//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: The deserted Island // Story: A Jedi's Journey // by Postwarmonkey50 //------------------------------// Shortly after R2 had left, Luke decided to teach them what the Holocron showed them. He taught them all to meditate so that all of them could be better connected to the Force. After the Equestria Girls had seen what he and the others had seen before they arrived, they were amazed that they could feel everybody throughout the galaxy, as well as their own world. Though human Rainbow Dash had somewhat been impatient about this, her pony counterpart was able to calm her down. Though Rainbow may not be patient either, she remembered that it was because of her brashness that made her nearly ruin her friendship with Rarity, which she also learnt that she can’t force others to do the things she likes, a lesson she learnt the hard way when she tried to force Fluttershy into watching the Dragon migration, and she ended up getting kicked in the gut and nearly had her ribs fractured as a result. Luke taught them on how to use the Force. He showed the non-unicorns to lift things using the Force. They were impatient at first, but thankfully with an hour or so trying, they was able to lift a few things. Yona had been trying hard, but she nearly fell faint when she tried, which Sandbar was able to help her. Smolder cursed herself in her language when she got frustrated, but thanks to Silverstream, she was able to calm down. Ocellus had surprisingly made good progress as she meditated whilst she lifted things at the same time, with Gallus trying his best too. The Mane 6 and their counterparts were having trouble at first, but they were able to get things done. Next up came the hardest part of their training; how to wield their Lightsabers. Luke allowed them to train with the Lightsabers, but made sure that they were engaged in stun mode so that they wouldn’t hurt anybody else, which seems to be working greatly. Spike, despite his smallish side, showed that he wasn’t willing to give up and would continue to try, for he may have protected Twilight from the first Sith, he needed to prove himself to be better, which he hoped he would be when the time was right. Sure enough, the next morning, everyone and everypony was still wide awake, as all of them had a quick nap before they continued where they left off. But what interested them, was that human Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, and human Applejack, along with Spike and Smolder, all holding Lightsabers that Luke had let them borrow, with all of them setting into stun mode in order to ensure that they wouldn’t hurt anyone around them. They saw Luke holding his ground whilst he also activated his Lightsaber. With the count of three, all of them engaged in battle, trying to get past Luke’s defenses. But to their amazement, he kept blocking them perfectly, as if he were Master Windu himself. Human Rainbow Dash predictably attacked from behind, rushing him without even thinking, with Luke dodging her, and ended up tripping her, making her fall face first in the dirt. Human Applejack tried the same thing, until Luke flipped her over as if she were a sack of potatoes. Smolder tried to get past too, but ended up tripping over a small rock that she didn’t see coming. Spike and Sunset seemed to have the upper hand, for both because the both of them could feel the Force, and that a mysterious voice convinced them to try and help the others. Luke could sense it, for the Force was strong in both of them. The Young Six were progressing too so far, as all of them were synced. They even took a power nap before things were really busy. After about several hours of sleep, they woke up whilst both Pinkie Pie and her counterpart brought them some coffee and breakfasts muffins. After they were done eating, they all stood up, only to see that the Ebon Hawk had returned and landed safely where they are. As soon as Celestia and Luna climbed out, they were greeted by Luke and the others. ‘I assume all of you are well?’ asked Luke. ‘Indeed Master Skywalker.’ said Princess Luna. ‘We had to inform our fellow advisors that we would be busy for the next month, so we were able to buy ourselves some time.’ said Celestia. ‘So, now that the gang’s all here,’ said puppy Spike ‘Anyone have any idea where we were supposed to be going?’ ‘According to the map,’ said Luke as he showed them a hologram of the planet ‘The next clue is located right here, on an island in the middle of the ocean.’ When Sunset and the others looked at it, all of them groaned loudly when they saw it, taking the others by surprise. ‘Is something wrong?’ asked Mage Meadowbrook. ‘We’ve been there before.’ said human Applejack. ‘You have?’ asked Twilight. ‘Yeah,’ said human Pinkie Pie as she babbled ‘It was where when all of us at CHS were on Spring Break, so all of us took a cruise. We tried to enjoy it, but Applejack kept being seasick and Rainbow Dash ruined half of our…’ ‘Pinkie!!’ shouted the others, causing Pinkie to wince with a sheepish grin and Rainbow Dash cringed at what happened. ‘Wait, ruined what now?’ asked Applejack. Sunset then explained whilst she rubbed the back of her head as she said ‘Well, see. Twilight, our Twilight, helped plan and arranged for us to go on a cruise for Spring Break. We all wanted to take a break from everything that had happened lately.’ ‘Then Rainbow Dash of all people,’ said human Applejack whilst she was glaring at her friend ‘Ended up being obsessed with fighting evil and ended up ruining half of our friends’ Spring Break.’ ‘She did what?’ said Twilight, then asked ‘What did she do?’ ‘Well, let’s see.’ said human Pinkie Pie as she pointed a few things out ‘She made Applejack’s seasickness worse, she ended up getting a ton of wires ripped out that Twilight was trying to fix the ship when it got struck by lightning, she scared all of the animals at the petting zoo that the other kids wanted to enjoy, and what was the last one? Oh yeah…’ Human Pinkie Pie suddenly yelled in Rainbow Dash’s face as she said ‘She ended up getting me banned from the Buffet!!!’ ‘What?!!’ shouted Pinkie Pie, then she was right in human Rainbow Dash’s face as she shouted ‘Why would you do that?!!!’ ‘I just wanted to…’ said human Rainbow before she was cut off. ‘You just wanted an excuse to use your magic to save the day like a hothead.’ said human Applejack. ‘Wait,’ said Rainbow Dash as she hovered close to her counterpart ‘You were obsessed into being a hero, over having some fun with your friends? What is wrong with you?’ Before her human counterpart could speak, Rainbow Dash said ‘Look, I get it, you wanted to save the day, believe me, I do too. But even I needed to take a break from everything danger related every once and a while. Plus, I’d never ruin my friends’ fun time, even I know better than that.’ ‘Hey, I was just looking out for my friends!!’ shouted Rainbow Dash. ‘Oh really,’ said human Applejack ‘Like you “Looked out” for us when yer ego got out of hand during the Battle of the Bands?’ ‘Or like you “Looked out” for Sunset when you and the others accused her of being a Cyber bully, which didn’t make sense because after everything she did by working hard to earn your trusts you still didn’t believe her.’ said human Twilight. ‘Or like you “Looked out” for us when you got us all trapped in the magic mirror, which wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t spoken out rudely at Juniper Montage when she was still upset.’ said human Fluttershy. ‘Or our personal favorite, like you “Looked out” for us when you ruined our Spring Break?’ said Sunset Shimmer lastly. Human Rainbow Dash growled in frustration, for she didn’t want to be reminded of those days. ‘Answer me this,’ said Luke as he approached her. She was somewhat nervous at first when he was standing in front of her, with Luke saying ‘Did you act this way because you craved for fame, adventure and excitement?’ Human Rainbow Dash was nervous about answering at first, but before she could even speak, Luke cut her off as he spoke to her. ‘Jedi do not crave for such things.’ said Luke ‘We do not go out in the galaxy seeking fame, adventure and excitement. You were focused on the glory ever since you gained your powers, and in the process, you were overconfident and nearly had all of your friends hurt.’ ‘But I…’ said human Rainbow Dash before she was cut off. ‘Your friends did have a point though,’ said Luke ‘You claim that you would look out for them, yet during the times that all of you were together you have a habit of rushing into things without thinking things through.’ Human Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration and wanted to argue back, but then she remembered what Twilight had told her and her friends, that because of the fact they only acted without thinking, they hurt one of their friends. She looked down and had both her arms crossed, thinking about those certain events. She then felt a bump by her leg, and saw Ocellus standing next to her. ‘Look, we’re going to try and level with you,’ said Ocellus ‘We know you care about your friends and like our Rainbow Dash, you don’t like to share your feelings and you’re not good at releasing them. But if you’re not always open about yourself, then you’ll end up making a huge mistake.’ ‘Yeah, I mean look at us,’ said Smolder when she stood next to her ‘We’re a lot different and because of the way we are, we always end up being criticized and laughed at, even having others fear us. But if there was one thing that our teachers had taught us, is that if you don’t work out the way you want it to, then work through it together.’ ‘Yeah,’ said Silverstream ‘I mean didn’t you even bother to apologize to Sunset after you lot thought that she was the Cyber Bully.’ ‘Or did you ever apologize to the others from ruining your Spring Break because you wanted to have an adventure.’ said Sandbar. Yona then came forward and spoke calmly to Rainbow Dash. ‘Yona tell friend this. Friend need to learn to relax, like Yak. Yaks always ten to go overboard. Yaks be warriors, Yaks be wise, and Yaks once learned that Yaks need to have time out for Yak. Friend needs to stop. Focus. And sit still before going in blindly like this.’ Luke then stood near human Rainbow Dash as he said ‘I once thought like you did. I too once rushed in without thinking things through.’ Luke then took off his glove whilst he said ‘And I paid the price for it.’ He showed her his robotic hand, much to human Rainbow Dash’s shock, even the rest of the EG Mane 7 when they saw Luke’s robotic hand. He placed his glove back on and said to her ‘You need to learn to be mindful of your surroundings and those around you. If you do not overcome this, then you will likely no doubt cause their downfall rather than defending them.’ He then turned around and said ‘If you do not, then you will only be a burden to them.’ Human Rainbow Dash stood up and said ‘I am not a burden. I’d never leave my friends hanging.’ ‘If what you say is true.’ said Luke whilst he picked up a Lightsaber from where R2 had stored. He then tossed it to human Rainbow Dash, which she looked at him in confusion, until he turned around and pulled his own Lightsaber out ‘Then prove it.’ Luke activated his Lightsaber, taking everyone by surprise. At first they wanted to stop it, but Starswirl signaled them not to, for he knew what Luke was doing. ‘But first,’ said Luke, then he rapidly extended his left hand, and used Force Pull to pull human Rainbow Dash’s pendant away, much to her shock, causing Luke to catch it. ‘You rely on one skill too much. By fighting your opponent using the same tactic, you’re more than likely to be predictable to your enemies.’ ‘Hey!!’ shouted human Rainbow Dash ‘Give that back!!’ ‘Then come get it.’ said Luke after he placed it in his pocket. Human Rainbow Dash on the other hand was a bit nervous at first and said ‘Look dude, I don’t want any…’ Luke suddenly jumped up and raised his Lightsaber in the air, with human Rainbow quickly blocking it. As their sabers clashed, Luke pushed human Rainbow Dash until she was on her one knee and tried her best to keep herself balanced. ‘Focus,’ said Luke ‘Look at your opponent, not your weapon.’ Luke continued to clash with human Rainbow Dash. She tried to block left and right, with Luke trying to strike her down, much to the others’ worry. ‘Shouldn’t we stop them?’ said Sunset. ‘No,’ said Starswirl, much to their surprise ‘I know what he’s doing. She will reveal what is blocking her mind, and she will become a better person.’ ‘How do you know?’ said human Twilight. ‘Because I did the same thing with both Celestia and Luna.’ said Starswirl, much to the others’ surprise. Human Rainbow Dash continued to block Luke. She remembered doing fencing back at school, but this was different. She tried to counter, but Luke ended up deflecting her attack and tripped her, causing her to collapse on the ground, causing the others to worry. Human Rainbow Dash looked at Luke, but was now annoyed. ‘You’re not fighting me,’ said Luke after he turned his Lightsaber off whilst holding his left hand behind him ‘You’re fighting yourself. And losing.’ Human Rainbow Dash got ticked off and stood up whilst holding the Lightsaber in her hands tightly. She tried to strike, but Luke dodged to the left. ‘You’re not committed to this,’ said Luke, before he dodged right ‘You should quit.’ ‘I don’t quit.’ said human Rainbow Dash as she growled in frustration ‘I never quit.’ Luke then ended up holding her hand backwards so that she couldn’t move, but Luke spoke ‘I once wanted to quit too, I wanted to turn my back on the galaxy. I tried to do the right thing. But then I ended up losing everything because of the Empire, because of my father. The galaxy was paying for my family’s mistakes, and I wanted to make things right ever since.’ ‘You’re point.’ said human Rainbow Dash as she strained a bit. ‘Don’t make us feel sorry for what reason you have to be like this,’ said Luke ‘All of us fight for our families and friends, while you, you would rather throw your own family, friends and Scootaloo away for your own amusement!!’ Human Rainbow Dash got angry and head butted Luke, making him let go. She then growled and said ‘I still won’t quit.’ ‘That’s not what it looks like,’ said as he kept pushing her every time she tried to strike him ‘You really don’t care about them, do you?’ ‘That’s not true!!’ shouted human Rainbow Dash as she charged forward again, until Luke caught her right hand whilst he held onto her Lightsaber. ‘But it’s what they ended up believing, isn’t it?!’ said Luke, which caused human Rainbow Dash to groan in frustration as she pulled away. As human Rainbow Dash charged again, Luke ended up dodging left and right, whilst he said ‘You’d rather ran away from your problems, you’d rather run away from your friends just to find adventure for your own amusement!!’ ‘Lies!!’ shouted human Rainbow Dash. As their sabers clashed, Luke shouted right in her face ‘Then what’s the truth?!!’ ‘The…the truth is…’ said human Rainbow Dash as she began, then looked at Luke straight in the eyes as she said ‘All I wanted to do was to help my friends!!’ As they continued with their so called duel, human Rainbow continued to speak. ‘Ever since what Sunset did to us, I didn’t trust anyone else or my old friends again!! But after Princess Twilight helped us, she asked us to help her!! At first I had a hard time trusting her, but I made a promise to look after her with the others and we did!!’ Luke jumped over her and blocked her once more and continued to clash sabers whilst she said ‘I slowly began to trust her!! But deep down I didn’t because if I did, I would’ve asked her to be part of our band, but I didn’t!! I still didn’t trust her, even after everything she did to prove that she changed!! After we beat the Sirens, I was inspired by her courage!! I wanted to be like her!!’ Sunset was a little surprised by this revelation, but then as Luke and Rainbow clashed sabers again, he said ‘And yet you abandoned her when you thought she revealed your secrets, even when she was too afraid to lose her friends!!’ ‘I didn’t know!!’ shouted human Rainbow again as they clashed sabers again. ‘And worst, you left her crying!!’ said Luke ‘You left her when she needed you the most!! And you spat all that in her face after everything she ever did to earn your trust!!’ He jumped over her again and blocked her, but continued to clash sabers from every position ‘You knew that she didn’t have anyone else to turn to!! She never wanted to lose any of you!! She would never do anything to hurt you, and yet you ended up hurting her!!’ They once again clashed sabers, then Luke was face to face with human Rainbow Dash ‘And after the truth got out of who was responsible, you didn’t scold them, you didn’t even apologize to her!!’ Human Rainbow Dash pushed him away, whilst she shouted ‘I tried to!! Long before the Friendship Games, I tried to make it up to what I did to her every day!! And because of her, I remembered the day she inspired me, so I tried to raise the school’s spirit, just like she raised our spirits!!’ As Luke kept dodging her attacks, she continued ‘After the games, I wanted to distrust Twilight, but she didn’t know what the magic was going to do to her!! And I’ll admit, Sunset could’ve been a little nicer about it, but I felt guilty for not stopping her from yelling at Twilight!!’ Luke used Force Push, causing human Rainbow Dash to land on both her feet and said ‘And after that, I tried to be there for my friends!! During our trip at Camp!! The Music Video!! And the studio!! And it was my fault that Juniper snapped that made her trap us there!! I should’ve kept quiet!! But I didn’t!!’ She clashed her saber with Luke’s once more, whilst she continued ‘I know that when Wallflower erased our memories, we forgot about Sunset!! I still thought she was a bully!! But after we got our memories back, I felt horrible for what I did, what I said to her!! It didn’t excuse me from what I did!! I ended up betraying my friend when she needed me the most, again!!’ Human Rainbow Dash swung her saber, but she missed whilst she scorched part of the park’s stands. ‘After what happened at Equestria World, I made a vow that I would be a better friend!! That I would protect my friends!! It was my fault!! The Battle of the Bands, Anon-A-Miss, Juniper, I should’ve done better!!’ She clashed her saber with Luke’s once more, then she said ‘But ever since Spring Break, I ended up making things worst!! Instead of relaxing and having a fun time, I ruined everything, just like I nearly ruined our friendships over and over!!!!’ Luke pushed her away, causing her to fall backwards on the ground the moment she tripped, much to the others’ shock, but Starswirl used his shield spell to keep them in check. ‘Then why didn’t you confess to them?!! Tell them the truth?!!’ shouted Luke, raising his Lightsaber in the air, much as the others wanted to interfere. And before Luke could make a blow, human Rainbow shouted ‘I was scared!!!’ Luke stopped right in his tracks, holding his Lightsaber in position. He kept watch on human Rainbow Dash, who kept her head lowered whilst she gripped onto the ground. He soon saw that tears were falling from her eyes, much to their shock. ‘I was scared to talk about to them about it,’ said human Rainbow Dash without trying to hiccup or sobbing ‘But I was never good at it. I didn’t want to lose them. But no matter how hard I try. I just…I just…’ She then held onto her head and lowered it whilst she continued to sob, and soon, her friends were also shedding tears when they saw her like this. Starswirl lowered the shield, allowing them to run towards human Rainbow Dash and hugged her, not liking to see her like this. Some wondered if Luke had taken it too far. But instead he stood on one knee and told her ‘Everything you did was out of fear of losing your friends. And not everyone can be as strong as you are. But it was because of that fear, you ended up being trapped in a prison of your own making. But only you can break free of what has kept you chained all these years.’ human Rainbow Dash slowly looked up, her face still soaked in tears. ‘But how?’ said human Rainbow Dash ‘Why? Why would anyone believe me, after everything I’ve done?’ Luke moved closer to her and placed his hand on her right shoulder. ‘I know it’s not what you wanted to hear. But for what it’s worth. I would also follow you to the ends of the galaxy.’ Human Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but widen his eyes, with Luke saying ‘You’ve come a long way in such a very short time. But where you go from there is up to you. And your family, the ones that chose to rally to you and comforted you, will stand by you no matter what path you take.’ Human Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but hug her friends whilst she continued to sob, whilst at the same time, the rest of her friends began to hug her, trying to comfort her over what she had just experienced. Though the others were surprised by what Luke just did. Human Rainbow Dash, like her pony counterpart, wasn’t good at letting out her feelings, but because of Luke, she had partially come out of her shell. Which for her, was one step closer to being free from her own burden she had been burying all these years. After all that was said and done, everyone boarded the Ebon Hawk and took off to their next destination. As they traveled, and Human Rainbow Dash decided to have a heart to heart talk with her friends, Twilight decided to talk to Luke about what just happened. ‘Wasn’t that a bit harsh back there?’ asked Twilight. ‘It may seem like that,’ said Luke whilst he focused on piloting the ship ‘But it was also the only way for her to open up. Something I learned a long time ago.’ ‘Really?’ asked Twilight ‘From who?’ ‘General Syndulla.’ said Luke. ‘Syndulla?’ asked Twilight. ‘Long before the Rebellion had been formed into a large Alliance and that they were nothing but a few Rebel Cells throughout the Galaxy,’ said Luke, telling Twilight about her and her former crew ‘Syndulla, a Twi’Lek of the planet Ryloth, was once a Captain of her ship called the “Ghost”. She had others who joined her on her adventures. A Jedi named Caleb Dume, but later called himself Kanan Jarrus. A Lasat warrior named Zeb Orelius. A Mandalorian girl named Sabine, a droid called Chopper, who is like Artoo. And the youngest one who was Force Sensitive named Ezra Bridger. They once traveled together on many missions and uncovered tons of secrets. Kanan trained Ezra when he found out he was Force Sensitive. They encountered many hardships and overcame many obstacles and somehow they always came on top. She even told me of how Kanan brought Sabine out of her shell so that she could be free from her own pain.’ ‘What happened?’ asked Twilight, feeling concerned. Luke remembered what Syndulla told him the last time they talked. ‘Sabine, as many reckless youths, joined the Imperial Academy to be something else. But when she developed inventions, the Empire used her, her inventions, and used them to enslave the Mandalorians, even killing them with it.’ Twilight was taken aback by shock, but Luke continued. ‘She wanted it all to stop of course.’ said Luke ‘But when she spoke out against them, her family didn’t side with her. They ended up abandoning her, and she had no choice but to leave. She tried her life as a bounty hunter, but even that becomes tiresome. Syndulla took her in because she understood how Sabine felt.’ ‘She did?’ said Twilight. ‘Yes.’ said Luke, now explaining Syndulla’s family and her origin. ‘Back during the days of the Clone Wars and her planet was under siege by the Separatists, her father was the leader of a Rebellion, but he didn’t trust the Republic at all, which made him selfish and ended up costing his wife’s life. By the time the Empire came along, he grew more and more cold and distant. Syndulla left soon afterwards, wanting to make a difference in the galaxy, rather than just her homeworld. They let her walk away because they didn’t believe in her.’ ‘That’s horrible.’ said Twilight. ‘I agree.’ said Luke ‘Sure enough, they bumped into Sabine and they recruited her, but she had a hard time trusting them by the time she joined. When they found the Dark saber…’ ‘Dark Saber?’ said Twilight. ‘Syndulla explained that to me too.’ said Luke ‘The Dark Saber was once made by a Mandalorian named Tar Visla, the first Mandalorian ever to be accepted in the Jedi Order. After he passed away, House Visla, the clan that Tar Visla was born under, snuck inside the Temple and stole it. They used the Saber to slay their enemies and used it as a symbol of leadership, and united all the Clans of Mandalore and they followed the strongest warrior who was worthy to wield the blade.’ Twilight was greatly astonished by the story, with Luke continuing. ‘Sabine didn’t want to wield it because she was afraid to face her family again. But Ezra, the one who was Force Sensitive, reminded her that at least she had parents to go back to.’ Twilight simply dread the thought, but asked ‘What happened?’ ‘Shorty after the Empire came to be,’ said Luke ‘Ezra had been born around that day. When he was six years old, his parents, along with his world’s Governor, spoke out against the Empire, until they all got arrested and Ezra was forced to live on the streets. But long before he turned fifteen, he bumped into General Syndulla and her fellow Ghost Crew. It was as if it was fate that brought them together. At first he wanted to be on his own, but after he helped them free a handful of Wookiees that were taken prisoner, he felt a new purpose, even after Kanan offered to train him as a Jedi because he was strong in the Force. But shortly a while later, Ezra spread the message of Rebellion to not just his world and a few others, but as well as the ones who had the highest influence of the Empire’s politicians. The message somehow spread to the prison that Ezra’s parents were locked up. They ended up staging a riot with the Governor and many prisoners were freed. But during the escape, the former Governor escaped, but Ezra’s parents were killed during the riot.’ Twilight was shocked to hear what happened to Ezra’s parents. ‘That’s horrible.’ ‘But Kanan taught him an important lesson.’ said Luke. ‘Like what?’ asked Twilight. ‘That life never ceases in death, but merely live on in the Force. And that his parents would always be with him, no matter where he would go.’ Twilight had no words, for in a way it felt deep. But the part of one’s family being there for their families after they were gone felt really nice. ‘With Ezra and Kanan’s help,’ said Luke ‘She was able to go back to Mandalore and apologized to her family. But when a rival Clan, led by Gar Saxon, who was loyal to the Empire, came to the Wren family, he tried to kill them. But Sabine won the duel against him and her mother killed him. One of the Mandalorians, Fen Rau, pointed out that Gar Saxon was guilty of treason against the throne, collaborated with their enemies and were responsible for the deaths of the Protectors, Fen Rau’s Clan.’ ‘Fen Rau?’ asked Twilight. ‘Back then when the Rebels were trying to find a safe route to move their forces, they bumped into a group of Mandalorians called the Protectors, but like some races, they were forced to side with the Empire. Kanan knew Fen Rau, for his fellow warriors fought alongside him and his master during the Clone Wars. When the Rebels captured him, Fen Rau convinced his fellow protectors to stand down. But by the time they came back, they found his entire Protectors slaughtered, led by Gar Saxon, who wanted to kill them all from the beginning, even Fen Rau. He decided to join them, but because they found the Dark Sabre, he helped them out, even chose to help them rid of Gar Saxon. After he helped the others free Sabine’s father, they went on the offensive.’ ‘And what of Gar Saxon?’ asked Twilight ‘How does he fit into all of this?’ ‘Ah,’ said Luke ‘That is quite the tragedy.’ Twilight wondered what he meant, but as all who share knowledge, Luke told her of what they told him from what he remembered. ‘There was once a Sith Lord named Darth Maul,’ said Luke as he remembered what Kenobi and Yoda told him ‘He was the apprentice of the Emperor. Kenobi defeated him, but he somehow survived. Eventually, he made his way to Death Watch.’ ‘Death Watch?’ shuddered Twilight. ‘A secret group of Mandalorians who resented the ruler of Mandalore’s pacifistic rule. He conspired with them and were able to lead a coup against them, but after the leader of Death Watch’s usefulness had come to an end, Maul killed him and took over the group. Kenobi tried to help, but Maul killed her. Kenobi was…heartbroken after that.’ Twilight wondered what he meant, until she had a look of shock and sadness on her face when she put two and two together. ‘You mean…those two were…?’ ‘They were,’ said Luke ‘Back when Obi-Wan was an apprentice, but because of the Jedi code, they had to part ways. And because of Maul’s influence, half of Death Watch, along with other clans, with Gar Saxon leading them as Maul’s second in command, they took over Mandalore. But there were others who resisted. Among them was the ruler’s sister, Bo Katan, who had a strong influence over most of them, fought alongside the clones and freed Mandalore. But by the time the Empire took over, they continued to resist, but because of Gar Saxon, he was able to gain aid from the Empire and overthrow the capitol.’ ‘What about Bo Katan?’ asked Twilight. ‘Whilst they continued to fight for Mandalore, they bumped into Bo Katan.’ said Luke ‘At first, she didn’t want to take the Dark Sabre, for it was the very Sabre that Maul used to kill her sister. It took a lot of convincing, but she was able to accept the Sabre, whilst every clan who wasn’t afraid to fight, united under her rule. Once that was said and done, Sabine, Ezra and Kanan returned to their friends.’ ‘What’s she doing now?’ asked Twilight. ‘She’s currently busy fighting across other Mandalorian territories,’ said Luke ‘After they were able to free Mandalore, they chose to go around and fight on their other worlds that the Imperials have taken over and enslaved their people. The fight still goes on for Mandalore.’ ‘Didn’t they try to find a more peaceful solution?’ asked Twilight. ‘They tried,’ said Luke ‘But you heard from what I told you, the Mandalorians are an all out Warrior Race who always fight each other and everyone else. It is like trying to tame one of the most dangerous Rathtars.’ ‘What’s a Rathrar?’ asked Twilight. Luke shuddered, whilst he said ‘You don’t want to know.’ ‘And…what about Ghost Crew?’ asked Twilight, wondering what happened to those people. ‘Syndulla retired to look after her and Kanan’s child,’ said Luke, which made Twilight squee a bit, for it was cute and it was good for them. ‘Zeb went back to his people to have a normal life, and Kanan…is one with the Force.’ Twilight was shocked by this information ‘What?’ ‘He sacrificed himself to save Syndulla, Ezra and Sabine whilst they tried to escape.’ said Luke. Twilight looked back at AJ for some reason, for she wondered what she would say if she heard a child who grew up without a father, or not even knowing him. ‘Sabine on the other hand is looking for Ezra at the moment.’ said Luke. ‘Wait, looking for Ezra?’ asked Twilight ‘What happened?’ ‘Whilst they were trying to free Ezra’s home, he attacked Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the Empire’s most dangerous officers and strategists, alone on his ship. He was aided by large creatures, who mastered the power of hyperspace travel centuries ago, as they grasped onto the ship they were on and took them to any part of the galaxy. She and Ahsoka, one of the survivors of the Jedi Order and my father’s former apprentice, are still trying to find him.’ ‘I hope that they will one day find him.’ said Twilight whilst thinking about Ezra ‘From what you told me about him, he deserves a happy ending.’ ‘He does.’ said Luke. Sure enough, after a long flight, they eventually arrived at a small island, where the EG Mane 7’s ship sank during Spring Break and that all of them were stranded until Sunset helped them find a way back. The ship landed and all of them shortly departed from it. The moment all of them were at the beach, they immediately took in the scenery, amazed by what they all saw around them, whilst Luke would meditate on top of a rock to determine where to go next. ‘Wow,’ said Fluttershy ‘This place is lovely.’ ‘I can totally see a private reserve being here where no one can bother you for miles.’ said Rainbow Dash as she took to the skies and back after a quick look. ‘So where did you say your ship sank?’ asked Twilight. ‘Just over there.’ said human Twilight as she pointed out ‘The ship sank there after it got hit against the rocks.’ ‘Which was mah fault,’ said human Applejack whilst she rubbed the back of her head ‘Ah tried to fix the engines of the ship, but I done messed up and connected the wrong wire.’ ‘No, it’s my fault.’ said human Rainbow Dash ‘Twilight was close to fixing the ship and whilst I got obsessed with evil magic, I dragged her away, and I didn’t realize that she held onto the ship’s wires, which ended up making things worse.’ Human Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack and said ‘And AJ. I’m really sorry I wasn’t any help at all when you were seasick. Some friend I am.’ Human AJ couldn’t help but smile and place her hand on her athlete friend’s shoulder, hinting that all is forgiven, which caused the said athlete to smile back and place her hand on top of her friend’s. It was a good moment until… ‘You know the way two go all mushy on one another,’ said Gallus ‘Makes me realize that the both of you are more than just friends.’ The two then blushed as they pulled away, saying ‘No we aren’t.’ ‘Actually, you are.’ said Ocellus, causing them to look at her. ‘I’m a Changeling. I can sense your emotions. And from what I felt, you do have a romantic attraction to one another.’ Now the two were embarrassed, causing them not to say anything, which caused some to giggle. Luke noticed what they were saying, but ignored them as he continued. ‘Luke,’ said Sunset, gaining Luke’s attention, with her saying ‘Can we talk?’ ‘Of course.’ said Luke, allowing the both of them to walk together into the woods to discuss things in private. Sure enough, the two of them were deep enough inside the woods, with Luke asking ‘So what did you want to talk about?’ ‘Was it really necessary what you did back there?’ asked Sunset. ‘It was harsh, I know,’ said Luke ‘But she had to realize that sooner or later, what she would do have consequences later.’ ‘I know,’ said Sunset, though Dash had it coming, it still felt out of line. ‘But still, you could’ve killed her.’ ‘I didn’t,’ said Luke ‘Jedi aren’t like the Sith. They kill without mercy, we are only meant to kill if they left us no other choice. I know you care about Rainbow Dash. But you’ve known her longer than any of your friends, and surely you must understand she would un-doubtingly make more mistakes in the future. Part of a Jedi, means facing their fears. All of you have potential, and now that she has faced her fears, she will no longer rush into action without consequences.’ Luke looked at her and said ‘And someday you will too.’ Sunset looked at him surprised. ‘What?’ Luke stopped, and so did Sunset, allowing the two of them to talk directly. ‘I know you’ve still been having nightmares about your encounter with your demon self through your dreams. For you need to face it again, and only then will you find peace.’ ‘But I…’ said Sunset before she was cut off the moment gently placed his hand on her shoulder. ‘I’ve been where you were,’ said Luke ‘No matter how fast you are, no matter where you go, the beast inside will find you. If you can face it, then you have the courage to beat it, no matter how hard anyone else tries to avoid it.’ Sunset crossed her arms whilst she held onto both her arms, feeling doubt in herself. ‘It’s not like I haven’t tried since I was reformed.’ ‘No one said that the path to light would be easy.’ said Luke. ‘Remember, I was once the same as you and everyone else when I first started out, and I made so many mistakes it costed me more than you can imagine. But as I got older, I realize that I needed to make things right, otherwise I would be no different than the ones I have faced.’ Luke removed his hand and said ‘But from what I had sensed within you, though you may be conflicted, you still have much room to grow and your life has changed for the better. Because of it, others look to you for guidance, even though you may not have much knowledge of what you face, you can only be prepare for it. I know you think you cannot succeed but you must also understand that both Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight will not always be around to help and protect you. Therefore, you must be prepared for what is to come.’ Sunset looked down for a moment, but was determined as she looked at Luke. ‘I’ll try. I may not get things right the first time, but I’ll try my best.’ Luke smiled as he said ‘That is all I ask for.’ Luke held onto the side of his head, for he felt something. Strangely, Sunset felt it too, causing the two of them to look in the same direction. ‘Did you just…?’ said Sunset whilst she felt it before Luke cut her off. ‘I did.’ said Luke ‘It’s coming from that direction.’ Luke looked at Sunset and said ‘Go back to the others, tell them where we should go.’ ‘Got it.’ said Sunset, allowing her to run back to the others, whilst Luke moved ahead. After going through strands of bushes, vines and branches, Luke was able to make his way to the source of where he felt. It was a large area, and from what he was seeing, it was quicksand. Luke moved towards it and stood near the edge. He crouched and wiped his hand against it, whilst also seeing a glow from it at the same time. ‘Interesting,’ said Luke ‘From what the messages said, they came through here and discovered that the ponies from Equestria can change forms. Sunset and the others mentioned that they were here.’ He suddenly felt a shadowy figure, then quickly looked up, revealing a large plant monster that roared at Luke, causing him to back up quickly. ‘Oh right,’ said Luke ‘They also mentioned that.’ Back with the others, Sunset came to the others and said ‘Guys, Luke and I found out where we’re supposed to go next.’ ‘You did?’ asked Rockhoof. ‘Where is it?’ asked Flash Magnus. ‘Just beyond there.’ said Sunset as she pointed the way. However, human Rainbow Dash had a funny feeling that she knew where that place led. ‘Wait a minute,’ said human Rainbow Dash ‘Isn’t that the direction where we faced the…?’ ‘Plant monster?’ said Sunset as she was suddenly shocked by the revelation. ‘Luke!!!’ shouted Sunset as she ran as fast as she could. ‘Sunset, wait!!’ shouted Twilight as she and the others followed suit. They ran through the woods as fast as they could in order to reach Luke in time. But the moment they got there, they were suddenly surprised. For Luke was sitting on top of what appeared to be some kind of rock, with him sitting on top, panting, whilst he was holding his Lightsaber, after he had cut the monster to pieces. ‘What took you guys so long?’ asked Luke. ‘Oh right,’ said Sunset as she giggled nervously with a sheepish smile ‘He has a Lightsaber.’ After all of them gathered, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Stygian and Starswirl observed the quicksand portal. ‘Interesting,’ said Starswirl as he observed it ‘I never thought that there would be another portal that would lead back to Equestria.’ ‘Sunset,’ asked Celestia as she looked at her former pupil ‘Where did you say this portal led?’ ‘Inside the cave from within the Everfree Forest.’ said Sunset. ‘I never knew there was another portal that led to this world,’ said Princess Luna ‘Let alone at Ponyville’s backyard.’ ‘Good thing too,’ said Twilight ‘Even if anypony could’ve reached here, they would have nowhere to go, this place is in the middle of nowhere.’ ‘Why couldn’t we have just banished Tirek, Cozy Glow and Chrysalis here?’ said Spike, causing everyone to look at him. ‘Well think about it, I mean in this world, our magic is useless without any magical artifacts. And plus there would be no one around here for miles.’ ‘A fair point,’ said Luna ‘But it would also be dangerous. No one knows what they could plan if they succeeded.’ ‘Starswirl,’ said Stygian, gaining the old wizard’s attention ‘Didn’t Gusty the Great attempt to create a portal that would lead to other worlds before you came along?’ ‘Indeed she did,’ said Starswirl as he thought about it ‘Although I doubt she would leave any records lying around. If anypony could gain her knowledge, then all would be lost.’ ‘No kidding,’ said Sandbar ‘We all saw what Cozy Glow did when she used them.’ ‘But uh, quick question?’ asked Gallus ‘Where did they even put the location of the next tomb?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t exactly see a place that screams, “Dead Jedi here, come uncover our secrets.”. You’d think they’d have an easier way to teach and show others the way.’ ‘If the way of the Jedi were easy, there would be millions of us instead of just dozens.’ said Luke. ‘Indeed,’ said Starswirl ‘Being to where you want to go takes time and experience. Experience that one gains through patience. If not, one could fall into darkness.’ ‘I know how that feels.’ said Sunset. ‘But they do have a point.’ said Ocellus ‘Where do we go?’ ‘Sometimes the answers we seek,’ said Luke as he slowly stood on one knee and placed his right hand on the ground ‘Lies underneath our feet.’ The ground soon began to tremble a bit, causing a bright light to appear underneath his hand, allowing two strange lines to appear as they circled around the quicksand. The glowing soon died down, allowing the large land that contained the quicksand to be raised. The moment it was at least five feet in the air, it revealed a large doorway, with stairs that led underground. ‘Whoa,’ said Human Rainbow Dash as she zipped right over and looked at the hole ‘There was a secret entrance beneath the entrance? Sweet.’ ‘But why hide it underneath a portal?’ asked Sunset. ‘Sometimes when it comes to hiding something important,’ said Luke as he observed the entrance ‘We place them in a place that is so strong in either the light or dark side, no Jedi or Sith could find what they were looking for.’ ‘Like hiding something that’s masked with Equestrian Magic?’ asked puppy Spike as he looked down at the entrance. ‘Precisely.’ said Luke, allowing him to be the first to enter inside the entrance, with the others following suit. As they followed the stairs that continued to go on for the next five minutes, they were able to find solid footing, allowing them to walk straight towards where they needed to go. They saw many murals from the past, where there were a handful of Unicorn Sages who were taught by the Jedi on how to use their magic, even when they were turned human after they traveled to another world. They were surprised to see Gusty the Great among them, however, to Starswirl’s shock, he saw that from on the last part of the mural, one of the Unicorns were none other than his old student, Clover the Clever. ‘I cannot believe Clover didn’t tell me about this.’ said Starswirl. ‘We all have our secrets Starswirl,’ said Luke as he stood beside the old unicorn wizard ‘Even secrets that were necessary to be kept when they made a vow not to speak of any.’ They continued to walk down the path, and the next mural, they were greatly shocked to see. They saw that the first Jedi had also faced other creatures like Dragons, Griffons, Yaks and Hippogriffs. But to their shock, they saw that there were Changelings too. They once looked like they were now, until one of the Jedi, who was temporarily consumed with darkness, ended up transforming them into the Changelings that Chrysalis had ruled before her defeat. ‘So the Changelings were never monsters,’ said Ocellus as she was staring at the mural in shock ‘We used to be beautiful.’ She lowered her head in sadness, with Silverstream and the others comforting her. ‘It appears I was wrong about the Changelings.’ said Starswirl. ‘They were once peaceful until their tragic day. Had I known what their fate was I would not hesitate into helping them.’ ‘Like you helped Stygian in the past?’ said Luke, causing the Unicorn wizard to wince. ‘Not…my proudest moments.’ said Starswirl, revealing guilt in his voice. They continued to down the hall until they were able to reach the next set of doors. All of them stood there, staring at it, wondering what they’re going to face there. For of all the Sith Lords that all of them have faced in the past, they were dreading on who they would face next. ‘I hope this Sith Lord isn’t terrifying.’ said human Fluttershy. ‘Considering what we faced through the whole journey, that’s highly unlikely.’ said Spike. ‘Then we will face it, together.’ said Luke. Luke used the Force to open the doors. Sure enough, all of them have walked through the doors, keeping their guard up, trying to make sure that none of them will be caught with their pants down (Well some of them are wearing pants, but you get the idea). The doors began to close behind them in a rapid response, taking all of them by surprise. Rainbow Dash then said ‘Come on out and show yourself!!’ shouted Rainbow Dash. When all of a sudden, they heard a sudden chuckle, making them look ahead. From the shadows, they saw a shadowy figure slowly approaching them, making Luke hold onto his Lightsaber, preparing to fight for just in case, with the ponies and creatures getting ready too, along with the Rainbooms. The figure slowly approached into the light with his arms behind his back. He slowly lifted his head up whilst lifting his hood. His face was black with red markings all over it, with horns on top, making both Rarity gasp silently (Yeah, their Fashionista senses started to kick in), when they saw him. ‘Whoa,’ said dog Spike ‘Check out the horns on that guy.’ ‘Who is that?’ said Fluttershy whilst she was whimpering behind Applejack. ‘Who are you?’ said Princess Celestia. ‘Oh, I am known by many things.’ said the stranger. ‘I used to have a name a long time ago, long before I was tampered. But in time, after some…changes. I became something else. My name, is Maul.’ ‘Maul?’ said Luke. Then remembered what Obi-Wan once told him. ‘I remember you. Obi-Wan told me about you.’ ‘So, the little farm by knows about me from the rat in the desert.’ said Maul before he chuckled, much to the others’ dismay. ‘Are you a Sith Lord?’ said Princess Luna, making sure that she doesn’t drop her guard. ‘In a manner of speaking.’ said Maul. ‘I was once the apprentice of Darth Sideous long ago. Long before the Empire came. Long before the Clone Wars. Long before my…untimely demise.’ ‘Sideous?’ said human Rainbow Dash. ‘He means the Emperor of the Empire.’ said Luke, which shocked the Rainbooms. ‘Indeed.’ said Maul. ‘So what role did you play in all this?’ said Starswirl. ‘Aye,’ said Rockhoof ‘From what we heard, the likes of you played a role in the Emperor’s schemes to destroy the Jedi and the Republic.’ ‘Oh, I played a vital role before and after the Empire’s reign.’ said Maul ‘But to understand…let me tell you more from the beginning.’ He walked back and forth slowly, telling them his tale. ‘Long ago, Palpatine, or as you know as Darth Sideous.’ said Maul as he began ‘Was pretending to be a Senator that served the needs of his home planet of Naboo. But in secret, he trained me in the ways of the Dark Side of the Force. During my training, he convinced a Viceroy of the Trade Federation named Newt Gunrey to place a blockade to prevent them from getting any supplies in order to starve them and make them surrender. But whilst his grand schemes were in the play, the Jedi Order intervened. Both Kenobi and his Master came to put a stop to it, but my Master attempted to move ahead of schedule. But after the Jedi escaped and evacuate the queen and their personnel from their home, they were forced to be in hiding on Tatooine. But Fate, oh. Fate had other plans as the Jedi Master had unwittingly brought someone with them. One that has been strong in the Force.’ ‘My father.’ said Luke, whilst keeping his eyes on Maul. ‘Precisely.’ said Maul, continuing to tell them of his past. ‘During that time, they discovered that Anakin Skywalker was powerful with the Force, greater than any Jedi they’ve ever witnessed. All of them believing to be the Chosen one to bring balance to the Force. Before the Jedi Master, his apprentice, Skywalker and the foolish Queen returned, I was sent to put a stop to them. So whilst Skywalker went to the Trade Federation’s station to destroy their command center, I fought both the Jedi Master and Student.’ ‘And then you ended up killing the master.’ said Luke. Maul chuckled, then said ‘Indeed.’ He then stopped and said ‘When Kenobi cleaved my body in half, I fell into the abyss. After the fall, I thought I was going to die, but my hatred made me grow stronger. I made my way to an scrap planet, until one of my people, who were also tampered with like I was, whom I called brother, saved me. He and the witch were responsible put me back together. Once I was whole, I began my hunt for Kenobi, knowing that he wouldn’t be far behind.’ ‘But then you realized that you were outmatched,’ said Twilight ‘You realized that you couldn’t do it alone, so Death Watch stumbled upon you. But just like any Sith, you used them and ended up taking over Mandalore. By the time they outlived their usefulness, you ended up killing their leader. Since then, half of the Mandalorian Clans, even half of Death Watch joined your maddening crusade, even killed their Queen, all just to kill a Jedi who only did his sworn duty into protecting the Republic.’ Maul then chuckled. ‘Very good. I see you did your homework on me.’ ‘Learning and studying is what I do.’ said Twilight whilst he carefully eyed the former/fallen Sith Lord ‘But now here’s also a question for you. What made you decided to leave Mandalore?’ ‘Oh, not by choice, I can tell you that much.’ said Maul. ‘By the time I was sure Kenobi was broken, my master came for me. He ended up branding me a traitor and tried to strike me and my brother down.’ ‘Yeah, because you failed to obey the old rule that Bane dude made up.’ said Rainbow Dash. ‘Oh, yes. The Rule of Two. A foolish one at that.’ said Maul ‘How I envy the Sith of old, who used to roam the galaxy without fear, but then that fool Bane lost his spine instead of making a stand.’ Maul then continued his story whilst walking back and forth. ‘After my Master killed my brother, he attempted to capture me, but I remained on Mandalore after learning a few things from him. By the time he was gone and I had returned, my hold over Mandalore remained strong. I had attempted to lure Skywalker here to end him to ensure my Master’s plan had not succeeded.’ ‘But then Ahsoka came along instead.’ said Luke. ‘Indeed she did,’ said Maul ‘She and Bo Katan crossed paths, and they asked the Republic for help. But she was skeptical at first, considering she abandoned the Order after she stopped believing in them. But because of Skywalker, he promoted his Clone Captain to Commander. They took half of the entire 501st Clone Battalion to Mandalore. Gar Saxon and his clans stalled them. During the battle, I encountered Tano, tried to convince her to join me after when I told him that the Emperor had this planned from the beginning and the Empire had already begun to take over from the inside out.’ Maul then sighed as he said ‘But alas, like other Jedi, she was too arrogant and naïve to believe me.’ ‘Then how did you escape?’ said Sunset, not taking her eyes off of him. ‘Oh, whilst I was taken prisoner,’ said Maul as he remembered that day all too well ‘My Master had initiated Order 66. He contacted every Clone out there. They nearly killed Ahsoka too, so she had no choice but to free me. And whilst I was the distraction, she lured the Clone Commander, Rex, into her little trap. She ended up freeing him from his programming. As I escaped, Rex tried to reason to his fellow clones, but because of the chips that were placed inside of their heads, Loyalty, Friendship, even the Trust of the Clones and Jedi meant nothing to them anymore. They had no choice but to scuttle their own ship, allowing it to crash on a nearby planet, killing the Clones that Rex fought alongside his whole life, even those he wished to call friends.’ The ponies and their counterparts were horrified of what the Emperor had done, with Maul saying ‘So you think I am a monster? It’s nothing compared to what my master has done.’ ‘And during your travels,’ said Luke ‘You ended up running into Ezra Bridger.’ ‘Oh, I did.’ said Maul ‘When I stumbled upon him on Malachor, I used him to help me retrieve the Sith Holocron so that I could use it to destroy my Master for betraying me. But realizing that I was outmatched, I had no choice but to escape. But from behind the Shadows I continued to use Bridger for my own purposes. By combining both the Jedi and Sith Holocrons, I used that power to find what I was looking for. And soon, I played my final card of manipulation, and used him to lead me to Tatooine, the very planet that…you resided from.’ ‘You were looking for Luke?’ asked Mistmane. ‘No,’ said Somnambula ‘He went looking for the one Jedi who he still had a grudge against, the same one who looked after Luke after his father’s betrayal.’ Both Twilight and Sunset realized whom Somnambula was talking about, with them saying at the same time ‘Kenobi.’ ‘Precisely.’ said Maul. ‘But let me guess,’ said Gallus ‘He kicked your butt?’ ‘In a manner of speaking.’ said Maul in a bitter tone. He showed them through the Force. They saw that Maul was standing nearby Kenobi, but older. They were surprised to see Kenobi, for even after all these years, he still looks fit as a fiddle. And from the look on his face, was the wisdom of a true master. Past Maul sighed as he said ‘Look what has become of you…a rat in the desert.’ Kenobi only looked at him in confidence and said ‘Look what I have risen above.’ ‘I’ve come to kill you,’ said past Maul as he walked in circles around the old master ‘But perhaps it’s worst to leave you here, festering in your squalor.’ ‘If you define yourself by your power to take life,’ said Kenobi as he walked and kept his eyes on Maul ‘’A desire to dominate, to possess. Then you have nothing.’ Past Maul got angry as he activated his Lightsaber and shouted ‘And what do you have?!’ He slashed the sand using his saber, causing the sand to douse the fire, snuffing the light between them. Kenobi continued to stare at the Sith Lord, who as if he tried to prove a point, but would not let a former Sith threaten him. ‘Why, come to this place?’ said Past Maul, wondering what Kenobi was up to. ‘Not simply to hide. Oh, you have a purpose here. Perhaps you are…protecting something?’ Kenobi squinted his eyes, knowing that Maul was referring to Luke, much to the others’ confusion when they saw Kenobi staring down at the fallen Sith. ‘No,’ said Past Maul as he realized something ‘Protecting…someone.’ And in that moment, Kenobi activated his Lightsaber, much to their surprise. He held onto it, then twirled it, and held it above his head whilst pointing his two fingers at Maul. The Sith on the other hand, activated the other end of his Lightsaber, twirled it and held in position. The old Jedi Master and the old Sith Lord continued to stare at each other down, wanting either of them to either make a move or a mistake. Maul held onto his saber with both his hands and held them in position, whilst Kenobi moved his saber to a different stance and held the saber to his right. The two of them continued to stare each other down, feet firmly planted onto the ground, hands gripped tightly onto their Lightsabers, their gazes not faltering. This was feeling tense as everyone was watching. And in that moment, Maul struck. Kenobi only did three moves. Block right, block left, and strike. Both stood still for a few moments, until Maul realized something, causing him to lower his arms as his saber was split into two, then collapsed onto his knees, and then into Kenobi’s arms. Kenobi continued to stare at his enemy, with Past Maul weakly trying to gain breath as he said ‘T…tell me…is it…the Chosen One?’ Kenobi simply replied ‘He is.’ Past Maul then said with his last breath ‘He…will…avenge us…’ Maul then passed away in Kenobi’s arms, the Sith warrior finally at peace. The images then faded away, with Maul still looking at them. ‘And avenge us you did, Skywalker.’ said Maul, staring down at the young Jedi ‘Though your father destroyed everything they held dear because his fear took him over, you picked up the pieces and did what no one else could.’ ‘And what might that be?’ said Luke. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ said Maul as he chuckled at the young and naïve Jedi. ‘Look pal,’ said Rainbow Dash ‘We don’t have time to debate about this or not, we just want the location of where we need to go next.’ ‘Ah yes,’ said Maul ‘Where you would hope to learn to rebuild the Jedi Order the way it’s supposed to be. Well then…we cannot have that now, can we?’ Maul pulled both of his arms back, causing some to realize what he’s doing. ‘Watch it!!’ shouted Spike. As Maul performed a Force Push, Luke used the Force to shield himself, with the Young Six ducking in cover, whilst everyone else was launched against the wall and collapsed onto the ground. Right before Luke could use his Lightsaber, Maul used Force Grip, making Luke rise in the air and was pulled towards Maul, whilst holding his throat, trying to gasp for air, but nothing he tried was working, for the long gone Sith Lord was not holding back. ‘You are nothing like your father.’ said Maul ‘He stood a much better chance. But you…you are nothing but a speck of dust, eagerly waiting to be snuffed out of existence for all the Galaxy to see.’ Before Maul could do anything, a large flame went straight towards him, causing him to flinch. Though he used the Force to block the fire, it wasn’t enough to keep the fire from burning some parts of his face, causing him to drop Luke, making him land on his knees whilst holding onto his throat. Maul looked up in anger, and noticed a certain orange dragon standing in front of Luke, glaring at the long dead Sith Lord. ‘Hands off our friend.’ said Smolder. And she wasn’t alone, for standing beside her in Luke’s defense was Yona, Sandbar, Ocellus, Silverstream and Gallus. ‘Foolish children.’ said Maul whilst standing up ‘You have no idea who you are facing.’ ‘So you’re a horn headed bad guy with breathtaking anger management issues, big deal.’ said Sandbar whilst hardly being fazed by the Sith. ‘We face things that are scarier than horn headed freak.’ said Yona before she let out a snort of anger. ‘And here I thought I had problems, but it just proves that you’re an even bigger coward when it comes to moving forward.’ said Gallus. ‘You were so obsessed in killing Kenobi, you failed to go out and save the galaxy.’ said Ocellus. ‘Yeah,’ said Silverstream as she spoke up ‘I would’ve thought you would go around to restore whatever honor your so called Sith code has, or at least left it behind to fight alongside other Jedi to stop the Emperor.’ ‘You cannot just stop the Emperor,’ said Maul ‘He is unlike anything you have ever seen.’ ‘And yet he did abandon you,’ said Sandbar ‘Considering you fell so quickly by a young Jedi.’ ‘Not to mention you could’ve raised your own army to fight the Empire instead of just hiding in the shadows.’ said Smolder. ‘I will accomplish what I intended to do all those years ago.’ said Maul. ‘We won’t let you.’ said Silverstream. ‘Foolish children,’ said Maul ‘You encounter a force beyond your reckoning.’ ‘Funny you should say that.’ said Gallus ‘For your brother had fought against powers beyond reckoning.’ ‘And where is he, now?’ said Sandbar whilst finishing for him. That made Maul angry as he gripped into his fists. He used Force Push, but somehow they saw it coming and were too fast for him. Smolder took a deep breath and blew out fire at Maul, but the Sith used the Force to block it, only for both Silverstream and Gallus to grab him and take him up high in the air and tossed him to the ground. Maul landed on his feet, but was caught by surprise when Yona came charging in and tackled him over like a bull. As Maul tried to get up, Ocellus turned into a Bug Bear and crushed him on the ground, with Sandbar grabbing Maul by the legs and dragged him away, spun him around and tossed Maul against the wall. Maul got up, and he was now really angry. He gripped his fists whilst the ground began to shake and the rocks began to float all around him. He used Force Push on them, but they were able to dodge them again, until Maul used Force Grip on both Sandbar and Yona, making them choke whilst they were being raised in the air. Ocellus and Smolder nodded to one another, with Ocellus turning into a different dragon, allowing them both to breathe fire. Maul quickly used the Force to shield himself, whilst both Sandbar and Yona fell back on the ground, trying to regain their focus. Gallus, who quickly popped over to get a rope from Pinkie’s Mane, quickly flew over to Maul and wrapped his legs with the rope, with Gallus saying ‘Silverstream, let’s give him a lift!’ Silverstream flew up and helped Gallus, allowing them to pull the rope together, tying up Maul’s legs, allowing them to pull him in the air, then with their combined strength, swung the Sith around as if he was a wrecking ball. And on time, they threw him hard against the wall, allowing both the Griffon and Hippogriff to give each other a claw bump. Maul stood up as he gritted his teeth. ‘Worthless Insects!!!’ Maul then used the large rock next to him and lifted it up and threw it against the flying duo. ‘Whoa, watch it!!’ shouted Gallus as he quickly tackled Silverstream out of the way. Yona charged from Maul’s left, causing Maul to grab her throat and tossed her hard onto the ground, which allowed him to use the Force to summon his Lightsaber, raised it in the air in order to strike Yona down. Ocellus however, saw what was going on, causing her to turn into a Manticor and charged towards the Sith, biting him in the arm, making Maul squirm a bit, whilst she tossed the Sith away hard, allowing Sandbar to come along and bucked him in the face, causing the Sith to be launched a feet away. Maul landed on both his feet as he was angry, with the Young Six quickly gathering together, staring down at the Sith. Maul on the other hand, was now enraged as he stood up. ‘I. Will not. Be beaten. By mere. Children!!’ shouted Maul, causing him to use the most strongest Force Push he could muster. But as it made contact, the Young Six suddenly began to glow brightly, much to Maul’s shock. ‘What?!!’ shouted the Sith Lord. Sure enough, Twilight and the others slowly got up, and they saw the Young Six, facing down the Sith Lord, with Luke on the other hand watching the whole thing as he was amazed by the young one’s bravery. ‘You won’t win here Maul,’ said Sandbar ‘Not by a long shot.’ ‘No matter how many Sith come,’ said Yona ‘Sith always fall.’ ‘You may take away their lives,’ said Smolder ‘But you will never take away their hope.’ ‘Hope is the very thing that keeps their spirits alive.’ said Ocellus. ‘Which, like our friendships, they have more in common than you realize.’ said Gallus. ‘And with their friendships to each other, they’ll always come back stronger together.’ said Silverstream. ‘And from what our mentors had told their enemies before.’ said Sandbar with a smirk. ‘What everyone, even you don’t seem to get.’ said Smolder. All of them combined their appendages (Like a Dragon Ball Goku move if you will, no copyrighted from DBZ, just trying to give you a mental picture), their front hooves/claws began to glow, as well as them. ‘Hope, the Force, and Friendship, is magic!!’ shouted the Young Six all together. And with one massive thrust, they blasted Maul combined with the Force and their Magic of Friendship, unleashing it’s full force, until Maul was engulfed in it, making him scream in agony as he began to disappear. The light soon began to clear, as many had shielded their eyes. As they looked, they saw that Maul was no more, with the Young Six standing there, until they all fell over from the exhaustion. ‘That…was intense.’ said Silverstream whilst she panted. ‘I’ll say.’ said Gallus ‘Remind me never to do that again.’ ‘I didn’t think we could actually do it.’ said Ocellus. ‘Yona take big nap when this over.’ said Yona as she struggled to stand up. said Yona as she struggled to stand up. ‘Ugh, something tells me we’re going to have headaches for weeks.’ said Smolder as she sat back up. ‘Boy I’ll say, that was trippy.’ said Sandbar. ‘Uh, guys.’ said Ocellus, gaining their attention ‘I think everyone is staring at us.’ They looked at the group of ponies and the EG Mane 7, all of them staring at the Young Six in shock, for they couldn’t believe their eyes from what they saw. ‘What?’ said Gallus. ‘It would seem,’ said Luke as he helped them up ‘That the Force is strong within all of you.’ ‘It is?’ said the Young Six. ‘Of course,’ said Luke after he helped the last one up whilst the others gathered near him ‘From I have seen, you all have stood up to a powerful Sith, and you worked together in ways none in my galaxy has done. And from what I have seen, the power of Friendship lives on in all of you in ways you have never imagined.’ Luke then looked at the ponies and said ‘Clearly, all of you have taught them well.’ The Mane 6 couldn’t help but smile, for all of them were greatly proud of how their students had conquered all odds. ‘I had no idea all of you had that in you?’ said Spike. ‘I didn’t think we could do it.’ said Sandbar as he and the rest of the Young Six stood up. ‘It would appear both Harmony and the Force has chosen well.’ said Celestia. As they stood together, a secret passage had opened, and it showed them the way. They all headed straight towards the door, allowing them to all walk right in. As they stood there, they discovered more maps, but these were different. For these maps had hieroglyphics on it that none know how to read. All but one. Luke walked over and looked through the hieroglyphics. He muttered ‘The Valley of the Jedi?’ ‘The what?’ asked Twilight. ‘I heard of that place, but I thought it was merely a legend.’ said Luke. ‘What’s so special about it?’ asked Rainbow Dash. ‘Basically,’ said Luke as he looked at them ‘It is what some would call a crack in the universe. Basically anyone who walks into the light of the place itself, will end up bathing in the power of the Force. In the end, you’ll end up getting the full power as a Jedi or a Sith.’ The group were shocked by the discovery. ‘Why would anyone make a place where such a horrid thing would become reality?’ asked human Rarity. ‘Basically,’ said Luke as he tried to figure it out ‘If the Jedi were to lose the galaxy to the darkness, then it would be used as a last resort to empower any individual with as much power of the Force as you could.’ ‘But I assume that anyone who uses too much power will end up destroying themselves.’ said Starswirl whilst stroking his beard. ‘Yes,’ said Luke as he looked at them ‘This is why the Jedi guards secrets like this, to ensure that none would fall into darkness.’ Luke folded the map and placed them with the other maps, whilst contacting R2 as he said ‘Artoo, we have more maps. But make sure to mark them to ensure it would remain a secret.’ R2 beeped over the monitors, understanding Luke’s orders. At the same time, the Young Six open the next coffin. Smolder dug his hand in and pulled out what appeared a different Lightsaber, but it was strangely resembled to a dragon. ‘Huh,’ said Smolder as he observed it ‘Interesting design.’ Silverstream took out what appeared to be the next clue. She opened it and saw that it was a map. She tilted her head to the left after she observed it, then flew back to the others. ‘Excuse me,’ said Silverstream, gaining their attention ‘From what this map shows, it appears to be on the mainland. Does this place look familiar to you girls?’ She showed the EG Mane 7 the map. But as they took a closer look at it, Sunset’s eyes widened, making her lean backwards and groaned loudly, with her saying ‘Oh, no.’ ‘Something wrong lass?’ asked Rockhoof when he saw her act like this. Sunset sighed, then looked at them and said ‘I know the place.’ ‘You do?’ asked Princess Celestia. ‘It’s where Princess Twilight told me about the Time Twirler.’ said Sunset. The rest of the EG Mane 7 also groaned at that, remembering what Sunset went through, much to their confusion. ‘Uh, somepony wanna fill me in on this?’ asked Applejack. Twilight looked at them and said ‘When Sunset and her friends went to a music festival, a pair of performers discovered a time twirler there. Whenever activated, they relive an entire day. They still remember and do things differently whilst everything else repeats the same day.’ ‘After I failed to watch my favorite band Post Crush perform,’ said Sunset ‘They used the artifact and I ended up getting caught in it. And every time they use it, I relive the same day over and over again.’ ‘But,’ said human Pinkie Pie as she held onto Sunset’s shoulders ‘After we figured out who was responsible, we stopped them from using it and destroyed it.’ ‘An artifact that can relive time?’ said Luke. ‘Ah, I know of the device.’ said Starswirl ‘I once experimented on it in order to help avoid dangerous enemies and wars long before Celestia and Luna took the thrones. However, I realized that using that device can have dangerous consequences, so I hid it to ensure no one would find it.’ Starswirl looked at Sunset ‘It is good that you have destroyed it. But might I ask what this Post Crush was doing with it?’ ‘They wanted to have a perfect performance,’ said Sunset ‘But every time they did that, they ended up making a few mistakes, so they misused the artifact in order to have a perfect performance.’ ‘Ah,’ said Spike ‘Obsessive perfectionists. We know that well.’ ‘You do?’ asked Sunburst. ‘Yep,’ said Spike ‘In fact I was raised by her.’ Twilight immediately perked up on that. ‘Hey, what’s that supposed to…’ ‘No, he kind of does have a point there.’ said Starlight. ‘You tend to do that a lot.’ said Sunburst. ‘I too can vouch for that.’ said Princess Celestia. As everyone else agreed, Twilight cringed, groaned and was embarrassed at the same time. ‘Then we’d better get there.’ said Luke, allowing the others to agree as they followed him out. However, unknown to everyone, from the far reaches of the galaxy, near the Yost System, five handful of Imperial ships were stationed above the planet. One of the soldiers came along and saluted to an admiral. ‘What is it Private.’ said the Admiral ‘We are under orders to prepare the fleet to the Jakku system.’ ‘Sir,’ said the soldier whilst holding a data pad ‘One of our spies was able to track down Luke Skywalker.’ ‘Skywalker?’ said the Admiral as he looked at the soldier. ‘Yes sir.’ said the soldier ‘According to this, he is far beyond the Unknown regions.’ ‘Can the fleet follow?’ asked the Admiral, remembering what Agent Kallus once reported before he went rogue. ‘Yes sir,’ said the soldier ‘We have a clear path towards them.’ ‘Good.’ said the Admiral ‘We may not have been able to protect the Emperor, but we shall have our vengeance against the one who struck him down.’ ‘Orders sir?’ asked the Private. ‘How long will it take to restock our inventory?’ said the Admiral. ‘In about three hours.’ ‘Make it an hour, I want our fleets to be deployed as soon as possible.’ ‘Yes sir.’ said the private after he saluted before he left. ‘I may have failed my Emperor.’ said the Admiral whilst staring out at the windows ‘But I will avenge him for what Skywalker has done.’