My Little Pony: Exiles of the Empire

by Hikarikurai24587

The Hermit of the Sands

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Hermit of the Sands

The creatures that ambushed Luna and Spike were getting closer. The strange weapons at the ready before a screech called out overhead as Luna’s familiar flew down towards the Raiders. Silver claws extended grabbing the covering of one of their attackers. Some of the Raiders took cover behind some rocks and attempted to snipe Night Wing. The familiar screeched her form shifting before it became a mass of shadow enveloping the sky. The screech turned into a roar in an attempt to peacefully scare away these creatures. Yet if they did not run they would be consumed by the night.

In a panic, the Raiders attempted to run as far as they could from the shadow. Once Night Wing was sure they were far enough she landed near Princess Luna. Her feathers ruffled as she tucked them to her side glancing around. She knew that her magic would have caught the attention of others in the area. She could feel the creatures of Tattooine staying away. Yet the presence of more Raiders, thieves, thugs, many dangerous ones were in the area. She didn’t have enough power to block waves of enemies. She extended her mind to find one who could help. Perhaps one of the farmers nearby, she was careful to avoid sending out help to those with ill intent. Looking up at the sky, Night Wing knew that she would have to keep Luna covered in shadow so she wouldn’t burn. Growing large the familiar hopped over to her Princess and spread her wings. This covered the two in shadow until someone came.

Standing there was tiring, yet Night Wing didn’t want to risk moving the two. Her claws were sharp and even though it wouldn’t harm Luna, Spike wasn’t in his normal dragon form. Meaning she would injure him more than help, so Night Wing stood. A presence approached from behind causing Night Wing’s head to spin around seeing a hooded figure standing there. One of the large creatures of Tatooine behind him.

“Hello there.” the figure spoke, his voice held an honest pleasantness to it. “Well now, this is a first.”

Night Wing’s head turned to the side as the man approached her. He held up his hand as Night Wing arranged her body so she was facing him. She leaned forward and he pressed her hand against her head, just under the crest. Night Wing closed her eyes as she sensed the man’s intentions. The man held no ill will towards her mistress or Young Spike. Her form grew smaller, she was very tired. The stranger picked up Night Wing first, placing her inside of a saddle bag on the creature he came on. Then he picked up Spike, then Luna. After making sure they were secured he was off. Night Wing’s eyes closed as she began to relax.

Luna woke first, her head was pounding and it felt like there was sand in her mouth. She wasn’t sure how long she was unconscious for. Yet it seemed like they were out of the sun, yet that brought a lot of other questions. Who had rescued them? What was their intent? How long did they have left to retrieve the package? Where was Night Wing? Where was Spike?

Luna’s eyes scanned the room, Spike was resting in another area his arms curled around a pillow. She noticed a bearded man walk into the room with a plate and some refreshments. He had the appearance of a kindly middle aged gentleman yet she could sense he wasn't that old.

"I do hope that you will enjoy those. My name is Ben and I live out here in the Dune Sea. What are travelers such as yourselves doing out in such a dangerous place?" Ben asked as he sat down comfortably on a chair next to her.

"Thank you." Luna responded as she took a sip of the drink provided, it tasted very pleasant. She smiled, placing it back down and looked at Ben. "We're out here on a job to find a lost shipment so we can make some money. Unfortunately we ran into trouble."

"You would probably be dead if not for your winged friend. I have not seen such a creature before." Ben mentioned and Luna's head sunk. She felt that she could trust this man but with them being on the run, she was still unsure. Night Wing flew in with a decimated Womp-Rat in her beak as she landed on Kenobi’s seat.

"Oh, there's your winged friend. And I see some food has been brought to us." Ben said with a chuckle, petting Night Wing on the head. Night Wing ruffled her feathers before dropping the rat onto Kenobi’s lap and flew over to her princess. Luna smiled as the owl shrunk, landing on her shoulder as she spoke. “Yes, Night Wing is unique. I doubt you will find another like her no matter how long or far you search.”

“You say you were out here on a job.” Ben said, storing that piece of information away.

“Yes, we decided to make some extra money while we were here with our crew.” Luna replied as she moved to check on Spike. “We were given a tracker.”

“May I ask what it is you’re trying to get?” Ben asked with a confused look on his face. Luna thought for a moment before shaking her head saying. “It was for the Owner of a local cantina.”

“Well at the very least the owner there isn’t the type to lead anyone astray, I’ve known him since settling here.” Ben said as he moved over to Spike, placing a hand on his head. Luna looked at Ben curiously asking. “You know of whom I speak? I assume there are many cantinas here on Tatooine.”

“I can only assume it was the one in Mos Eisley, it’s the closest one to here. Now, shall we wake your friend here?” Ben asked, looking at Luna with his hand still on Spike. Luna gave pause before reaching out and touching his forehead. She focused for a moment to let him know that they were safe. Spike groaned for a moment before opening his eyes.

“P-Princess Luna?” he asked before looking over at Ben. “Who are you?”

“My name is Ben, I took you both in when your friend Night Wing dropped you off in my care.” Ben answered with a smile. Spike rubbed his head as he thought back, saying. “I just remember getting hit in the face.”
Ben let out a chuckle as he got back in his seat from before. “You remind me of an old pupil of mine.”

Spike looked at Ben before looking at Luna who gave a polite smile asking. “What is your specialty?”

Ben seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before saying. “It’s in the past now, I just live here.”

“Aww… I was hoping it was cooking.” huffed Spike causing Luna to chuckle and him to glance around. “Not saying that there aren’t any good cooks on the ship, but someone who knows the local cuisine would be nice.”

“Moving on.” Luna commented before thinking about their predicament. “Perhaps you can help us locate the lost shipment. You seem to know the Dune Seas well enough.”

“Do you still have your tracker?” Ben asked standing up. Luna nodded her head before looking for it, she managed to locate it and held it out to Ben.

Ben grabbed it and looked at it carefully. He handed it back to Luna and said. “I will help you.”

“Thank you.” the appreciation in Luna’s voice was evident as she placed the tracker back in her bag. Her amulet glowed slightly signalling that she only had a few hours left until she transformed back. She glanced at Spike who check his amulet noting the same.

“Something the matter?” Ben asked curiously, heading towards the exit of his home. Luna shook her head answering vaguely. “Nothing to worry about for the moment.”

Spike paused as he looked at Ben before shaking his head, he felt familiar somehow. Ben smiled as he looked at Spike when he stepped outside into the hot suns. Luna handed Spike the tracker knowing he would have an easier time with it and sent Night Wing ahead. She wanted to discuss something with Ben.

“Something on your mind?” Ben asked, somehow knowing Luna had something to say. Luna looked at Ben saying. “You remind me of Spike’s master, I wonder if you were once his.”

Ben remained silent as he walked onwards, something was on his mind and he wasn’t willing to tell Luna. Luna continued. “We both lost something precious to us. I was forced to leave my entire world behind, the people under my protection. I may no longer be on my world, but that does not mean I have lost my abilities.”

Ben just listened to her words as they walked along. Luna looked at him with a sad smile. “Unfortunately for you General Skywalker dreams of you and the others a lot.”

“You knew who I am, yet you played along.” Ben replied, shaking his head. “I am sorry for what happened to your homeworld.”

“As am I and I am afraid many more will suffer. This, however, is not what I wanted to discuss with you about.” Luna admitted as they climbed onto the mount from before. “I need to know what Skywalker was like before the Empire came to be. He is rather closed off and is reminding me more like you.”

That caught Ben’s attention, he knew that no matter what Anakin would always be himself. Never once did he decide to try to be someone else. That concerned him, his eyes turned to watch Spike move swiftly through the sands. He didn’t know what to say, he did not want to confirm that he was once Anakin’s Master. Yet he knew that losing Ahsoka to the Dark Side had damaged his confidence in his ability to teach others. Kenobi returned his eyes to the sand dunes in front of them.

“I know you don’t trust us, but we do need your help. If Skywalker is not willing to allow himself to be himself I am afraid that he will stumble. That he will lose harmony within himself. When one is not willing to learn from the past and be able to move on, they can stumble harder then they did when they made the mistake.” Luna’s words held so much pain behind them. “I had made the same mistake before and had nearly caused more damage to those I was meant to protect than I did when I fell to the darkness.”

“I can not go with you to help Anakin. My own master would have been better at this sort of thing.” Ben said he could tell that Luna was being honest with him, what he could do was give some advice. “I may not be him, yet I can part with this advice. You are right in the fact that Anakin should not live in the past, it is the same as focusing on the future. One shouldn’t just focus on the future or the past, one should live in the present.”

“You wish for your presence here to remain a secret.” Luna surmised before an idea entered her mind. “What was your Master called?”

“His name was Qui-Gon Jinn.”

Comments

[Shadowpony300]

That one was cool👍