//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Voice from the Past // Story: Worlds Intertwined // by Wannabe Scholar //------------------------------// “Sister, are you sure this is true?” Luna asked quietly from her seat in the chariot. The wind breezed through Celestia’s mane as she stared at her sister. “I am, Luna. It’s been a millennium, but I’m sure. From what Twilight wrote in her letter, everything seems to match.” “But we may be rushing into this. For all we know, this could be some mistake. You said yourself Twilight Sparkle had rushed through her letter.” Luna almost chewed the inside of her cheek as she doubted her own words. “We still have to know. What Twilight found may help us learn what happened in the Everfree Forest,” Celestia said, mentally adding, And hopefully answer some questions. “And what if it’s nothing?” Luna posed the question. She opened her mouth, but one of the pegasi pulling of the chariot announced, “Your highnesses! We’re arriving at Ponyville!” The two princesses looked over the edge and saw the town in the distance. “We’ll soon found, sister,” Celestia said as Ponyville seemingly grew bigger. The chariot landed in the town square some moments later and the princesses’ arrival did not go unnoticed. Some ponies who went back to sleep less than an hour ago, slowly stirred and were surprised to find Equestria’s rulers in their town. Just as they dismounted the chariot, both heard a small cry of “Princess Luna!” and they turned to see who it was. Luna was certainly surprised to see a familiar pinto colt. “Pipsqueak?” Pipsqueak rushed up to the Night Princess and hugged her leg. “It’s good to see you!” he said gleefully through his thick Trottingham accent. “It is good to see you too, Pipsqueak,” Luna gave a small smile as she returned the hug. Celestia would have smiled if she did not notice Pipsqueak was not the only one up. Curious mutters and whispers grew louder with the ponies slowly crowded into the town square. Only two royal guards, the pegasi pulling the chariot, managed to keep the crowd at bay. “Luna,” Celestia said as she glanced over to Luna, who quickly noticed the crowd as well. “I’ll deal with the crowd. Head over to Twilight’s.” “Can I come?” Pipsqueak asked excitedly as he released himself from Luna. Luna looked down to him with an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid not. It is late and you should return to bed.” “But I want…” Pipsqueak started, but Luna cut him off. “I’ll see you another time. We can play then.” The colt looked up at the Night Princess. “Promise?” A smile formed on Luna’s muzzle. “I promise.” “Alright!” And so, Pipsqueak gleefully turned around and was soon out of sight. Luna’s smile did not leave her, at least not until she saw her smirking sister. “What?” Luna asked. “Nothing, sister,” Celestia faced the crowd of ponies, “nothing at all.” Luna ignored it as she turned to leave and unfurled her wings. She took flight to leave as Celestia addressed the crowd of ponies in the town square. Silence fell over the Golden Oaks Library as Twilight blinked at the ghostly creature in front of her. Her friends stared at the being as well, but it was a mixture of fear and confusion. Twilight’s gaze was of curiosity focused on the being–this “Darth Bane,” as it gave its name moments ago. Before anypony could ask anything, there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” Spike rushed to the door with relief. The ponies, finally happy to look away from Bane’s ghostly being, were surprised to see Princess Luna at the door. “Princess Luna!” said Twilight as she trotted the princess. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming!” Luna dismissed the worried tone. “There’s no need for formalities, Twilight Sparkle. This visit was unannounced.” “If you don’t mind me asking, your highness,” Rarity spoke up, “But aren’t you and Princess Celestia supposed to be back at Canterlot?” “We were. We both left after reading your letter and…” Luna trailed when she saw the holocron, and her eyes flickered with fear and shock.. Luna finally asked, “Is that what you found in the Everfree Forest?” “It is,” Twilight said, glancing at the holocron. “It wasn’t too far from the craft we found. There were also a few other things that…” “How did you activate the holocron?” Twilight was taken back. How did the princess know about this? Nonetheless, Twilight answered. “I… I’m not sure. I think I turned it on when I tried to use some of my magic. Then, it just started saying things like Jedi and Sith. I can’t make any sense of it.” Her eyes went to the holocron, then to Luna. “Princess Luna, just what is that?” Luna drew out a long sigh. “My sister would be better explaining this than I, but I shall try.” She stepped through the small crowd around her “That is a holocron. It is a repository that a pony records their life’s information for others to learn from.” “So it’s like one of those fancy films?” asked Applejack. “In a sense, but holocrons are unique.” Luna’s gaze went to the ghostly image of Bane. “What you see is an imprint of the holocron’s creator, a gatekeeper to interact with living beings and teach.” Rainbow spoke up, “So what do we do then? Talk to it?” “Yes.” Everypony was surprised at Luna’s straightforward answer, but no of them objected. Luna stepped forward was about to take a step forward when Twilight spoke. “Be careful, princess. We still don’t know what this 'holocron' can do. It could be dangerous.” “And he’s a big meanie-pants!” Pinkie piped in. “I shall keep that in mind,” the princess said. All eyes followed Luna as she went to the floating image–the gatekeeper, as she called it. The others could only wonder if this Darth Bane would not be as forceful to Luna as he was with them. Bane’s avatar studied the princess with much curiosity. “There is much power in you. More so than I have ever felt in a thousand years… for an animal such as yourself.” Luna’s nostrils flared. “I am no animal. I am Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria and Herald of the Night. I suggest you watch your tone when speaking to me, Sith.” Surprise flashed across the cold gaze. “So, you know what I am,” he finally stated. “I recognize the holocron’s shape,” she nodded, “and I’m well aware of the power you wield. It won’t work on me.” Bane’s gaze hardened, if that were even more possible. “Who has told you of the Sith?” Luna’s gaze matched Bane’s. “Why should I tell you?” “Because whoever told you must have trained you,” he answered coolly. “You’re strong in the Force. I can feel it. There are even small hints of the Dark Side on you.” The princess slightly twitched. No doubt, he was referring to Luna’s time as Nightmare Moon. “Once, I touched its power, but I’ve rejected it. It never did me any good.” “If you think that, then you’re a fool.” The ponies and Spike almost gasped at the insult. “Alright, that’s it! Nopony talks to the princess like that and gets away–” Rainbow shouted and ready to pounce but Luna stopped her. “I can handle this, Rainbow Dash. There is no need to be concerned.” The princess stared back at Bane. “I know what your power can do and what you do, Sith. All your kind ever care about is to conquer and rule. I hope the Jedi finally put an end to your evil.” “The Jedi?” Bane’s avatar snorted. “All they ever are is fools blinded by their need to serve even more fools. Hoth was no different.” Finally, Luna’s hardened face broke into shock. “You… you knew Lord Hoth?” she managed to ask. The gatekeeper studied Luna for a moment, then said, “Ah, I see. So he was here at one time. I never met him, but I know of him… and I know his fate.” A smile formed on his face. “Would you like to know what happened?” “No, I don’t!” Luna said, but a small quiver nearly betrayed her. All of the ponies watched. Twilight glanced between the holocron and the princess. This Darth Bane was trapping Princess Luna, trying to rustle her feathers, and it seemed like it was working. Suddenly, the holocron was momentarily covered in a yellow aura. Its avatar was surprise while its body collapsed into the blue light. The light was swallowed whole by the holocron, which clattered on the table, no longer active. “I believe that’s enough of that,” said a familiar voice. Everypony, partially relieved to be rid of the frightening being, turned to the entrance. Twilight, as with Luna, was the first to step forward and greet her mentor. “Princess Celestia!” “It is good to see you, my student,” Celestia smiled as she trotted in. “I’ve seen to all the ponies. They’ve returned to their homes and the guards are posted near the Everfree Forest. They should let us know if anything else happens.” Luna stepped passed the others and her eyes met Celestia’s. “Sister, I…” “It’s alright, Luna,” Celestia told her softly. She noticed the curious glances, then she looked back at Luna. “You should go outside and wait at the chariot. I’ll join you shortly.” With a silent nod, Luna closed the door behind, leaving her sister in the library. Celestia heard Luna flying away before she turned to the others. “I know you all want answers,” Celestia began, “and I’m not sure if I can give them all to you. But if you wish to ask, you should do it now. You may not have another chance.” From the group, Applejack spoke up. “Princess… just what was that? Princess Luna said it was some avatar or somethin’.” “Yes, and it kept on mentioning about light and dark,” Rarity added. “Yeah,” Rainbow chimed in. “It even said something about a ‘Lord Hoth.’ Princess Luna seemed to know him.” Celestia’s eyes flickered with surprise, but only a moment. Twilight stepped forward. “Please princess,” she said, “do you know anything about this?” Celestia met the gaze of her ever-curious pupil and sighed softly, “I do, but this may take a while.” She looked around her. “Perhaps, you all should sit down. It is quite a story.” Moments later, Celestia took a seat in the library. The Elements of Harmony and their baby dragon friend sat around, eagerly waiting for their princess to begin. Taking in a long breath, Celestia did. ““The story begins over a thousand years ago, back when Luna and I ruled together. A strange light fell from the sky and crashed nearby our castle, so Luna and I went to investigate. What we soon realized that it was not a meteorite but a strange, metal craft, and inside of it was a creature unlike anything in Equestria. That creature’s name was Hoth.” Celestia paused for a moment. “Hoth was unlike any creature. He was what he’d call a human. They’re like minotaurs in many respects. They can walk and two legs and have arms, but humans only have hair on their heads.” “So wait,” Spike interrupted, “If he wasn’t like anything in Equestria, where did he come from then? Another land?” Celestia smiled at him. “Much farther than that, Spike. Hoth’s home was far, far away from here. Another world, in fact.” Surprise almost overtook everypony around the sun princess. “Hold on!” Rainbow halted the story. “You mean this Hoth guy was an alien? That’s crazy!” “Luna and I didn’t believe it, either. However, it should not be far-fetched with all you've just seen,” Celestia spoke, which made the others look at each other. All lot did happen within the past hours. Applejack spoke up, “We know, your highness. It’s just all of this…” she said but trailed off, unsure what to say. Rarity cut in for her. “All of this is quite a lot to take in, your highness. It’s just the idea of so many worlds outside of our own is... is…” “… is out there!” Pinkie finished. “Thank you, Pinkie.” Twilight stood there, trying to imagine the possibilities of she just heard. “Well, astronomers have known for centuries that the stars in the sky are suns ad some have even theorized other worlds, but this… this is unbelievable. To think there are other beings out there!” Celestia held back a chuckle from her student’s growing excitement. “But princess, why was he in Equestria?” Fluttershy asked, bringing Celestia back to the story. “Hoth explained to us that he came onto our world by accident and the craft he arrived in had been damaged. So we allowed him to stay with us while he fixed his craft, and we helped whatever we could.” Celestia’s eyes softened with nostalgia. “During his stay, he became a dear friend to Luna and I.” Her nostalgia went as quickly as it appeared. “But Hoth’s leave was inevitable. You see, Lord Hoth was part of an order of warriors called the Jedi Knights. They have, for millennia, kept the peace among many worlds, serving as guardians for the people.” “Oh my,” Fluttershy’s eyes widen and the other carried very similar reactions. Glancing aside her, Celestia gestured to the table. “May I see that cylinder over there?” Twilight levitated the cylinder over to Celestia, who caught it in her own magic aura. The princess pressed the button on it, and the others almost backed away seeing the familiar yellow blade. The princess held the weapon with assurance. “This is a lightsaber, a weapon and a symbol of the Jedi,” “An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” Rainbow didn't buy it. “Elegant? That thing nearly fried us!” Celestia gave a patient smile. “That what is does, Rainbow. The Jedi face many foes, so they need these to fight against them. Many of these lightsabers come in many colors: blue, white, and even gold.” She noticed the others watching the blade with fascination, especially Rarity. “But the lightsaber isn’t the only weapon,” Celestia explained, turning off the blade and placing it back. “For the Jedi, they use a power call the Force, or what we would call magic. The Jedi use the Light Side of the Force, using emotions such as kindness and serenity to help others.” “But wait, you said there’s a Light Side,” Pinkie raised a hoof, “so isn’t there a dark?” Celestia nodded. “Yes. Those who use it use emotions such as rage and fear. The Sith are such and are the opposite of the Jedi, using the Dark Side to gain power and conquer others.” “Have ya actually met one, princess?” Applejack asked. “No. What I know what Lord Hoth told me,” she glanced over to the deactivated holocron, “and he also told me much about holocrons. I believe Luna already explained what holocrons are, correct?” They all nodded. “Then, you know that one stores their own knowledge in these holocrons. Any knowledge the Sith has left in this holocron can be dangerous if placed in the wrong hooves.” Twilight looked ready to serve. “What do ask of us, princess?” Celestia’s gaze softened at her student. “For now, I suggest you all get some rest. You’ve had a busy night, my little ponies.” Nopony else was willing to argue, and one by one, the Elements of Harmony shuffled out of the library. Only Twilight and Spike remained, the latter immediately going back upstairs to sleep. Twilight was about to join when her mentor called out, “Twilight, may I have a moment?” Twilight nodded and approached her. Celestia bent her neck down and spoke softly. “The royal guards are excavating the nearby area, trying to find anything new. Until then, I am entrusting all of this to you,” she said, gesturing to the items on the table. “I don’t want anypony to come near them until we’ve secured whatever else we find.” “Me, princess?” Twilight’s eyes widen. She had seen what the holocron was and from its conversation with Luna, she was a little worried what it contained. “But didn’t you say all of this knowledge could be dangerous?” “It is, but all I need you to do is keep them locked away for a short while. Nothing more.” Celestia gave one of her warm smiles. “I have the utmost trust in you, Twilight.” The encouragement brought Twilight’s hope a little. “I… I’ll keep it safe, princess.” “Thank you, Twilight,” and with that, Celestia departed the library.