“Master Plo, you called for me ?” a young Kara called out to her master as she ran past the corridors which are hidden past massive pillars of the Jedi Temple to her master, Plo Koon who was patiently waiting for her. “Walk with me, padawan,” Plo Koon said to his young and attentive padawan. Kara nodded in response and followed him as the two master and apprentice strolled through the busy corridors, which were filled with Jedi Masters with their fellow padawans and peers catching up with one another after returning from long missions. There were also cheerful and playful younglings following Jedi Master Tera Sinube as they headed for their next class. Almost every Jedi had trained under Master Sinube during their days as a youngling, and Kara was no exception, having been trained by him not very long ago. There was one youngling, however, who caught her attention but she was soon distracted by her master. “Tell me Kara,” Plo Koon directed a question to her, “What defines us as Jedi ?” For Kara this seemed like a question that was too easy to answer. After all, she had been brought up in the ways of the Jedi as long as she could remember. “ A Jedi draws his strength from the Light Side and is committed to everything that’s good.” She eagerly answered.
“Not quite so, my child.” Plo Koon intoned, much to Kara’s shock, who for the entirety of her life had been taught that the Jedi represent the Light Side of the Force in its pursuit of good. It was their core philosophy. “ What do you mean, master ?” She asked in a confused manner. Plo Koon turned to face his padawan, unsurprised by her confusion. “While the first part of your answer is correct beyond doubt, it is the second part that would seem more subjective.” Said Plo Koon. “Subjective ?” Kara further asked. “ The definition of what’s good varies from an individual’s perspective. For example, the enemy on the other side would consider their actions as righteous and view us as the wronged and corrupt ones.” Plo Koon explained in his usual calm manner. “But that’s wrong, Master Plo. The Separatists are the ones who caused this war in the first place.” Kara retorted. “Like I said, it all depends on an individual's view on what’s good. We may think that the Jedi are the ones that are righteous in this conflict but those on the other side may think otherwise.” the Jedi Master further added. Kara saw the point her master was explaining, but brought about an even greater confusion. “Then what does define us ?” Kara repeated the question her master asked prior that caused all this confusion.
Plo Koon stopped walking and turned to regard his padawan steadily, “ Keeping the peace, Kara.” The Kel Dor continued, “Our adherence to the principles of peace and justice is what makes us a Jedi above all else. We are bound to protect all forms of life in the galaxy, regardless of their political affiliations or ideologies.” “ But Master Plo, How are we supposed to be peacekeepers when we’re fighting a war ?” Kara reasoned. She could barely remember a time before the conflict had engulfed the galaxy, both politically and on the battlefield, when the Jedi acted more as diplomats, solving disputes and preserving life. Plo Koon’s face slightly sunk, evident despite his breathing mask covering most of his face. “It is our burden as Jedi to balance the two conflicting aspects, Kara.” He continued, “ This unfortunate war has brought about great suffering from both sides, and there are times I wished things would have gone differently.” Kara could sense conflict within her master. A feeling of sadness consumed him over the state of the galaxy. “Master, are you alright ?” She asked in a concerned manner.
“Don’t worry about me, child. It’s you we should talk about.” Plo Koon brushed off his emotions as he turned the topic over to Kara. “Me ?” Kara said in a slightly confused tone. Had she offended him or done something wrong ? “Yes,” Plo Koon concurred and continued, “ During our conversation and by far your time as a padawan, you have shown to be able to critically think and be attentive to detail in addition to your skills as a Jedi. For that you have earned my commendation.” “All because of your training, Master Plo.” Kara blushed upon Plo Koon’s praise. “ Not everything can be taught, Kara. When you’re older, you will learn this and I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight, more so as a person.” Plo Koon remarked. Kara was about to respond to her master when she was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from Plo Koon’s comm-link. The Kel-Dor Jedi Master brought his left hand up, where his comm link was situated and answered it. “General Plo,” Came his second in command, Commander Wolffe’s voice, “ You’re urgently needed in the War Room. It’s the ongoing Separatists Siege.” “ I’ll be right there, Commander.” Plo Koon said to his comm link before ending the transmission and turned his attention over to Kara, “ I’m afraid duty calls for us, my padawan. We shall have this fruitful conversation, another time.” [1]
“Kara… Kara wake up,” Kara could hear the heavy voice of a girl calling out to her as she slowly drifted back to consciousness. The image of the girl facing her was blurred at first, but as her eyelids became lighter, the image became clearer, soon revealing it to be her padawan, Sunset Shimmer. She found herself lying on the seat by the Gauntlet’s holodesk. “What’s happening ?” She asked, orientating herself. “ You dozed off for a while,” Sunset said before she continued, “Woke you up to inform you that we’re already landing.”
Partisan Makeshift Base
“ Urghh, where are they ? They should be back by now.” Rainbow Dash groused to the others as she picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it towards the forest nearby. “Hold your horses Rainbow Dash. Sunset hasn't been gone for that long now.” Applejack retorted in her usual mild countryside accent. Rainbow turned her attention over to Applejack, “It has been that long, AJ” She shot back. “ I have to agree with Rainbow Dash on this. I’m starting to worry about her.” Rarity, concurred with Rainbow Dash much to her and the others surprise. “Maybe we should ask those guys.” Twilight pointed towards the few offworlders that were left back to hold fort for the rest of the Partisans who had accompanied Gerera for the infiltration mission. The others turned to their nerdy friend, giving her an uneasy look. “ I doubt they can be of any help to us.” Rainbow Dash said in an unconvincing manner. Amongst them, Rainbow Dash harboured the greatest distrust towards the offworlders. Although the Partisans had saved them earlier and her close friend Sunset Shimmer considered them as allies, she opined that they had brought their own war to her world and doubted their intentions. As the others voiced out their concerns, Fluttershy heard a mild turbine engine noise that seemed to be getting louder and louder which seemed to come from above. She looked up, finding the u-shaped spaceships making their descent.
“Girls, they’re here !” She alerted the rest to the approaching ships. Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes towards the descending ships design, determining which of them was the ship Sunset had boarded earlier. “Those aren’t the ships Sunset had boarded earlier,” She concluded, much to the disappointment of the others, except Pinkie Pie, who had spotted another starship descending closer to them. “I’m pretty sure that’s the ship Sunset boarded earlier.” the Pink joyful girl pointed towards the starship of familiar shape and design that landed closest to them. The girls immediately recognised the ship as the same one that saved them during the capture of the city and the one Sunset had boarded. Sure enough, the ship’s ramp doors came down and several soldiers disembarked from the ship. From the looks of it, the troopers had a battle wearing and defeated face and for a moment, the girls had feared for the worst.That was until they saw their friend coming out of the ship, and fortunately in one piece.
“SUNSET SHIMMER !!!!” Sunset could hear the joyful screams of her friends (especially Pinkie Pie) as she stepped out of the Gauntlet. Her friends rushed towards her and embraced her tightly as twelve hands could, giving barely enough space for Sunset to breathe. “ You came back in one piece !” Fluttershy said as the girls slowly relieved their embrace of Sunset, giving her some room to breathe. “ I had a promise to keep, didn’t I ?” Sunset intoned after taking a deep breath. “And you kept to your word, darling.” Rarity retorted. Just then the other Gauntlet crew members came out from the ship, with a very familiar face catching the attention of the girls. “Is that.. Trixie Lulamoon ?” Applejack incredulously pointed out. Trixie, who was having an interesting conversation with the four armed alien, Zeko, turned her attention to Applejack and the rest upon hearing her incredulous voice. “Your eyes do not deceive you, Applejack. Indeed it is me, the great and powerful Trixie.” She said in her usual boastful manner. “We know that.” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Zeko and her seemed to have hit it off pretty well.” Sunset told the others about Trixie and Zeko’s unlikely friendship. “I didn't peg you for the friendly to aliens kind.” Said Rainbow Dash. Trixie regarded the rainbow-haired athletic girl in an ostentatious manner, “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Rainbow Dash.” “Apparently so,” Applejack noted before turning her attention over to Sunset, “So I reckon this mission of yours was a success ?” Silence befell Sunset. She didn’t know how to answer that question, how is she going to reveal to them that the City they called home had been completely destroyed and probably their families too. “You didn’t tell them yet ?” Trixie voiced out, this time her tone was iced with seriousness. The expression on the others dulled, “Tell us what ?” Rarity asked.
They deserved to know what happened. Sunset took a deep breath before she spoke, “ We did manage to free the prisoners but the Empire had completely destroyed Canterlot City to the ground.” The mere mention of the word ‘destroyed’ caused Fluttershy to let out a small shriek while the others gasped in horror. “What do you mean destroyed, Sunset ?” Twilight asked, shaken upon having heard that the town she grew up in was now reduced rumbles. “ It was an orbital bombardment. They bombed the entire city to the ground in an attempt to stop the escaping prisoners.” Karl answered. “So does that mean that, not only is our hometown gone but also our friends and families ?” Pinkie Pie speculated, much to the fear and horror of the others. Sunset could feel the sense of loss developing within them as they grappled with the sense of losing their loved ones. Fluttershy’s eyes were almost flooding with tears. The rest were with no exception with Applejack doing her very best to hold it. Loss was not something unfamiliar to her but it still hurts even more than the last time. “I really hope that’s not the case. There's still a chance they could’ve made it out safely.” Sunset said in an attempt to placate the fury of emotions that was running high amongst the girls. “She’s right.” Kara concurred with her padawan, “There’s still a strong possibility your people found another way to escape instead of going through the city.” “How are we going to know if we made it ?” Rainbow Dash pointed out with a shimmer of hope in her voice. “ We’ll just have to wait and see.” Kara bluntly replied back. Just then, Saw Gerera disembarked from his Ship and made his way towards the center point of the base in a slightly unsettled manner, flanked by Captain Bonthra on one side and a partially concealed trooper on the other. “Everybody Listen Up !” He said out loud, drawing the attention of the others to himself, “ Pack up and leave anything non-essential behind. We’re leaving this forsaken planet.” Upon receiving the orders from their leader, the rest Partisans proceeded to pack up their makeshift base, much to the confusion of Sunset Shimmer and the others. “Are they abandoning us ?” Rarity said in disbelief. “Seems that way,” Applejack concurred. “I think it's time we have a talk with Gererra.” Kara intoned to the others. “I agree.” Sunset replied to her before she followed Kara and Karl to Saw’s Command Tent. “I’m just gonna run a diagnostic test on the Gauntlet, see if everything is alright.” Zeko awkwardly excused himself to the Gauntlet as the others headed to see Saw.
Gererra’s Command Tent,
Kara, Sunset and Karl made their way to Saw’s tent, where the veteran fighter, together with a Partisan trooper was in the midst of packing up, and failed to take notice of the trio. The rest of the girls, on the other hand, anxiously waited outside the tent as Sunset had told them to let them handle the discussions. “ Saw, we need to talk.” Kara called out to him. “Make it fast, I’m running short of time as it is.” Saw intoned without regarding them as he continued to pack up essential stuff in his tent. “ Why are you giving up ? This whole mission was your idea in the first place.” Sunset Shimmer voiced out in an incredulous manner. Saw passed over some items over to his assistant, “Take this to the ship,” He said before turning his attention over to Sunset Shimmer, “Things have changed. This planet is a lost cause. The Imperials have better established themselves than we expected.” Sunset felt a sudden rage flowing through her upon hearing Gererra mention her planet was a lost cause but before she could voice it out, Karl beat her to it. “ What happened to finding out the Empire’s plans for this world in the Imperial Dome ?” He queried. Saw turned his attention over to Karl, “ I’ve lost a lot of good soldiers in that attack. The Empire nearly decimated us. It was as if they wanted us to attack. I fear the longer we stay here, the deeper we fall into whatever trap the Imperials have in store for us.” Saw added. Sunset knew exactly what he meant by a trap, especially after their encounter with Vader earlier. She thought it was best that she keep that encounter with a Sith Lord to themselves for now and focus on the issue at hand.
“Regardless if the prisoners had survived the bombing, The Empire is sure to come down hard on those remaining. They’ll be unprepared to face what’s coming.” Sunset said, her tone iced with simmers of desperation. Saw Gererra turned to regard her steadily, “ Relax kid, I saw your people during my escape. They didn’t go through the City. They’re all safe and in one piece.” Sunset’s heart flooded with relief, knowing that her people had survived the bombing and that she’s not responsible for their deaths. “The more the reason you can’t leave them undefended.” Kara reasoned. Saw thought for a moment before he replied. “You do have a point. I’ll have my men leave behind some crates filled with blasters for the locals to arm themselves with.” “Just a couple of weapons crates won’t do enough.” Kara shot back. “I know. That’s why the Partisans will undertake a supply run once every rotation to keep them buffed up.” Saw said as he stepped out of the tent taking no notice of the other girls who were outside as the trio followed him. “That’s not going to help them at all.” Sunset continued, “ They have no experience whatsoever in handling weapons like what you’re about to provide them with.” “Well I suggest they better start learning quickly if they want to survive.” Saw said in response. “But they’re suffering !” Sunset said, this time her tone was filled with desperation. Saw have had enough. He turned his back and regarded her steadily, “ EVERYONE IS SUFFERING !” He bellowed out loud as he snapped back at her, sending a shockwave of silence across the base as everyone else turned their attention towards the argument, “There are countless other beings across the galaxy that are in a far worse condition than this, so yea, it isn’t just exclusive to your world.” Saw further added.
“ But my people aren’t like the others. They don’t know what the Empire is capable of, Saw.” Karl intoned. “We have done what we could, kid.” Gererra continued, “ We’ve freed them from custody, given them an independent mindset and weapons to arm themselves. The choice is now theirs, whether they want to fight back or submit to their rule.” “My friends aren’t fighters, Gererra.” Sunset said sternly but the veteran warrior was unswayed by it. “They’ll have to learn to, like it or not. They are very much a part of this war now.” Said Saw. “You may have written them off, but I’ve not, and never will.” Sunset shot back at him. “ I respect your decision, kid.” Saw then turned his attention over to Kara and Karl, “What about you guys ? My men could use a skillful crew like yours.” For a moment, Sunset felt that Kara might take up Gererra’s vacancy. They didn’t have to be compelled by her to stay in this world any longer than needed to. The two exchanged glances with one another, before Kara turned to address Gererra’s offer, “We still have unfinished business here,” Kara said as she stood by with Sunset Shimmer. “I’m with her.” Karl concurred with Kara. Gererra’s expression remained unchanged though Sunset could feel a slight vexed feeling in him. “The offer still stands if you change your mind,” He said to Karl and Kara before he extended his hand forward to Sunset, “Till we meet again.” Sunset Shimmer reluctantly reciprocated Saw’s handshake. There was nothing to shake hands about.
Sunset and the rest could only watch helplessly as Saw Gererra and the Partisans packed up their equipment and loaded them up into their starships. Saw kept true to his word, leaving behind a couple of crates filled with blaster rifles together with a datapad informing them of the next supply run. One by one, the U-shaped starships took off from the ground and flew away, leaving Captain Bonthra and a few remaining others as they loaded up the last of the equipment onto the final ship.Before boarding the ship, the Zabrak fighter turned her head towards Sunset and the rest, “Good Luck, you’re gonna need it.” She said before the flight doors sealed shut and the ship flew off, leaving them to fend for themselves. “How are they going to get past the Imperial Blockade ?” Karl asked, referring to the star destroyers in orbit. “They got in didn’t they ?” Kara pointed out as she continued, “Getting out won’t be a problem for them.” “What are we going to do now ?” Fluttershy innocently asked Sunset. “We’re back to square one,” Sunset muttered, barely audible to the rest. “Ah, don’t you worry sugarcube, we’ll find a way to get through this obstacle.” Applejack continued in her usual country-style demeanor to reassure her friend. “ Applejack’s right. We always find a solution to our problems.” Pinkie Pie agreed. To Sunset, it was clear that her friends were ignorant of the gravity of the situation they were in. “No Pinkie Pie, this time, there is no way out of this.” She said in a mildly agitated manner. “Sunset, what do you mean ?” Twilight asked with concern. “We have an EMPIRE after us and if things weren’t bad before now a Sith Lord. So no Twilight Sparkle, things aren’t like last time.” Sunset intoned, growing more and more agitated at their predicament. Kara could sense the sense of despair and hopelessness building up in her as her friends grew more concerned with her.
“What do you mean by a Sick Lord, darling ?” [2] Rarity naively asked, mispronouncing the term Sith. Sunset has had it with her friends' attitude of underestimating the situation they’re in. “IT’S A SITH LORD RARITY !!! AND UNLIKE THE OTHERS, THIS ONE WILL ACTUALLY KILL US ALL !!! ALL BECAUSE OF ME !!” Sunset bellowed the loudest she could until her voice box felt like it was about to crack. She was on the verge of tears. The girls were instantly taken aback by Sunset’s outburst, to the extent that they were speechless to counter it. They understood her dilemma but yet they themselves didn’t know of a solution let alone an understanding of what she’s up against. Even Karl was startled by her bellowing. “Sunset, calm down.” Kara continued as she placed her hand on her padawan’s shoulder, “You’re letting your emotions get the better of you.” Sunset turned to face her master, this time tears were flooding from her eyes uncontrolabally, “I don’t know what to do anymore, Kara. Everything is lost. I’ve failed everyone .” Sunset said in a defeatist manner, succumbing to her predicament as tears continued to flow from her eyes.
“Never give up hope Sunset, no matter how dark and lost things may seem. The moment you lose hope, that’s when you’ll truly fail.” Kara said in a soft yet soothing voice that helped calm the flurry of emotions she exhibited as her friends watched with concern for their best friend. Sunset wiped off the remaining tears from her cheeks and eyes before she turned to her master, “What should I do then ?” She asked. Kara thought for a moment before she answered, “In times like this, my master would advise us to meditate and seek guidance from the Force.” “Meditate ? That’s hardly a sol...” Rainbow Dash protested before Applejack nudged her zip her mouth. It wasn’t her place to give an opinion on this. “Where do I meditate ?” Sunset asked. “ In the most serene place you can find around here,” Kara answered, “ That way, what you seek will appear more clearly to you.” Kara then turned her attention towards the girls and Karl, “ You guys head back to the Gauntlet and wait, we won’t be long.” She told the others. The girls, while they had initially wanted to insist they stay by their friend, knew that this was way out of their capability of understanding and reluctantly followed Karl back to the Gauntlet.
A While Later,
Twilight Sparkle headed to the river banks where Sunset Shimmer was meditating. She came to check how her best friend, someone she cared for so much, was doing. Her outburst earlier had rattled her. She didn’t know how she felt and the burden she was carrying inside of her. She wished she could help but this wasn’t her expertise, or anyone else's for that matter, which irritated her as she was used to being in the know of things. An exception to this was during the Friendship Games, but then, she had Sunset by her side. She can’t repay the favor now, much to her frustration. Sunset sat by the river, facing the mountain ranges of Mount Everhoof as the clouds partially obscured its peak. She sat with her knees on the ground and her legs being used to support her body as she closed her eyes and meditated. Her meditation was deep enough for her to be oblivious or to notice Twilight's presence behind her. While not exactly a superstitious person herself, Twilight still showed great concern for her. “How long will she have to meditate ?” She muttered to herself quietly, not to distract her friend’s concentration. “As long as she needs to.” Another voice came beside her that gave her a slight shock.
Twilight turned to find Kara standing right next to her. “Oh, it's you,” She said in slight relief. “Sorry to have startled you back there,” Kara said in response after giving the purple skinned girl a small fright. “No biggie,” Twilight shrugged it off before she continued, “ So by meditating, will Sunset get the answers she’s after ?” “That’s a good question,” Kara replied as she continued, “Most of the time, the Force shows us not what we asked for, but what we’re meant to seek, even when we ourselves don’t know what we’re seeking.” The more Twilight’s curious mind thought about it, the harder it became for her to comprehend what Kara had said. It was just as confusing and open ended in any way she had tried to make sense of. “Well that’s complicated to say the least,” She said in a slightly vexed manner. After all, Twilight wasn’t used to not understanding a concept at first go. “Trust me, even the wisest of Jedi found it hard to understand what the Force has in store for them in their meditations.” Kara remarked, much to Twilight's slight relief that she wasn’t the only one who was confused. “ Do you think what Saw Gererra said earlier is true ? That we have to learn how to fight this war we’re dragged into ?” Twilight queried as she changed the subject.
“I won’t really give much thought to what he said if I were you. Gererra has been known to have rather extreme opinions. ” Kara attempted to assure her. Twilight however, was unconvinced with her answer. “That doesn’t really answer my question,” she retorted. “I can’t really blame him for what he said,” Kara sighed as she relented and answered Twilight, “I’ll be honest with you. Despite his extremism, Saw has a point. We’ll always be there for you guys to help but in time, you’ll have to learn to fight the Empire on your own. This is your home after all and are you just gonna allow a foreign power to occupy it ?” [3] Twilight stayed silent. Despite not wanting to admit it, she knew Kara and by extension Saw, had a valid point about fighting the Empire. Despite their magical geodes, they had never used it for attack and only as a last resort. The idea of waging war and killing was essentially alien to them. But the harsh reality was that no matter how alien it is to them, they’ll have to learn it and it is what the girls dreaded. They didn’t choose to be a part of this war but they were dragged into it by both Saw and this Empire. “At least you have a home to fight for. Not many across the galaxy have that luxury, and Saw Gererra is a part of this group.”[4] Kara further added.
Meanwhile, Sunset was deep in her meditation, deep enough that the distractions of her surroundings could not even be heard. She felt she was in a void, with nothing but vast emptiness surrounding her. But it was not empty, she could feel energy around her and within her veins. The Force was binding her and she was one with it. ‘What must I do?’She repeatedly said in the spiritual void she was in, hoping to get an answer or at least an indication. But nothing answered her, despite the feeling she felt of some kind of spiritual energy around her. It was as if it was ignoring her. She tried again, harder than the last, with the Force getting stronger and more refined around her. The feeling of the wind blowing past her, the sound of the river stream, it all blurred away, as if the environment surrounding her became non-existent. Her mind was deep in this void detached from reality. It was at this moment she heard a male voice calling back at her. It sounded like it came from a wise elder, soothed with calmness and tranquility and heavily deepened. She recognised the voice as the same voice that reached out to her before in the ancient structure that called to her. The voice echoed throughout the void with just two words that Sunset made out, “Find Arkuntal.” Just then, she was abruptly pulled from the deep meditation state she was in by some kind of invisible force towards a bright light source above. As she was being pulled out, the void below became smaller and smaller before vanishing. The bright source got brighter and brighter as she was pulled closer before she was consumed by it.
“ Sunset Shimmer !!!” Twilight cried out as she caught on to her friend who had nearly fallen into the river. Sunset’s vision, which was blurry, cleared up slowly as the image showing the face of her concerned friend appeared. “Are you okay ? “ She could hear her friend’s faint voice, with Kara standing beside her and offering her hand towards her. Sunset grabbed her hand and pulled herself up and orientated herself to her surrounding environment, with the summer Sun piercing her skin. In other words, she was getting accustomed back to reality after being so deep in meditation. “You nearly fell into the river.” Twilight further added, this time her voice was much clearer. “Give her a moment to adjust. It’s common to feel a bit disoriented after meditating.” Kara said in response. “I’m alright,” Sunset brought herself to address Twilight, “Back there, I heard a voice.” “A voice ?” Twilight said with confusion. “ Yea, it told me to find Arkuntal. Who’s Arkuntal ?” Sunset intoned in a slightly perplexed manner. Twilight’s face was as confused as her but Kara’s expression was otherwise, as if she knew what Sunset meant, and she did. “Arkuntal isn’t a person, it's a place.” Kara continued,” The very place where I first found you.”
“ And that’s why you never mess with a Wookiee’s temper.” [5] Zeko intoned to the girls, Trixie, Flash Sentry and Karl as he dipped his spoon into his plate of roasted mynock and brought it to his mouth before eating it passionately. The Ardennian had made the signature dish famous in his home world not just himself but for the others as well as they sat outside the Gauntlet waiting for Sunset and Kara. To pass the time, Zeko and Karl took turns telling stories about the larger Galaxy to those present. The latest story was about how upsetting a Wookiee could result in one’s limbs being pulled off, which resulted in gasping noises and a minor shriek from Fluttershy. “ That’s horrendously barbaric and uncivilized of them.” Rarity said as she took nibbles from her food, slightly repulsed by its appearance. Under normal circumstances, she would have outrightly rejected it but she forced herself to choke it to satisfy her roaring stomach. “And you call us primitive.” Rainbow Dash scoffed at Zeko and Karl while concurring with her friend. “At least Wookiees don't overreact when they come in contact with other beings.” Zeko shot back at them, referring to how the girls shrieked when seeing him for the first time. As much as Rainbow Dash wanted to counter that, she knew he had cornered her with his words. In other words, there was no arguing with that. “ All of these stories of yours, they seem kinda violent.” Applejack remarked as she took a bite of the roasted mynock. “Speak for yourself,” Trixie said to Applejack before turning to Zeko, “ Do you have more interesting tales about what’s out there ?” She said as she enjoyed eating the food given. For her, it was unique and one of a kind.
“ You’re easy to impress, aren’t you ?” Zeko chuckled, seeing Trixie’s enthusiastic and interested looks from hearing his stories. Before he could say more, R5 interrupted with his beeping and drew their attention over to Fluttershy, who was using her utensils to play with her food. “Hey kid, you gonna eat that ?” Karl called out to her, which seemed to have pulled Fluttershy from what she was doing. “Uhh, I’m not exactly accustomed to eating this kind of food.” She said in her usual soft and meek voice. Due to her vegetarian diet, she found it extremely hard and difficult to eat the foreign food that’s in front of her. “ Well, this food is a specialty where I come from.” Zeko replied. “It ain’t exactly a local dish here,” Applejack retorted back at him, answering on behalf of Fluttershy. “Regardless, she’s gonna starve herself if she doesn’t eat like everyone else.” Karl intoned. “Fluttershy darling, as much as I understand your hesitancy, I’m afraid he’s right. You have to eat or else you’ll starve.” Rarity humbly said with concern to her friend. “Okay,” Fluttershy said softly and in a resigned manner as she, with great reluctance, ate the roasted meat and did her best to choke it down her throat. “Back to the subject, do you have any other stories to tell us ?” Trixie brought the attention back to what Zeko had to say earlier. He thought about what tale he was to share with them next before he spoke, “Ever heard of a game called Pod Racing ?”. “What’s Pod Racing ?” Flash asked.
Before Zeko could elaborate more on Pod racing, he was interrupted by a high pitched call from Pinkie Pie, “Sunset’s back !!” The hyperactive girl intoned to the others about their friend’s presence. Karl turned to find Kara, Sunset and her friend approaching them. “Took you long enough,”Karl said to Kara. The girls save for Trixie and Flash immediately got from where they were seated and rushed towards their friend. “Sunset darling I speak for all when I say we apologize for underestimating what you were trying to say to us earlier.” Rarity apologized on behalf of the others, who concurred with her. “I don’t blame you guys for doing so.” Sunset continued, “ I should be the one to say sorry for losing my temper.” “So did you find the answers you were looking for ?” Flash asked her as Zeko and Trixie joined them, with their eyes and everyone else trained towards Sunset, waiting for an answer to come out from her. “Not exactly...:” Sunset said, much to the confused looks from them as she thought of a simplified way to explain to them what the voice said in her head, “I need to head to an ancient Jedi Temple called Arkuntal. The Force told me to head there.” She knew how that last part sounded, especially when a voice in her head told her so. Everybody else, especially her friends, had confused glances on their faces. “Uhh, the Force told you to go to this temple ?” Applejack asked, trying to make sense of what she had just heard.
“ Also, where exactly is this temple ?” Zeko further queried. “It’s on this world.” Kara answered on behalf of Sunset as she continued, “ It’s the same temple where we first found Sunset.” Karl and Zeko instantly knew the place she referred to while the others were still lost but slowly coming to realization. “Is this the same place that you ventured to in the East Everfree forest ?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Exactly.” Sunset answered Rainbow Dash while concurring with Kara at the same time. “Well the coordinates to that place is in the Gauntlet’s navigation history, so it should be no problem for you guys to head there.” Zeko said getting the attention of Sunset and Kara. “You’re not coming ?” Sunset asked the Ardennian. “Nah kid, I think I’ll sit this one out, especially after what happened back at the Dome.” Zeko replied to which Karl concurred, “I’m with him on this. Plus this Jedi stuff seems pretty much out of my league.” “We won’t be gone for long,” Kara said to the two before turning to her droid, “Come along R5, we’ll definitely need you with us.” The astromech droid beeped in the affirmative before extending its third retractable leg and headed in the direction of the master-apprentice duo.
“Hey, wait up.” Pinkie Pie called out to them as they turned their back and was about to head to the Gauntlet. “We’re coming along with you.” She added, with the others seemingly rallying around her. Sunset mildly slammed her hand on her face, in a small vent of frustration despite being surprised about their insistence. “ Where we’re going could be dangerous guys, there is a high chance we might run into the Empire.” Said Sunset, but her friends were far from convinced but instead visibly pissed, especially Rainbow Dash. “Oh come on !!! You didn’t want us to tag along before and now again ? There’s no way that’s happening.” The short tempered Rainbow vented. “ Because it’s for your own safety !” Sunset said, slightly raising her voice at the end as she pleaded with them, “Look I know you guys wanna help but..” “YOU LISTEN TO US THIS TIME, SUNSHIM !” Pinkie Pie interrupted Sunset as she bellowed out loudly, perhaps even the loudest they’ve ever heard coming from their cheerful friend, “ THERE IS NO DEBATE ON THIS MATTER. WE’RE COMING WITH YOU AND THAT’S FINAL. IF YOU WANT TO STOP, IT WILL BE OVER MY DEAD BODY !” Everyone had their eyes turned towards Pinkie with stunned expressions. For a moment, everyone was speechless over her sudden angry vent, even R5 had not expected that to come from a girl like her. As quick her rage came, it vanished and her usual positive expression came back, but still everybody else was still shocked over her outburst. Nobody had ever witnessed this before coming from her. “Jeez, kid you alright ? That was quite a statement you made.” Zeko intoned in a shocked demeanor. “I don’t know,” Pinkie retorted in her usual cheerful manner, “Sometimes I feel like there’s another personality to me.” [6]
“You can say that again,” Karl muttered quietly in response. “Anyhow, Pinkie has a point.” Rainbow Dash continued, “ It’s not your decision to make for us. We’re tagging along with you, Period.” The others, even the usually meek Fluttershy concurred with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Sunset sighed, she wished her friend’s wouldn’t be as stubborn as they are but she would’ve been too if the roles were switched. She turned to Kara to get her view, “What do you think ?”. “ I think they made their stand pretty clear.” Said Kara. Sunset then turned to face their friends, “Alright, you guys can come along with us,” She resigned to their intentions before she continued, “ However, I must warn you that things can go sideways at any point. Am I clear ?” “Crystal Clear.” Noted Twilight. Rainbow Dash however, had much more to say, “ We’ve faced danger before. If we face any danger, it will be another fine addition to our hall of Rainboom triumphs.” She boasted with pride and overconfidence. “Typical Rainbow Dash.” Sunset grumbled to herself. With everyone else in agreement, they were about to head to the Gauntlet when Karl stopped them. “Hold on,” He continued, “ Gererra did say your people are headed here. Shouldn’t there be someone here waiting for them when they arrive ?”
“ I’m sure they won’t take too kindly to two offworlders, especially with me.” Zeko concurred and ended on how the reactions would be for the Canterlotians seeing an alien species for the first time. They had a point. Someone amongst them would have to stay back. “I’ll stay,” Trixie volunteered herself, “ I’ve had enough action for one day. Plus I would really want to hear that Pod Racing story of yours.” Trixie headed to the camping area and sat back at her previous seating area. “I’ll stay with Trixie too. Religion ain’t really my expertise.” Flash said as he too withdrew himself from the mission.“We won't be gone for long.” Sunset intoned to them before she and the others headed for the Gauntlet. “We’ll be waiting for you when you return !” Zeko waved his first two pairs of hands at the departing group before turning his attention over to Trixie, “So you wanna know more about Pod racing do you ? It’s not a sports human-like being like you guys can take part in.” He said to them, “What do you mean by that ?” Flash asked. “It means I’m more interested than before,” Trixie retorted in an enthusiastic and riveted manner at the same time. Meanwhile, Sunset and the others boarded the Gauntlet with Kara heading straight up to the cockpit. “R5, I need you up here to set up the navigation,” She called out to her droid, which beeped in the affirmative before heading for the cockpit. “First time going on a Jedi mission, this is gonna be so exciting !” Pinkie squealed in the usual ecstatic pinkie manner. Sunset tried to pay no attention to this as it vexed her, especially with the uncertainty of trials that await them in Arkuntal. “Sunset darling,” Rarity called out to her just as she was about to head for the cockpit, “Before I forget again, this belongs to you,” She handed over to her a brown journal looking book with an emblem on a Sun in its center from her carry bag. Sunset instantly recognised the book that was given to her.
“My journal ? How did you guys get this ?” [7] She exclaimed with a bit of joy and at the same time, curiosity. The magical journal was her only method of communication with Equestria, other than the portal outside their school. She’d often write in it to seek advice from Princess Twilight, who has a similar journal on her side and would write back to her. She thought that her journal had been destroyed along with her apartment when the Empire destroyed Canterlot and completely forgot about it until Rarity handed it to her in one piece. “Back when we used your apartment as an operations room in finding you, we used the journal to keep in touch with Princess Twilight as often as we could.” Applejack explained as she continued, “So we always brought it around wherever we went, just in case she found something on her side.” “ If what you said about the Empire having destroyed Canterlot City is true, then I guess this is the only thing we managed to save from your place.” Twilight further added. Sunset was about to hug her friends and express her gratitude for keeping her journal before she realized the tremendous danger her Equestrian friend was in. The Princess, out of genuine concern might walk through the portal, clueless about the devastation on the other side and find herself right in the middle of an Imperial Occupation. The last thing she would want is for someone who has a direct link to Equestria more than her, to be captured by the Imperials. It would be the end of it.
Rarity saw the uneasy expression Sunset had on her face and knew exactly the cause, “ Don’t worry darling,” She sought to placate her friend, “We took the liberty of informing the Princess of recent events and warned her not to come through.” Sunset’s heart flooded in relief upon hearing Rarity's assurance. “ Sunset, I need you here for a sec.” Came Kara’s voice from the cockpit. “Thanks a lot guys, I appreciate it.” Sunset expressed her gratitude to her friends. “That’s what friends are for,” Rainbow Dash intoned back at her. Sunset nodded back at Rainbow Dash before making her way to the cockpit. Equestria was safe for now but not this world. To save her new home, she would have to venture to Arkuntal and potentially face the demons she faced before.