Chapter 6
The first thing Anakin noticed as he came to was the fluid warmth of bacta. Thought and memory returned to him sluggishly as he tried to process where he was. Bacta tank to be sure, but how? Had Teefour moved him to the medbay? Where were they? How was the ship?
Most importantly, was Luke all right?
He tried to open his eyes, only for this to prove to be a difficult task. It was as if his eyes were weighed down by the same black coffin he continued to wear on a daily basis. In fact most of his body felt unresponsive.
Sleep paralysis?
That didn't make sense. He never had a history of such things, before or after the suit. Even so, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t let this state keep him down. Luke was his priority.
Reality, however, rarely acceded to the whims of one man, as Anakin found to his chagrin. No matter how he tried, he could only barely twitch a limb. The Force was out of the question as well — paralysis of any kind and Force-sensitives did not mix well, and he rather liked the stumps of his limbs where they were, thank you very much.
The sound of metallic footsteps, muffled by the glass and bacta, reached his ears shortly before Teefour's massive black bulk moved into view. He was carrying a tray of assorted surgical tools, and he seemed preoccupied with something. He suddenly paused, then turned to Anakin.
"Ah, I see you are now awake… er, somewhat." he remarked in the familiar, if still electronically flanged voice Anakin knew so well. He never understood just what it was about Wilhuff Tarkin's voice that had so attracted the droid, but for whatever reason the day Teefour was activated, he had combed the Executor's entire database for all records of Tarkin's speeches. And when Vader removed all the data and reprogrammed the droid, it did the same thing again.
He finally threw up his hands in defeat after the eleventh time.
Anakin knew if given the chance the droid might be a cybernetic duplicate of the late Grand Moff, a life model decoy as the term went. The only difference would be the slightly unusual sass coming from the droid and the fact that he was so precise when it came to medicine. While in voice and mannerisms a copy of Tarkin, Teefour gave it a life of his own that Vader could have never expected.
Teefour cleared his non-existent throat to continue. “So to explain, we have indeed managed to land — well crash land, to be exact. To cut off any frivolous attempts at questioning, your son is alive. The last I saw of the young master's lifepod, it had landed intact in a relatively flat field just before we did. The transponder registers as green, so by all accounts he is safe. As I am clearly talking to you, you can surmise that we too have survived. Somehow. "
And there was the sarcastic wit. Yup. Teefour was pissed.
"Your sleep paralysis owes to a special relaxant I injected about an hour or so prior to your awakening. I advise against attempting to force movement. Not only has your body suffered some injury from the crash — mainly bruises and friction rashes from the restraints — but you also have not fully recovered from whatever was done to you in the Death Star. In short, Lord Vader, you have finally reached your physical limit." If the droid had the ability, he would be smiling far too smugly for Anakin’s comfort.
“And you want to hear something interesting, Lord Vader? Most of the internal machinery that power the prosthetics which includes the device that helps pump oxygen in your lungs are in fact also damaged and not only that, they are severely outdated and haven't been fully upgraded or replaced since…oh when the Clone wars era had come to its end! By goodness Lord Vader, you’ve definitely given me, as what organics say, a beskar mine of reasons to initiate a very thorough surgery.”
The droid turned to look at his helpless victim — er, patient — with shining photoreceptors that looked to Anakin like the portals to the nine Correllian hells.
"With all this in mind, I must insist that you remain in your tank where it is pleasant, milord. Unless, that is, you prefer being strapped to a surgery table."
With his vocoder deactivated and his jaw refusing to move, Anakin could only glare at his captor like a petulant child.
"I thought as much." Teefour turned back to the display, typing at the controls. "Unfortunately, all the surgeries needed to completely upgrade and replace your cybernetics require time and resources that we currently do not have at our disposal. The most intensive ones would require a fully staffed Imperial starbase for the job, and years of recuperation. The best we can do for the internals is half replace and half repair with a slight hint of upgrades, not the best but I would certainly say you’d feel a bit more comfortable." He turned back to Anakin.
"Thankfully, the same cannot be said for your prosthetics and neural connection hardpoints. The hardpoints in particular require almost no work at all, and in examining the ship's inventory, Obee has discovered a large number of prosthetic limbs — the latest and best models in the market, I might add! Not to mention the amount of rations and medical supplies we have discovered aboard! Someone has clearly gone out of their way to kit out this vessel for long term use."
Yes, Anakin thought, how convenient it is that we left so well-prepared. Never mind that they simply jumped into the nearest available ship and had jumped into hyperspace straight out of the hangar — right as the Death Star blew itself apart. The whole thing stank of so much coincidence it wasn’t funny. Once again, he wondered as to who was responsible for arranging the Nubian to be brought to the Death Star, right when he and Luke needed it the most. His memories were hazy, given his state at the time, but he distinctly remembered seeing stormtroopers escorting them to the hanger bay. If — when he saw Luke again, he needed to get some answers about that.
Perhaps he should check the ship's log for answers… after Teefour finished amusing himself with his mad operations.
He again tried to speak, but only succeeded with a weak grunt. Teefour apparently heard, because he flipped a switch on the control panel and remarked, "Try speaking now, milord."
Anakin glared at him again before speaking up. "How soon can you operate?" There was no arguing with the droid at this point, but he needed a timeframe.
"We will need to wait for you to heal some first," Teefour replied bluntly. "If we operated now with your injuries, the strain on your body can cause the connectors to be damaged, even permanently. For the best results, I insist on you taking at least a four-day dip in the tank. We have a reprieve, so let us take advantage of it. Though, in the meantime while you rest we can work on modifying your suit, which in of itself has more problems then advantages.”
The droid at this point gave him a look one would give if they were a disappointed parent lecturing a youngling. “Honestly, Lord Vader, why do you do this to yourself? You had so many chances to replace the unnecessary components that make up that — that abomination! For instance, why have you not told me that you were basically in an oven with weights in your shoulders no less!? On top of that your helmet is also a liability, what with the many thousand needles stabbing into your scalp for more than 20 years.” Teefour’s tone was becoming more and more stern, and Anakin could have sworn that the droid was actually becoming angry. “There are so many things I’ve tolerated, Lord Vader, but this is something I will not tolerate anymore, Sith Lord or not!”
Anakin opened his mouth to retort, then stopped to think. The only reason he had remained with the suit as it came was primarily to take advantage of the pain it caused. Even during the Clone Wars Anakin had been no stranger to pain, learned to live with the sensation even. Even so his experiences on Mustafar, plus the operation to actually prepare him for the suit, were the most agonizing of his life. Compared to that and the knowledge that everything he knew and loved had been destroyed by his own hands, the pain caused by the suit was practically nothing to him. The pain instead became a companion, an ally to his cause. The greater the pain, the greater his connection to the Dark Side. Why would he throw away something that’s proven more useful than all the Inquisitors at his command, all the Stormtroopers in his Legion? Why discard something that only helped him use the Dark Side?
The Dark Side that he had turned away from…?
The random thought brought him up short. He was no longer Sith. He was no longer a slave of Sidious, or the Dark Side. He was free. He didn't need to use the Dark Side anymore. Why would he keep himself shackled down with something that wasn't even needed anymore?
That was something that he hadn’t initially realized until now, and he felt…lost somewhat. He was no longer Sith, and he was certainly not a Jedi either. No matter how his son felt, Anakin could never call himself a Jedi after all this time. It would feel like he was dishonest with himself — again — and it would have been an insult to those who he had betrayed, had murdered. So, the question now rang within his mind. What is he now? What was he supposed to do?
At the moment he had no answer to that. But he knew at the very least that he needed to start somewhere.
Not to mention that whatever they encountered on that moon was likely still there. Knowing his and Luke's collective luck, the Thing was not only still alive, It was probably preparing for a rematch. He needed not only to get back in working order, but to improve, and he wouldn't be able to do that while still recovering.
He turned his focus back to Teefour. "It served a purpose that is now no longer needed," he began. "As it stands… a redesign is in order. Teefour, you have my permission to make whatever modifications are necessary."
If Teefour was surprised by Anakin’s sudden acquiescence, he didn’t show it.
"Well, to make any modifications to your cybernetics or your neural interface in particular, we will need to wait for a full recovery," he began. "I would say that will take roughly a month, perhaps more. You won't be in the tank the whole time, but I recommend periodic dips to help improve." He looked back at Anakin. "In all honesty, building a new system to go with that new interface from scratch will take even longer than that. Seeing as we will likely need you as mobile as possible, we can modify your current suit to make do in the meantime. Streamline the neural connection, make it less of a strain on your body, that sort of thing. Reducing weight will be a good start. Bottom line, this will take some time."
Anakin gave the droid a small nod. Much as it pained him to admit it, he would have to follow Teefour’s advice on this. As impatient as he was to get to his son, he understood the need to recover, and healing couldn't be rushed. He could wait even if he didn't like to. He wasn't the impulsive idiot that he was during the Clone Wars, after all. And Luke could take care of himself. He had seen it first hand.
Didn’t mean he couldn’t worry, though.
“Alright, I’m willing to wait for as long as needed.” He could practically feel the droid smiling.
Tee four lifted his mechanical finger in the air. “Right now let’s get to work!” Obee trundled into the room, a hoverboard carrying Anakin’s armor behind him. Anakin grinned to himself.
At least his stay in the tank wasn't going to be boring.
Luke had seen a lot of different races traveling the galaxy — Twi'leks, Devaronians, Toydarians, Dugs, Gungans, Hutts, Trandoshans, Zygerrians, Zabraks, and more.
Sapient quadrupedal equines however? That was new.
Equine races in the galaxy at large weren’t common; there were some, but they were far and few in between. None of them had a quadruped stance to boot. Luke seemed to have stumbled onto not only an undiscovered world, but a new species to go with it!
'Though,' Luke thought to himself as he looked around the mostly wooden farmhouse, 'it may be some time before they might be considered ready to join the galaxy at large.'
From everything he could see, their technology wasn't very advanced compared to most other races. He barely saw anything electronic, and everything he did was relatively basic — simple lightbulbs, a rudimentary radio, and a wood-burning heater. They almost certainly didn't have something on the level of repulsors or hyperdrive, something relatively common in the rest of the Galaxy. To Luke, it was a little jarring.
The house was almost entirely made out of wood, and by the standards of most worlds downright primitive. That being said, it was as homely a home as Luke had ever seen. There was a living room with a sofa, polished wooden floors that pleasantly glowed, smooth walls painted with warm colors, and decorated with what looked like two-dimensional images printed on a kind of flimsiplast — no wait, paper — and framed with smooth wood. Luke had never seen a place that felt so lived in, felt like home.
Then there was their attitude towards him. Luke had never seen a group of beings so… friendly. They had been nervous and skittish around him at first, and that was understandable enough. But when they saw that he was in need of help, they almost immediately went to his aid and helped him into their house.
Whether this kindness was a trait common here or if it was just a quirk of the locals he had come across Luke couldn’t say, but he was grateful either way.
He was pulled from his thoughts when one of them called out. The old green one, like an equine Yoda, sat next to the door and pointed at it with her cane. “This is where you and yer friend will be staying, okay?”
He blinked for a moment then nodded. “Well…thank you I really appreciate this miss…” even though they called her Granny. Luke knew that wasn’t her real name.
“Granny Smith's the name, an' don't ya forget it, ya hear?” She said in a grouchy tone, then lit up with a smile to show she was joking. "Now get yerself comfortable in there, and we’ll call a friend of Applejack's to check y'all over so we know yer alright."
Applejack suddenly looked a little nervous. "Umm… Granny? If yer talkin' about who Ah think ya are…"
"Ah am, what of it?"
She shifted from hoof to hoof. "I mean, y'know how seein' er affects newcomers… plus, there's how she might react to Luke. Ya sure that's a good —"
CLONK.
Applejack was suddenly holding her head in her hooves, where the wooden cane had just whacked her square between the ears. Granny Smith didn't look like she had moved at all. Luke was again strongly reminded of Yoda at his worst.
"No questioning me, young lady, she's good at 'er job n' that's what matters. We need to make sure our guest ain't hurt at all, can we? It'd be bad manners not to make sure."
…That was very kind of her. Luke scratched the back of his head nervously.
“Umm… right. Again, I really appreciate this but I don’t want to intrude. I mean you all have just met me and my partner and—“
She cut him off. “Nonsense, now git yer rump in there you.” Already she was treating like he was one of her own.
Applejack snickered at Luke’s plight. “Ah think you should listen, once she's set on somethin' there's no stoppin' her."
CLONK.
Applejack was once again rubbing her head.
"Not another word outta you," Granny chided. "Anyhoo, ain't ya s'posed to be gettin' yer friend here? Ya know how Big Mac gets around her."
Applejack held up her hooves in surrender. "I'm goin', I'm goin'. Ya good?" she asked Luke. Luke nodded, and she carefully moved away from his side. When he didn't immediately slide bonelessly to the ground, she trotted down the hallway, Granny Smith close behind. Before they moved out of sight, Luke saw Applejack mutter something then snicker. Just what was that about?
They both went back down the stairs, leaving Luke to stand in the doorway of the guest room.
It was actually pretty nice, bigger than his quarters back on Hoth. The walls were smooth and decorated with pictures of large round red and green fruits — it made him think of the orchards on Alderaan and Naboo that Leia had described once. The bed was large, certainly big enough for him, with soft downy pillows and a thick green blanket. There was a bedside table on each side, carved of a polished, red-brown wood, a ceramic table lamp resting on one of them.
Luke walked over to the single window, a gentle breeze blowing through the open panel, and poked his head outside.
He saw a beautiful landscape, green with the life of rolling hills and tall trees. So soon after the clash with the Thing, his sense of the Force was muted. Which was slightly odd even so, he could feel the sheer quantity of vitality around him. Even the wind felt full of life as he felt the cool gentle breeze brushing and streaking through his hair and face.
Just next to the farmhouse, he could see the field that he crashed into, the escape pod sticking out like a sore thumb. Big Mac was standing in front of it, apparently at a loss at what to do. Kyugee was next to him, beeping away and pointing at different parts of the pod.
Luke winced, feeling guilty at having scarred their land. When his sense of the Force returned, he would lift the pod out of there and somewhere where it wasn't in the way. He owed them for helping him and Kyugee, and it would be quite unfair that he couldn’t at least do something as a sort of thank you.
He returned to looking at the new world around him. In the distance, Luke could see the tops of buildings just peeking over the trees in the distance. A town? He wondered if he could go there soon, learn more about the world he was in.
"You seem to be adapting well enough."
Luke quickly turned and saw the glowing form of an old man sitting contently on the bed. He looked just like he had when Luke last saw him in the swamps of Dagobah — calm and serene, seemingly solid and framed by a thin flickering nimbus of pale blue light. He had an odd look on his face, like he was both proud and in the mood for mischief.
"Ben," Luke said in wonder.
"Hello, Luke." The old face creased with a large, proud smile. "It is good to see you still on your feet, despite your recent trials. You look well, all things considered."
Luke went to sit on the bed next to his former teacher. "What are you doing here?"
“To find you. You’ve been trapped in hyperspace for a long time, even through the Force it was difficult tracking you, but here you are found at last.” Ben Kenobi then looked around then gestured around him. "This world is incredibly rich and teeming with life. As such, the Force is strong, stronger here than any world. The amount I feel all around is…overwhelming, and I feel that I’m barely touching the surface. In such places like this, I can speak with you, and you can see me.“
"As for my other reason why I’m here," he continued, his smile fading somewhat, "I have come to apologize."
"Apologize?"
Ben nodded, looking down at his clasped hands. "I didn't trust you well enough to make the right judgment to face Vader, armed with the knowledge of who he was. I did not believe he could be saved. All I saw was my failure, and the consequences we all suffered. You must understand, Luke." he turned back to Luke, and the young man was suddenly aware of just how old Ben looked. He could see the pain and grief of many facades etched into the lined face. "I loved Anakin. He wasn’t just a padawan, he was a brother to me. I would have fought for him, I would have died for him." His expression turned dry. "I did die for him, in a way. But learning what he had done… how he had fallen… I could not reconcile the man I called brother with the monster in front of me. That day, when we fought…" He looked haunted. "It broke me, Luke. At least as much as it ruined him."
Luke was silent for a moment, then he managed to find his voice. "Just… What did Father do? And why did he — "
But Ben raised a hand to cut him off. "That is not my place to say, Luke. It is up to your father to speak of it, given time. Do not press him, Luke. Let him work up the courage to open up."
"So he's okay?"
"Yes, for the most part. That droid of his stuck him in that bacta tank almost immediately after they… ah… landed."
Luke couldn't help but chuckle at the image of Teefour bodily dragging a reluctant Anakin into the medbay.
"I am actually a bit amazed by your ability to go along with everything that has transpired, Luke," Ben continued drily. "Given your situation, I would have expected you to panic at least a little."
"We're all alive, and that's what matters," Luke replied simply. "I can worry later, when I've gotten my bearings on this place." He stretched out a little, testing his joints. "Besides," he continued, "apart from a little bit of queasiness from before, I actually feel great, better than the past few days." It felt like he just had a full night's sleep, a good meal, and a cup of caf.
Ben chuckled. "Well naturally you do. Soaked in the Force as this world is, it's only natural that you would pick up on it. I would actually be worried if you didn't." Then the old man's face turned solemn. "I would recommend that you take this opportunity to rest and get used to this world, Luke. As it stands, you won't have that long."
Luke stopped and turned to Ben.
"What do you mean?"
"Luke, surely you remember the entity you and Anakin encountered."
Suddenly, Luke felt very cold. The light inside the room dimmed and the sunlight through the window suddenly had no warmth. Luke remembered well the sensation of cold iron, of ageless rage and domineering, brutal, queenly will.
"We're going to fight it again." It wasn't a question; Ben's silence was answer enough. "What even is that thing?" Luke pressed. "Why is it on that moon? What is it going to do? What does it want?"
Ben closed his eyes. "Luke…" he began. "What you must understand is that whatever has been going on here, it has been centuries in the making, perhaps longer. You simply arrived before the culmination of these events. And yet," he added cryptically, raising a single finger, "your arrival has also sparked a new set of events into motion. It is not easy to predict what will happen. Not even I have all the answers."
"All I can say," Ben opened his eyes, gaze leveled with Luke's, "is that you must have trust. Trust in your father. Trust in the Force. And trust in the new companions you will find here. Remember that, and you will prevail."
"But when is it going to happen?" Luke pressed. "And who am I supposed to — "
"Um… who're ya talkin' to?"
Luke blinked, looked around, then looked down. Applebloom was peeking her head through the door, looking at Luke like he had sprouted a second head. Luke turned to look back at the bed, which was suspiciously devoid of annoying, cryptic, dead old men.
The Jedi rolled his eyes, exasperated. Oh, very funny Ben. Make me look like I'm crazy to the locals, why don't you? Even though Luke was probably just imagining it, he could almost swear that he heard Ben chuckle at that.
"It's nothing," he told a skeptical looking Applebloom. "I was just talking out loud, it helps me think better. You needed something?"
Applebloom didn't look like she bought the lie in the slightest, but she let the matter drop.
Smart kid.
"Sis wanted me to come getcha downstairs, she brought somepony to have a look at 'cha and make sure you're not hurt any."
Luke nodded with a sigh. Though he felt just fine, it was best to submit to their requests. It wasn't like they were planning to torture him after all. What was a check up by one of these guys compared to the tender mercies of Teefour — or worse, the medics in the Rebellion?
Getting to his feet, he followed Applebloom down the stairs.
In the main living room, Applejack and Granny Smith were both waiting for him by the fireplace. Applejack looked almost expectant, like she was waiting for something in particular. Granny, on the other hand…hoof? Had such a good sabacc face that she would make both Han and Landon break out in cold sweats in less than a minute. At the same time.
Luke made a mental note to tread carefully around the old mare. To put a halt to the awkward silence, he turned to Applejack. "Applebloom mentioned that there was someone to meet me?" he asked.
"Yup!" Applejack affirmed… a little too cheerfully. "Ya just make sure to cooperate with her, ya hear? She knows what she's doin', so no sayin' yer fine and all that," she gave Luke a bit of a stink eye. "Let her be the judge o'that, and don't argue with her. Bad things'll happen if'n ya do."
Luke was starting to have some second thoughts about this. Before he could voice his feelings, however, Applejack called over her shoulder. "Ok, Flutters, it's good to come in!"
The door opened from behind him, and Luke heard soft clopping noises moving towards them. Ok, Luke thought. Just your typical medic. No big deal, you know how to handle them. Just be nice and speak when spoken to. No biggie.
He turned to greet the newcomer with his best — oh, that just wasn't fair.
The newcomer was very…small, somehow. Luke knew that they were logically the same size as Applejack. However, the way they shriveled in front of him was like an illusion by the force. Their yellow-cream coat seemed excessively fuzzy and they were hiding their giant watery eyes behind a drooping delicate pink mane. Everything screamed ‘weak’ and ‘terrified’ to the Jedi. He couldn’t help but feel a strange pang in his chest when he saw her force herself past the pink curtain to look up at him, giving him a better view of her face.
Her features were much softer than Applejack’s, implying an easier lifestyle to the sedulous one. He cringed when she gave him a tiny smile, hesitating on how to react. For the first time in a long while, the Jedi felt disarmed. All his training hadn’t prepared him for this. It was the polar opposite to looking at those…Ewoks, with their horrifying faces and shrill noises coupled with those eyes. Eyes which stared into the distance. Seeing something that surpassed the force. Now he was staring into the unending distance.
“Excuse me?” the ‘tiny’ pegasus called out meekly.
Luke shook his head, immediately pulled out of his waking nightmare. He shared a smile in return, doing his best to not show that his eyes felt like they were being melted from the excessive cuteness. Even her voice was ‘tiny’. He wondered if he could replace his eyes with bionic ones.
If he were honest, any bionic eyes would just short out.
"Umm… hello," he replied, wincing at how his voice cracked. There was a spate of coughing from Applejack that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Clearly, she was enjoying the show. Luke resisted the urge to glare over his shoulder and kept the smile on his face. "I'm Luke Skywalker. I hear that you're a doctor…?" She immediately shook her head.
"He's who Ah toldja about, Fluttershy," Applejack cut in, grinning from ear to ear. "We don't know anything about how his body works, so ah figured you'd have better luck seein' if sumthin's wrong."
Fluttershy's head was now a yellow-pink blur.
"Oh nonononono, goodness no, I only work with animals, not people!"
A vet. They brought a vet. This time, Luke didn't bother to resist giving Applejack a flat, unimpressed look.
Applejack held up her hooves in a disarming gesture.
"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up there, sugarcube! No offense, but you're not exactly normal around here! Ah figured that Fluttershy would be better than a normal doctor since she's worked with all sorts of different animals before!"
Luke thought it over and tunderstood. If he were honest it actually made sense. When dealing with something unknown it was best to bring in someone who was more creative and thought outside the box. Plus, being familiar with different biologies helped. He couldn't fault Applejack for that.
Still… that didn't mean he'd let her off scott-free. She did seem a little too eager to see his reaction, and turnabout was fair play. He remembered one of Leia's favorite ways to shut Han up when he got too mouthy.
Well, I am her brother…
He slowly turned to look Applejack in the eye then smiled.
Applejack immediately shrunk into herself until she seemed smaller than Fluttershy, staring back with terrified eyes.
"Why, thank you for your forethought on the matter, Applejack. I won't forget it soon. One day, I'll make sure to return your kindness."
There was no doubt he meant it. Traveling with Han Solo and Leia in the same ship was murder on the ears sometimes. It did occasionally give him Ideas however.
Turning to the now traumatized Applejack, he addressed Fluttershy, who was still peeking out at him from behind her mane.
"I'm willing to trust your judgement, miss. If Applejack recommended you, I can only take her word for it.” He gave her the most disarming smile he could. "By all means, whenever you're ready."
She seemed to think it over, her muzzle crinkling in the most adorable way he had ever seen in his life. Luke swore right then and there that Leia should never know about this planet. Or stars forbid, Han. They'd never let them hear the end of it.
Not to mention the rest of Rogue Squadron… the ongoing prank war between all of them would reach new, terrifying heights.
He shuddered to think about it.
"Ok," Fluttershy all but whispered. She pointed gently at a nearby stool. "I'll need you to sit on that stool over there…" her muzzle wrinkled again with a sound like a squeak toy.
"I-if that's alright with you…"
Yup. Never telling Leia.
Ever.
Fluttershy continued to examine and prod around her new patient, gently poking different spots with her hoof. Each time she asked, with as small a whisper as possible, if it hurt.
She saw Luke follow Fluttershy's instructions without argument, speaking as gently as the pegasus at times. Before too long, she saw the little signs that Fluttershy was becoming more at ease around Luke. Her step became a little more sure, her voice gained a little more volume.
To someone who had just met Fluttershy, these little tells would be missed entirely, but Applejack had known Fluttershy for years. The signs were as clear as day to the farm mare. She couldn't help but smile. At the very least that knack for making friends was familiar.
Fluttershy continued to look over the… foreigner? Alien? Applejack wasn't exactly sure what to call Luke. All she knew was that he was at least friendly enough to be examined by her friend.
Luke had pulled off his black glove at Fluttershy’s request. When it came off, Applejack tilted her head slightly. Her eyes squinted slightly trying to get a better look. The hand just looked…off. Maybe it was just her, but the way it moved just didn’t seem right, for some reason.
She wasn’t the only one who felt that way, Fluttershy noticed it too, being up close. She noticed that there was a slight discoloration on the forearm; from far away it wouldn't even be noticeable. But up close however…
“Do you mind if I…?”
Luke shook his head. “Go ahead,” he said.
The shy, yellow pegasus then placed her hoof on his hand. It even felt odd; didn’t quite feel as soft as his other arm, and didn’t feel as warm either. This was not only odd, but alarming.
She carefully touched it with her hoof, then did the same with Luke's other hand, and frowned. The skin on his right hand was smooth… too smooth. There was no feeling of the tiny dimples, miniscule hairs and natural creases that actual skin had. It felt fake — artificial.
Fluttershy moved the sleeve on his left arm a bit and stared. She ignored Applejack’s query of whatever was wrong and looked with dawning horror at the thin ring of burn scar tissue circling Luke’s wrist.
Applejack’s blood turned to ice, and she could hear Big Mac suck in a sharp breath. What in tarnation could cause a scar like that!? She never heard of anything that could…
Her thoughts flashed back to when Luke had cut himself out of the giant container outside, how that tendril — no, blade — of light melted and cut through metal so easily. She put two and two together immediately and felt sick. What kind of monster would do that to someone as nice as Luke?
Fluttershy looked up at Luke.
“Is it…?” She couldn’t finish. Luke caught her expression, and understanding immediately what she meant, nodded once.
“It happened a year ago,” he said quietly, a calm, melancholy look on his face. “I got into a fight I wasn’t prepared for. I paid the price for it soon enough.” He flexed his hand, and Applejack could this time hear the faint whirring that could never be made by flesh and bone. “I hope you don’t mind, but I'd rather keep this to myself for the time being.”
Applejack found herself nodding at once. He was going to have a hard enough time getting ponies used to him without stories of him having his hand cut off in a fight floating around.
Fluttershy nodded, then without warning leapt forward and wrapped her forelegs around Luke’s waist. Luke froze, then gingerly patted her head. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered.
Luke’s face flashed from pale to candy apple red and back to pale again and looked like Big Mac had clubbed him over the head. He continued to almost mechanically pat Fluttershy’s head while she remained glued to his waist like a yellow and pink skirt. It all looked so comical that Apple Bloom immediately burst out laughing. Granny Smith soon followed suit.
“Boy, looks like ya made a friend there!” the old-timer chuckled. “I reckon yer gonna be alright here. We got yer back until you figure out where you need to go and do.” She then adopted a dry expression. “Plus, there’s that giant thingamajig stuck in our front yard. I reckon ya can’t exactly go anywhere without it, and we kinda need that field.”
Luke was immediately on his feet. “Oh! I’ll get that out of there as soon —”
“No.”
Luke looked down at Fluttershy, still hugging his waist. Her voice had suddenly become very firm.
“I’m sorry?”
“No,” she repeated. “No hard work for a week.”
“Why?”
“You’re hurt.”
“But I’m fine!”
“You have muscle strain everywhere in your body including some tears on your abdomen, multiple bruises on your torso and arms, and general extensive fatigue. You’re not going anywhere.” The little fire left her eyes and she shrunk back into herself. “I--if that’s alright with you…”
Don't squeal, don't squeal, don't squeal, don't squeal ...
Luke shook his head thought for a moment. "Would simply looking at it be okay? If I don't try to touch it?"
Fluttershy considered that for a moment, her muzzles scrunching up again. Then she nodded slowly. "All right," she said. "As long as you don't try to push yourself and just look, I don't see anything wrong with going outside."
Luke nodded. "I'll be careful," he said with a disarming smile.
Applejack had the suspicion that what Luke considered 'careful' wasn't exactly the same as what she would think of as careful. Before she could voice this suspicion, Luke was already at the door. Applejack and Fluttershy quickly went to either side as he turned the latch and stepped outside into the daylight.
For a brief moment, all was calm and gentle. The sky was blue with the noontime sun high in the air, clouds scudding around it. A gentle breeze of the late spring wafted through the air, and Luke looked absolutely jubilant at being outside in the fresh air.
And then there was a woosh and Luke saw pain and felt every color of the rainbow.
And then Luke was gone and Applejack was staring at a sky blue Pegasus standing in front of her with flared wings like one of the Power Pony comic book heroines.
"No worries Applejack! The fastest flyer in Equestria is here to help!!!"
What.
"Uh…" Applejack was at a loss for words. "Rainbow Dash, what…"
"Um, do you mind?" said a muffled voice from below.
Both ponies looked down to see Luke pressed face first into the mud, on account of the four hooves digging into
his back.
"Y'mind getting off…? No rush, but I kind of need my lungs… and my spine…"
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tbh i'm far less interested in star wars canon than i am in you guys getting chapters out sooner
I really enjoyed the story so far I'm excited to see what happens next
Um, Nightmare Moon/Luna is not a it? I mean sure, she is a corrupted and pissed thousand year old alicorn. But, she ain't strong/powerful, or even "eviler" than any infamous Sith lord in history. Or even with the Separatists/CIS, Imperial Empire, and Palpatine himself.
Plus, why does Rainbow Dash always screw up here? She better apologize!
11132034
Sure, but neither Luke nor Anakin know that. They don't even know if what they met has a physical body to speak of. All they felt was her presence in the Force, and her power. That's not a lot of information to go on.
11132037
But, is she worse than Palpatine? I don't think so. I mean, we know what Palpatine has done to the poor Galaxy as a whole. Heck, he is the main reason, that the events of Star Wars even happened!
11132039
Oi dude relax. We never even stated she was worse then Palpatine.
11132039
You're missing my point. They're not calling her It because she's awful and the worst pony ever. They're calling her It because they don't know enough to call her She. It's a lack of information, not a judgement.
11132039
Plus you do realize that both Anakin and Luke where on the ship right?
Having a timeline is very nice I can always be patient for cool stories.
A glorious update! Huzzah!
I have to say that this continue to surprise me with how well written this is, both with details and with the passing. At first I thought it could be a bit dragged out, but that quickly dissappeared as I realised that despite how slow some may find this, it's not boring. That is an achievement on your part. It's very easy to make something too detailed, to the point were it gets boring and the readers thoughts begins to fly somewhere else and they forgot what it was they were describing.
It’s soo agonizing to have to wait even longer for more content.
BUT for a story that has been as well written as this one has been so far. Take all the time you need.
This feels like it will be a special story. If I had to make a guess just from what I’ve read so far this story has the potential to defiantly make it into my top 10 FimFiction stories I’ve ever read.
Keep up the good work.
Yeeeeeee
11132120
They're not all good, but they're all interesting. They vary as wildly as Red Harvest, which is a Sith Zombie story, to I, Jedi, which is a first person detective novel.
nice work
I've been enjoying this story so far, and it's neat to see that you're all working on figuring things together. My condolences for your dog, it's not easy losing a beloved pet.
Ah, it returns! Very good, I've been enjoying this one.
Aw come on mate, Bogan is more than just random murder-hoboing, despite what that useless excuse for a teacher Sideous might have said. I can promise you the locals are far from stiff Jedi orthodoxy when it comes to force use...
Ey, we got a Fluttershy! Very good.
And Rainbow punches the alien, less good. Flutters is going to pitch a fit...
Ah, saber crystals. Do you go by the old lore that a jedi could, at need, make a serviceable lightsaber out of "things found in a junkyard", or the more recent Illum pilgrimages?
"No worries Applejack! The fastest flyer in Equestria is here to help!!!"
11132179
I mean, it depends on the junkyard. The vast majority of the parts could be found in your average Imperial scrapyard, yeah, but some kind of gem is required for a focusing crystal. Illum crystals and other, similar Force-infused crystals work best, but aren't strictly necessary for the process. (For reference, see the Lightfoil).
Very good story, and take your time figuring this all out. I rather you take your time an eventually get to it, than something happen and this story get put on the cancelled list. Not enough well made Starwars MLP crossovers.
11132165
That’s all you say lol
It's Alive. It's Alive!
A great chapter
I wish you a lot of inspiration
I am waiting for the next chapters
11132242
I know man mostly say two words to all authors
11132041
Well sorry, guess I put too much exclamation marks.
11132048
Well yeah, of course I do.
And now, Luke is outside, meeting the pony locals. While Anakin/Vader is still in the bacta tank, trying to upgrade his own suit. Speaking about that, I thought it was Palpatine himself that made that suit to be torturous.
I mean, I even seen a Star Wars explained video on why Vader's suit wasn't top-tier in technology/medical standards, or why he didn't get it upgraded?
11132043
Yeah, fear of a unknown enemy and all of that.
👏👏👏
Another great chapter !
I have one thing to say and one thing only
NEED MORE please and thank you
A new story is posted. New words are typed on new pages that fail to describe an ambiguous plot. New interpersonal relationships are made by characters, and new hostilities arise as part of the standard story routin-
Can you people actually write a description that describes the story? I don't know how many times now that I've read 'New friends are made, new threats appear' in almost those exact words in the last few years. But it's a LOT, and it pretty much describes almost any story in the most generic, ambiguous sense. I mean:
"A group travels into new lands, making new friends while confronting old evils, and new villains."
What story did I describe?
If you guessed J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, you'd be correct.
You'd also be correct if you said 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe', 'Pirates of the Caribbean', or 'Star Trek: Voyager'.
Revisit your description and give it some LOVE. I get more off the picture than I do the description.
11133369
How about no. The description is fine the way it is, it doesn’t need to be described anymore then needed. don’t start demanding us.
T4b berating Vader in that Tarkin voice is hilarious. And when everything is said and done could Anakin be at Rebels Vader level of Kick ass ability?
And Luke ivthink you will fail and Leia not knowing
You guys can thumbs me down all you like, I’m standing firm.
Not a Star Wars lorist (and I'm sure there are others who are either knowledgeable or actual lorists out there), but aren't the lightsaber crystals called "kyber crystals?" Not sure if I'm saying it right.
Teefour pulling Anakin into a bacta tank is highkey hilarious. I'm hyped for what you guys write next. Also... Leia will eventually know. It's my guess if she's going to be enthralled or disgusted by ponies. We don't even know if ponies are lore-friendly to the Star Wars universe.
11133992
The planet determines the specific name of the crystals. Khyber crystals were quite popular during the Old Republic Era, but a few millennia ago, they found Illum, which produces better quality crystals.
11134128
Interesting. I can't unsee Spike eating one of
these at one point.
why do I love this series so much this is like AMAZING
11133992
Why would you assume she would be disgusted by ponies? That doesn’t seem very leia of her.
11134405
Technically book one. Second reason, lots of love an effort is put in.
11134456
i can tell!!
Well! I suppose I should get my blood sugar tested after this chapter. Twas adorable.
What I'm most interested in, however, is Anakin's suit redesign. I've always felt that Best Sith (redeemed in this case) deserved a more comfortable and practical outfit.
11134687
Without spoiling anything, I can tell you that a lot of thought has gone into and is continuing to go into all sorts of gear upgrades for our favorite Dark Lord.
11134872
YES!!!
c.tenor.com/vjlozeBNuwEAAAAC/ive-been-looking-forward-to-this-dooku.gif
Loving this story so far :)
in summary don't piss of medic´s
11134453
I'm not dismissing the possibility of some girls not liking ponies.
11136428
Hell yeah
11133992
Ponies are entirely Lore Friendly. There's an entire quarter of the Galaxy that's more or less entirely uncharted. They have a mystical understanding of what may or may not actually be the Force, and are fairly low-tech, but...so are the Dathomiri, man. They fit.
This was a fun and intriguing read. I wonder what their reaction to tge embodiment of sun would be like. I also look forward to the next chapter
11136461
There are a lot of aliens in Star Wars and some of them are uglier than ponies (Hutts, Toydarians, etc).
11150686
Oh yeah... Can't forget some of those races.