Chapter 14
Deep in space, on an unknown planet out on the outer rim, a figure sat in a tall dark throne.
That figure was Sombra, the equestrian focusing on the Dark Side of The Force. Though it looked like he was simply sitting there asleep, to anyone Force sensitive the image would be something entirely different. The image would feel like an earthquake, as Sombra attempted to manipulate The Force.
"Show me," he whispered. "Show me the future. Let me see my destiny unfold." He smiled as he imagined seeing himself, above all others in the galaxy. But as the fabric of space and time was ripped open, revealing the future, he saw something he didn't expect.
He was in this very room, standing in the centre with a red Lightsaber in hand. And he wasn't alone.
Standing opposite him were two individuals. Both were Jedi, both had blue hair and blue laser swords. But one of them had a sword that was more like a traditional metal blade, the two standing ready to fight. And as he watched, he sensed something. Danger.
The two Jedi charged and Sombra watched his future self charge forward. And as he watched himself fight, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread. This was no simple match for him. His future self was actually trying. He was in danger of losing this fight. Of losing his life.
Before he could see the outcome, the vision ended and Sombra's eyes were forced open. "NO!" He cried, standing up. "Show me more!" But no matter how he tried, the vision refused to return.
Sombra growled at this and thought about what he had seen. Two Jedi, in his throne room, fighting against him. The fact that they were there, armed, whilst he was alone could only mean one thing.
"The Jedi will find this place and invade. Everything we're working for. It'll all be for nothing." He wouldn't let that happen. "That sword." The design wasn't something any old Jedi had. And he remembered being told about it.
He opened the arms of his throne and revealed a bunch of buttons, as a holographic screen appeared in front of him. After a few moments, the screen split into five pieces. A kite shape was in the middle with the points acting at the boards for the other four sections.
Solara, Armalum and Chrysalis were in three of them, whilst the other two changed to show two individuals. They were both red skinned individuals, with one having a pair of large horns on his whilst the other was human with scars covering his face.
"Master," they all nodded. Sombra nodded back, as he tried to remain dignified.
"I've just had a vision," he explained. "Two Jedi were in this throne room, battling against me." This statement shocked the five, Sombra seeing the reactions of them and nodding. "If the Jedi got here, then that means this place will be invaded at some point. Our plans are in jeopardy."
The red skinned humanoid spoke up. "You should abandon that castle. Find a new place to set up."
Sombra growled. "Doom Raizer, you idiot. This castle's location is the linchpin of our plan. Without it, we will not be able to open the doorway."
"He's right," Chrysalis nodded. "We can't abandon the castle. But if you've seen it, doesn't that mean it's fated to happen?"
"No," Sombra shook his head. "My vision was only of a possible future. One that is highly likely to happen, but can still be changed."
The horned individual spoke up. "Who were these two Jedi? Any that we know? Or are they just some random pair you've never seen before."
"One of them stood out." Sombra turned to Solara. "Their Lightsaber was just like the one you told me about. A broadsaber."
"Him?" Solara didn't look impressed. "He's hardly anyone worth worrying about. If his master hadn't shown up when he did, I would have destroyed him easily."
"Then maybe we should prove that," Sombra stated. "A single action can alter the future in a million different ways." A thought slowly formed in his head. "We will find out everything we can about this Jedi. And when we do, we will find him and take him down."
"You want to put our forces into killing a single Jedi Padawan?" Armalum asked.
"Either him or his master," Sombra replied. "So long as they're not both alive, there's no chance what I saw can occur. And if that event can't happen, the Jedi finding this place might not occur either. To make sure our plan succeeds, we must take this Jedi out. is that understood?"
"Yes, master." With that, the screens cut out and Sombra remained sat on his throne.
"Whoever they are. These Jedi will never get the chance to even know I exist. And once they're out of the way, nothing will stop me from conquering this galaxy.
Canterlot.
At the Jedi Temple, the Jedi had returned from the Galtus Sector.
The mood appeared sombre, as many Jedi were dressed in their traditional Jedi Robes. This included Flash and Shining, Flash wearing brown robes whilst Shining wore cream coloured ones. They were with Twilight and the rest of Flash's friends, the girls all dressed in either brown, white and cream robes with their brown cloaks over them.
The Jedi were all inside the temple's great hall, where a bunch of bodies were laid in the centre atop stone tables.
These bodies belonged to the Jedi that had been killed by an unknown assailant whilst searching the Galtus Sector, their ships having been shot down whilst any of the Jedi had been slain out on planet's surface. When they had lost contact with them, Celestia and several Masters had gone to investigate. And there, they had found the remains of their fallen comrades.
Celestia and Luna were both dressed in their normal robes, the two carrying a bunch of torches with the Force. And once they were at opposite sides of the tables, they set the torches down to burn the bodies.
Watching the Jedi go up in flames, including a few Padawans younger than them, made Flash and the others feel great remorse for their loss. Celestia and Luna performed the service, as the bodies burned to ash, but Flash felt himself tuning it out as he thought about what he and Shining had learned.
When the Jedi returned from their trip to the Galtus Sector, the Council had been made aware of the fact that there were six Sith out there instead of the usual two.
They had been a little suspicious of the rumours. But considering someone had killed the man they had learned this from, the Jedi were inclined to believe it was true. And news of the six Sith quickly spread throughout the temple, worrying many of the younger members who feared there could be more.
And since many of the Jedi being cremated, were either killed by Lightsaber or some form of contactless chocking, it was clear this group meant business.
The service finally came to an end and the Jedi all made their way out of the temple, many of them eager to get out of their official robes and into something more comfortable. This included Flash, who marched with Twilight and the others as they thought about everything that had been happening lately.
"What do you think's gonna happen now?" Rainbow asked, but nobody had any idea.
As they turned a corner, about to come up with something to do for the rest of the day, Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack and Flash's gauntlets beeped to show a message they had been sent. The four brought them up and were surprised to find they had been summoned to the Jedi Council Chambers. This meant they had to have a special mission, which made them worry since it must be important to do right after a funeral.
Saying goodbye to the others, they all headed to the chambers. When they arrived, they found Shining Armor, Heather Bloom and Spitfire were all outside.
Seeing their apprentices arrive, the three Jedi headed into the chambers with the four following behind.
There, they found the Jedi Council were all still in their robes. "Thank you for coming," Celestia nodded. "I know this might seem sudden, but we need to discuss some of the information Shining Armor recently received." They nodded, as Luna brought up a holographic screen.
"After combing through the data on the memory stick Shining and Flash acquired, we've discovered its contents held a lot of information not yet privy to us. Including that involving the Sith we recently learned of."
"I still can't believe there are six of them out there," Twilight frowned. "I thought the legends stated there were only supposed to be two at a time."
Celestia nodded. "It's possible the Jedi aren't the only group that have lightened up on certain rules over the last few centuries. But that's not important right now. One of the files about them states a planet they've been seen on multiple times. It's outside the republic and is a planet not known to house many law abiders."
"So you want us to go and check it out?" Spitfire realised.
"Actually," Celestia stood, "I will be leading this group." That surprised them. "I would like the rest of you to accompany me. And this particular planet is not big on Jedi, so we will need to be careful how we present ourselves."
"Understood," Shining nodded.
"We'll make preparations to leave right away," Heather agreed. Celestia nodded and turned to Flash.
"Shining tells me you are ready to head out on missions again. With how dangerous this place is, we very well may run into trouble. Can I trust you to stay calm and not lose focus if anything bad happens?"
Flash nodded. "I think I'm starting to come to terms with the fact I can't control everything. I'm still gonna give it everything I have, but I know I can't expect everything to turn out the way I want it. I don't like it, but I accept it."
"Good," Celestia nodded. "Then we leave in an hour." They all nodded and headed out, Luna turning to her once they were gone.
"I didn't want to question you in front of the others, but are you sure this is a good idea? There's no telling what might happen. You are the order's guiding light. We can't afford to lose you."
"The order is strong. Even if something happened to me, I know the rest of you will continue to guide it into the future as well as I ever have. The rest of the council didn't look so sure, as Celestia got up to head out of the chambers. Whatever was waiting for them on this unknown planet, they feared it would be something that could throw their order into disarray.
An hour past and Flash, Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack were heading out towards the Shooting Star.
They were all dressed in clothing one wouldn't usually see Jedi were, having been told to dress like they were wanderers that had to wear the same clothes for days without washing. Luckily, the clothing district had clothing for just such an occasion.
Flash was actually wearing the clothes he had worn when he had first met Shining and Twilight, the Padawan amazed that the Jedi had kept them. Rainbow was dressed in a black leather shirt and pants, with a brown poncho on top of it. Applejack was also wearing a poncho, with a white shirt underneath so long it almost hid her blue shorts. She also wore a brown cowboy hat underneath. Finally, Twilight was wearing a brown dress that went to her knees, with several sections that looked ripped and sown back up.
They made their way over to the Shooting Star and when they got there, they found their teachers all dressed in a similar way to them. Springer was also there, the droid planning on staying on the ship whilst the Jedi went out to investigate.
"Alright," Celestia nodded. "You all look good. Have you all made sure your Lightsabers won't be easily noticed?" They nodded, with Applejack's axe being hidden inside a large back she would carry on her back. The rest of them hid their blades under their cloaks on their back. They would be easily accessed, but not easily seen.
"Time to get going," Heather smiled. "It's a long journey to this planet and the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there." The others agreed and got on board, Shining heading over to the cockpit with Springer.
The others took their seats, as the ship took off and flew into the sky. As soon as they cleared the planet, Shining put them into hyperspace and they shot into the river of energy.
As they sat in the ship's lounge, Celestia plugged a flash drive into the holo table and a holographic image of the planet they were heading to appeared. Said planet looked rather barren, reminding Flash of Shikoya with the lack of vegetation. Instead of sand, it appeared more dusty.
"Yowtar," Celestia announced. "As I said, it's a lawless planet where only the worst of the worst go. There are no cities, but there are several towns in a few areas that have water access. The place is dangerous."
"What's the plan?" Spitfire asked. "Head to one of these towns and bust a few heads, to get the info we're after?"
"Well," Celestia looked a little disturbed, "I wouldn't say we'll be busting heads. We need to keep a low profile. Gather information subtly, without drawing attention to ourselves. Even the names of these Sith would be enough to consider this trip worth it."
Heather nodded and checked the different settlements, located around the planet. "There are sixteen locations. if we split into teams of two, we can investigate four at the same time and cut down on how long it'll take to find out anything."
"Exactly," Celestia agreed. "Padawans and masters will work in pairs. Padawans. I want you four to be careful. I know you're eager to prove yourself, but don't go jumping into a situation you can't manage on your own."
"Yes master," they nodded. The group started deciding which team went where, the plan being to drop each pair off a ways away from the settlements so they can walk into them without looking suspicious. This was going to be a long and possibly dangerous mission. But they had to find something if they wanted to stop these villains before it was too late.
Yowtar
The settlements of Yowtar were hardly anything to write home about.
Each one consisted of two lines of buildings, with several meters of dirt road between them to allow for plenty of vehicles to move between them. Two large wells could be seen on either side of the settlement, giving it enough water to keep the place from being impossible to live in.
In one of the buildings, a large tavern, many aliens were enjoying their time there. Some were drinking, others were playing cards and a few were throwing knives and dart boards, holding pictures of individuals they didn't like.
The bartender was washing down the bar, when someone stepped into the bar. A figure in dark clothing, a hood up to keep his face hidden.
They stepped forward and sat down, giving the bartender his order. "So, stranger. What's your business in our little town? Looking for work? Trying to stay out of the limelight? Or are you searching for someone that did you wrong?" He put his drink down, the figure taking it without saying a word. "I'm guessing the second option, if you don't wanna say."
"Be quiet," the figure replied. "And if you must know, I'm waiting for someone. They're supposed to be here soon."
"Oh," the bartender smiled, "is that so? Anyone I'd know."
"If you did, I'd have to kill you." The bartender could tell he wasn't joking.
"Alright then. Well...if you need anything..." He didn't finish the statement and simply walked away, as the cloaked figure took a swig of his drink. As he did, a soft beeping caught his attention and he looked at his wrist.
He was wearing a gauntlet, similar to the one Jedi usually wore. And as he downed his drink, he got up and walked out the bar. Once on the street, he ducked between two buildings and removed his hood. Doing so revealed the red skinned man named Doom Raizer, who activated his gauntlet. "I'm here."
"About time," Solara's voice spoke through the device. "I'm sending you the location of a cave just outside the settlement. Chrysalis and Tirek are already here. Once Armalum is close, bring him to the cave."
"Remind me again, why we're meeting up on a planet like Yowtar. We could have met anywhere else. On many of our controlled planets. So why do we need to come here of all places?"
"This has always been where we met up," Solara replied. "Before you were even part of our order. Whenever we need to meet in person, we always meet here. We can't waste time trying to figure out where to meet up in a different place every time."
"Fine," he sighed. "I get it. I'll wait until Armalum shows up and I'll bring him with me. Why can't he come on his own?"
"He's a droid. As powerful as he is, he's still a droid. If he knew where we were meeting up and got captured, all that info would be up for grabs. That's why we don't let him remember where to meet. Every time we meet, he deletes his memory of the location. How many times do we have to remind you."
"Alright. I'll bring him." Doom closed the communications and sighed. Despite having some of the best training out of the group, he was still treated like a newb just because he was the last to join. "Things will change," he told himself. "In time, things will change." With that, he walked back into the bar to get another drink.
The Shooting Star had arrived at Yowtar, where the Jedi were ready to finally get to some action.
Rainbow, Spitfire, Heather and Applejack had already been dropped off near their selected settlements. Now it was Twilight and Celestia's turn, the pair getting ready as the ship found a landing site.
Twilight double checked the hip bag she had stored her Lightsaber in, wanting to make sure it wouldn't drop her weapon but still allow her to easily get it if needs be. As she did, she glanced over at Celestia.
Despite being her student for many years, Twilight had only been on a few missions with her. And most of those were diplomatic missions, where Twilight only needed to watch as Celestia worked her magic. This was the first time Twilight would see Celestia in some form of info gathering role.
"You ready?" Celestia asked, Twilight nodding as she stood up and closed her Lightsaber bag.
"We're landing," Shining called back. They nodded and the ship began to move downwards, carefully landing on the dusting wasteland that was Yowtar's surface. Once the ship was stable, the loading ramp lowered and the pair stepped out into the desert.
Celestia took out a pair of binoculars and used them to scan the surrounding area, eventually spotting the settlement they were going to investigate. "Come along, Twilight. We have a lot of info to find and so little time?"
"Of course," Twilight followed as they headed towards the town. The Shooting Star took off, flying towards its final drop off point of the day. "Master. What exactly should we ask when we get there? I'm guessing we can't just say we're looking for a bunch of Sith?"
"We won't start asking questions right away," Celestia replied. "If we do, we'll look too suspicious. Our first destination should be an inn or tavern. Someplace we can get a drink and recharge after our long and difficult journey."
"Long and difficult journey?" Twilight looked confused, "it's not that far to the town."
"It is for a pair of women who've just walked here from another town, far, far away." Twilight quickly caught on, understanding what she was getting at. "We'll rest there and rehydrate. If we're lucky, we'll hear someone talking about something that could lead us to the info we seek. But if not, we'll start asking around once the locals have gotten used to us."
"Understood," Twilight nodded.
"And Twilight." Celestia looked at her in concern. "I don't want you to leave my sight. This is a rough place and a young woman like you will be just what these barbarians are waiting for. If anything happens, don't panic and let me handle it."
"Yes, master." They kept going and Twilight was feeling rather nervous, all of a sudden.
They eventually entered the town and headed towards the closest tavern, all the while the sense that they were being watched washed over them. And that was because, they were.
The further into the town they went, the more of its male populace noticed them. Men on the street, stopped what they were doing to glance over at them. Some who happened to spot them through the windows, rushed over to get a better look. And a few on speeders and other modes of transport, stopped their engines so the bikes wouldn't shake and they could see them better.
Twilight now fully understood what Celestia had been saying. The girl moved closer to her mentor, who didn't seem to give the gawkers a moment's notice.
They arrived at the tavern and stepped inside, all the music stopping as the patrons turned to see them. And just like outside, these guys were shocked by the sight of them.
Celestia smiled as she stepped further into the building, Twilight right behind her. They reached the bar and sat down, the bartender looking at them worriedly. "A glass of your best banar, my good man. And something non alcoholic for my daughter." Twilight hadn't been expecting that, but realised it was the best cover story given they were both equestrians.
"You sure you wanna be in here?" The bartender poured the drinks. "This isn't exactly the best place for a...creature, such as yourself."
Celestia smiled as she took the drink. "Don't worry about us. We've been in plenty of establishments like this one. So long as your customers keep a respectful distance, we'll be perfectly fine." She began to drink, Twilight doing the same. They stayed like this for a few minutes, sipping their drinks whilst the patrons kept staring.
Most soon went back to what they were doing, but a few continued to eye the pair as they kept drinking.
Eventually, one got up and took his drink over to get a refill. And when he did, he leaned in next to Celestia. "That's a pretty daughter you've got there," he told her. Twilight blushed whilst Celestia said nothing, only for the man to suddenly put an arm around her waist. "I'm staying upstairs. What say you and I try and give her a sibling?"
Twilight almost spit her drink out, whilst Celestia remained perfectly calm. "You couldn't handle me, sweetheart. Go sit down, before you hurt yourself."
The man glared at her before moving to stand behind Twilight. "Well maybe she'll be friendlier." But as he reached out to touch her, Celestia's hand grasped his wrist and squeezed tightly. "AHHHHH!" He cried, catching everyone's attention.
"Let's make one thing clear!" Celestia stated. "Anything that so much as touches her, will not remain attached for long. Understand?"
"YES!" He cried, falling to his knees. "Just let go!" Celestia held on for another moment or two, but eventually released him before she broke his arm. "Damn it!" He glared up at Celestia, looking ready to reach for his weapon.
The other patrons looked ready to do the same, but Celestia's gaze washed over them all. "You know fighting isn't a good idea." The people froze for the smallest millisecond, blinking as they repeated the words.
"We know fighting isn't a good idea."
"You want to get back to your drinks and ignore us."
"We want to get back to our drinks and ignore you." They suddenly did just that, the man holding his wrist grabbing his drink off the counter before heading back to sit down.
Celestia turned back to the bar, as Twilight looked worried. "Are you sure that was a good idea?"
"We'll never learn anything if we start a fight," she replied. "Keep your eye open for anything that might sound like a lead." Twilight nodded and finished her drink, as a thought occurred to her.
"If we're having this much trouble, I wonder how Rainbow and Applejack are doing?"
Celestia smiled as she took another sip. "I'm sure their mentors are keeping them out of trouble."
In another town, its tavern's floor was littered with unconscious people.
Applejack panted, as the last guy fell to her punch and everyone let out a groan of pain. Meanwhile, up at the bar, Heather was enjoying her own drink whilst the bartender watched the cow girl look around. "Aren't you gonna stop her?"
"She's out of people to beat up," Heather replied. "So calm down in a minute or two?"
"Hey beautiful," another guy walked in and smiled at Applejack before noticing the people littered around the floor.
"Better make it three." Heather turned away, not wanting to see the carnage. The bartender winced at something Applejack did, whilst Heather thought about the others. "Hope Spitfire's keeping her cool."
"Anybody else want some!?" Spitfire cried, as she and Rainbow stood on a table.
Men littered the floor, all looking like they had been run over by the Shooting Star. They groaned as the women stood back to back. "Yeah!" Rainbow cheered, "that's what I'm talking about. Is this really the best you got?" The pair high fived one another, appearing to be forgetting they would need these gentlemen alive if they wanted to get some information out of them.
As Celestia asked for another drink, the bartender asked what they had been expecting. "So, what brings you ladies to our neck of the woods?"
"Various reasons," Celestia replied. "Not a lot of work in this part of the galaxy, for those of us with an extra leg on our chromosomes. At least, no work I want my daughter to be a part of."
"Understandable," he nodded. "Looking for anything in particular?"
"Not really?" Celestia shook her head before turning to Twilight. "What was that rumour you heard? About a group of individuals coming out of nowhere all of a sudden?"
Twilight quickly caught on. "I'm not really sure about it. I heard they had a lot of insectoid members in their group."
"Oh," the bartender nodded. "You're talking about that group. Trust me, you don't wanna go messing with them."
"You've heard of them?" Celestia asked, with the bartender nodding.
"Yeah. Really annoying group. Those bugs come by all the time, demanding we serve them or they'll wipe the entire town off the face of the planet. So annoying. Came by last week. Probably gone off to another two to cause problems." Twilight and Celestia shared a look, thinking they might just have a lead.
In another town, Flash and Shining were at their own tavern.
Unlike the others, they had been able to blend right in. The pair took their drinks and listened to the other patrons, hoping they might hear something. But so far, nothing they might be interested in was heard.
However, as Flash finished his drink, a humming filled the air. "What's that noise?" He looked around, as the rest of the patrons suddenly got an uncomfortable look on their faces. "Are those engines?"
"Sounds like a lot of them?" Shining agreed.
"You boys need to move," the bartender told them. "Trust me. When they get here, you don't wanna be between them and the bar." Flash and Shining glanced at each other, Shining quickly getting up and moving to an empty table by the window.
Flash joined him, the pair looking out the hole as a bunch of speeder bikes flew into the town and slowed to a stop in front of the tavern.
Flash and Shining watched as the riders of the speeders climbed off, revealing themselves to be a bunch of insectoid aliens. But not the same kind of insectoid that they had fought on the forest moon.
These bugs were a bunch of bulky humanoid beetles. Instead of man-made armor, their bodies were covered in a strong looking black carapace. Spikes stuck out of it, mostly at the shoulders, knees, elbows and wrists. An extra large spike was sticking out of their head, starting where the nose should be and going up its forehead and sticking upwards to be as long as the head itself.
They marched towards the tavern, Flash and Shining averting their gaze so they didn't attract the bug's attention.
The moment they stepped inside, the place went deadly quiet. There were only seven of them, but they were clearly more than a match for many patrons in the bar. "Howdy," the bartender sounded terrified. "What can I get for you?"
"Everything," the lead bug replied. "Every drink."
"Of course," he nodded. "Let me just get that for you." He started taking the bottles and putting them on the table, the bugs drinking out of said bottles and chugging the liquid down. As soon as they were finished with one, they started another bottle and kept drinking until every bottle was empty.
"Geez," Flash whispered, "how much can one species drink?"
"Must have a very high tolerance for it," Shining suggested. As he said that, only of the bugs turned to a group of aliens sitting around the table.
They marched over to them, grabbing one by the shoulder and throwing him off his chair. The alien cried out, as he was thrown across the tavern and barely avoided slamming into another table. The others around the table got up, as the bug reached for their drinks and started downing them.
"I think we should leave," Shining replied as the men pulled out their blasters.
They fired and the lasers simply bounced off the shell, flying every which way. Flash and Shining left the tavern, as the place broke into a frenzy of battle. "Those things are insane!" Flash cried.
"When you think nothing can hurt you, nothing seems off limits." They rushed into an alleyway and watched, as a man was thrown through the tavern's window.
"Maybe we should get out of here," Flash suggested. "I doubt anyone's gonna be in a talking mood with those guys around." Shining was starting to agree. But just then, he got a message from someone and checked his gauntlet.
"May have found a lead," he read. "It's from Twilight." He kept reading. "Bug-like creatures have been spotted on the planet several times. They may be the same ones working for the Sith." The pair frowned, since they knew the answer to that theory.
Back with Celestia and Twilight, they had rented a room in the inn and quickly made themselves at home.
Celestia sat at the window, whilst Twilight checked her gauntlet's messages. "Just ran into the bugs you mentioned." Celestia glanced at her, "not the same ones from before. Just a bunch of drunk bullies that think they're indestructible."
Celestia sighed. "So our lead's a dead end." She glanced back out the window, as Twilight messaged back to the others. "It's possible they've stopped coming here. Or, they were never here to begin with." She watched, as the men on the streets went about their business. Several aliens from the bar, were now walking through the town on their way to actually do something.
"There's still twelve other towns we haven't checked yet," Twilight pointed out. "I'm sure we'll find something eventually."
"Maybe," Celestia nodded. "Maybe." It was then she felt something. As if The Force was trying to pull her focus in one direction. She let it do so, her gaze shifting to a figure standing between two of the buildings. And as she stared at them, she suddenly got a very upset stomach. As if looking at them was making her ill. She had felt something like this before. "Twilight, stay in the room."
"What?" Twilight gave her an odd look, as Celestia stood up and headed for the door. "Where are you going?"
"I think I might have just discovered a lead. But it might be dangerous. So no matter what, stay here." Twilight frowned as Celestia stepped out of the room, "lock the door behind me." With that, she was gone and Twilight locked the door.
The Padawan thought about how dangerous this town was. She knew Celestia could take care of herself, but couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of her Master getting hurt or worse.
Celestia carefully left the tavern and pulled the hood of her cloak up, as she carefully made her way towards the spot the figure had been in.
Said figure had disappeared, but she could still sense the dark aura he had been giving off. It stained the ground like a bunch of muddy footprints, leading outside the town into an area of rocks. "Strong with the Dark Side," she whispered. As much as she wanted Twilight to be there with her, she felt this was a power her apprentice couldn't stand up to yet.
A mile outside the town, Doom Raizer marched towards a bunch of rocks.
He was using his gauntlet to follow a beacon signal, leading him towards said rocks and the one he had been sent to collect. "You'd better be here." He reached the rocks and started making his way around them, with a section of raised earth wedged between two large rocks making a path up on top of said rocks.
He marched up it and when he got there, he frowned seeing Armalum at the top with his arms crossed. "There you are." Armalum glanced at him. "Couldn't you have found a better place to wait?"
"Like where? Out in the open, for everyone to see?"
Doom rolled his eyes, "whatever. Come on. The meeting point isn't too far. The others will already be there." Armalum nodded, but then stopped and looked out in the direction of the town. "What?"
"It seems you have a tail." Doom raised an eyebrow, jumping up and landed on the rock besides Armalum. "Don't bother. You don't have a zoom function."
"Who is it?" Doom asked.
"How should I know?" Armalum asked, continuing to zoom in on the figure making their way towards them. "They're covering most of their features. But...I think they're equestrian. Hoof feet and white wings. Quite tall, by the looks of things."
"A tall, white, equestrian?" Doom's eyes went wide, "we have to leave. Now!"
"What's the rush?" Armalum asked, as Doom leapt down.
"That's Celestia. Grand Master of the Jedi Order." That seemed to peak Armalum's interest. "If she's here, there's no telling how many more Jedi are around." He growled. "She must have sensed me."
"If she can sense you, leaving isn't a good idea. She's obviously able to track you. We can't risk leading her to the others."
"And what would you suggest?" Doom watched Armalum remove his Lightsaber. "You can't be serious? You want to fight the most powerful Jedi of all time?"
"She can't be that powerful. And even if she is, there's two of us and one of her. Plus, she's been running the order for centuries. Teaching kids and filing reports. She's probably out of practise. We can take her." Doom didn't look so sure. "What, you scared?"
"Of course not." Doom reached under his cloak and removed his own Lightsaber, which was a strange design. The metal tube appeared to be split into two parts, with a red crystal in the centre of it. The two ends were held together by black spiralling metal bands, whilst the top had a bunch of metal teeth sticking out and pointing upwards. He held the weapon, then reached up and ran her hand over the scars covering his face. "Fine. Let's do this."
Celestia marched towards the rocks, continuing to keep her hood up.
She knew she had probably been noticed by now, but she couldn't sense any other life signs in the area aside from the one she was chasing. She soon entered the shadow of the rocks and looked around, continuing to feel the dark aura staining the land.
She suddenly heard the sound of a rock, being kicked around and causing her to jump into a battle stance. "Who's there?" She called out. "I know you're out there." She slowly reached under her cloak, "show yourself!" Nothing happened for several moments, Celestia's hair standing on the back of her neck.
Then, the sound of a Lightsaber's ignition filled the air.
Slowly turning towards the sound, Celestia came face to face with a darkly dressed droid. Its heavy footsteps and clearly mechanical body was only the first clue it wasn't a living thing, the most obvious being her inability to sense any life coming from it. But strangely, she could sense a powerful dark aura coming off of it. And as it got closer, the red Lightsaber in hand put Celestia on edge.
The droid stopped and looked her over. "Master Celestia. I'd always hoped we would one day meet."
"Who are you?" Celestia asked, "what are you. Where's your master?"
"Many light years away," the droid replied.
"Don't act dumb," she stated. "I know there's another Dark Side user here. Where is he?" The droid said nothing and she reached into her own cloak, pulling out a silver Lightsaber with a glass guard covering one side of the blade emitter.
Holding the weapon in two hands, she ignited it and a long yellow blade extended forwards.
"Oh," the droid looked impressed. "I never thought I'd see that colour of saber. Most of the Jedi I've killed usually go for the blue or green colours." Celestia frowned, unclear how a droid could have so much thrill in its voice. But one thing was clear.
"If you've slain members of my order, then I shall see to it that they have justice and make sure you never hurt anyone again."
The droid chuckled. "Bring it." With that, he shot forward and leapt into the air. His sword was raised high, as he slashed it down towards her. But Celestia was easily able to block it with her own sword, pushing him back without any effort. This surprised her adversary. "You're strong. Impressive."
"You don't get to be the grandmaster of the Jedi Order by being a push over." She charged and the pair began their duel, their blades dancing around and clashing against one another. At first, it seemed like the pair were on an even footing. But as the battle wore on, Armalum soon discovered Celestia was more than just good. She was incredible.
Every time he thought he saw an opening, he slashed or stabbed at her. But Celestia had purposefully left those openings, to make him think he was clear and try for the win. Every time he attacked, she blocked or deflected the attack with ease and almost cut something off of him.
One swing almost took off his head, Armalum barely managing to leap back with the edge of her blade inches from his neck.
He landed and stood defensively. "How are you doing that?" Celestia smiled as she swung her blade around. "I just turned three hundred and thirty three. You think in all that time, I've never faced a droid before? I was learning to fight when droids were still clunky pieces of tin." She smiled at him. "Well...clunkier pieces of tin."
Armalum would have given her a glare, if he actually had a movable face. "You think you're so great. That's the problem with you Jedi. Always thinking you're so high and mighty. But that arrogance will be the downfall of you."
"Please," Celestia told him, "I overcame my arrogance a long time ago. What you're facing is centuries worth of experience." As she was saying that, Armalum grabbed something with The Force. Thinking she hadn't seen him do so, he threw a large rock towards her. But Celestia held her own hand up and caught it without even looking. "Experience that told me you would try a sneak attack."
"Show off." Armalum suddenly found the rock flying at him, the droid slashing through it only to find Celestia flying at him.
He blocked her slash with his blade, but the speed and power behind it caused him to stagger backwards until he was pinned between her and a rock. "One thing my experience hasn't taught me is how a droid can wield The Force like that. What are you?"
Armalum said nothing, attempting instead to push their locked blades away from him. But Celestia was stronger than she looked and the Lightsabers were drawing dangerously close to his body.
Celestia pushed hard and the red blade was inches from Armalum's chest. One more good push and he would be cut in half. But before she could, she sensed something else and pulled back.
Leaping to a safe distance, she found another red blade slicing into the ground between her and Armalum. Had she not moved, she would have been sliced in half. And as she landed, she saw the hooded figure she had seen earlier. "There you are." The figure pulled the sword up, they and Armalum nodding to one another.
They both charged, Celestia taking a different stance as she prepared to defend herself.
When they reached her, she easily blocked Armalum's first strike, followed by the other's strike and so on. Both Sith attacked with everything they had, attacking one at a time. Clearly, they had little experience fighting side by side. This gave Celestia the edge, having fought multiple opponents plenty of times.
As she blocked Armalum's strike, she spun around and slammed one of her hoof-like feet into his chest.
The force knocked him back, as the hooded figure attacked. But Celestia leapt back and used a large rock as a springboard, propelling herself into the air. And as she flew over the figure, she grabbed his cloak and ripped it off. "Now, who am I-" She stopped, shock coursing through her veins as she saw who had been under the cloak. "Doom?"
Doom Raizer pulled the remains of his destroyed cloak off of himself, as Celestia flew over to a rock and landed atop it. "How? Why?"
"Why?" Doom asked. "Oh, I wonder about that?"
"Doom," Celestia sighed. "What happened back then...I am truly sorry. All the evidence-"
"Evidence!" Doom growled. "The great and mighty Celestia, fooled by some planted evidence and a spot of bad timing. You took everything from me. My rank. My reputation. My family."
"You could have come back," Celestia told him. "Your name was cleared. If you hadn't escaped, you would have been acquitted."
"Acquitted. Acquitted of a crime I never committed." He let out a roar of anger, as several rocks flew into the air and shot towards Celestia. "Why should I have had to sit in a cell, when I didn't do anything!?" Celestia leapt into the air and sliced the rocks away. "And being imprisoned wasn't even the worst thing that could have happened! What if you had decided to execute me?"
"I wouldn't have let that happen!" Celestia landed and caught the last rock with The Force. "I abolished that punishment years ago."
"And I was supposed to trust you with my life? After you refused to believe me when I said I didn't do it." As Doom yelled that, part of Armalum's arm opened up. From it, a tube of some kind folded out and fired a blue bolt of energy.
Celestia saw this coming and blocked with the rock, whilst Armalum charged forward.
He slashed his blade down at her, Celestia blocking with her own sword. "Because of you, my wife is dead. I couldn't even be there for her, because of you."
"It wasn't just me that thought you did it," Celestia pushed back with her own sword. The pair were locked in a dead heat. "And ever since the truth came to light, I have regretted what happened to you. I wish I could take back what happened."
"Well you can't," Doom growled. Armalum fired another blast and Celestia pulled back on her sword, spinning around Doom as he narrowly avoided getting hit.
Celestia once again took to the air and landed atop a rock. "So you chose to become what you denied being?" Doom picked himself up, glaring at her as he pointed his sword towards her.
"I had no other choice. I was a fugitive. Wanted by the republic and without a friend in the world. I had to hide in the shadows, barely managing to get enough credits together for a decent meal. And the more time I spent in that life, the more my anger rose. Anger towards the Jedi for taking everything from me. That's when he appeared."
"Who?" Celestia asked. "The master of your little group?"
"Don't say any more," Armalum told Doom. "If she wants to meet our master, we'll happily take her to him. In chains."
"I don't think so." Celestia thrust her hand out and the pair were thrown backwards, both crashing into the rocks as Celestia flew down. "You two are coming with me! We have some questions for you back at Canterlot." But before she could try and restrain them, Armalum's arm blaster fired in her direction.
She dodged it and the two were released from her grip, Armalum firing a few more times. But each time, Celestia easily blocked the attacks. Doom charged in and attacked, his rage having built up due to the memories of what had happened to him. Celestia found his attacks were incredibly strong, but also unfocused. And with Armalum waiting to fire at her, she had to wait for just the right opportunity.
But just as she spotted said opportunity, creating an opening to look like Doom was about to strike her, a voice called out. "NO!" Every eye turned to the voice and Celestia gasped, seeing Twilight standing there with her Lightsaber drawn. "Stay away from her!" She thrust her hand out and Doom was thrown backwards.
The man slammed into the earth, his Lightsaber being thrown from his grasp. But before Twilight or Celestia could capitalise on it, Armalum fired his blaster at Twilight and hit her before she was made aware of it.
"NO!" Celestia watched her student drop, with Armalum pulling her towards him. Before Celestia could stop him, he had her stunned student by the throat with his Lightsaber close.
"One wrong move and she dies," the droid announced. Celestia frowned, as Doom picked himself up and retrieved his Lightsaber. "Drop your weapon." Celestia sighed before dropping her Lightsaber, "and your gauntlet." Celestia sighed, but quickly removed the device from her arm and dropped it besides her Lightsaber. "Good. Doom, tie her up."
"We're not gonna kill her?" Doom asked, Armalum shaking his head.
"We have the grandmaster of the Jedi Order at our mercy. I'm sure our master will wish to decide her fate, personally." Doom nodded and took out some rope, using it to tie her hands behind her back. Celestia wanted to fight back, but couldn't risk Twilight's safety.
"If you hurt her..."
"Relax," Armalum smiled. "She's fine. Still conscious. She just won't be able to move for a while." He dropped Twilight, but kept his Lightsaber close to her. "But you won't be conscious. Can't have you knowing where we're going." He pointed his blaster at her and fired a more powerful blast.
Twilight could hear everything they had said, though her vision was still blurry. She heard Celestia's cry and her fall to the ground, followed by Armalum laughing.
"Thanks for the help, kid. Don't worry, I won't kill you. I think living with the knowledge, that you got the most powerful Jedi in the universe killed, will be worse than dying." He laughed before he and Doom began to leave, an unconscious Celestia draped over Doom's shoulder. As they disappeared, Twilight was overwhelmed with a sense of guilt.
She had wanted to protect her master, but instead got her killed. "Master," she cried, "I'm sorry."
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Can you really blame Doom for taking his frustration on Celestia? Let’s be honest…. Would you be angry at Celestia for not only believing in you but being forced on the run with no one believes your innocence? Let's sink that for a moment and ask me.
Would you still hold a grudge against Celestia and the Council for "ruining" your life like she and the Council did with Doom?
I'm not saying Doom is good guy, he is a Sith but what would you really do if the Council didn't believe in your innocence? That's one of the main reasons why Ahsoka ultimately left the Jedi Order.
Anyway, Twilight made a massive mistake as it give Armalum an opportunity to get Celestia to surrender by threatening to kill her student…. Oh boy, Twilight may never forgive herself for that.
See you in the next chapter and you definitely don't want to miss the next chapter! It will blow your mind away! :)
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Yes, yes, yes, because of the hypocracy of the Jedi, blah, blah, blah.
Seriously, you gotta let that stuff go man.
Well, we finally got to see Celestia in the field. Unfortunately, Twilight accidentally got her captured. This is definitely going to weigh heavily on Twilight. The part where Celestia pretended Twilight was her daughter while they were undercover was also very sweet though, since I easily see Celestia treating Twilight like she's a daughter to her.
I did like the cut always to how Applejack, Rainbow, and their respective masters were doing. It added a bit of comedy, and showed not all Jedi are as on task as Celestia like she hopes they are at times.
Very interesting. We got a glimpse of a potential future of Flash and Shining facing Sombra, possibly in a final battle. Sombra might say this is only a possibility, but he's clearly scared now.
I am not so sure. That sounds like something someone arrogant might say. Celestia is experienced sure, but she does seem to overestimate herself sometimes.
Okay, that however she is 100% correct about. Doom might have been innocent before, but he just became the kind of criminal he was accused of being.
Well, well, well, to think that I should finish this chapter on Women's History Month. How unexpectedly fitting!