Twilight has attempted to bridge the gap between her world and the Sith Lord, Darth Karnis. While they attempted to learn from one another, the exchange was more than a little one sided and the princess came away with more questions than answers. The meeting planted a seed, however, and one pony was feeling it start to sprout.
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Karnis gazed at the bright treasure he had uncovered, more precious than the gems from the bankside, more dear than the small knife that made fine crafting easier, more valuable than his own lightsaber. A bundle of cloth nearby held the priceless discovery, three shelves of fungus striped in vanes of rich cobalt. Karnis was familiar with the polypore, on Camaar Duum it was known as Hinon's Bracket, around the rest of the galaxy it was simply called Blue Moon. A casual vice for many who didn't want to delve into spice or other controlled substances. It was an old favorite of Karnis's as well, though one that was given up years ago. Well, was he not the master now? And truly, a master of what? A small camp in a thick forest surrounded by pastel 'Ponies.' What harm was there in returning to a simple pleasure?
The Sith Lord dug the point of his knife into the tough segment of root he'd gathered, there were no Cocorab trees around, but he could make do with what he had. Slowly but surely the bowl began to take shape, every scrape helped to connect it with the smaller hole drilled through the gnarled stem. It had been nearly a full day of work, but the end result would be sweeter for it.
Karnis checked his handiwork, a stout, if unortodox pipe, air flowed freely and the walls of the bowl were thick and sound, it would last for a good while. He broke up some pieces of the dry fungus and packed them into the bowl, lighting it with an ember from the fire and sitting back to enjoy the sweetly fragrant smoke that sent him back to his youth. He'd been no more than a naive boy back then, but the old camaasi couldn't say he was unhappy. It was a pleasant memory to return to and old men were entitled to think back on their youth.
Karnis was so relaxed he didn't even mind the soft crunch of leaves approaching his camp. He sighed, sending a plume of blue/gray smoke upward, "if you ruin this for me, Yellow One, I will truly have no reason to forgive you."
The soft squeak told him that his warning was understood, but there was no sound of retreat. Indeed those unobtrusive steps only got closer, "I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude. I... I just wanted to talk.."
"That would be quite the change, usually you want to run." The old camaasi took another puff of sweet smoke and sat up, watching as the winged pony sidled into view and took a position across the fire pit from him, "very well, Yellow One, since you insist on being around me, what is it you want."
"F-Fluttershy.."
"Come again?"
The pony hid behind the fall of pink hair, "m-my name... It's Fluttershy, not Yellow One"
For a long moment there was only the faint crackle as the Blue Moon smoldered. Finally the old Sith lowered his pipe and shook his head, "you vex me, you know that? You constantly hold back, you stay in the background, speak little, you're always ready to flee at a moment's notice, and by all rights you should be terrified to know I'm so much as close by. Yet you seek me out constantly and now you have the temerity to correct me."
"I'm sorry..."
"You've got something, I don't know if it's really courage. I don't know if it's really anything, but you've got something." Karnis set the root pipe aside to smolder down as it pleased, "what did you want to discuss?"
Fluttershy pawed bashfully at the ground, trying to find the right words, "well.. Timberwolves. And Manticores, and Hydras, and a lot of other dangers out here in Everfree Forest. Equestria has its fair share of monsters and..." She took a moment to gather up her courage, "and I think it would be best if you moved closer to town where it would be safer."
Karnis leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and tenting his fingers, "but danger doesn't always stay in those areas does it? Sometimes there are dangers quite close to home, are there not? Security is a matter of degree, for example, what is the punishment for murder here?"
The yellow pony shook her head, "I'm.. sorry, the punishment for..?"
Karnis blinked, "when a pony kills another for whatever reason, galactic standard calls it murder."
Fluttershy's eyes widened even as her pupils shrank in horror, "wh-what? n-no! Nopony would ever... at least.. not on purpose.."
The Sith Lord raised an eyebrow, from what he had gathered, these ponies knew what weapons were, there was a standing military force, someone thought it was a good idea to have a specific guard detail for the ruling body. At the very least warfare was known on this planet. Perhaps he should have asked when the last war was. It seemed absurd, a world where no one wanted anyone else dead? Had the Light polluted this place so thoroughly? If what the Purple One had said was true, how had it come this far with no Jedi involvement?
Karnis decided to try another avenue, "Very well, what would be a common transgression that would be punishable by law?"
The yellow pony frowned and considered the question for a while. Perhaps a bit too long. The old Sith raised an eyebrow, "is it that difficult? Have you no crime anywhere? No violence? Nothing?"
The pegasus shrank back, "n-no! I mean... You say that like it's a bad thing. Of course there are dangers. Your encounter with the timberwolves should have proven that."
Karnis blinked slowly. Timberwolves. Wolves made of timber. He was starting to detest this place again.
Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground, hooves fiddling nervously with the moss, "e-even I've had to... f-fight now and then.."
The Sith Lord deadpanned, "you." He couldn't believe this jumpy, furtive creature had the courage to stand up to so much as an errant dust mite. "Do tell, what dangers have you had to face?"
Fluttershy opened her mouth to answer, but paused. Nightmare Moon was the obvious answer, but she had stayed back for much of the encounter. The first time she met Discord. She spent more time bickering with her own friends. The Changeling invasion? She wasn't much use there. "I.. I... Um.. I scolded a dragon once?" That had been a resounding victory, even she couldn't deny that.
Karnis rolled his eyes, retrieving his pipe from where it lay and stirring the ashes, getting the ember going once more, "Yellow One, if you're going to lie at least put some effort into making it somewhat believable. Any creature fierce enough to be called a dragon would never be moved by.. Well, whatever it is you consider to be harsh words." He watched the yellow pony for a long moment, waiting for her to try again. Eventually he was forced to prompt her, "is that all? Are there no other fearsome beasts you can label as conquests?"
Fluttershy pawed at the ground a little, feeling somewhat ashamed that she hadn't done more considering she was attached to a group of ponies who regularly went on dangerous adventures. A small idea flared to life and her expression brightened, "actually, yes! Yes, there is one more. Um, j-just one moment... please.." She picked up and fluttered quickly away through the canopy, leaving the Sith Lord to sigh and go about his business.
It wasn't long before the pegasus returned, this time actually announcing her presence, "I'm back! Sorry that took so long, but I can definitely list this guy as a resounding victory."
Karnis was raking the fire, getting the coals prepared to cook for the evening. He paused as he locked eyes with the supposed conquest the Yellow One had brought him. It was a small creature, laughably so, clearly some type of prey species. Those beady little eyes were designed to pick out fine details and the long ears surely aided in listening for danger.
As Karnis stared, the little creature stared back, both more focused on each other than on Fluttershy's rambling. "Angel Bunny was always such a hoofful, he wouldn't eat or go to bed, sometimes he just refused to listen at all! I've gotten a lot better at managing him and our relationship has become much better because of it."
The old Sith gave some thought to simply wringing the soft little creature's neck and having done with it, but something stopped him. There was a strange sapience in those dark eyes, it almost seemed like it was challenging him, hinting that if Karnis gave in to that desire and simply kill it then the little creature would somehow win. He could feel a small smirk curl his lip. This world positively reeked of the light, but here and there he could still find some backbone in the most unlikely places. He bent over his firepit and began to build a small smudge to cook over, going back to the original topic, "so, you came all this way to tell me that you worry for my safety and want me to move closer to town. Even after what I did to your rainbow friend the other day?"
Fluttershy frowned, she knew that Rainbow Dash had been acting weird, flying laps around Ponyville at top speed. She had said something about the stranger telling her to burn off some energy and she just had to do it. The mare shook her head, "actually no. I want you to move closer because I'm worried about the safety of other creatures."
Karnis stopped prodding at the fire, "the creatures you came to tell me were dangerous? You want me to be... nicer to them?"
Fluttershy nodded firmly, "a whole pack of timberwolves is gone now. You wandered into their territory, they were only defending their home. They would and have done the same to ponies, but that doesn't mean they should be destroyed on a whim! I... I don't want you hurting the animals here!" There, she had said it. Her legs felt like jelly and her wings were frozen shut, but she had at least said it.
The old Sith had turned back to his fire, stoking it into readiness as he sat silent for a long moment. When he spoke again it was almost to himself, "to be honest, I didn't want to." He looked up and there was a brief shadow of an expression that might once have been a smile, "does that surprise you? Our enterprise is marked by decisive action. If there is a threat, it is removed. There is nothing to be gained from senseless bloodshed. In appropriate measures, yes, it is a powerful tool, but as you say, yesterday it was unneeded and that is unfortunate."
He lapsed into silence again as he brought out his cooking pot and filled it with water to boil, "it was disquieting as well. Anymore, when I am drawn to combat it doesn't feel as it once did. I feel fractionally slower, my movements are less sharp. Age is catching up to me and even I cannot fight it forever." Perhaps that was the reason his apprentice had chosen that moment to strike, he had sensed that his Master was starting to grow feeble. Strangely, Karnis felt a little pride at that fact, that his student wasn't going to wait until the master was old and frail to prove himself.
The fire crackled as a log shifted, sending a flurry of sparks up toward the lowering sun. It broke the old Sith from his reverie, bringing him back to the present. He dug into his supplies and brought out a few large root vegetables and a selection of herbs, beginning to chop them roughly. He glanced to the Yellow One still nearby, "I suppose there's no point in sending you away if you've come this far. Twice." He began to toss ingredients into the boiling pot, "so, tell me about these timberwolves."
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"But Twilight said that there is no air in outer space. Was she wrong?"
Karnis shook his head through the small puff of smoke he released. The conversation of timberwolves had forced him to make connections with animals he was familiar with. As it turned out, the yellow pony was rather enamored with the idea of creatures from other worlds, "she was not. At least insofar as air that would be breathable by most species, but some few creatures have managed to make their homes in the void. Purgills, Neebray Mantas, a type of enormous slug known as an Exogorth," He paused to stir the sullenly bubbling pot, the water and vegetables within slowly becoming a hearty soup. "When I was only an apprentice, my master showed me the hunting grounds of a great Summa-Verminoth. A truly colossal, space faring predator. We never saw the beast itself, but I was taught to spot the signs of its presence."
Through the tale, the pony sat in rapt fascination, "it must have been so exciting to see so many strange creatures."
Karnis hummed, "I wouldn't know. They were meant as object lessons, we were not sightseeing. My master wanted me to observe the behavior of various animals. To watch how predators deployed their strengths and how prey animals compensated for their deficiencies. Many carnivores adapt to be small and stealthy, working in secret. Likewise there are plenty of herbivores that grow large and powerful in the effort to not become a meal. We invent social structures and build vast cities and consider ourselves to be above and beyond the rest, but at the end of the day, we are all animals. A city may be larger than an insect hive, perhaps more complex, but they both serve the same purpose."
"Your master sounds very wise.." There was a little trepidation in the way the pony spoke. Karnis was obviously rather advanced in age, it was likely that a mentor figure was no longer around.
The old Sith chuckled as he confirmed it, "she was indeed. Wise and powerful. That is our way. There are only ever two Sith, as decreed by Darth Bane. One to embody power and one to crave it. Only by eclipsing our master to we prove ourselves worthy to carry the mantle. I overcame my master, as my apprentice was to overcome me."
Fluttershy frowned a little, "but then, what happens now? If you're not around to teach your apprentice?"
Karnis thought back, that singular instant, the fraction of a fraction of a moment. The briefest hint of warning before danger. He could have so easily missed it and never known until he was cut down. He had been distracted for only a split second and his apprentice had taken advantage. He could still hear the hiss of the igniting blade, see its crimson glow illuminating his apprentice's features. The eager grin, the surety in his eyes. He held not a single doubt that he would be victorious. The old Sith drew deeply on the crooked pipe and breathed out a thin stream of bluish smoke, "Lord Draconis will forge his own path, take his own apprentice. I have taught him all that I can. He was ready."
The yellow pegasus nodded slowly, "still, I'm sure he would have preferred hearing it from you. I'm sure your own master wished you well when you were ready to move on."
Karnis looked up quickly. She had not. In fact her life had ended with a curse as he remembered it. The battle had been hard fought and Karnis had been wounded greatly, but he had been ultimately victorious. Striking a decisive, killing blow. Apparently the implication was lost on the Yellow One, a being from a world where murder was so uncommon that she didn't even recognize the word.
Karnis had no regrets. It was the way of the Sith, he had done what was only right to claim his title as Dark Lord. Karnis prided himself on his honesty. He might skirt the truth or conceal part of it, but never once did he outright lie. And even in the gaze of those large, limpid, soulful eyes did he intend to start lying now. The old Sith knocked the layer of ash from his pipe and tamped out the remaining embers, "I think that's enough stories for one evening. The soup is ready."