A white unicorn hurried down platform of her J-type star skiff’s boarding ramp leading to the main entrance of the main public hanger. Her long dark purple mane and tail streamed behind her. Her robes were the same color as her mane, a three diamond cutie mark printed it's side. As she walked, she twisted her long mane into a knot and secured it with a long metal needle she had grabbed as she left her quarters. Normally, she would have taken a few moments to adjust her appearance to something more...acceptable but now wasn't the time for that. She had to hurry.
"Master." Behind her a much smaller but white colored unicorn with robes similar to her own mane and tail, an odd gradient of light purple and light pink, was struggling to keep up the larger unicorn's pace. There had been no response from the larger unicorn.
"Sis!" The small filly finally said with a huff.
Jedi Master Rarity Belle finally faltered in her walk, slowing slightly as she looked back to her padawan as she caught up. "I'm sorry, Sweetie." She apologized, collecting her thoughts. "My mind was somewhere else right now."
"You still could've have waited." The filly groaned.
"Well, this mission of ours is very important."
That had been a understatement. Normally, she would have waited for her padawan to catch up at the very least but with how hectic things had been over the last day and a half she had been very tense and her mind was going everywhere at once. Ever since the 'Event' as it was being called, the Order had scrambled to find it's source. That day had been the one time that Rarity was glad the Sweetie's connection to the force had yet to truly bloom. She had talent, but that could only carry somepony so far. Once the senior member's of the council had recovered and the Order was able to take stock, they had found that no less than 25 of the Jedi out in the field were either dead or MIA.
After that staggering blow, There had been a universal worry among her peers that the Sith had some kind of new weapon, one that could turn the tide of the war greatly in their favor. The thought of anything that could induce great pain to anyone greatly connected to the Force was troubling, no matter who had it. Still it had been a great relief when, in tracking the source with the efforts of several masters including herself, the discovery that it had come from one of the still free planets in the outer rim. Though nopony was happy by which planet it was. Combay's reputation preceded her on Canterlot.
Her relief had dissipated when her yacht had reached orbit though. While it had been no where near as powerful as the Event, she could sense a great turmoil coming from what she could only call a storm of emotions in the Force as she had landed. Something that she hadn't even felt from Canterlot was now broadcasting itself with such strength that she felt it from the stratosphere. The revelation that it was coming from a sentient being was...shocking. Now that she was on the planet's surface, all that movement in the Force was shining like a beacon in the night. It was staggering and her mission had suddenly changed.
It had been find the item and bring it to the Temple for analyzation and containment or, in the event it can't be brought back, destroyed. Now it was to find whoever it was and escort them back to the temple.
"Excuse me."
Rarity turned to face the voice and took notice of the unicorn with a holopad cradled in her arm approaching them. "Yes?"
The unicorn smiled an all too fake smile. "Ma'am, I'm sorry but I'm afraid that Port Authority has a few questions for you."
The Jedi inwardly cringed. It had been irritating enough to wait over the planet just for the authorization to land, while that storm went on below. It had been at least an hour of answering 'yes/no' questions about the Sith Empire that made no sense and while she understood the heavy security, seeing as Combay was too far from Republic space to be sufficiently protected, she knew that if the Sith Empire came knocking down their door they wouldn't announce their arrival by answering a questionnaire.
"What about, darling?" She asked, keeping her tone sweet.
The unicorn smirked a poisonous smirk. "Just the usual, shipping manifests, crew, cargo, an-"
The smug unicorn was interrupted as Sweetie Belle came right from behind Rarity and raised her hand before the Jedi could stop her. "You have no questions for us."
The look of confusion was on the mare's face for as long as it took Sweetie to speak before her expression went slack. "I have no questions for you."
"You will leave the hanger and the ship alone."
The mare nodded. "I will leave the hanger and the ship alone."
With a sharp turn on her hooves, the unicorn turned and left the hanger. It was then that Rarity spoke or better yet, groaned. "Sweetie Belle."
The filly spun to facer her master, a look of 'What?' stamped on her face. "Oh come on, sis."
"You're not to abuse your power like that."
"Really?" The younger unicorn raised an eyebrow, motioning to where the mare had been seconds before. "Did you really want to go through that again? You can't tell me you weren't about to do that."
Rarity was silent. Okay, she had to admit that sometimes her sister had better sense her...and if she was honest she probably would have the same thing.
"Okay, fine. I'll let it go this time."
A smile crossed Sweetie Belle's muzzle. "Thought so." She sing-songed.
"Don't feel too proud of yourself," Rarity began as she led the way out of the hanger. "Once this mission is over you and I will be sharing words."
"Oh come on." Sweetie Belle groaned, obviously not looking forward to her coming punishment. "Can't I just do velocities with Silver Spoon or Diamond Tiara? That is so much kinder than suffering at the hands of your majestic long-windedness."
"Ah, charming and poetic." Rarity couldn't help but smirk a little at her sister's ever expanding vocabulary. "Would you rather I have you model for the new robes I'm preparing for the initiates?"
She could almost see the cringe on her sister's face without turning around. "No. No. Um, discussion is fine." She said quickly before speeding up her step so that they were side by side as they walked. "So what are we doing here?"
Rarity had expected that question for awhile. She was honestly surprised that it took her sister the whole trip to ask.
"Well, Sweetie," she began. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
"You mean the migraine I suddenly got?" Rarity nodded. "Yeah, I remember."
"It was caused by something and you and I have been sent out here to find it."
"Is that's what's causing the...the wind, I think, in the force?"
Rarity smiled as they walked, her sister's description making her chuckle lightly. "Yes, that's exactly it."
They continued making their way through the pristine city streets, passing the local cantina as two burly stallions carried a brown minotaur with a broken snout and a missing horn out of the building before depositing him in a nearby alley. Rarity frowned at the sight, her dislike for the Outer-Rim growing a notch higher. Aesthetically, the city was beautiful, close to Canterlot in design, but beyond that...
She swallowed her discomfort and slowed down her walk just enough so that Sweetie Belle was in the corner of her eye as they walked. The smaller unicorn seemed to be enthralled by everything she saw and the unicorn felt her mood lift a little at her sister's curiosity.
Little by little, Rarity noticed, the beautiful streets became less pristine as the disturbances in the Force began leading them away from the main thoroughfare. The crowds too, began to thin as the buildings began to steadily look more and more dilapidated and old. Rusted durasteel doors jammed open. Walls crumbing from lack of maintenance. Windows cracked, warped and unable to close and some just missing leaving large holes in the building's face. Some had electricity judging by the lights but they were few and far in between compared to other buildings that didn't.
That was also disregarding the stench that made her scrunch up her nose in disgust. The nauseating scent of urine and feces mixed with the musty scent of rot and mold.
Yet it was clear that, power or not, most were indeed inhabited. There were ponies, griffins, minotaurs, zebra, cows, goats, and sheep, were going in and out of them. Discussions and even arguments could be heard from the windows that weren't covered.
Rarity stopped her observations as she felt Sweetie press against her, her previous wonder gone, an expression of worry and concern replacing it with a slight frown at the smell. "Ho-how can they live here? In this place?"
"They have nowhere else to go." The alabaster unicorn's answer was immediate, experience speaking before empathy keeping her voice level and adding the next sentence before she could stop herself. "Or they want to be here."
She mentally beat herself for that as saw her padawan's brow furrow in confusion. "Want to? What sane... Who would want tolive here?" At the last two words she made an almost frantic wave at the poverty around them as they continued to walk.
"Those who want to escape the law. Trust me when I say that there are many criminals, convicts, and fugitives who would gladly live here than in prison." Rarity stopped walking and turned to fully face Sweetie Belle, looking the filly right in the eyes and spoke clearly as the mentor in her took over. "There are places that the Republic can't reach. Places that anypony can run and hide to escape the Jedi and the Republic's law."
"Then why don't we go there and drag them back where they can face justice?"
It was a simple question, one that Rarity had ruminated on for years. It was the reason why she hadn't wanted to mention it. She knew her sister far too well for her to believe the filly would be fine with the answer she was about to say.
"Because to do so would require force, the kind that would make many powerful ponies very angry. Powerful enough to possibly start a war with the Republic." She began, the words feeling rehearsed and practiced in her mouth. "To start a war would go against the duty of the Jedi."
She had been given that answer by her master and it had been unsatisfying then as it felt now. Just as she suspected, Sweetie began looking at her like she spontaneously began speaking a different language. "But the duty of a Jedi is to uphold the law and protect the peace of the galaxy."
Rarity sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Sweetie unknowingly mirrored her words to the Jedi master's own those years ago when she herself was presented with that answer.
After a moment, she nodded, motioning for her padawan to follow so they could continue their way to the disturbances, this was not a conversation to have in the middle of the street. "That is true. The Jedi are meant to uphold the law and make sure those who break it are brought to justice." She began, slowly but confident as she began to find the right words. More confident than she felt about her traced-and-copied response she started with. " And, yes, we indeed are meant to protect the peace for those who cannot. To protect the freedom of the Republic and of it's citizens."
Sweetie's frown quickly faded as she spoke, taking in every word the elder unicorn said. As the words came to her easier, Rarity realized that what she was about to say would not make the Council happy if they ever heard it, despite it's truth. "But we are the guardians of the galaxy first and foremost. To protect all who are in this galaxy, be they enemy or ally. That means that some who break the law and escape to places like this get away. To start war, no matter how long or short, over one criminal is not a fair trade to the galaxy. One life for countless others is a price far too high for any Jedi to decide must be paid. Understand, padawan?"
Her sister nodded sagely, a firm look in her eyes telling the elder unicorn that every word had been comprehended. "Yes, Master."
With that, they continued and slowly the already sparse crowd thinned further and the buildings began to space themselves out more and more. Then it all stopped abruptly. A short plane of rubble, a few still standing walls marked where some structures had been. The paved street cut off to rudimentary cobblestone path ending at gate that led to a huge wall.
"Halt!"
Rarity and Sweetie paused in their approach as two figures, a male pegasus and a female zebra, exited the nearby guardhouse. By the pitch in the voice, the zerba was source of the command. "Who are you and what're you doing here?" She snapped, her blaster unholstered and at the ready.
Rarity raised her hands in a placating gesture as two more guards came into view. "We just need to go through the gate, if you please."
"You?! Go to Fragile Town?!" The zebra gave her a surprised look before laughing. "You won't last a second in there!"
The other guards heard the zebra and joined in with various levels of mirth. Rarity calmly waited for the zebra calm down. "Does that mean you'll let us by?"
The zebra shook her head and with obvious difficulty spoke. "No can do." She said between a few chuckles. "This gate don't open for anypony without paying the toll."
The Jedi stifled the groan of exasperation. Of course there would be a 'toll' in a place like this. If it wasn't for the fact she needed to get to the other side of the wall...
With a sigh, she reached into her pocket. "How much is-?"
Suddenly, the force pulsed, no, throbbed, it's emotional storm turning angry and very very dark. The change was so sudden and so violent that, while Rarity had only flinched, Sweetie Belle stumbled back and nearly tripped over her hooves as if she was pushed getting confused look from the assembled guards.
She quickly recovered and turned to her sister, eyes wide. "Wha-what was that?"
Rarity chewed her bottom lip, anxiety building as the storm was quieted as suddenly as it flared. She wasn't sure which was more troubling, the unexpected turn of the source to the dark side or the sudden diminishing of the power that followed.
"We don't have time for this." She hissed under her breath.
In one smooth motion, she drew her ornate lightfoil from under robes and activated it with a flick of her wrist. The appearance of the bright violet blade had the guards quickly backing away.
"By order of the Republic, you will open that gate." Rarity put a hard edge to her voice as she zeroed in on the zebra. "Now!"
Dinky was completely frozen with fear, the very air in the room became cold as Gavorn and the rainbow-maned Pegasus clad in black robes and black armor entered, the latter never taking her hard ruby eyes off her. “This her?” She asked, jabbing a thumb in Dinky’s direction.
“Aye.” The griffon answered with a nod, a frown on his face.
“P-p-please, Mister Gavorn, if this is about the…food you gave us,” Sparkler swallowed, trying to steady her voice. “If you’re, um, upset then we can return it.” The grey unicorn had never heard her sister so scared before in her life, not that she was in a better position. She looked to the griffon and saw nothing of the friendly face she had witnessed earlier that day. His expression was flat and his eyes were cold, not unlike the Pegasus he brought with him. Dinky couldn't help the sinking sensation that this was about something else. “We’ve only eaten a few of the carrots and…”
Her sister was cut off by a giggle. Dinky followed to noise to the pegasus, who quickly bent double as her giggle grew into hearty laugh. A sharp and mocking sound. Gavorn scowled, apparently un-amused by whatever the mare found funny. “Oh, this is rich. You think this is about something stupid like food?” Dinky, the feeling all but confirmed now, looked back to Sparkler to see the pink unicorn had gone quite pale, confusion crossing her face.
“It’s actually quite adorable,” she said as she finished laughing. "But, you're wrong." Before Dinky could even react, the pegasus stalked up to her and grabbed the back of her collar, yanking her off the floor to eye level. She could only make a choked yelp as her own clothes dug into her neck and she was forced to look into the mare’s eyes. They were happy, gleeful almost, but in that wrong way that reminded her of the sadists that inhabited Fragile Town. The ones who were almost too happy to cause pain at a moment’s notice. The kind who you crossed the street and into an alley to avoid. "We're here for you."
And all of it was focused at her. Dinky felt the urge to vomit come back a second time in just as many minutes.
“Wait!” Sparkler began, moving towards them only be brought up short by the distinctive sound of a charging blaster.
“I wouldn’t, Lass.”
Dinky could make out the shape of their mother’s own blaster pointed at her sister. Her attention was immediately brought back to the mare as she grabbed her chin, forcibly turning her head to the left and right. “Hmmm, good stock.” She mumbled. The last two words took the fear Dinky felt and amplified it.
She was being appraised. Like a thing. An item. Like she was to be…sold. And they were in the outer rim.
Sparkler must have overheard because her reaction was immediate and voice desperate. “Please. Don’t. I’ll do anything.”
Again, Dinky felt sick.
The grey unicorn felt her hooves drop back to the floor as the Pegasus rolled her eyes and released her, turning to the griffon slightly. “G, kill her. She’s getting irritating. Ain’t worth the trouble.”
The griffon's scowl got deeper and the blaster pointed at Sparkler lowered a bit. "We agreed to do this my way, Dash. We need both."
Now it was the pegasus named Dash's turn to frown. "We don't need both. We just need the grey one. Besides, she's annoying me and I outrank you. Kill her." She finished with a wave of her hand.
The unicorn felt her stomach drop, Gavorn’s frown twisted his scarred beak further but his arm still adjusted to fire at her sister.
In that moment, her mind drifted away as she felt a surge of…something?
It was slight.
Very small.
Very significant.
Suddenly, her mother’s lightsaber was in her hand as she launched herself forward right at the griffon, the SNAP-HISS as she pressed the button distant to her ears. She felt both in control and not, her body running on autopilot with the years of her mother's training and...something else guiding it, as the blue blade arched up and cleaved the blaster in two in a single swing.
It was clear that nopony had expected that. Least of all Dinky. Her desire to stop her sister's murder had manifested into something physical and once the CLINK of the blaster half fell to the floor, her body became her own again...somehow.
For a moment, no one spoke. No one moved beyond Gavorn's beak falling open slightly in shock, as he held the still-glowing remains of the blaster. Then slowly, as the shock washed away, Dinky felt something else. Anger. It started as a small spark but built into a inferno that boiled her very blood. Gavorn, what she thought was one of the few decent folk left in this damned town, was about to rob her of what family she had left without a second thought.
Right after telling her he was sorry about her mother, not even a few hours ago.
The worst part? He actually seemed to mean it. She felt her world come crashing down around her ears for what seemed like the third time that day.
She growled, her face turning into an expression of pure white hot rage and she swung with the full intent to follow through with it. The sound coming from her seemed to bring the griffon out of his stupor as he leapt back with a surprised squawk before he could be cleaved in two by her lightsaber.
"You FUCKING BASTARD!!!!" Her voice cracked as she roared, her anger partially giving way to betrayal. She swung again, more wildly this time and the lightsaber dug into the wall halting the blade from reaching the griffon's throat. Again he leapt back, stumbling over a spare droid part this time as he was less prepared for her follow up swing. "I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU." With nothing but tunnel vision for her sister's would-be executioner, she forced the blade forward and carved through the wall, forcing the griffon to dodge to the left to avoid getting sliced.
Before she could take another swing, Gavorn lashed out his arm and Dinky suddenly found herself across the room and seeing stars as her head smacked into the wall.
"Dinky!" She heard her sister scream. She heard hooves scraping across the floor and Sparkler's voice sounded much closer, a pair of hands holding her. "Dinky!"
As much as she wanted to tell her sister she was okay, Dinky realized she was going to need a few moments before she could respond. She let herself lie on the floor to wait for the room to stop spinning, blinked her eyes, and breathed out. Sparkler was above her, face the very definition of fear and worry.
"Where did you get that?"
She turned her head in the direction of the voice and saw the Pegasus nam looking down at her. Her eyes were no longer happy and her expression was unreadable.
Dinky felt the curved lightsaber still was in her grip and tried to stand up. She didn't get far . Dash waved her hand and Dinky found herself forced back down to the floor.
"Mom's..." she managed to say.
The pegasus' expression went from unreadable to shock to anger in a matter of seconds. "You're lying." She hissed, pulling an abnormally long tube from her side, that had been hidden in her armor until now. At least that's what Dinky thought it was before her thumb moved along it's side and a crimson beam of light extended from it's end. A lightsaber!
It buzzed a low dangerous hum as it moved through the air.
"Now, I'm going to ask again." The mare warned, leveling the weapon at her. Dinky could smell the ozone coming off of it and feel the heat singe her fur. "Where. Did. You. Get. That. Lightsaber?"
"It's..." Dinky faded as her mind scrambled to find the words and force her tongue to move. "It's my mother's."
Her answer did nothing for the pegasus, who's growl was the only warning that Dinky got before she yanked Sparkler away from her side.
"Let me go!" She screamed, trying to twist her way out of the Dash's grip. Her struggle was rewarded by a hard buck to the stomach from one of the pegasus' legs. As Sparkler went limp, Dinky tried to get up again, to go help her sister only for something to hit her in the chest hard enough to send her back into the wall.
"Now," The mare hissed, pulling Sparkler to her knees and pressing down on her upper back with one hand to keep her in place, the pink unicorn quietly sobbing the entire time. "I've got your sister presenting her neck for my lightsaber. You lie again and I'll cut off her head and make you eat it."
Dinky felt her body go numb as horror gripped her throat. She was telling the truth. There was no reason for her to lie. She met the gaze of the madmare holding a lightsaber above Sparkler's head and saw nothing but pure loathing aimed at her.
Dinky opened her mouth, only for a BEEP-BEEP noise to interrupt her. The noise wasn't missed by the mare, who's ears swiveled in the direction it came from.
"GRENADE!" Gavorn's voice bellowed.
What?!?
Dinky snapped her eyes shut as a loud BANG and a flash of light filled the workshop. Before she could even wonder at what just happened she heard a cry of surprise from what sounded like Dash's voice before she felt a hand yank her to the side and up to her hooves. She struggled against the pulling until her heard a voice she was far too happy to hear.
"Stop it." Time Turner mumbled as they ran for the door. Dinky opened her eyes to see, Sparkler was in the other's grip as they rushed out. "Run!" He bellowed as he let the both of them go, giving them a slight push as he ran behind them.
Neither Dinky nor Sparkler needed to be told twice.