation and a subtle fear. After a moment of no movement or words Jorcen took the initiative and gently plucked the pony from its hiding place with the Force. “Eeek!” She whimpered as she was pulled from the safety of the brush. As he drew her closer, he saw her butter yellow fur and long flowing pink mane. Despite the wings on her sides she didn’t struggle and they remained pulled tight against her body. When Jorcen set her down beside him he saw that she was trembling and her eyes were shut tight. Maybe he hadn’t done the right thing by bringing her over. He settled for the best thing he could think of and began softly petting the top of her head. The timid pegasus squeaked at his touch but as he continued to stroke her mane and scratch behind her ears, her breathing began to steady and her trembling subsided. Soon she began to hum to herself and even lean into his hand. She opened her eyes and all at once realized what was happening and promptly hid behind her wings like a shield. “My name is Jorcen Alketses. May I ask yours?” “I-its Fluttershy.” Her voice disappeared into an inaudible whisper. “What was that? Firefly?” “N-no its Fluttershy.” Little more volume…but not that much. “Still can’t hear you little one.” “F-Fluttershy.” She let down her wings but had her head turned so she was behind her mane. “I know that name. Rainbow Dash said you were worried about me, didn’t she?” Fluttershy still wouldn’t look but managed a weak nod instead. “Is that what you were doing in the bushes? Checking up on me?” “U-um yes…” Fluttershy fidgeted in place. Normally she wouldn’t be intimidated by new critters but this wasn’t an ordinary critter. Rainbow had said that he was an alien. Could she get along with aliens the same way she could her critters? She wanted to know…but was too afraid to find out. “I hope you didn’t come too far out of your way to see me.” “Oh no no. I live on the edge of the forest…easier to take care of my critters that way.” “An animal caretaker I see. Noble profession…provided it isn’t for the Hutts.” Fluttershy didn’t know what a Hutt was but she found the more she spoke to the alien to the more at ease she felt. Time to try something bold, she thought. “Umm… Mr. Jorcen? Would you care to, uh that is if you don’t mind, join me for tea? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Fluttershy closed her eyes as she waited for his answer. Though she didn’t say it, she had in fact been quite worried about him, her animal empathy difficult to ignore. “That sounds lovely Fluttershy. I’d love to have tea with you.” A joy like no other sprouted inside Fluttershy as she happily flapped her wings and hovered in the air next to him. She didn’t know why but she was as content with the alien as she was her own critters now. Maybe her talent did extend to creatures of all kinds. “Oh thank you, thank you! My cottage is this way.” Fluttershy lazily turned herself around and began to fly back towards her home. Jorcen followed behind her but never strayed too far since Fluttershy seemed to be taking an amount of comfort from his proximity. Such a kind and gentle creature, he thought. At the speed Fluttershy was flying it would take some time to reach the edge of the forest but the Jedi and the pegasus said nothing about it and enjoyed their walk through the forest. *** As soon as the train doors were open Twilight Sparkle, student to Princess Celestia, darted out onto the platform like a mad mare. Spike struggled to keep pace with her, his tower of luggage threatening to give him an express pass to the cobbled streets of Canterlot. “Slow down Twilight!” He called after her, the load in his claws wobbling dangerously. Twilight came to a screeching halt, her ears twitching in annoyance. The look in her eyes showed the frustration that had been building inside her the whole train ride up. Upon seeing Spike struggle with the luggage she saddled him with she became immediately remorseful. “Oh Spike…” She said quietly, using her magic to take some of the load off him. “I’m sorry Spike…it’s just that-” “It’s okay Twilight, really. Just slow down a bit. There’s no need to rush this. What did you pack in these anyway?” Twilight sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “Umm all the books I had you gather for me the other night.” Twilight forced a strained laugh. “Seriously? You brought half the library with us? You don’t think that maybe the Princess has all these in the Canterlot archives?” “I’m sorry Spike but I can’t take any chances. She needs to see what I’ve found.” “If you say so Twilight.” *** When Jedi Knight Norana Venn’s fleet came out of hyperspace they were not prepared for what they found. Wreckage was all that remained of her master’s fleet. Three Venators and two Acclamators reduced to debris. “I don’t understand, where is the distress signal coming from?” Norana asked no one in particular. “Perhaps there are survivors in escape pods.” “Worth a look. Admiral, prepare three rescue shuttles and let’s start combing this wreckage.” “Yes General.” Admiral Fel retreated from the bridge to carry out her orders, leaving the Jedi alone to look out at the field of what remained of her master’s ships. “I have a bad feeling about this.” *** General Grievous stood on the bridge of a Providence class dreadnought, waiting for his trap to catch another foolish republic fleet. He had his droids salvage several of the republic’s escape pods and was able to deploy a distress signal on republic frequencies. If there was anything he was confident in, it was the predictability of the Jedi. “General, we are detecting three republic cruisers coming out of hyperspace.” A nearby B1 battle droid offered from his seat at an array of long-range scanners. “Good…let them come. Engage the engines and divert all remaining power to the turbolasers.” The good General had positioned his fleet inside a nearby nebula so the republic’s scanners wouldn’t detect them until it was too late. Of course, they could be spotted if they simply looked out the viewport but surely they would be occupied searching the debris. Grievous would have smiled had he a face as his fleet burst from the nebula behind the republic’s ships. “Open fire!” He commanded. All around the blackness of space flashed in the brilliant colors of red and orange as Grievous’ ships ripped through his enemies before they could even raise their shields. He cackled maniacally as one support ship after another exploded in balls of fire and red-hot metal. Some ships managed to launch a few escape pods. They didn’t get far. “General, their command ship has been disabled.” “Prepare a boarding party. The Jedi won’t escape me this time.” *** Twilight made it to the castle gates in record time, blowing past the guards so quickly that they couldn’t even get off a salute before the purple blur blitzed up the steps and into the audience chamber. “Princess can I speak with you!” She blurted out louder than she meant to. Her voice echoing off the high walls. Princess Celestia was sat upon her throne, bathed in the beautiful colors of light shining through the many stained-glass murals. Thankfully Twilight had found the monarch of the sun alone, she’d have been upset if she’d made this kind of scene in front of foreign dignitaries. “Twilight…” Celestia seemed to hesitate a moment. Did she know what Twilight was here to ask? Twilight’s heart began to thunder in her chest and her instincts were telling her to run and forget this ever happened but she couldn’t. She knew what she had to do. “Your letter sounded urgent. What can I do for you my student?” My student. How that moniker hurt her now, knowing full well that she intended to ask to be released from her services. Could she really go through with this? Give up her studies with the Princess? With her friends? And for what? To reconnect this planet with its birthright. Those words lingered in the back of her mind and gave her the courage to steady her shaky breathing. “Twilight?” Spike’s concern was evident ever since they boarded the train but now Twilight looked as if she were about to tackle the greatest challenge of her life. “Princess…I have made some interesting discoveries about our ancient past.” Twilight tried to keep her voice as normal as she could…and failed miserably. “Zecora told me that the power the Jedi Jorcen possesses was once commonplace. That all life of Equus was touched by the Force but now we cannot.” Twilight began to levitate her notes and findings over to Princess Celestia. She took them in her own golden aura and eyed them uninterestedly. “But you already know this…don’t you?” Celestia released a tired sigh the likes of which Twilight had never heard. “Yes.” “What happened?” Twilight had a suspicion that Celestia knew the whole story, but then why would she keep something like this a secret for centuries? “Twilight…in your research did you find any mention of the Old Gods?” “T-the what?” “It’d be better if I show you.” Celestia’s horn was wrapped in her brilliant aura once again and the two of them vanished from the throne room, leaving Spike alone in a sea of luggage. Princess Luna emerged from the shadows and began to charge her own spell. “What are you hiding dear sister.” Twilight’s senses were quick to return, granting her the smell of musty and heavy air she associated with caves. When she opened her eyes, she saw an endless gorge stretch out before her, infinite darkness dwelt in its depths and Twilight couldn’t fathom how deep it could possibly go. “W-where are we?” Twilight asked, her breath showing despite the absence of cold. “Princess?” There was no answer. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight screamed, her voice quickly snuffed out by the massive expanse before her. “Calm yourself Twilight.” Princess Celestia walked from the shadows, her bright colors dulled by the absence of light. Even her mane was no longer flowing. “I have something I want to show you.” Celestia’s horn began to glow again, casting a weak light upon the path in front of them, barely enough to illuminate the area around them. “What is this place?” Twilight caught herself asking aloud. The path in front of her seemed to go on forever. “We are deep beneath Canterlot, below the city, below the crystal caverns, below it all.” “You mentioned the Old Gods…how are they involved with this planet being cut off from the Force?” “I’ll show you.” Celestia held out one of her majestic wings just in time to stop Twilight from running into a massive stone door. How did it sneak up on her like that? Hadn’t the path been longer than this? Twilight looked up and got a feel for the scale of this door. It was immense. More immense than she could imagine. This was under Canterlot? How could that be? Princess Celestia touched her horn to the smooth stone surface of the door which caused it to spread apart. It didn’t move for long, opening only the tiniest crack in its enormous surface. Thankfully for the two equines, that still left them with a path ten hooves wide. As soon as they crossed the threshold the aura around Celestia’s horn began to flicker until it eventually winked out. Twilight tried to aid her mentor by supplying her own light but found her magic wouldn’t obey her…like it wasn’t even there. It was then Twilight understood this uneasy feeling she had noticed since arriving in the ravine. Unicorns could detect and feel ambient magical energy and there was almost none to be found here. It was like a void. Outside the doors magic almost didn’t exist but in here? It felt as if it could never exist again. Whilst she had been thinking Twilight failed to notice the wall in front of her. When poked by Princess Celestia she raised her head to see a mural that covered the entirety of the wall, stretching up so high that it faded into the darkness above. The mural depicted ponies from all three tribes, working in fields of green. Others had ropes tied around their barrels as they hauled large stones, building a monument of some kind. Other lay in darkness unmoving in the corner of the mural. But above them all stood a large and imposing figure. It was bipedal like Jorcen, though that was where the similarities ended. Its skin was grey and it wore a heavy looking black cloak. The head was tall, almost conical in shape with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. On the sides of its head were horizontal eyestalks giving it the shape of an upside-down T. Around one of its hands there was what appeared to be lightning and in the other was a long sword that dripped with blood. Behind the towering being was a shape Twilight didn’t recognize. Despite the absence of light in the chamber the mural glowed brightly. A monument to those who would forget their rightful rulers. “W-what is that?” Twilight found her voice trembling. The imposing image of the towering being sent a chill down her spine. “The last reminder that our world once served another.” Celestia stared blankly up at the mural. “The old gods were a part of our history from the very beginning, they brought with them the throes of slavery and service. In reward, or perhaps an accident, ponykind learned to use the power of the gods. Beyond murals like this and other works of tribute, mentions of the old gods have been systematically destroyed in the millennia since they vanished. Since then our ability to use their power has diminished and now there isn’t a pony alive who can.” “The Force…” Twilight whispered. “Yes.” Celestia answered. “I lived to see the last of the force-users, my mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. That was fifteen hundred years ago.” “Why are you telling me this?” Twilight didn’t understand, if she had brought her here to learn some kind of lesson then Twilight just wasn’t seeing it. “To show you that there was a cost to connect us to the Force. What will we have to pay this time?” Celestia’s blank expression gave way to a stern, serious one. “J-Jorcen’s not like that.” Twilight started, suddenly aware of the stakes. “If you’d read the datapad he gave me you’d see that the Jedi-” “I have read it.” Celestia interrupted. “I took it in the night after he fought with Luna. My question to you Twilight Sparkle, is have you read it?” “W-well not entirely, just enough to-” “War. War follows the Jedi like a plague. Every major conflict the galaxy has ever seen had Jedi at its center. Even now in the depths of space a war for the galaxy is being fought, a war led by the Jedi Order.” “N-no!” Twilight managed to find her voice. “The J-jedi are peacekeepers!” Even through all of her insistence, a doubt began to cloud Twilight’s mind. “Peacekeepers who lead armies? I will hear no more of the Jedi. I know you came here to get my blessing to receive his tutelage. My answer is no.” “But- but-” Twilight sputtered, unable to get a word to form. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” A voice bellowed from the darkness. Stepping into the light was the dark blue form of Princess Luna, a cold fire in her eyes. “Luna…” Princess Celestia said, somewhere between a gasp and a growl. “How long have you been keeping this from us!?” Luna demanded. “How long have you known!?” “Luna, sister this is not the place or the time to-” “That much has been made evident to us.” Luna bit back. “I have seen the Jedi Jorcen’s memories and Twilight Sparkle speaks the truth. We were wrong about him…I was wrong about him.” “Whether or not he is who he says he is irrelevant. I will not let the Force touch this planet again.” Celestia had been welcoming towards the alien at first, however once she knew what he was capable of, what he brought with him…the price was too great. She thought she had banished the last of its presence with the defeat of Nightmare Moon but now it was poised to come back. “You can’t stop it sister, it is already here. It will be known to us once again, with or without you.” Luna’s voice had lost it edge, trying to reason with the distraught alicorn. Celestia growled but conceded no ground. “I have made my decision Luna, no student of mine will study the Force.” “Then you leave us no choice.” Luna extended her wings and hovered in the air, her horn glowing as her royal voice thundered against Twilight’s ear drums. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE! I HEARBY GRANT YOU THE WRIT OF ABSOLUTION! YOU ARE HENCEFORTH RELEASED FROM ALL YOUR DUTIES PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM OF EQUESTRIA! YOUR DESTINY IS IN YOUR HOOVES NOW!” Luna drifted down to the floor, the glow around her horn disappearing. “Go now and live whatever way seems best to you. Sister I hope you can forgive me.” With that she vanished in a flash of blue magic. “P-princess…I-” Twilight stammered, too much was happening too fast. What even just happened? The writ of absolution meant that she was released from any duty or task given to her from the Princesses or their court. She was free. “I hope you’re ready to face the consequences my once faithful student.” Celestia snarled. “They will come and when they do I want you to remember the choice you made.” Like her sister, Celestia vanished in flash of golden magic, a flash that also surrounded Twilight. When it faded she was back in her room in Ponyville, an equally confused Spike at her side. “Who- what- when-?” Spike mumbled, his head twisting every way in search of what happened. That is until a deluge of luggage appeared above him in a burst of magic, burying him in a hail of books. “We’re home Spike.” Twilight said, her voice choked and low. A single tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheek, leaving a dark trail in her fur as she gazed out her window at nothing in particular. In her mission to convince Celestia to allow her to receive tutelage from the Jedi Master, never in her life would she have guessed that it’d ruin the relationship she had with her mentor. Despite the deep sadness she felt, the purpose she had cryptically been given by the vision she experienced at Zecora’s was still there burning bright. Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat and managed to blink away her tears, spying the clock on her wall she noted that it was just about to be one in the afternoon. She mentally willed away her emotional fatigue and stood up, eyes narrowing slightly at what she had to do. “C’mon Spike, let’s go find Jorcen.” A purple claw shot out from under the pile of books with an upraised thumb. *** Celestia cursed herself for what just happened. She’d had the power to stop it, to stop Luna but she didn’t and that wouldn’t leave her mind. She paced the brilliant white tiles of her private quarters, teeth grinding against each other as she searched for a solution. She was ruler of this land and yet she came up with nothing! She knew that if she wanted to she could stop Twilight…for good and maybe even confront the Jedi Jorcen herself but every time her mind wandered down that dark path she pulled herself away. The lure of the darkness is strong. Her mentor Starswirl had told her. It is a pathway for those who seek to obtain power for themselves. The darkness will never serve the individual and once it has you forever will you be its servant. “I understand.” Celestia said aloud. It wasn’t the Force she feared. It was the darkness, the unspoken side of the force that existed in its undercurrents. Temptation and promises of great power had tempted her mentor in the past, had tempted her and ultimately corrupted her sister. Now she was afraid that influence would make a resurgence with her pupil as the catalyst. “I haven’t seen you look so serious since you imprisoned me.” A voice said, startling Celestia from her musings. “Discord!” She said, an accusatory tone tinging her voice. “How long have you been there!?” “Not long.” He said from her bed, sounding bored. “In fact I had some catching up on my reading to do.” He pulled a book from under the pillow and opened it facing Celestia. In its pages were not words, instead moving pictures recreated the scene from below before her eyes. “Interesting turn of event don’t you think?” He asked innocently. With a snap the book dissolved into sawdust. “What do you want?” Celestia couldn’t hide the venom in her words as she glared at the Spirit of Chaos. “Why so hostile my dear Princess?” Discord fluttered his eyelashes as they grew to absurd lengths. “I’m reformed remember?” He snapped again and reappeared on Celestia’s back in an artist’s costume, leveling a faux examination at a smaller version of what he had looked like in his stone prison. “Not a good look if you ask me.” “Why are you even asking me? You clearly know what happened.” Celestia snorted in agitation, her wings giving a slight shuffle. “Because what I took from your mind doesn’t reflect your words.” He reached a paw into her mane and pulled out miniatures of herself and Twilight. “Sure it would be easy to destroy your precious purple pupil.” He said slowly, watching the miniature Celestia disintegrate the miniature Twilight with ease. “But that won’t stop what you fear from becoming reality. Besides didn’t your mentor teach you the value of redemption, even for one such as me?” “What are you getting at?” Celestia was running out of patience, she’d had a particularly bad day and the pestering Draconequus wasn’t helping matters with his cryptic nonsense. “Would it kill you to play along just this once?” Discord gave her his best puppy eyes but Celestia was having none of it. “Oh fine. My point is that there is nothing you can do. Plain and simple. You can oppose it with all your will or accept it and maybe even help guide it.” “How can I-” “Oops looks like I’m late for tea.” Discord reached out into the air and pulled open a hole in space. “Think about what I said…or don’t!” He laughed joyfully as he slipped into the hole and closed it behind him. *** “You have a lovely home Fluttershy.” Jorcen said, craning his head to look about the room. Though the table he sat at was much too small and even a little uncomfortable for him, he said nothing as he sipped his tea with a quiet appreciation. “O-oh it’s nothing really.” Fluttershy said from behind her mane. Though she acted shy and reserved Jorcen could sense her subtle joy at the compliment. “I thank you again for…” Jorcen trailed off, his eyes wandered to the window, a distant look filling them. Fluttershy was already walking the edge as it was and that look from the man sent her over. “What’s wrong!?” She barely managed to squeak, diving under the table for safety. Before, Jorcen had been able to sense the menagerie’s worth of critters Fluttershy kept on her property. Now, just outside the door, he couldn’t sense anything at all. There was a void in the Force. “Sorry to drop by unannounced but I thought some tea time with friends would do me some good.” A strange mish-mash of a being stepped through the door, a noticeably mischievous smile on its face. “Oh it’s just you Discord.” Fluttershy said with relief, crawling out from her hiding spot. “You really shouldn’t just drop by unannounced.” She admonished the creature in the least threatening voice Jorcen had ever heard. Despite that the creature known as Discord actually shrunk a little bit away from the yellow pegasus. “Oh my dear Fluttershy.” He said, scooping her up and cradling her like a baby. “Spontaneity adds spice to any friendship wouldn’t you agree?” The last word came out slow as Discord’s tail slapped Fluttershy’s pet bunny across the room and into the garbage bin. Jorcen’s eyes narrowed as the act but he kept his silence…for now. “Besides, I wanted to see him for myself.” A third arm sprouted out of Discord’s body reached out to touch Jorcen in the center of the forehead. “What are you-” Jorcen froze as he felt Discord invade his mind, trying to shape it in a way that Jorcen didn’t recognize. “Discord stop!” Fluttershy shouted a bit too late as Jorcen’s world melted away. To Jorcen it looked as if he were about to have another late night conversation with Luna but the presence he felt was more sinister, though it somehow felt forced. “So you’re what has Celestia’s feathers ruffled.” Discord said, appearing as a cloud of smoke with a face. “An unforeseen variable like you should speed things up. Pity, there was so much more fun for me to have.” “What are you talking about?” The confused Jedi asked. What else called this planet home? Jorcen wondered as he stood at the mercy of Discord. “Just a little of what was, what will be and what could have been. Would you like to know how your journey ends? I can show you.” A portal began to shimmer in front of Jorcen but before the images became clear Jorcen closed his eyes. “Be gone from my mind.” He said, extending his hand. “You will not tempt me any further.” A whirlwind of energy gathered around Jorcen and began to blow Discord away. “Is that what I was doing? Fine, have it your way.” The smoke that held Discord’s body together dissipated into nothingness with a snap as reality returned to Jorcen all at once. He was still seated at the table, a tea cup idly resting in his hand. Fluttershy looked confused as she picked herself up off the floor. When had she fallen? Jorcen wondered. Something about this seemed wrong, a strange echo in his mind that he couldn’t hear no matter how hard he focused. He reached out with his senses and found nothing unusual, that is except for the anxious unicorn and nervous drake he felt approaching the cottage. Fluttershy’s door flew open and banged off the wall, eliciting a frightened squeak from the timid pegasus. “Fluttershy! Is Jor-” Twilight shouted into the room, stopping herself as her eyes found Jorcen. “Good afternoon Twilight, Spike.” He regarded them coolly. “Is there something I can do for you?” He knew full well that they were here to ask him something important. Or at least one of them was. “Jorcen I…” Twilight hesitated. Letting her fear from before eek back into her mind. However before it could take shape she took a deep breath and locked it away. “I’ve been released from my duties by the princesses. I’d like to ask you to allow me to begin training under you as a Jedi.” Twilight knew the risks in what she was asking. Commitment to the Order demanded a great deal of sacrifice but Twilight knew that this was the right choice. Her vision had promised as much and even though it pained her to give up her friends in service to the greater good, she took comfort knowing that their harmony would continue with or without her. Jorcen paused a moment, caught off guard by her request. It wasn’t common for Jedi to take on an apprentice without the consent of the Jedi Council, let alone take one that was already an adult. He was about to voice his thoughts when he stopped and carefully considered his answer. The Force had brought him here for a reason…was it to train this unicorn? Just as the Force guided the late Qui-Gon to the Chosen One on Tatooine, it had guided him here. He quieted his mind and attempted to hear the will of the Force. “What’s he doing?” Spike asked, quirking an eyebrow at the silence. “Quiet!” Twilight hissed. “He’s calling on the Force.” Twilight’s legs were beginning to tremble and her heart was thundering in her ears. She had given up a lot to reach this moment and she didn’t know what she would do if he refused. When Jorcen opened his eyes Twilight froze under his gaze. His expression was unreadable and his eyes looked far away. He knew that his landing here was no accident, that and the abundance of force sensitive beings on this planet was no coincidence. The Force had brought him here for a reason and he was but its servant. “Twilight Sparkle.” He said, his voice carrying an intimidating calm authority. “I accept your request by my right as a Jedi Master. My Padawan you will be.” Jorcen extended his hand and used the Force to twist a tight braid in her mane just behind her right ear. Twilight found herself beaming as he formed the braid that identified her as a Padawan of the Jedi Order. Her first steps into a greater galaxy. “Thank you Jor… Master.” She quickly corrected herself and bowed. “You may have a head start from what you learned in the datapad but I have much to teach you my young apprentice. It will not be easy and you must always be on your guard. The Jedi put the lives of others above their own. Are you truly prepared for what lies ahead? If you wish to back out-” “No!” Twilight said, stamping a hoof. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, watchful of her anger. “I’ve made my decision. I…I’m ready to see this through. No matter what it takes.” “I can sense your hesitation…and also your commitment. Very well. I will meet you at your library in one hour. Do not be late.” He turned back and gave Fluttershy a gentle pat on the head. “Thank you for inviting me into your home Fluttershy. I’m certain we’ll meet again.” With that the Jedi strode forth and out the door, disappearing into the Everfree Forest. “Twilight what just happened?” Fluttershy asked, extremely confused by what she just witnessed. Inside her mane rested the tiny form of Discord, watching from the safety of the pink fortress. “So…it begins.”