//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Star Wars, Episode Pony: Friendship is Magic // by Kendallonian //------------------------------// A pair of Sith troopers walked down the hallway on patrol; one, designation KE-829, was struggling to keep a yawn in check. The other, FN-825, walked down the hall stoically, showing no signs of being anything other than a pony-shaped droid. After a few seconds, KE ventured to start a conversation. “Hey, you seen that new BT-16?” “What are you talking about?” FN said after a moment. “Droids. I’m talking about Droids.” KE said. “Why?” The second trooper intoned. “Why? I dunno. Just trying to keep myself awake.” “Well, maybe you should be focusing on keeping an eye out for any intruders.” KE rolled his eyes under his helmet. “Oh, yes. We’re likely to get one any day now. Why are we down here, anyway? If anything, shouldn’t we be guarding the hangars?” Trooper two scoffed. “Oh, come on. Anypony wanting to get aboard this station would have to be a lot more subtle than that. I mean, it’s not like they’re gonna knock-” At that very moment, a nearby hatch let out a series of metallic sounds, almost like sompony was knocking at the door. KE and FN stopped dead in their tracks. “You heard that, right?” KE said. “Yeah.” “You don’t think that could be…” “Nah; that’s a garbage chute; somepony probably just forgot to empty the chamber; bunch of trash bouncing around in there.” Another series of knocks emerged from the small hatch. FN cleared his throat. “Ah, still, it is protocol; we gotta look and make sure.” Then he hoofed his communicator. “Uh, command, be advised we’re going to be investigating a small disturbance. Probably nothing.” A curt acknowledgement came from the other end, prompting FN to put his attention back on the garbage hatch. After a few moments, he said; “Well, go ahead, K. Open it.” “Wha- me? I-it was your idea.” “Wha- no! It was protocol’s idea. And I’m the senior officer here, so you gotta do what I say.” “Only by a day!” “Well, nevertheless, I’m in charge.” KE grumbled something offensive to himself before walking over to the far side of the hall. It’s probably just junk, anyway; he thought to himself. But we’ll just see who gets promoted to first-class first. KE’s thoughts of revenge were interrupted when he pressed the release on the hatch; it’s aperture opening to reveal the hind end of an orange earth pony. Any confusion he had at the sight was quickly quashed by a pair of sturdy hooves smashing him in the face. As KE crumpled, FN panicked and ran further down the hall at full gallop. He didn’t get far, however, before being tackled by a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and being finished off with a concussive spray of confetti. “Well that was easy.” Pinkie said cheerfully as she plumbed and reloaded her party cannon. “We ain’t done yet.” Applejack said. “Won’t be long ‘till somepony notices these two are missing. Fluttershy, can you tell?” Fluttershy was just emerging from the garbage chute when the question was posed. “Oh, umm… not exactly. I think I feel someone a few floors above us, but-” “That’s all we need to start.” Applejack said. “Let’s see if we can find some stairs or something.” Twilight hid behind a dark, metallic pillar, breathing heavily. She could hear Darth Nightmare’s hoofsteps coming closer, but she couldn’t pinpoint quite where the Sith alicorn was by hearing alone. Twilight took a few deep breaths before she gained the courage to peek around the edge of the pillar. As soon as she did, she heard the familiar sound of a lightsaber slicing through metal and felt an uncomfortable heat on the back of her neck. Twilight quickly dove out from behind the pillar, just in time to avoid Nightmare’s red saber, which had stabbed through the column entirely. Nightmare herself appeared around the other side momentarily, stalking towards her prey with no apparent hurry. “You cannot hide forever, Padawan.” Nightmare said with a sadist’s grin. “Only until this lesson, as you call it, is over.” Twilight spat back. “Oh, I imagine you will tire of this far more quickly than I.” Nightmare said. Soon afterward her saber dove forward like a missile, straight for Twilight’s heart. Twilight stepped to the side at the last second, but the saber soon altered its course and took a horizontal swing at her hooves. Twilight jumped over the swipe only to have the blade come back almost instantly towards her head. In an instant, Twilight conjured power into her horn and blocked the blow with a buckler-sized dome of magenta light. As the red saber continued to press into Twilight’s forcefield, eating away simultaneously at its integrity and her will, Nightmare gave another laugh. “Good, Twilight! Good! You have controlled your fear. Now, unleash your anger; only your hatred can stop me now.” Desperate as she was, Twilight almost took the Sith alicorn’s advice; She was becoming increasingly frustrated with Nightmare’s attacks, and she could almost taste the power at her hooves, waiting just beyond her reach if she would just give in. She might even be able to defeat her opponent... ...But at what cost? Twilight’s shield shattered into a thousand rapidly-dissolving pieces, sending a shooting pain through her horn. There was no time for Twilight to dodge; the red lightsaber was already centimeters from her neck; But she did have time to call upon the forcel; Twilight manisfested a burst of raw kinetic energy that flung the lightsaber back for a moment, and also threw Twilight across the room to relative safety. This however, had the unfortunate side effect of slamming her into one of the pillars across the room, sending a shooting pain down her back and soon afterward depositing her on the floor with a hefty thump. Twilight got to her hooves while breathing through clenched teeth. her horn felt like it would have instantly evaporated any sweat that might have touched it and she was certain multiple spots along her back had started to bruise. Nevertheless, she hit Nightmare with a determined glare. Twilight determined then that she would get out of this somehow; and she’d do it her way, not Nightmare’s. “And your uniforms are the WORST!” Rarity shouted as another trooper fell to her hooves. Nearby, Rainbow and Applejack were in the process of finishing off another pair of lackeys by playing hoof-tennis with their bodies. Once the remaining ponies crumpled to the floor, Applejack spoke up. “This is getting harder as we go; Fluttershy, tell me we don’t have much further to go!” “We don’t.” Fluttershy confirmed. “I- I think. I might be sensing... two Jedi here?” “What!?” Rainbow said. “That’s-” Before Rainbow could say anything else, Applejack slapped a hoof to her mouth. “Which one’s closer?” “Uh… this way.” Fluttershy said hurriedly. She led the group down the halls for a few long seconds before stopping before a small turbolift. “This it?” Applejack asked, indicating the small, cylindrical doors. Fluttershy nodded. “Right, then. Rainbow, you and me should go first. Everypony else, follow behind as quick as y’ can.” It was a short wait as Applejack and Rainbow took the lift upward; the instant the doors opened, Rainbow bolted out, tackling the first chrome-clad pony she saw, which happened to be the one behind the control counter. Applejack proceeded to enter as well, bucking a nearby guard with a blow that sent him flipping onto his back. Across the room, another trooper raised a blaster at Applejack only to be bowled over by a multicolored blur. By the time Rarity and Fluttershy arrived on the next turbolift, all five Chrome-clad ponies in the immediate area were unconscious. “Allright, Fluttershy, where’s Twilight?” Rainbow demanded. Fluttershy thoughtfully trotted to the back of the room, at the entrance to a hexagonal, tunnel-like hallway. Down it’s relatively short length were upwards of twenty doors on either side, lit only by an orange-red glow from the floor. As Pinkie emerged from the the turbolift with Spike, Fluttershy slowly clopped down the hall, finally stopping before a seemingly random door on her right. “This one.” Fluttershy said, indicating the door with her hoof. “Umm… can you open it?” Applejack took a quick glance over the control desk before finding an array of buttons for unlocking the various cells. She toggled the one she thought matched the door Fluttershy had pointed out, and then everypony crammed into the hallway to see the door open. When the door did open, however, they didn’t see Twilight. Instead, they saw a much older, white alicorn laying on the floor of her tiny cell, apparently only just stirred awake by the commotion outside. “Wait… who are you?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “Rainbow!” Applejack hoofed Rainbow lightly in the side by way of rebuke. Spike was finally able to squirm his way through the small crowd of ponies around the cell and sighted the alicorn. Once he did, his eyes widened and he said “Master Celestia!” “Spike!” Celestia said as the two closed the short distance between them and embraced. Soon afterward, Celestia noticed the ponies behind him. “And.. who are these ponies?” She asked curiously. “Uh... that’s kind of a long story-” Spike began to say. “We’re friends of Twilight’s!” Applejack said, cutting to the chase. “We’re looking for her; I guess we found you instead.” Celestia’s eyes widened, and Applejack could almost swear she saw some sort of sparkle light them up before her expression resolved into something far more dire. “Darth Nightmare had Twilight taken to her almost an hour ago. I don’t know exactly what she could be planning to do with her, but it can’t be good.” “Then let’s go! Time’s a’ wasting!” Rainbow said as she dashed back toward the turbolifts. She hesitated, however, when a pair of Troopers appeared in the doorway, holding blasters aloft. Celestia’s horn glowed briefly, surrounding the troopers in a brilliant golden aura. In an instant they were both slammed into the walls of the lift, instantly unconscious. “Yes, we should hurry.” Celestia said. “I’ll lead the way.” Twilight’s horn ached as she continued to weave increasingly complex spell patterns in order to confound Darth Nightmare’s attacks. She was currently conjuring strings of magenta light and tangling them across the room in a spiderweb in an attempt to slow the Sith’s advance. It was moderately effective, considering Nightmare was currently hacking through the threads like an explorer through a dense jungle. Soon enough, however, the Sith grew tired of trudging through Twilight’s tripwires and let out a blast of pure, Force-driven fury, ripping the tangle to shreds. Twilight attempted to compensate by erecting a barrier between her and her opponent, but Nightmare simply charged and pounced through it, simultaneously swinging her saber in a vicious downward arc. Twilight was able to sidestep the saber, but was soon afterward subjected to a powerful blow from the dark alicorn’s hooves, sending her flying end over end across the floor. When Twilight finally hit the ground, she was again painfully reminded of how many bruises she was quickly accumulating. When Twilight opened her eyes again, her gaze fell onto a small silver object; The lightsaber she had cast aside earlier. It was still waiting there, unused, but ready for her to take it. Twilight considered it briefly, then stood, shaking her head and returning her attention to Darth Nightmare, who was patiently striding towards Twilight, her own lightsaber at the ready. “I will not fight you, Nightmare.” She said resolutely. The dark alicorn scowled deeply. “It is useless to resist;” She said, “You will be turned, or you will die.” Twilight’s only reply was to spread her hooves in a ready stance. Nightmare narrowed her eyes at Twilight. Soon afterward Twilight was blasted backward once more, only this time Nightmare didn’t even move a hoof or horn to do it. Twilight glanced off of the back wall, sending sharp pains ringing through her shoulders and spine. She had scarcely  touched the ground again afterward when she felt another invisible force lift her into the air by her neck. Twilight struggled to breathe as Nightmare inspected her prey’s demeanor. “How.. disappointing.” Nightmare said. “Perhaps you’re simply not as powerful as I suspected.” With that thought, Nightmare Hurled Twilight’s body back towards the observation window, causing her to glance off of an interposing pillar on the way. Twilight simultaneously gasped in relief at the throat suddenly becoming unobstructed and in further pain at what she was sure was a cracked bone somewhere in her foreleg. Twilight almost immediately tried to stand, but soon found that she could no longer support her own weight. Nightmare approached Twilight’s prone form with the same slow stride, but now a look of savage anger scarred her face. Her saber was out again, now dragging dangerously close to the dull, metallic decking. “So, you do not wish to be my apprentice? That’s fine, then. I’ll simply do what I should have done from the beginning.” As Darth Nightmare strode towards her victim, Twilight couldn’t even muster the energy to look her attacker in the eye. Instead, she stared blankly across the room, in-between the alicorn’s hooves, at the far door, still locked. At least I’ll die a Jedi, Twilight thought fuzzily. She could draw comfort from that fact, at least. It wasn’t until Twilight’s eyes had almost flickered shut that she noticed a faint orange glow growing from the center of the door she was staring at.  Twilight struggled to refocus her attention at the glow; which she saw now was growing at a steady rate. After another half-second, the orange, glowing patch began to let out a steady stream of smoke. Darth Nightmare had been about to raise her saber to strike when she noticed Twilight’s confused squinting. Nightmare’s gaze followed Twilight’s for a moment, but her eyes scarcely had time to widen before the sealed doors exploded inward in spectacular fashion, flinging enough shrapnel through the air that Nightmare was forced to teleport to the middle of the room in order to dodge past it. Whatever explosion had caused the doors to fly out of their sockets had left a thick smokescreen, which Nightmare faced with wings spread and horn at the ready. The first figure to emerge from the mist was tall and whilte-coated, with wings and a horn held in similar posture. Behind her marched Two earth ponies, Two pegasi, a unicorn, and a small purple dragon. “Twilight!” Spike shouted in despair as soon as he saw the crumpled magenta form on the floor behind Nightmare’s hooves. Twilight was finally able to latch on to his voice and gradually focused in on his face from across the room. “Spike?” She uttered shakily, her throat still sore from being choked earlier. “You’re…” “Sister!” Nightmare spat, evidently meaning Master Celestia from the direction of her venomous glare. Pinkie looked confusedly between the two alicorns. “Wait… sisters!?” Twilight caught a hold of the sound of Pinkie’s voice and began to focus in on the ponies who were behind Celestia.  “My friends… they’re all alive...” Twilight whispered to herself. Before she knew it, tears had begun to form in her eyes. “Luna” Celestia said, staring back at Nightmare with a mixture of sorrow and determination. “You must stop this; now.” “Why should I?” Nightmare said. “Why should I heed anything you say, after you betrayed me?” “Because… I forgive you, Luna.” Celestia said, almost reverently. “And I’m sorry.” “You’re sorry?” the Sith said incredulously. “You’re sorry for what?” “For setting you aside!” Celestia said. “For being so focused on being the perfect Jedi that I abandoned being a good sister. Please, Luna; allow me to take you back!” Darth Nightmare snarled before responding.  “It is far, far too late for that, big sister.” At that moment the sound of distant footfalls could be heard down the hall; steadily gaining volume as several mobs of troopers could be heard coming from all directions. “So be it.” Celestia said quietly. Then, to the ponies around her, she said; “Get to Twilight. I’ll hold the Troopers off.” Celestia turned back toward the hallway and stepped back out of the room, Horn already aglow.  A stray blaster bolt or two flew past her neck before she lowered her horn and erected a shimmering golden forcefield across the hall, which deflected several more incoming blaster bolts and stopped the foremost troopers in their tracks. Nightmare scoffed. “Really? You think these little ponies are even remotely a match for me?” Applejack stepped forward, a grim determination in her eyes. Spike followed quickly afterward, the beginnings of flames licking his mouth. Rarity marched proudly to their side, followed by Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow flying overhead. Nightmare grinned. “I’m going to enjoy this.” “No.” Twilight said from behind; “You’re not.” Nightmare almost jumped at the sound of Twilight’s voice, which had altogether too much determination for her taste. When the dark alicorn looked back, Twilight had risen from her prone position, now trembling on unsteady hooves. Her form was cut and bruised, but there was suddenly a sharp energy to her eyes that caused Nightmare to shrink momentarily, despite her confidence. Nightmare gritted her teeth in barely controlled fury. “I’ll finish you off first.” She said in Twilight’s direction. “Then the others… and I’ll make my sister watch. Then, it’s her turn.” Nightmare’s horn lit up a night blue, which was quickly followed by arcs of electric energy that flew towards Twilight. Twilight blocked the incoming volts with a wide forcefield, but the newfound resolve that had enabled her to stand was quickly crumbling once more under the assault. Luckily she didn’t have to maintain concentration for long, as Nightmare was shortly distracted by a powerful buck to the side from Applejack. Nightmare’s rage was let out in a primal scream as she spun to strike her attacker with a hoof. Applejack managed to duck the blow, and Before Nightmare could make another, she  was again interrupted by a hypersonic smack to the back of the head by a certain Rainbow-maned pegasus. Nightmare charged her horn and let loose a blue ray of energy, sweeping it around the room in an attempt to catch the irksome flying pony, who was forced to take cover behind the pillars in the side of the room. Shortly thereafter Nightmare was blinded by a cloth that had been telekinetically wrapped over her face. It was only after she struggled with it briefly and tore it to shreds that she recognized it as the White unicorn’s Navy-blue cape. Being able to look around once more, Nightmare found her muzzle practically shoved up the nose of a miniature cannon, which shortly thereafter proceeded to go off and spread confetti like grapeshot all over her face, blinding her once more. When Nightmare was finally able to see again, she saw that the five ponies and the dragon who had come with her sister were all in tight formation around Twilight, forming a sort of protective circle. Darth Nightmare scoffed. “Really? All that just to come to her aid? Well, at least now a single well-placed blast will take care of all of you at once.” Nightmare proceeded to throw a dense, unstable mote of energy from her horn directly at Twilight. Twilight wasn’t sure where she got the strength, but she quickly erected a magenta Forcefield to block it, though the construct strained under the force of the resulting explosion. Twilight expected to collapse after that effort of the forcefield, but remarkably, she was beginning to feel better. Maybe it was something about the way that Applejack and Fluttershy were sidled up to her, keeping her from drooping to the floor. Maybe it was Pinkie’s omnipresent, encouraging smile, or the way Rainbow looked forward at Darth Nightmare with an invincible glare. Or Perhaps it was something about the gleam of six tiny sparks Twilight could see out the window out of the corner of her eye. Twilight had suddenly found the strength to fight back; repurposing her forcefield into a projectile of pure kinetic energy that caused Darth Nightmare to slide backward a few paces. “You- you cannot win!” Nightmare said as soon as she regained her footing. “I destroyed your precious Elements! You have nothing! You should be dead already!” Once Nightmare mentioned the Elements, Twilight began to understand. Her mind began to work in a way it never had before, and truths came to her beyond the scope of logic. “You can’t destroy the Elements.” Twilight said, gaining confidence as she went. “They’re symbols; symbols of an idea that isn’t so easy to break.” At that Very moment, if Twilight had been able to see from Nightmare’s point of view, she might have spotted six growing sparks of light outside the observation window, giving off the illusion of Orbiting Twilight’s head like a halo. As it was, Twilight had no clue what Nightmare was seeing when she recoiled slightly and said “No… It’s not possible!” Twilight looked to the orange earth pony on her right. “Applejack, in the short time I’ve known you you have become the pony I trust the most. You reassured me when I was in doubt and have been a firm foundation for us all to lean on. That is why you represent the Element of Honesty!” One of the Sparks of light from behind Twilight’s head streaked forward, passing through the window and swirling to a space before Applejack’s chest. There it grew and began to kick up the air around her, slightly lifting her mane and tail. “Twilight?” Applejack said, equal parts wonder and concern. Twilight however, paid little attention, instead turning to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, your tender heart saw what none of the rest of us could. Not only that, but you’ve been a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. That is why you represent the Element of Kindness!” Another streak of White light passed through the window, this time stopping before Fluttershy. She recoiled slightly, apparently unsure of what was happening and afraid to ask. Twilight couldn’t stop now, however; she had to keep her momentum going. “Rarity! Without the gifts of your time, your livelihood, and your wardrobe I would never have been able to get this far. You represent the Element of Generosity!” Another light swirled into view, Causing Rarity to stare in wonder. Pinkie took a deep gasp, and then proceeded to hold her hoof aloft like a school filly. “Ooh! Ooh! Do me!” she said Twilight could hardly hold in a chuckle before saying “Pinkie, your optimism and the joy you share was a light to me in my darkest moments. You helped to convince me to keep going, even when I was afraid. You represent the Element of Laughter!” When the spark alighted on Pinkie’s chest, she jumped up and down like she had just been given a ten-layer cake all to herself. Twilight looked up at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, you defended me even when your own life and your own town was in danger. Not only that, but your bravery carried us through the day. You represent the Element of Loyalty!” Twilight then locked her gaze onto Darth Nightmare, who was momentarily frozen in fear. She quickly overcame it, however, and threw her lightsaber forward, directly at Twilight. By now, however, Twilight was overflowing with magical energy and casually deflected the blow with another forcefield. A swarm of swerving magic missiles came next, Which Twilight rapidly plucked from the air and dispelled. Nightmare staggered backward, dumbfounded at Twilight’s display of power. “And Finally,” Twilight continued; “with these Elements combined, they form the sixth and Final Element, Magic!” The final spark of light flew forth, alighting above Twilight’s head. “No… No! NO!!” Nightmare’s voice sounded desperate now, but equally angry. A lance of destructive energy poured from her horn, threatening to plow through the close-knit group of ponies, but this time Twilight didn’t even need to erect a barrier; a shimmering, multicolored sphere of light spontaneously manifested around the group, shielding them completely. The white sparks before each of the ponies gave off a white flash, forming into necklaces on the pony’s necks. Twilight’s spark manifested as a crown on her head, displaying a bright purple star. If the power coming from the Elements was invigorating before, it was Overwhelming now; Twilight’s eyes shone with bright white light she could hardly contain along with knowledge she would never be able to comprehend afterward. One set of words, however, always remained clear, even years later. It was the Jedi code, but slightly different; a version she may have heard once or twice as a youngling; emotion, yet peace. ignorance, yet knowledge. passion, yet serenity. chaos, yet harmony. death, yet The Force. Twilight merely had to glance at Darth Nightmare, and the result was an explosion of energy unlike anything she had ever summoned before. Everyone was momentarily blinded; first by light and then by smoke. Twilight felt the energy and light leave her, and she nearly collapsed from the withdrawal. An instant later, she heard the clatter of various metallic objects on the floor. As the smoke cleared, Twilight first saw a discarded metallic horn on the floor; Then a lone steel hoof, then a skeletal, batlike wing splayed out, unattached, and finally, the greatly diminished form of a dark-blue alicorn, unconscious on the floor. After a few moments of waiting for the Tinnitus to wear off, Twilight realised that the troopers in the hall were no longer making any noise. Some troopers were taking off their helmets and gaping openly. Some were shaking in fear. Some had already fled. Master Celestia turned to the prone alicorn on the floor and approached slowly, but steadily. ` “Luna.” Celestia said. Her voice could cut like a lightsaber. The dark-blue alicorn’s eyes flew open in an instant upon hearing her own name. Within them pulsed an almost animalistic fear, but that soon melted away to reveal confusion, pain, and guilt. The alicorn’s eyes squeezed shut again, tighter this time, sealing themselves tightly against both tears and the sight of Celestia’s face, which had morphed into a serene, yet iron expression that Twilight knew all too well from when she had been caught staying up too late studying in the library. Luna’s attempt to keep tears from exiting her eyes was, evidently, unsuccessful, as a few tiny drops began to pour down the sides of her muzzle. “Sister, It has been over a thousand years since I have seen you like this.” Celestia began again. She walked next to the younger Alicorn and lay down on the floor next to her in order to look her in the face. “I believe that, in all that time, I have found it in my heart to forgive you. Now, I ask, can you find it in yours to forgive me?” Luna’s eyes clenched tighter, her entire body seemingly recoiling from the question. “You knew that I would be healed, didn’t you?” Luna asked quietly. “I hoped so, yes.” Celestia said. “What I took from you has been restored.” Luna looked the larger alicorn in the eye. She kept that contact for a while, seemingly expecting Celestia to say something else. “Why is that what you hoped?” Luna said after an eternity of waiting. “Because you’re my sister, and I love you.” Celestia said. Luna clamped her eyes shut again. “No. You hate me. You must.” Celestia put forth her head and hooves, wrapping the smaller alicorn in a loving embrace. “No.” Celestia said. “I never stopped loving you; I was simply foolish enough to put that aside for a time.” Luna cringed again, and Twilight may have spotted a tear following from her cheek. “You can never take me back.” she said mournfully. “Everything I’ve done…” “It’s never too late to begin setting it right, sister.” Celestia said. “I cannot promise that the path laid out before you will be an easy one, but I can help to guide you, if you wish. I can be with you every step of the way.” Luna gritted her teeth. “You think a pony can change that quickly? They don’t.” she said. Celestia hugged tighter.  “I know they don’t. It took me hundreds of years to realize my own mistakes. I’m only asking you to begin.” Luna seemed shocked for a few agonizing moments. Twilight was almost sure she was going to draw her lightsaber and kill her sister, but it didn’t happen. Instead, Luna stood still for a few seconds before returning her sister’s hug. “Then… I will begin.” Twilight was nudged gently by Pinkie, who was wearing a comically oversized grin. “You mean what this means, Twi?” she said in a barely-contained whisper. “Uh…” Twilight’s brain had several possibilities in mind; Victory, Taking Luna to be judged of the council, maybe a tense negotiation with the Troopers in the hall in order to sort out any remaining grievances; but none of them seemed to be the sort of thing Pinkie would be excited for.  “No… what?” Twilight finally said. “It’s time for a WELCOME TO MOS PONI PARTY!” Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs.