//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Revan // by Perception Filter //------------------------------// Revan Chapter 1 Revan sat alone in the cockpit of his starship, the Ebon Hawk. He hadn’t always been alone. Once, a long time ago, he had enjoyed the company of several others, who aided him in his journeys. But, over the years they had all left him to pursue other interests, or had died in combat. So he was alone. To be frank, he actually enjoyed being alone sometimes. The quiet, the solitude. His ship drifted out here, in the blackness of space, in between stars. His reason for being here was a simple one; after he had defeated Malak, more of his memories returned and he saw a great threat in the unknown regions of space. The Sith. They lurked here, building a massive empire to strike back at the Jedi and Republic, who had grievously wounded them. Revan sensed that this issue was more one of pride than anything else. And who else but the Sith to be prideful? Why attack the Republic when they had their own empire here? That was something he intended to find out, when he found out where to go. But for now, he drifted in the darkness, travelling between star systems, refueling at some fringe planets, making small trips into the unknown, small bits a time. So, when he was done resting, he powered up his ship and entered the next set of coordinates, to the system of Xcorpon, a system that was briefly scanned and then left, because none of it’s planets had enough resources to qualify it for habitation by both the Republic, and Empire. The reason Revan was going there was because he had no other leads at the moment. Besides, there was always the slim chance that there might be something there. ~~~~~ High up on a mountain, there sat a city. Of this city, there was no equal, of splendor or prosperity. The shining city of Canterlot stood as a monument to all of pony-kind’s dedication; to their ability to conquer any odds. It was deep in the night, with Luna’s moon rising above the world, bathing it in an eerie light; which foals feared. In the royal gardens of Canterlot castle, Princess Luna wandered among the many statues, the light of her moon making their shadows dance and twirl. The sharpened stone edges of the statues seem to press in on her, another trick of the light, and their eyes seemed to follow her, yet she was not afraid. She liked it in fact, the darkness. She was often saddened and weighed down by the fact that others did not, and tonight was no different. She had nothing to do, unless she wanted to be cooped up in her room, reading or taking small naps so she couldn’t sleep during the day. And this also saddened her, that nopony shared the night with her. While everyone slept soundly, she was alone. Eventually, she spotted an empty bench, and took a seat. She sat there, and laid back, looking at her stars, and their positions in the sky. That is when she noticed that there was one that shouldn’t be there, right between Ursa Major and Equa Caballa. It didn’t shine nearly as bright as many of the other stars that populated the black night, but it was visible nonetheless. She brought her hoof to her chin and scratched it, wondering what this new star was. She didn’t put it there, and to her knowledge, neither did her sister, although she wouldn’t know why Celestia would do something like that. Of course, it might have been a natural occurrence. Although rare, stars did occur naturally, and if they were, they would be moved into new constellations, or to added to old ones, with the formal announcement of them, of course. But, still. It was an odd occurrence. Luna decided that she would ask Celestia about it, and then decide on what to do with the star. But in the meantime, it would have to be moved to a less noticeable location. Concentrating her magic, she channeled the power in her horn, and willed the star to move, but nothing happened. Blinking, she shook her head and tried again, only to be met with the same stubborn proneness. Luna frowned and hunched forward, biting her lip as she tried to move the star, concentrating with all her might, yet still nothing happened. Unable to contain her frustration, she cried out, and stood up abruptly. She seethed, and let loose all of her fury in the form of a glare at the star, but it paid her no notice. It was mocking her, Luna decided. After staring at the star for a few more moments, to no avail, she turned her nose up at it, and marched away. She would no longer dignify it with her mighty gaze. As she marched away, she heard a faint wind, and looked up to see Celestia descending from her balcony. She touched down on the grass softly and looked at her sister. “Is something wrong Luna?” she asked in a gentle voice. “Tis nothing sister, we are simply enjoying the night air,” she said, waving a hoof at the gardens. Celestia giggled a bit at her sisters old dialect, and smiled. “You know Luna, you never were very good at lying.” “W-what? We are not lying! Your accusation offends us!” Luna defended, stuttering incredulously. “Luna, you don’t have to lie to me. If something’s wrong, you can tell me,” Celestia said, putting a wing around Luna. She looked at Celestia for a moment, as if to contemplate if it was worth telling her, before lowering her head. “Tis me sister. Your little ponies do not like me, not as they like you. They do not trust me.” “Luna, you just have to give it time. They will not accept you right away, not after...” Celestia trailed off, realizing where she had driven the conversation. “After what, sister? After I nearly plunged the world into eternal night?!” Luna scowled as she said this, accusing her sister with her eyes. “That isn’t what I mean—” “Then what did you mean?” Luna snapped. “It already happened, and there’s nothing We can do to change it...” She sighed, then said, “We are a monster...” “Luna!” Celestia said in shock. “Why would you say that?” “Because it’s true!” Luna groaned, looking away from Celestia and gazing at the sky. “And not even the sky will listen to us anymore...” “What are you talking about Luna?” “The sky!” she cried. “Not even the stars of our own domain will obey us anymore. They refuse to obey our commands.” Celestia looked at her sister with concern, and spoke, “Show me what you mean.” Luna looked up and examined Celestia’s face for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure if she was genuinely concerned with her, then searched the sky for a moment, then pointed at the stubborn star she had encountered earlier. “Right there,” she said, pointing. “That star right there will not move, no matter what we do. Do you see it?” Celestia did indeed see the star Luna was talking about, and started tapping her chin thoughtfully. It wasn’t supposed to be there, and it could not be moved. As if to confirm what Luna said, her horn lit up and she tried herself to move the star, yet when it didn’t budge, she released her hold on her magic. “Luna, this is indeed odd. When did you discover this star?” she asked. “Just tonight, as we were walking around.” Luna then hung her head low and muttered something unintelligible. Celestia sighed and put a wing over her sister’s shoulder. “Luna, it’s okay. You just have to give our little ponies time to like you. As for the star,” her face scrunched up as she spoke. “I do not know why it is doing this, but there is nothing more you can do for tonight. You should head to bed; it’s almost time for me to raise the sun.” Luna looked up in surprise, and noticed the pre-dawn glow. She had been so wrapped up in brooding, she hadn’t noticed the time go past. She let out a small, humorless chuckle and pulled away from Celestia. “You are right, sister. We should not worry about such things.” Celestia smiled when she saw Luna perk up. “Farewell sister,” Luna cried as she took off, and flew away. “Have a good sleep, Luna,” Celestia said, more to herself than anyone else. ~~~~~ Revan flicked a few switches in the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk, and was gently pulled forward as the ship slowly came out of Hyperspace. The stars slowly came into focus, and he could see the planet below him. It was, for the most part, covered in green vegetation, and on the dark side of the planet, he could see lights of some sprawling cities. However, none of these details held his attention for more than a second, because, directly in front of him, was a large Sith cruiser, a fair distance away from their moon. Revan guessed that the Sith were here to do something with the planets inhabitants. Something sinister. What was more, was that Revan was actually surprised he had found anything here. The last time the system was scanned, nothing was there. Frowning beneath his mask, he pushed the throttle forward and gently approached the Sith cruiser. A brief thought flicked through his mind, something about a sleeping giant, but he paid it no mind; if he had to, he could always flee. The Ebon Hawk was the fastest ship in the galaxy, and Revan had no doubts that he could get away from the Sith cruiser. Slowly, ever so slowly, the Ebon hawk approached the cruiser. So far, it showed no signs of noticing him. In fact, if Revan hadn’t known better he would’ve sworn that the cruiser had just been abandoned. But the Empire wouldn’t do that, not with how much money it cost to build something this large. Suddenly, and without warning, the cruiser began to move, and the engines flared a bright blue as they tried to get the giant beast moving. Revan reacted instantly and jerked his ship around, trying to put as much space between himself and the ship’s guns as he could, but his efforts were in vain. Before he could even blink, the cruisers weapons powered up and began to fill the vacuum of space with red lasers, intent on destroying his ship. Within a second, the Ebon Hawk was hit, and as the ship lurched, he hit his head violently on the dashboard, and blacked out. ~~~~~ It was a fine day in Canterlot. After Celestia had raised her sun, ponies of all ages slowly woke up and started to go about their daily business in the magnificent city. Small colts and fillies went to school, much to their dismay, and the adults went to work, or started to go about daily errands. Above all, Celestia stood upon her balcony, observing everything from her perch, like an eagle. In a few hours, it would be time for Day Court, and she would have to sit through the tedious process of her ponies bringing their squabbles, petty or large, to her, to settle. She did not relish the idea, yet she knew it was necessary. Until then she waited, and watched over her domain. When she looked down towards Ponyville, she thought of Twilight and her adventures in friendship. The mere thought of her student, always faithful, made a smile come to her face. As if it had been waiting for a cue, a flash of green fire and smoke popped in front of her face, and a letter materialized. She broke the seal and unrolled it, then began to read. Dear Princess Celestia         It has come to my attention that there is a new star in the sky between Ursa Major and Equa Caballa. This star is not a scheduled appearance, and I wish to notify you, in case you have not noticed, which is less than likely. I was up at night stargazing, but Spike was asleep so I couldn’t send you a letter at night.         I hope that you take action to rectify this error, as several ponies must be severely burdened and inconvenienced by this issue. Your faithful student         Twilight Sparkle Celestia smiled again, and took out a blank paper and replied, reading aloud as she wrote. Dear Twilight Sparkle         I am glad to see that you remain vigilant in your studies outside of friendship, and Luna and I are already aware of the existence of the new star, and she and I are hard at work trying to fix it. I eagerly look forward to your next report on your studies.         Celestia With that, she rolled up the letter, slipped a royal seal on it, and sent it on it’s way with a flash of golden magic. She looked out over her city again, and walked back inside and was surprised to see her sister sitting on her bed, waiting patiently for her. Celestia frowned as she beheld the look upon Luna’s face. “Luna, are you okay?” For a moment, she didn’t respond, just staring at Celestia. “Sister, I think something is about to happen...” “Luna? What’s that supposed to mean?” Celestia asked in confusion “Sister... While we slept, we saw something. Something we did not understand,” Luna said, looking away from Celestia. “What is it?” she asked, walking closer to her sister. Once again, Luna did not respond immediately, and instead started to look all over the room, as if it had suddenly become more interesting. Finally, Luna looked at Celestia, and as they locked eyes, she spoke. “Sister, something is coming, and I fear it will bring more chaos than Discord could ever dream of.” ~~~~~ Twilight was sound asleep in her library tree-house. At the foot of her bed, lay Spike, snoring soundly. Throughout the house, all was silent, and almost nothing was moving. This was the case for most of Ponyville, with the exception of one mint-green mare, who went by the name of Lyra. She was walking along the empty streets, trying to clear her head. It had been a long day, and she needed the night to take a breather. Rent money was getting thin, and her friend and landlord, Bon-Bon, couldn’t let her keep her apartment much longer. She cringed at the thought of losing her lodging. Her job, which usually consisted of playing her lyre in the park, or playing small time concerts. It was usually enough to pay the bills with a little to save away, but as of lately, less and less people had been attending, and the implications were a bit hard to take. After wandering the town for a few hours, Lyra eventually made it to “her” park bench, the one she usually played on. She sighed mournfully and sat down to gaze at the night sky. ‘ ‘At least it’s pretty...’ she mused. And indeed, it truly was a beautiful night. As she gazed across the boundless reaches of space, she noticed a particularly bright star. Normally, Lyra didn’t consider herself an astronomer, but she knew a fair amount about the sky, and enough to know that the knew, brightly glowing star, was out of place. In fact, she thought, it seemed to be getting bigger...