//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: To Walk The Sky and Catch The Moon // by Celestial king turles //------------------------------// Despite all the posing from before there is no one in the group speaking as they walked towards Ponyville, letting the sounds of the townsfolk in the distance steadily fill in the silence as the group got closer. It wasn't every day, Spearhead mused, that one took part in a first contact situation. It wasn't exactly a textbook scenario, but it was a first contact nevertheless. A meteor that didn't act like a meteor falling over Ponyville, and a creature never seen in recorded history showing up in the same area a few days later? Spearhead didn't need top marks to put two and two together. 'And already,' he thought sourly, 'the mission is a complete and utter mess.' It was just as well that the newcomer didn't seem to be that aggressive; were Spearhead in the same situation, he'd have been kicking Maple across Ponyville by now if he wasn't a properly trained and conditioned royal guard. 'I still might,' he thought darkly. If he had known that Maple would behave like this, he wouldn't have gone along with Shining's idea. Either way, he would report to Shining once they return, there would be no way he would let this slide. Spearhead almost felt embarrassed by the ordeal. Insubordination and an attack unprovoked was not going to be unpunished, they are royal guards and not thugs. With a huff, they continued towards town. Spearhead had to admit, Ponyville surprised him. He’d never been out of Canterlot in a long time; he was born and raised there. Seeing this town for the first time was an experience. Ponyville was different, that much was obvious. There were fewer buildings, it was less compact and it didn't have that grand feeling.  Most of the buildings were simple one or two-story cottages made with wood frames, walls covered with mortar and straw thatch roofs. That wasn’t too different from what he knew from Canterlot, except the buildings were usually taller — two or three stories was the average — and some had cobblestone walls instead of mortar. The buildings, particularly the stores, were also more ornate in Canterlot. In Ponyville, the only way to tell the difference between a house and a store usually was to see if there was a sign hanging over the front door.  Another big difference was the general attitude. In Canterlot, ponies were just as likely to shove their fellow aside in the mud as they were to greet them. In Ponyville, however, newcomers were always greeted with a warm smile. The residents were welcoming almost to a fault; they didn’t look at travelers as something disgusting they found on the side of the street. They treated them like, well, ponies. They would show you around town, show you the best stores or places to sightsee without any gain in mind. Some would even invite you to their home for a bit of tea and some rest after a long journey because ponies help one another. Overall, the atmosphere in Ponyville felt more like you had just walked into a family reunion, rather than a town. Or at least that was Spearhead's first impression when the guards first arrived.  When the group of five ponies and — whatever he was — first stepped into town proper, that first impression was immediately cast aside. The hustle and bustle instantly ceased. It was so instant, it was like flicking a switch. Dead silence permeated throughout the town, as everypony who was out on their daily business froze at the sight of the group… or more specifically Luke, who was standing awkwardly towering behind Spearhead and Flash, Applejack, and Rarity coming up to either side of them with a disgruntled Maple bringing up the rear. Spearhead could hear their whispered murmur and could feel their stares. He set his shoulders and pressed forward, the rest of the group following close behind. There was no point feeling anxious. Spearhead's job came first.    Spearhead cast a quick look over his shoulder at the group. Applejack and Rarity seemed unmoved by the attention, though Rarity would occasionally cast a nervous glance in one direction or another for a brief moment; public image, it seemed, mattered a fair bit to the one and only tailor of Ponyville. Flash and Maple also seemed unperturbed. Flash kept up a stoic appearance — that was good, a guard shouldn't act out. Maple, on the other hoof, simply glared at Luke, as if daring him to try something, it was rather ridiculous since Luke didn't have eyes in the back of his head to notice it. And as for Luke… Luke's head was turning this way and that, taking in every new sight around him. There was a soft look of quiet wonder on his face wherever he looked. Spearhead had to admit; with a reaction like that, it was practically impossible for anypony to see Luke as a threat. "EEEEEEEEK!!!!! MONSTER!!!"  Well, almost anypony, it seemed. A trio of flower cutie mark-themed mares had immediately started screaming and running around at the sight of Luke as the group rounded the corner.  "No! It's here to enslave us all!" said the yellow-coated one. "Or eat us alive one by one!" spoke the pale pink one. “The horror! The horror!” exclaimed the dark pink one. Before Spearhead could speak up and diffuse the situation, the three bolted off in random directions, screeching at the top of their lungs about how they were all going to die. The entire group was left dumbfounded at the sight since Luke was wearing hoove cuffs and was surrounded by royal guard ponies. Well, so much for a calm and orderly exit, Spearhead groaned to himself. He chanced another look over his shoulder. Luke and Flash looked just about as confused and embarrassed as Spearhead felt, and Maple looked supremely smug. Applejack and Rarity looked completely unaffected by the spectacle. “Ah wouldn't put much stock into what they do or say," Applejack said loudly before Maple could open his mouth. "Those three overreact to the smallest things." "O?" Maple sneered before Spearhead could cut in. "How would you know about that?" Spearhead silently swore that the last thing he would do before his inevitable demotion for letting things go RUBAR was to make sure Maple got reassigned to the most miserable post he could find. He heard Yakyakistan was nice this time of year. Applejack looked over at Maple with the most deadpan expression that Spearhead had ever seen. "You mean despite me living here and knowing the mares unlike you? A couple of weeks ago a pack of rabbits escaped from Fluttershy’s cottage and flooded down main street." "So!?" Maple looked nonplussed.   Applejack's expression became even more deadpan. "Those three took one look and fainted on the spot."  Everyone stared at Applejack. Rarity muttered "How overdramatic…" “Yer one ta talk, Rarity,” Applejack retorted. “At least those three don't pull a whole couch out of plumb nowhere before they faint!"  Flash Sentry snorted. "A couch?" Rarity drew herself up and pouted. "Well, I can't exactly mess up my looks, can't I? I do have an image to uphold! What would ponies say if my mane got all smudged and dirty?" "Ya mean the mane that's got so many twigs in it, it can pass for one of my trees?" Applejack pointed out dryly. “Quiet you!” Rarity snapped. Then the words sunk in. "Wait, what!?" She whipped out a mirror and looked into it while Applejack covered her ears. Spearhead was surprised that the following shriek of horror didn't shatter every window in town; he was sure his eardrums weren't so lucky though. Nor were those of Flash, Maple, and Luke for that matter who covered their ears in hopes of not becoming deaf. “MY LUSCIOUS MANE!” She cried out. “NOOOOOO!” “Well,” Flash said while rubbing his ear. “Now I know what you mean by being overdramatic.” “Can we please get going!” Mapel shook his head from all the ringing in his ear. “Seriously, I want to get this creep in a cell already!” Luke, to his credit, didn’t flinch from the insult. Applejack, however, began to draw herself up in anger. Spearhead decided to cut them off then and there before his insubordination fellow guards pony dug his hole deeper, metaphorically speaking. “No one is going into a cell without due process,” he snapped. “We’re here to find out the truth, not find and punish a scapegoat. And for the record, Second Commander Maple, you are the last pony I would trust with that decision. That will be Princess Celestia’s decision — not yours. Don’t test my patience anymore, Maple; you’re on thin ice as it is. I don’t want to hear a single word about this from now until Canterlot.  Understood?”  Without waiting for a response he turned over to Rarity, who was fussing with her mane. “If you calm down we’ll drop you off at one of Canterlot’s boutiques.” “NO! I refuse to go to one of Canterlot’s best boutiques with my mane looking like a rat's nest!” She crossed her hoofs against her chest. Applejack gave her a look. “Rarity, didn’t ya want to vouch for Luke?” “Yes well—!” “Then when we leave, I’ll help ya pick the sticks out of your mane. Now calm down.” Rarity seemed reluctant but then relented. “Alright fine I’ll come along…As soon I get something from my Boutique!” And then she zoomed off to her shop leaving a trail of dust behind her. The group was silent for a moment before Spearhead spoke up. “You had to deal with this a lot didn’t you?” Applejack replied dryly. “You have no idea…” she groaned. “Come y'all she’ll catch up with us.” As so they continued their way; until the chariot was in sight. It was right where they left it, wheels locked in the middle of the square. Spearhead breathed a sigh of relief: finally, they would be on their way home. Then…  “LOOK OUT BELOOOOOOOWWWWWW!” Spearhead whirled around to see a blur of blue and rainbow just in time to see a blue streak slam Luke to the ground. When the dust cleared, he recognized the blue pegasus from before slumped over Luke’s prone form. “Made it… right… on time… Wooo…” she panted weakly. From under her barrel, Luke’s muffled voice could be heard. “We really need to stop meeting like this,” he groaned. Applejack had a stern look. “Rainbow…” while she did appreciate Rainbow wanting to help, she was unamused that she managed to crash on top of Luke. Again. “Oof, that was a hard landing,” Flash said. “Not her first time,” Applejack replied dryly. Rainbow Dash quickly got off Luke and apologized then she turned towards Applejack and stated. “I'm going.” “Rainbow.” “Look I said I’m going, I’m going!” She stamped her hoof down. “I mean come on Applejack, just let me help out!” Applejack continued to give her that stern look, her granny gave her many times. “Yer not gonna give up are ya.” “Nope.” Applejack groaned slightly. “That’s not surprising…” “Yeah sorry to rain on your parade,” Spearhead said. “But you can’t all fit in the chariot.” “Why not?” “One, your friend already took the seat. Two, there’s not enough space.” Spearhead stated. Rainbow Dash groaned. Her ears flicked up and realized. “Wait! Maybe I’ll fly with you guys there!” Spearhead raised a brow. “You? Fly with us all the way from here to Canterlot?” “Uhh yeah? What do you think I can’t handle it?”  “No,” Spearhead answered bluntly, which made her sputter in disbelief. Carmine decided to put his own two bits. “You  land with  the grace of a brick, probably not even aiming to hit the bipedal creature.” Applejack snorted while Rainbow Dash glared at them both. She pointed her hoof at Spearhead. “I’ll have you know that I can fly there quicker than you!”  “Yeah, but this isn’t about speed ma’am. You do realize that we had to fly out for miles? It takes a lot of stamina just to get here,” Spearhead replied. Flash sentry snorted. “Yeah, and it’s a complete pain in the rear.” He huffed out and stretched out his wings to get ready for the flight. “Anyways.” Spearhead turned to Applejack. “Is your friend coming yet? We can’t exactly stay here forever.” “Go ahead, she’ll join us eventually.” She shrugged dismissively. Flash and Spearhead looked at each other, grimaced, and made to strap on the chariot harnesses. A chariot Luke looked at thoughtfully.  “Will we all fit in?” He asked. “You did mention that there was a space issue.” Flash seemed to think about it before nodding.” It should be okay.” he said. “The Chariot was meant to hold three ponies, since you stand on two legs, you should be able to squeeze in, just as long as you stay at the front.” Luke nodded and carefully stepped into the chariot, leaning against the front. Applejack followed suit, standing next to him. Luke hummed. “So am I to assume that you’ll carry us all?” “Yeah, why do you ask?” Spearhead said. “Just curious,” he said, glancing around at the vehicle. He did look nervous about something. Spearhead looked at the chariot and then at him, then it clicked. “I wouldn’t worry about the chariot, it’s made to channel our magic. When we take off it would be light as a feather, and it would feel like you never left the ground.” The sounds of hoofs trotting close gain their attention. Rarity had returned, with her mane stick-free and as shiny as amethyst thread. “Finally!” Applejack exasperated. “Are you done taking your sweet time?” Rarity puffed her cheeks and had her nose straight in the air.”Hmph! I’ll have you know that I had already rushed while being delicate with fixing my mane!” She climbed in, with Carmine taking the rear. Just as they were about to take off Rainbow Dash decided to chime in. “Sweet, let's get this going!” “Wait, you are going to follow us all the way to Canterlot?” Spearhead asks dubiously. Rainbow gave him a daring smirk. “Uhh, yeah! You thought I was going to chicken out?” “Your friend is insane…” Carmine said dryly with a deadpan expression. Spearhead groaned; the poor stallion felt a headache about to come. “Uhhh fine, but I am not responsible for whatever happens to you.” Both he and Flash spread their wings and then took off. Perhaps entering the forest was not such a great idea… Apple Bloom glanced around her surroundings and gulped. All around her were trees, not of the apple kind as they bore no fruit on their branches. The foliage above was so thick that only motes of vague light leaked through like stars on a clear night. Small vines hung down dripping with slight precipitation like they were near a swamp. Her nose was assaulted with a menagerie of smells she was unfamiliar with, yet did not deter her from continuing her trek. The ground was smooth and bumpy with occasional rocks and stones lying around. The grass was less tamed than on the fields. All of it was wild with weeds and foxtails growing next to them. There were some bushes she'd never seen before, with beautiful-looking flowers but sharp thorns quashed the idea of getting close.  Granny Smith had always told her that going into the Everfree Forest was a frightening experience. She would tell her stories that it was so pitch black at night and even with a lantern you couldn't even have seen three hooves in front of yourself. The dangers that skulked around were the packs of timber wolves and the bands of diamond dogs. Granny had told her that they were as numerous as the apples on a single tree. One thing she had always warned Apple Bloom and her siblings, is to never go deeper into Everfree if they had the misfortune of getting lost in it. Manticores were said to inhabit those areas and were extremely territorial. Cragidiles the size of wagons infested the swamps like rats at an abandoned cabin, waiting to snatch up any pony that wandered too far. She even talked about the possibility of a Hydra that made itself at home there along with the rest of the nameless things that crawled around. Apple Bloom thought Granny Smith only told her these stories to scare her, or just as a warning not to wander too far into the forest at the risk of getting lost. Yet, as Apple Bloom continued trekking alongside Kyugee, she wondered once again if this was the best decision she made. “Uhhh…Kyugee?” she said quietly. “How far away are we?” The droid let out a few bleeps, which, unfortunately, Apple Bloom couldn’t understand. She let out a weak sigh in response.  “I hope it’s close…” It felt like they had walked for hours. It also felt like they weren’t making much progress as everything almost looked the same like they had walked in a circle. Then Kyugee stopped in place. A panel along its surface opened revealing the strange umbrella-looking device, it spun around a few times, stopped, then retracted back in. The droid let out a few beeps and quickly took a right, followed by Apple Bloom. At least she wasn’t alone, she thought, with all the croaking and chirps around her. It was a noisiness that Granny had mentioned before, but the young filly didn’t believe the noises would be this extensive. At least, it didn’t bother her, and Apple Bloom welcomed the noise as it did help distract her mind. It didn’t, however, take away the strain she felt in her hooves. A small break was in order. “Hey Kyugee can we take a—“ she stopped and winced. Her eyes had adjusted to the dimly lit forest when a splotch of light hit her. It made Apple Bloom step back and shake her head. She gazed up curiously and noticed that a big patch of branches and leaves seemed torn apart by something massive. Kyugee let out a stream of chirps which gained Apple Bloom’s attention. “What’s up?” She said trotting back to him. Her eyes widened. There was a large gap in the forest. The young filly looked up to see that the top of the trees had somehow blown apart like somepony had peeled a banana. It was just easier. Following the trail, she noticed that it gradually went lower and lower and disappeared further into the Everfree. Kyugee let out several loud, energetic beeps and bounced in place, garnering Apple Bloom’s attention before moving back a bit to incite her to follow. The filly looked around nervously like something dark and sinister had its grip on this part of the forest. “Wait, ah don’t think we should go further in,” she said with worry. However, the little droid ignored Apple Bloom’s suggestion and moved away every time she got closer, pulling the pony deeper and deeper into the charred green. The trees gradually turned blacker and more beat the longer the young filly followed the path. What was once just a peeled-away ‘head’ had now become splinters and uprooted trees. A slow ‘snow’ of ash and burnt leaves made the path more disturbing to the young pony, but she felt the need to continue following the little machine. It knew where it was going, didn’t it? Apple Bloom coughed when some of the ash entered her muzzle and covered it up by pulling her hair bow down. Where once animals and monsters were crying in the forest there was silence, and where once there was silence there was now the sound of wind freely flowing between the charred remains of the once-mighty trees. The howling they produced made it seem like the trees themselves were wailing during death throes. Trees were either uprooted or simply pushed aside into the neighbors like a massive beast had pushed them out of its way. Plants as big as houses are pushed aside like a mere nuisance. Apple Bloom felt her heart sink and her blood freeze at the sight of such… ravages. “Why are we travelin’ through here?” she asked the little droid nervously. Apple tried breathing in to calm her nerves, but that was hampered by her makeshift mask. “Wh…” She was partially blinded by something reflecting the sun that could now shine upon a land that had not seen its full gaze in thousands of years. “What is that?” A snap behind her alerted Apple Bloom, her eyes widened as she spun around: nose to nose with something yellow and pink with huge blue eyes. She screeched loudly which made Kyugee screech in turn and start rolling everywhere wildly. The newcomer was pulled into the screaming contest and the whole exchange lasted for what felt like hours. Apple Bloom gasped for air after the fear finally flushed out of her system. “Fluttershy?!” the filly shouted incredulously. “You followed us?!” Fluttershy huffed. her hair was a bit frizzled.“Y-Yes I followed you! What are you thinking, going into the Everfree!?” “W-we were just—!” Fluttershy cut her off. “Apple Bloom, do you have any idea how dangerous Everfree Forest is?!” She coughed heavily as some of the ash got caught in her throat. She began to beat her wings to clear it away. “But we only came because we’re gonna get Luke’s dad!” She defended her. Fluttershy shook her head like a disappointed mother and gave the filly a stern glare. “It doesn’t matter what your intentions were, you still came out here by yourself! Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?” “But Ah wasn’t alone! A-ah was with Kyugee!” She helped the droid up, who beeped a thank you. Fluttershy, surprisingly, was having none of it; Apple Bloom had never seen her so agitated. “This doesn’t change the fact that you willingly went into the Everfree Forest! Apple Bloom, there’s a reason why this is called the most dangerous place in Equestria! Now.” she got behind the fillie and nudged her forwards. “Move,” Apple Bloom stumbled slightly from Fluttershy’s nudge, she spun back with a defiant glare. “No I’m not going and you can’t make me!” Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise, she blinked a couple of times. Apple Bloom was about to continue her argument when she heard a snap. Her ears flicked as she turned to where the noise was. Fluttershy also snapped her neck to the side. Both of them stared into the dark spaces between the trees, not moving a muscle. The hair on Apple Bloom’s back stuck up, but she was confused. She didn’t know why she was feeling weird, after all, Kyugee and Fluttershy were there. The only sounds she heard were the wind and the birds chirping— wait…  There was no chirping. There was no sound at all in fact, except for the wind and the small hissing from still-burning embers on the ground. From within the forest, the bushes began to shift and wave almost like they were alive. Another snap from within made both ponies tense up while Kyugee’s dome swiveled around in confusion. The rustles of the bushes began to quicken as more sounds of snapping became more frequent. Vague shapes can be seen moving, it was hard to tell if it was just the bushes or… Apple Bloom and Fluttershy tensed up even further once they heard growls. Glimpses of green light floated and then disappeared, Apple Bloom thought it was a firefly until more of these lights flickered in and out of existence becoming more numerous by the second.  It was then she realized they weren’t fireflies.  They were eyes. One of the vague shapes grew in size and a deep growl was made as it got closer to the clearing, revealing a body made of wood with a mane made from dozens of dry straws.  Apple Bloom's ears folded back as she took in the sight before her.  Its eyes glowed brightly as it glared at the two ponies with a mixture of piercing bloodlust and famine. Its jaw quivered open to reveal a line of serrated wooden teeth that could pierce flesh just as easily as a sharp knife of a butcher shop, while its thorny claws dug into the dirt as it stopped in front of them. It was bigger than Fluttershy by three feet and it was not alone as three more appeared at its sides; they were smaller but still bigger than Fluttershy and their eyes were trained on the ponies. It was the one thing the filly hoped to not meet in the Everfree Forest: Timberwolves. She took one step back; she can hear Kyugee chirping in alarm.  Only one word came from Fluttershy.  “Run.” The hum of running machinery filled the dimly lit room. Wires hung through the ceiling occasionally sparking with electricity, illuminating the cluttered mess that was the medical bay. Most of the medical equipment littered the ground, some were destroyed while others were banged up but still salvageable. Small glass bottles containing medicines had shattered against the floor, spilling their sticky content to the ground and wafting the air with a pungent mixture of chemicals. Not that it would have bothered Teefour, the only occupant of the medbay. Nor did it distract from his perusal of the medical computer to look through data on the most recent medical scans. “Hmm,” hummed the medical droid as his optics read through the aurebesh scrolling across the display. After making that horrendous crash landing they were able to get the ship’s power up and running again via the remaining backup generator. Unfortunately, the Nubian would never fly again. Her engines were broken beyond repair due to the outer layer being scorched so badly that many of its internal components had melted. This was the ship’s final destination — an unknown planet with unknown life forms. Not even the combined engineering skills of the two astromech droids or even Vader himself would be able to get her lifted again. A shame really, as Teefour had grown fond of her whenever she took to the air towards any known direction. Still, her sacrifice was able to keep them all safe even as they breached through the planet’s atmosphere, and it was still a miracle that the last remaining backup generator functioned or that the Bacta tank hadn’t shattered.  Despite this, the ship was still an utter mess from the inside. Before it was pristine and orderly, just like the rest of the ship. Now, the medical bay was cluttered with loose wires hanging down from the ceiling cables that burst from broken panels and not to mention the rest of the broken equipment and debris that had accumulated over the last few days. Teefour had been monitoring Lord Vader’s health, and, once again, he couldn’t help but be stumped. His recovery had accelerated at a rate that couldn’t yet be calculated. Wounds and fractures that should have taken weeks, if not months to mend, were now being knit together in a matter of days. Teefour almost felt cheated. He asked Vader for his current status, and Vader stated that he felt refreshed. A feeling he hadn’t felt in so very long. A lot of the pain he once suffered seemed numbed for some reason, but whether that was because of his current train of thought or his scars from the past were lessening was left to Teefour to figure out. Something the droid still couldn't understand, which drove his motor components and processors to overheat with frustration. Then he remembered Lord Vader speaking about the Force. That power he wielded was the reason why he was currently in the workshop with Obee.  What he was building Teefour did not know for he was busy figuring out how to remove those implants from the man’s body. Which reminded him that he should inform Vader. Miraculously, some of the mouse droids had survived the initial crash — surprising, considering most of the smaller equipment usually broke first. Although, their outer casings were dented all over: indeed, not all had survived, their components being recycled for later use. He entered the workshop to see half-done projects scattered, then he spotted Lord Vader over by the workbench with a blowtorch in hand and other tools floating above his head; he didn't know what the Sith lord was building since he hadn’t been programmed with engineering knowledge outside medical equipment. Obee was on the other side, rummaging through an assortment of chests and cases strewn about the floor. Teefour simulated clearing his throat to call his master. “Lord Vader!” But it could not reach over the screech of the blowtorch. “Lord Vader!” he shouted again. Vader extinguished the torch and moved the rest of the tools back onto hooks and into drawers.  Darth Vader stood up, rolling his shoulders and popping his spine. “Teefour,” he greeted as he cracked his neck. “Lord Vader I bring you an update on—“ Vader cut him off. “Teefour,” he held a hand up.” I would prefer not to be called Vader any longer,” he stated.  Teefour blinked for a moment. “What should I refer to you as?” Vader lowered his head for a moment contemplating. Then he spoke. “Anakin, I would rather be called Anakin.” Teefour made note of the change and saved it into his data storage. “Right, Lord Anakin.” He pressed down on the data pad. “I've come to update you about your upcoming surgery.” He handed the pad to the former dark lord and continued to explain. “For instance, some of the implants have stopped functioning, mostly the ones in your back and shoulders. They’ll need to be removed. At least the med bay is still clean enough for that.“ He waited a moment as Va-Anakin, read through the pad’s contents. “Others like the outdated artificial lung will need to be monitored until we build a more up-to-date one, whenever that might be, given the distinct lack of resources needed to make such a thing.” “What about the wires in my stomach?” Anakin asked. “Unneeded, they will be removed. ” Teefour replied. “Your stomach has already repaired itself which means the wires are no longer useful. Of course, you would need a few days until you can eat solids again, but at the rate you are going I'd estimate that you will be in tip-top shape in less than a day.” His optics blinked a couple of times. “Though it’s only short term…” he mumbled quietly. Anakin tilted his head a bit, perhaps he heard what he said. The medical droid glances at the workbench to change the subject. “Might I ask, what exactly you are creating?” Anakin stared at him for a moment, then replied. “I’m constructing a new lightsaber; the old one fell through the depths of the second Death Star.”  “I see.” While Teefour didn’t know much about a Lightsaber, he knew that it was a plasma weapon that Lord Anakin carried on his side. He did wonder what had happened to it. “Hmm.” The droid went up to the workbench to examine it. While Teefour was no engineer he was still curious about the contraption. The saber wasn’t finished, as it was still in its skeleton phase, some components needed to be installed but other than that it would probably be ready within the hour. Though…”Doesn’t a saber require a crystal, how will you obtain one?” “I’ll figure that out, I trust that I will find one.” “Ah yes,” Teefur’s voice oozed sarcasm.”Because they are so abundant around the galaxy.”  Teefour might not know much about Lightsabers but he knew those crystals were hard to find, even during the days of the Clone Wars. Anakin snorted behind the mask. “I see your quips are as sharp as—“  “Lord Anakin?”    Obee was trundling towards the pair with a large, dented chest in tow. “You may want to see this,” he continued in a subdued tone. Now Teefour was curious. This quiet, somber attitude was very unlike the gregarious astromech. Teefour watched as Anakin opened it to reveal its contents and instantly the medical droid knew what they were. Lightsabers. Old trophies that were collected over years of battle. Anakin’s respirator went silent as he kneeled over to examine them, Teefour noticed how Anakin lingered on a few Lightsabers in particular; a pair of identical tapered hilts with rounded pommels, one long and one short, caked with dirt and rust. Teefour was sure that they couldn't work, until Lord VA — Anakin —  carefully picked up the shorter of the two and thumbed its activation switch.  With the iconic *snap-hiss* that none in the Galaxy could fail to recognize, a glowing blue blade sprang forth. Lord Anakin nodded, saying nothing as he set the saber and its mate down on the workbench, side by side. Then, he returned to look through the case, and more lightsabers emerged. Teefour could only watch as Lord Anakin silently lingered over each one he pulled out. An elegantly curved lightsaber with a claw-like guard. A simple hilt with a black, scalloped grip and silver accents. A silver hilt with practically no adornments; as spartan as they came. A saber with a red switch and a tapered pommel seemed to hum with static electricity. A stocky electrum-plated saber that glinted proudly in the light.  Finally, a thin, skeletal hilt that looked worn and sandblasted, but still exuded a quiet, aged dignity. One by one, Anakin placed them all onto the workbench in neat order. He handled them all with the utmost care like they were the flimsiest things in the galaxy and worth more than one hundred thousand Death Stars. Even though Teefour didn’t know who the original owners of these sabers belong to, by just staring at them with his optics, he knew each told their own story — stories that meant a great deal to the silent Lord Anakin. What were they to him? Trophies of his greatest conquests? Or, as the droid was beginning to suspect, something far more somber? Teefour was about to ask when Anakin straightened as suddenly as if he had been struck by lightning. The dark helmet snapped around to stare at Teefour — no, past him, through the meters of metal and hull to something outside, that only he could see. The Sith Lord rose to his feet. "Teefour. Obee." His voice was hard as steel. In a single moment, the softer posture had vanished, and once again Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and enforcer of the Emperor's will, stood before them. "Open the entrance ramp." For a moment, Teefour's internal processors stopped cold. Open the entrance ramp? For what reason would — then the realization came on him at once "Wait just a moment! You don't mean to say you're going outside, are you!?" For what reason would Lord Va — Anakin — want to disembark now, of all times? Who knew just how untamed, how unsanitary it was out there? Teefour considered himself a loyal and efficient droid, but even he had his limits. Lord Anakin stared at him for a moment, then spoke slowly. "I have felt distress in the Force, not too far from here. No doubt a local needs aid. I shall go and assist them." Teefour processed what he heard slowly — Lord Vader, going to save someone? Then he brought himself back to the moment. “Lord V-Anakin, you need to wait! I must finish the implantation process or you could overload your own body with the strain of combat.” The droid checked his instruments briefly. “And if you plan on doing more than just sitting all day.” The droid’s voice module glitched, causing its voice to stutter multiple times. “The ones in your shoulders especially are a vital part of your articulations. What’ll you do if they give out?” As always, Teefour’s advice was ignored by the former Sith. Instead, Anakin fumbled through his workshop, looking through several lightsabers from his collection. He paused when one came into view. It was an old thing kept mostly intact from being in storage for so long. Grabbing it, Anakin felt the previous owner’s strong emotion still bonded to it, but the former Sith was more powerful than they ever were and quickly suppressed and dismantled them. All this took but a second to Teefour but felt like ages to Anakin. The man quickly began going through his supplies and dismantling the saber temporarily at the same time with the force, looking for parts that needed replacement and getting to work. “While I am indeed fascinated by the coordination you can perform with your biological appendages, I must insist that we finish the surgical procedures!” The droid simulated a sigh. And I wish you could use those skills for medical procedures as well, he thought to himself. “I admire your zeal in fulfilling your programming, but I don’t have time to spend stuck in a vat while you cut me to ribbons,” Anakin protested. Teefour leaned back in shock. “I am a professional medical droid! I would never-!” “The force is odd in this world, but I could still feel a great ripple in it.” Anakin cut him off. He replaced the power cell of the saber and slowly reassembled it. “I feel that whoever is causing such a disturbance could prove beneficial to us.” He grunted and slacked briefly when his shoulders stung sharply but shook it off. “In what way?” Teefour asked. “Are they even capable of speech? Are they sentient, let alone sapient?” It raised a hand to protest, but Anakin cut it off. “Yes,” he answered bluntly. “Information is a prized possession in the unknown.” The man rotated the completed saber in front of his eyes and grimaced before gripping the hilt tightly. “But first, I have something for you,” he told Teefour. The former Sith pointed at the other droid on the monitor. “You two stay here. I…We won’t be long.” “What is it you have for me?” Teefour asked. Anakin moved opposite his workshop to a locker and had to force it open. The impact had damaged the locking mechanism, revealing several dusty weapons that hadn’t seen the light of day in many, many years. He fumbled through the mess and pulled out a heavy, primitive-looking gun made from rusted metal. It almost looked like a blaster, but the metallic shape and the lack of any plasma condensers lining the barrel and energy cell holder made it apparent that this was something else entirely. Teefour realized it was also very weighty once Anakin passed it to him. “This is a slug-thrower,” Anakin explained. He passed the droid several massive metal bolts of some kind, which the droid struggled to hold. “I will need you to support me with this.” “B-b-but, I’m a medical droid! I can’t kill —” "Even when one who is both your lord and your patient is going into a dangerous situation?" Lord Anakin cut him off bluntly. Anakin gestured to the machine to settle down. “If this world is indeed primitive, then just firing that off once will be more than enough to scare off any threats.” Besides, he knew that Teefour's combat protocols were intact, as much as the droid detested them. The droid was programmed to be a combat medic after all. But it’s been years since those protocols have been activated, and he’s not even sure he even has them anymore… Teefour looked down at the weapon and grumbled in frustration. “Fine, but afterward you’re finishing the surgical procedures, and I won’t hear another word of protest nor me being ignored!” it huffed. Teefour hefted the slugthrower, noting the long barrel and large scope, and followed Lord Anakin down the hallway towards the exit ramp, running through his combat subroutines and activating them one by one. The final subroutine kicked in just as he stepped off the ramp, and cold purpose and a little bit of anticipation filled him. The surgeries could wait. "Confirmation: HK subroutines enacted. Heading to the combat zone." He chambered a round into the slugthrower. There were meatbags to fry. This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker, for now: You stride down the dented and oil-stained ramp as fast as you can walk. The instant your feet touch the ground, you throw all caution to the wind and begin to run, the whispers of this way, this way, and hurry-hurry-hurry from the Force urging you to go faster. Trees blur past you as you run, the sun hidden from view. You dash through shadow and gloom, your senses reaching out and guiding your path when your eyes fail you. You ignore the tearing pain in your shoulders, the jarring shock traveling up your hips each time your foot strikes the ground. You pay no heed to the fact that you seem to be breathing a little harder than usual, that it takes a tiny bit more effort to move your arms and legs than you remember it should be. You put aside thoughts of pain or regret.  You shunt aside nostalgia, the grief of seeing relics of the past, weapons that are all that remain of those who you called friend and enemy in the same breath. Your brothers and sisters. Your victims. You ignore the taunting glint of electrum at your hip, reminding you of the warrior who made it — the stern, stalwart swordsman who was first to feel your traitorous blade through his flesh. You forget the taunting grin of Master — dead, dead, dead, you remind yourself — as he presents it to you twenty-two years ago, a trophy of your “first true victory,” in his words.  You keep ignoring the familiar, mounting cold-dead star-dragon of worry over your son, doing only Force knows what over at Force knows where. He’s a grown man, a better man, a better Jedi, a better Knight than you ever hoped you could be. He can handle himself. You focus on the here and now, on the constant pull of the Force, the sharp feeling of distress and fear that is not your own, guiding you like a beacon. You focus on the fact that right now, there is someone who needs help; someone who is within your reach. And no matter how many you have killed — or perhaps because of them — you cannot bring yourself to let this one die. You are close enough to see glimpses of movement in the shadows of the forest around you — blurs of brown and moldy green. You even see a flicker of pale yellow once or twice.  You are closer now. You now hear grating snarls that would put a pack of wild anooba to shame — and rising over that, a high-pitched shriek of terror. A new rush of fear rolls over you in the Force, and glimpses from a field of vision, not yours flash through your mind. You see Kyugee, lying on the ground screeching helplessly, you see burning green eyes and gnashing teeth and the forest around you and the little yellow-and-red form looking at you with large, terrified eyes — a child —  Then you are suddenly in a large dark room with the lights and spires of Coruscant visible through the massive windows.  You hear a voice in front of you, small and afraid. “Master Skywalker! There’s too many of them! What are we going to do?” You hear your lightsaber ignite, and see blue (purple) light fill the room to reveal the youngling looking up with the same fearful eyes, scared, pleading as the saber comes down—  Then the old furnace in your heart ignites as if both of Tatooine’s suns have ignited within, and the image burns away in nuclear fire, and the last you see as you charge into a clearing is a group of hunched brown shapes surrounding two smaller, brighter figures before all else fades into red, red, red. This is how it feels to be Darth Vader, right now. Apple Bloom and Fluttershy rushed through the forest, dodging the stray branches and sharp thorns appearing in their path. Ahead of them, Kyugee was rolling forward as fast as he wheels could carry him, whistling shrilly all the way. Behind them came the aggressive panting and snarling of the pursuing timberwolves, and the prospect of being caught by them filled the ponies with panic and more adrenaline. “Hurry, Apple Bloom!” Fluttershy panicked. “If we can get to the forest edge we’ll be safe.” Apple Bloom, having much less experience with this kind of outcome, nodded energetically. Her little legs and lungs were burning from the effort, but the fear of ending up torn to pieces by those monsters was motivation enough to push through the pain, and thanks to the damage suffered by the forest, it was significantly easier to gallop through. Fluttershy knew that the two wouldn’t be able to run away forever, but she just couldn’t find a good position to pick up Apple Bloom. Fallen trees, charred stones, and upturned boulders blocked any attempts to carry the filly away. Fluttershy grumbled to herself. She had almost managed to take Apple Bloom away a few seconds earlier, but the pursuing Timberwolves jumped up toward the filly. Fluttershy let go at the last second, letting the wolve’s jaws snap onto air and tumble onto the ground from the surprise. Several of the pursuing wolves became tangled up on impact, throwing dust and yipes of pain into the air. Another attempt was almost successful, but the filly was grabbed by a wolf. The sudden weight shift flipped everyone around. Fluttershy’s grip on the filly was strong enough that, when they crashed, the wolf was sent flying. The brush with death made Apple Bloom and her body finally break down. The exhaustion was too much for her to deal with and she collapsed into a crying mess. Fluttershy did her best to shield the filly with her wings, but every movement of her wings brought about a sharp pain. “It’s going to be okay, Apple Bloom,” Fluttershy tried to reassure. “We’ll be alright. We’ll get out of this and meet up with Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith, okay?” Try as she might, the filly wouldn’t stop crying and screaming uncontrollably. Even in the midst of this life-threatening situation, Fluttershy hadn’t lost her affinity for animals and realized that the wolves weren’t moving forward despite having surrounded them. Fluttershy observed them, followed their gaze, and turned around. “Eep!” she squeaked. One of the wolves snarled at the pair and broke off of the pack, fully intent on taking out its pack’s future meals, and so it pounced.  The ponies instinctively shut their eyes, but the strike didn’t come. Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes to see that the timberwolf was floating in the air, futilely snapping its jaws unable to gain purchase on any surface. Before anyone could register what was happening, the hound was violently ripped backward, howling, into the wall of black smoke coming from the languishing forest. The wolf’s claws dug deep trenches into the ground as it tried to escape by pulling itself out of the veil, only for it to be violently pulled back. Its howling lasted a good five seconds until it was silenced by a sudden sickening crunch of wood. Nothing left. No sounds. No struggling. No movement in the black curtain. The wolves jittered and yelped loudly in place, trying to figure out what had happened to their pack member. The silence was broken by the sound of very heavy footsteps, and as they grew louder so did another sound reach everyone’s ears. A strange rasping noise, like the death rattle of a greater predator, one that makes even timberwolves nervous. The noise grew louder and louder until Fluttershy realized it was indeed the sound of breathing — slow and measured, like some kind of machine. Through the curtain of black emerged a gigantic figure upon which the smoke glued and flowed across its body like a log surfacing above water. A black, metallic body the likes of which the pony had never seen before. Its imposing figure squashed the mare down harder than the active threat that the timberwolves posed, and it had simply walked into view. The longer Fluttershy gazed at the monstrous giant, the colder she felt and the more she felt her soul getting crushed by its sheer presence and the nameless fear it produced within her. Suddenly its gaze was upon her. The hairs on her neck stuck up further, she knew nothing of this creature nay. What this thing is. But behind those glassy red eyes, she spotted an intelligence comparable to her own, it was frightening her. It regarded Fluttershy for a moment before turning to face the timberwolves that growled loudly. The Timberwolves snarled and snapped their jaws at the creature, yet they did not charge toward it. They glared at the creature warily, despite their size and numbers. One of the Timberwolves was braver than the rest and ran towards the creature, it used it and then leaped into the air. Claws out and teeth bared. And then it happened.  Snap-hiss It was so quick that even Fluttershy, who had seen Rainbow Dash at her quickest, had trouble following it. All she saw was a black blur. With a familiar snap-hiss, there was an explosion of purple flame and a sharp howl. Then suddenly two halves of the Timberwolf tumbled to the ground. Fluttershy let out a gasp. The creature had moved to a new spot on its torso leaned down and its legs positioned back, in the creature's hand a purple blade of light shone brightly it hummed like a low hum of electricity. She heard Apple Bloom gasp with surprise, and it was easy to see why. In the hands of the creature was a familiar cylinder-shaped object only this time it was colored gold. ‘So that’s what it was; a weapon,’ she thought. Her eyes trailed toward the Timberwolf that had been struck cleanly, despite the char. The creature stood up fully as it regarded the now endangered Timberwolves. Three more decided to charge at the giant, but as one of them was decapitated during its leap, leaving the body to bounce weakly against its killer’s body. Fluttershy watched as the black giant backhanded another, and like an executioner of old, bisected the third wolf from the middle of its head, causing the pegasus to feel very sick. The giant kicked the timber wolf’s wooden corpse off as it refocused its gaze on the remaining aggressor.  Its wooden face was caved in on the side, broken wooden teeth hanging loosely as greenish sap in place of blood gushed from its wounds, almost like a hammer had been taken to its skull. It stumbled back onto its feet to stare at the monolith of black in fear. It tried to run off but was never given the chance. The creature thrust its hand out and, without warning, the timber wolf began floating in the air, panicking. The giant then balled its hand into a fist, and the timberwolf let out a quick yelp before it imploded on itself with a resounding crack and a weak tumbling of wood chips. Its mangled corpse was then tossed towards the rest of the pact, frightening them. The wolves scrambled out of the way as their former pack mate slammed into a tree. Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was seeing. This wasn’t a battle, this was a slaughter, and that's a term Fluttershy never thought she’d use. Apple Bloom hadn’t said a word. She glanced at the young filly, who was also watching the whole thing with wide eyes, like her whole life was starting to change, and Fluttershy felt the same. The wolves probably realized that they couldn’t take down the new predator easily, and all of them, the remaining pack, began to circle the creature. None of them moved within the reach of that terrible blade, wary after the example done on their pack mates. There was a misconception about timberwolves. Most ponies would assume that they were mindless beasts. Dark magic taking the form of a wolf and using wood as their bodies.  This was not the case. Timberwolves were a lot smarter than they were given credit for, something Fluttershy knew from watching them hunt. One of them got close and snapped its jaws at the creature, trying to goad it into attacking again. Others began to follow suit; some did mock charges or leaps but it didn’t seem to be working. Those that came too close were suddenly pushed away by what seemed to be nothing but air, slamming into trees or vanishing into the shadows. One of the wolves seemed to get impatient and charged in, snapping its jaws on the cape and then yanking it back, forcing the creature to stumble back.  The other wolves took advantage of this perceived weakness and began to converge on their prey. One of them leaped forward and clamped its jaws onto the creature's sword. Fluttershy expected a howl or a shriek of pain, yet none came other than a muffled grunt. The other wolves charged in to pile onto the armored giant, and one dived down for his throat. Suddenly, a loud CRACK split the air, and the Timberwolf slumped forward with a splintered, smoking hole in its head. The other monsters had frozen at the sound, staring at their fallen packmate. Then two more sharp cracks rang out in quick succession, and two more heads shattered into flying splinters. The rest immediately scattered, more from the noise than from seeing their packmates drop dead with no explanation. In just a few seconds, there was nothing in the clearing except the two ponies, the dark giant kneeling on the ground, and the smoking, crushed, and perforated remains of no less than six timberwolves. Silence reigned in the clearing, save for the heavy, metallic breathing from the giant, now wheezing and labored. Slowly, she began to approach the slumped giant, before a rhythmic thump, thump, thump, thump, stopped her short. Slowly, another hulking figure strode out of the darkness, carrying something long and thin. It stared at her for a moment with its bright flashlight eyes. Seeming to ignore her as a threat, it slowly turned its head around, searching for any movement. Finding none, it stumped towards the first giant, throwing a comment over its shoulder in a grating voice. "Reassurance: I am not here to harm you, so don't panic, meatbag. I must attend to my master first, then I'll see to your wounds." Fluttershy could only blink in confusion, before silently going to check on Apple Bloom, leaving the newcomer to his work. A bullet shell was ejected out of the rifle and onto the ground with the rest.  Teefour glanced down to the sniper rifle. He nodded in satisfaction, impressed by the slugthrower’s performance despite its age and condition and the power it produced. Perhaps he should have Obee restore it, or even improve it; such a tool, in Teefour’s optics, should not go to waste. He had to admit, while he usually didn't like activating the combat subroutines, it felt good to be back in action after so long. Maybe it was his security droid base code talking, but he did so enjoy pulverizing rambunctious meatbags. He stepped out of his hiding spot and made his way to his master, only stopping along the way to set Kyugee back on his wheels. A quick, seconds-long exchange of binary between the two brought Teefour up to speed, then the droid sped over to the other side of the clearing, clearly worried for its newfound companions. Anakin was still kneeled over, winded it would seem. An alarm pinged from his medical subroutines, but he set it aside. It wasn't wise or efficient to perform field dressings without making sure the area was secure. Still, it was odd, Teefour thought. Usually, he wouldn’t be this tired. Compared to the reports that Teefour had read, battling those creatures should have been a cakewalk.  So what was—? His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a whine, he glanced to the source of the sound which gained the attention of the others.  One of those wooden creatures was still alive despite its lower half being sliced by a lightsaber. Its eyes were flickering like an old light bulb about to burn out. Teefour should hasten its end. He casually strolled towards the wooden creature that was dragging half of its body away from Anakin. Teefour stepped in front of it, halting its advance. The wooden canid looked up at the droid, showing the fear in its dying eyes. Good. And he unloaded another bullet on its head, making it explode from the proximity. Satisfied of the certain kill, Teefour ejected another bullet and made his way to Anakin, who was slowly standing back up. “Teasing question: So, Lord Anakin, was that a good stroll?”  Lord Anakin snorted; the unusual sound warped even further through the vocoder. The former sith slowly got up, unsteadily, patting his dirty shoulders and cape. The purple blade of the lightsaber quickly retracted as he hooked the electrum-plated hilt to his belt. It always puzzled Teefour why his synthesizer changed his voice so much when the HK subroutine was activated — not to mention the strange habit of prefacing a sentence with its contextual purpose. Perhaps it interfered somehow with the programming? No matter. He didn't need the dulcet, cultivated tones of Wilhuff Tarkin to blast meatbags. Besides, his master needed more attention than frivolous ruminations — and that wasn't even mentioning the two meatbags behind him. Kyugee hovered around them, whistling and warbling in worry. “Query: So you are the ones Kyugee had been leading to us?” Teefour asked, looking the pai up and down. “Fascination: I never thought we would land on a world populated with equid meatbags, especially one with intelligence and…wings.” “Indeed,” Lord Anakin agreed. He turned his gaze to the two ponies. “Now might I ask who you are?” The larger, pink hair equine spoke first. “I-I-I’m F-F-Flut-ttershy!” she managed to squeak out. She was clearly not a very strong-willed individual, Teefour could tell. The smaller one with the red  mane limped forward; Its forelimb appeared injured. “I-I’m Apple Bloom…” Teefour cut off any prolonged conversation. "Observation: these two meatbags seem to be injured, master. The little one in particular seems to have a sprained limb, at least." Anakin turned to better regard Apple Bloom, who shrunk away a little bit from the helmet's blank stare. "I-it does smart somethin'," she mumbled. Teefour nodded and continued on. "Addendum: And the larger, squeaking meatbag — Fluttershy, was it — seems to be favoring her left wing, judging from what I can see of its structure from here. Suggestion: it would be wiser to bring the two to our vessel for medical care and safety? It would provide us more time and leisure to discuss matters." There was an agreeing whistle from Kyugee, who was regarding Fluttershy with his large photoreceptor. Anakin nodded after a few seconds. "True. Then, we should not waste any more time here. Those creatures will likely return, and in greater numbers. It is the way of predators." He looked at Apple Bloom and gestured. The filly was suddenly lifted off her hooves, suspended by what seemed to be only air. She let out a startled little squeak and squirmed a bit in midair, hovering just a yard or so behind Anakin's shoulder as he began to walk back to the ship. Teefour was both amused and a little sympathetic; he always felt Lord Anakin's display of 'the Force' a little unnerving. He turned to Fluttershy, who was staring up at the hovering Apple Bloom with wide eyes. "Invitation: after you, madam," Teefour intoned, gesturing after the retreating pair with his slugthrower. Fluttershy squeaked and immediately trotted after Anakin, walking quickly to catch up to the man. Teefour brought up the rear, slugthrower at the ready. Kyugee came up next to him, keeping pace. Behind them, faint, distant howls broke the tense silence. It wouldn't be long before the odd little group reached the starship. Then, Anakin's and Teefour would get the answers they were looking for.