Princess Luna trudged miserably through one of Korriban’s countless sandstorms. Her face was wrapped in an improvised cloth mask, her wings tucked tightly into her sides. And yet still the infernal red grit got everywhere, stinging, itching, and irritating every inch of the alicorn’s body. Countless minor injuries received during her training blazed back to life as the sands met raw, red flesh. Luna grimaced at the pain, but was determined to soldier on through it all.
In the old days, her journey would have been simple. She would have simply teleported, or just flown to her destination. Both options were out now – teleporting could obviously not be done in her current state, and lacking magic to support them pony wings were simply too small to carry their bodies through the air. When Luna had lost her horn, her ability to fly had consequently faded as well. The alicorn had no choice but to make the long journey on hoof.
“Go to the north,” Inquisitor Cia had said. “Follow the sight of the mountain range. Many miles from here you will find a vast valley covered in weathered statues and ancient tombs. This is the Valley of the Dark Lords. It should not be difficult to locate – the spirits that dwell there are always seeking to draw the living to their resting place. One of the ancient chambers built into the cliff sides is marked by a certain rune. I shall show you which one. In the depths of that place you will find a lightsaber of great antiquity and prestige, once belonging to a certain Darth Nox of an ancient Sith Empire. Bring this weapon back with you, or do not return at all.”
“What else shall we find in this valley?” Luna had asked.
“I cannot say,” Cia had answered with a tight smile. “On Korriban the dead do not rest easily, and the Valley is their domain. You will find whatever they wish you to find. Know this, however: the Valley of the Dark Lords is a place where no light can reach. Only the dark side can save you from what dwells there.”
Luna snorted at the memory. She feared neither ghosts nor demons nor whatever else this wretched place could conjure. Neither, she told herself, did she fear pain or her own death. A proper princess could not allow herself such selfish indulgences, as her time as Nightmare Moon had taught her. The only harm worth being afraid of was that which befell her people.
That was why she was on Korriban. That was why she obeyed the horrible woman. That was why she ventured into such danger. Her ponies needed her. Her nation needed her. Her world needed her. And to protect that world, she needed power. Not just her old power, but even more than that. She needed to become greater than she had ever been, and if the Inquisitorius offered a path to that, she would take them for all they were worth and then betray them when she had learned everything she could.
Thinking on the sheer cruelty displayed both to herself and to her planet, Luna had a hard time believing that Empire was truly so foolish as to expect loyalty from beings it abused so grievously. Despite that, the evidence all suggested that it actually did, pinning its hopes on the power of this “dark side” to secure adherents’ collective allegiance. But once Luna had the power she needed, Equestria could be safe, she had long ago decided. They could all be free once again. To Tartarus with the Empire.
It was with these thoughts foremost in her mind that Princess Luna pressed onwards into the dunes of the red desert.
Many days had passed since Luna had set out from the Empire’s facility, though exactly how many she did not know. After the fifteenth – or was it sixteenth – the alicorn had stopped bothering to count. After so long, her hooves were aching and cracked in several places. The muscles in her legs were worn and sore, her skin soaked by sweat. Her fur was utterly filthy with sand, to the point where she was starting to blend in with the seemingly-endless red dunes. Her cloth mask was little more than a dirtied rag with more than a few holes. The ration supplies she had been given were running low, but in spite of all this she had little choice but to continue forward. To halt or go back was to die ignominiously and leave her people to the Empire’s mercy.
Luna had trekked across great sections of desert, always headed to the far north, and mountain ranges she could make out there. As time had passed, they had grown immensely in size until the current moment, whereupon she was entering into their foothills. They were rocky, jagged things of worn sandstone prone to crumble away at the slightest misstep. The wind around her had died away as mountains loomed large, reduced now to a mere whisper. At times, it almost sounded like actual disembodied whispers, which would have been unnerving to a lesser soul. The alicorn princess had seen far worse in the many nightmares she had visited, and remained unimpressed.
Cresting another rocky foothill, the princess spied in the distance a wide gap between some mountains. She had never seen this terrain before in her life, but she knew immediately and without needing to be told that this was the entrance to the valley she sought. How she came by that knowledge Luna could not say, but something was pulling on her soul, urging her towards the gap. She guessed it was these alleged spirits that were supposed to haunt the tombs here. Snorting disdainfully, Luna proceeded down the hillside and directly towards the mountain gap.
She did not fear the dead.
Though the alicorn would have guessed that the distance between the rocky hill the valley’s entrance to be a distance of some miles, it grew larger and larger within minutes. Where before she had been wandering slowly through Korriban’s wastes, now she seemed to be eating up ground like a supersonic pegasus. Though she hadn’t a way to keep a precise count, the princess estimated that it took her a mere half hour to traverse roughly six or seven miles worth of ground at a comfortable walking pace. It seemed the Inquisitor was correct – this place wanted to be found. Luna was not oblivious to the implications of her supernatural speed, keeping a wary eye out for anypony nearby as the valley entrance loomed large above her.
It was just as she crossed the threshold of the gap in the mountains that Luna spied something ahead of herself. Lying on the rocky valley floor not far in was a small, lumpy bundle covered in brown cloth. Covered in red sand from the planet’s many dust storms, it was well-camouflaged but the princess’ keen blue eyes caught sight of it anyway. She glanced around slightly at the red-brown stone walls, but saw nothing more, and so turned her gaze back to the mysterious bundle.
Warily, the alicorn approached the downed object, keeping a careful eye out for any sudden moves from the thing. No matter how close she got, however, it failed to move or otherwise react to her presence. Inch by inch, foot by foot Luna trod closer and closer, until at last she loomed over it. She poked it with a cautious hoof, once more getting no reaction.
Carefully, Luna invoked what small telekinesis she had regained, her memories of the injustice, indignity, and pain she had been subjected to providing the necessary fuel. She found that it was easier here, the Force responding smoothly to her command. The brown, sand-encrusted cloth slowly unraveled itself, revealing what lay within.
Bones. Bloody bones.
Startled, Luna took a hurried step backwards. Her eyes darted up and around, seeking the source of this carcass. There was still nothing but unmoving stone and the sounds of the low wind flowing through the valley. For a moment, the alicorn thought she had seen the slightest quiver of movement from the corner of her eye, but when she jerked her head to give it her full attention saw nothing there.
Reluctantly, Luna returned her attention to the corpse. Taking a few steps forward again to get a better look, she was surprised to find that some of the bones were identifiable. The bloody but mostly-intact horned skull was undoubtedly Togruta in origin. The lack of yellowing suggested that this kill was recent, though the dried blood and small strips of rotting flesh indicated it had been at least a little time since this being’s unfortunate end.
Casting her mind back to her first day on the planet, Luna recalled vaguely one male Togruta student choosing to use the opportunity presented by a sandstorm to slip away from the group. Knowing no other beings that lived here, and seeing no reason they would, she concluded that this was likely all that remained of him. Her ears lowered and eyes downcast in sympathy, Luna touched the bones with one hoof.
“Poor soul,” she said, head bowed. “May thou findest thy rest somewhere far from this accursed realm, and thy spirit knoweth peace, wherever it may be.”
It wasn’t much of a funeral, but it was the best she could do. The ground was far too hard and rocky to bury him in, even if Luna had had the time and necessary tools to dig with. As it was, she began to move on, passing the bloody bones by when she by chance spotted a mark on one of the pieces. Looking closer, she realized that it was a bite mark.
Before the alicorn had time to process this new information, before she even had the chance to blink, the corner of her eye caught something moving.
Fast.
It was Luna’s instincts that saved her. Forged through many different battles over the centuries, honed in the war against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and focused recently in the Inquisitor’s training, her combat reflexes were quite good. It was thanks to these that she hurled herself backwards at the slightest hint of an incoming enemy. Which was a good thing, as less than a second later the spot where she had been standing was crashed into by an enormous beast.
Scrambling backwards, Luna got a quick look at her would-be killer through the dust cloud its rough landing had kicked up. It was vaguely canine-looking quadruped, with numerous spikey horns jutting backwards out of its head. Larger than the alicorn by a few feet, it had a tail almost as long as the rest of its body put together, culminating in a nasty-looking spike. Its four legs displayed numerous claws several inches in length. Its chin featured a small “beard” of spikes. Its open mouth revealed vicious-looking incisors in multiple rows.
The monstrosity’s eyes were a vicious, glowing red.
As the creature turned to face the alicorn, growling in evident anger over its failed pounce, Luna tentatively identified it as one of the tuk’ata hounds she had been warned prowled certain regions of Korriban. It advanced on her, teeth bared and body tensed. Behind her, Luna heard two heavy thuds as an addition pair of tuk’ata joined the first one. She was surrounded. The princess gritted her teeth.
So be it.
The hound that had narrowly missed killing her by surprise acted first, throwing itself at Luna in a leaping charge. As it flew through the air, claws extended and teeth bared, she did the one thing it least expected.
She met it head-on.
Luna’s countercharge was swift and direct, ducking low under the flying beast to bring her artificial horn right up where she guessed its chest would be. Her split-second estimate of its trajectory proved accurate, the tuk’ata’s own momentum impaling it on her instrument. The enchanted silver punched straight through the tough flesh of the hound’s chest, burying itself deep in one of the beast’s lungs.
Though this would have been more than enough to fell a normal opponent, the vicious tuk’ata were products of ancient Sith magic and almost as tough as the alicorns themselves. The wounded beast raked the claws of its right legs across Luna’s face, cutting deep furrows into her cheek and along her jaw. The sheer kinetic force tore the ornamental horn from the alicorn’s head and sent her flying several yards away. Luna impacted roughly against a rock and crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Though one of the hounds was badly injured, two were not and these two rushed forward to finish their prey. One Luna was able to send flying backwards with a hurried Force push, but the other reached its target. Its long incisors bit straight through her right wing and deep into her side, even the supernaturally-tough flesh of alicorns unable to totally repulse them. Luna screamed her agony as crimson blood poured from her face, wing, and flank.
But she was a princess of Equestria, and in this place her pain only fueled her hatred for these beasts. A pair of Luna’s hooves swung around, impacting on the side of the tuk’ata’s head with a sickening crunch. Tough enough to dent even the durasteel armor of General Grievous, her hooves visibly cracked the hound’s skull. As the badly-dazed and bleeding beast released its hold and staggered backwards, Luna leapt on it before it had any chance to recover. With a great cry of rage, she wrapped her forelegs around its thick neck and twisted as hard as she could. The tuk’ata’s alchemically-engineered bone held for a bare handful of seconds before giving out with an abrupt crack. Luna cast the limp corpse of the beast to the valley floor.
The uninjured hound had regained its footing and was already in the midst of another charge, heedless of the fate that had befallen its fellow. As before, the beast leapt high into the air, aimed directly at the wounded alicorn princess. But Luna no longer even noticed her wounds. Adrenaline flowed freely through her body, and the icy power of the dark side had consumed her senses. Pain was channeled in to rage as she focused once more. The split blood of the slain tuk’ata had pleased the darkness, and its power flowed freely through Luna.
The tuk’ata suddenly found itself frozen in mid-leap, unable to go on, unable to even move. Before its mind had a chance to truly process this astounding fact, it was flying backwards. It smashed into the already injured hound, sending both tumbling across the valley’s floor. Neither even had a chance to rise before arcs of supernatural blue lightning coursed through their frames, eliciting high-pitched howls of pain.
Even this, however, was not enough to dissuade them, and the pair rose again. Still crackling with residual electricity, the two mounted a simultaneous attack on Luna, coming around from two different angles to pounce at her. Still buoyed by the strength of the Force, the alicorn met them both. The uninjured hounded she lashed out at with both of her rear legs, catching it on the chin with enough force to break its jaw and send the creature flying. The one with her ornamental horn still embedded in its chest she hit with a simple telekinetic shove, hurling it across the valley and into a rock formation.
Before the hound with the shattered jaw could rise, Luna was on top of it. She rained a series of blows onto its prone head, hooves smashing repeatedly into its monstrous skull. Empowered with the might of the dark side, the beast’s bone stood no chance. Very swiftly, it was cracked and broken, and all life passed from the ancient Sith creation.
Breathing hard and sweating with the effort, Luna turned to regard the final tuk’ata. It regarded her as well, glowing red eyes matching the gaze of her blue. Aggressive and vicious they might be, but the tuk’ata were far from mindless. The beast knew a losing battle when it saw one, and was not so impetuous that it failed to recognize the value of patience. The intruder had won this round, yes… but it was injured, and alone. Its wounds would drain its strength, and in time it must rest. The pack must be alerted, must be ready to finish the masters’ mission.
With such thoughts occupying its mind, the final tuk’ata hound turned and ran. Even with Luna’s silver horn still embedded in its lung, it was incredibly fast, darting easily between the rocks and broken statuary littering the valley floor. Within seconds, the hound had vanished deeper into the Valley of the Dark Lords. Luna, worn out from the fight and still oozing blood, let it go.
As the immediate danger faded away, Luna’s rage and the attendant power of the dark side went with it. The icy flow of energy slowly dissipated, leaving the alicorn princess to face the stark reality that she was now injured, bleeding, and exhausted in the midst of a strange valley, with at least one hostile creature still out there. And she still had not accomplished her mission.
Cursing openly, Luna reached into what was left of her pack to see what her scant medical supplies could do.
It was almost an hour later and the sun just reaching its noonday peak when Luna set off again. She had applied basic disinfectant, bandaged her wounds to staunch the bleeding, and injected herself with what painkiller she had. Proceeding in this state was risky, but, she had decided, staying in the vicinity of fresh corpses was even more so. Without her healing magic, this was the best she could do, and so it would have to be enough.
Luna’s advance into the Valley of the Dark Lords was slow and cautious, her eyes carefully scanning each rock and piece of rubble as she went. Another ambush might well be the end of her, and she was determined not to fall into one. But very soon the wind that ran through the valley began to pick up. Faster and faster it blew, picking up the red sands and sending them flying through the air. It did not take long before the valley was engulfed in full-fledged sandstorm.
Frustrated and hateful but not stupid enough to press blindly through the area while virtually blind, Luna quickly sought of shelter. She hunkered down beneath a half-buried chunk of what looked to have been an ancient statue, though its features were now so worn by time and weather as to be unidentifiable. Spitting curses at the sandstorm, the alicorn princess simply sat and brooded for some time.
It was only after many minutes had passed and the whirling storm was beginning to die down that Luna’s ears perked up. She heard a sound. It was faint, but it was getting louder. It was the sound of something hard impacted rhythmically against rock and it seemed somehow… familiar.
Shaking her head to dispel any such notion, Luna retreated deeper into the shadow of the ruined statue. Drawing on her pain and frustration, she called the power of the Force to herself. Shaping and twisting the dark energy to her whim, she prepared to unleash a telekinetic blast against whatever it was that was making the sound.
Minutes ticked by slowly as the last of the sandstorm died away to nothing, the sound growing steadily louder. It was echoing throughout the valley in an unnatural manner, as if it wished to be heard – or, at least, something wished it to be heard. Luna hadn’t the foggiest idea why anything in this godsforsaken death trap would want to be heard, with such beasts as the tuk’ata on the prowl.
At last, after countless tense minutes of waiting, the source of the sound was almost upon Luna. She was, by this point, almost eager for it to show itself and die to her hoof, that she might cease cowering here and get on with her task. Her muscles tensed as she registered that it was virtually on top of her. Carefully, she peeked out from her refuge.
And then her jaw dropped.
“C-Celestia?!”
The white-furred, rainbow-maned head the princess had seen so many times jerked suddenly at the sound of Luna’s startled voice. The night alicorn beheld once more the purple eyes she knew so well. Beset by black rings and heavy with pain, yes, but unmistakably those of her sister.
“Lulu?” the white alicorn managed, her lips cracked and voice extremely hoarse.
“Tia?” Luna could barely keep the excitement and relief from her voice. “Sister, is it truly thee?”
“Lulu!” Celestia cried, racing towards her sister with a newfound spark in her eyes.
Abandoning all attempts at caution, her fears and pains swept away by sheer joy of reuniting with her sister again after all this time, Luna rushed out of her hiding place. The two alicorns met in a wild tumble of limps, embracing each other madly on the dusty valley floor.
“Oh thank all the gods you’re alright!” Celestia exclaimed even as the two continued to hold each other. “I was so worried! When they took you… When the spell brought me here… I thought… I thought…”
“How didst thou get here?” Luna asked. “Why wouldst thou wish to be here at all?!”
Celestia smiled warmly as the pulled apart, regaining their feet. “Why? Lulu, how could you even ask such a question? For you, of course!””
“But… how didst thou arrive here?” the darker alicorn questioned, her mind still struggling to grasp this apparently nonsensical turn of events.
“When they took you…” Celestia hesitated, looking downcast. “When the Empire stole you… I was so worried! I had no idea where you were! No idea what they wanted! Nopony would tell me anything! I couldn’t find out where you had been taken to, when you might be back.”
“If ever,” Luna added.
Celestia nodded. “If ever. So I worked and worked and worked until I found something. An old piece of magic. Form before even our time.”
Luna marveled. That was literally tens of thousands of years ago! What in all the hells could her sister have unearthed from that era that would be of use?
“I meant it to take me to you, but…” Celestia looked around. “It took me here. To this horrible place. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. But I just feel so… weak.”
“Weak?”
“It’s the sun here,” Celestia said, glaring balefully up at the red orb. “It hates me. It thinks I’m a threat. It saps my strength and tries to kill me.”
“A plague on thee, foul denizen of the black depths!” Luna cursed up at the star that dared to harm her sister.
“Regardless… I’ve been wandering this place for so long. I haven’t seen or heard anypony, anywhere.”
“By at ease, dear Tia,” Luna nuzzled her sister’s neck and embraced her affectionately. “We are together again. And together we shall prevail over this foul place.”
“How very touching,” came the sound of another voice.
Luna jumped and, with a start, glanced around hurriedly. Nothing… Nothing… Nothing…Nothing… There! Atop another piece of a broken statue stood a figure. A very familiar figure.
Luna’s ears folded so far back on her head as to be virtually flat. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She shrank back, all relief and happiness instantly driven from her by the sight before her.
“No…” she managed. “No… It cannot be thee!”
The figure chuckled, leaping down from its stony perch. The valley echoed with sound of heavy feet impacting on the rocky floor below. Lightsabers ignited as the figure’s cape fluttered in the breeze his landing had created.
“And why,” said General Grievous. “Is that?”