//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Equestria - A Field Trip To The Museum/Starswirl’s Mirror // Story: Star Wars: The Trials of the Force (Part One) // by Admiral Producer //------------------------------// The Next Day… “Alright, y’all!” Friendship Counselor Apple Bloom announced to the class, “Headmare Starlight has secured a tour of the Canterlot Museum of Cultural History! Your vice Headstallion Sunburst has agreed to head the field trip!” It was Homeroom Class and the students, who were bored at first, snapped to attention and started chatting amongst themselves excitedly. A field trip? With vice Headstallion Sunburst?! This was amazing! Silverstream was the most excited, being the most fascinated with everything to do with pony history. She turned to Ocellus sitting beside her and started rambling on about how excited she was about the field trip. Ocellus couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” “Same here,” Smolder remarked, “I just hope that nothing there will tempt me to set things on fire. In the Dragonlands, we just set everything on fire.” Silverstream gasped. “Even priceless, historical artifacts?” “ESPECIALLY priceless historical artifacts,” Smolder answered, “Over there, nothing survives. Heck, my brother even used that Flash pony’s shield for lava surfing. Beats me how he never ended up actually burning it.” “So dragons just…burn everything?” Ocellus frowned, “That’s not right.” Smolder shrugged. “It’s competition. But we do have standards and laws. We absolutely DO NOT burn the Bloodstone Scepter under any circumstance. Dragon Lord Ember said that any dragon that does that is subject to exile. Heck, you don’t have to tell me twice.” Silverstream laughed. The class then turned their attention to Apple Bloom, who was walking towards the door. “C’mon y’all! Sunburst’ll meet us at the train station!” Everycreature got up and started walking single file out of the classroom, down the corridor, and towards the main entrance of the School of Friendship, where they were then joined by the rest of the student body, led by Headmare Starlight and the other teachers respectively. Silverstream spotted Yona and Sandbar walking together as the double doors opened. It made her think of Gallus, who she had a crush on, but was too afraid to tell him to his face. She silently mused on what it was like to start a family with another creature. Could griffons and hippogriffs get married? They were both bird-like creatures, right? Did that qualify in Equestria? Or could only ponies get married? Then what of the new open immigration policy of Princess Twilight? Did that mean she could do it? Was she even sure if her feelings? “Silverstream…” Would her friends approve? Would her teachers approve? Would her family approve? Would Queen Novo approve?! “Silverstream…” What if she didn’t?! Then what?! She hoped it didn’t mean dishonor to her culture. She was already a failure in her aunt’s eyes. She didn’t want to fail again! “Silverstream…” Nobody understood what she was going through. She had left the royal gathering devastated! She was more than just hyperactive and airheaded, right?!! Who was she??!! “SILVERSTREAM!!!” Silverstream’s chaotic thoughts were interrupted by a sharp call of her name by Vice Headstallion Sunburst. She opened her eyes and saw that they were at the train station. The train had arrived and was about to leave. She was the only one outside. “Oh, uh, whoopsie!” Silverstream blushed, smiling sheepishly, “I guess I just…zoned out there?” “More like you mentally conked out,” Sunburst told her, “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” “Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just-“ Silverstream was cut off by a big loud: “ALL ABOARD!!!” Silverstream hurriedly got on the train, Sunburst following close behind. They made it inside just as the automatic doors closed. She barely managed to pull her tail away before the doors shut tight, avoiding an accident that would surely throw the whole field trip in jeopardy. Silverstream tried to find a seat next to Ocellus, but found that she was already sitting with Smolder. She sighed and sat next to a yellow unicorn with a blue mane and tail in a pink braid named Citrine Spark. Silverstream had never spoken to Citrine, but always being the most social of her friends, initiated the conversation, “Hi there, I’m Silverstream!” Citrine Spark turned her head from the window to look at her, “Oh hey! You…you’re that hyperactive airhead in class, right? Not that I care. I only have one class with you.” “Um, yeah…” Silverstream shifted uncomfortably, hearing the adjectives she had just called herself in her head said out loud to her. “I thought so!” Citrine was beaming at this point. “Great!! I’m Citrine Spark. So…my friends kinda ditched me in here, so I’m glad you’re here.” “They…ditched you?” Silverstream inquired. “Yeah,” Citrine explained, “It’s so not fair, right?! I mean, Berry Bliss was all, ‘I’m gonna sit next to Strawberry Scoop’ and then Peppermint was all ‘Uh, do you mind if I sit next to Soaring Virtue on the train? I need her help with homework.’ Like, I could’ve helped with that homework! But at least she had the courtesy to tell me in advance. So then I told her like, ‘Oh sure, it’s fine. It’s not like I’m going to be lonely over here or anything.’ And she didn’t even reply! Like, what happened to our friendship?! I told Berry…” Silverstream was getting a migraine from Citrine’s rant, so she attempted to tune the unicorn out, no matter how difficult it was. The rant lasted for a full 10 minutes before the train abruptly stopped, Citrine ending her rant the moment she realized she was about to fall out of her seat. Silverstream reached out and caught her. Citrine noticed this. “Oh, thank you, Silverstream! You saved my life!” “No problem,” Silverstream nodded, letting go,“We…rejects have to stick together, right? Or is that not the right word, I’m sorry.” “No no no, you get me.” Citrine sighed. “It’s just hard being without Berry and Peppermint, even for a minute. I am a reject, I guess. Hey, why’d we stop?” “CURSE YOU, SHEEP!!!” came the conductor’s booming voice again. “Sheep? Why did it have to be sheep?” Silverstream heard Gallus mutter from two rows in front of her. The train continued on afterwards, as soon as all the sheep had been cleared out. Silverstream and Citrine remained silent for a while, before Citrine asked gently, “Why do you consider yourself to be a reject?” “Oh I…” Silverstream sighed deeply, “I fell out of favor with my Aunt Novo back home. She thinks I’m a total airhead. I guess you were right about that.” “Aw, horseapples!” Citrine realized, “Silverstream, I am so sorry for calling you that earlier. That was absolutely not okay. Queen Novo herself is mad at you? That’s gotta be not fun.” “You’re right, though.” Silverstream stared down at the floor. “She’s not the only one who’s called me that. I didn’t tell Ocellus this, but General Seaspray thinks that the School of Friendship is a…bad influence on me. He called my conduct very…unladylike. My dad thoroughly chewed him out for that. What does that mean? Unladylike?” “You don’t want to know.” Citrine told her, “Some terms are just too offensive to us that we’re better off just knowing they’re offensive and not actually knowing what it means. My dad told me, and it ruined my whole day. But it’s okay. I mean, if he still thinks that after your experiences here led you and your friends to save the entirety of the world from a love-thirsty bug queen, our psychopathic former ‘temporary Headmare,’ and a magic-starved centaur, then who cares what he thinks, right? You saved the world. We owe our lives to you and your friends.” Silverstream smiled. It was a half-smile, but she felt better. Suddenly, commotion rose within the train car as everyone got up at once in excitement. Silverstream looked out the window. There it was. The majestic city of Canterlot. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— “And so, when Starswirl the Bearded banished the Sirens from Equestria,” Sunburst spoke, walking the class through the Canterlot Museum of Cultural History, “He wanted to make sure the Sirens would never return to this land again. So, he created the 30 Moons-3 Days cyclical system in order to trap them there forever. He created an enchanted mirror, which he would watch constantly. The real mirror is stored within Princess Twilight’s old castle, but the magical prototype is stored right there!” He pointed towards a glass display case, which housed a purple mirror that looked similar to the one Twilight used in her quest for the Element of Magic. The students all went ‘oo’ and ‘awe,’ staring at the mirror. Silverstream gasped. “That is so cool! Can I go touch it?” Sunburst laughed. “No, Silverstream. This is a museum. You can’t actually touch the artifacts. But we can get some stuff at the gift shop if you want. I bet they have a model.” Disappointed, Silverstream nodded, but she couldn’t stop looking at the mirror, which seemed to radiate a strange energy. It captivated her, drew her closer. “Silverstream!” Ocellus called. Silverstream turned, seeing the other students leaving without her. She hurried after them. ”The galaxy needs you, Silverstream.” “Huh?” Silverstream turned around, looking left and right. She was sure that she had heard someone. It sounded like a wise masculine voice that radiated authority, but was gentle and calm, almost ethereal. “Silverstream? Who are you talking to?” Smolder asked. Silverstream started walking towards the mirror. “Headstallion Sunburst!” Smolder called, “Silverstream’s going back towards the mirror!!” “Silverstream, come back!” Sunburst yelled. Silverstream didn’t hear them. She continued to walk towards the glass display case. “Who are you?” Silverstream inquired. “I am Qui Gon Jinn. I am a Jedi Master. I am speaking to you through the Force,” the voice continued, “We need you to help us. You have to break the display case.” “I-I’m not allowed to.” Silverstream shook her head, “Please, Mr. um…Jinn, I just want to continue on the field trip with my friends. Can’t we just talk about this later?” “Our telepathic connection will only last so long,” Qui Gon spoke in her head, “Recently, our new champion Rey Solana fell to the dark side. She joined Darth Sidious, resurrected the Sith, and brought back the Empire. The galaxy was in ruins. In a meeting with my fellow deceased Jedi, I proposed a solution. And it involves you.” Silverstream shook her head again, “Please, just let me go…I’ll get in huge trouble.” “Please, Silverstream. Break…the…glass…” Silence. “Qui-Gon?!” Silverstream asked, panicked. The voice had faded. At this point, security guards had come to escort her and the students out and Sunburst was negotiating with them. “Silverstream,” Ocellus was standing in front of her, concern on every inch of her face, “Come on. Let’s go.” “I can’t.” Silverstream faced her, “Ocellus, I have to break the glass. Can you help me?” “Are you CRAZY?!” Ocellus shouted, “This is a museum! Silver, we have to go. The guards are going to escort us out. It’s just a mirror.” “Come on, Mr. Flare.” one of the guards, a pegasus stallion said, “Let’s go.” “But we paid for this trip!” Sunburst protested, “I promise you. Silverstream will be getting detention.” “You made your students pay for the field trip?” the guard inquired suspiciously. “No!” Sunburst shook his head vigorously, “I just…I’m just leading them!” “Yeah yeah yeah,” the guard didn’t believe him, “Tell it to the judge.” Ocellus cursed. “Silverstream, let’s. Go.” “Please,” Silverstream pleaded, “I know I’m a disgrace to my family, and I’m just a hyperactive airhead, but I want to just do something right! Please, just help me!” “Silverstream-“ Ocellus was getting frightened now, “Why is this so important to you?” “…Silverstream.” Tears came to Silverstream’s eyes, “Someone needs my help. Please, Ocellus. Just this once.” “…Silverstream…” Ocellus sighed. “I’m so getting expelled for this.” She transformed into a large bugbear and smashed into the glass. The display case shattered, revealing the purple mirror in all of its glory. At first, nothing happened. Then the ground began to shake. The walls trembled, all of the other display cases shattered, and the entire roof of the museum got ripped off of the walls, getting sucked into a massive black hole in the sky. The students panicked and Sunburst was staring in absolute horror as the pegasus guard shook him violently, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” The ground began to crack and splinter. Sunburst was the first to see this. He pushed the guards off of him and screamed: “RUN, STUDENTS!! RUN!!!!!!!!” The students ran towards the exit. Ocellus transformed back into her normal form and she and Silverstream bolted after them. The museum was crumbling around them and getting sucked into the vortex. They ran outside, just as a piece of the stairs crumbled out from beneath them. Ocellus and Silverstream managed to fly up. “Gather all your classmates!!” Sunburst told them. Silverstream nodded, picking up as many of her classmates at a time as she could, but dropped them instantly due to the weight. Suddenly, the grass collapsed and the students slipped and fell into the black hole. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!” Silverstream shrieked. “Silverstream, you can save them. You can save all of them. Use the Force, Silverstream. RAISE YOUR CLAW!!” Galvanized into action via hearing Qui Gon’s voice, Silverstream nodded quickly. She didn’t understand what ‘Use the Force’ meant, but she had no time to think about it. She raised her right claw before closing her eyes, praying to Celestia that it would work. Time seemed to slow down and Silverstream suddenly felt a rush of calm overcome her. The students who were falling suddenly froze in mid-fall and began rising back up to the rapidly crumbling ground. She strained to move them towards the stairs of another building, which was still standing. Qui Gon’s voice rang loud with clarity as she felt the most connected to him in that moment, like a friend or mentor she had always known, “You can save them, Silverstream. You can save ALL OF THEM.” Silverstream released the pressure and the other students dropped down at the buildings. It had worked! “Haha!! It worked!!” Just then, the ground gave out beneath her and she felt the rush of cold and warm air trying to suck her in. She struggled to hold on, but the energy kept pulling her down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ocellus come sprinting towards her from the still standing building, trying to pull her up. “Silverstream!! Grab on!!” Ocellus ordered her, tears of desperation and fear coming to her eyes. Silverstream tried, but she felt one claw slip. Ocellus screamed, Silverstream crying out, trying to keep a firm grip on Ocellus’s hooves with one of her claws. The cold air rushed up again and threatened to sever the grip. Silverstream knew that she was about to fall. She couldn’t keep a firm grip forever. With her last grip, tears in her eyes, Silverstream forced a smile, looking at Ocellus one final time, “Ocellus, you’re my best friend for life. Forever. The others too.” “No!” Ocellus cried, “Don’t let go!” Silverstream shook her head, “I love you all so much.” With that, she let go and let the black hole take her down through the wormhole. “SILVERSTREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Ocellus howled in anguish, seeing her best friend fall down to her death. Tears flowed down from her face as she sobbed relentlessly. “Ocellus, the train!!” Citrine Spark called. Ocellus ran after them, fresh tears streaming from her eyes as the realization of her friend’s fall finally set in. Silverstream fell down, down through the vortex, indistinguishable voices filling the area around her. She let them fill her head, let them flood her entire being. Was this what Heaven felt like? Maybe her mother was right. She closed her eyes and her vision went white.