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Chapter 1: Ambush5,299 words
Chapter 2: Beks and Griffons2,975 words
Chapter 3: The Unexpected Welcome5,529 words
Chapter 4: The Sewers(Rewrite)6,389 words
Chapter 5: The Black Griffons(Rewrite)5,437 words
Chapter 6: The Race5,732 words
Chapter 7: Unexpected Plans5,270 words
Chapter 8: Gifted2,624 words
Chapter 9: T3's Epic Adventure!3,805 words
Chapter 10: The Golden Phoenix6,039 words
Chapter 11: Homecoming4,613 words
Chapter 12: Blade of a Knight12,147 words
Chapter 13: Celebration and a Dark Descent3,989 words
Chapter 14: Temple Mane-ia8,116 words
Chapter 15: Plans and Stowaways4,276 words
Chapter 16: The Desert World4,220 words
Chapter 17: HK-473,509 words
Chapter 18: Sea of Sand5,934 words
Chapter 19: Hope Lies Even In The Sands5,561 words
Chapter 20: Old and New Bonds2,973 words
Chapter 21: Battle for the First Map7,067 words

Chapter 13: Celebration and a Dark Descent

CHAPTER 13 CELEBRATIONS AND A DARK DESCENT

A few hours had passed since Garret was able to build his lightsaber and Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie and he were able to stop Trixie while she was under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet and brought her before the council. Many of the council were impressed by what had transpired at the crystal caves, but a few of them questioned why Garret had others with him when he knew that he was supposed to be alone. Garret was planning on putting the blame on himself, but the others were willing to take the blame on themselves as well. Despite Garret having the others with him, Celestia and many of the council still believed that he had passed his final trial and was now a member of the order. Celestia and the council were going to discuss about what they were going to do with Trixie and decide her fate. Garret and the others were sent back to the Golden Phoenix to wait for further instructions the next day and discuss more about the visions. At first Garret was ready to get a well-deserved rest....

....But Pinkie had other plans.

"WOOHOO! LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" shouted Pinkie as she did a backflip and confetti came out of her hooves.

Pinkie wasn't joking when she said that she would be throwing a party for Garret. In the main hold of the ship, Pinkie had decorated wall after wall with streamers, bows, pretty much all standard issue party stuff along with a large red banner that said "CONGRATULATIONS ON BECOMING A PADAWAN, GARR-." Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room on the banner so Pinkie tried to write his name on the cake that she made that said "YOUR THE MOST SUPER-DUPER FRIEND THAT ANYPONY COULD ASK FOR GARR-!" The cake ran out of room. There was a food table that had apples, pears, hay, vegetables, gems (for Spike), bones (for Canderous and Zaalbar), motor oil (for T3), and apple cider that Applejack was able to make with the apples they had. There were also games like pin-the-tail-on-the-pony on the wall, horseshoe throwing and apple bobbing. Everypony awed at what Pinkie had done and were dumbstruck at how quickly she was able to do it all.

"Pinkie, how were you were able to do all this?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Well, I put the streamers there, and I placed all the food over there, and I-"

"No I mean, how were you able to do all this so quickly?"

"Don't know, just did," Pinkie answered plainly with a large smile on her.

"What? You couldn't have done all of this without a reason!" Twilight tried to point out.

"Silly Twiliy, not everything has to have a reason. If you just want to do it, just do it and to splick with the consequences." Pinkie then grabbed a watermelon from out of nowhere, took a large bite out of it, and threw it onto the side.

*SPLAT*

"MY MANE!!!"

Twilight placed a hoof on her face and gave out an annoyed sigh.

As Twilight was trying to figure out Pinkie, everypony else was having a nice time. Zaalbar and Canderous, of course, wanted to just keep to themselves and didn't want to be part of the party. T3 was holding onto a tray of drinks and was serving them to everypony. Applejack was actually getting used to being around with others and was feeling a bit relaxed. Rarity was trying to get the watermelon remains out of her mane, while Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were snickering at Rarity's misfortune without her noticing. Garret watched his companions and friends enjoy themselves as he was drinking some apple cider that Applejack made. He then noticed that Fluttershy was next to him trying to hide away her face with her pink mane.

He simply raised an eyebrow and asked the obvious, "Are you okay, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy flinched for a moment, but let out a sigh and replied, "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just not used to being around ponies like this."

Garret gave out a smile. "You've got nothing to worry about. We're among friends here."

"I know, I'm just used to being quiet is all," Fluttershy replied.

"Do you want to be alone right now?"

"No, umm, I w-would appreciate you keeping me company. If that's okay?"

"Yes, that would be okay," Garret replied as he smiled warmly.

Fluttershy returned the smile with hers and they both continued to talk for a while.

After the party was over and everypony recovered from the fireworks that Pinkie set off in the ship, Garret went to lie down in his bunk bed and had gone to sleep for the night.

Garret could see nothing but darkness and smoke all around him. He tried to speak up and call for the others, but every time he opened his mouth, no words would come out. He started to worry a bit, but remembered his training about keeping his mind calm and at peace. Soon after he calmed his mind, everything was beginning to take shape around him and he now found himself in an old looking room.

The room looked ancient as it didn't have any metals in the walls, but instead they seemed to use stones and furniture didn't look like they were used in centuries, as they were rotten and covered in cobwebs. There were paintings of ponies that Garret didn't recognize, but they looked like they were nobles or royals. There were stone pillars all around him and there were many hallways that led to different paths. As he was taking in his surroundings, he heard creaking sounds behind him and turned to see what it was. A large door was opening and coming through it two figures appeared and trotted towards him.

One of the figures was a male looking unicorn that was covered mostly in a brown robe and he was wearing a black mask with red details on it. Garret recognized right away that this was Eclipse, as he remembered him from his previous visions. However, the other figure was a different pony which he had never seen him before. He was a tall unicorn stallion and his buff like shape showed that he was physically strong. He wore a crimson suit with black boots and had a tan colored coat. He had a short black tail and had grey eyes with two brown stripes on top of his head.

As they were walking, the tall pony spoke up and said, "So, this is the great temple? I've would have thought this place would at least have some traps since it contained such powerful artifacts."

"Do not let appearances fool you," Eclipse said. "Celestia wasn't foolish enough to leave such power here without a few surprises."

"Is this wise?" the tall stallion asked. "Celestia herself sealed it off a long time ago, if we break this seal now the order will surely banish us. Is the power inside worth the risk?"

"Yes," Eclipse bluntly said.

They soon entered into some kind of large throne room that had two seats at the far end of the room. Halfway through, they stopped and Eclipse's horn started to light up with his magic and he shoot a beam of energy on the ground. The ground started to shake a bit and a secret compartment started to open up. A large structure soon came up from it. The structure was a large round stone ball with five other smaller balls surrounding it. Eclipse then used his magic to lift the smaller balls from their places.

"Are they what I think they are?" the tall pony asked in shock.

"Yes Moonlight, they are," Eclipse said. "Five of six of the most powerful items in the entire galaxy, the Elements of Harmony."

"Five out of six? Where is the last one then?" Moonlight asked.

"According to legend, when Celestia banished her sister a thousand years ago she hid the last element somewhere safe. Only she would know where it would be," Eclipse explained.

"Then what is the point of taking these elements if they’re going to be useless?" Moonlight asked, clearly frustrated by this.

"Whether we have all of them or not they would still be useless," Eclipse began to explain. "The Elements of Harmony are a tool for the light side. Now that we serve our mistress of the night, we can no longer wield their power, but that doesn't mean we can make sure that nopony else can use them when we begin our assault on the Republic and the Solar Knights. And when we find the Chaos Forge, nothing will stand in our way."

Moonlight let out a light chuckle. "Soon we will rule the galaxy together, my friend."

Eclipse looked back at Moonlight and said, "If we are to control the galaxy, there must be only one singular vision; my vision. We cannot share power as friends, but as master and apprentice."

"Why should I allow you to be my master?" Moonlight said as he was reaching for his lightsaber.

"You would not be here if it wasn't for me, Moonlight. I see much potential in you as Nightmare lord, but you rely too much on brute strength alone and focus too much on the battle that is in front of you, but not what goes around it," Eclipse explain. "Serve me and I will teach everything you need to know on how to be able to fight in the coming war with the Republic and one day when you are powerful enough to face me, you will strike me down and claim the title "Nightmare Lord of the Luna Empire!"

Moonlight took a moment for this to sink in his mind. He pulled his hoof away from his lightsaber and took a bow before Eclipse. "I pledge my loyalty towards you, my master, Nightmare Eclipse."

Eclipse simply nodded and said, "Good, soon the galaxy will be ours and nothing will stand in our way for power! Now let us leave before Celestia or her servants suspect us."

"Agreed, master."

Eclipse and Moonlight soon left the room, leaving behind a confused Garret.

'I don't understand, Elements of Harmony? What are they and what is this Chaos Forge they mentioned?' Garret thought to himself.

As he pondered on this, he heard something come from behind him and when he turned to see what it was, a flash of lightning struck at him and he was sent flying towards the wall. He got up groaning as if he was in pain and looked up to see Eclipse himself looking down at him with a crimson light in his right hoof lowered on his side. He was covered in a worn out robe that looked like as if he came out of an explosion and his red sharp horn was broken off while his mask was cracked in several places.

The dark lord spoke up in a howling voice, "I may be gone, but the dark side will preserve me when I return!" He then let out a shrieking shout and charged towards Garret.

Garret's eyes widened as the dark deceased lord pounced on top of him and when it happened, everything suddenly went dark.

Garret immediately woke up from his bunk and was panting and sweating from his nightmare. He quickly looked around to see that he was still in the Phoenix. He looked around some more to see that Canderous was still in his bunk, while Zaalbar was still in his. T3 was shut down so he could recharge himself. The girls were no doubt over in the starboard side of the ship sleeping. He laid his head back down to think about his dream. 'But was it a dream?' He thought to himself. 'It felt so...real. I have to see Twilight in the morning.' He then closed his eyes once more and spent the rest of the night restlessly.

It was early in the morning and everypony was up and were carrying on with their business. Thanks to the Order, they were provided with supplies and parts for the ship, which Rainbow Dash used to make some modifications to the ship; Zaalbar and T3 were helping her along with the repairs and upgrades. Canderous was in the garage still overlooking the swoop bike, Fluttershy was putting plants and flowers in the cargo bay making it more nature friendly, Pinkie Pie was cleaning the ship while skating on bubble soaked brushes, and Applejack was showing Scootaloo the controls of the ship.

Garret and Twilight however were meeting with the council about Garret's recent dreams. As it had turned out, Twilight also had the same dream last night and Celestia and the council all had concerned looks on their faces.

After a moment of silence, Celestia let out a sigh. "I believe I know where the dream took place and how we can find the other elements," she said.

"So wait, you mean the dreams were real and the Elements as well?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Celestia stated. "Long ago, my sister Luna and I used the Elements to defeat an ancient threat and then I used them on my sister when she became Nightmare Moon and freed her of her dark influence."

"What had happened to your sister after that?" Garret asked.

"While her time as Nightmare Moon was short, she caused great destruction on the order and felt ashamed of herself. The weight of her crimes were great upon her soul, so, as a last safety measure, she destroyed all knowledge of her teachings and exiled herself into the farthest reaches of dark space. Never to be seen again and it is the reason why there hasn't been a Luna knight in over a thousand years," Celestia finished explaining.

"I'm sorry to hear that, master," Twilight said feeling sorry for Celestia's loss.

"It is alright, Twilight," Celestia said. "I believe my sister will return one day, but for now we must focus on the present. I do not know of where this Chaos Forge is or what it is. But if Eclipse and Moonlight did not find the last Element, then you can use it to find the other elements or use it to find clues as to where the Chaos Forge is"

"So where is the last Element?"

"It's still in an old temple that my sister and I once used," Celestia answered. "On the planet Tythorn."

"Tyhorn?" Twilight and Garret said in unison.

"Yes, our birthplanet," Celestia clarified.

"Wait a minute, the birthplanet you were born on?" Twilight asked for clarification.

"Yes, Twilight."

"The birthplanet where you came from?" Twilight asked again.

"Ummm, yes, my apprentice."

"Oh. My. GOSH! Nopony in over a thousand years has known where you are from!" Twilight said gleefully. "EEEEEEE! I never thought I would go to your homeplanet! This is so EXCITING!" Twilight was jumping up and down in a circle of excitement. After a few seconds of jumping, Twilight's large smile slowly faded away with each jump and froze up in mid jump as she noticed Celestia, Garret, and the rest of the council were looking at her with puzzled looks. She started to sweat a bit and let out a weak chuckle. "Sorry," she said nervously.

"It is alright," Celestia said chuckling. "It is not so often that I would reveal my birthplanet to anypony. I will provide you with the coordinates to the planet and give you supplies for your journey."

"Thank you, grand master. We would appreciate it," Garret said.

"I will also send others with you to help with your journey."

"Like who?"

"I will send Rarity with you of course. She seems quite fond of you and is already a good friend of Twilight," Celestia explained. "And I will send Trixie with you as well."

"Trixie? You mean that Nightmare Knight that tried to kill Garret?" Twilight asked shockingly.

"No longer is she a Nightmare Knight, but she is now a Solar Padawan like Garret here," Celestia clarified. "I believe this is the chance she needed to prove herself that she has changed and that her presence would no doubt serve as a reminder that not all are lost when facing the dark side. Plus, her skills with two lightsabers will come in handy against any that try to stop you."

"Very well, we would be honored to accept their help," Garret said, both Twilight and him bowing towards Celestia and council.

"Now go, you two. Find the Elements of Harmony and use them to stop Moonlight from using the Chaos Forge. The fate of the Republic and the galaxy now rests on your shoulders. May the Spirit of Harmony be with you," Celestia announced.

"May the Spirit of Harmony be with us all," Twilight said.

Garret and Twilight rose up from bowing and walked out from the council room.

"The great and reformed Trixie is most humbled to join you and your crew, Garret," Trixie said as she was trotting along with Garret, Twilight, Spike, and Rarity towards the Golden Phoenix. "Trixie will do Trixie’s best not to disappoint." Trixie was now wearing a red robe with black trimmings and had a pair of black boots on her back legs.

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Rarity said still holding a grudge towards Trixie after what she did to her at the cave. "But if Celestia thinks that you are somewhat trustworthy, then I'll go along with it… For now." Rarity then gave a stern look at Trixie, making her stumble back a bit. She then turned her attention towards Twilight and Garret. "I am most glad that Celestia has sent me along and shall not make her or you two disappointed." she said gracefully. She was now wearing a purple robe that had three diamond shape designs like her cutie mark on the back of it.

Twilight let out a smile. "We're glad to have you too, Rarity," she said. Twilight then lessened her trotting to be next to Trixie and whispered, "Don't worry, Rarity doesn't hold a grudge for long, if you keep on complimenting her looks." She winked at Trixie and trotted quickly to be alongside with Garret again.

Trixie gave out a sigh of relief knowing that Twilight seemed like she would help her out in any situation with the others. She then looked over to Garret and asked, "So Trixie was wondering, where are we going exactly?"

"We're going to the planet Tythorn to find an old temple that Celestia once had there," Garret replied.

"Tythorn? Trixie has never heard of that planet before."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Twilight said. "We have just learned of its existence just a few moments ago."

"I wonder what would be inside the temple," Rarity said pondering on the idea. "Oh, I hope there are some ancient tapestries that I could restore and possibly use them for inspiration for new designs. They’d be a smashing hit on Cantersaunt!" Rarity was then skipping along as she was fantasizing about becoming one of the greatest designers in the galaxy.

"Sound like you guys are going to have fun," Spike said. He then looked down at the ground with a disappointed look. "Too bad I can't come along… again."

"Spike, I know you always wanted to come along with me, but is too dangerous for a little dragon like you," Twilight said to the young drake. "I wouldn't forgive myself if you came alone and got hurt."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Spike said crossing his arms in defeat. "Just don't take too long to come back, okay? It gets really boring around here without you."

Twilight gave Spike a warm smile and hugged the little drake. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon. I promise."

Twilight and the others soon continued on their way towards the ship, leaving behind a sad and disgruntled drake. Spike let out a heavy sigh and decided to go get some gems to snack on. However, when he was on his way he heard a 'pst' sound behind a nearby corner. He walked over to the corner and asked nervously, "W-Who's there?" Then a pair of white hooves grabbed him covering his mouth before he could let out a terrified shout and pulled him around.

The Golden Phoenix was soon lifting up from the ground and was now flying towards the sky. The ship quickly left the planet's orbit passing the Republic blockade protecting the planet and went into hyperspace.

On the bridge, Dash and Applejack were piloting the ship while Garret and Twilight were watching over their progress.

After Dash pressed a few more buttons, she turned to the two. "So, do we know anything about this temple?" she asked.

"According to my master's data," Twilight began to explain. "The temple should be abandoned, so we don't have to worry about any Imperial presence there, but we still need to be cautious of any wildlife that might reside within the temple. I also think we should land as far from the temple as possible too. I don't think it'll be safe to land near it since it is ancient and it might actually come apart if we land too close to it."

"Don't worry about it, sugarcube," Applejack said. "We'll keep a good distance from the temple once we get there."

"So just sit back and relax, egghead," Dash said. Twilight shot a glare at Dash as she was chuckling quietly.

The Phoenix soon came out of hyperspace and a large green planet was right in front of the bridge's window.

"There it is, Tythorn," Applejack announced. "Starting landing sequence."

The ship entered the planet's atmosphere and they started to see large landscapes of cold, misty mountains that far over towered vast swamp-like forests while it was nighttime. As the ship was flying over them, in the distance was a large stone temple and it soon flew by it and started to head towards an open area almost a mile away from the temple. The ship hovered over the area and gently lowered towards it while letting its landing gear out from below the ship. It landed on the ground and the ship's ramp soon opened into the unknown forest that awaited the small band.

END OF CHAPTER

Author's Note:

What do you think Eclipse meant by 'When he returns?' What secrets lay in the Temple of the Sisters? And how Twilight and Garret hope to defeat Moonlight with the Elements of Harmony? All these questions will be answered in due time!

Here's what both Rarity and Trixie look like in the story.