• Published 12th Apr 2016
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STAR WARS / FiM: Realms of the Heavens - Tathem_Relag



An Imperial expeditionary group exploring the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy encounters a planet far more bizarre - and, potentially, dangerous - than anything they could have possibly predicted.

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Chapter Twenty-Eight: Revanchism

Fluttershy’s Cottage
3:10 A.M.

Fluttershy was awakened by what she at first thought were peals of thunder. But there was no storm scheduled for tonight, and the booms came far more rapidly than any thunder she had ever heard before. Nervously, she glanced out her window. The Everfree Forest was lit up by constant flashes of light. And they were headed towards Ponyville.


Twilight turned briefly to blast off the leg of one of the Army troopers. Another one nearby dropped his rifle and ran over to the injured human, squeezing his hands around the stump in a desperate attempt to stop the spray of blood that was rapidly painting the snow crimson.

She may have been pushed into a retreat, but she was still learning, still planning, still thinking. She had realized very quickly that it served her purposes better to injure the Army troops than to kill them. If they were wounded, at least one of their fellow soldiers would stop to help them. At this point, only about half a dozen of them still chased her, out of the twenty or so who had initially entered the forest. The CompForce troops were a different story. When she maimed them, their comrades didn’t spare them a second glance, they didn’t scream, and they kept dragging themselves after her even as they bled out. She had to simply kill them, and she had already done exactly that to about thirty of them. The infantry, of course, weren’t the real problem.

She pulled up short as the tree directly in front of her exploded into huge splinters. An AT-ST came up behind her and opened up with the rapid-fire anti-infantry cannon mounted on its left side. The bolts just deflected off the shield she threw up, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a threat. Her shield couldn’t hold up indefinitely, and the walker’s grenade launcher and chin-mounted main guns packed almost as much punch as a magical beam from one of the Royal Sisters. Less than a month ago, it would have had a notable, if less-than-favorable, chance of beating her. Now, it was just a pest. But in large enough numbers, even the smallest pest could bring down the largest house.

Just as her retaliatory attack blew the walker’s cockpit to smithereens, three more pushed their way through the trees and opened fire. It would take her but a moment to destroy them, too, but she could hear the hissing and clanking of more metal legs and feet, and in that moment, the odds against her would get even worse. Instead of fighting, she pushed herself faster towards Ponyville. Her friends would help her kill these fools. And if they didn’t, well…

An Empress had to know how to deal with traitors.


Luna shook Celestia awake. “Sister,” she said quietly, sadly. “It’s started.”


Twilight burst out of the forest, ten walkers hot on her tail. She didn’t know where the rest had gone – she had only destroyed seven. But she was happy to have fewer pursuers. As she approached the edge of town, she saw something out of the corner of her eye, and she smiled. Turning, she blasted four of them with her magic. The other six fired at her, but not for long. A powerful buck bent a durasteel leg and sent the crippled walker toppling into another, which in turn knocked down a third. A flash of rainbow light smashed through two cockpits and dumped their dazed occupants in the snow an instant before the walkers’ ammo supplies detonated. A ball of pink bounced up to the top of the last walker and squeezed into its viewport. A moment later, it stopped firing and Pinkie emerged from the access hatch.

“Oh, Twilight!” Fluttershy rushed over, fear and concern etched on her face. “You’re hurt! What happened? Why are they doing this?”

Twilight didn’t have a chance to respond before two dozen TIE fighters shrieked overhead and the rest of the human forces emerged from the trees. The four AT-APs, each guarded by two AT-STs, deployed their third legs. The A5 crushed a new path through the trees, flanked by the last seven AT-STs and thirteen infantrymen.

“Princess Sparkle!” a voice came over the A5’s loudspeaker. “This is Captain Marsen. You will surrender immediately. If you do not comply, we will employ maximum force.”

Twilight snarled. “Go ahead. Try it. There won’t be enough left of you for your families to cry over.”

“Umm… Twilight, darling?” Rarity asked hesitantly. “Isn’t that a bit… extreme?

“These monsters only understand violence. I’m just speaking their language.”

Applejack sighed. “Twi, how many times do I have to tell ya? Not all humans are like that. These humans might be, but Bren and his friends are as good as any pony.”

One of the Army troopers took a few steps forwards. “Were,” he called to her, his voice shaking. “We were good. Now Bren and Cole are nothin’ but dead. All the rest ’cept me an’ Lancer were maimed by this schutta. Might not make it. Me? I just wanna get me a new rug.”

Applejack’s eyes widened, and her jaw hung loose. She was silent for a few moments. “You…? He…?” She turned to Twilight, a haunted look on her face. “Twi… is this true?”

Twilight shot an annoyed glare at her. “How should I know? They all look the same in those helmets. Besides, why should you care? They’re just humans.”

The other Element-Bearers were taken aback by the utter lack of empathy in her voice. “Look, Twilight,” Rainbow said, flying up to her. “I don’t like these humans either, but this? This isn’t you. What’s happened to you?”

“I’m fine. Now, help me kill these monsters before they hurt anypony else!”

“I can’t do that. Sure, I want ’em gone, but I’m not gonna kill ’em. Not when there’s any other choice. And the Twilight I know wouldn’t, either.”

“How dare you defy me! I am your Princess, and you are supposed to be the Element of Loyalty! You will do what I tell you to do. Or you will suffer the consequences.”

A stunned silence stretched between the ponies. It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, Rainbow spoke, her voice sad yet determined. “Yeah, I’m loyal. Loyal to Twilight. My friend. But you aren’t her. I don’t know who you are or what you did to her, but you. Aren’t. Twilight. And I won’t let you drag her name through the mud like this.” The other Element-Bearers crowded around her, resolved to fighting whatever shapeshifter or possessing spirit had taken the place of their friend.

All of you?” Twilight hissed. “You all would betray me? So much for friendship. You’re nothing but traitors. And there’s only one punishment for treason.” Her horn glowed as she prepared to destroy her former friends along with the invaders.

Fluttershy stepped out of the huddle to stand directly in front of her. “I won’t defend myself. If this is really you, Twilight, if there’s any trace of my friend in there, I know you won’t hurt me, or any of us. Please, Twilight. Stop this. Let us help you.”

Twilight hesitated. Am I really going to do this? Am I really going to kill Fluttershy?

A voice somewhere between her own and Sorzus Syn’s spoke in her head. Yes! Kill her! Strike her down! Destroy them all! They are nothing but an impediment to you, keeping you from claiming the power you deserve.

But they’re my friends!

No! They betrayed you. They’re stopping you from doing what’s best for ponykind. They deserve to die.

There has to be another way! There has to be a peaceful solution!

Peace is a lie.

I… I can’t…

You must!

I…

A crack broke the silence, and Twilight collapsed. As tough as she was, her skull wasn’t harder than phrik. Malen emerged from his Cloak, his deactivated lightsaber clutched in his one good hand. He would have preferred to simply cut her head off, but even fueled by the Dark Side, he was in no condition to engage in the major battle that would inevitably cause. The ponies recoiled at the sight of him. His hair was disheveled and he was almost naked, showing pallid skin, a blackened and oozing gash across his chest, and hundreds of bruises and small cuts. His yellow gaze travelled across the Element-Bearers. When they didn’t immediately attack him, he turned and began walking away, showing crushed bones sticking out of the knuckles of his left hand and blood spurting out where his little finger used to be.

Applejack ran after him. “What the hay do you think you’re doing?! You think you can just attack Twilight like that and get away with it?!”

He whirled on her. “Me?! You think I’m ‘getting away with it’?! Look at me! This is what your ‘friend’ did to me. She attacked me while I lay in bed, mutilated me, tried to kill me! Your ‘friend’ is an attempted murderer. You should be happy that I didn’t finish her off. It would be nothing more than she deserves.”

Ri-ight. That’s real funny, comin’ from you. And don’t you go givin’ me some load of horse apples ’bout you being ‘allowed’ to do it. You’re the murderer, no two ways about it.”

A melodic voice from the sky broke into their conversation. “We’ll handle things from here.” Celestia flew down, accompanied by Luna and a squad of Night Guards. “Go make sure Twilight is alright.”

“Of course, Your Majesties.”

Celestia turned her attention to Malen. “As for you, Inquisitor.” His eyes narrowed, and his thumb slipped over his lightsaber’s activation stud. “You will never again leave your base. If you were wise, you’d leave Equestria entirely. If anypony ever sees you again, I will consider it an act of war. I’m willing to forgive the presence of you humans outside of the Everfree Forest this one last time. But I’ve reached the limit of my patience. The next threatening action that any of you take towards my little ponies will be your last. Am I understood?”

“Perfectly,” he snarled.

“Good. Now, get out of my sight.”

With a sneer, he stalked back into the forest. The other Imperials followed him, pausing only long enough to retrieve their disoriented and concussed comrades from the walkers Applejack had knocked over. As the sound of footpads in the snow and huge wheels crushing trees receded, the only sounds became the whistling of the wind and the crackling of the six burning walkers.

Luna turned to her sister. “You let them off far too easily. We should have never agreed to that peace treaty. Every time you allow them to stay, they become harder to eventually remove. And you know we will have to fight them.”

“That may be. But I won’t be the one to start the war.”

“Then perhaps somepony else should,” Luna muttered under her breath. Celestia gave her a disapproving glance. “Oh, relax, Celie. I’m not going to do anything foolish. Come. Twilight may need our help.”

Twilight was lying in the snow, her breathing steady and a bump rising on the back of her head.

“Sweet Celestia,” Rarity whispered. “What could have done this to her?”

Luna stepped forwards. “I do not know. But we will find out soon enough. Let us bring Twilight back to her castle. We shall discover the cause of Twilight’s unusual behavior together.”


The Castle of Friendship
03:28

Unseen in his Force Cloak, Malen watched from outside a window as seven strands of white light extended from Luna’s horn to the sleepers. He was no fool. The ponies seemed to naturally tend towards the Light Side of the Force. It was almost a given that they would be able to “redeem” his erstwhile apprentice.

When the string touched Twilight’s head, he sensed her mental barriers shatter. It would allow Luna – and, presumably, the other beings in the Force Meld – to access her innermost thoughts. But most Force Melds were the result of the combined effort of all participants. This, however, was more like a forced invasion. Instead of strengthening the minds of the participants, it weakened them. The dark one from the strain of entering the minds, the others from the destruction of their mental defenses. Not that they normally had any such defenses worth speaking of. Erecting them was a skill his apprentice had struggled mightily at, which suited him just fine. The ponies’ minds were open to any being capable of telepathy. Such beings were bizarrely rare here, he had learned, so it likely had never been a problem before. But he was a telepath, and he smiled as he extended his consciousness into Twilight’s. He was also a very sore loser. He had no doubts that they would be able to undue all the changes the Dark Side had made to her mind.

But would they be able to restore what he razed to the ground?


The Royal Sisters and Element-Bearers gaped as they looked around Twilight’s mindscape. Instead of the library they were expecting, they found themselves in a cavernous chamber of dark gray stone. Wind could be heard howling somewhere outside, and red sand trickled down from cracks in the roof far above. The walls were lined with statues of kneeling ponies, the sealed door behind them was carved with runes in a totally foreign language, and two huge statues of Twilight, ten times life size, stood against the far wall. But the thing that really stood out was the towering megalithic structure that dominated the center of the room.

“Ain’t that the holocron? I knew he was lyin’ about it not being evil!”

Celestia circled it warily. “So this is the source of the corruption. I’ve never seen an object quite like this before. Still, I can tell that it’s a powerful artifact of dark magic. We must find some way to free Twilight from its grip.”

“Who says I want to be freed?” The door rumbled open, and Twilight strode in. Her coat and mane were gray, her eyes yellow and bloodshot, and she was dressed in a black cloak, with gold jewelry adorning her forehead, neck, and legs. “Who says I’m not already free? In fact, I’m more free now than I’ve ever been before!”

Celestia didn’t try to hold back her tears. “Oh, Twilight! Can’t you see what this thing has done to you?”

Twilight showed her teeth in a smile that was totally without humor. “Yes. It’s given me the strength to drive the humans out of Equestria, the power to destroy any who might threaten us again! It’s let me achieve victory.

“But at what cost, Twi?” Applejack pleaded. “How is it a victory if ya have to give up your friendship to get it?”

“My ‘friendship’ with you was a chain, holding me back from achieving my true potential. I’ve broken it.”

“Okay, I know you don’t really think that,” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “I mean, the Princess of Friendship giving up on friendship? As if!

“You don’t want to do this,” Luna said quietly. “I can see it in your eyes. We’re all here for you, Twilight. We’re your friends. We want to help you. You just need to let us.”

Twilight’s eyes started watering. “I… I have to do this. It’s the only way to be powerful enough to stop the humans!”

“If darkness, ambition, and a desire for power were what truly made a pony strong,” Celestia reminded her, “Equestria would now be ruled by Nightmare Moon, or Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Sunset Shimmer, Tirek, or Starlight Glimmer, or any number of other tyrants. But it isn’t. Your friendship has always overcome, even when things looked their bleakest and your foes seemed invincible. Hatred and anger can never defeat kindness and love. Not as long as good ponies like you are willing to hold onto those values no matter the circumstances. So, my dearest student – will you take a stand for friendship?”

Twilight hesitated, then broke down in sobs. “Oh, Celestia! What have I done? How could I hurt all of you like this?” Her normal colors returned, while the cloak and jewelry turned gray and crumbled to dust. Her friends swarmed her, nearly smothering her in comforting hugs.

“I knew you’d come back to us, Twi!”

“Well, duh! Of course she did! She’s almost as awesome as me! There’s no way somepony that cool could stay bad!”

“I’m just glad you’re back to normal.”

“Indeed! Those really weren’t your colors, darling.”

“Hey! I think it’s time for a ‘Congratulations on Not Being a Big Ol’ Meany-Pants Anymore’ party!”

They stayed wrapped in the embrace for almost a minute. When they finally separated, Celestia sighed. “I truly hate bringing this up so soon, Twilight, but… what happened to you?”

Twilight grimaced. “It’s okay. You need to know. I guess I should start with the holocron. I told you all about the voice. Well, it started getting worse, and –”

“No!” a deep, rippling male voice roared from all around them. “Forever bound!” The giant pyramid in the center of the room shattered, revealing a roiling cloud of dark purple mist. Twilight was ripped off her hooves and pulled into the cloud before anypony could react. It sunk into her, and a blood-red glow surrounded her. She opened her mouth and spoke in the dark voice. “Bogan takes this spirit!”

“Release her!” Celestia commanded. “Whatever you are, if you hurt her, you’ll regret it!”

“Hahaha! Suffering. Torment. Anguish. Death.”

“We know where you live,” Luna pointed out. “What will happen to you if we destroy the holocron?”

“Fool. Bogan is darkness. Death. Bogan has no physical form. Power is channeled through avatars and minions. No pony can destroy.”

Celestia pondered for a moment. “If you’re really so powerful, why didn’t you do any of this before? Why now?”

“Violence. Suffering. Death. Bogan feeds on the fallen.”

“So many spirits that get stronger when ponies hate. But we’ve defeated them all. What makes you think that you’re any different?”

“Despair. Hopelessness. Death. Corruption spreads. Ponies. Humans. Twisted. Broken.”

“You may have much to feed on, but no amount of sadness and hate can overcome the friendship of even a few. We will stop you, and we will save Twilight.”

The Element-Bearers chorused their assent and stepped forwards as one, starting to glow.

“No! Violation. Defilement. Extinction. This must not be!” A beam of dark power shot from Twilight’s horn, only to be blocked by a shield raised by the Royal Sisters.

“Twilight!” Celestia called out. “Your friends need you! Even now, you still hold the Magic of Friendship inside of you!” For a few seconds, nothing seemed to change as the Royal Sisters struggled to hold back the attack. Then, under the red aura, a faint purple light started to glow.

“No! Die! Despair! Suffer!” The voice no longer came from Twilight’s mouth. The beam from her horn cut off and a cocoon of rainbow light surrounded her. The voice screamed, and a huge flash of light forced everypony to close their eyes. When they opened them again, they found themselves back in Twilight’s bedroom in the Castle of Friendship.

Luna smiled. “Welcome back to the land of the wakened, everypony.”

A groan escaped Twilight’s lips. “What… what happened? What are you all doing here? What am I doing here? I was going to the forest, and then… Did I pass out?” A sudden smile crossed her face. “The voice – it’s gone!” She looked around eagerly. “How’d you do it?” The other ponies stared at her with concern. “What?” she asked, frowning. “Was it something I said?”

Celestia cleared her throat. “Twilight… What’s the last thing that you remember?”

“I was just about to enter the Everfree Forest. The voice… it got so bad. I couldn’t think of any other way to stop it. I… I was going back to the holocron.” Her frown deepened. “But that’s crazy! There’s no way going back to the cause of the voice would make it get better. What was I thinking?”

The others exchanged worried glances, and Celestia released a heavy sigh. “My dearest Twilight. There are… many things we must discuss.”


Malen hid himself against the wall of the castle as best he could. His Cloak had collapsed, but fortunately, it was the middle of the night and most ponies had all the perceptiveness of a permacrete block. His breathing came in ragged gasps, he was drenched in sweat, and his bleeding had picked up. He had withdrawn from her mind just in time. He slumped down, trying to catch his breath. Once he had finally calmed down enough to form coherent thoughts, he indulged in a slight smile. He hadn’t been able to totally ravage her mind like he had hoped, but he had managed to scrub her mind of all memories of her fall and tutelage under him. Some things, once trained, came instinctively and could never be unlearned. But she would have lost the vast majority of her newfound power.

They still knew that her fall was his fault, of course, but his invention of an evil, possessing spirit would help deflect at least some of their wrath. Access to ancient histories was truly a great boon at times. Besides, they already knew that he was a sociopath. If they hadn’t declared war after he fought their leaders and killed that guard right in front of them, this probably wouldn’t be quite enough to push them over the edge. The situation may not have been optimal, but he had succeeded at his most basic objectives.


Coruscant

Inquisitor Valerious had failed. Darth Sidious hissed as he waved his hand through the dark cloud, dispelling the image. He had finally found a suitable replacement for his broken machine of an apprentice, and the Inquisitor had thrown it all away. He didn’t care if tens of thousands of expendable troops had to die for it, or, for that matter, if Valerious had to. Such powerful and easily corruptible beings were extraordinarily rare. The Inquisitor should have done everything in his power to drive her to more violence, more hate, more rage, more sorrow. Instead, he had given her a convenient out, allowing her to go back to her everyday life with the comforting misconception that she had been possessed, and thereby not responsible for her actions. She could be corrupted again, of course, but there was absolutely no reason to undo her first corruption.

All in all, the Dark Lord of the Sith was very displeased. The Inquisitor was still a useful tool, and would be allowed to live – this time. But his punishment would be painful, and Sidious would not grant such mercy a second time.

Author's Note:

Su cuy ni! Well, for now, at least. My apologies for this unforgivably long break between uploads. Writer's block's a bitch. Plus, I realized I had written myself into a corner - I have a few other things I want to do before this collapses into full-scale war, hence the massive ass pull. But don't worry, her little brush with the Dark Side is going to have consequences (well, unless my Writing by the Seat of My Pants methodology screws me over again).

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