Kneel Before The Dark Lord

by The Phantom Joker

A New Sword Is Forged

Chapter V: A New Sword Is Forged

Maris Brood awoke with a start. Her dreams had rarely been peaceful since the death of Shaak-Ti, her former Master. But she vividly recalled the pleasant memory of having met her master for the first time. Sitting up, she noticed the primitive technology surrounding her. Her mind was muddled as she tried to recall recent events. Sure enough, they returned to her in a flurry.

She reached for her lightsabers, but realised quickly that they weren't on her person. That Sith! she thought, clenching her fists. Suddenly, she found herself intruded upon by a bipedal equine creature walking through a doorway. It was a strange concoction of colours for an Equine. Butter yellow with a pink mane and tail. Maris hoped at that least the equine was female, lest a male wear such shameful colours.

"Oh, you're awake. That's good." the equine said. While her voice identified her as a female of the species, the fact that she spoke stunned Maris.

"Where am I?" she asked after a moment of silence between them.

"You're in a town called Ponyville. This is the hospital. Princess Twilight had you admitted under the request of Mr. Starkiller." the equine replied. Maris growled under her breath at the name.

"That scum. Why would he let me live again? I didn't even pretend to want to become a Jedi again." she contemplated aloud.

"Mr. Starkiller said it was because now that you've failed the Emperor, he'll be after you too, and the only way for you to survive is if you join him. Of course... if that's alright with you." the butter yellow female answered for her. Maris gave the equine a stare that suggested she was deciding whether or not to believe what she was saying.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"M-my name's Fluttershy, Miss Brood. I'm a Pegasus," she replied timidly.

"Fluttershy... My name is Maris Brood. I am a Zabrak." she said.

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Brood. I've been asked to be your guide for today, so if there's anywhere you would like to go, I'll take you." Fluttershy said.

Immediately, Maris took action. "Take me to Starkiller." she said.

A Short While Later…

Starkiller had taken residence within Ponyville's Carousel Boutique. It was a quiet place, and he needed such a place to think. At least that's what he told himself. In actuality, he'd chosen that spot so he could teach Princess Twilight and her friends the inner workings of their lightsabers and to teach them how to install the color crystal of their choosing.

"Now, dear, are there any requirements for these crystals, or will just any do?" Rarity asked.

Starkiller sat in the middle of the main room, his legs crossed. "They need to be small, no bigger than an eye... or in your case, no bigger than your pupils. Try to find ones without any cracks. The term crystal clear should ring some bells with you. It's shape is of no consequence."

As Starkiller spoke, Rarity began withdrawing all the blue, green, red, and purple crystals from her box and replaced the ones that didn't meet the requirements chosen. However, their search for proper color crystals was abruptly cut short when a loud bang erupted from behind. Starkiller kept his composure as he turned around to see Maris standing in the doorway, fuming with rage.

"Nice to see your knees didn't suffer that much after the battle. Perhaps I should have cut deeper? That way you wouldn't be breaking down people's doors," Starkiller said, a small smirk hidden by his mask. Maris just growled at him.

"How dare you disgrace me further by letting me live! And to even propose an alliance with you after everything you've done to me is just sick. I hate you, Starkiller, I always will. So you might as well just kill me now, because I will not join you." she declared loudly and proudly.

"Now dearies, if you're going to fight again, please do take it outside. This is a place of business, after all," Rarity interrupted before noticing Fluttershy hurrying inside after Maris.

"Come with me, Maris," Starkiller said, stepping past the fuming Zabrak. To Maris' own surprise, she complied with him, following him outside. Starkiller led Maris to Ponyville's Town Hall. The main room was empty save a few aisles of stacked chairs along the walls. The room was spacious, large enough for them to fight in. But Starkiller had no intention of continuing that battle. He turned to face her and sat down. He then motioned for her to join him. With the Force, he closed off all entrances. The two Sith were alone.

"Maris… do you truly believe you are Sith?" Starkiller asked. Maris, having sat down in front of him, scowled at his question.

"Of course I am. The Dark Side is strong in me, you know this. You've sensed it in me, don't deny it!" she threatened. Starkiller raised a hand as if to hold her off.

"I do not deny that the Dark Side is within you, but what you say and do, lead me to believe that you do not truly believe in the teachings of the Sith," Starkiller said. Once again, Maris growled at him.

"What do you mean?!" she snapped.

Starkiller remained calm and responded. "As you know, the Force is neither inherently good or evil. The Light and Dark Sides of the Force are merely our goals and desires which are used to power our flow to the Force, much like a reactor core in a star ship," Maris nodded, confirming that she understood what he was saying. "While your desire for revenge against me hints towards you being one with the Dark Side, you have yet to claim anyone but Shaak Ti; a Jedi Master, as your master." Starkiller continued.

Maris flinched for a moment before regaining her focus. "Nonsense, I've called the Emperor my master before," she argued.

"In front of him, yes, but in front of others, including myself, you've only called him the Emperor, not your master. Before when you fought me, you still called Shaak Ti your master. This to me says that you are not a Sith, but in fact still a Jedi, lost in the clutches of the Dark Side," Starkiller concluded.

Maris' scowl became little more than an uncertain frown as she mulled over Starkiller's words. A question came to mind and she asked it before she could stop herself. "Why does this matter?"

"I have killed Jedi, as you know. But I do not wish to kill any more. Sith, I will have no problem dispatching, but another Jedi, I refuse to kill," Starkiller replied.

"And why do you have a heart all of a sudden?" Maris demanded.

"I always had a heart, Maris. What I lacked was the truth. I was discovered by Vader when I was just a boy. I don't remember my parents. Vader trained me from day one. I was taught to believe in the power of the Dark side of the Force and use my negative emotions to fuel my power. For all I knew, the Jedi were evil and we were good. Which is why I obeyed Vader without question," Starkiller began. Maris listened intently. She believed that perhaps if she got to know more about Starkiller, perhaps she could prove him right and return to the teachings of the one she truly called Master.

"As Vader sent me to Kill Rahm Kota, he told me that Vader would not always be my Master. At first, I believed it was because I would betray him. Defeating Kota made me consider where my loyalties lay. Then came Master Kazdan Paratus, an old hermit of a Jedi. Paranoid through guilt, he barely noticed I was there when I killed him. He apologised to the long dead Jedi Council for having failed them again. Before then, I thought Jedi held no emotions whatsoever, and that made them weak. But Paratus' sorrow made me reconsider my views. Then your Master, Shaak Ti. Even as I defeated her, she held no hatred towards me. In fact, when she spoke to me, she told me the true nature of the Sith. How we were destined to betray one another. And she even pitied me my naïveté."

Maris couldn't help but feel hurt as Shaak Ti was mentioned, and she knew Starkiller felt that hurt. "And what did she teach you?" she asked.

Starkiller was silent for a moment. "It wasn't so much as what she taught me, but what she made me feel. I felt three things afterward. The first was confusion; I believed that although what she said made some sense, Vader would never betray me. I thought I was like a son to him. He raised me after all. The second thing I felt was fear. What if she was right? What if Vader was going to betray me? What would be left for me? My purpose in life was to help him defeat the Emperor and rise as his second. If that was all a lie, then what was the point in all this?"

Maris waited for him to finish before the silence became unbearable. "And the third thing?" she asked, her frown no longer present, but instead a furrow of curiosity.

"The third emotion was regret. I regretted defeating her. I should have listened to what she was saying, heard her out at least. Shaak Ti was the first Jedi and the first person I ever regretted killing. Had I given her a chance, she could have shown me the truth about my master. The worst part was, she was right. Vader betrayed me, not once but twice. He stabbed me in the back and killed me, then brought me back to life. He then pretended as though he did that just to throw the Emperor off our scent. He had me build a rebellion against the Empire. I was foolish to believe that serving him once more was the right thing to do. Because when we were all gathered, that's when the final betrayal occurred. The original Rebel Leaders were taken away to the Death Star. I followed them and faced off against Vader. I was then faced with a choice. Finish off Vader and succeed him, or go after the Emperor and save the Rebels. I chose to end Vader after all he’d done to me. Vengeance filled my heart, like you, and even then, I suffered further. While I was dealing with Vader, the Emperor killed the original Rebel Leaders before crashing my own starship into me, and then he forced me to undergo reconstruction. I truly did take Vader's place," Starkiller placed a hand against his mask as he spoke the last sentence. Maris watched with unhidden interest. She felt a shiver run down her spine as talon touched the mask.

"I don't ask for your forgiveness, Maris. Just know that I am sorry for what I did to you. I wouldn't blame you if you believe I deserve everything that's happened to me. Sometimes, I believe it myself," he concluded.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Maris asked, uncertainty painted on her face and in her voice.

"I want us to work together in defeating the Emperor, Maris. I believe that in order to do that, I should bear all to you. And that is what I'm doing. I ask that you do the same. Tell me everything you've wanted to say to me for the past five years. Tell me what you want to say to me now," Starkiller offered.

Maris was hesitant to respond. There were so many things she wanted to say, but after learning his side of things, she found that she couldn't truly hate him for his actions. He believed with all his heart that what he was doing was right, because he was taught to believe in it. She could not truly hate someone who knew no better. After mulling things over in her head, there was only one question that she felt she could ask.

"Do you think she could hate me... for claiming vengeance in her name?" she asked. Starkiller watched as tears began to emerge from under the lost Jedi's eyes.

"The bond between a master and their apprentice, whether Sith or Jedi, is somewhat akin to a parent/child bond. Shaak Ti was no doubt a Mother to you as Vader was a Father to me. I believe that Shaak Ti is proud of you for doing with me what I failed to do with her. You listened to what I had to say. In that regard, you succeeded where I failed. I think your master understands that because of the bond you both shared, you were hurting and felt you needed to vent your pain and anger onto the one who killed her, namely myself. She understands why you turned to the Dark Side and doesn't begrudge you for that. Even Jedi Masters have been known to turn from the Light Side," Starkiller replied. Maris couldn't stop the tears from falling. And even though she was crying in front of Starkiller, she didn't want to stop.

"I was so lost! I didn't know what to do without her. I wasn't ready to lose her. I clung to vengeance and to me, that was my purpose in life. Now, I don't even have that. I'm lost again, Starkiller, and I don't know what to do." she sobbed. Starkiller reached a hand towards her and placed it on her shoulder. Maris looked up into his visor, searching for any sign of his eyes.

"We can learn a lot from each other, Maris. I wouldn't dream of trying to fill Shaak Ti's shoes, but if you'll have me, I'll become your new master, and hopefully, help you to see the Light again." Starkiller offered. Maris was hesitant to accept his offer. The one who killed her master was offering to take her in.

"But... I'm not ready to let go of Shaak Ti." she said.

"You don't have to. Shaak Ti will always be with you. Take what you learned from her with you, and we can go on from there. You can carry her memory for as long as you need to,” Starkiller replied.

"And why are you making this offer?" she asked, drying her eyes.

"The Emperor is coming after both of us now. We need to be ready. On top of that, I failed so many people. The least I can do is make sure at least one of them survives. Let me help you, Maris Brood. Together, we can defeat the Sith and bring peace and stability to the Galaxy, just as the Jedi wanted," Starkiller replied. Maris listened to the words that came from Starkiller's mouth. She sensed no lies in his heart and truly believed in what he'd said. For the first time, she both trusted him, and kind of liked him. She wiped away the last of her tears and took the hand on her shoulder into her own.

"I pledge myself... to your teachings." she offered. Starkiller rose to his feet, keeping a hold of Maris' hand.

"A noble pledge, Maris. But before I accept, I must clarify to you this," Starkiller said, causing the former Sith to look up at him. "We will be neither Jedi or Sith. But something in between. We will experiment with the Force, on this world where it is strongest. We will learn to gain power, and at the same time both fear and respect that which we gain. We will be free to let our emotions guide us, but not overcome us. In essence, we will have the best of both sides," he declared.

"In a galaxy of black and white we will be grey. A universe of Positive and Negative we will be both, yet neither." Maris concluded.

"Yes," Starkiller replied.

"There is a word for people like us. It is from a human language; Espada. It means sword." she said.

"Correct. And Like a sword, we are neither good nor evil. So that is what we shall call ourselves," he declared. Maris smiled at him for the first time, and their hand hold had become a handshake.

Author's Note:

And thus concludes the improved Chapter Five! Admittedly, reworking this thing into the new idea I had in mind for the Mane Six's first lightsabers (spoiler alert: they'll get their own personalized lightsabers down the road) but in retrospect, maybe I didn't actually need to delete the original version of Chapter Five altogether... oh, well, live and learn.

In any case, if you liked what you saw here, then be sure to like, fave, and comment! And remember: dying is easy, comedy is hard!

Comments

[Great White Prime]

Where did you find that lovely peace of art?

[The Phantom Joker]

10472100
Sorce

[PhoenixSoul91]

Really liking both versions of this story.

[RDDash]

That what I get for reading Starkiller fanfiction, many details behind his life is not true anymore and that includes Shaak Ti death.

[zmg]

nice story. It's a shame it's no longer alive.

[nightshroud96]

Will this continue?

Why was Spike left out hard though.?

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

And when faced with a terrible tragedy, Starkiller’s greatest student and Equestria’s greatest hero might just become their greatest threat.

What's that supposed to mean?