Across the Stars

by SonnyStar

First Steps

Twilight Sparkle, faithful student to Princess Celestia was suddenly unsure of her place in the world. Now that a fateful event had brought a life form from another planet into her midst, that world got bigger. Infinitely bigger. She loved her life here in Ponyville, she loved her friends…yet something in the back of her mind thirsted for more. Something that had awoken in when she saw Jorcen fight Princess Luna. She was no longer content to be what she was. Part of her regretted that she would even consider asking Princess Celestia to give her up as a student. Another part almost demanded she do it. Twilight had always been a scholar and now she was presented with knowledge, much more than she could ever acquire across a hundred lifetimes on Equus. Confliction was building in her heart and that confliction would eat at her until she reached a decision. A decision she equal parts wanted and did not want to make. Twilight sat on the bridge, staring at her reflection for long time. She needed somepony to talk to but she couldn’t ask Celestia about this particular dilemma, at least not yet. Who else did she know who could offer the advice she sought? Cadence? Her brother? They were both in Canterlot as far as she knew. That left her with one option. Which meant she had a bit of a walk ahead of her.

***

Zecora’s hut sat a bit within the Everfree Forest, a decent distance from Jorcen’s crash site. Twilight had no doubt that the enigmatic zebra was aware of what had transpired earlier this week. Twilight sat beside a bubbling cauldron as she explained everything that she had learned from the Jedi, sipping tea from a carved wooden cup. Zecora was opposite her, gathering ingredients and adding them to the cauldron intermittently.

“I just don’t know what to make of this Zecora. It’s like I lost total track of what my life was supposed to be. How can I want something and not want it at the same time?”

“Dissonance plagues your pony mind, it often comes from enlightening finds. Knowledge is not something to fear, worry not for those you hold dear.”

“So what are you saying? I should just do whatever I want and not worry about the consequences?”

Zecora nodded her head and took a drink from her own teacup.

“I’m saying that perhaps you are overthinking, tell me what do you think of my tea for drinking?”

“It…actually it tastes a little different than usual.” Twilight suddenly got defensive, wondering what the stripped potion maker was up to.

“It is laced with something from my homeland, something that will help you understand.”

An abrupt feeling began to form in Twilight’s stomach. A sensation that felt like she was falling became all she could focus on as the world melted away and left her careening through the darkness. She screamed for help, begged anypony who could hear to come rescue her but it was no use. When she dared to open her eyes, she saw something beautiful. She was floating in the space between Equus and the moon. Her home planet glowed beneath her, a sight she had only dreamt of. In the distance behind the planet was a ghostly image that Twilight couldn’t focus on no matter how hard she tried.

“We know of the power that you speak, and can offer the answers that you seek.” It sounded like a million voices all speaking at once, coming from everywhere.

“How do you know about the Force!?” Twilight yelled into the vastness of her surroundings.

“It has always been here for us to find, a power that was used by both our kinds. This Force exists for all to feel and its will is very real.”

“What does that mean!?”

“It was not pure chance that brought him here, his presence is not one you should fear. The Force acts in mysterious ways, for he will help you in the coming days.”

“What is the Force!?”

“It is an energy that lives in all but only some can hear its call. It is a force that belongs to none, yet exists inside everyone. Our creators used it to control and bind and then it left them far behind.”

Creators? Was use of the Force widespread in the past? If so, what made it leave them? Twilight was more confused now than she had ever been. She wanted answers but she had no idea where she could find them, or if they even existed.

“What…what should I do?” Twilight couldn’t muster the energy to shout anymore, though her volume mattered little to the presence that spoke to her.

“You must do what your heart commands, though you needn’t listen to all its demands. Just know this before you quit, all is as the Force wills it.”

Before Twilight could pose another question, she felt herself being pulled. The planet before her began to shrink as she was pulled away, far far away. Her planet disappeared, replaced in the distance by the glow of the sun. Farther and farther she flew until she was in dark space, looking upon the entire galaxy. Twilight felt something warm and pleasant permeate her body as she observed the galaxy. But just as soon as she had felt this warmth, it was replaced by another feeling. A deep pit formed in her stomach as a stinging cold began to bite at her being. Images flashed before her, images that meant nothing to her but she could somehow feel their importance. She saw a massive disc shaped building sat at the center of an endless city. Another flash and she saw a planet covered in sinkholes, a mechanical four armed being fighting another Jedi. Lastly, through a red haze of heat and smoke she saw a lone robed figure with tears in their yellow eyes. Before she could process any of what she had seen, the unseen force pulled her back with renewed intensity. She jerked her body and when she opened her eyes, found that she was back in Zecora’s hut.

“W-what did you do to me? What was that?”

“I gave you a taste of the serenity flower, they are filled with mystical power.”

“Mystical power? You knew…your people knew this whole time.” Zecora nodded and took another sip of her tea.

“The spirit wind we called it in times past, though its power was not to last. It was a part of us that we took for granted, now we can only harness it from what is planted.”

“You lost your connection to the Force? How does that happen?” Zecora shrugged.

“It faded from your kind as well, can it be healed? Only time will tell. All I know is that it’s still here but the way forward is quite unclear. The secrets of the past are lost to history, though now there’s a new piece to the mystery. The one called Jorcen who came from the sky could show us the way, the path of the Jedi. To reconnect with what we held dear, begins and ends with you my dear.” Zecora stood and dumped the remainder of her tea into the cauldron, causing it to shake and disgorge enough smoke to fill the hut. Twilight tried to wave it away, coughing into her hoof. When it faded Zecora was nowhere to be found. She was unsure if she had found any answers. If anything, she had found more questions, questions that somehow related to the ancient past of this planet. The presence said that this wasn’t an accident. Jorcen was here for a reason, guided by the invisible energy field called the Force…Twilight knew what she had to do but she didn’t know if she had the courage. With her mind as clouded as ever, she gathered her belongings and departed Zecora’s hut. It begins and ends with me, she thought wondering now if her part to play was grander than she could possibly imagine. Whether she had the strength to do it or not was yet to be seen, though something she had been told put her at ease. All is as the Force wills it.

***
Republic Space

Norana Venn was uneasy. She had been ever since she saw her former master in a vision. A vision she couldn’t make heads or tails of. The feeling only intensified when she tried to contact his ship and received nothing in return. Something was wrong. The Force was trying to tell her something. Norana stood on the bridge of one of the Venators under her command, staring at the holo map.

“Something troubling you General?” Admiral Lona Fel approached the holo map, concern in her expression.

“I have a feeling something happened to my master.”

“General Alketses?”

“Yes. I’ve been unable to contact him or anyone under his command.”

“Perhaps he is just out of range? The 312^th was sent on a covert op a little over a week ago.”

“I know Lona, I know. I just have a really bad feeling about it.” Norana’s lekku twitched. She had always thought she had good instincts and her master once told her that her will and the force are interconnected. Though that did nothing to soothe her mind. Her bond with her master was still strong and if she felt this way it was likely she was right.

“Incoming transmission General Venn.” One of the bridge staff said from the command station.

“What is it?” The Jedi General asked.

“It’s a distress signal. Its from the 312^th legion.”

“What’s their status?” Norana’s fears were confirmed.

“Under separatist attack. We are thirteen parsecs away from their position.”

“Put in their coordinates and make the jump to hyperspace! Admiral, prep the fleet and make sure our troops are ready to deploy as soon as we arrive!”

“Yes General.” Admiral Fel snapped a quick salute and began distributing her orders, pilots prepped the hangar bays and reality stretched away as her fleet made the jump into hyperspace.

Norana stared into the swirling, blue vortex of hyperspace with renewed determination.

“Hold on master, I’m coming.”

***

Jorcen stood in the center of the Carousel Boutique, his arms stretched out as Rarity took his measurements. He tried to insist that he didn’t need anything more than a quick mend, which Rarity was happy to do, but after a bit of pleading the Jedi acquiesced and allowed her to get his measurements.

“This is really unnecessary.” Jorcen mumbled. Rarity looked over the rim of her red glasses and scoffed.

“Unnecessary? Hardly darling. You could do with a new wardrobe. Get you in something flattering instead of those drab old robes.”

“These are the ceremonial robes of my order.” Jorcen was a little insulted by her comment. Most beings in the galaxy could take one look at him and instantly know what he was. Drab indeed.

“Oh! I didn’t mean to offend you darling but…well just look at you. Plain brown robe, plain gray tunic underneath? One would think fashion would have higher standard where you come from. Besides, I’ve never made clothing for a creature like you and I do so enjoy a challenge from time to time.

“Rarity…”

“Ah ah, no protesting. There, now that I have your measurements, I have everything that I need. What would you say to something with frills? How about the color purple? Are you partial to trim? If so, do you like gold? Silver? And we can’t rule out gems of course, I just had a batch of emeralds cut into…” Rarity stopped her fashion tirade and saw that Jorcen had yet to move and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh dear…did I get a tad carried away?” Rarity blushed slightly and rubbed her forelegs together trying to hide her embarrassment.

“Just a little.” Jorcen, despite the seriousness in his expression, gave her a warm smile.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s just that-”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me Rarity. Your passion for your craft is quite admirable.”

“R-right. Well…thank you for stopping by.” Rarity was ready to beat a hasty retreat upstairs but first she would see her guest out.

“Thank you for mending my robes.”

“It’s the least I could do for saving my sister.” Rarity had been shocked by the story he told when he arrived but knowing that her sister was safe gave her an enormous sense of gratitude towards the man. Jorcen bowed and made for the door, the entrance bell ringing as he left. Rarity let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and began to make her way upstairs.

“Oh and Rarity.” Rarity froze halfway up her stairs, craning her head to see that Jorcen had poked his back inside, a big smile on his face “I think I would prefer silver trim.”

Rarity couldn’t suppress a smile herself now that she got his blessing to create an ensemble for him. With that, Jorcen nodded and made his way back outside. Rarity couldn’t contain a happy little hop as she sped upstairs to her planning room to begin creating some designs. She looked out her window to see Jorcen and Rainbow Dash walking down the street towards the market. She watched as the Jedi knelt, arms outstretched as her sister and her friends came speeding towards him, jumping into his arms for a group hug. Once he set them down Sweetie Belle began tugging at his robes, a pleading expression on her face. Rarity couldn’t make out what she was saying from here but it looked important…well important to Sweetie Belle. Jorcen shook his head and Sweetie Belle started to pout. Something that made Rarity laugh. He really got along with the three fillies, especially Sweetie. As she thought that she felt her cheeks get a bit warm. Where did that come from, she thought? This was no time for distractions so she pulled her shutters closed and got back to something that would take her mind off it. Work.

***

Twilight Sparkle had trotted nonstop from the Everfree Forest back to the Golden Oak library. On her way she compiled a list of books she needed to review. After the revelation she received at Zecora’s she had to give the history of Equestria, as well as Zebrica a closer examination. She threw the doors open with a crash.

“Library’s closed! Everypony out!” She yelled, startling a number of readers. It took little more convincing to get them to leave, Twilight’s disheveled mane and manic look seemed to do the trick.

“What the heck was that about Twilight?” Spike asked, only to receive a scroll to the face.

“I need you to find these books for me Spike, I think I’m going to have a long night ahead of me.”

Spike grumbled to himself, dutifully retrieving the books on Twilight’s list. Soon he found himself precariously carrying a tower of books up the stairs to Twilight’s room.

“I got…whoa!” Spike’s tower teetered but he was able to correct and save it from falling. “Phew…I got the books you wanted Twilight but what do you need them for? Haven’t you read all these books a hundred times?”

“Twelve times.” Twilight corrected, running a hoof through her mane absentmindedly. “Anyway, that’s not important. Zecora showed me…something eye opening and now I need to corroborate what I heard with what I know and see if it’s true.” In the back of her mind she heard a voice telling her that she knew it to be true. Zecora’s tea had allowed her to speak to some kind of manifestation of Force energy. However, she still had to do this, if at the very least to give herself the time she needed to find the path forward. She cracked open one book after another, hours passed and spike had brought her a fourth cup of coffee. It was nearing three in the morning when Twilight found what she was looking for.

It was in an old history book, detailing a biography of a powerful Lord from millennia ago. The story of White Crest began before his rise to power. The story explained that in his youth he was able to levitate items roughly the size of toys well before other unicorns of his age, the interesting part however was that White Crest was an earth pony. As he grew older, he became unmatched in battle. Nopony could best him with a sword. It was said by his challengers that it was like he knew what they were going to do before they did. With his talents he quickly earned a lordship of his own. His court said his charisma was unmatched. Ponies around him would follow him anywhere, even into the depths of Tartarus itself. His story, over time, has turned into legend and many historians and scholars wrote off his abilities as romanticized embellishment. Twilight knew this was not the case. With what she learned from Jorcen’s datapad, she knew that White Crest had been force sensitive. The Force had been a part of Equus’ history. How many other tales and legends were now made true with this revelation? More importantly…did the Princesses know? They must know, they were alive around the same time as some of these old pony’s tales. An itch in the back of Twilights mind told her what she needed to do. She had reached a decision.

“Spike, take a letter. Tell Princess Celestia we’re coming to Canterlot.” Twilight looked down only to see that Spike had curled up in his bed and was snoring softly. Twilight couldn’t suppress a giggle as she magically pulled his blanket up and tucked him in.

“Alright then. Tomorrow. We’ll send a letter tomorrow.” Twilight herself let out a long yawn and climbed into her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was off to dream land.

***

Dreams could come in the strangest shapes. Twilight’s were no exception. Twilight found herself again high above the skies of Equus. Though this time there was ground beneath her hooves. And she wasn’t alone. To her left sat Princess Luna, staring down at their home alongside her.

“Princess? Wha-”

“You have a lot on your mind Twilight Sparkle. I’m here to warn you of the path you intend to follow.”

“Warn me? But Princess, we could learn so much. Today I was shown that the Force has always been here, been a part of our history. We can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist. Jorcen’s arrival here has shown me what our world was and now what it can be again.” Twilight had been right when she first thought that Jorcen would steer Equestria towards a new path, one that would reconnect them with what they had lost.

“I have gazed into the Force, I did it much as we are now. I touched the Jedi Jorcen’s dreams and through him I saw the Force. What awaits you down this path is nothing but despair and death. Through him I saw the deaths of millions, I could feel their every emotion…every scream of terror…You will find nothing you’ll like if you continue to follow this road.”

To Twilight, Princess Luna looked…scared. She had seen the force directly through Jorcen and she saw fire and death. Had she glimpsed the future? Possible fates that might befall Equus? Precognition was a relatively common power in the Force, determining which future would come to pass however was nearly impossible. What Twilight found odd was that when she had glimpsed the Force earlier that day, she saw nothing destructive. Both Zecora and the aspect she conversed with shared with her the mysteries of the past and that at some point in time the races of Equus lost their connection to the Force. Now they had a chance to reestablish that connection and warning or not Twilight knew that it had to be her. A responsibility like no other had been thrust upon her and without her Equestria would continue on its path without ever truly understanding its own past. Jorcen wasn’t here by accident, all is as the Force wills it and it would begin and end with her.

“I’m sorry Princess. I have to do this. I’d rather take a chance and be wrong than never try at all.”

Princess Luna was silent, staring into Twilight’s eyes with an evaluating expression.

“Pity. We had great plans for you Twilight Sparkle.” In a flash she was gone, leaving Twilight alone in her dreamscape. What did she mean by that?

***

Luna reappeared in her quarters at Canterlot castle. Her mind had been plagued with conflicting thoughts ever since she took Jorcen’s hand and peered into a world far beyond her own. Young Twilight however was not afraid as she was. Perhaps Luna had been harsh in her judgement, besides it wasn’t a decision she could make on her own. Celestia would also have to weigh in. Which brought another question to mind.

“What are you doing in my quarters sister?”

“I could ask you something similar. What were you doing in the dreams of my student?”

“Merely checking up on her…I don’t think she is the one to complete Starswirl’s spell.”

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“She has chosen to walk another path. The same path as this Jorcen Alketses. The path of a Jedi.”