Star Wars: Age Of Redemption

by sylamorase1410

Chapter 1: Deposed and Displaced

Author's Note:

I don't know what I'm doing, first of all. The urge to make something is beyond my control.
There are a few things to get out of the way. Most importantly is that my English teachers bored the life out of me and school was a long time ago so things like sentence structure and anything more than basic punctuation has suffered for it. I'm no writer.
Secondly, those of you who are broadly familiar with the Star Wars universe may find some unfamiliar words. I'm making very little attempt at being canon and I figure that the universe is broad enough that I can sneak a few brain children in here and there.
Third is that I wrote this in Word Pad which has nothing in the way of spell check and most word processors don't like my vocabulary anyway ("Indigene" is a word, look it up). I did what I could, but some things may have slipped through the cracks.
I don't have too much of a plan for this, but if enough people like it, I might put in some more effort.

He knew nothing but fury. A burning, white hot fury fanned by the winds of confusion. The woods were eerily silent around the raw boned near-human. He stood still, barely moving a finger, but his rage was palpable. Every living thing nearby knew well enough that the wisest thing to do was either steer clear or lay low, lest they become the target of that incendiary anger.

The near-human had more questions than where he was swirling through his head, most profound was where he stood. Until recently he had held a precious title, a sacred contract and a legacy, he was Darth Karnis, Dark Lord of the Sith. He was at least, until his apprentice had divined a moment of weakness and acted upon it. Karnis remembered seeing the crimson flash of his apprentice's lightsaber, he remembered bringing his own to bear in preparation for a duel that would decide who would continue the legacy of the Sith. The deactivated hilt of Karnis' weapon was still clutched tightly in his hand, the rest was a blur. He'd felt a strange displacement and suddenly found himself in the middle of a forest, somewhere. He couldn't be dead, he hadn't even engaged his apprentice's blade and his pupil had no talent for Sith sorcery. Somehow he had slipped out of time and space and who knew what else.

The Sith Lord surveyed his surroundings, the woodlands here were dense, likely the planet was a primitive one, meaning his options of getting off of it were severely limited, creepers and vines hung from the foliage. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, immersing himself in the Force. As expected the forest teemed with life, he could sense the furtive motions of prey species and the hunger of predators, but nothing seemed like much of a threat. The one time Dark Lord sighed, there was no hurry, let his apprentice think he had won the day. He would track him down eventually, then they would both see which one of them deserved to lead the Sith.

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Not too far away the forest thinned and it's eaves reached out over the rolling sunny meadows of Equestria. A river ran it's lazy way down around a small rise, under a quaint little bridge that connected a stony path leading to a cozy little cottage. Bird houses hung from every available space and homes for rabbits, squirrels, mice, chickens, and a multitude of other animals littered the surrounding area. Soft music drifted through the air as a sunny yellow pegasus fluttered around with a small watering can, tending to her small window garden as well as a little patch of wild flowers that had taken up residence nearby.

Fluttershy hummed to herself as she went about her routine, smiling as she spotted a blue jay still hunkered down in his nest. The pegasus smiled and gained a little altitude, "aw, deciding to sleep in a little bit today?"

She listened as the bird chirped a quick reply, considering its meaning for a moment, "hmm, now that you mention it, it does seem a little chilly today, but that can't be right. It's the middle of Spring, the weather should be getting warmer, not colder. Perhaps the weather ponies had to switch something around."

The vibrant blue bird simply fluffed itself up and nestled deeper into the warmth of it's nest, still disinclined to move. The yellow pony simply giggled and moved on, she could hardly blame the bird, she sometimes felt like staying in on a cold day, wrapped in a nice fluffy blanket with some hot tea and a good book. Fluttershy put her watering can away and grabbed a small burlap sack, heading around the side of her home to spread out some feed for her chickens. Henrietta and Elizabeak tended to get cranky if they didn't get their lunch on time.

She was about to check on the little otter holt beneath her bridge when a hummingbird zipped in front of her and darted around almost in a panic. The pegasus tried her best to mollify the little bird, "oh my, could you slow down just a bit, please? You're not making any sense at all." She held up a hoof for the bright bird to land on, "now, please start from the beginning. What was it you saw?"

Even at a more relaxed pace the hummingbird was hard to keep up with, Fluttershy shook her head, "I'm afraid I still don't understand, could you maybe- oh!" The tiny bird suddenly leapt and buzzed around her head, grasping a thin lock of her pink mane and trying to pull her toward the forest, "o-okay, I'll take a look, if you really insist..." The yellow pony followed the anxious bird down the path and past the eaves of the forest.

Fluttershy tried to keep up with the tiny hummingbird, but she couldn't get through the trees and undergrowth as easily, she was forced to make her way as best she could along the small paths and game trails as she was slowly lead deeper into the woodlands. The Everfree Forest was always a little spooky, but somehow it felt even less inviting today. It was always cooler under the shady trees, but today it seemed unseasonably cold. The pegasus couldn't see her breath in the air, though, it felt more like the chill was inside her, "m-maybe this wasn't such a good idea.. whatever you saw might be happier if we just left it alone."

The little bird chirped insistently and kept zipping ahead. "W-well then could we at least go back and get somepony else?." She gulped, "I... I suppose just a peek wouldn't hurt." The yellow mare did her best to move as quietly as she could, but sneaking up on things wasn't really her strong suit.

Eventually she made her way to the edge of a grassy clearing where the object of the hummingbird's anxiety waited. Fluttershy had never seen such a strange creature. It sat on the ground with it's back to her, long dark hair streaked with grey hung down it's back in a simple braid, from what she could see it was almost furless save for a thin line along it's jaw, the rest of it was somewhat obscured by a voluminous black robe. She wondered what Rarity would have to say about such a garment. The creature didn't seem to be configured like a pony at all, it didn't really match anything the pegasus had ever seen, was this one of the "humans" Twilight sometimes talked about? Should she try to talk to it? Would it even understand her?

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Karnis was growing impatient, he could feel the indigene lurking in the forest behind him, confused and more than a little afraid, but that was only as it should be. Primitive beings like this should regard him with awe and respect. What was bothering him was the hesitation, whoever or whatever this creature was, they were maddeningly indecisive. Anything else would have started worshiping or outright attacked by now, but this being was content to just sit right there and be confused! He sighed inwardly as he heard a soft step forward, at last some kind of progress, at the very least a distraction. His relief faded as he heard that same step return back to where it started. The Sith Lord leapt to his feet and spun, "Star's End! What? What do you want!?"

There was a shriek as the strange yellow quadruped dashed off into the woods again, the sound of it crashing through the undergrowth echoing through the trees. Karnis stood for a moment longer, well at least it was gone and not likely to return any time soon. Perhaps he would get working on some kind of shelter, there was no point in sitting around until nightfall if there was no roof to settle under. The Sith began to gather twigs and fallen branches, luxury was nice, but spending some time out in the wild was good for you, it helped make you strong.

It was perhaps an hour or so before he was finished, a simple little lean-to, not much, but it would do in a pinch, the next order of business was a fire and something to eat. Karnis had pulled a little circle of stones together and gathered a bundle of dry sticks when he stopped, "I don't believe it..."

The echo through the Force was unmistakable, and he was ready as another brightly colored indigene dropped down through the forest canopy, this one was even worse! It's coat was sky blue, but with an equine mane and tail in all the bright colors of the rainbow! It was almost offensive to look at, and worse still the timid one was with it, still lurking back in the trees. At least the blue one seemed more resolved and quite angry.

"Who the hay do you think you are, making Fluttershy cry!?"

Karnis was intrigued, they seemed to speak at least some crude form of Galactic Basic, perhaps there was a way off this planet after all, or there had been at one point. The blue quadruped wasn't content to let the Sith Lord ruminate however, it launched itself bodily at him with a snarl.

Karnis' body moved of it's own accord, dancing lightly to the side as his lightsaber came up with a threatening hiss. The crimson blade completed one surgical slash before closing down again. There was a cry as the indigene veered to the side and crashed into the undergrowth, leaving a half dozen stiff pinion feathers drifting to the ground to smolder.

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Fluttershy was starting to deeply regret following the hummingbird, whatever this creature was, it didn't want to make friends. Its outburst had spooked the pegasus badly and sent her streaking back toward the safety of her home. She never made it, however, running into Rainbow Dash outside the forest. The blue pegasus had instantly come to the aid of her fillyhood friend and with some coaxing had gotten the whole confused story from Fluttershy. Unfortunately her first instinct was to find the rude creature and teach it a lesson in manners. A lesson that failed miserably.

Fluttershy watched as Rainbow launched herself at the creature, wings spread. The creature had simply dodged to the side, a beam of red light cut through the air, searing along one of the pegasus' wings and leaving some burning feathers drifting through the air. The timid mare's heart nearly stopped as she watched her friend crash into the brush. An overwhelming sense of terror and guilt forced her to dash across the clearing and gather her fallen friend up, pulling her further into the woods and hopefully out of harms way.

The yellow pegasus didn't have much in the way of stamina, however, and in short order it was clear that it was now Rainbow that was helping her along. The two ponies finally collapsed together, Fluttershy holding her friend close and sobbing.

Rainbow Dash ran a soothing hoof along her mane and flexed her injured wing, looking mournfully at the damage, "aw no.. my primaries! and it's nowhere near molting season."

The blue pegasus gave a dejected sigh, holding the crying pony against her and doing her best to calm her down, "I don't know what that thing was, but it sure as hay can't stay here. We should tell Twilight, she'll know what to do."
Rainbow couldn't tell if she was trying to convince her friend or herself more.

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Karnis was well satisfied with his work, he breathed deeply as though he could physically take the lingering fear and pain into himself. Sith Lords of the past might have simply killed the indigenes outright and have done with it, but this way was far superior in the long run. Casually defeat a warrior and let them run to tell the tale. A little backwater like this couldn't hope to gather enough fighters of a high enough caliber to pose any threat to him. The near human finished his fire pit and soon had a small fire going. He allowed himself a smile, remembering his childhood on Camar-Dum. His master had insisted that those days were no longer his, but culture was a hard thing to dismiss completely.

Camaasi were a simple, agrarian people and very territorial. When a planet's top sentient species were exclusively farmers, the predator population tended to run wild. Kath hounds, acid lizards, and hook hawks were plentiful, Dianoga infested the bogs and the oceans teemed with Firaxan sharks. The most problematic was the Terax a species of large, vicious reptile that was rumored to be an offshoot of the Krayt Dragon. A small piece of glossy black leather made from the hide of a Terax wrapped the grip of Karnis' lightsaber. He had killed the beast himself and claimed what trophies he pleased from its corpse. Such was an honored tradition among the Camaasi, odd since the species was markedly vegetarian. Their broad, flat teeth useful only for grinding the tough root vegetables they used as crops.

Vegetables of the sort that the Sith Lord found growing wild near his developing campsite. This was turning out to be quite the simple and easy life, perhaps this was just the universe forcing him into a well deserved retirement. The more Karnis considered it, the more he found he liked the idea as he took a bite from one of the local tubers.

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Twilight Sparkle's horn glowed gently, her magic enveloping her friend's wing in the attempt to repair her damaged feathers. It was working, but it was slow going to return the delicate structures to their proper shape, "you say a human did this to you? Because this looks a lot like magic to me.."

Rainbow groaned, "well it wasn't, alright?"

It was up to her to tell the story, Fluttershy had all but shut down. She was currently shivering under a blanket on the couch nearby, refusing to talk. The blue pegasus took a breath, "he had this beam of light thing, it could only have been a weapon. It was like the spears the royal guards use, but backwards, the dangerous part was, I dunno, nine hands long I guess? And he held onto the shorter part. It cut through my primaries like they were nothing and burned like you wouldn't believe."

Twilight still looked confused and more than a little skeptical, "a spear with a short handle and a long blade? who in Equestria could possibly use something like that?"

"THIS GUY!" Dash tried to cap her impatience as he outburst caused Fluttershy to duck down with a frightened squeak.

"Look, Twi, all I know is that this guy is trouble. He's beyond trouble."

Twilight mused for a moment, "well, what was he up to when you confronted him?"

Dash huffed, unwilling to be diverted too much, "you mean besides picking on Fluttershy for no good reason?"

The lavender alicorn nodded, "yeah, did it look like he had something nefarious in the works. Was he alone, was he planning anything you could see, anything like that?"

"No..."

The two ponies turned as Fluttershy spoke up, "I mean, h-he had sort of a little shelter built, and it looked like he was gathering firewood, like he was going to be staying for at least a little while.

Twilight nodded slowly and clucked her tongue, "I'm sorry, Dash, but we're kind of at a loss here. We don't hold any sway over what goes on in the Everfree Forest, and we can hardly go through trying to get rid of every dangerous thing in it."
Rainbow Dash felt her jaw drop, "you want to just leave him alone? What about Fluttershy? What about this?" She pointed to her damaged wing, "this is something you're willing to let slide?"

Twilight held her friend's incredulous gaze for a long moment before replying, "I was turned to stone by a cockatrice not all that long ago, if Fluttershy hadn't been around I might still be a statue out there. I'm not trying to round up every cockatrice and get rid of them." She sighed a little before continuing, "look, I am sorry you got hurt, I'm sorry Fluttershy got spooked, but for right now if he wants to set up a little home out in the forest, let him. If he starts ranging outward and bothering more ponies, then yes, I will absolutely put a stop to that. But for now, I think the best course is to just stay out of his way, alright?"

She looked to the two ponies for affirmation of her decision. Fluttershy nodded quickly, she was in no hurry to cross paths with the short tempered human again. Dash, however, wasn't mollified. She sat with her hooves crossed and shoulders hunched. Twilight caught her gaze again, "I'm serious, Rainbow, I don't want you doing anything foolish with this guy or you might lose more than some feathers. Next time it might be something I can't fix."

Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes, "fine, I'll leave him alone alright?"

Twilight wasn't nearly convinced "Pinkie Promise."

"Aww, c'mon, Twi!"

"Rainbow..."

The blue pegasus groaned and relented, tracing a hoof over her chest and fluttering her wings as she invoked their most sacred and unbreakable ritual, "I'll leave the weirdo in the woods alone. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There, are you happy now?"

Twilight sighed and looked out her window toward the eaves of the Everfree, and the mysterious new problem that had cropped up, "no, not really..."

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Karnis sat in the deepening shadows of the forest. Sith weren't normally given to meditation, but there was much that needed to be processed. He sat comfortably on the ground, his lightsaber at his side within easy reach as he immersed himself in the Force. The dark side flowed around him in its strange dichotomy, both a hot pulse and a bitter chill. He was dimly aware of the sounds of the forest turning to more nocturnal tones as the bizarre world went ahead with its ancient cycle unperturbed by the dark presence on it's surface. There was no telling where Karnis had ended up, this planet was likely ages from so much as space flight let alone intergalactic travel. If he was even still in his own galaxy. The indigenous people were an assault of noise and color, but somehow the displaced Camaasi was coming to terms with his new surroundings. Peace may well be a lie, but there was a calm solitude here that Karnis could grow accustomed to. He had accepted long ago that one day he would die early, cut down by the hand of his own apprentice the way his own master fell, but now there seemed to be another choice in front of him. The quiet life of a hermit didn't sound so bad. Night fell on the Everfree Forest and Darth Karnis, Dark Lord of the Sith, smiled.

Comments

[treegrowth]

hmm, let us see where this train is heading.

[Russian Bank Teller]

moar

[Doolally Loop]

You have piqued my interest.

[Eternal Samson]

I don't know what bull crap your spouting, saying you ain't a good writer. This was very well written, easy to follow, and very interesting. I see you have not updated in quite awhile but should you ever see this know that I would eagerly, in fact i beg you for an update. Dont need to rush just knowing you are willing to work on one would make me happy. Pls pls pls consider updating?:):):):):)