Chapter 24: The Path
Sunset Shimmer headed outside to find three massively large bulky-looking old starships descending to the ground. The ships had a peculiar cylinder-shaped hull where its docking point. It was as if they were cargo ships. “Sunset !” She heard her name being called and turned to find Twilight and the others rushing towards her. “ Who are these guys ?” Twilight pantingly asked. Sunset didn’t answer her question, not like she even had an answer in the first place. Her eyes scanned for Karl and Zeko, finding them not so far from them. They were standing close to where the ships were to make landfall. Sunset ran towards them, with the others following her closely behind. “ Is it the Empire ?” She asked them. “ They don’t look Imperial to me.” Zeko intoned at her. “These are Hammerhead Corvettes. They’re commonly used as transport ships, what are they doing here ?” Karl further queried as the Corvettes landed. Meanwhile the refugees had taken to hiding in the nearby trees, anxiously waiting for their new visitor to reveal themselves as friend or foe. “I’d guess we’re about to find out,” Sunset remarked as they headed to the back of its cylindrical-shaped hull where the ship's docking point was.
The Docking doors opened revealing several men carrying a bunch of heavy crates out of the ship. The same sight could be seen with the other two ships, where the crewmen were disembarking the heavy crates. They weren’t stormtroopers. Instead they wore pale blue long sleeve shirts, grey trousers and black calf-length boots. Over their shirts was a multi-pocketed vest and they wore a strangely-shaped white service helmet. [1] As most of them debarked the ship with their crates, those hiding in the forest slowly started to reveal themselves, curious about their guest and somehow feeling assured that they were not a threat. The off-worlders didn’t seem to be hostile to any of them. In fact, one of them opened the craters, revealing its contents to be food packets and invited the locals to come receive them. They were here to help them, apparently. The last person to debark the shuttle was a man who had brown eyes and had a height of around 1.88 meters. He wore a brown shirt and trousers with a similar coloured vest over the former, distinguishing himself from the others with the only similar trait being his helmet and boots. On his vest was an insignia which likely symbolised his rank. He took notice of the group and proceeded towards them. “I take it you’re the ones who contacted Rebel Intelligence about what’s happening here.” He pointed out.
“That would be me,” Karl answered back. Sunset turned to Karl with a puzzled look on her face, “What do you mean you contacted them ?” She asked him. “ After seeing what the Empire did to your world, Kara told me to report it in.” Karl answered her. “And where is this Kara now ? Fulcrum told me she’s the leader of your cell.” The man said. “She’s not with us anymore,” Sunset said in a somber manner which was shared by the others. The man could read the prevailing mood amongst them and took off his helmet as a sign of respect. “ I’m sorry for your loss.” He offered his sympathy. “Excuse me,” Rarity chipped in, “But you haven’t quite told who you or your men are.” “Walk with me,” The man invited them as he wore his helmet back on. They started walking towards the front where the other men were dispersing the contents of the crates they had brought to the locals. “I’m Captain Raymus Antilles,” [2] The man introduced himself, “My men and I bring relief supplies for the locals on behalf of the Royal House of Alderaan.” Antilles further added. “ Alderaan ? Senator Organa sent these relief supplies?” Sunset said out loud to which Captain Antilles nodded “ Indeed, food, water, medical aid, you name it.” Captain Antilles pointed out to the numerous crates which his men had brought from their ships before he continued, “ The Senator apologizes for not being here in person as his presence is needed in the Imperial Senate. He’s given his assurance that he and other like-minded Senators will do everything they can to help your world and its inhabitants.” “ You mean what’s happened here has reached the Senate ?” Karl queried. “Thanks to you guys,” Captain Antilles pointed out, “ If not for your report, nobody would have known that the Empire had annexed an undeveloped world and imprisoned its people.” “At least some good has come out from this mission,” Zeko intoned as they continued walking past the Alderaanians handing out aid to people, a sight which Sunset took notice of. She was thankful to Captain Antilles and Senator Organa for their help.
“Logical question, how are we to use the medical aid you brought for us ? As you can see, we aren’t exactly up to par with your technological advancements.” Twilight directed a question towards Captain Antilles. “Not a problem, threepio is right there teaching your medical officers as we speak,” Antilles pointed out towards a gold-plated humanoid-looking android explaining to Canterlot City’s nurses and doctors as the off-worlders unload the crates. “What is that thing ?” Rainbow Dash questioned.“It’s what we call a protocol droid,” Captain Antilles explained, “His name is C-3PO and he can be pretty annoying most of the time,” [3] “Aren’t all protocol droids annoying ?” Karl quipped. “So what happens now ?” Sunset asked in a serious manner. “Well, besides bringing aid, I’ve been authorized by the Senator to airlift your people off-world.” Antilles said. “What do you mean get us off world ?” Applejack chipped in and asked in a confused manner. “That’s why the Hammerhead Corvettes are for,” Antilles continued as he pointed to the bulky ships,” We can transport up to around 900 people on this jump, excluding the crew.” “And where will you be taking them ?” Karl further queried.
“ We have dozens of safe places across the galaxy where they’ll be given asylum and protected from the Empire. This isn’t the first time we have dealt with displaced refugees.” Antilles explained.
“Refugees ?” Rarity raised her voice mildly as if having taken offense to the term, “Since when are we refugees of our own home ?” She added. “Since the Empire came and kicked you people out of your homes.” Zeko scoffed at her. Captain Antilles turned his attention towards the girls to address them specifically, “I understand the sentimental value you share for this planet, it's natural. So I leave the choice of resettling up to you.” Antilles said before he turned towards Karl and Zeko and pulled out from his vest a flash drive and handed it over to them, “I almost forgot… I’ve been told to send your cell over to Dantooine.” [4] Antilles intoned as he excused himself from the group to check on his men. “ What’s on Dantooine ?” Karl asked. The Captain turned around and a small smile cracked on his face, “Your next mission. It’s all on the drive I gave you.” He said before turning away. “Do you think we can trust him ?” Rainbow Dash said incredulously. “It’s not like you’ve got a choice anyway.” Karl scoffed. “Sunset,” Twilight called to her friend’s attention, “What do you think of the offer ?” Sunset could not provide an opinion. She was conflicted, on one hand she understood their reluctance to leave the place they call home and on the other, she knew with the Empire firmly establishing themselves here, it wasn’t safe for them anymore. “Hey kid,” Zeko drew her away from her thoughts, “ Karl, R5 and I will be leaving soon. You still wanna stick with us ?” This was perhaps the most difficult question of all for Sunset Shimmer, to choose between her friends and also, her friends. She had to admit that her first time in space wasn’t easy but she grew to like it and her time learning to be a Jedi under Kara. but she is gone now, and so is her primary reason. ‘If only Kara were here, she would have known what to do,’ Sunset thought to herself. “I need some time alone,” She excused herself to her quarters. This was a decision she needed to make by herself.
In her quarters onboard the Gauntlet, Sunset sat on her bed, thinking about her next move. Without Kara to guide her, she was conflicted, between her friends both new and old. On one hand, she had grown to like her new life in space and her adventures with the Gauntlet and on the other, her best friends whose lives were turned upside down following the invasion. She briefly thought about staying back with her friends on Utthar, rejecting her Gauntlet friends but the thought came and passed like a fleeing shadow. She then recalled Qui-Gonn’s advice about letting friendships turn into obsession.’Was she letting her attachments to her friends be in the way of her duties as a Jedi ?’ She thought to herself. Kara had taught her that a Jedi’s main purpose is to help those who can’t help themselves. Thanks to her time aboard the Gauntlet, she knew of the Empire’s constant tyrannical and oppressive rule across the galaxy, with many other systems suffering the same, if not worse. There was suffering on both sides, the question was which side would Sunset help, between her deep connection to this world she called home or her duties. Sunset Shimmer taught long and hard before she reached her decision. It wasn’t an easy one but rather the one she needed to make. It was a choice she hoped her master would be proud of. She proceeded to head out of her quarters, ready to share her decision with the others.
A Few Moments Later,
Sunset Shimmer appeared out of the Gauntlet where Karl, Zeko, Trixie, R5 and the rest of her friends were gathered. Her friends seemed to be talking amongst themselves while Karl, Zeko and Trixie were doing the same as they waited for her to reach a decision. Meanwhile,She saw that Captain Antilles and his men were almost done distributing their aid and were in the midst of reloading their crates back to their ships with some locals helping them out. “ I’ve made up my mind guys.” She called their attention. All of their heads turned towards her and soon enough Sunset had their attention. “So Sunshim, what’s your decision ?” Pinkie Pie asked. “It wasn’t an easy one,” Sunset took a deep breath before she continued, “ I’ve decided to stick with Zeko and the rest of the Gauntlet crew BUT this doesn’t mean I’m choosing them over you guys. It’s just that, everything that has happened is because of me and I feel like being here, I’m endangering not just you girls but everyone else. If I’m gone, maybe, just maybe I might relieve some of the heat brought by the Empire. Besides that, there are also other planets out there that are equally suffering and I can’t forgive myself knowing that I could have done something about it. I know it might sound selfish of me but please understand, I’m not in any way abandoning anyone.” Sunset finished explaining her decision to the friends. “That’s a long speech alright,” Zeko commented. She paid no interest towards Zeko as she anxiously waited for her friends reply.
The girls were visibly slightly perplexed by her decision. They proceeded to discuss amongst themselves on their next course of action. Sunset could hear them whispering amongst themselves as she kept fretting for their reply. She was concerned that her friends might take it the wrong way. After what seemed like hours, the girls finished talking through themselves and they turned to face their friend. “We totally understand your decision, Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight said, much to Sunset’s relief, “After all, you’re a Jedi now and there are others out there who may need you more than us.” She continued. “And it would be selfish of us to hold you back,” Rarity further contended with her. “Admittingly, it is kinda sad to see this friendship come to an end after all these years and see you leave but it is for the greater good after all,” Applejack disclosed in a somber manner. “Who said anything about us not being friends anymore ?” Sunset pointed out before she continued, “I might be leaving but that does not mean that our friendship is over. You girls and this planet will forever have a place in my heart and those moments we spent together, I’ll never forget them or you guys.” “That’s nice to hear Sunset,” Twilight said as she shed a tear and the Rainbooms then proceeded to share a meaningful and emotional hug together.
“We’re gonna miss you Sunset Shimmer,” Pinkie said as she tightly hugged the others, especially Sunset before they slowly relaxed their arms. “Me too, Pinkie Pie,” She replied back to her friend as they stopped hugging. “However, I really think you girls should take up Captain Antilles’s offer to relocate. It’s for the best.” Sunset further suggested to them. The girls looked at each other, as if they had something they had to tell her. “About that…” Rainbow Dash said as she trailed off, unsure of the words she wanted to say. “We appreciate the concern Sunset, “ Twilight interjected her and continued, “ But we’ve decided to stay back.” Sunset and the others seemed surprised and taken aback by their decision. None of them saw it coming, especially Sunset.“Stay back ?” She said incredulously, “But the Empire knows your identities. They’re bound to come after everyone.” “Let them come,” Applejack retorted back as she continued, “We can’t let these interlopers come to our planet and do whatever they want.” The other girls seemed to concur with what Applejack had said but Sunset still felt like they were making a rather rash decision. “Your friend is right,” Karl agreed with Sunset, “ The Imperials are going to make this place a living hell. It’s going to be dangerous and you’ll be risking your lives, not to mention your families.” “We know that. That’s why we’re sending our families and those who prefer not to fight with Captain Antilles and his men.” Rarity intoned. “ The rest of us have chosen to remain.” Twilight pointed out to Principal Celestia and her sister Luna together with Flash Sentry, Micro Chips and other CHS students who came towards them.
“ Twilight is right,” Principal Celestia concurred, “ We’re forming a Resistance group to fight back this new occupation,” “We have also learnt from your off world friend that the prison you freed us from wasn’t the only one. They’re other concentration camps scattered across that hold more of our people. Our first goal is to free them like how you freed us.” Luna further added. Sunset however, was still not convinced. She couldn’t think of her friends as rebels taking up arms. She tried her best to keep them from being dragged into this conflict, but apparently, it wasn’t enough. “ Guys, are you sure about this ? This is way different from fighting Equestrian magic. This is war, one wrong move and there can be real bad consequences, sometimes permanent.” Sunset argued, hoping she could change their minds about this but from the looks on their faces, it was a far shot at best. “We know the risks, but this is our home. If we won’t fight for it, who will ?” Fluttershy bravely said with resolve, much to the surprise and astonishment of the others. They certainly never expected her, of all people, to be adamant. “We all heard what Gererra said before he left and he’s right.” Applejack continued, “ Like it or not, we’re in this now, and it’s our duty to fight back.” [5]
“It’s our unanimous decision, Sunset. We hope you can accept it.” Twilight concurred with Applejack as she said to Sunset, asking her to accept their decision to stay back. Sunset thought about it for a moment. There was indeed a huge risk of remaining and she cared for the safety of her friends but they decided to stay back and fight for their planet. It was their choice, and she had to accept it. After all, she can't let their friendship turn into obsession. She had to let them go. “Of course, I accept it.” She relayed it to them, much to their relief. “ At the end of the day, it’s your decision and I’ll always respect it.” She further added. “Thanks for understanding Sunset,” Rarity, on behalf of the others, expressed their gratitude to Sunset for accepting their choice. “ We also have an announcement to make,” Zeko said out loud, drawing attention to both him and Karl. “What do you mean ?” Sunset asked. “ Well, Karl and I had discussed a possible fourth..” Zeko was cut short by R5’s beeps, reminding the Ardennian to not forget to include him. “ Alright, a possible fifth crew member to the Gauntlet.” Zeko relented to R5’s demands and included him in his sentence. “ A new crew member ? Who ?” Sunset further queried, wondering who had joined their motley crew. “The person you’re referring to is Trixie Lulamoon,” Karl pointed out to her. “TRIXIE ??!” The others gasped in a surprised manner. Out of everything, this is by far the biggest bombshell revealed. None of them even had such a thought. “Yea, I’m joining the team. Do any of you turds have a problem with that ?” Trixie said in a cheeky manner, implying that it was more of a rhetorical question. “No problem but why ?” Sunset asked confusingly. She could not wrap her head around Trixie’s reasoning to come with them. “And what about your family ?” Rainbow Dash further added.
“Let’s be honest,” Trixie said, this time in a much more serious tone, “ I never really fit in around here. Sure I wasn’t an outcast but it always felt like I didn’t belong here, like I was always meant for something else, something bigger, and with all the stories Zeko told about life in the larger Galaxy out there, I feel like perhaps, it’s where I’m meant to be. As to your question Rainbow, my family understands and supports my decision. Things have changed, and it’s time I follow that change.” “ You should know that we aren’t exactly law-abiding citizens. If you come with us, it would mean that you’ll be always on the run, living life as a criminal.” Sunset said to Trixie, making sure that she knows what she's getting into but from the looks of it, she knew well of what she’s enlisting for. “It also means a life of adventure and exploration, something I’ve always desired. Besides, I had my fair share of troubles with overzealous authorities before. The Empire is no different.” Trixie answered in a fervent manner. It was clear that she wanted to be a part of it. “ I guess there’s more to you than I realized.” Rainbow Dash intoned about Trixie’s reasoning.
“ Alright if everything’s settled, We better get a move on. If Antilles is right, we don’t have much time before the star destroyers in orbit complete their rotation.” Zeko said to the rest to which R5 concurred. Sunset didn’t object to him. She knew the time had come to say goodbye and so did her friends. She turned to her friends, the very group who had been her family for all these years and addressed them. “I believe this is time for goodbye,” She said to them. “I guess it is,” Rainbow Dash concurred in a somber manner. None of them were ready to say goodbye. They knew this day would come but it came sooner than they had hoped for. Regardless, they accepted it, especially Sunset who had learnt to let go. “Make the galaxy a better place out there, sugarcube.” Applejack said to her friend as she shed a tear. “I will,” Sunset answered back as she too shedded a tear from her eyes. Karl, Zeko, R5 and their new crew member Trixie had already boarded the Gauntlet, with Sunset being the last to board. “Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight called out to her just as Sunset entered the Gauntlet to which she turned to face her friend. “May the Force be with you,” [6] Twilight Sparkle wished her. “And to you too,” Sunset acknowledged her best friend’s wishes. “We’ll see each other again, I promise,” It was the last thing Sunset Shimmer said to her friends before the ramp doors closed up, in front of her, and she could no longer see her friends. She could then hear the Gauntlet’s engines being turned on and soon after, felt the ship taking off the ground and flying off. Sunset felt an odd feeling of calmness within her. While sad that she was leaving her good friends, she had learnt to let go of her unhealthy attachments to them thus giving her tranquility and strengthening her connection to the Light Side. No longer was she troubled by the fear of having to let go. Her mind was at peace, at last. She was now truly a Jedi.
Just as she was about to head to the cockpit, Sunset noticed a pink glowing light coming from her quarters. Thinking it could be the Holcron Kara had left her, she headed to her room and the doors slid open revealing her room. The glowing light was coming not from the holocron, but instead from her journal on her bed, the very journal she would use to communicate with Princess Twilight in times of need. The glowing light from it could only mean one thing, that the Princess was writing back. Sunset quickly went for the journal and grabbed it to see what the Princess had written. She turned to the page where Rarity had warned her about the Imperial Invasion finding, finding her reply right below it: ‘ Guys that’s terrible !! I have not heard of this Galactic Empire before so it must be something from neither of our worlds. Are you guys okay ? And what of Sunset Shimmer ? You said that she came from outer space around the same time this Empire invaded ? Is she the same Sunset we know ? I know you warned me not to come through but I can’t let you guys fend for yourselves. The rest of the Mane Six and I are more than ready to come through and I’m about to seek Princess Celestia’s approval to have the Equestrian Army join us as well. I hope I’m not too late.’
Sunset felt the state her Equestrian friend was feeling at the moment. The feeling of uselessness when the people she knew were in trouble was a feeling she was familiar with. She took her pen which she always kept lodged between the pages of the journal and wrote back to the anxious and worried Princess. ‘ Dear Princess Twilight, it's me, Sunset Shimmer, and to answer your question, yes, this is the same Sunset Shimmer that you saved during the Fall Formal. A lot of things have happened and I promise to share them with you one day but DO NOT come through the portal. You’ll be putting not just the Mane six but Equestria itself in danger. This Empire is more evil than you realize, trust me. CHS is no more and so does the portal on our side. You have to Destroy the portal on your side and seal up other remaining portals. It is the only way Equestria can be protected. I know that means we may probably never see each other again. Don’t worry about me or the rest of us. We’ll find a way to fight back, we always do. Please inform Princess Celestia that I’m fine and she need not have to worry about me, and so do you Princess. This is something I alone will have to face for the greater good, for all of us. Till then, I’ll be signing off for now, my friend.’ [7] Sunset finished writing her reply. This fight is hers alone to fight, not Equestria’s. Sunset took the journal and placed it inside her drawer, along with the holocron. She then headed towards the cockpit where the rest were.
At the cockpit, she found Trixie, their newest member seated at Karl’s previous seat as he moved up to the co-pilot’s seat, once Kara’s seat. The Gauntlet had already left the planet and Trixie was marveled by the sight of more than a million blinking stars and the vastness of space outside. “It’s more beautiful than I imagined.” She muttered to which R5 sarcastically remarked in binary beeps. “ What did he say ?” Trixie asked out, having sensed that the astromech was mocking her. “ You have a lot to learn, my friend.” Zeko gleefully answered. “ So, where to next ?” Karl asked with his eyes directed towards Sunset. Zeko and Trixie also turned towards her, expecting a reply. “ Captain Antilles did say our next mission is on Dantooine,” Sunset cooly answered. “Dantooine it is,” Zeko said as he turned back to the controls and setting the coordinates and flipping a few switches, the hyperdrive was activated, the stars ahead turned into blurry blue lines and with that the Gauntlet jumped into hyperspace. One chapter was ending, and another was beginning.
END OF SUNSET SHIMMER’S SAGA: CALL OF THE FORCE.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Equestrian Defender · 12k words · 56 6 · 2.3k views
- luckyboys121 · 58k words · 220 11 · 5k views
- Pylon Constructor · 25k words · 254 16 · 7.8k views
- Raptormon132 · 5.1k words · 123 4 · 8.2k views
- Battwell · 36k words · 153 5 · 2.8k views
- Professor Donger · 28k words · 672 23 · 9.4k views
- extremeenigma02 · 75k words · 128 12 · 5.8k views
- Sunny Solaire · 76k words · 66 8 · 1.7k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.08 seconds
Total duration
642 users online
777,512 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Wow
Yeah, that was a great story! But you really need to find an editor to help with the little details. Like I brought up before, you aren't formatting the chapters correctly in regards to breaking up the paragraphs. Along side that, you seem to incorrectly italicize a lot of your words when its not needed. If you want, I can help you and be your proof reader/editor if you want to. Just shoot me a DM and I'll respond as soon as I can
11325726
Hello there ! Sorry for the late reply as I was busy with some everyday stuff and just had the time to properly read the comments and reply to them. Many Thanks for the advice regarding the formatting style of the story. As an amateur in writing stories like this, my final version may not be perfect and I'm more than happy to listen to any tips or advice to improve my writing style. in I'm sure to take this into account when typing the sequel to make it more reader friendly.
11325999
Thanks for pointing that out. I think may have gone a bit overboard in italics as I have seen other stories and novel italicising several words and I thought I should follow their style without giving much thought about it. I'll definitely remedy this in the sequel. As for the special relationship phrase, I meant it more as a friendship bond kinda thing and also to dispel any thoughts of them dating. As stated earlier, there is no shipping/romance in this story as I felt it would be distracting to the overall plot.
11326049
I see where you're looking at it from, as Sunset comes from a world of mystical beings. However those are beings which she knows and is familiar with, more or less. Zeko comes from a completely new species which is alien to her and thus, the reaction. This is also her first time meeting with extraterrestrial life so I suppose it would have been natural to react that way although I get your point in the sense, technically, she's also an alien to that world. Ironic. Moving on to your second point, I believe there may have been a misunderstanding. While Celestia is indeed a natural Force-Sensitive Light side user but she doesn't know the Force as we do. Going further, even in established sw canon lore, the Force is known by many names throughout the galaxy. In Equestria, this is somewhat referred to as Equestrian magic which is an aspect of the Force. It's something like Nightsister magic. (Check out the Dathomir nightsisters on wookieepedia to learn more). So when Celestia referred to as the Dark Side, what she meant was the general Dark magic. In other words, it's her understanding of the Force. There's no possible way for Celestia to know about the Force (or at least the name we know) given that Equestria is practically isolated from the greater galaxy.
11326524
Again I see your point with the slaves thing and agree with you to a certain extent. The purpose of this scene is a simple 'raise and dismiss' kinda scenario. Given that Sunset is still new to the galaxy and somewhat naive towards the true colours of the Empire, she doesn't know the horrors that was going on in Kashyyyk. Also, the basis of her point mostly revolved around being that violence is not the Jedi way. Of course after seeing the slave camp on Kashyyyk and the atrocities committed by the Empire would change her mind later on. I had included that scene to showcase Sunset's doubts and to dispel them as quick as possible. As she has not seen worlds under Imperial occupation, Sunset may have been in the view that the Empire is nothing more than an ordinary galactic government and they were the ones being criminals. This a common view shared by some people in the Core Worlds, in which they don't feel the full brunt of the Empire and genuinely believe the Empire's so called vision. However, I do see how it sounds like and I'll make sure not to include such scenes in the future. I do hope that you continue on with the story.
11335795
Hello there, my apologies for replying late as I was busy with everyday stuff and I just found the time to reply. Thanks for the feedback about the paragraph formatting style of my story as you aren't the only one who voiced similar concerns about the formatting. I'll take this into account when writing the second part of the story.
11362057
Hi there, sorry for the late reply as I was busy with other stuff which required my attention. No offence at all, in fact the way I look at it, it part of a learning process and there is always room for improvement. I'm sure to use your feedback in writing the sequel to this story. Other than that, I hope you've enjoyed my story and please feel free to tell me if there's any more areas that I can improve on.
11372723
My offer still stands though, I can be a proof reader/editor if you want the extra hand. I have been an editor before so it wouldn't be my first time. I'm also a pretty big grammar freak and can catch the little things incase they come up. My door is open for you if you'll take it. :)
But if not, I'm glad to hear you're taking what we said to heart! Can't wait for the sequel!