//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Droid Scavengers // Story: Equestria Wars Episode XIV: The Friendship Awakens // by sonicdash123 //------------------------------// A vast Interdictor Cruiser sits in the sky as four military transports fly out towards a small part of town next to Manehattan. Inside the transports were war droids standing in rows as they readied their blasters. --------------------- A green stallion was on a holo call with the princesses as he made a report to them. "Thank you for contacting me," he said. "I'm sorry we couldn't meet in person." "An old friend of the empire is always welcome to speak to us," Cadence said. "What information do you have for us?" Luna asked. "All I know is that a droid has the map to Charming's whereabouts," the stallion replied. "A droid?" Celestia asked. "A droid he made himself. A BB unit. Unlike an astromech, its domed head is mounted on the spherical body but smaller than the astromech itself." A holo image of the droid he described. "I never knew that he had that droid for the past few years," Cadence said. "And where is the droid now?" Celestia asked. "Some say that Charming released it somewhere in Equestria before he vanished." The stallion heard engine sounds coming from outside and looked out the window to see ships heading this way. "What's wrong?" Luna asked. "It's the Mephiles Alliance. Find the droid. Find your king." The stallion grabbed his old blaster off the wall and armed himself for battle. "What about you?" "I'll fight them off as long as I can." The stallion ended the transmission and stepped outside with his blaster rifle in hoof. The transports land and droids came out firing their weapons. Some villagers fired back as the stallion did the same at the incoming droids. The droids changed their targets towards the stallion and charged at him. He took cover and fired at the droids as long as he could. As the battle continued, an X-70B Phantom approached and landed next to the droid transports. The ship's ramp lowered and Twivine Sparkle came out along with two alien soldiers as her bodyguards. The droids eventually captured the stallion and brought him to Twivine as she approached. "Just the pony I wanted to see," Twivine said. "Did you have an apointment?" the stallion joked. "You know what I have come for." "I have no idea." "The map to Charming Thunder. We know you know something about it. And now you will be so kind to share it with the Mephiles Alliance." "The Mephiles Alliance rose from the dark side just as you did before." "I'll show you the dark side." "You may try, but you cannot deny lies your master has told you." Twivine turned her bodyguards and gestured them to deal with the stallion. "Bring him on board my ship." The soldiers grabbed the stallion and dragged him to Twivine's ship. Twivine turned to the droids who were surrounding the rest of the villagers. "Kill them all." The droids aimed their weapons and fired at the villagers leaving nothing behind before they leave. Twivine boarded her shuttle as the droids went to their transports and flew back to their capital ship. After landing, the stallion was being escorted from the hangar and was thrown in a cell. --------------------- At the deserts near Appalossa, a lone BB droid made its way way through the canyon. In the distance, a small pebble tumbled down the mountain as a figure darted into the darkness. The droid stopped for a moment and looked around without knowing that it was being watched. It continued along the rugged path when a hooded pony popped out behind the rocks and fired its magnetic ray at the droid, engulfing it with an eerie glow. The droid shook and beeped uncontrollably as its lights flashed on and off until its head tilted forward to the ground. Out of the rocks scurried three small, cloaked figures; Jawas. They holstered their weapons as they approached the collapsed ball droid. They began to chatter in guttural language as one of them lifted the droid off of the ground and carried it down the trail. They approached their sandcrawler and puts the BB unit down. They then welded a small, round disk onto the droids head then puts it into a tube, sucking it into the massive sandcrawler. Inside the sandcrawler, the BB unit began to regain consciousness and readjusted itself back up then made its way through the mass of decaying droids knowing that there was no way out. It eventually stood next a random astromech droid as the sandcrawler bounced and jostled across the desert sand. --------------------- The stallion was strapped to a chair covered with bruises and starts to wake up. "I had no idea that we brought aboard a once proud soldier of the Equestrian Empire," Twivine said as she stepped out of the shadows. "Comfortable?" "Not really," the stallion replied. "No one has been able to get out of you the location of the map. I'm impressed." "Then I suggest you rethink your technique." Twivine says nothing as her horn glowed and reach out to the stallion. He flinches as she came closer. "Where is it?" The stallion continued to struggle the torture spell Twivine was using. "Equestria will not be intimidated by you." "Where. Is. IT!?" The stallion couldn't take it anymore and began to scream in pain. After the brief interrogation, Twivine left the cell with the stallions corpse now laying on the ground. She turned to a unicorn wearing black robes and explained what she found out, "It's in a droid. A BB unit." "Then we must search around Equestria for it then," the unicorn said. "I will leave it to you, Thexan. Maybe if we find your traitorous brother; Arcann, you can kill him." Twivine walked past Thexan and turned her head towards him. "Oh and have someone clean up the mess. If you know what I mean." Thexan bowed and Twivine continued to take her leave. He then looked at the corpse and gestured some soldiers to carry the body and throw it out of the ship.