Santhal made his way through his ship. He had more time to look around and there was damage ranging from burst pipes to sparking wires on the walls and ceiling. But he could do a proper inspection later, right now he had to retrieve Salk. He made it to the cockpit, picked up Salk’s body, and carried him out. Once outside Santhal laid him on the ground then took Salk’s pistol and a few other things he was going to need. A few minutes later the others returned with the wood and he built the pyre. Once it was done he put Salk on it and lit the fire.
“Goodbye my friend.”
“You two were real close weren’t you?” said Twilight.
“Yes we were and have been on many adventures together,” he said in a soft voice.
“How did you meet him?”
“He was a gift from my master. Technically he was my slave though I never treated him like one. He was my friend first.”
“You mentioned a master.”
“Yes, I am the apprentice to The Sith Lord Darth Malgus. A fierce warrior and talented dualist, he is a powerful Sith. I feel lucky to be his student. Although he solves most of his problems with brute force he is a man of principle and has a sense of honor, something that’s becoming more of a rarity among my fellow Sith these days.”
“What is that?” she said while again pointing to his waist.
“This was Salk’s blaster pistol. It shoots a lethal energy projectile at a high rate of speed.”
“Oh, ok.”
Santhal and the others stayed silent for some time as the pyre burned. He decided to inspect his ship in the meantime and discovered that the hyperdrive was shot. He was going nowhere anytime soon. But he did find his speeder had survived the crash, he might need that later. Santhal exited the ship and noticed it was getting late.
“Maybe we should head inside and have dinner,” said Cadence.
“That sounds fine. I haven’t eaten anything since before I got here. Besides I still have questions for you all which we can discuss during.” The fire was dyeing down and mostly ashes remained. The group headed back inside and retook their seats in the dining hall. Celestia had summoned the Canterlot Castle chefs the other day and they prepared their meal. The food was brought out which consisted of a veggie salad and a plate of assorted flower. The dragon got an assortment of gems. Santhal looked at his meal with a questioning eye. “Guess I should have asked what was on the menu. I take it you ponies are herbivores.”
“Yes we are. What about you?” said Celestia.
“I am an omnivore, so I can eat both veggies and meat but these flowers I’m going to have to pass on. I’ll just stick with the salad for now. I did a quick inspection of my ship and it seems my hyperdrive is damaged beyond repair so it looks like I’m stuck here for a while. But now I’d like to hear more about you all and your roles in this land. I take it Celestia that you and your sister are the primary monarchs of this nation.”
“That is correct. I raise and lower the sun while Luna handles the moon.”
Santhal just stared for a few seconds and then started to chuckle. “That’s impossible. I’ve been from one end of the galaxy to the other and no being has that kind of power. You honestly expect me to believe you two can move the celestial bodies.”
“Yes.”
“That I’d have to see to believe.”
“Very well, look out the window and tell me what you see.”
“I see the sun in a setting position.”
“Good, now keep looking.”
Celestia lit her horn and the sun slowly moved up instead of down. “That’s not poss…incredible.” He didn’t know if she was actually moving the sun or merely rotating the planet but either way it was impressive. “You alicorns must be the most powerful Force users in the galaxy. Tell me more.” The princesses told him about their immortality, the element bearers, the history of Equestria, the various villains they’ve encountered, and their magic among other things. “That’s quite a history and you can use the force in ways we never thought possible, though I’m surprised that only those with horns can tap into its power. Also this land sounds entirely too peaceful to me, I’m used to conflict, war, and death.”
“So I take it you’ve had to take life before,” said Luna.
“I’ve killed my fair share of Jedi and Republic troops throughout my career.” There was a short awkward silence for a moment.
“Sooo Santhal are you stuck here permanently?” said Twilight.
“I hope not. I can’t send a distress beacon which means I’ll have to wait until I’m declared over due to report in and have them send a party to investigate what happened to me, but that could take mouths. One lost apprentice isn’t very high on The Empire’s list of priorities so I’m going to need a place to stay.”
“You’re welcome to stay here in the castle.”
“Thank you Twilight, that’s very hospitable of you. I shouldn’t be too far away from my ship anyway.”
“So what’s going to happen when your people come for you?” said Celestia.
“Hmm you’re worried about the fate of your people. So long as we stay on good terms you should have nothing to worry about.”
Celestia wasn’t completely satisfied with that answer but decided to let it slide, for now anyways. Done with his meal Santhal got up and took a seat against the wall crossing his legs in.
“Darling what are you doing?”
“I’m going to meditate for a while, to clear my mind and become one with the force. But by all means continue to converse among yourselves.”
Santhal sat there for a while not moving an inch. Then he got a pained expression on his face, moments later his eyes shot open and took several deep breaths. The others took notice.
“You ok there partner?”
“I had a vision, a glimpse into the future. It happens sometimes when one has a strong connection with the Force, though I’m not quite sure what I saw means.”
“What did you see?” said Twilight.
“I saw what looked like a heart made of some kind of crystal, it was smooth and pristine.”
“The Crystal Heart!” said Cadence.
“That must be it. Maybe you’ll understand what I saw then. The heart then turned rough and black as if it was being poisoned and those eyes, those red and green eyes with purple mist emanating from them. That’s all I saw.”
“Sombra! He’s back and going to make a move on The Crystal Empire. Do you know when this could come to pass?” said Celestia.
“No, but visions usually pertain to the immediate future.”
“Then we have to get to The Crystal Empire immediately and prepare our defenses!” said Shining.
“I’m coming too. From what you told me this Sombra fellow is the only practitioner of the dark side around. I would like to meet and test my mettle against him.”
“Very well you can come,” said Celestia.
The group made their way to the train and it left the station bound for The Crystal Empire.