> Cinematic Adventures: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
>  by extremeenigma02
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Jabba’s Palace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The vast regions of space, calm and quiet, showed little-to-no activity between the Rebellion and the Empire for some time. Luke Skywalker and the Equestrian crew returned to Tatooine in an attempt to rescue their friend Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster, Jabba the Hutt.

Little did they know was that the Galactic Empire had secretly begun construction on a new armored space station, one more powerful than the first. When completed, this ultimate weapon would spell certain doom for the small band of Rebels struggling to restore freedom to the galaxy…

Currently, a monstrous half-completed Death Star floated in the darkest section of space, its massive superstructure curling away from the completed section like the arms of a giant octopus. Beyond, in benevolent contrasted, floated the tiny, green moon of Endor.

An Imperial Star Destroyer moved overhead toward the massive-armored space station, followed by two zipping TIE fighters. A small Imperial shuttle rocketed from the main bay of the ship, hustling toward the Death Star. The shuttle captain proceeded to contact the Death Star.

“Command station, this is ST 321. Code Clearance Blue. We’re starting our approach. Deactivate the security shield.”

“The security deflector shield will be deactivated when we have confirmation of your code transmission,” The Death Star Controller spoke, through intercom. “Stand by… you are clear to proceed.”

“We’re starting our approach.”

The operators moved among the control panels. A Shield Operator hit the switch beside a large screen, on which shown a display of the Death Star, the Endor moon, and a bright web delineating the invisible deflector shield. A control officer rushed over to the shield operator.

“Inform the commander that Lord Vader’s shuttle has arrived.”

“Yes, sir.”

The control officer moved to a view port, watching the Imperial shuttle land in the massive docking bay. A squad of Imperial stormtroopers moved in formation before the craft.

The Death Star Commander, Moff Jerjerrod, a tall, confident technocrat, strode through the assembled troops to the base of the shuttle ramp. The troops snaped to attention; many uneasy over the new arrival. But the Death Star commander stood arrogantly tall.

The exit hatch of the shuttle opened with a *WHOOSH!*, revealing only darkness. Then heavy footsteps and mechanical breathing. From the black void appeared Darth Vader and Darth Seraphina, who now only wore her hood over her head and no mask. Vader looked toward the assemblage, as he walked down the ramp.

“Lord Vader, Lady Seraphina,” Jerjerrod greeted. “This is an unexpected pleasure. We’re honored by your presence.”

“You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander,” Vader spoke, businesslike. “I’m here to put you back on schedule.”

“The Emperor wants this battle station ready,” Seraphina added. “If not, you can be assured there will be deadly consequences.”

The commander turned ashen, starting to tremble.

“I assure you my lords, my men are working as fast as they can.”

“Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them,” Vader suggested.

“I tell you; this station will be operational as planned,” Jerjerrod assured.

“The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal, Commander,” Seraphina replied.

“But he asks the impossible. I need more men.”

“Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives,” Vader spoke.

“The Emperor’s coming here?” Jerjerrod asked, aghast.

“That is correct, Commander. And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress.”

“We shall double our efforts.”

“I hope so, Commander, for your sake,” Vader warned. “The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.”

“Nor I,” Seraphina added.

Vader then turned toward her.

“What is your plan going forward?”

“I escort Grievous, Demitria, and the Inquisitors for Tatooine immediately,” Seraphina responded. “I’ve a personal score to settle.”

Vader merely gave a small nod of approval, as Seraphina turned heel and worked her way towards the hanger bay.

<>

Within the twisted confines of the subconscious of one Sunset Shimmer, the fiery haired girl stood staring toward the endless frozen landscape of the void. The poor girl had been trapped inside her mind for the longest time and not it was truly taking a toll on her. The landscape had been crumbling around her, little by little, every day. Her being became weaker as the days continued onward. This worried her greatly, knowing the longer she remained trapped in her mind, the faster she became one with the darkness.

The feeling of a hand upon her shoulder caused her to look behind her as Revan stood there with a smile on his face.. The former Jedi-turned-Sith-turned-Jedi once more came alongside her, gazing along the landscape with her. Without his mask, Sunset was able to truly get a good look at his features. Long slicked-back black hair, a matching five o’clock shadow over an otherwise handsome face.

“Thousands of years ago, I’d have given anything to look upon the void,” He said. “Now all I wish to do is destroy the very creature who created it.”

Hearing him say this made Sunset close her eyes in consideration.

“You really think I’m the one prophesized to bring down the greatest evil this world has ever known?” She asked curiously.

Revan turned his head toward the girl in question, before facing the void again.

“Honestly, I do not know,” He shook his head. “The Emperor’s lifespan has spread across millennia. Many tried and many failed to put an end to him. The only one who ever came close was Valora. It was her who saved me from myself, all those many years ago.”

This made Sunset look up at Revan with a cocked eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Indeed,” Revan nodded. “I’ll never forget how she and her crew risked their lives on the plant Rishi, determined to pen end to my schemes when I was lost. I was so consumed with destroying the Emperor, I allowed myself to be twisted by the darkness. Only when they confronted me at the Emperor’s temple did I finally join the light side of my conscience and realized what I’ve done.”

It was at this moment Satele Shan, Darth Marr, and Valora Synn made their way to stand beside Sunset and Revan.

“Revan had once been consumed by the dark side of the force thanks to the Emperor’s corruption,” Satele added. “Both him and Darth Malak were prominent members of the Jedi Order until Vitiate bent them to his will. Thankfully, we found Revan and reintegrated him to the order.”

“It went to show that anyone could be saved from corruption,” Valora spoke.

“However, so long as the Emperor remains, there’ll always be corruption in the galaxy,” Marr warned. “That’s why we turn to you, Sunset Shimmer. You alone must be the one to end him, once and for all.”

Before Sunset could even comprehend what they were saying, the very ground beneath them shook violently.

“What’s going on?!” Sunset yelled.

“The Emperor comes,” Satele answered.

A sickening evil laugh echoed through the depths of the void, as a bright purple light blinded their vision. When it began to fade, they took notice of a figure standing before them with an evil grin. The man in question was a red-skinned Sith pure blood, his dark hair pulled back in a bun. He wore some form of ancient golden armor that helped showcase the strange symbols upon his skin.



His pitch black eyes stared right toward Sunset; his sickening smile grew wider.

“Pretender,” He spoke. “Toying with forces beyond your kin.”

Marr, Satele, Revan, and Valora all simultaneously drew their lightsabers as they stood at Sunset’s side. The fiery haired girl just stared toward the figure in confusion.

“Ooh… kay… I’ve met Valkorian, and Vitiate… who are you?” Sunset asked.

“Mortals beg for answers they cannot have,” The figure spoke mockingly. “Words often hurled into the darkness. Once they were mine, they are all lies. Know me, know what you’ve pretended to be. Exalt to the Emperor… the will that is Tenebrae!”

<>

A lonely, windswept road meandered through the desolate Tatooine terrain. A familiar beeping could be heard as R2-D2 and C-3PO made their way along the road towards the ominous palace of Jabba the Hutt himself. Alongside the two droids, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack followed closely behind wearing rough skin tunics and hoods concealing their identities.

“What if they discover who we truly are?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Don’t y’all worry now Fluttershy,” Applejack assured. “We gotta keep ‘em distracted long enough fer the others tah sneak on in and find Han. It’ll be a piece ah cake.”

“I do hope you’re right darling,” Rarity spoke uncertainly. “From what Luke told us, it seems these Hutts don’t exactly keep the most pleasant company around.”

“Don’t you worry bout that Hutt or his goons. Anything goes down, just remember… trust the force.”

“I sure hope that’ll be enough,” Fluttershy shook.

“3PO, are you as worried as I am?” Rarity asked the droid.

“Of course, I’m worried,” 3PO replied. “Lando Calrissian and poor Chewbacca never returned from this awful place.”

R2-D2 whistled timidly.

“Don’t be so sure,” 3PO spoke. “If I told you half the things I’ve heard about this Jabba the Hutt, you’d probably short-circuit.”

“I’m just hoping we never even have to hear a fraction,” Fluttershy replied.

Soon the droids and the girls fearfully approached the massive gate of the palace.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” 3PO asked the girls.

“They matched the coordinates Lando sent out finding this place,” Rarity observed. “Makes sense given how far from civilization it is. If I were one of those dirty ruffians, and I’m glad not to be, this is where I’d go.”

“I better knock, I suppose,” 3PO assumed.

3PO looked around for some signaling device, then timidly knocked on the iron door.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone there,” 3PO spoke instantly. “Let’s go back and tell Master Luke, Master Storm, and Princess Twilight…”

“And Spike… and Marek…” Rarity corrected. “They’re part of the team too…”

Suddenly, a small hatch in the center of the door opened before them. A spidery mechanical arm, with a large electronic eyeball at the end, popped out and inspected the two droids.

“Tee chuta hhat yudd!” The voice spoke.

“Ooh… my!” Fluttershy gasped timidly.

3PO pointed toward R2, then himself.

“Artoo Detoowha bo Seethreepiowha eye toota odd mischka Jabba du Hutt,” 3PO spoke.

The eye looked from one robot to the other, then turned toward the three hooded girls… it seemed to squint with suspicion.

“And… guests?” Applejack added, smiling awkwardly.

The eye looked at the group for a moment, then laughed as it zipped back through the door. The hatch slammed shut and R2 beeped his concern.

“I don’t think they’re going to let us in,” 3PO informed the group.

“Hmph! And I thought some of the Canterlot elite were rude,” Rarity frowned.

“Maybe we’d better go,” Fluttershy suggested. “And maybe try again… in a week?”

R2 beeped his reluctance, as 3PO and Fluttershy turned to leave. Suddenly, the massive door started to rise with a horrific metal screech. The robots and girls turned back, facing an endless black cavity. Fluttershy and Rarity stared nervously toward one another, afraid to enter. R2 started forward through the gloom. 3PO rushed after his stubby companion, the girls close behind. The door slowly lowered noisily behind them.

“R2, wait!” 3PO called out. “Oh, dear!”

“Be careful R2!” Applejack called out. “We can’t go rushin’ into things!”

R2 continued down the corridor, with 3PO and the others following.

“Oh, R2!” 3PO called out. “R2, wait for me!”

“And us!!!” Rarity added.

The frightened robots and girls soon met two giant, green Gamorrean guards, who fell in behind them. 3PO glanced quickly back at the two lumbering brutes, then back to R2. One guard grunted an order, to which made R2 beep nervously.

“Just you deliver Master Luke’s message and get us out of here!” 3PO ordered.

“Uh… guys?” Fluttershy pointed timidly.

*WHAM!!!* The door slammed shut with a loud crash, echoing throughout the dark passageway.

“Oh no…” Rarity moaned.

Suddenly, walking toward them from the darkness was Bib Fortuna, a humanlike alien with long tentacles protruding from his skull.

“Die Wanna Wanga!” Bib spoke, in his tongue.

“Oh, my! Die Wanna Wauaga,” 3PO replied. “We—we bring a message to your master, Jabba the Hutt.”

“Die Jabba Wanga?” Bib asked.

R2 let out a series of quick beeps.

“… And a gift,” 3PO continued, facing R2. “Gift? What gift?”

“No one’s told us,” Applejack shrugged.

Bib shook his head negatively.

“Nee Jabba no badd. Me chaade su goodie.”

Bib held out his hand toward R2, the tiny droid backed up a bit releasing some protesting array of squeaks. 3PO turned toward the strange-looking alien.

“He says that our instructions are to give it only to Jabbia himself,” 3PO translated.

Bib pondered this for a moment or two.

“We’re mighty sorry about our little friend,” Applejack apologized. “He’s a might stubborn about these sort of things.”

“Takes one to know one,” Rarity muttered to Fluttershy.

Applejack briefly turned toward Rarity with a glare then turned back as Bib gestured for them to follow.

“Nudd Chaa!”

The droids and their friends followed the tall, tentacled alien into the darkness, trailed by the two guards.

“Everyone, I have a bad feeling about this,” 3PO replied worriedly.

“I have it almost every day of my entire life…” Fluttershy concurred.

“Chin up everyone,” Rarity spoke. “Least the hard part’s over… I hope.”

<>

The throne room itself was filled with the vilest, most grotesque creatures ever conceived in the universe. R2, 3PO, and even the girls felt small as they crept along the doorway to the dimly lit chamber. Light shafts partially illuminated the drunken courtiers as Bib Fortuna crossed the room to the platform upon which rested the leader of this nauseating crowd: Jabba the Hutt.

The monarch of the galactic underworld, a repulsive blob of bloated fat with a maniacal grin. Chained to the horrible creature was the beautiful alien female dancer named ‘Oola’. At the foot of the dais sat an obnoxious birdlike creature, Salacious Crumb. Bib whispered something in the slobbering degenerate’s ear. Jabba laughed horribly toward the two terrified droids, and the trio of equally intimidated women, before him.

“Good morning,” 3PO bowed politely.

“Bo Shuda!” Jabba shouted.

The robots and girls jumped forward, as they stood before the repulsive, loose-skinned villain.

“The message, R2!” 3PO urged. “The message!”

R2 whistled, as a beam of light projected from his domed head. The like of which created a hologram of Luke and Twilight on the floor. The image grew to over ten feet tall, as the two young Jedi towered over the space gangsters.

“Greetings, Exalted One,” Luke began. “Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo.”

“And I am Twilight Sparkle, honorary Jedi Knight and representative of Equestria,” Twilight bowed politely.

“We know you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful,” Luke continued. “We seek an audience with Your Greatness to bargain for Solo’s life.”

“With your wisdom, I’m certain we can work out an arrangement which will be mutually beneficial and enable us to avoid any ‘unpleasant’ confrontation,” Twilight added. “As a token of our goodwill, we present to you a gift: These two droids.”

3PO was startled by this announcement, but not as much as the three Equestrians.

“What did she say?” 3PO asked.

“That weren’t part of the plan!” Applejack whispered to Rarity.

“It must be a mistake,” Rarity assumed quietly. “Twilight would ‘never’ up these droids… would she?”

“… Both are hardworking and will serve you well,” Luke concluded.

“This can’t be!” Fluttershy gasped, in shock.

“R2, you’re playing the wrong message!” 3PO scolded.

But it was too late. The hologram disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Jabba merely laughed, while Bib spoke to him in Huttese.

“There will be no bargain,” Jabba declared, in Huttese.

“We’re doomed!” 3PO moaned.

“I will not give up my favorite decoration. I like Captain Solo where he is.”

Jabba laughed hideously, looking toward an alcove beside the throne. Hanging high, flat against the wall, exactly as their friends last saw of him, a carbonized Han Solo.

“HAN!” Fluttershy gasped, in horror.

“Everyone, look!” 3PO pointed. “Captain Solo, and he’s still frozen in carbonite.”

“We can see that!” Applejack muttered, through her teeth.

Before long, the group found themselves surrounded by the nasty gathering that made up Jabba’s crew. The girls looked around each side nervously, feeling the immense tension in the room.

“Help…” Rarity squeaked fearfully.

<>

One of Jabba’s Gamorrean guards marched R2 and 3PO down a dank, shadowy passageway lined with holding cells. Celestia only knows what Jabba would do to the girls, but right now the droids faced a precarious situation. The cries of unspeakable creatures bounced off the cold stone walls. Occasionally, a repulsive arm or tentacle grabbed through the bars at the hapless droids. R2 beeped rather pitifully.

“What could possibly have come over Master Luke and Princess Twilight?” 3PO questioned. “Is it something I did? They never expressed any unhappiness with my work. Oh! Oh! Hold it! OHH!”

A large tentacle wrapped around 3PO’s neck. He managed to break free, and they moved through a door at the end of the corridor.

The door slid open, revealing a room filled with steam and noisy machinery. The guard motioned them into the boiler room, where they are met by a tall, thin humanlike robot named EV-9D9 (EVEN-NINEDENINE). Behind the robot was a torture rack pulling the legs off a screaming baby work droid. A second power droid was upside down. As smoking branding irons pressed into its feet, the stubby robot released an agonized electronic scream. R2 and 3PO cringed while the guard grunted toward EV-9D9.

“Ah, good!” 9D9 observed. “New acquisitions. You are a protocol droid, are you not?”

“I am C-3PO, human-cy…” 3PO introduced himself.

“Yes or no will do.”

“Oh. Well, yes.”

“How many languages do you speak?” 9D9 asked.

“I am fluent in over six million forms of communication, and can readily…”

“Splendid! We have been without an interpreter since our master got angry with our last protocol droid and disintegrated him.”

“Disintegrated?” 3PO repeated.

“Guard!” 9D9 called the Gamorrean guard. “This protocol droid might be useful. Fit him with a restraining bolt and take him back to His Excellency’s main audience chamber.”

The guard shoved 3PO toward the door.

“R2, don’t leave me!” 3PO cried out. “Oh!”

As he watched helplessly as 3PO disappeared, R2 released a plaintive cry as the door closed. He beeped angrily.

“You’re a feisty little one,” 9D9 observed. “But you’ll soon learn some respect. I have need for you on the master’s Sail Barge. And I think you’ll fit in nicely.”

The poor work droid in the background released another tortured electronic scream.

<>

The court of Jabba the Hutt was in the midst of a drunken, raucous party. The three Equestrian girls found themselves amongst the sloppy, smelly monsters as they cheered and made rude noises toward Oola and a fat, six-breasted female dancer performing in front of Jabba’s throne. Jabba’s alien band played a wildly rhythmic tune on reeds, drums, and other exotic instruments. The Hutt rocked and swung in time with the music, toying with Oola’s leash. Some of the girls couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

Eventually, the song concluded, and the audience erupted in applause.

“Ah!Do that again!”

While the band prepared themselves, the girls found themselves looking around the area trying to get their bearings.

“Girls… when’s the part when we’re supposed to actually ‘do’ the distraction?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“If the idea were to get their attention on us, we done somethin’ right,” Applejack looked around, uncomfortably.

“Something tells me we didn’t think this through,” Rarity sighed. “Celestia knows what else could possibly happen?”

“CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?!?!?!!?!”

The girls quickly looked back to the stage in shock as a familiar face arrived with a band of alien singers. To their surprise, it was none other than Pinkie Pie, decked out in some flashy rock n’ roll style outfit, so colorful and glittery that all the lights shining over her made her outfit sparkle. And there was no mistake for the girls, there she stood with the alien singers consisting of singer Sy Snootles, back-ups Rystall, Greeata, and Lyn Me, along with Joh Yowza, another member of the band.

“You ready to hear some more rock n’ roll?!?!?!” Pinkie called out.

Though a slight confused, all the aliens in the audience roared with cheers gesturing for Pinkie and the group to perform.

“Pinkie Pie?!” Applejack gasped.

“What is she doing?!” Rarity questioned.

“All right ladies! Let’s give ‘em a show!” Pinkie gestured. “A one, and a two, and a ‘you know what to do’!”

Soon the music swelled and erupted with a rocking beat, and the girls were made to watch as Pinkie Pie started performing a little diddy with the alien band.

Sy Snootles (Sings):
Cha tung ee-ma chay-choo raun ta-nee-ee-choo

Back-Ups (Sings):
e-ma chay-choo raun

Sy Snootles (Sings):
Ko-nee nan-kee chong noy khan chay-chee-kum

Pinkie Pie (Sings):
Chee ka koo-ja oo pa-pa chee-ka-nang kee hey

Back-Ups (Sings):
Chee-ka nang kee he

Pinkie Pie (Sings):
You bang ris-pa ka may wang pee-ya nay, yea!

Joh Yowza (Sings):
Oo-la-wang choo koo-chee-pa-tie tan-ga ris-pa ta ya lee oh Yo, ahh, yal-lie

Oola and the fat female dancer performed as Pinkie Pie and the alien band rocked out. While the girls watched, Fluttershy briefly turned and spotted another familiar face: Boba Fett, the bounty hunter from Cloud City… the one who brought the carbonized Han Solo to Jabba. She turned away just as quickly so as not to risk getting caught.

Just then, Jabba leered at the dancers and with a lustful gleam in his eye beckoned Oola to come sit with him. She stopped dancing mid-way during the song, backing herself way and shaking her head while shouting out in her native tongue. All the while Pinkie and the group kept up with their song.

Sy Snootles (Sings):
Ee-ma ta-ka-moo nan-kee

Pinkie Pie (Sings):
Say yal-lee oo ya see

Back-Ups (Sings):
Na-too pa

Sy Snootles (Sings):
Chun-kee sal-la ma-na na-too pa

Back-Ups (Sings):
Zai ya la

Joh Yowza (Sings):
Hay koo-ma zai ya la

Back-Ups (Sings):
Do koo chee

Sy Snootles & Pinkie Pie (Sings):
Hoy hat-chi doo-k…

At some point, between all these lyrics, Jabba grew angry and pointed to the spot next to him. Oola continued to protest, tugging back against the tout leash.

“Da Eitha!” Jabba shouted.

The lovely alien shook her head again, screaming!

“Na Chuba negatorie Na!” Oola shouted. “Na! Natoota…”

“We really should do something!” Rarity uttered, through her teeth.

“Steady!” Applejack held her hand.

Jabba furiously pulled her toward him, tugging on the chain.

“Boscka!”

All of a sudden, he pushed a button and, before the dancer could flee, a trap door in the floor sprung open and swallowed her up. Pinkie Pie and the group looked down in shock.

“Oh, ooh!” Sy Snootles spoke.

“Took the words right out of my mouth, sister,” Pinkie replied, eyes widen. “Uh… take five girls!”

Jabba and his monstrous friends laughed hysterically, as several revelers hurried over to watch her fate through a grate. Poor Oola tumbled down a chute and sprawl on the floor of a cage where littered corpses and bones remained. Suddenly, a screech caused her to turn as a giant metal door slowly rose open. A muffled growl was heard behind the door, as Oola cringed with fear and then… a hideous scream was the last they heard of her.

3PO and the girls cringed, the former glancing wistfully toward the carbonite form of Han Solo. Pinkie Pie had just stepped off the stage for a breather when the other girls saw their chance and approached Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie!” Applejack muttered. “What’re you doin’ here?!”

“Oh, hi girls!” Pinkie greeted aloud.

Applejack quickly covered her mouth, shushing her harshly so no one else could hear.

“Didn’t think you’d show up soon,” Pinkie continued quietly. “You know will not believe how even the nastiest batch of baddies could have such wicked taste in music!”

“Wait a minute!” Rarity interrupted. “I thought the deal was that ‘we’ were the ones providing the distraction!”

“That’s exactly the reason why I’m here,” Pinkie smiled. “And what better way than music to provide a distraction? And to think, this was just the warm-up piece.”

“Girls… a dancer was turned into some monster’s meal in front of our eyes,” Fluttershy spoke slowly. “And we’re in an argument about who is providing the distraction?”

*BAM! BAM!*

Suddenly, gunshots from offscreen caused the group to turn. An unnatural silence swept the boisterous gathering. On the far side of the room, the crowd of debauchers moved aside allowing the approach of two guards followed by Boushh, an oddly cloaked bounty hunter, leading his captive, Han Solo’s copilot, Chewbacca the Wookiee. And close behind Boushh, another cloaked bounty hunter stood by carrying a staff in its arms.

Bib took his place next to his disgusting master, whispering into his ear, pointing at Chewbacca and the bounty hunters. Jabba listened intently, then the bounty hunters bowed before the ganger and Boushh spoke a greeting in a strange, electronically processed tongue (In which case, Ubese).

“I have come for the bounty on this Wookiee,” Boushh spoke, in Ubese.

“Oh no! Chewie!” Fluttershy gasped, in horror.

“At last we have the mighty Chewbacca,” Jabba spoke, in Huttese.

Jabba released a loud, long, blood-curdling laugh and turned toward 3PO, waving him closer. The reluctant droid obeyed.

“Oh, uh, yes, uh, I am here, Your Worshipfulness,” 3PO spoke. “Uh… yes!”

Jabba continued speaking, as 3PO nervously translated. Boushh listened, while the other bounty hunter gazed around the room as if studying all the dangerous creatures around the room. They noticed Boba Fett standing near the door.

“Oh… the illustrious Jabba bids you welcome,” 3PO translated. “And will gladly pay you the reward of twenty-five thousand.”

“We want fifty thousand,” Boushh demanded. “No less.”

“Fifty thousand, no less,” 3PO translated to Jabba.

Jabba immediately flew into a rage, knocking the golden droid off the raised throne into a clattering heap on the floor. Boushh and the other bounty hunter adjusted their weapons, as Jabba raved in Huttese. 3PO struggled back onto the throne, the disheveled droid tried to compose himself.

“Uh, oh… but what, what did I say?” 3PO asked.

“Clearly something he didn’t want to hear,” Pinkie Pie guessed. “Or maybe the big lug is just a little cranky.”

“Pinkie, please!” Rarity begged, desperately.

Jabba uttered some additional demands toward 3PO to translate to the bounty hunters.

“Uh… the mighty Jabba asks ‘why’ he must pay fifty thousand,” 3PO translated.

The bounty hunter held up a small silver ball in his hand. 3PO looked at it, then at Jabba, then back to the bounty hunter. The droid grew very nervous, while Jabba was getting very impatient.

“Because he’s holding a thermal detonator!” 3PO gasped.

“A thermal detonator?!?!” The Equestrian Heroes (Minus Pinkie) shouted.

The guards instantly backed away, along with most of the other monsters in the room (The girls particularly). Jabba stared at the silver ball, which began to glow in the bounty hunter’s hand. The room fell into a tense hush as the girls turned toward Jabba, wondering what he’d do next. Jabba stared at the bounty hunters malevolently, until a sly grin crept across his vast mouth, and he began to laugh.

“This bounty hunter is my kind of scum,” Jabba admired, in Huttese. “Fearless and inventive…”

Jabba continued to talk while the girls gazed back and forth between Jabba and the bounty hunters, wondering what he was arranging.

“Jabba offers the sum of thirty-five,” 3PO translated. “And I suggest you take it.”

Bib, the girls, and the other monsters studied the bounty hunters waiting for their reaction. Boushh turned toward the other bounty hunter, who merely nodded. Boushh took it as a cue to release the switch on the thermal detonator, and it goes dead.

“Zeebuss,” Boush spoke.

“He agrees!” 3PO cheered.

The girls sighed with relief, while the raucous crowd of monsters erupted in a symphony of cheers and applause as the party returned to its full noisy pitch. Chewbacca growled as he was led away. As Fluttersh watched Chewie being carted away, she spotted Lando Calrissian, disguised as a skiff guard in a partial face mask.

As the band started up and the dancing girls took the center of the floor, to the hoots of the loudly appreciative creatures, Pinkie turned toward the one silent bounty hunter and gave a quick wink. The bounty hunter in question merely nodded their head slowly, while Rarity looked on with confusion.

“Must I really ask at this point?” Rarity questioned uncertainly.

“You’ll see…” Pinkie answered simply.

In the meantime, Boushh leaned against a column with gunfighter cool, surveying the scene. His gaze stopped only when it connected with a glare from across the room. Boba Fett, watching him. Boush shifted slightly, cradling his weapon lovingly. Boba Fett shifted with equally ominous arrogance.

And all the while, the girls found themselves in the center of danger and crime all around. They knew that one false maneuver and it would be the end of their chances in claiming Han Solo. Yet from where they stand, this was only the beginning of what’s still to come.
> Rancor Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deep within the dungeon corridors of Jabba’s Palace, Gamorrean guards lead Chewbacca down a long dark hallway. When a tentacle reached out toward the Wookiee, Chewie’s ferocious roar echoed against the walls and the tentacle snapped back into its cell in terror. It took all the guards just to hurl Chewie roughly into a cell, slamming the door behind him. Chewie released a pathetic howl, banging against the iron door.

Meanwhile, back in the Throne Room of the palace, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity emerged from a few hiding spots they were able to find for themselves during the day. The room was deserted, only the awful debris of the alien celebration gave mute witness to the activity here before. Several drunk creatures laid unconscious around the room, snoring loudly. The girls maneuvered carefully around the passed-out beings, so as not to wake them and alert to their presence.

“I myself have never seen or even heard creatures this vile,” Rarity whispered. “Drinking themselves into a stupor, applauding over such horrid acts…”

“Shh!” Applejack shushed quietly. “You wanna wake them varmints up?”

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy whispered in fear.

She had some trouble stepping over a fat pig like creature, which was no easy far.

At that moment, a shadowy figure moved stealthily among the columns at the perimeter of the room. It is revealed to be Boushh, the bounty hunter. He picked his way carefully through the snoring, drunken monsters before coming alongside the three girls. The sudden sight of the bounty hunter nearly frightened poor Fluttershy to death but thankfully Applejack slapped a hand over her mouth before she could scream. Soon as Fluttershy calmed down, Applejack removed her hand and the three looked at the masked figure.

“Bout time y’all showed up,” Applejack whispered. “Ya know where they’re-a keepin’ ‘im, right?”

Boushh merely nodded his head slowly, tilting his head towards a door in the wall. He moved forward towards the door, gesturing the three girls to follow him, which they did.

<>

Han Solo, the frozen space pirate, hung spotlighted against the wall of the dungeon. His coffin-like case suspended by a force field. The bounty hunter and the three girls emerged from the darkness and deactivated the force field by flipping a control switch to one side of the coffin. The heavy case slowly lowered to the floor of the alcove, before banging back against the wall. The girls quickly looked back making sure no one was awake. When not a soul stirred, they went back to work.

Boushh stepped up to the case, studying Han, then turned toward the controls along the side of the coffin. He activated a series of switches and, after one last, hesitant look at Han, slid the decarbonization lever. The case began to emit a sound as the hard shell covering the contours of Han’s face began to melt away. The bounty hunter watched as Han’s body was freed of its metallic coat, his forearms, and hands (Previously raised in reflexive protest) dropping slackly to his side. His face muscles relaxed from their mask of horror. Once fully free, Han Solo fell forward to the floor with a crash and appeared quite dead.

Boushh’s ugly helmet leaned close toward Han’s face, listening for the breath of life. Nothing… he waits… eventually Han’s eyes popped open with a start, and he began coughing. The bounty hunter steadied the staggering man.

“Just relax for a moment,” Boushh told him, in English. “You’re free of the carbonite.”

“Don’t y’all worry none, Han,” Applejack assured him. “Yer safe now.”

Han slowly turned his head to stare toward the three girls, trying to say something.

“A-A-Apple-j-jack?” He stammered.

“That’s right cowpoke,” Applejack smiled.

“F-Fluttershy? R-Rarity?”

“Take it slow darling,” Rarity said calmly. “You’ve been frozen for quite some time now.”

“We’re going to get you out of here, Han,” Fluttershy assured.

“Don’t move…”

The new voice made them all freeze, slowly one by one they turned toward another masked bounty hunter holding a blaster at them. This bounty hunter was clearly a Mandalorian, wearing armor similar to that of Boba Fett although it was more of a different color.



It was during which moment that the same bounty hunter teaming with Boushh prior emerged from behind the armored mercenary, the hooded figure stood in front of the Mandalorian with their hands held in defense.

“Whoa, hold up there, Mando!” The figure spoke quickly. “These aren’t the ones that we’re going after here. They’re friends.”

The Mandalorian in question looked back toward the three girls before slowly lowering his gun and placed it back in his belt. The way the figure spoke seemed familiar, and the girls knew exactly who it was.

“Rainbow Dash?!” They all spoke.

The figure drew back their hood and removed their mask, revealing themselves as none other than the very rainbow-haired cyan girl smiling at them.

“Hey guys, glad we found you,” Rainbow said.

“Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all looked back at each other in confusion before turning back toward their friend and the mercenary.

“Uh Dash, who’s yer uh… friend?” Applejack said uneasily.

“Oh right, sorry,” Dash apologized, gesturing to the Mandalorian. Girls, this is Mando. Pinkie and I met him on the way here to help you guys bust Han out of jail. At first, it was a rocky introduction but when I gave him a bag full of bits Twilight gave me, he was more than willing to help us out.”

The girls looked from their friend to the stone-faced Mandalorian, course it was difficult to read his expression due to the helmet.

“So, you’re not going to hurt us?” Fluttershy asked fearfully.

“As long as you’re paying me the right price, I’m at your service,” Mando responded. “For now…”

As this went on, Han touched his face with his hand and moaned.

“Shh…” Boushh hushed him. “You have hibernation sickness.”

“I can’t see,” Han moaned.

“Your eyesight will return in time.”

“Where am I?”

“Shh… Jabba’s palace.”

“Who are you?”

The bounty hunter reached up and lifted the helmet from his head, revealing the beautiful face of one Princess Leia.

“Someone who loves you,” She answered.

“Leia!” Han gasped.

“Come on y’all, let’s get on out of here!” Applejack ushered.

“Pinkie Pie is just waiting for us outside Jabba’s palace,” Rainbow informed. “The sooner we get the captain out of here the better.”

“But what about the droids?”

“Well, apart from 3PO…” Rainbow began, then shook it off. “Don’t worry about it, we’ll get them out too.”

As Leia and Rarity helped Han to stand up, the relative quiet was pierced by an obscene ‘Huttese’ cackle from the other side of the alcove.

“G-G-G-Guys… what was that?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“I know that laugh,” Han moaned.

The curtain along the far side of the alcove opened, revealing Jabba the Hutt, surrounded by Bib and other aliens. One of whom clutched onto 3PO’s mouth, preventing him from speaking. Jabba laughed again; his gross cronies joined in a cacophony of alien glee. Rainbow and the girls quickly drew their lightsabers, while Mando pulled out two blasters at the ready.

“Hey, Jabba,” Han greeted. “Look, Jabba, I was just on my way to pay you back, but I got a little sidetracked. It’s not my fault.”

“Han do not start pointing fingers…” Rainbow hissed.

Jabba merely laughed in amusement.

“It’s too late for that, Solo,” Jabba spoke, in Huttese. “You may have been a good smuggler, but now you’re Bantha fodder.”

“Bantha… fodder…” Rarity cringed.

“It’s worse than it sounds,” Mano spoke plainly.

“Look…” Han argued.

“Take him away!” Jabba ordered.

The guards grabbed Han, proceeding to lead him away. Not of course before Rainbow and the girls sprang into action.

“I don’t think so space slime!” Rainbow growled.

Leaping into action, the Rainbow-haired Jedi leapt over the guards and proceeded to whirl her dual saber around with both elegance yet power as she struck them down with ease. Meanwhile, another guard snagged Fluttershy around the waist and knocked her lightsaber out of reach. She struggled against the alien’s grip, but he proved too strong. Thankfully, Rarity used her own lightsaber to sever the alien’s right arm making him howl in pain and released Fluttershy. Using this opportunity, Mando shot the alien in the back of the head and ended his misery as he unloaded rounds toward the other approaching guards. Mando then pressed a button on a strange pack he wore on his back, then a missile shot out and exploded a wall behind him. The explosion and dust disoriented many of the guards as Mando and the girls used the opportunity to escape. Racing into the scorching heat of Tatooine, Mando and the girls made their way a safe distance away from the palace before stopping to recover.

“Did we lose them?” Fluttershy asked.

“I reckon so,” Applejack sighed, gasping for air.

“Dirty rotten slime,” Mando sighed to himself.

“Those horrible ruffians!” Rarity cringed. “If I never step foot in that awful place again as long as I live, it’ll be far too soon!”

“Wait a minute!” Applejack pointed out. “Where’re Han and Leia?”

“And what about Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked. “Or Pinkie Pie? Rainbow said she’d be waiting here.”

Everyone looked around, noticing that the three other members of their group were indeed not with them. Looking back at Jabba’s Palace, they started to form a pretty good idea of where they were. As for Pinkie Pie… who knew where their friend was at this time. But before they could ponder, a series of shadows loomed over them and Fluttershy had a sinking feeling like they were being watched. Nervously, Fluttershy slowly turned behind her and her eyes went wide.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” Fluttershy screamed.

<>

“Jabba… I’ll pay you triple!” Han called out. “You’re throwing away a fortune here. Don’t be a fool!”

“Let me go you stupid, big-headed freaks!” Rainbow yelled.

But it was no use, the pair found themselves restrained and unable to escape. Han was forcibly dragged off, as Lando Calrissian (In disguise) quickly moved forward and attempted to lead Leia away.

“Bring her to me!” Jabba ordered.

Jabba chuckled as Lando, and a second guard, dragged the beautiful young princess toward him. 3PO peeled from behind a monster, quickly turning away in disguist.

“We have powerful friends,” Leia warned. “You’re gonna regret this…”

“I’m sure,” Jabba replied, unconvinced.

Inexorably, Leia’s lovely face moved within a few inches of Jabba’s ugly blob of a head, his long tongue sweeping across his disgusting lips. And all Leia could do was turn away in disguist.

“Ugh!” Leia groaned.

“Oh, I can’t bear to watch,” 3PO moaned.

Jabba quickly turned his attention away from Leia, noticing his guards dragging Rainbow Dash toward a cell.

“Wait!” Jabba called out. “Bring the girl to me…”

The guards quickly did as their master ordered, dragging Rainbow forward and forcibly kneeling her before Jabba the Hutt. The fiery rogue stared up toward the gelatinous Hutt, who looked down toward her with a sick smile on his face.

“You have a fire burning within your soul, rainbow girl!” Jabba said impressed. “You will makea wonderful addition to my ‘entertainment’.”

Rainbow growled in response, trying to pry herself away from the guards holding her to give Jabba a piece of her mind.

“Just you wait you overweight slug!” She threatened. “I’ll hit you so hard, it’ll leave a permanent indent in that blubber!”

Seeing her futile resistance made Jabba laugh further, as his guards proceeded to drag her and Princess Leia toward the Throne Room with Jabba and the rest of his cronies following close behind.

<>

The heavy metal door to the dungeon whined, slowly creaking open. A guard hurled the blinded star captain, Han Solo, in the dark cell and the door slammed shut behind him. This left him with only a thin sliver of light from a crack in the door. As Han tried to collect himself, a sudden growl was heard from the far side of the cell. He jumped back against the cell door, listening.

“Chewie?” Han called out. “Chewie, is that you?”

The shadowy figure released a crazy yell, racing toward Han, lifting him off the ground with a big hug carrying them into the light. And thus, Chewbacca a.k.a. ‘Chewie’ was revealed.

“Ah! Chew—Chewie!” Han cried out, startled.

The giant Wookiee merely barked with glee.

“Wait!” Han shouted. “I can’t see, pal. What’s goin’ on?”

Chewie barked an excited blue streak.

“Luke? Luke’s crazy! He can’t even take care of himself, much less rescue anybody.

Chewie barked a reply.

“A… Jedi Knight?” Han questioned surprised. “And… the girls? Even Spike—the dog. I—I’m out of it for a little while, everybody gets delusions of grandeur.”

Chewie growled insistently, holding Han to his chest, and patting atop his head.

“I’m all right, pal,” Han reassured. “I’m all right.”

<>

Later…

Noisily, the main gate lifted to flood the blackness with blinding lights revealing the silhouetted figures of Luke Skywalker, Twilight Sparkle, and Storm Shield. Luke was clad in a robe similar to Ben’s and wore neither pistol nor laser sword and they all wore hooded cloaks. They strode purposefully into the hallway. Two giant guards moved to block their path, forcing the trio to a halt.

Luke raised his hand, gesturing toward the puzzled guards, who immediately lowered their spears and fell back. The young Jedi lowered his hand and moved on down the hallway while the guards were clutching their throats like they were choking and fell behind in the darkness.

Bib Fortuna soon appeared out of the gloom, speaking to Luke as they approached each other. But the trio didn’t stop, so Bib ordered them to reverse their direction and hurried alongside the young Jedis in order to carry on the conversation. Or at least, based on what Storm and Luke heard Bib say.

“We must speak with Jabba,” Luke spoke calmly.

Bib answered in Huttese, shaking his head in denial. Luke stopped, staring at Bib for a moment. Then Storm raised his hand before Bib’s face.

“You will take us to Jabba now!” Storm commanded.

Bib turned in hypnotic response to Storm’s command, and the three Jedi followed him into the gloom.

“You serve your master well,” Luke spoke.

“And you should be rewarded,” Storm added.

All the while Bib repeated the words the Jedi were saying, still under the power of this magical trance.

“I don’t understand why considering just how much of a lowlife he really is,” Twilight told Storm.

“Just stay close to me okay?” Storm replied. “You may be a Jedi now, but you don’t want to go testing Jabba.”

“How do you know this guy anyway? Have you actually met him?”

“Not ‘personally’, I’ve caught a glimpse or two of him during my times here. But from all the stories I’ve heard of him, he’s as ruthless as he is disgusting. Just leave most of the talking to us, and ‘hopefully’ he’ll let us go peacefully.”

<>

Jabba himself was sound asleep on his throne, with Princess Leia lying before him. Salacious sat by Jabba’s tail, watching it wriggle with curiosity. By now Leia was forcibly dressed in the skimpy costume of a dancing girl; a chain ran from a manacle/necklace at her throat to her new master, Jabba the Hutt. Right beside her, also with a chain necklace around her neck, Rainbow Dash too was dressed in a very skimpy, ‘very’ revealing red slave dancer outfit.



“You know, under different circumstances, I’d say this outfit really defines my plot well,” Rainbow remarked. “But considering where I am, it just makes me sick!”

“Join the club!” Leia said.

3PO stood behind Jabba, as Bib approached the gangster slug with the Jedi trio in tow.

“At last!” 3PO cheered. “Master Luke’s come to rescue me!”

“Twilight?!” Rainbow looked up.

“Master…” Bib spoke.

Jabba awoke with a start, as Bib continued speaking to him in Huttese.

“… Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight…”

“I told you not to admit him!” Jabba interrupted.

“We must be allowed to speak,” Luke commanded quietly.

“He must be allowed to speak,” Bib repeated, in translation.

Jabba, furious, clobbered Bib and shoved him away.

“You weak-minded fool! He’s using an old Jedi mind trick.”

The trio flipped their hoods over their heads, Luke stared hardly into Jabba’s gaze.

“You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookie to me,” Luke commanded.

But the gangster slug merely chuckled in response, as the three stood waiting for a response. Twilight Sparkle looked around nervously over the scene, expecting some form of ambush.

“Your mind powers will not work on me, boy,” Jabba spoke, in amusement.

“Nevertheless, I’m taking Captain Solo and his friends,” Luke responded.

“So that leaves you with one of two options, Jabba,” Storm warned. “Either profit by this… or be destroyed! Either way, it’s only fair to warn you: Do not underestimate our powers.”

“That’s right,” Twilight added. “Now if you would kindly just hand over our friends, we’ll leave you in peace and you’ll never see us again. Please?”

“That’s not going to work, Twi…” Rainbow hissed.

Jabba’s laugh, mean and loud, bellowed across the throne room. 3PO noticed where the trio were standing, the trap door just over the pit, and attempted in vain to warn them.

“Master Luke! Storm! Princess! You’re standing on…”

“There will be no bargain, young Jedis,” Jabba answered. “I shall enjoy watching you die.”

Luke suddenly reached out, and a pistol jumped from the guard’s holster right into Luke’s hand. The bewildered guard grabbed for it, as Storm and Twilight tried to tug the warthog-like alien off their friend.

“Bascka!” Jabba shouted, raising his hand.

He slammed his fist on a button and the floor suddenly dropped away, sending the three Jedi and the hapless guard into the pit. The pistol went off, blasting a hole through the ceiling. Jabba laughed, while his courtiers joined in. Leia and Dash started forward, but were restrained by the human guard—Lando, recognizable behind his mask. They looked at him, and he shook his head ‘no’. Amidst the crowd, another hooded figure stood quietly in the background watching the scene take place. A pair of tiny eyes peeked through the middle of the hood, observing with worry.

<>

Luke, his allies, and the guard dropped twenty-five feet from a chute and int the dungeonlike cage. Luke and the others picked themselves to their feet, while the guard yelled hysterically for help.

“Hi guys!”

The three quickly turned around and Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. Pinkie Pie waved towards the new arrival, sitting casually in the corner. Rarity and Applejack were leaning along parts of the wall, the former desperately trying to dust herself clean. Fluttershy sat huddled on the floor, staring shakily toward a big metal door while rocking back and forth. There was one face that Twilight Sparkle didn’t quite recognize, a Mandalorian like the one they saw back in Cloud City (And briefly saw amongst Jabba’s goons just now) only with different armor. He didn’t have most of his weapons on him, but his armor still remained as he paced around the room.

“Now we can officially call this a party because the whole gang’s here!” Pinkie smiled optimistically. “Except for Rainbow Dash… and Galen Marek… AND Spike…”

“Pinkie! Girls! What’re you doing down here?!”

“The plan to distract Jabba and rescue our friends from captivity… didn’t quite go so well,” Pinkie replied. “And you…?”

“The plan to convince Jabba to set you guys free… didn’t go well at all,” Twilight sighed heavily. “Could this day get any—”

“DON’T SAY IT!!!!!” The group shouted.

Meanwhile, the crowd gathered around the edge of the pit as the door along the side of the pit rumbled open. The guard screamed in panic, as Luke and the others looked calmly around for a means of escape. Only Fluttershy’s eyes remained along the open doorway.

“G-G-G-G-Guys…” Fluttershy stuttered, pointing shakily.

“What’s goin’ on down there?!” Rainbow called out.

“Oh, no! The Rancor!” 3PO shouted.

“What in Celestia’s name is a Rancor?!”

“Oh… no…” Storm grimaced.

At the side of the pit, an iron door rumbled upward. Before their very eyes, a giant, fanged Rancor emerged from its holding cell. It stood five meters tall, with long arms, immense jaw, and armored hide able to withstand blaster fire. A formidable predator, growling hungrily toward its ‘fresh meat’. The guard raced the side of the slide they came from, trying futilely to scramble toward the top. The hideous beast closed in on the pig, while the spectators chuckled with glee.

“To the side! To the side!” Storm shouted.

The Rancor moved past Luke and the others, as they gathered together along the side. They could only watch helplessly as the guard continued to scramble, only for the Rancor to pick him up and pop him into its slavering jaws. A few of the girls screamed, watching the guard swallow the piglike alien with a gulp. And the audience just cheered, laughing at the guard’s fate as Rainbow looked on incredulously.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Rainbow shouted. “There’s a big fight for survival taking place, and I don’t get to be part of it?! Someone’s going to pay…”

“Not the best time, Rainbow Dash!” Leia muttered.

The monster turned and slowly made a start for Luke and the others. The young Jedis dashed away, Luke tucked and rolled as the monster took a swipe at him. Mando held his vambraces up, parts of his equipment not taken from him, and fired his flamethrowers toward the monster’s face trying to get him to back off. The flames ‘barely’ grazed the beast, who merely swiped at the Mandalorian out of annoyance, and he flung aside with a grunt.

The monster stomped toward the bounty hunter and reached for the Mandalorian, but one of its claws was caught by a rope clung to its right arm, the rope tugging it back. The beast looked as Applejack tried to draw the Rancor back, her teeth gritting tightly as she pulled with all her might. The monster merely swung its arm, spinning Applejack around and around in the air and she screamed loudly before she lost her grip on her rope and flung straight into the arms of Rarity and Fluttershy, the girls falling back on impact.

“A.J.!!!” Rainbow shouted.

Amidst all the chaos, Luke picked up the long arm bone of an earlier victim as the only means of defense and offense… but mostly ‘defense’. Before anyone could do anything, the monster grabbed Luke and slowly brought him up to his salivating mouth. At the very last moment, Luke wedged the bone in the monster’s mouth and the beast let Luke go, dropping him to the floor. The monster bellowed in rage, flailing about, hitting the side of the pit, causing an avalanche. The group rolled and ducked away from the falling debris, using the very minimal room space they had.

“Twilight darling, not that we’re not happy to see you,” Rarity spoke, picking herself up. “But you guys wouldn’t have happened to bring any spare lightsabers? Jabba and his goons took ours.”

“Yeah… about that…” Twilight cringed.

“Yer sayin’ y’all didn’t bring any weapons?!” Applejack shouted.

“Hey! We’re making up this plan as we go,” Storm spoke. “We at least have just enough time to plan how to take down that—”

*SNAP!!!*

The monster crushed the bone in its jaws in a matter of seconds.*

“And… time’s up,” Storm concluded.

The group raced away, looking around for some places to hide. The beast spotted Luke, who squeezed into a crevice in the pit wall. Looking past the monster, toward the holding cave beyond, Luke spotted the utility door on the far side of the holding cave. While the beast was distracted, Storm too spotted their only means of escape.

“There’s the door!” Storm pointed out. “We’ll have to get out through there!”

“But what about Luke?!” Twilight pointed out.

“A monster that big, he’s going to devour us all like a competitive food eater in a Hot Dog contest!” Pinkie compared.

“… Vegetarian?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.

“Noo…” Pinkie grimaced.

In the meantime, the Rancor spotted Luke and reached its claws through the crevice trying to get to him. Luke inched back as far as he could, but there was barely any room, and he was just too tall. Desperately, Luke grabbed a large rock, raised it, and attempted to smash it along the Rancor’s finger as hard as he could. Twilight Sparkle quickly looked around and spotted a sharp piece of the bone. She grabbed for it and raced quickly toward the beast and stabbed as hard as she could against the back of the Rancor’s left leg.

The combined effort of the rock and the piece of bone behind the Rancor’s leg made the beast release a loud howl, giving Luke time to make a run for the holding cave. The others followed Luke closely behind until eventually they reached for the door and pushed the button to open it. While Luke succeeded, they soon realized that a heavy barred gate stood between them and safety.

“Should’ve known it would be too easy!” Mando grumbled.

Beyond the gate, the two guards looked up from their dinner as Luke and Storm pulled with all their might on the gate. The girls looked behind them, seeing the monster heading for them. The guards moved toward the gate, poking, and prodding the young Jedi back with spears, laughing. Fluttershy meanwhile just stared at the approaching Rancor.

“Uh… uh… Mr. Rancor, sir?” Fluttershy spoke to the beast. “Y-Y-You don’t want to eat us! You’re probably just cranky from being stuck in a cage all day; I’d be too. S-S-S-So… maybe if you could do us a favor and ‘not’ eat us—”

The beast bellowed with a roar so great, that Fluttershy’s hair blew back against his repulsive breath. The girl squeaked fearfully and stepped back close to the group. They crouched against the wall, as the monster started to reach for them.

“What do we do? What’ll we do?!” Rarity panicked. “What ARE we going to do?!?!?!”

“Wow… that’s going to get repetitive very quickly,” Storm muttered.

Suddenly, Luke noticed the main door control panel halfway up the wall. As the Rancor moved in for the kill, Luke picked up a skull from the cave floor and hurled it at the panel. The giant overhead door crashed down through the beast’s head, squashing it like a sledgehammer on an egg. Fluttershy, horrified at the sight, clutched her hands against her mouth keeping herself from throwing up.

A startled gasp was heard from the stunned court. There’s consternation at this turn of events, as the monster gave one pitiful moan before dying. All heads turned toward Jabba, who actually turned red with rage. Leia and Rainbow couldn’t suppress their joy at the scene.

“AH-HA!!! Way to go guys!” Rainbow shouted. “You guys were AWE-AAAGHH!!!”

A fierce tug from the necklace on her neck cut Rainbow short, as she gagged a bit from the tug. Jabba started uttering harsh commands toward the guards, who quickly hurried off.

“Bring me Solo and the Wookie!” Jabba ordered. “They will all suffer for this outrage.”

Back in the pit, the Rancor keepers came into the beast and examined their now dead beast. One of them broke down, actually weeping seeing a creature he cared for and kept fed for years was now dead before his eyes. The other glared menacingly toward Luke and the group, the former (Including Mando and Storm) unworried while few of the girls looked feebly toward the guard.

“Uh, heh-heh…” Pinkie chuckled nervously. “I don’t suppose saying ‘we’re sorry’ is going to… help?”

Several of the guards rushed into the holding tunnel and dragged the group away without an answer.

The crowd of creepy courtiers parted, as Han and Chewie were brought into the throne room. All the other guards dragged Luke and his comrades up the steps.

“Han!” Luke called out.

“Han!!!” The girls shouted.

“Luke! Girls!” Han answered back.

“Captain Solo, are you all right?” Twilight asked.

“Fine. Together again, huh?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Luke answered.

“How are we doing?”

“Well… we did just break into a gangster’s hideout, got thrown in a cage, forced to fight for our lives against a hungry monster, and Luke just killed said beast in quick fashion…” Pinkie recalled. “Otherwise, I can say that this has been just a regular Tuesday for us.”

“That bad, huh?” Han guessed. “Where’s Leia and Rainbow?”

Luke turned toward the girls. Applejack turned toward his direction, and all of a sudden her cheeks glowed a deep shade of red as her eyes widened… especially at the sight of Rainbow Dash in the most revealing outfit she’s ever seen.

“Sup guys!” Rainbow waved.

The other girls had no idea what to think, especially since this is not the usual garbs Rainbow would actually prefer. Whereas for Rarity…

“Oh… my… gosh…” Rarity gasped, slowly smiling. “That is the most sensational outfit I’ve ever seen! Oh, I must know what fabric they use because I can just see this being sold in fashion stores all over—”

“Not the best time, Rarity!” Storm muttered.

In the meantime, 3PO stood behind the grotesque gangster who stroked Leia and Rainbow-like pet cats. Several of the guards, including Lando (And a mystery man), brought Luke and the group from the other side of the room. Boba Fett stood behind Jabba, facing Mando and the two just… ‘stared’ at each other, or so it seemed.

“Wow… Boba Fett and Mando in the same room together,” Pinkie observed. “This is definitely going to get a ton of fans talking, which could either be a good or bad thing.”

3PO stepped forward, translating for the captives.

“Oh dear… his High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately,” 3PO translated.

“Good, I hate long waits,” Han muttered.

“M-M-Maybe we could have a ‘little’ more time…” Fluttershy offered feebly.

“I DEMAND A LAWYER!!!” Pinkie shouted.

“We don’t have lawyers,” Twilight pointed out.

“You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc,” 3PO continued.

“Doesn’t sound so bad,” Han told the group.

“Actually… it’s worse,” Storm spoke.

“What do you mean darling?” Rarity asked.

“Once inside a Sarlacc’s belly, pain and suffering awaits us all. Basically, we’ll be slowly digested by that monster… for over a thousand years…”

“On second thought, let’s pass on that, huh?” Han asked.

Chewie barked in agreement.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Pinkie screamed wildly, then did a double take. “Oh, I mean… YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!”

“You should have bargained, Jabba,” Luke warned. “That’s the last mistake you’ll ever make.

Jabba merely cackled evilly, as the guards dragged the prisoners from the throne room. A loud cheer rose from the crowd, except for Leia, Rainbow, and Chewie exchanging concerned looks. Yet Luke Skywalker, the lead Jedi warrior, couldn’t suppress a smile as if he knew something the others didn’t. In the background, the mystery man observed the prisoners being carted away while beneath his cloak another figure also watched in his hidden grip.

“Hang in there, guys,” It spoke softly.
> Sarlacc Pit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Out along the hot boiling heat of Tatooine, Jabba’s huge sail barged glided above the desert surface accompanied by two smaller Skiffs. One of the skiffs glided closely, revealing, Luke, Han, Chewie, Mando, and the Equestrians—all in bonds—surrounded by guards, one of whom (Lando in disguise).

“I think my eyes are getting better,” Han squinted. “Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur.”

“There’s nothing to see,” Luke confirmed. “I used to live here you know?”

“You’re gonna die here, you know. Convenient.”

“No one’s going to die out here,” Storm spoke, determined. “One way or another, we’re getting out of here.”

“Just stick close to Chewie and Lando,” Luke instructed. “I’ve taken care of everything.”

“Oh… great!” Han moaned.

“Ah come on now Han,” Applejack spoke up. “Just give the boy a chance.”

“I must agree with Applejack,” Rarity agreed. “After all, Luke hasn’t failed us so far.”

“Yeah, Luke is the most awesomemest, funnest, and most bestest person ever!” Pinkie exclaimed, gleefully. “He blew up the Death Star, helped us become Jedi, and he can make one hay of a sweet cake!”

Luke turned toward the pink party girl in confusion.

“No I can’t,” He shook his head.

“Well you could if you try,” Pinkie beamed. “Once we get out of this, I can show you all my special secret cake baking skills and maybe—”

“We’re gonna die…” Han spoke, deadpanned.

<>

Meanwhile, Jabba the Hutt rode like a sultan on a massive antigravity ship. His entire retinue were with him, drinking, eating, and having a good time. Leia and Rainbow both watched their friends in the skiff when the chain attached to Leia’s neck pulled tight and Jabba tugged the scantily clad princess to him.

“Soon you will learn to appreciate me,” Jabba spoke, in Huttese.

“Just you wait, you fat tub of lard!” Rainbow growled, through her teeth. “When I get through with you, even that chomping hole in the ground won’t want you!”

Just then, a hooded figure slowly passed by Rainbow Dash. The hooded figure opened its hood and Rainbow’s eyes went wide. Quickly darting her eyes back and forth, making sure no one was looking, she stealthily used the force to draw her lightsaber from the mysterious man’s belt and hid it behind her back… or at least where she ‘could’ hide it.

As the hooded figure adjusted himself, working his way up to the ship balcony, he passed a wandering C-3PO amongst the Sail Barge aliens. In the meantime, the droid bumped into a smaller droid serving drinks, spilling them all over the place. The stubby droid released an angry series of beeps and whistles.

“Oh, I’m terribly sor… R2!” 3PO gasped. “What are you doing here?”

R2-D2 beeped a quick reply.

“Well, I can see you’re serving drinks, but this place is dangerous. They’re going to execute Master Luke and the others, if we’re not careful, us too!”

R2 whistled a singsong response.

“Hmm… I wish I had your confidence.”

<>

The convoy moved up over a huge sand pit. The Sail Barge stopped along one side of the depression, as does the escort skiff. But the prisoner’s skiff moved out directly over the center and hovered. At the bottom of the deep cone of sand sat a repulsive, mucous-lined hole, surrounded by thousands of needle-sharp teeth. This is the Sarlacc. A plank extended from the edge of the prisoner’s skiff. The guards released Luke’s bonds and shoved him out onto the plank above the Sarlacc’s mouth.

Jabba and Leia were now by the rail, watching. While they are doing this, Rainbow ignited her lightsaber and swiftly cut her bonds then quickly deactivated the saber before anyone noticed. 3PO leaned forward and the slobbering villain mumbled something to him. As 3PO stepped up to a commlink, Jabba raised his arm and the motley array of intergalactic pirates fell silent. 3PO’s voice amplified across the loudspeakers.

“Victims of the almighty Sarlacc,” 3PO announced. “His excellency hopes that you will die honorably. But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas.”

Han stepped forward arrogantly.

“3PO, you tell that slimy piece of… worm-ridden filth he’ll get no such pleasure from us. Right?”

Chewie growled his agreement.

“We’re warning you now Jabba!” Twilight called out. “This is only going to end badly for you!”

“We have powerful allies who won’t hesitate to storm that heap of Bantha waste you call a palace if you do this!” Storm added.

“Jabba! This is your last chance,” Luke warned. “Free us or die!”

Lando moved unobtrusively along the skiff as Luke shot a quick look of conspiracy to him. The assembled monsters rocked with mocking laughter, as R2 zipped unnoticed up the ramp to the upper deck. And right behind the droid was the very same hooded figure who passed Rainbow Dash. Jabba’s laughter subsided as he spoke through the commlink.

“Move him into position,” Jabba ordered.

Jabba gave the thumbs-down gesture. Leia looked worried, as R2 and the figure appeared from belove and zipped over to the rail facing the pit. Below, in the skiff, Luke was prodded by a guard toward the edge of the plank over the gaping Sarlacc. Luke looked up toward R2, giving a jaunty salute: The signal the little droid had been waiting for. A flap opened in R2’s domed head, and the figure slowly leaned in preparation.

“Put him in!” Jabba ordered.

One final prod and Luke jumped off the plank to the cheers of the bloodthirsty spectators. But before anyone could perceive what’s happening, he spun around and grabbed the end of the plank by his fingertips. The plank bent wildly from his weight and catapulted him skyward. In midair, he performed a complete flip and dropped down toward the end of the plank (In the same spot he just vacated) only facing the skiff. He casually extended an open palm and—his lightsaber, which R2 sent arching toward him, dropped into his hand.

Not only that, but the mystery hooded figure leapt so quickly off the railing his hood flew off. And up in the sky, the group looked up and the figure revealed himself… Galen Marek, the warrior formerly ‘Starkiller’, extending his arms out as a series of lightsaber handles flew from him. By then, Twilight Sparkle and the other girls easily snapped their bonds off through the force and snagged their own lightsabers.

“Well, lookie who’s come to join the party!!!” Pinkie cheered.

“Marek!!!” Rarity & Fluttershy shouted.

“Hey!” Marek spoke simply.

“NOW!!!” Luke yelled.

With samurai speed, Luke, along with the girls, Marek, and Storm, ignited their sabers. Luke attacked the guard who prodded him off the plank, sending the hapless monster screaming overboard. The other guards swarmed toward the group, but the Equestrias proved too quick using their lightsabers with relative ease to cut them down. Lando struggled with another guard at the back of the skiff. A bewildered guard landed in the soft, sandy slope of the pit, and began sliding. He clawed desperately as a Sarlacc tentacle grabbed him and pulled the screaming victim into the viscous mouth.

Jabba watched all of this and exploded with rage. He barked commands, and the guards around him rushed off to do his bidding. The scuzzy creatures watched the from the window in an uproar. Luke knocked another guard off the skiff and into the waiting mouth of the Sarlacc. He started untying Chewie’s bonds.

“Easy, Chewie,” Luke reassured.

At that moment, the deck gunmen on the barge unleashed a series of blasts from a big cannon on the upper deck. Lando was tossed from the deck of the rocking skiff. He managed to grab a rope, and dandlged desperately above the Sarlacc pit.

“Whoa! Whoa! Help!” Lando called out.

“Hold on Lando!” Applejack called out. “We’ll getcha up in a moment, sugar cube!”

“Where else am I going?!” Lando yelled back.

“Tumbling down into the belly of a Sarlacc,” Pinkie answered, with a smile.

“Yeah… thanks for the reassurance.”

With two swift strides, the dangerous Boba Fett ignited his rocket path, leapt into the air, and flew from the barge down to the skiff. Boba landed on the skiff and started to aim his laser gun at Luke, who has freed Han and Chewie from their bonds. But before Boba could fire, a blast sent Bob’s gun flying. The bounty hunter turned around only to come face-to-face with Mando, also freed and having his gun retrieved courtesy of Marek.

“You’re welcome!” Marek told Mando, before resuming his fight.

“Mando…” Boba Fett growled.

“Boba… Fett…” The Mandalorian responded, tossing the gun aside. “I truly hope Jabba’s paying you enough to die for him.”

“We are both professionals in our field, Mando. But now… this is personal!”

Fighting on equal grounds, the two Mandalorians duked it out with fists bashing against one another. Their marks bouncing off their armors as they brawled to the death. Immediately, the skiff took another direct hit from the barge’s deck gun. Shards of skiff deck flew in the air. The blast provided a great enough distraction to take the Mandalorian off his guard and Boba shoved him back with a stiff kick. Chewie and Han were both thrown against the rail. The wookie itself was wounded, howling in pain.

“Chewie, you okay? Where is he?” Han asked. “I’m okay, pal…”

For the moment, Boba Fett caught Luke distracted by all the chaos. The bounty hunter fired a cable from his armored sleeve and instantly wrapped Luke in a strong cable, pinning his arms against his side. His sword arm free only from the wrist down. Luke bent his wrist, so the lightsaber pointed straight to reach the wire lasso and cut through. Luke shrugged away the cable and stood free. Another blast from the Barge’s deck gun hit near Boba and he was knocked unconscious along the deck, next to where Lando was hanging.

“Han! Chewie?!” Lando called out.

“Lando!” Han shouted back.

Luke and the remainder were slightly shaken but they remained standing as a fusillade bracket them. The second skiff, loaded with guards firing their weapons, moved in on Luke fast. Luke turned toward Storm, Marek, and even Twilight Sparkle. With quick nods, the young Jedis leapt into the midst of the second skiff, with Applejack following close behind for the extra muscle, and they began decimating the guards from their midst.

Chewie, wounded, tried lifting himself as he barked directions toward Han, guiding him toward a spear one of the guards dropped. Han searched the deck as Chewie barked directions; finally, he grabbed hold of the spear. Boba Fett, badly shaken, rose from the deck. He looked over at the other skiff, where Luke and the Equestrians (Even Marek) whipped a mass of guards. Boba raised his arm, aiming his lethal appendage. Fluttershy, while tending to Mando, spotted the action and her eyes widened.

“Captain Han!!” Fluttershy shouted desperately. “That Boba Fett guy’s up!!!”

“Boba Fett?!” Han asked. “Boba Fett?! Where?”

The space pirate turned around blindly, and the long spear in his hand whacked squarely in the middle of Boba’s rocket pack. The impact of the swing caused the rocket pack to ignite. Boba blasted off, flying over the second skiff like a missile, smashing against the side of the huge Sail Barge and sliding away into the pit. He screamed as his armored body made its last flight past Lando and directly into the mucous mouth of the Sarlacc… and then he belched.

“Sweet Celestia!” Rarity gasped.

By now, Mando finally stirred himself back as he looked around the skiff.

“Where’s Fett?” Mando asked.

“Umm…” Fluttershy uttered, pointing down.

The Mandalorian turned over to the side, seeing where the Sarlacc lied in the pit. Pinkie Pie loomed over by his side, whistling upon sight.

“Sorry about your friend there, Mr. Mando sir,” Pinkie apologized.

“Friend is a strong word…” Mando replied, turning away.

“Still…” Pinkie kept looking down. “Pretty anti-climatic to have a seemingly intimidating looking bounty hunter and suddenly see him killed off in the most embarrassing way. Though I wonder… could he still be able to—NAH! They wouldn’t…”

Fluttershy just sighed weakly to herself, given all the crazy shenanigans happening in just one day.

<>

Meanwhile, with all the spectacle outside, Leia and Rainbow Dash took advantage of the distraction. Together they leapt onto Jabba’s throne, and together they threw the chain still enslaving Leia over is head and around his bulbous neck. They dove off the other side of the throne, pulling the chain violently in their grasp. Jabba’s flaccid neck contracted beneath the tightening chain, as he struggled to pull the chain off his neck.

“This one’s for tormenting Captain Solo!” Rainbow grunted.

Jabba’s huge eyes bulged from their sockets; his scum-coated tongue flopped out.

“This one’s for endangering all of my good friends!” Rainbow grunted, tugging harder.

The Exalted Hutt’s huge tail spasmed through its death throes…

“And this…” Rainbow concluding, tugging harder. “… This one’s for my dignity you slimy, son-of-a—”

… And the great Jabba the Hutt slammed down into final stillness before Rainbow could finish, and the evil crime boss was dead. Even Princess Leia was utterly impressed.

“Didn’t know you had it in you,” Princess Leia spoke.

“That was just a warm-up,” Rainbow replied, brushing her hands. “Just wait till that Sludge guy shows his face if he ever goes anywhere near Spike again.”

“Where is Spike anyway?”

“Let’s find out… but first, let’s get you out of that bondage.”

<>

While Luke and a few of his comrades continued to destroy the aliens along the guards’ skiff, Han and Rarity extended the spear downward toward Lando, who still dangled precariously from a rope on the prisoner’s skiff.

“Grab it, Lando!” Rarity shouted.

“Lower it!” Lando cried out.

“We’re trying!” Han grunted.

A major hit from the barge deck gun knocked the skiff on its side. Han, and almost everything and everyone else aboard, slid overboard. The rope broke, and Lando fell to the side of the Sarlacc pit. Luckily, Han’s foot caught along the skiff railing and he dangled above Lando and the pit. The wounded Wookie and Fluttershy held onto the skiff for dear life, as another hit from the deck gun rocked the skiff violently.

“STOP BLOWING HOLES ON OUR SKIFF!!!” Pinkie shouted.

“Not helping!!!” Rarity shouted.

“Whoa! Whoa! Grab me, Chewie!” Han called out. “I’m slipping!”

“Hang on, captain!” Fluttershy called out.

Chewie and Fluttershy grabbed hold of Han’s feet, holding him upside down. Han extended the spear toward Lando, who clutched the side of the pit.

“Grab it! L—Lando, grab!” Han shouted.

Luke had just finished off the last guard along the second skiff. He and the others spot the deck gun blasting away at his helpless companions, while the Mandalorian tried shooting back with his recovered blaster. Quickly, the group made a great leap from the skiff, across a chasm of air, toward the sheer metallic side of the Sail Barge. Barely able to get a fingerhold, they begin a painful climb up the hull.

“Storm, look out!” Twilight shouted.

Twilight drew Storm’s head away when an ax suddenly smashed through a window an inch rom his head. With Jedi agility, Storm grasped the wrist holding the ax and yanked the helpless guard through the broken window… and into the deadly pit.

“Thanks!” Storm sighed, continuing the climb.

In the meantime, the injured Chewie reached over the rail for the dangling Han, who turned blindly reaching toward the desperate Lando. The Baron stopped his slippage down the sandy slope of the Sarlacc pit by lying very still. Every time he reached for Han; the loose sand moved him closer to his final reward.

“Grab it!” Han called out. “Almost… you almost got it!”

Another blast struck the front of the tilted skiff, causing Lando to let go of the spear.

“Hold it! Whoa!” Lando screamed.

Again, Han extended the spear toward Lando.

“Gently now. All… all right. Now easy, easy. Hold me, Chewie!”

Suddenly, Lando screamed. One of the Sarlacc’s tentacles wrapped tightly around his ankle, dragging him down the side of the pit where the beast waited for him.

“LANDO!!!” The girls screamed.

“Chewie! Chewie, give me the gun!” Han ordered.

Seeing the drastic situation, time not on anyone’s side, Han retrieved his blaster from Chewbacca. He aimed carefully towards the beast.

“Don’t move, Lando!”

“No, wait!” Lando shouted. “I thought you were blind!”

“It’s all right. Trust me. Don’t move.”

“All right! A little higher! Just a little higher!”

Han adjusted his aim as Lando lowered his head, and the fuzzy-eyed pirated fired at the tentacle… direct hit! The tentacle released Lando, as Chewie and Fluttershy started pulling them on board the skiff.

“Chewie, Fluttershy, pull us up!” Han called up. “Come on! Okay… up, Chewie, up!”

<>

The deck gunners had Chewie and the desperate dangling human chain in their gun sights when something on deck commanded their attention: Luke, Marek, and three Equestrians, standing before them like pirates. They ignited their lightsabers and the deck gunners barely reached for their pistols before they young Jedis demolished them. Immediately, Luke turned toward two more gunners (Who’ve been uncovering a giant gun at the end of the barge) racing toward them, firing their laser pistols.

Suddenly, a tiny figure hopped on deck before the group… Spike, the little purple-and-green dog glaring at them. Building up a growl, he gave a mighty bark… which amplified his own force and sent the gunners flying over the railings screaming like children. The heroes stood agape at the sight, particularly Twilight Sparkle.

“Spike! That was incredible!” Twilight gasped.

“I’m a superhero!!!” Spike smiled toothily.

As he turned toward the group, he didn’t notice a Gamorrean guard ushering toward him wielding a mighty ax.

“I’M A FREAKING SUPER—”

*SLASH! PLOP!*

Spike stared wide-eyed as the top half of the Gamorrean guard laid right in front of him. Slowly he looked up and found the bottom half standing there, with Marek’s ignited lightsaber grazing the top of it. And the bottom half slowly fell to the side with a crash before Marek turned toward Spike.

“Congratulations!” Marek smirked.

<>

In the meantime, Leia struggled against her chains in desperation as R2 zipped through the tumult of confused monsters. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash ignited her lightsaber and sliced the chain apart.

“Come on. We gotta get out of here quick,” Leia spoke.

“Best plan I’ve heard all day!” Rainbow sighed.

R2, Rainbow Dash, and Leia raced for the exit, passing 3PO, who kicked and screamed as Salacious Crumb, the reptilian monkey-monster plucked out one of the golden droid’s eyes.

“Not my eyes! R2, Rainbow, help! Quickly, R2. Oh! OHHH! You beast!”

R2 zipped over and zapped Salacious, sending him skyward with a scream, crashing into the rafters as R2, Rainbow, Leia, and 3PO hurried off.

Luke and the rest warded off laser blasts with their lightsabers, the team found themselves surrounded by guards and fighting like demons. Leia and Rainbow emerged from the deck as they fought the guards.

“Get the gun!” Luke called out. “Point it at the deck!”

Leia and Rainbow raced toward the barge cannon and climbed the platform. Leia swiveled the gun around.

“Point it at the deck!” Storm called out.

A laser blast hit Luke’s mechanical hand, and he bent over in pain. Still he managed to swing his lightsaber upward and take out the last of the guards. He looked at the wounded hand, which revealed the mechanism. He flexed the hand; it still worked. Near the rail of the upper deck, R2 and 3PO steadied themselves as they searched for an escape.

“R2, where are we going?” 3PO asked frantically. “I couldn’t possibly jump—AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

R2 butted the golden droid over the edge and stepped off himself, tumbling toward the sand. Luke raced along the empty deck toward Leia and the barge gun, which she brought around to point down toward the deck.

“Come on!” Luke gestured.

Luke grabbed hold of one of the rigging ropes from the mast. He gathered Leia in his other arm and kicked the trigger of the deck gun. The gun exploded into the deck as Luke and Leia swung out toward the skiff.

“Time for us to go!” Storm declared.

Storm and the rest raced away from the skiff. Storm Shield took the lead, with Twilight Sparkle following behind with Spike in her arms, Galen Marek at a tight third, and Applejack with Rainbow Dash. Together they made a great leap over the rail and soared toward the skiff where the rest of their friends (Even the Mandalorian) were waiting. Han leaned panting against the rail, as Chewie and Fluttershy helped Lando onto the deck. The remainder of their friends landed amongst the skiff with flair.

“Let’s go!” Luke instructed. “And don’t forget the droids.”

“We’re on our way,” Lando smirked.

The Sail Barge exploded in stages in the distance. Half of the huge craft was in flames by now. 3PO’s legs stuck straight up from the dune where he landed. Next to it, R2’s periscope was the only thing above the sand. The skiff floated above them, and two large electromagnets dangled down a wire. With a loud clang, both droids are pulled from the sand. The little skiff skipped around the burning Sail Barge, which continued its chain of explosions. As the skiff sailed off across the desert, the barge settled toward the sand and disappeared in one final conflagration.

Eventually, they emerge slowly from the veil of sand, pressing on against the wind. First come R2 and 3PO, followed by Leia guiding Han, then Luke and Lando came into view, each supporting one side of the towering Chewbacca, who hobbled from his wound. And right behind the group were the Equestrians, amongst them Galen Marek and The Mandalorian.

“So let me get this straight, because frankly I’m confused!” Rarity spoke. “Twilight, you’re telling us that you’ve planned this whole ordeal with this Mandalorian fellow, and Marek… and of course, Spikey-Wikey?”

“Actually, believe it or not, most of it was Pinkie’s idea,” Twilight remarked, toward the smiling party girl.

“Even I’m still confused…” Fluttershy spoke quietly.

“It’s all elementary my dear Fluttershy,” Pinkie replied casually. “See I knew Jabba-chino would arrange for most of our weapons to be taken away during our rescue mission. So we arranged for Twilight and the rest of our friends to act as if they never brought their weapons to lead those crooks to a false sense of security.”

“This way, while the thugs were distracted with the Rancor fight, me and Spike would find and gain access to the weapons holding room in Jabba’s lair so this way we’d be able to retrieve the weapons without arousing suspicion,” Marek added.

“Of course, we didn’t actually think you guys would actually be forced into a cage with that monster,” Spike admitted.

“Yeah… didn’t quite plan for ‘that’ part actually,” Pinke chuckled, scratching the back of her head.

“PINKIE!!!” The girls moaned.

“We can save the arguments for later ladies,” Storm advised. “We’re already here.”

Before long, they were able to make out some large vague shapes in the blowing sand. It is none other than the Millennium Flacon and, parked beside it, Luke’s trusty X-wing and Storm’s own ship. Course, they must shout just to be heard.

“I don’t know,” Han remarked. “All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!”

“That’s all any of us can see,” Leia replied.

“Then I guess I’m getting better,” Han blinked.

As soon as the group huddled under the bulk of the Falcon, the wind died down to something more describable as a severe weather condition. 3PO hit a switch, and the gang-plank lowered with a HUM.

“I’ve got to hand it to you, kid,” Han told Luke. “You were pretty good out there.”

“I had a lot of help,” Luke shrugged off. “Think nothing of it.”

“No, I’m thinking a lot about it. That carbon freeze was the closest thing to dead there is. And it wasn’t just sleepin’… it was a big wide awake nothing!”

“Makes me think if that’s how Discord feels being imprisoned in stone for a thousand years,” Twilight surmised.

“Eh… he’ll probably deem it worse soon as we run into him,” Pinkie remarked.

Luke and the rest nodded, as Chewie growled affectionately at the young Jedi warrior, mussing his hair like a proud uncle. Even Leia hugged him warmly as a sign of appreciation.

“I’ll see you back at the fleet,” Luke spoke, moving to his ship.

“Why don’t you leave that crate and come with us?” Han suggested.

“I have a promise I have to keep first… to an old friend.”

“We all do,” Storm added. “We should hurry though. I’m pretty sure we don’t have much time.”

“What do you mean Storm?” Twilight asked.

Storm gave no response other than a deep sigh and an almost sad, pained look on his face. As the back hatch of his starship opened, he made his way up toward the ramp without looking back. Twilight watched him walk up as the others came up alongside her.

“Is he alright?” Spike asked.

“I’m not sure Spike,” Twilight answered.

“Let’s get going people,” Rainbow said. “What are we waiting for?”

Twilight and the girls made their way onboard. Once inside, as Spike scurried over to settle in his own chair, Rarity handed Rainbow Dash her old clothes back.

“Might wish to consider a change in wardrobe darling,” She suggested.

Rainbow took the offered clothes, as Applejack leaned over toward her ear.

“Yer-a keeping the outfit,” She whispered, with a wink.

Rainbow’s face went from its usual cyan to scarlet red for a moment before giving a wink of her own to her girlfriend. They made their way on board and the rear hatch sealed before the ship lifted off the ground. With that, it shot back into the recesses of space with Luke & R2 taking off right behind them.

In the Millennium Falcon, as Galen Marek and The Mandalorian assumed their positions in the ship, Han looked dubiously toward Lando. Obviously, the man remembered his friend’s betrayal and subsequent aide toward the Empire.

“Guess I owe you some thanks, too, Lando,” Han remarked.

“Figured if I left you frozen like that you’d just give me bad luck the rest of my life,” Lando stated, matter-of-factly. “So I might as well get you unfrozen sooner or later.”

“He means ‘You’re welcome’,” Leia commented.

“Come on, let’s get off this miserable dust ball,” Lando suggested.

The other group made their way towards the Millennium Falcon and proceeded to climb aboard. All this time, while the crew hopped aboard their ships, none took notice of the dark creature looming off in the corner, stalking them. The creature growled a low guttural growl as it stared after them with eyes so red it seemed almost impossible. Soon as the ship zipped off into space, the creature spread a set of giant black wings before soaring into the air after them.
> Return to Dagobah
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having successfully rescued their friends from Tatooine, the motley crew of Jedi, smuggler, and Equestrians made their way back into the dark chasm of space. Storm Shield’s starship, The Redemption, sailed calmly through the stars as the sand planet began to fade from view. Following along the side of the larger ship was Luke Skywalker in his X-Wing. Coming up along the rear was Han Solo, Leia, and Marek in the Millennium Falcon. Storm, Spike, and the girls sat along the center of the command deck with Storm piloting the ship.

“Well… that was certainly a ‘trying’ experience, wasn’t it?” Storm asked them.

“Yer dang tootin’ there sugarcube,” Applejack nodded.

“I was honestly more worried we’d never make it out of that horrid place alive!” Rarity added.

Spike jumped from the floor and landed upon Fluttershy’s lap, to which the girl in question smiled and started petting him.

“Oh man, that was so cool!” Spike spoke giddily. “You guys see that force bark I gave? It was just like… whoa!”

Rainbow chuckled, as she scratched behind the little guy’s ear.

“You did good little dude,” She complimented. “I honestly didn’t know you had it in you!”

“Well, it’s not like I wasn’t paying attention when you guys were training with Yoda, Cal, and Ahsoka.”

Fluttershy turned toward Rainbow Dash.

“I’m surprised you were actually willing to wear that outfit,” She whispered.

“Not like I really had much of a choice,” Rainbow Responded. “We needed to make that slug believe he was in control or risk compromising the whole thing.”

“You weren’t really complaining though Dashie,” Pinkie smirked. “I mean I can see why. That outfit really made everything just stand out for you. Not to mention we all know Applejack really liked it. You guys plan any future uses?”

This caused the eyes of both Rainbow Dash and Applejack to grow wide, as their faces glowed a bright tomato red.

“Pinkie!” Rarity scolded.

“Just kidding!” Pinkie laughed. “This is supposed to be a family-friendly fanfiction after all. Wink!”

While they were talking, Storm noticed a distinct lack of communication from Twilight Sparkle. He turned toward his shoulder, noting she wasn’t even sitting with them. Storm sighed to himself as he set the ship to autopilot, before walking out of the command deck towards the observation center. The two doors to the center slid open and Storm spotted Twilight standing before the giant window looking out into space. Though he couldn’t see her face, he knew she was in deep thought. Slowly walking up alongside her, he looked toward the vast regions he hadn’t had time to observe in so long.

“Bit for your thoughts?” He spoke casually.

Twilight released a deep breath, before turning towards Storm with a sad expression on her face.

“It’s all my fault,” She spoke quietly.

“You should really stop blaming yourself,” Storm responded, earnestly. “What happened to Sunset is no one’s fault. Not yours, mine, the girls, not even Marek’s. If anyone’s to blame, it should be the Emperor.”

Yet as they spoke, Twilight could still clearly remember the last time seeing Sunset Shimmer. Battling Darth Seraphina on Cloud City sometime prior, finally getting a good look at the face of the Sith so determined to hunt her down. But what Twilight saw was really her best friend, corrupted by darkness. It felt like Twilight’s heart had been ripped into a million pieces that day.

“If I had just held onto her a minute longer, if I just found her sooner, she’d still be with us now,” Twilight continued. “Instead, she’s in the arms of a twisted evil empire.” 

Storm could see that Twilight was very upset about the matter, the way she blamed herself entirely for what happened. There was only one thing he could tell her hoping it would make her feel better about herself. Even if it hurt for Storm to relive it.

“The day I lost Khaleena, I blamed myself,” He spoke honestly. “I thought to myself, so many times, if I had gotten there sooner I could’ve stopped Grievous. How I could’ve saved her.”

Storm reached over, wrapping an arm around Twilight to which she leaned into his embrace.

“You want to know what got me through it?” Storm asked.

Twilight slightly turned to look into his eyes.

“What?”

“My mother,” Storm responded simply. “She’d get up each and every day to run Equestria, even though she felt bad about what went down between her and Aunt Luna. She used to hang her head in shame and sadness every day.”

This caused Twilight to cock a curious eyebrow.

“I thought you were sealed in the Philosopher’s Stone for a thousand years,” She pointed out. “How could you have known that?”

“Just because I wasn’t there in person doesn’t mean I wasn’t there… least, not entirely.”

Twilight thought for a moment, deciding he had a point. There have been a few instances in her past where certain individuals have been able to go to one place and then another through completely different means.

“I never told her this before, but I know if she knew about it she’d tell me I need to stop feeling sorry for myself,” Storm continued. “I knew she’d want me to stand tall and forgive myself so I could be the pony she raised me to be. I also know that as her prized student, she wouldn’t want ‘you’ to sit around feeling sorry for yourself either.”

Twilight smiled to herself, realizing the truth of Storm’s words. If Celestia were indeed right in front of her, she’d probably say just exactly that. She drew away from Storm as he got a better look on her face.

“Thank you Storm,” Twilight smiled gratefully. “I really needed to hear that.”

“No problem,” Storm smiled back.

Twilight soon approached and wrapped her arms around Storm for a hug, which he happily returned. The moment they finally parted, he looked upon her with fierce determination.

“Now… let’s save Sunset Shimmer!”

<> 

Meanwhile, over in the X-Wing, Luke was communicating with Leia over the commlink.

“I’ll meet you back at the fleet,” He said.

“Hurry!” Leia urged, over commlink. “The Alliance should be assembled by now.”

“I will.”

“Hey, Luke, thanks,” Han spoke, over commlink. “Thanks for comin’ after me. Now I owe you one.”

A message from R2-D2 appeared along the tiny monitor scree in front of Luke. He smiled at the monitor, as he adjusted a black glove to cover his wounded mechanical hand.

“That’s right, R2,” Luke spoke. “We’re going to the Dagobah system. I have a promise to keep… to an old friend.”

<> 

A Super Star Destroyer and several ships of the Imperial Fleet rested in space above the half-completed Death Star and its green neighbor, Endor. Four squads of TIE fighters escorted an Imperial shuttle toward the Death Star. Lord Vader himself stroke down the hallway, accompanied by a very nervous Death Star commander. Thousands of Imperial troops in tight formation filled the mammoth docking bay. 

When Vader arrived at the docking bay, not only did he see thousands of troopers standing at attention, but also saw Seraphina standing in wait with her evil entourage. Vade came to a standstill directly before his fellow protégé as they engaged in communication.

“Did you find what you were looking for on Tatooine?” He asked.

“Unfortunately, we were too late!” Seraphina growled. “By the time we arrived, all that remained was a destroyed sail barge and the littered bodies of various scum.”

“It seems we’ve greatly underestimated the resilience of the young Skywalker.”

“And that meddlesome Twilight Sparkle,” Seraphina seethed. “I knew I should’ve killed her when I had the chance.”

“Worry not Seraphina, the time is soon upon us,” Vader assured. “The Death Star nears completion and will surely draw the rebellion out of hiding once more. When that happens, you’ll be able to deal with Twilight Sparkle any way you deem fit.”

Vader and the officers walked toward the landing platform with Seraphina and the others following closely. The shuttle’s ramp lowered, and the Emperor’s Royal Guards emerged creating a lethal perimeter. The assembled troops moved to rigid attention with a momentous *SNAP!*. 

And then, in the huge silence which followed, Emperor Palpatine appeared. His bent frame slowly made its way down the ramp with the aid of a gnarled cane. The Emperor’s face were shrouded and difficult to see, except for his piercing yellow eyes. Commander Jerjerrod, Darth Vader, Seraphina, and the others knelt before him. The Supreme Ruler of the galaxy beckoned toward the two dark lords.

“Rise, my friends,” He commanded.

Vader rose, falling next to the Emperor (Seraphina doing the same on the other). Jerjerrod and the other commanders remained kneeling till the Supreme Ruler and his apprentices, followed by several Imperial dignitaries, passed by. And only then, do they join in the procession. 

“The Death Star will be completed on schedule,” Vader informed.

“You have done well, Lord Vader,” Palpatine complimented. “And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker.”

“Yes, my Master.”

“Patience, my friend. In time he will seek you out. And when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the dark side of the Force.”

“As you wish.”

Palpatine turned his attention toward Seraphina and her followers.

“What news do you bring of the meddlesome Jedi, Darth Seraphina?” He asked.

“They have disappeared from Tatooine my master,” Seraphina responded. “Most likely escaping back into the swarm of the rebel scum to hatch another futile plan of attack.”

This caused Palpatine to chuckle in amusement.

“Just as I had assumed. They shall mount a plan of attack and find themselves caught in our trap before they know what hit them.”

“What do you need of us when the time comes, my lord?” Grievous asked Palpatine.

“You General Grievous shall lead the infantry attack along with the three other Inquisitors,” Palpatine explained. “You shall all hold the enemy line and kill as many rebels as you can. Once their forces have been forced into air warfare, it shall be all too easy to pick them off one by one.”

“Yes, my lord,” Grievous and the Inquisitors said in unison.

“Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.”

He laughed to himself as they passed along the vast line of Imperial troops.

<> 

Eventually, the Equestria Jedi and Luke Skywalker got themselves safely back toward the Dagobah system, to continue their training under Master Yoda. Once again, R2 found himself waiting around in the damp environment of the swamp planet, and he’s none too happy about it. At least this time, the Mandolorian himself stood guard over R2 for ‘protection’ but mostly because he had no interest in seeing what’s going on. While R2 beeped disconsolately to himself, they turned to look toward Yoda’s cottage.

Warm yellow light escaped the oddly shaped windows against the gloom. The tip of a walking stick tapped hesitantly across the earthen floor of the cottage. Yoda walked slowly across the swampy terrain as best as his old form could muster. Still the group could see that his manner was frail, and his voice, though cheerful, seemed weaker.

“Hmm… that face you make,” Yoda spoke. “Look I so old to young eyes?”

Luke sat in a corner of the cramped space, with the rest of the group sitting in front of him. Indeed, his look had been woeful though his friends were more so. Caught, they tried their best to hide it.

“No… of course not,” Luke reassured.

“Why you don’t look a day over… five hundred!” Pinkie smiled. “We can hardly tell!”

“I do, yes, I do!” Yoda chuckled, tickled. “Sick have I become… old and weak.”

The group were slightly silent for a moment as the old Jedi master pointed a crooked finger toward him.

“When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not. Hmm?”

Yoda chuckled at this, before a cough interrupted him. Soon the little jedi master hobbled over toward his bed.

“Soon will I rest,” Yoda declared. “Yes, forever sleep. Earned it, I have.”

Yoda sat himself on his bed, with great effort. The team knew just what Yoda meant by that.

“But Master Yoda, you just can’t die!” Fluttershy begged tearfully.

“Yeah man, we only just met!” Rainbow added. “You’re too strong to leave us that easily!”

“Strong am I with the Force… but not that strong!” Yoda corrected. “Twilight is upon me and soon night must fall. That is the way of things… the way of the Force.”

“But Yoda, we need your help more than ever!” Twilight insisted.

“We’ve come back to complete the training,” Luke added.

“No more training do you require,” Yoda declared. “Already know you that which you need.”

Yoda sighed, as he laid back on his bed.

“Then… we’re Jedi Knights?” Luke asked.

All the other Jedi in the room, the spirits and even a pair of former apprentices, glanced silently toward one another before staring back at the newly arrived group Not a word emerges from either of their lips, but they shared the same thought as the dying master.

“Oh… not yet…” Yoda shook his head. “Two things remain: Vader… Seraphina. You must confront them. Then, only then, Jedi will you be. And confront them you will.”

The group turned toward Luke and they could see the agony upon his face. Together, they sat in silence for a long moment pondering over what they need to do. Neither one seemed to have the courage to voice their concerns for a Jedi down to his last minutes. Until at last, Luke was able to ask.

“Master Yoda… is Darth Vader my father?”

Yoda’s eyes were full of weariness and compassion. An odd, sad smile creased his face. He turned painfully on his side, away from Luke.

“Mm… rest I need,” Yoda insisted. “Yes… rest.”

And the group watched him, each moment an eternity.

“Please Master Yoda…” Twilight insisted. “Luke needs to know. I’ve already seen for myself who Darth Seraphina is, but Luke needs to know if Vader was right… or if he was toying with him. Please…”

“Your father…he is…” Yoda told Luke, reluctantly.

Luke turned toward the rest of the Equestrians, who were all just as stunned as the man. It was one thing to discover that one of the Sith was a best friend of theirs, corrupted by the darkness, but now they were facing another grueling challenge in having one of their friends fighting a long lost relative. The severity of the situation itself weighed heavily upon their shoulders.

“Told you, did he?” Yoda asked.

“Yes…” Luke answered.

A new look of concern crossed Yoda’s face. He closed his eyes, deep in thought.

“Unexpected this is,” Yoda sighed. “And unfortunate…”

“Unfortunate to know the truth?” Applejack asked. 

Yoda’s eyes opened once again, studying the curious youth. It took up all the strength the frail Jedi could muster to look at the group straight in the eye.

“No… unfortunate that you rushed to face them… that incomplete was your training. Not ready for the burden were you.”

“You’re right, Yoda… you’re absolutely right,” Twilight sighed, in defeat. “You told us we shouldn’t go; you insisted we stay for the training. But we wanted to save our friends so badly, even risking a confrontation with the Sith, we nearly died. And for that… we’re sorry for ignoring your advice. ‘I’ am sorry…”

“Remember, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force,” Yoda instructed. “But beware… anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.”

The honorary Jedi knights bowed before the dying master, who beckoned for one of them to come closer. In which case, that would be Storm Shield himself.

“Master Shield… much potential, I have seen, from the days joining the order you have,” Yoda smiled weakly. “A pillar of strength of our darkest hour, you have, fought along our Jedi in the war you have. The time is passing, for me it is. Ergo, a special gift bestow upon you I can only offer…”

“You don’t have to give me anything master,” Storm assured. “Your wisdom and lessons are more than—”

“Kneel… you must…”

Not wanting to argue against his master’s command, Storm took a knee before the old Jedi master so he could look deeply into his eyes. Storm kneels at the ready anxious to hear the final words emanating from his lips.

“One sun falls to the horizon… and with it another rises. Upon my final request before my time falls, a new Grandmaster must serve to guide and teach all the remaining Jedi. You… must be that grandmaster now…”

“Noo… no Master Yoda,” Storm shook his head. “There are plenty of Jedi better off as a Grandmaster than me. All of them much more experienced than even I. Surely there must be—”

“Young Storm… when first saw you I have, a world far beyond our own you’ve come,” Yoda spoke. “A destiny you must follow, for a war far greater than this. And those who look unto you must have a pony to help guide in that hour you must be. There’s a power in you that is, a power you yet to unlock. But the next step in this journey, with your allies by your side, you must take it.”

“I’m not really sure if I am the right one for that step master,” Storm admitted humbly. “But I will try to do my part to see what you see. I solemnly swear I won’t let you down.”

“Fail… never you have. Not now, you won’t…”

He soon beckoned for the others to lean closely, Luke and the girls (Even Spike).

“Do not… do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father’s fate, the fate of your friend, you will,” Yoda advised. “When gone am I… *Cough!*, the last of the Jedi you will be. Luke, the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned, Luke…”

It took great effort to muster Yoda’s last words as death slowly began to cling upon the frail form of the former Jedi master.

“There is… another… Sky… Sky… walker…”

Drawing his last breath, a shiver ran its course through the ancient green creature. Before any of the group could beckon for more, the Jedi formerly known as Yoda… died before their eyes. The very sight of it was an utter shock for everyone, Fluttershy no longer able to hold back her tears and leaned against Rarity’s shoulder while she sobbed. Rarity pat her friend on the back, as Spike leaned by Fluttershy’s leg whimpering.

All around them the spirits of the late Jedi bowed their heads solemnly before they disappeared around the living apprentices one after the other. And the last to go, as our heroes stared, the dead master too disappeared right before their eyes. And then… there was none…

<> 

Luke and his friends wandered back toward where the ships sat tor est. R2 beeped a greeting, but the depressed masters ignored the little droid. The Mandalorian studied the group from beneath his mask, though what he was pondering none could tell. Together, the Jedi knelt together after taking one final look at Yoda’s house as the lights eventually died down along with its former owner. Luke had just begun to help R2 into his ship, when he stopped and shook his head dejectedly.

“Luke… are you okay?” Spike asked, concerned.

“I can’t do it,” Luke confessed to his friends. “I can’t go on alone.”

“But you’re not alone,” Twilight reassured softly. “Not ever…”

“We’ve all suffered a great loss today,” Storm declared sadly. “Honestly, I knew this day would eventually come… but I always thought Yoda would outlive us all. That he was too stubborn to die.”

“I still find it hard to believe,” Rainbow replied, shaking her head. “One minute, we learn that you have just reemerged from some magic stone and revealing yourself to be Celestia’s kid of all ponies. Next thing we know, we find out you once fought for these Jedi knight guys and now you’re this grandmaster!”

“That’s really a lot to take in,” Pinkie replied, sighing.

“Honestly girls, I feel this is all happening too fast…” Storm confessed. “How could I possibly uphold a legacy of a world I don’t even belong to? I’m not sure if I’m ready to fill in for a Jedi who knows even more than I do.”

“Yoda will always be with you…”

A familiar voice drew everyone to turn around. Before their very eyes, the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi, strolled slowly through the bog toward them. They quickly raced up toward Luke’s former master, the young Jedi himself taking the lead.

“Obi-Wan!” Luke exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me? You told me Vader… betrayed and murdered my father.”

“Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force,” Obi-Wan clarified. “He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker… and became Darth Vader. When that happened… the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I told you was true… from a certain point of view.”

“A certain point of view?” Luke asked, in disbelief.

“More like you twisted the truth, a bit,” Rainbow scowled.

“Storm… did y’all know that Darth Vader was Anakin?” Applejack asked. “Ya fought with him in the Order… did ya know too?”

Storm released a regretful sigh, as he turned toward the girls who had his undivided attention.

“I always had this ‘feeling’ about Darth Vader, that day when we were on the first Death Star,” Storm admitted. “I didn’t exactly know for ‘sure’ if it was him… but overtime that feeling proved too great to ignore. I guess… I just didn’t want to admit for fear of hurting any of you.”

“I’ve been down that road before dude,” Spike pointed out. “Didn’t exactly work out well for me.”

“My friends, you’re going to find… that many of the truths we cling to… depend greatly on our own point of view,” Obi-Wan lectured. “Anakin was a good friend. When I first knew him… when Storm and I first knew him… your father was already a great pilot…”

“So much, he practically won a pod-race even when a fellow racer tried to sabotage his own ship,” Storm brought up. “But that’s another story…”

“But we were more amazed how strongly the Force was with him,” Obi-Wan continued. “I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong.”

“There is still good in him,” Luke replied.

“He’s more machine now than man…” Obi-Wan frowned. “Twisted and evil.”

“But we can’t do it, Mr. Kenobi sir,” Fluttershy spoke meekly. “We’re not ‘killers’.”

“You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader and Darth Seraphina again.”

“I can’t kill my own father,” Luke reinstated.

“And I won’t kill Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight Sparkle whimpered. “Deep down, she’s still there. I can’t quite prove it… but I know she’s trying to come back to us.”

“Then the emperor has already won,” Ben sighed. “You were our only hope.”

“Are we though?” Rarity spoke up.

“”Yoda spoke of another,” Luke added.

“The other he spoke of is your twin sister.”

“Twin sister?” The girls and Spike said at once.

“But I have no sister,” Luke pointed out.

“We met his aunt and uncle way back when,” Pinkie reminded. “But we never once heard of a sibling… I would’ve remembered that moment.”

“To protect you both from the emperor… Luke was hidden from his father when he was born,” Obi-Wan explained. “The emperor knew, as I did… if Anakin were to have any offspring… they would be a threat to him. That is the reason Luke… why your sister remains safely anonymous.”

Searching his feelings, sensing the Force, Luke reached an epiphany.

“Leia!” He exclaimed. “Leia’s my sister.”

“Say what now?!” The others exclaimed.

“Your insight serves you well,” Obi-Wan spoke. “Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit… but they could be made to serve the emperor.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait! Hold it,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “You mean to tell me… that Leia, ‘the’ Princess Leia, is Luke’s sister… this whole time?”

“And… they… kissed… on the lips?!” Pinkie Pie shrieked.

*Crickets chirping*

“Awkward…” Rainbow commented.

“Totally…” Storm added.

“When your father left,” Obi-Wan continued. “He didn’t know your mother was pregnant. Your mother and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep you both as safe as possible, for as long as possible. So I took you to live with my brother Owen on Tatooine… and your mother Leia to live as the daughter of Senator Organa on Alderaan.”

Luke and the group settled near Obi-Wan a.k.a. Ben Kenobi to hear the rest of the tale.

“Like that very planet we were initially heading for only to find it destroyed!” Twilight confirmed.

“The Organa household was high-born and politically quite powerful in that system,” Obi-Wan informed, attempting for solace. “Leia became a princess by virtue of lineage… no one knew she’d been adopted, of course. But it was a title without real power, since Alderaan had long been a democracy. Even so, the family continued to be politically powerful, and Leia, following in her foster father’s path, became a senator as well. That’s not all she became, of course… she became the leader with the Alliance against the corrupt Empire. And because she had diplomatic immunity, she was a vital link for getting information to the Rebel cause. That’s what she was doing when her path crossed yours… for her foster parents had always told her to contact me on Tatooine, if her troubles became desperate.”

The truth became overwhelming now for the group, particularly for Luke. Suddenly, he felt protective over the woman revealed to be his sister.

“But we can’t let her get involved now,” Luke argued. “Vader will destroy her.”

“She hasn’t been trained in the ways of the Jedi the way you and your friends have, Luke…” Obi-Wan pointed out. “But the force is strong with her, as it is with all your family. There is no avoiding the battle. You must face and destroy both Vader… and Seraphina!”

“Master Kenobi, we will fight to defend ourselves if we need to,” Twilight spoke. “But don’t ask me to destroy Sunset Shimmer… because I won’t do it. And the real Sunset would do the same.”

“Then you best hope that the force within Sunset is strong enough to free her in ways the force couldn’t for Anakin,” Obi-Wan spoke somberly. “If she remains bonded to the dark side, then your friend will be lost… forever.”

The weight of the situation became heavier for the group. It wasn’t enough that they know the truth of what’s become of Sunset Shimmer, now they not only have to help Luke fight a relative but yet another turned out to be closer to them than they imagined. So much happening all at once during this war, they couldn’t imagine if they were even ready for what’s to come. Finally, The Mandalorian (Having been listening in silence the whole time) stepped forth and the group turned toward him.

“So… where do we start first?” The Mandalorian asked.
> Plan of Attack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm Shield nimbly glides ‘The Redemption’ through space en route to the space station orbiting the forest moon of Endor. Spike and the girls stare out and catch sight of the vast Rebel Fleet which stretched as far as the eye could see. Overhead, a dozen small Corellian battleships fly in formation. Fighters and battlecruisers surround the largest of the Rebel Star Cruisers, the Headquarters Frigate. Gliding smoothly into the docking port, Storm landed his ship with ease and opened the cargo bay hatch.

“Alright every pony,” He spoke determined. “It’s Go time!”

“Yeah! Let’s do this thing!” Rainbow piped in.

One by one, they made their way down the ramp and into the frigate. Twilight quickly walked up alongside Storm and laced her fingers with his. Storm looked at her confused for a moment but quickly smiled when he saw the same determination and courage she had before. They were then instantly met by a group of Rebel soldiers.

“Welcome Master Shield and Princess Twilight,” One soldier greeted. “I’ve been tasked by Princess Leia to escort you all to the command center.”

“Lead on sir,” Twilight smiled.

All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie bounded up the front while bouncing excitedly.

“Ooh! Ooh! Does this ship have a bakery?” She asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately not,” The soldier responded.

“Aww that’s a shame because I really want to make a big, big victory cake for the victory party later. It’ll have chocolate, and vanilla, and red velvet, and fudge, and…”

Once again, Twilight just waved her hand and encased Pinkie in an invisible bubble to stop her rambling. 

“We’re sorry about her sir,” She apologized.

“She just gets very excited when it comes to cakes,” Rarity emphasized. “And throwing parties.”

The soldier merely nodded and turned to take the lead towards the command center. Hundreds of Rebel commanders of all races and forms assembled in the war room. In the center of the room, a holographic model depicting the half-completed Imperial Death Star, the nearby Moon of Endor, and the protecting deflector shield were on full display. Mon Mothma, the leader of the Alliance, entered the room. She is a stern but beautiful woman in her fifties. Conferring with her are several military leaders, including General Madine and Admiral Ackbar, a salmon-colored Mon Calamari. Storm, Spike, and the girls then sported a very familiar face, Galen Marek, making his way over to them.

“I see you’ve finally made it,” He said.

“Wow Marek, dig the change in attire,” Storm admired.

The girls and Spike took notice of Marek’s new appearance as he now wore robes much similar to a Jedi than a Sith.


“Indeed,” He smiled. “I figured if I’m joining the Rebellion, might as well look the part.”

“Ya certainly achieved that there partner,” Applejack nodded.

“Weird how when this whole thing started I wanted to knock you into next week,” Rainbow quipped. “Now we’re on the same side trying to save the same person.”

“A common goal brings even the most unlikely of adversaries together,” Marek agreed. “I can assure you I will do whatever I can to help rescue Sunset Shimmer.”

“Well let’s stop standing around and get cracking then!” Spike declared, in Twilight’s arms.

From across the room, Lando moved through the crowd till he found Han and Chewie, standing next to Leia and the two droids. Han peered at Lando’s new insignia on his chest, practically amused.

“Well, look at you, a general, huh?” Han said impressied.

“Oh, well, someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the Battle of Taanab,” Lando responded.

“Well, don’t look at me, pal,” Han said sarcastically. “I just said you were a fair pilot. I didn’t know they were lookin’ for somebody to lead this crazy attack.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t ask you to do it.”

“Well, who says they didn’t? But I ain’t crazy. You’re the respectable one, remember?”

Mom Mothman signaled for attention, and the room immediately fell silent.

“The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come,” She spoke.

This caused a stir as Mon Mothma turned to a holographic model of the Death Star, the Endor moon and the protecting deflector shield in the center of the room.

“The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor’s new battle station. We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we’ve learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star.”

A volley of spirited chatter erupted from the crowd. Han turned to Leia, as Chewie barked his amazement.

“Many Bothans died to bring us this information. Admiral Ackbar, please.”

Admiral Ackbar stepped forward and pointed to the Death Star’s force field and the Moon of Endor.

“You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest Moon of Endor,” Ackbar explained. “Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from the nearby forest Moon of Endor. The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor.”

There’s concerned murmur amongst the group.

“General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack.”

Han turned toward Lando with a look of respect.

“Good luck,” Han spoke.

To which Lando nodded his thanks.

“You’re gonna need it…” Han muttered.

“General Madine,” Ackbar summoned.

Madine moved toward center stage.

“We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle,” General Madine informed. “Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator.”

The assembly began to mumble amongst themselves.

“Sounds dangerous,” 3PO voiced his concerned.

“When are things ‘not’ dangerous?” Rainbow asked, matter-of-factly. 

“I wonder who they found to pull that off,” Leia spoke to Han.

“General Solo, is your strike team assembled?” General Madine asked.

Leia, startled, looked up toward Han, surprising changing to admiration in seconds.

“Uh, my team’s ready,” Han answered. “I don’t have a command crew for the shuttle.”

Chewbacca raised his hairy paw, the first to volunteer. Han looked up toward him.

“Well, it’s gonna be rough, pal. I didn’t want to speak for you.”

Chewbacca waved that off with a huge growl.

“That’s one,” Han smiled.

“Uh, General… count me in,” Leia volunteered.

“And me,” Marek stepped up.

“That goes for us too,” Storm spoke, for the group.

“I’ll do the best I can,” Fluttershy spoke meekly.

“I’m with you, too!”

They all turned in the direction of the voice, peering through the crowd as more cheers bellowed. The commanders part, and there at the back stood Luke Skywalker himself. Han and Leia are surprised and delighted. Leia moved toward Luke, embracing him warmly. She can sense a change in him and looked into his eyes questioningly.

“What is it?” Leia asked.

“Ask me again sometime,” Luke answered, hesitant.

Han, Chewie, Lando, and the Equestrians crowd around Luke as the assembly broke up.

“Luke,” Han greeted.

“Hi, Han,” Luke smiled. “Chewie…”

R2 beeped a singsong observation to a worried 3PO.

“’Exciting’ is hardly the word I would use,” 3PO muttered.

“Honestly… I wouldn’t either,” Fluttershy whispered. 

“Then why do you tag along if it’s so scary?”

“Because it’s worse feeling left out.”

Fluttershy soon walked ahead to rejoin her friends, leaving the two droids tailing from behind.

<> 

The Millennium Falcon rested beyond the stolen imperial shuttle, which looked anomalous amongst all the Rebel ships in the vast docking bay. Chewie barked a final farewell to Lando and lead R2 and 3PO up the shuttle. Most of the Equestrians found themselves crowded with the Rebel strike team loading weapons and supplies. Lando turned to face Han, while Luke and Leia said their good-byes and started up the ramp.

“Look… I want you to take her,” Han insisted. “I mean it. Take her. You need all the help you can get. She’s the fastest ship in the fleet.

“All right, old buddy,” Lando chuckled. “You know, I know what she means to you. I’ll take good care of her. She-she won’t get a scratch. All right?”

“Right,” Han spoke warmly. “I got your promise now. Not a scratch.”

“Look, would you get going, you pirate.”

Han and Lando took a momentary pause before exchanging salutes.

“Good luck,” Lando spoke.

“You too,” Han responded.

Han goes up the ramp. Lando watched him go, then slowly turned away. Luke was currently working on a back control panel, as Han came in and took the pilot’s seat. Chewie, in the seat next to him, trying to figure out all the Imperial controls.

“You got her warmed?” Han asked.

“Yeah, she’s comin’ up,” Luke answered.

Chewie growled a complaint.

“No, I don’t think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie,” Han spoke.

Leia and the girls came in from the hold, the princess took a seat near Luke. Chewie barked and hit some switches. But the girls, even Storm, noticed Han’s glance was stuck on something out the window: the Millennium Falcon. Leia nudged him gently.

“Hey, are you awake?” Leia asked.

“Yeah, I just got a funny feeling,” Han spoke worriedly. “Like I’m not gonna see her again.”

“I understand how you feel,” Storm spoke up. “When I had to give away my favorite speeder for cash back in Tatooine, I still worry that the next owner will wreck her so badly I’ll never recognize my own baby.”

Han turned toward Storm with an annoyed glance.

“If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re not doing it right,” Han remarked sarcastically.

“Hey, no need to feel so sad, Captain,” Pinkie chirped. “Who knows? If fate is kind, you’ll eventually get to see that old ship of yours again? So then you’ll feel like home, really get into the moment, up until—well, it probably won’t be canon anyway. I won’t go into details about that one.”

Han just eyed Pinkie Pie weirdly but even he knew better than to ask. Chewie, hearing all the talk, stopped his activity and looked longingly out at the Falcon, too. Leia placed a hand upon Han’s shoulder.

“Come on, General, let’s move,” Leia gestured softly.

“Right,” Han snapped to life. “Chewie let’s see what this piece of junk can do. Ready, everybody?”

“All set!” Luke answered.

“Ready when you are!” Twilight called out.

“Here we go again,” 3PO moaned.

“All right, hang on,” Han spoke.

Soon the stolen Imperial shuttle left the main docking bay of the Headquarters Frigate, lowered its wings into flight position, and zoomed off into space.

<> 

In the Emperor’s throne room on the Death Star, the converted control room was dimly lit, except for a pool of light at the far end. There the Emperor sat in an elaborate control chair before a large window which looked out across the half-completed Death Star to the giant green moon of Endor. Darth Vader and Darth Seraphina, both standing with other members of the Imperial council, cautiously approaching their master even as the ruler’s back was to them. After several tense moments, the Emperor’s chair rotates around to face them.

“What is thy bidding, my Master?” Vader questioned.

“Send the fleet to the far side of Endor,” Palpatine commanded. “There it will stay until called for.”

“What of the reports of the Rebel fleet massing near Sullust?” Seraphina asked.

“It is of no concern. Soon the Rebellion will be rushed, and young Skywalker will be one of us!”

He then turned his attention toward Seraphina.

“As well as finally having the blood of Twilight Sparkle on your hands.”

Seraphina nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Your work here is finished, my friends. Go out to the command ship and await my orders.”

“Yes, master,” Vader and Seraphina said simultaneously.

The Sith lords bowed, then turned to leave the throne room as the Emperor walked toward the waiting council members. Little did he know, looming in the corner and hiding in the shadows was Darth Andromedis. Having been awoken from his carbon prison after three thousand years, the former Dark Council member had been set free upon the galaxy by Palpatine to do whatever it is that he saw fit. The only condition he had for him was to cause havoc for the Rebellion as well, a small price to pay for the Master of the Dead. So for the last few years, he had secretly been hunting down and killing any and all rebels he could find. Though at the same time, he had more… personal matters to attend to.

The Sith master in question slunk away from hiding as he made his way to the core reactor room of the Death Star. Staring at the giant reactor, he closed his eyes and concentrated heavily on the dark side of the force. Though he suddenly lost focus when he felt the presence of the light side, and a rather familiar presence. Snapping his eyes open, his face turned into a hateful sneer.

“I’ve been expecting you,” He spoke.

From behind him, a faint white light shined before evaporating into the ghostly form of Ashara Zavros. The Togruta spirit looked sadly at the newly awoken Sith.

“As have I,” She said. “We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

Andromedis slowly turned to face her, and she could clearly see the disdain and hate in those eyes.

“It amuses me truly that though you say you’ve waited so long,” He growled. “You certainly did not seem all too eager to find me.”

Ashara looked down in shame before looking back at him.

“I’m sorry,” She apologized. “It hasn’t been easy for me either. When the sky-troopers attacked Marr’s battleship all that time ago, I wanted so desperately to find and help you. Then Andronekis told me to stay because you told him to get us back to the Empire.”

“Yet even afterwards when you heard I had been taken by the Eternal Empire, you never came to find me.”

Once again, Ashara looked ashamed and sad.

“When you disappeared, I didn’t know where to turn. The Jedi condemned me long ago and I couldn’t trust the Sith. I was lost. It made me realize how much I relied on others. I needed to forge my own path, away from you, away from the council, and everyone else who tried to influence me.”

This caused Andromedis to chuckle darkly.

“So, in other words, I spent three-thousand-years locked away simply because you needed to find yourself?”

This caused Ashara to transfer from being sad to almost angry.

“It’s not like I didn’t try to find you!” She snapped. “I searched everywhere I could. But the Eternal Empire had hidden you well. It wasn’t like I could just storm onto Zakuul by myself.”

“You left me behind!” Andromedis yelled back.

“That’s not true!” Ashara screamed. “How do you think I died?! Trying to save you! I gathered as many followers as I could to lead a search-and-rescue on Zakuul, but their forces were still too strong. I tried to sneak away to find you, but Vaylin found me first. I spent the last few moments of my life thinking about you, and only you.”

Andromedis’ face slowly softened a bit, yet still retained that stern look as he listened to her story.

“When I became one with the force,” Ashara continued. “My spirit traveled to Dromund Kass where the Sith brought you following the Eternal Empire’s collapse. I met Darth Marr and Satele Shan and we all stayed trapped there until a few years ago when those Inquisitors and that poor Sunset girl found you. Afterwards, we traveled to the Dagobah system to help Master Yoda teach the Jedi girls so they could finally stop the empire once and for all. I always figured if I couldn’t save you, I would at least do what my primary mission had always been since I was a Jedi.”

Ashara approached Andromedis, her spirit looked directly into his dark yellow eyes.

“But seeing you again makes me realize how much stronger I’ve become and… how much I still love you,” She said sweetly. “I spent many nights missing you, wondering if I’d ever see you again. You gave me the strength to keep going. I’m not the wide-eyed apprentice you fell for all those years ago, but I hope you understand how I feel.”

Andromedis actually allowed the ghost of a smile edge its way onto his face as he looked at his former lover and apprentice… till it quickly turned to a scowl.

“You abandoned me when I needed you most,” He seethed. “There’s no coming back from that. I have no need of you any longer, not the way you are anyway. However, there is still one thing I can use you for.”

He then shot his arms out and began the same ritual he employed thousands of years before to bind force ghosts to himself and use their power for his own. Ashara’s spirit cringed in agony as the feeling of darkness fell over her, as her spirit soon faded into darkness and Andromedis absorbed it into his very form. His usual yellow eyes then glowed a bright purple as he could feel the new power coursing through his veins only making him much stronger. A sick smirk made its way onto his face.

“Soon this entire galaxy will belong to me… forever.”

<> 

There was a great deal of Imperial traffic in the area as construction proceeded on the Death Star. Transports, TIE fighters, and a few Star Destroyers move about. Now the huge Super Star Destroyer announced itself with a low roar and soon filled the frame. Han looked back at Luke, Leia, and the Equestrians as Chewie flipped several switches. Through the viewscreen, the Death Star and the huge Super Star Destroyer can be seen.

“If they don’t go for this, we’re gonna have to get outta here pretty quick,” Han spoke.

Chewie growled his agreement.

“I wouldn’t doubt that the Empire would be on edge,” Marek observed. “Of course a simple trip to Endor wasn’t going to be easy.”

“All we can do at this point is hope and pray that they won’t look too closely on us,” Storm spoke.

“We have you on our screen now,” The controller spoke, over commlink. “Please identify.”

“Shuttle Tydirium requesting deactivation of the deflector shield,” Han responded.

“Shuttle Tydirium, transmit the clearance code for shield passage.”

“Transmission commencing.”

Leia, Chewbacca, and Fluttershy listened tensely as the sound of a high speed transmission began.

“Now we find out if that code is worth the price we paid,” Leia said.

“It’s work,” Han responded. “It’ll work.”

“I sure hope so,” Fluttershy hoped.

Chewie whined nervously. Luke and Twilight stare at the Huge Super Star Destroyer looming ever larger before them.

“Vader’s on that ship,” He observed.

“And he’s not alone,” Twilight looked out. “Sunset Shimmer is with him.”

“Now don’t get jittery, you two,” Han warned. “There are a lot of command ships. Keep your distance though, Chewie, but don’t look like you’re trying to keep your distance.”

Chewie barked a question.

“I don’t know. Fly casual.”

“I’m endangering the mission,” Luke spoke. “I shouldn’t have come.”

“And our own best friend suddenly wants to kill us,” Spike pointed out. “But… here we are.”

“It’s your imagination, kids,” Han assured. “Come on. Let’s keep a little optimism here.”

“That’s right partner,” Applejack agreed. “We can’t just go givin’ up now when we’re so close.”

Chewie barked his worries as the Super Star Destroyer grew larger out the window. The girls could only stare toward the ship nervously, some of which crossing their fingers behind their backs when no one was looking.

<> 

Lord Vader and Darth Seraphina stood staring out the window at the Death Star. Now, some vibration felt only by him caused him to turn. After a moment of stillness, he walked down a row of controllers to where Admiral Piett leaned over the tracking screen of the controller seen earlier. Piett straightened at Vader’s approach.

“Where is that shuttle going?” Vader demanded.

“Shuttle Tydirium, what is your cargo and destination?”

“Parts and technical crew for the forest moon,” Han spoke, voice filtered.

The Bridge Commander turned toward Vader for a reaction.

“Do they have a code clearance?” Vader asked.

“It’s an older code, sir, but it checks out,” Piett answered. “I was about to clear them.”

Vader looked upward, sensing Luke’s presence.

“Shall I hold them?” Piett asked.

“No. Leave them to me,” Vader answered. “I will deal with them myself.”

This declaration surprised Piett, yet he would not question Lord Vader’s orders.

“As you wish, my lord,” Piett spoke, facing the controller. “Carry on.”

Vader turned as Seraphina approached his side, the later gave a wicked grin as an evil flame lit within her red eyes.

“With General Grievous and the Inquisitors leading the ground charge, it will not only keep the Rebellion distracted, but the other Jedi as well,” He told her.

“Except… for Twilight Sparkle,” Seraphina grinned maliciously.

“At least the time for your vengeance has come at last,” Vader nodded.

“You deal with the young Skywalker as you wish but remember: Twilight Sparkle is ‘all’ mine.”

“May fortune favor you Darth Seraphina.”

With that being said, Vader and Seraphina went their separate ways with Seraphina heading for the one place she figured Twilight Sparkle would most likely be. For years now, she’d been waiting for this moment and now the time had finally come. One way or another, Twilight Sparkle would not live through this day.

<> 

Deep within the confines of her mind, Sunset Shimmer stood in a fighting stance alongside Satele Shan, Darth Marr, and Valora Synn. Across from them stood none other than the Immortal Emperor himself, Tenebrae. The millennia old Sith Pureblood grinned wickedly at them as they stood in defiance to his power.

“At long last, the hour of oblivion has come,” Tenebrae spoke.

“You have no power in the galaxy any longer demon!” Valora stated loudly.

“The hour has come indeed Tenebrae,” Satele added. “The time to wipe the galaxy clean of you once and for all.”

This only caused the Emperor to laugh evilly as he looked upon them with dark eyes.

“Do you truly believe that you can silence the one true power in the galaxy?” He questioned. “I once breeched the fade in the name of another to serve the old gods of the empire in person. I found only chaos and corruption, dead whispers. For a thousand years, I was confused… but no more.”

Then, almost out of nowhere, two more figures stepped out from behind Tenebrae. Those figures being none other than his two other physical forms: Valkorion and Vitiate. 

“At long last, I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own,” Vitiate said. “To finally correct this blighted galaxy and cleanse it of corruption.”

“I have crossed the very fabric of time and space itself for this purpose,” Valkorian added. “beg that I succeed, for I have seen the very throne of the gods itself, and it was empty.”

All of this was really beginning to confuse Sunset to no end.

“So what does any of this have to do with trying to corrupt me?” She asked.

Once again, Tenebrae just laughed.

“Foolish child, are you truly so blind you cannot see what is right in front of you?” He asked. “Have you never once wondered why I have chosen to show you what my life force has expanded to create?”

“Though I was able to sire children, none could ever potentially become the vessel I needed them to be,” Valkorian said.

“Nor has any apprentice ever been able to impress me enough to be worthy of the power that I possess,” Vitiate added.

Tenebrae then took a step forward, shooting out of his hand which knocked everyone else back in a gigantic force push and pulled Sunset right toward him.

“I forged you into a being worthy of claiming the galaxy and purging it of the force,” He said to her. “Once the final process is complete, I shall take your body as my own and rule once more as the Immortal Emperor.”

He then pushed Sunset back as well, and she flipped through the air and landed right alongside the others who were all in the process of gaining their ground once more. Together, they all drew their lightsabers as did the three forms of the Emperor. Sunset once again stood up before the rest as she stared the evil tyrant down.

“It seems you’ve greatly overestimated your own power,” Sunset told him. “You may be powerful, but even you three can’t stand against the combined power of the four of us.”

“Thankfully, I am able to provide an answer to that.”

The addition of a new voice entering the fray caused everyone to look off the side and they all, minus the Emperor’s three forms, seemed shocked. Walking towards the Emperor’s side was none other than the Master of the Dead and Head of the Pyramid of Ancient Knowledge, Darth Andromedis. The Sith lord held his lightsaber at his side as he stood side-by-side with the Emperors and looked down toward the assembled group, specifically Valora.

“Jedi Master Synn,” He chuckled. “How long ago it seems that you and I engaged in glorious combat. Now at long last, I will put an end to you once and for all. And in doing so, destroy the Jedi order.”

“You may have outlived me Andromedis, but we both know I have always been far superior to you,” Valora responded.

“Enough talk!” Tenebrae declared. “ANNIHILATE THEM!!!”

<> 

Soon as the cue was granted, that the code transmission proved successful, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone except Luke, who still remained worried. Chewie barked.

“Okay! I told you it was gonna work,” Han smirked. “No problem.”

“For now anyway,” Storm spoke. “Let’s just find a secure place to land before they change their mind.”

The stolen Imperial shuttle moved toward the green Sanctuary Moon, flying its way passed the Empire’s fleet.

<> 

The stolen Imperial shuttle sat in a clearing of the moon’s dark, primeval forest. The ship itself was dwarfed by the ancient, towering trees. On an adjacent hill, the helmeted Rebel contingent made its way up a steep trail. Leia and Han are slightly ahead of Chewie and Luke. The Equestrian Heroes and Marek, along with the troops of the strike-team squad, followed behind, with R2 and 3PO bringing up the rear. Up ahead, Chewie and Leia reached a crest in the hill and dropped suddenly to the ground, signaling the rest of the group to stop. Han, Storm, Mando, Marek, and Luke crawled up for a better look.

“Oh, I told you it was dangerous here,” 3PO muttered.

“Thanks ‘Captain’ Obvious,” Marek muttered.

Not far below them, two imperial troops are wandering through bushes in the valley below. Their two rocket bikes are parked nearby.

“Two troopers,” Mando observed. “Could be a small scouting party… or likely an ambush.”

“Shall we try and go around?” Leia suggested.

“It’ll take time,” Han pointed out. “This whole party’ll be for nothing if they see us.”

“Then we’ll need to take the stealth approach on this one,” Twilight advised. “Under no circumstances must we jump into anything hasty.”

One by one, the Equestrian party turned toward Rainbow Dash, who eyed her friends in confusion.

“Why are you guys looking at me?” Rainbow asked.

Ignoring Rainbow’s question, Leia motioned for the squad to stay put. Soon she, Han, Luke, Chewie, and Twilight’s group started quietly down the hill. Soon the team had just made their way toward the edge of the clearing not far from the two Imperial scouts.

“Chewie and I will take care of this,” Han instructed. “You stay here.”

“Quietly, there might me more of them out there,” Luke warned.

“Hey… it’s me,” Han grinned.

Han and Chewie turned with a start through the bushes toward the scouts. Luke and Leia exchanged smiles, knowing their old friend all too well. Marek picked himself up from his hiding position.

“Not that I don’t trust the captain,” Marek spoke up. “But I better get down there, just in case anything goes wrong.”

“And I’ll keep an eye on him,” Mando volunteered, addressing Marek. “Could use the extra target practice in the meantime.”

“Just be careful y’all,” Applejack advised. 

Marek nodded as he, with the Mandalorian close behind him, followed their comrades carefully down the hill. In the meantime, Han slowly snuck up behind one of the scouts, aiming for a quick take down.

*SNAP!*

Han suddenly stepped on a twig and the scout whirled in alarm. He knocked Han into a tree before turning to his companion.

“Go for help! Go!” The Scout shouted.

The second scout jumped on his speeder bike attempted to take off. But the scout didn’t get far, when the Mandolorian suddenly appeared and shot the scout in the back sending him crashing onto the floor. Han and the remaining Scout are in a rousing fistfight, determined to one-up the other. This activity does not go unnoticed as the others caught sight of the fight.

“Captain Han is in trouble!” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Great,” Luke spoke sarcastically. “Come on!”

Luke started for the scuffle, followed by Leia with her laser pistol drawn. The remainder of the group looked on from their hiding spots. As they run through the bushes, Leia stopped and pointed toward two more scouts sitting on their speeder bikes, with an unoccupied bike parked nearby.

“Over there! Two more of them!” Leia shouted.

“I see them… wait, Leia!” Luke called out.

But Leia, not hearing him, raced for the remaining speeder bike. She quickly starts it up and took off, as Luke jumped on the bike behind her.

“Quick! Jam their commlink!” Luke pointed to the controls. “Center switch!”

Luke and Leia sped into the dense foliage in hot pursuit, barely avoiding two huge trees.

“Hey, wait!” Han called out. 

The remaining scout nearly had Han, who flipped the remaining scout to the ground. Before the scout could recover, Marek leapt from the bush and slammed his own lightsaber through the scout’s helmet, killing him instantaneously. Shutting off his lightsaber, Marek quickly helped Han to his feet as the rest of the Equestrians immediately emerged.

“Where’s Luke and Leia?” Twilight asked.

“They took off after the other scouts,” Han pointed in the distance. 

“We should go after them,” Rarity advised. “Those poor dears could be killed!”

“I’ll get them,” Marek volunteered, hopping on the speeder. “You guys wait here with the squad; I’ll help deal with the scouts.

Marek quickly sped off in hot pursuit, hoping to catch up with his comrades, while the rest waited beside Han. The Mandalorian quickly motioned forward.

“Where are you going?” Storm asked.

“Like I’m letting the boy go off on his own?” Mando spoke. 

Without another word, the Mandalorian activated his jetpack and took off through the woods at high speed. 

“Where did we find this guy?” Spike asked, baffled. 

<> 

In the meantime, the two fleeing Imperial scouts had a good lead as Luke and Leia pursued through the giant trees at 200 miles an hour. The fire from their bike’s laser cannon struck harmlessly near the moving targets.

“Move closer!” Luke instructed.

Leia gunned it, closing the gap. The two scouts recklessly veered through a narrow gap in the trees. One of the bikes scraped a tree, slowing the scout.

“Get alongside that one!”

Leia pulled her speeder bike up so close to the scout’s bike that their steering vanes scrape noisily. Luke leapt from his bike to the back of the scout’s, grabbed the Imperial warrior around the neck, and flipped him off the bike, into a thick tree trunk. Luke gained control of the bike and followed Leia, who pulled ahead. They tear off after the remaining scout.

“Get him!” Luke shouted.

The speeding chase passed three more imperial scouts. They swing into pursuit, chasing Luke and Leia, firing away with their laser cannons. The two Rebels turned behind them, just as Luke’s bike took a glancing hit. Suddenly, the third scout was struck in the back by laser fire and fell off his bike screaming. Marek & The Mandalorian finally caught up, the Mandalorian manning the controls, and removing one of the three pursuing scouts.

“Keep on that one!” Luke indicated the one ahead. “We’ll take these two!”

With Leia shooting ahead, Luke suddenly slammed his steering vanes into the braking mode. Luke’s bike was a blue to the two pursuing scouts as they zipped by him on either side. Luke slammed his bike forward, right beside Marek’s, and together they fired away (Luke having switched places with his pursuers in a manner of seconds). Their aim proved true, as one scout’s bike was blasted out of control and exploded against a tree trunk. The scout’s cohort took one glance back at the flash and shifted into turbo drive, going even faster. Luke and his allies keep on his tail.

Far ahead, Leia and the first scout are doing a highspeed slalom through the death-dealing trunks. Now Leia aimed her bike skyward and rose out of sight. The scout turned in confusion, unable to see his pursuer. Suddenly, Leia dove down upon him from above, blasting her cannon. The scout’s bike took a glancing hit as Leia moved alongside him. The scout eyed her beside him, reached down, and pulled out a handgun. Before Leia could react, the scout blasted her bike, sending it out of control. Leia dove off as her bike exploded against a tree. The happy scout turned back at the explosion for a moment, but when he turned forward again, the Mandalorian appeared from in front of him. The scout hit the brakes to no avail, as the Mandalorian shot a missile from the single-shot function on his pact and the scout exploded in conflagration while the Mandalorian flew off.

In another part of the forest, Luke, Marek, and the last remaining scout continued their weaving chase through the trees. Luke inched closer, while the scout responded by slamming his bike into Luke’s. A fallen tree formed a bridge across their path. The scout zipped under with Marek following behind. Luke went over the top and crashed his bike down on the scout’s Both riders looked ahead – a wide trunk loomed directly in Luke’s path, but the scout’s bike beside him made it almost impossible for him to avoid it. Luke banked with all his might, leaning almost horizontal over the scout’s, barely making it by (Just clipping the tree). 

Marek zoomed around the tree only to find that Luke and the scout had their bikes’ front vanes locked, moving together as one. Another big tree loomed toward their path.

“Luke! Get out of there!” Marek shouted.

Luke reacted instinctively and dove off his bike. The two bikes come apart a second before Luke’s exploded against a tree. Marek swept out and circled toward Luke, who rose from the undergrowth just as the scout returned and opened fire with his laser cannon. Marek ignited his laser sword and begun deflecting the bolts in Luke’s defense. The scout’s bike kept coming and it appeared that in a second it could cut the pair in half. At the last instant, Luke ignited his own blade and chopped off the bike’s control vanes with one mighty slash. The scout’s bike began to shudder, pitch, and rolled, rising up to slam directly into a tree in a giant ball of fire.

Galen Marek breathed a sigh of relief after a hectic battle, as he disabled his light saber. By then, the Mandalorian made it toward the two jedi and switched off the rocket-pack landing beside the pair.

“Where’s the princess?” The Mandalorian asked.

“You mean you didn’t see her?” Marek asked.

But answer came none. Marek turned toward Luke, the sudden realization hitting the pair.

<> 

Later…

Han, Chewie, the droids, and the Equestrians (Along with the rest of the squad) waited anxiously in the clearing. R2’s radar screen stuck out of his domed head and revolved, scanning the forest. A set of beeps escaped him.

“Oh, General Solo, somebody’s coming!” 3PO announced.

“Arms at the ready!” Storm ordered. “Could be Empire scouts!”

The group raised their weapons at the ready, just as Luke Skywalker, Galen Marek, and the Mandalorian stepped out of the foliage finding weapons trained on them. But they were too tired to even care, as Luke plopped himself down on a boulder and looked around.

“Luke! Marek!” Twilight shouted. “Where’s Leia?”

“Wasn’t she with you?” Rainbow asked.

“We got separated,” Luke sighed.

“We must’ve missed her a few miles back,” Marek added. 

Luke and Han exchange a silent, grim look. Luke picked himself up, albeit wearily.

“Hey, we better go look for her,” Luke suggested.

Han nodded and signaled a Rebel officer over.

“Take the squad ahead,” Han ordered. “We’ll meet at the shield generator at 0300.”

“Come on, R2,” Luke called out. “We’ll need your scanners.”

Luke, Chewie, Han, the droids, and Twilight’s team moved off in one direction while the remaining squad proceeded ahead.

“Don’t worry Master Luke,” Pinkie assured. “We’ll find the princess faster before anyone can say Ticonderoga.”

“What the hay is Ticonderoga?” Applejack asked.

“No idea… it just sounded funny.”

The girls moaned in frustration, and they took off into the woods.

“And you said it was pretty here,” 3PO told R2. “Ugh!”
> Face to Face
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having successfully avoided death after jumping off the speeder bike, Leia laid barely conscious upon the area she was upon. Her clothes are torn, she’s bruised, and she’s disheveled all at once. All at once, there was sudden movement and a strange little furry face with huge black eyes slowly came into view. The creature in question happened to be an Ewok, Wicket by name. He seemed somewhat puzzled over the strange creature lying on the grass, and prodded Leia with a spear. The princess groaned, which frightened the stubby ball of fuzz as he prodded her again with the sharp point of the spear. In seconds, the princess quickly recovered.

“Cut it out!” Leia snipped.

The Ewok jumped up and held the four-foot-long spear in a defensive position. As she tries to figure out where she is and what happened, Leia watched Wicket circle warily around her. She slowly stood up, and the Ewok quickly backed away.

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” Leia spoke calmly.

The princess looked around at the dense forest, particularly toward the charred remains of her speeder bike. She sat down, with a sigh, on a fallen log.

“Well, looks like I’m stuck here,” She groaned. “Trouble is, I don’t know where here is.”

She placed her head in her hands, rubbing away the soreness from her fall.

“Leia!”

Leia quickly looked up as a blur zipped through the forest in their direction. Leia quickly recognized the speck of pink and a hint of yellow at the bottom.

“Fluttershy?” She called out.

And all at once, the shy, timid girl herself skid to a halt before the princess. She leaned her hands upon her knees, breathing heavily as if she’d just ran a marathon. Once appropriately recovered, she lifted her tired head toward Leia.

“Oh princess… thank goodness I found you,” Fluttershy sighed.

“What are you doing here?” Leia asked. “I thought you were with Han, Luke, and the others.”

“I was…” She answered, turning back. “But then we heard your speeder crashed, so we decided to look for you. I kind of ran ahead of the rest.”

“But that trip must’ve taken you miles. How did you even get here so quickly?”

“You’d be surprised how years of constant fear and paranoia could give you quite the energy boost.”

It was then Fluttershy eventually looked down toward the small fuzzy creature standing by Leia’s side. All at once, her eyes widened with utter surprise. However, instead of her usual fearful self, her reaction was more so due to the cuteness of the little thing.

“Oh my goodness!” She gasped. “What a cute little creature. Oh look at him, isn’t he just so adorable?”

Leia chuckled to herself as Fluttershy knelt down on her knees to observe the Ewok, much to the creature’s own confusion.

“Well I guess you can say he’s a new friend,” Leia chuckled.

She looks over toward the watchful little Ewok, patting the log beside her.

“Well, maybe you can help us. Come on, sit down.”

Wicket holds his spear up warily, growling at her like a puppy.

“Oh don’t you worry little one,” Fluttershy assured. “We won’t hurt you. My name is Fluttershy, and I take care of many creatures of all kinds back where I’m from. I wouldn’t hurt a fly or a flea.”

Hearing the strange pink haired human speak so calmly made the cautious Ewok lower his spear.

“I promise we won’t hurt you,” Leia added. “Now come here.”

More growls and squeaks emerge from the little bear-like creature.

“All right,” Leia spoke defensively. “You want something to eat?”

She takes out some scrap of food from her pocket and offered it to him. Wicket took a step backward, then cocked his head and moved cautiously toward Leia, chattering in his squeaky Ewok language.

“That’s right little fella,” Fluttershy smiled. “It’s good. Go on. Hmmm?”

Sniffing the food curiously, the Ewok approached Leia and sat on the log beside her. Fluttershy smiled in approval as she also came up and sat alongside the small teddy bear creature. The moment Leia took off her helmet, the little creature jumped back, startled again. He ran along the log, pointing his spear at her and chattering a blue streak. Leia held out the helmet toward him.

“Look, it’s a hat,” Leia spoke calmly. “It’s not gonna hurt you. Look. You’re a jittery little thing, aren’t you?”

Fluttershy cautiously reached a timid hand out, gently placing it on the Ewok’s head. This caused the creature to jump and point its spear at her. However, when he looked into her calming eyes, an instant connection seemed to be made and Wicket slowly lowered his weapon. Fluttershy reached out her hand again and gently started to scratch behind his little ears. Wicket seemed to really like the treatment and leaned further into the scratching. This caused Fluttershy to giggle cutely as she watched the little guy gaze over the helmet as he leaned into the scratching.

Suddenly, his ears perked up and he began sniffing the air. He looked around warily, whispering some Ewokese warning to Leia and Fluttershy.

“What is it?” Leia asked.

“I think I can make out what he’s saying,” Fluttershy responded. “He says… ‘Look out’!”

Fluttershy leapt up and tackled Leia to the ground as a laser bolt burst from the foliage and exploded on the log next to Leia. The three rolled backward off the log, hiding behind it. Leia held her own laser gun at the ready, while Wicket disappeared underneath the log. Fluttershy readied her lightsaber as another shot exploded, and still no sight of anyone in the forest. Then Leia sensed something and turned to find a large imperial scout standing over her with his weapon pointed at her. He reached out his hand for his weapon.

“Freeze!” The scout ordered. “Come on, get up!”

She handed the weapon over, as a second scout emerged from the foliage in front of the log.

“Go get your ride and take her back to base,” He informed the other.

“Yes, sir.”

The second scout started toward his bike, as Wicket, crouched under the log, extended his spear and hit the first scout on the leg. The scout jumped and let out an exclamation and looked down toward Wicket in puzzlement. Unbeknownst to him, Fluttershy used the force to pull the pistol away from him and hurl it away before striding up toward the scout before proceeding to use… ‘the stare’. The scout tried to avoid the ominous stare but soon found himself succumbed to the young Jedi’s secret power. It seemed like he was under some form of hypnotic stare.

“You will fight for the Rebellion,” She spoke softly.

“I will fight for the Rebellion,” The scout responded.

In the meantime, Leia dove for her laser pistol, and the second scout (Now on his bike) took off. Leia fired away and hit the escaping bike, causing it to crash into the first scout’s bike, which flew end over end and exploded. Soon the forest was quiet once more as Wicket poked his fuzzy head up from behind the log. He turned toward Leia and Fluttershy, regarding the pair with newfound respect mumbling his awe. Leia hurried over, looking around all the time, and motioned the chubby little creature into the dense foliage.

“Come one, let get outta here,” She said.

As they move into the foliage, Wicket took the lead. He shrieked and tugged at Leia, waving some hand gestures. Fluttershy listened carefully to his words.

“He’s telling us to follow him,” Fluttershy translated. “That we’ll be safe where we’re going.”

<>

In the meantime, Darth Vader and Darth Seraphina both walked down the corridor toward the private elevator leading up the Emperor’s tower. The Emperor’s private guard stepped in their path.

“Halt!” The guard ordered. “The Emperor does not wish to be disturbed at the moment.”

Vader and Seraphina looked at each other before facing the guards and raised both of their hands in the choking gesture. Both guards sputtered and gagged as they were choked by the force.

“The Emperor will see us, now!” Vader said menacingly.

“The Emperor will see you, now,” The guard choked out.

Both Sith lords released their grip and the guards regained their composure.

“Oh… and one more thing,” Seraphina growled.

She quickly unsheathed her lightsaber and sliced both imperial guards down where they stood. After sheathing her lightsaber again, Seraphina looked up spotting Vader staring directly at her.

“What?” She asked. “They may serve the Emperor, but those who fail to know their place must be exterminated… no exceptions.”

Vader spoke not a word, instead walked into the elevator with Seraphina following in suit. Two more imperial guards stood watch at the elevator as the door opened. Vader and Seraphina stepped out from the elevator, entering the eerie, foreboding throne room which appeared to be empty. Their footsteps echoed as they approached the throne and waited, absolutely still. The Emperor sat with his back toward the Dark Lords.

“I told you to remain on the command ship,” Palpatine spoke.

“A small Rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor,” Vader responded.

“Yes, I know.”

The way the Emperor responded made it seem as though there was absolutely no surprise in his tone. As though he had already expected this to happen.

“Heading the force is none other than Twilight Sparkle and her rag tag group of blind followers,” Seraphina informed.

“My son is with them,” Vader added.

“Are you sure?” Palpatine asked.

“I have felt him, my Master.”

“Strange, that I have not. I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader.”

“They are clear, my Master.”

“Then you must go to the Sanctuary Moon and wait for them.”

“He will come to me?”

“I have foreseen it,” Palpatine nodded. “His compassion for you will be his undoing. He will come to you and then you will bring him before me.”

“As you wish.”

The Dark Lord strode out of the throne room, leaving only Seraphina and Palpatine in the throne room.

“What of Twilight Sparkle, my master?” Seraphina asked.

“When Lord Vader brings the young Skywalker to me, no doubt the foolish Jedi girl will come to rescue him,” Palpatine answered.

This caused Seraphina to crack a cruel, wicked grin under her hood.

“Where I will be waiting,” She grinned.

<>

Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and the two droids spread out as they moved through the heavy foliage near the clearing where Leia was last seen. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle, the Mandalorian, Galen Marek, and the others were spread out in another area. Spike was ahead of both groups, using his nose to track for a scent, sniffing the ground heavily. Eventually, Spike stopped and barked rapidly, pointing toward a spot ahead. Luke followed Spike’s call where he discovered Leia’s helmet. He picked it up with an expression of concern.

“Luke!” Han yelled. “Luke!”

“Spike! Did you find anything?!” Twilight yelled as well.

Luke and Spike raced back, the former with the helmet. They found Han near the charred wreckage of a speeder bike in the grass. Twilight and the others soon raced up toward the rest of the group.

“Oh, Master Luke,” 3PO gasped.

“There’s two more wrecked speeders back there,” Luke informed. “And I found this.”

He tossed the helmet toward Han.

“I’m afraid that R2’s sensors can find no trace of Princess Leia,” 3PO informed.

“And I can’t get any further trace of Leia from here,” Spike added. “This jungle has far too many new smells, it kind of blends in.”

“Wait, so there’s no sign of Leia whatsoever?” Rainbow asked. “Does that mean she’s…?”

“Come on now Rainbow, let’s not think like that,” Applejack spoke quickly. “Ah’m sure she’s just fine. A little lost maybe, but fine all the same.”

“I hope she’s alright,” Han spoke worriedly.

Chewbacca growled, sniffing the air, then with a bark pushed off through the foliage.

“What, Chewie?” Han asked. “What? Chewie!”

“What’s he do…”

Spike stopped when his nose started inhaling something in the air, he sniffed rapidly till he caught the scent Chewbacca found.

“That’s new…” Spike muttered, following the trail.

The others rushed to keep up with both Spike and the giant Wookiee. As he scooted along, R2 whistled nervously. The group soon reached a break in the undergrowth. Chewie walked up to a tall stake planted in the ground, a dead animal hung from it. Spike stepped closer, took a few whiffs, and reeled back, cringing while waving his right paw in front of his nose.

“Hey, I don’t get it,” Han said confused.

“Oh, that’s simply disgusting!” Rarity cringed, on the verge of vomiting.

The rest of the group joined the Wookiee around the stake.

“Nah, it’s just a dead animal, Chewie,” Han told the Wookiee.

But Chewie, unable to resist, reached toward the meat.

“Chewie, wa-wait!” Twilight called out. “Don’t touch that—”

But it was too late. Chewie already pulled the animal from the stake, and the whole ground found themselves hanging upside down inside an Ewok net, suspended high above the clearing. R2 let out a while series of beeps and whistles, while Chewie howled his regret. Their bodies are a jumbled in the net. Han removed a Wookiee paw from his mouth.

“Well, this isn’t good,” Storm groaned.

“How do you like this for luck?” Spike muttered. “Stuck together in some nutty way, by the most conveniently placed trap on the market.”

“Well look on the bright side Spikey,” Pinkie replied, cheerfully. “It could be…”

“Pinkie Pie, I swear,” Marek threatened. “You finish that sentence, so help me, I will punch you ‘so hard’ your coat’s going to lose its color!”

“Yeesh, alright then Mr. Grumpy. Oh wait, I don’t know if I can say that since that’s part of the ‘other’ Fanfiction group.”

“Will you just be quiet both of you?" Mando asked.

“Nice work,” Han spoke sarcastically. “Great, Chewie! Great! Always thinking with your stomach.”

“Will you take it easy?” Luke assured. “Let’s just figure out a way to get out of this thing. Han, can you reach my lightsaber?”

“Yeah, sure,” Han nodded.

“I can’t reach mine,” Twilight said, flailing her free hand.

“Me neither!” Storm added.

R2, at the bottom most point in the net, extended his cutting appendage and began slicing at the net. Han tried to squeeze an arm past 3PO to reach Luke’s lightsaber. The net continued to spin, making some of the occupants rather dizzy.

“R2, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” 3PO said nervously. “It’s a very long dro-o-op!!!”

R2 cut through and the entire group tumbled out of the net, crashing together onto the ground below. As they regained their senses and sat up, they realized that emerging from the surrounding foliage were dozens upon dozens of Ewoks. All coming in a variety of colors, wearing colorful garbs, and each brandishing a long spear.

“What the—WHA?!” Rainbow muttered.

“What are these things?” Twilight wondered.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Storm observed. “I think we’re in the presence of the natives of this moon, the Ewoks.”

“Ewoks?”

Han tried to pick himself up, perplexed at the presence of these weird creatures before him. But one Ewok, Teebo, drew a spear right toward his face.

“Hey! Point that thing someplace else,” Han scolded.

The man pushed the spear, wielded by Teebo, out of his face and a second Ewok warrior approached Teebo. An argument briefly took place between the two before the spear returned to Han’s face. He grabbed it angrily, starting for his laser pistol.

“I wouldn’t do that!” The Mandalorian warned.

“What you know of these creatures?” Rainbow asked.

“Not personally… but I am aware that they are warriors. We ‘are’ on their moon, and they are clearly not accustomed to strangers.”

“Just put the gun down Han,” Storm suggested. “It’ll be all right… hopefully.”

The remaining Ewoks swarmed through them, confiscating them of their weapons. Luke allowed them to take his lightsaber, though Rainbow stubbornly put up a fight with her own till a pair of Ewoks took her dual-lightsaber out of her hands. Chewie growled toward the furry critters in defense.

“Chewie, give ‘em your crossbow,” Luke ordered.

R2 and 3PO are just untangling themselves out of the net. Eventually, 3PO propped himself free and sat up, albeit slightly rattled.

“Oh, my head,” 3PO complained. “Oh, my goodness!”

Soon as the Ewoks saw 3PO, they released a gasp and chattered amongst themselves. 3PO began speaking to them in their native tongue. The Ewok nearest him dropped his spear and prostrated himself before the droid. In a moment, all the Ewoks followed suit. Chewie lets out a puzzled bark, while Spike stared in confusion. Han, Luke, and Storm regarded the bowing creatures in wonder. Soon the Ewoks began chanting toward 3PO.

“Do you understand anything they’re saying?” Luke asked.

“Ooh, ooh, I think I do!” Pinkie said excitedly. “I think that one said that the princess flew on the wings of an eagle. She had a VCR, but wanted a DVD player, and the gods sent munchkins to hypnotize her water skis. So she took her peanut butter sandwich for a walk.”

Everyone, including the Ewoks, stared at Pinkie in the upmost confusion as though she had completely lost her mind.

“Pinkie, do you even believe half the stuff you say?” Rainbow asked.

“Nope,” Pinkie giggled. “But it makes for good character dialect.”

“Okay seriously, does ‘anyone’ have a logical idea about what they’re saying?” Luke asked again.

“Oh, yes, Master Luke!” 3PO spoke up. “Remember that I am fluent in over six million forms of communication.”

3PO once more spoke with the Ewoks in their tribal language.

“What are you telling them?” Twilight asked.

“Hello, I think… I could be mistaken,” 3PO answered. “They’re using a very primitive dialect. But I do believe they think I am some sort of god.”

“Well upon my word!” Rarity gasped, surprised. “They actually think you… are a God?”

Chewbacca, R2, and Pinkie think that’s very funny while Han and Luke exchanged ‘what next?’ looks.

“Well, how’s about usin’ that there ‘divine influence’ and get us outta here?” Applejack suggested.

“I beg your pardon, Applejack, but that just wouldn’t be proper,” 3PO replied.

“Proper?!” Rainbow argued. “We’re surrounded by killer teddy bears, as embarrassing as this is, and you’re justifying not helping us by saying what’s ‘proper’?!”

“It’s against my programming to impersonate a deity,” 3PO replied.

“Why, you—” Han growled.

Han moved toward 3PO threateningly, when several Ewok spears are suddenly thrust in his face at the affront of their god. The Ewoks move in to protect their god and Han found himself surrounded by a menacing circle of spears, all aimed at him. He held his hands up placatingly.

“My mistake. He’s an old friend of mine.”

“I guess this is a bad time to bring up that you guys are kind of deities?” Spike asked Storm and Twilight.

“Given our circumstances right now… they’d never believe us,” Storm whispered back.

<>

A procession of Ewoks marched through the ever-darkening forest. Their prisoners – Han, Luke, Chewie, R2, the Equestrians, and their allies – were tied to long poles and wrapped in vines, cocoonlike. Each pole carried upon the shoulders of several Ewoks. Behind the captives, 3PO was carried on a litter, like a king, by the remaining creatures. The procession moved along a shaky, narrow, wooden walkway, high in the giant trees. It stopped at the end of the walkway, which dropped off into nothingness. On the other side of the abyss is a village of mud huts and rickety walkways, attached to the giant trees.

The lead Ewok took hold of a long vine and swung across to the village square; the other Ewoks followed suit. The procession wound its way into the village square. Mother Ewoks gathered their babies up and scurried into their huts at the sight of the newcomers. The group stopped before the largest hut. The entirety of the group are still bound to their poles. Han himself was placed on a spit above what looks like a barbecue pit, while the others leaned against a tree nearby. 3PO’s litter/throne was gently placed near the pit, the droid watched with rapt fascination. Twilight and her friends are less fascinated.

“I have a really bad feeling about this,” Han said nervously.

“Just keep it steady,” Mando advised.

Chewie growled his concern. All of a sudden, all activity stopped as Logray, the tribal Medicine Mane, emerged from the big hut. He examined the captives carefully then eventually joined 3PO, whose throne has been placed on an elevated platform. A larger, gray-haired Ewok, Chief Chirpa, examined the group’s lightsabers with great curiosity. Logray spoke to 3PO and the assemblage of fuzzy Ewoks, pointing toward the prisoners tied to the stakes. The Ewoks began filling the pit under Han with firewood.

“What did he say?” Han asked.

“I’m rather embarrassed, General Solo,” 3PO responded. “But it appears you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honor.”

“Well, what do you know?” Pinkie giggled. “They decide to skip the appetizer round and move straight to dinner. I just hope we’ll still have room for dessert.”

“Pinkie…” Rainbow growled. “We’re the dinner! Those monsters are going… to eat… us!”

“Ooh… I hate to think if Fluttershy ran into these guys,” Rarity moaned, worriedly. “The poor dear must be suffering dearly…”

The drums start beating, all furry heads turned toward the large hut. Leia emerged, wearing an animal-skin dress. And much to their surprise, Fluttershy walked alongside the Princess, albeit slightly dressed in similar fashion as Leia. The two women could see what’s happening around the same moment the prisoners saw them.

“Leia!” Everyone yelled. “Fluttershy!”

As the girls moved toward them, the Ewoks blocked their way with their raised spears.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped.

“Fluttershy! Your Royal Highness!” 3PO spoke.

R2 and Chewie chimed with their welcome. The girls looked amongst the assembled Ewoks and sighed.

“But these are my friends,” Leia spoke.

“Maybe I can convince them otherwise,” Fluttershy offered.

She waved her hand drawing the attention of both Chirpa and Logray.

“Pardon us good sirs,” Fluttershy spoke up. “It seems there’s been some slight misunderstanding. Those are not prisoners, they’re my good friends. Oh, won’t you please let them go?”

Unfortunately for Fluttershy, even though they heard what she said, they just shook their heads negatively. The Medicine gestured toward the prisoners and barked several orders. Several Ewoks jumped up, piling more wood on the barbecue with vigor. Leia and Fluttershy traded frantic looks toward their friends.

“Somehow, I got the feeling that didn’t help us very much,” Han moaned.

“No… you think?” Marek asked sarcastically.

“3PO, tell them if they don’t do as you wish, you’ll become angry and use your magic,” Luke suggested.

“Magic?” The girls questioned.

“3PO? As in… ‘that’ 3PO?” Spike asked, anxiously.

“Trust me…” Luke assured. “I have a plan.”

“But Master Luke, what magic?” 3PO questioned, confused. “I couldn’t possibly—”

“Just tell them,” Storm spoke.

And so, 3PO proceeded to speak to the Ewoks. The Ewoks seemed vastly disturbed by 3PO’s words. Yet Logray stepped forward, challenging 3PO. While they were distracted, Luke quickly glanced toward Twilight and her friends, the former quickly putting it together. Together, Luke, the girls, Marek, Storm, and even Spike started to close their eyes and began to concentrate. Fluttershy silently watched the group in action, then turned toward 3PO and, while not even the Ewoks close to her were looking, she too closed her eyes concentrating.

“You see, Master Luke!” 3PO called out. “They didn’t believe me. Just…”

All of a sudden, the litter/throne, wit 3PO sitting upon it, rose from the ground. At first, 3PO doesn’t notice and kept talking.

“… as I said they wouldn—Wha-WHA-What’s happening! Oh! Oh, dear! Oh!”

All the Ewoks fall back in terror from the floating throne. Now 3PO began to spun as though he were on a revolving stool, with the droid calling out in total panic at his situation.

“Put me down!” 3PO cried out. “HE-E-ELP! Master Luke! Twilight! R2! Somebody, somebody, help! Master Luke, R2! R2, quickly! Do something, somebody! Oh! OHHH!”

Chief Chirpa yelled orders to the cowering Ewoks. They rushed up, releasing the bound prisoners. Luke and Han enfold in a group embrace, while Fluttershy raised to the arms of her good friends. Luke noticed the spinning 3PO, with R2 beeping up at him, and slowly lowered the golden droid and the throne back to the surface with ease.

Logray ordered the little droid cut down, and R2 crashed upon the ground. When the Ewoks set him upright, the little droid was fighting mad. R2 beeped a blue streak at the nearest Ewok, and pursued him, finally get close enough to zap him with an electric charge. The Ewok jumped two feet in the air and ran away, screaming. A small group of Ewoks surrounded the giant Wookiee, scratching their heads and marveled at his height.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh! Thank goodness,” 3PO sighed.

“Thanks, 3PO,” Luke smiled.

“I… I never knew I had it in me,” 3PO spoke shakily.

“Yeah, neither did I,” Rainbow smirked.

“Let’s just let him have this moment Rainbow,” Applejack smiled, nudging her shoulder.

<>

A glowing fire danced in the center of the spartan, low-ceilinged room, creating a kaleidoscope of shadows on the walls. Along one side, a group of ten Ewok elders flank Chief Chirpa, who sat on his throne. The Rebels sat along the walls of the hut, with 3PO between the two groups, Wicket, and Teebo off to one side. 3PO himself was in the midst of a long, animated speech in the Ewoks’ squeaky native tongue. The Ewoks listened carefully, occasionally murmuring comments to each other.

3PO pointed several times at the Rebel group, pantomiming a short history of the Galactic Civil War, mimicking the explosion and rocket sounds, imitating Imperial walkers. Throughout the long account, certain familiar names are distinguishable in English, Princess Leia, R2, Darth Vader, Sunset Shimmer, Death Star, Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, even Twilight and several of her friends had a mention or two. R2 began beeping excitedly toward 3PO.

“Yes R2,” 3PO responded. “I was just coming to that.”

3PO continued with the following subjects: The Millennium Falcon, Cloud City, Vader & Seraphina, Han Solo, Sarlaac, bringing the history up to the present time. For Twilight and her friends, for the events they were not involved with, they were taking this as an abridged version of events to get an idea what they missed. At the end of it all, the Chief, Logray, and the elders conferred, then nodded in agreement. The Chief stood and made a pronouncement. The drums began to sound, and all the Ewoks stood with a great cheer and screeched.

“What’s going on?” Han asked.

“I don’t know,” Leia shrugged.

Luke had been sharing the joy with smiling visage, but now something passed like a dark cloud through his consciousness. The others do not notice.

“Wonderful!” 3PO exclaimed in excitement. “We are now a part of the tribe.”

“Ooh wonderful!” Fluttershy smiled.

Several of the little teddy bears raced up and hugged the Rebels.

“Just what I always wanted,” Han spoke sarcastically.

Chewbacca was being enthusiastically embraced by an Ewok, while Wicket clung to Han’s leg.

“I don’t know Han,” Storm remarked. “These Ewoks have been fearing the Empire’s wrath, as the rest of the universe. Since they know this planet better than we do, we could use some extra hands.

“Well, short help is better than no help at all,” Han chuckled, facing Wicket. “Thank you. Okay.”

“He says the scouts are going to show us the quickest way to the shield generator,” 3PO informed.

“Then the sooner we reach the generator and shut down the system, the sooner we can move forward with the rest of the plan,” Mando spoke.

Chewie barked, while Luke drifted to the back of the hut. Now he wandered outside into the moonlight. Leia and the girls soon noticed and followed silently.

“Good. How far is it?” Han asked. “Ask him. We need some fresh supplies, too. And try and get our weapons back.”

Han pulled 3PO back as he kept trying to translate.

“And hurry up, will ya?” Han continued. “I haven’t got all day.”

<>

The walkway was deserted now. The windows of the little guts glowed and flickered from the flames inside. The sounds of the forest fill the soft night air. Luke wandered away from the Chief’s hut and stood staring up at the Death Star. Leia and the girls found him soon as they left the hut.

“Luke, what’s wrong?” Leia asked.

Luke turned and for one long moment just looked at her.

“Leia… do you remember your mother?” Luke asked. “Your real mother?”

“Just a little bit,” Leia admitted. “She died when I was very young.”

“Well, what do you remember?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Just… images, really.”

“Like you always had these feelings about something even though you can’t connect all the dots at first?” Pinkie asked. “Oh, do tell!”

Leia was rather surprised by the insistence, yet she proceeded.

“She was very beautiful. Kind, but… sad. Why are you asking me all this?”

“I have no memory of my mother,” Luke answered. “I never knew her.”

“Luke, tell me,” Leia insisted. “What’s troubling you?”

“Vader is here… now, on this moon,” Luke answered.

“He is?” The girls gasped, in alarm.

“And… Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight asked.

“She is,” Luke nodded.

“How do you know?” Leia asked, alarmed.

“I’ve felt their presence. He’s come for me; he can feel when I’m near. That’s why I have to go.”

“Now hold on partner,” Applejack stepped up. “You barely survived your encounter with Vader; you can’t think to face him alone.”

“As long as I stay, I’m endangering the group and our mission here,” Luke countered. “I have to face him.”

While the girls were letting this sink in, Leia was distraught… confused even.

“Why?” Leia asked.

Luke moved close, his manger gentle and very calm.

“He’s my father.”

“Your father?” Leia asked.

“There’s more. It won’t be easy for you to hear it, but you must. If I don’t make it back, you’re the only hope for the alliance.”

Leia, very disturbed by this, moved away as if to deny it.

“Luke don’t talk that way. You have a power… the girls have… their friends… I—I don’t understand and could never have.”

“Actually Leia,” Fluttershy stepped up. “You have that power too.”

“What?”

“In time you’ll learn to use it as I have,” Luke spoke. “The Force is strong in my family. My father has it… I have it… and… my sister has it.”

Leia stared into his eyes. What she sees there seemed to frighten her. And yet, she doesn’t draw away. Slowly she began to understand.

“Yes…” Twilight spoke up. “It’s you Leia.”

“I know,” Leia nodded. “Somehow… I’ve always known.”

“Wait a minute, hold up!” Rainbow spoke up. “I’m sorry, but this just doesn’t make any sense. How is it that you two never knew you were siblings?”

“Perhaps I can help with that.”

Leia, Luke, and the others all turned toward Storm Shield, walking up to them. He sat down alongside them, as they looked on with a blend of curiosity and interest.

“What do you mean Storm?” Luke asked.

“Remember when we all first met Obi-Wan together?” Storm asked. “He talked about how he and I fought together in the Clone Wars. It was during that time we both worked with your father… and your mother.”

“You did?” Twilight asked.

To which Storm merely nodded, a smile of nostalgia crept across his face.

“What can you tell us about them?” Leia asked.

“Oh man, what can I not tell you about them?” Storm chuckled. “I’ll start with your mother Padme. She used to be the Queen of Naboo before the war began. She was a kind, gentle soul yet knew how to fight if need be.”

“Sounds a lot like you Leia,” Luke smiled.

This caused Leia to smile and playfully bump her brother’s shoulder.

“She advocated for the preservation of democracy as well as a peaceful resolution to the Clone Wars. Prior to their meeting, she had protection from then Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Although the Jedi Code forbade any personal relationships, deeming attachment, and possession unbecoming of a Jedi, you’ve never seen a more closer pair than those two soon as their feeling grew.

“Eventually, they married in secret, despite Padme’s over reservations about their relationship and the consequences they would face if ever the truth came to light. So any interaction between them was limited, what with Amidala continuing to advocate for peaceful solutions in the Senate while Anakin served on the front lines as Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic.”

“Okay when you describe them that way, you make them sound pretty awesome,” Rainbow spoke.

“Well, Anakin did have a tendency of being a bit whiny in his youth… but he made up for it with his skills…” Storm added. “But the fear of loss ultimately seduced him to the dark side of the Force, believing by becoming a Sith Lord he’d have the power to prevent his wife from dying… especially from childbirth.”

To which the note of what their mother had gone through sparked concern between Luke and Leia.

“Ultimately, your mother died of a broken heart after giving birth to you,” Storm concluded sadly. “But even as she died, she always believed there was still good in your father. Even after everything he did, even after all the lives he cost, she would’ve risked her life regardless only because she loved him.”

“Then you know why I have to face him,” Luke spoke.

“No!” Leia objected. “Luke, run away, far away. If he can feel your presence, then leave this place.”

“Princess, it’s not going to matter where we go,” Twilight said. “If Vader’s out there looking for Luke, Seraphina will seek me out too. They’ll follow us no matter where we go. We can’t afford to run anymore.”

“She is right Leia,” Applejack agreed.

“Still… I wish I could go with you,” Leia spoke to Luke.

“No, you don’t,” Luke shook his head. “You’ve always been strong.”

“Then… I’m going with you,” Twilight spoke, determinedly.

“Twilight, noo…!” Rarity cried out.

“Twilight, I know what you’re thinking,” Storm spoke up. “I may agree with the results you are aiming for, but not the motivation.”

“Don’t you see Storm?” Twilight said. “You were right about one thing. I can’t go on ‘blaming’ myself for what happened to Sunset, when it’s high time I started acting like the ‘solution’ to bringing our best friend back.”

“So yer just goin’ to go storming off into battle all by yerself?” Applejack questioned. “I thought we agreed whatever we’d do, we’re doin’ it together.”

“Sunset only wants to come after me, she has no interest in any of you,” Twilight countered. “Meanwhile, these rebels here need all the help they can get especially if the Emperor’s forces will be on the field. You’re needed more than I am, Storm… they need ‘you’ more than ever.

“Let’s not forget the only reason Sunset thinks I’m to blame is because she doesn’t know the truth. But Sunset Shimmer has a gift. If she won’t take my word for it, she’ll at least see my thoughts and realize the truth. If I can get close enough for her to reach out, we won’t need to have a fight at all.”

“But why… why must you confront them?” Leia asked.

“Because… there’s good in them,” Luke answered. “I’ve felt it… Twilight feels it too. Vader won’t turn me over to the Emperor; the real Sunset Shimmer would never hurt her friends.”

“We have to save them,” Twilight added. “We can turn them back to the good side… at least we have to try.”

A sigh escaped Storm’s lips feeling a sense of déjà vu from the words of both Twilight and Luke. Yet he could also see there was no talking them out of it. All he could do was approach Twilight Sparkle, looking her straight in the eyes, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“I can’t stop you from doing this Twilight Sparkle,” Storm spoke calmly. “But promise me you will come back… for Equestria’s sake… for your friends. And if Sunset can’t be reasoned with or if she insists on fighting you—”

“It won’t come to that,” Twilight reassured. “I will be back… ‘with’ Sunset Shimmer.”

Luke and Leia hold each other close, looking at each other, brother and sister together. All of Twilight’s friends, even Spike, gathered around Twilight and embracing her warmly all ending with a slight hug from Storm Shield. Leia and the girls hold back tears, as Luke and Twilight slowly move away from them. Storm watched quietly as the pair disappeared onto the walkway leading out of the village.

And there the group stood, bathed in the moonlight, watching their two friends depart. By which time, Han emerged from the Chief’s hut and approached the group. Leia started crying, her body trembling. He soon realizing only now that she is upset.

“Hey, what’s goin’ on?”

The group didn’t answer right away. Leia attempted to stifle her sobs, wiping her eyes dry.

“Nothing,” Leia finally spoke. “I—just want to be alone for a little while.”

“We just need a breather…” Fluttershy voiced for the princess. “We’ll be back shortly.”

But Han was not having any of that. Somehow he could tell everyone was hiding something, and he was not satisfied with their answers.

“Nothing?” Han repeated. “Come on guys, tell me. What’s goin’ on?”

Leia looked toward him, struggling to control herself.

“I… we can’t tell you,” Leia answered.

“Did you tell Luke?” Han asked, losing his temper. “Is that who you could tell?”

“I…”

But Leia just turned away, refusing to look Han in the eye. Han groaned in exasperation and started to walk away, seeing it was fruitless getting through to Leia and clearly none of the group were talking. All at once… he stopped in his tracks, as if having second thoughts. Slowly, he turned and walked back toward Leia as the group looked on silently.

“I’m sorry,” Han apologized.

“Hold me,” Leia cried.

Han gathered the princess in his protective embrace, the girl losing control and bawled onto his shoulder. The girls and Spike looked on remorsefully at this scene, while Storm merely turned away and looked out into the darkness where they last saw their friends.

“Twilight…” Storm whispered. “Please… let your plan work.”

<>

Later…

An imperial shuttle floated down from the Death Star, landing gracefully on the huge platform. Now, an Imperial walker approached the platform from the darkness of the forest. The whole outpost—platform, walkers, military—looked particularly offensive in the midst of this verdant beauty. Darth Vader walked down the shuttle ramp onto the platform, into an elevator, and appeared on a ramp on the lower level. He walked toward another ramp exit, meeting two troopers and a commander with Luke and Twilight Sparkle. The pair stood at the center, wrapped in binders. The young Jedis gazed toward Vader, completely calm.

“These are the Rebels who surrendered to us,” The Commander informed. “Although they deny it, I believe there may be more of them, and I request permission to conduct a further search of the area.”

The commander extended his hand, revealing their lightsabers.

“They were armed only with these.”

Vader looked at the pair (Specifically Luke), turned away, and faced the commander, taking the lightsabers from the commander’s hand.

“Good work, Commander,” Vader spoke. “Leave us. Conduct your search and bring his companions to me.”

“Yes, my lord,” The Commander bowed.

The officer and troops soon withdraw without another word. Till eventually, Darth Vader, Twilight Sparkle, and Luke Skywalker are left standing alone in the oddly tranquil beauty of the place. The sounds of the forest filter in upon them.

“Where’s Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence.

“Seraphina will be waiting for you shortly,” Vader answered. “She and the Emperor are expecting you.”

“We know, Father,” Luke spoke up.

“So, you have accepted the truth.”

“I’ve accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father—”

Before Luke could continue, Vader turned to face him.

“That name no longer has any meaning for me.”

“It is the name of your true self,” Luke argued. “You’ve only forgotten. I know there is good in you; just as there’s still a trace of Sunset Shimmer. The Emperor hasn’t driven it from you fully.”

“The Emperor hasn’t driven it from either of you fully,” Twilight added. “That’s why neither of you destroyed us when you had the chance; that’s why we found Marek alive back on Hoth. You couldn’t even destroy him when he was a child, so I suspect you ‘wanted’ us to find him all along.”

“And that’s why you won’t bring us to your Emperor now,” Luke concluded.

“Or you would’ve done so… right now.”

Vader looked down from Luke than to the lightsaber in his own black gloved hand, whilst Twilight’s lightsaber was put around the belt. He seemed to ponder over both of their words. In a flash, he ignited the lightsaber admiring the green blade stemming out. He examined the humming, brilliant blade closely.

“I see you have constructed a new lightsaber,” Vader spoke. “Your skills are completed. Indeed, even you Twilight Sparkle are most powerful. As the Emperor has foreseen.”

They stood for a moment as Vader extinguished the lightsaber. They stepped closely toward Vader, than stopped. The Dark Lord himself stood silent and still.

“Come with us,” Luke spoke.

“Storm Shield said you were once a great Jedi Knight,” Twilight reminded. “Can you not be that great man again?”

“Obi-Wan once thought as you do,” Vader answered. “You don’t know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master, just as Sunset Shimmer obeys him.

“We will not turn…” Luke warned.

“And I know Sunset’s being forced to kill me,” Twilight pointed out. “The Emperor wants nothing to do with me; he just wants me dead and you’re letting it happen.”

“If that is your destiny,” Vader spoke bluntly.

“Search your feelings, father,” Luke begged. “You can’t do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate.”

“You can help us,” Twilight implored. “You can save Sunset Shimmer; you’d be a hero. You know it’s the right thing to do.”

“It’s too late for me, Twilight Sparkle,” Vader concluded.

Vader signaled toward some distant stormtroopers. He and the pair stood staring at one another, father and son eye-to-eye for the longest period of time.

“The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force,” He spoke to Luke. “He is your master now.”

“Then my father is truly dead,” Luke spoke calmly.

They start to follow the stormtroopers onto the vessel leading toward the Emperor, and potentially Darth Seraphina. Before they depart, Twilight Sparkle turned back toward Vader with a look of determination.

“Padme still believed there was still good in you Vader,” Twilight spoke. “You may give up on yourself, but she never quit on you.”

“You… don’t know… anything… about me…” Vader warned.

“You’re right… I don’t,” Twilight glared calmly. “But ‘you’ do…”

Twilight Sparkle doesn’t wait for Vader to respond further, instead she stood beside Luke as the doors closed before them. And Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, looked out toward the distant woods. The words from both the girl and his son rang across his ears, and it seemed all at once Darth Vader was having second thoughts. In the end, he could still make a choice… but what would it be? Would he be content as an obedient servant to the Emperor? Or is there still a man left behind his mask?
> Fight for Freedom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With their friends having basically walked themselves straight into the empire’s clutches, Storm Shield, along with Spike and the rest of the Mane Six sat in absolute silence as they contemplated the severity of what just happened. Twilight Sparkle and Luke Skywalker just surrendered themselves to Vader in hopes of getting aboard the Death Star to stop the Emperor and save both Vader and Sunset Shimmer from the dark side.

Now as they sat in contemplation, they realized just how big a leap of faith this truly was. They’ll be taken aboard the Death Star where thousands upon thousands of stormtroopers were waiting as well as the imperial master himself. This was definitely not a good idea.

“We shouldn’t have let them go,” Rarity spoke, breaking the silence. “Certainly not by themselves anyway.”

“It was their choice,” Applejack reminded. “Ah believe Twi can get Sunset back somehow, just as ah certainly know Luke can reach his father.”

“Still, she and Luke shouldn’t have gone alone,” Rainbow countered.

“Oh dear, I can only imagine what horrible things the Emperor could do to them,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Well I think old Palpy isn’t all that bad, just a bunch of hype,” Pinkie smiled. “One thing I never got is how he came back after falling down the reactor core. I mean they don’t exactly go into detail about it in the next trilogy.”

Once again, everyone looked toward Pinkie who just smiled and waved.

“Don’t worry guys,” Spike said encouragingly. “Twilight and Luke can handle anything that gets thrown at them.”

It was then Galen Marek and the Mandalorian joined the group and sat alongside them.

“Never underestimate the power of the Emperor,” Marek warned. “I’ve seen for myself what he could do. There’s a reason he’s maintained ultimate power over the galaxy as long as he has. He’s a master of deception.”

“What do you mean darling?” Rarity asked.

“I can explain that part,” Storm answered. “Back when the Republic was the center of peace in the galaxy, Sheev Palpatine wormed his way into their ranks. Little did any of them know was him secretly being a Sith Lord in sheep’s clothing. He and the Separatist leaders started the Clone Wars and tricked the Republic into accepting an army whose sole purpose was to betray them. Soon as he rose the rank of Supreme Chancellor, he used his authority to disband the Republic and created the new Galactic Empire. And from there… everything went downhill.”

It was then Mando decided to throw his own two cents into the conversation.

“For thousands of years, the Mandalorians backed the Empire through countless wars and assassinations,” He explained. “I myself, however, did not foresee a bright future for the Empire with Palpatine leading the charge. I decided to make due on my own; of course, in doing so putting myself on the Empire’s hit list. So throwing in with all of you wasn’t my original plan, but I figured it’s better to join the winning side rather than wait for the empire to find me.”

“I only hope we’ll actually bring an end to this evil empire and save our friends,” Rarity said nervously.

“How’s ‘bout we go on and see what the others are plannin’?” Applejack suggested. “Surely there might be somethin’ we can do.”

“Good idea,” Rainbow agreed. “They’d said they’d be up on the ledge looking out for the shield generators.”

“With any luck, they might have figured out a plan,” Storm added.

With that, the group all stood and made their way towards the ridge. Han Solo, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, the droids, Wicket, and another Ewok scout, Paploo, hid while overlooking the massive Imperial shield generator. At the base of the generator was an Imperial landing platform. Leia studied the installation, while the remainder of the group crept up alongside them surveying the scene itself.

“So what do you guys see so far?” Storm whispered.

“The main entrance to the control bunker’s on the far side of that landing platform,” Leia explained. “This isn’t gonna be easy.”

“Thankfully we’re pretty used to things being done the hard way,” Spike quipped.

“Still, with all those guards down there, I just know it’ll be intense,” Fluttershy whimpered. “How are we going to get in?”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Han assured. “Chewie and I got into a lot of places more heavily guarded than this.”

Wicket and Paploo chattered away in the Ewok language while speaking with 3PO.

“What’s he saying?” Leia asked.

“He says there’s a secret entrance on the other side of the ridge,” 3PO translated.

<>

Meanwhile, high in the vast regions of space above, the fleet hung in space near a blue planet. A giant Rebel Star Cruiser is up at the front, but now the Millennium Falcon roared up to a spot ahead of it, tiny in comparison. Lando sat in the pilot seat while his alien copilot, Nien Numb, took some getting used to in the familiar environs of the Falcon’s cockpit.

“Admiral, we’re in position,” Lando announced, through commlink. “All fighters accounted for.”

“Proceed with the countdown,” Ackbar responded. “All groups assume attack coordinates.”

Lando turned toward his weird copilot and could tell just by looking at him he was nervous.

“Don’t worry, my friends are down there,” He assured. “They’ll have that shield down on time… or this’ll be the shortest offensive of all time.”

The copilot flipped some switches, grunting an alien comment.

“All crafts, prepare to jump to hyperspace on my mark,” Ackbark ordered.

“All right. Stand by.”

He pulled a lever, and the stars outside begin to streak. First the Millennium Falcon, then Ackbar’s Star Cruiser, then, in large segments, the huge fleet roared into hyperspace before disappearing.

<>

Han, Leia, Chewie, the droids, and their two Ewok guides, Wicket and Paploo, have reunited with the Rebel strike squad. The entire group were spread through the thick undergrowth. Below them was the very bunker leading into the generator. Four imperial scouts, their speeder bikes parked nearby, kept watch over the bunker entrance. Chewie growled an observation, and Paploo chattered away to Han in Ewok.

“Back door, huh?” Han asked. “Good idea.”

Wicket and Paploo continue their Ewok conversation.

“It’s only a few guards. This shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“Well, it only takes one to sound the alarm,” Leia reminded.

“And only a matter of moments for the rest of the troopers to come running,” Applejack added.

“Then we’ll do it real quiet-like,” Han responded.

“Yeah because we always manage to do things quietly,” Rainbow said sarcastically.

3PO explained what was going on to Wicket and Paploo. The Ewoks chattered a moment between themselves. Then Paploo jumped up and scampered into the underbrush. 3PO asked Wicket where Paploo went and was given a rather short reply.

“Oh! Oh, my,” 3PO gasped. “Uh, Princess Leia!”

“Quiet,” Leia hissed.

“Good heavens 3PO, now what’s the matter?” Rarity asked.

“I’m afraid our furry companion has gone and done something rather rash.”

“Oh no…” Fluttershy gasped.

Before their eyes, Paploo had slipped out of the undergrowth near where the Imperial scouts were lounging about. Han, Leia, and the company watched in distress while Chewie barked.

“There goes our surprise attack,” Han sighed.

Paploo silently swung his furry body onto one of the scout’s speeder bikes and began flipping switches at random. Suddenly, the bike’s engine fired up with a tremendous roar. Paploo grinned and continued flipping switches. The scouts leapt up in utter surprise.

“Look! Over there!” A scout shouted. “Stop him!”

The Imperial scouts raced toward Paploo, just as his speeder zoomed into motion. Paploo hung on by his paws and shot away into the forest. Three of the Imperial scouts jumped on their rocket bikes and sped away in pursuit. The fourth watched them go from his post at the door. Han, Leia, and Chewie exchanged delighted looks while their friends stared in utter surprise.

“Well… that just happened,” Spike remarked.

“Not bad for a little furball,” Han complimented. “There’s only one left. You stay here. We’ll take care of this.”

Han and the Wookie nodded at each other, as they slipped down toward the bunker. 3PO moved to stand next to Wicket and R2.

“I have decided that we shall stay here,” 3PO confirmed.

Paploo sailed through the trees, more out of luck than in control. It’s scary, and yet he loves it. When the Imperial scouts pulled within sight behind him and began firing laser bolts, he decided he’s had enough. As he rounded a tree, out of their sight, Paploo grabbed a vine and swung up into the trees. A moment later, the scouts tore under him in pursuit of the still-flying, unoccupied bike.

Han snuck up behind the remaining Imperial scout, tapped him on the shoulder and allowed the scout to chase him behind the bunker straight into the arms of the waiting Rebel strike team. Han returned to the front and tapped a pattern on the bunker door’s control panel. Everyone stood out of sight, police-style, as the door opened. Han and Leia peeked inside, finding no sign of life. The rest of the group entered the bunker silently, leaving one lookout behind.

<>

In the twisted steel confines of the Death Star, Darth Vader lead Luke Skywalker and Twilight Sparkle in the direction of the Emperor’s throne room. As they walked, Luke and Twilight looked back and forth at one another before facing Vader. Twilight also looked around, almost in anticipation and also worry. So far she’d not seen Darth Seraphina, which was odd because normally she and Vader were always together.

Eventually, the group came to a halt as they noticed the three Inquisitors made their way toward their direction. The masked assassins halted in the presence of their master, bowing in respect toward Lord Vader.

“Lord Vader, we were requested specifically to escort the prisoner to the main reactor,” The Third Sister spoke, gesturing to Twilight.

“The Emperor requested their presence in the throne room,” Vader retorted.

“That was before his imperial majesty made a new request for her to be brought to the reactor,” The Fourth Sister responded.

“And why pray tell would the Emperor wish for her to be escorted there?”

“Let’s just say there’s an ‘old friend’ who really wants to see her,” The Fifth Sister responded.

Vader slowly turned toward Twilight before turning back and nodding his head so slightly.

“Very well,” He agreed. “When you are finished escorting her, you are to join General Grievous on the surface of Endor immediately.”

“Yes, Lord Vader,” The Inquisitors all nodded.

The Third Sister grabbed Twilight roughly by the arm, proceeding to drag her down the hall with the other Inquisitors following close behind. Twilight cast a glance at Luke, who gave her a knowing look and a light nod. Twilight nodded back toward the young Jedi, as she knew exactly what would be coming next. So she followed along with the three Inquisitors as they made their way towards the reactor.

As they walked, Twilight examined all three Inquisitors and studied them closely. The black cloaks, the visors, they all scream dark side. And yet there also seemed to be something familiar about them all the same.

“I hope you are prepared for what happens next Twilight Sparkle,” The Third Sister spoke.

“I’ve been ready for the last few years,” Twilight responded simply.

“As has our master,” The Fourth Sister added. “She has long awaited the opportunity to end you herself.”

“At least she no longer hides behind a mask like you cowards,” Twilight mocked.

The Third Sister stopped in her tracks causing Twilight to bump into her and fall backwards. All three Inquisitors looked down at her, then at each other. They all nodded simultaneously before they reached up and removed their visors at the same time. Twilight gasped in surprise when she saw the familiar faces of Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk staring down at her.

“Hello princess,” Adagio smirked.

“Did you miss us?” Aria grinned.

Twilight just stared wide eyed at the three sirens, the Dazzlings, the girls she had battled with in the past.

“H-How?” She asked shocked.

Adagio knelt down quickly, yanking Twilight back to her feet.

“’How’ and ‘why’ aren’t really important right now,” She said wickedly. “What is important is ‘who’ and ‘what’ awaits you.”

She shoved Twilight forward down the hall. Eventually, they came to a set of double doors which slide open to reveal quite the sight. Twilight stared at the giant Death Star reactor, as it glowed a bright blue in the midst of the giant room.



There were a series of platforms stretching across the room that all culminated in the center where the reactor remained. Twilight could also see a hooded figure standing right in the dead center, staring at the giant reactor. Adagio pushed Twilight forward and she fell down onto the platform before her. She turned back seeing the three sirens looking at her maliciously.

“Well, we’d love to stay and chat,” Adagio spoke confidently. “But we’re late for killing all your friends.”

“Much to avenge, revenge, and destroy,” Aria chuckled.

“Catch you later Twily,” Sonata waved.

The door slid shut and locked as they all walked away. Twilight slowly pulled herself back toward her feet. Grabbing her lightsaber that still hung on her belt, she slowly turned around and stared toward the hood figure standing by the reactor. Taking a few cautious steps forward, she eventually stood in the middle of the platform waiting.

“Sunset!” She yelled.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the hooded figure turned to face Twilight. Though her face was still shrouded under the hood, Twilight knew exactly who she was staring at.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Seraphina grinned. “I have long been waiting for this day.”

Though Twilight was quite nervous and scared, she didn’t show it. She just stood tall with all the confidence she could muster.

“Take off that hood,” She said. “You don’t need it anymore.”

“What do you think you will see if I do?” Seraphina asked.

“The face of my best friend.”

A long moment of silence passed as the two force wielders just stood there staring at one another. Eventually, Seraphina grinned and reached up as she pulled back the hood of her cloak. Twilight could then look upon the face of Sunset Shimmer once more. Her entire demeanor seemed to grow ever darker since they last met. Her eyes seemed redder, if that were even possible, and the dark veins covered more of her face than before.

“Your friend is gone,” Seraphina spoke evilly. “She was weak… foolish… much like yourself. I’ve destroyed her.”

“That’s not true!” Twilight shot back. “I know my friend is still alive. She’s still in there somewhere, buried deep in the darkness, and I intend to dig her out!”

Seraphina gave a wicked laugh as she stepped forward onto the platform.

“And exactly what would you know about darkness? You’re the Princess of Friendship, the Element of Magic. Your very being is coated in light. You have absolutely no idea what it’s like to be me.”

Twilight took a deep breath, as she took a few more steps forward.

“Sunset, please! Just listen to me—”

“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!” Seraphina screamed. “That’s not who I am anymore!”

“Yes it is!” Twilight yelled back. “You’ve just forgotten who you are; you’ve been blinded by the Emperor’s lies. And you know that! Don’t deny it, Sunset!”

Seraphina’s brow furrowed greatly; a great scowl drew unto her face.

“Is that what you think this is about?” She asked. “I honestly don’t know what I hate most about you. Your cluelessness… or your over-inflated ego.”

“Please Sunset, I can help you if you’ll just let me,” Twilight pleaded.

Seraphina growled as she quickly reached for her lightsaber.

“You still don’t understand!” Seraphina screamed. “YOU ABANDONED ME!!!”

This caused Twilight to take a step back from the sheer amount of volume in her voice.

“W-What are you talking about?” She asked confused.

“You left me behind!” Seraphina yelled. “I waited… and waited… and waited for you to rescue me. The whole time I was tortured, put through the worst pain you could ever possibly imagine. I prayed every night my friends would come for me. But where were you, Twilight Sparkle? You tossed me aside for this stupid rebellion and left me… with him!”

“That’s not true!” Twilight cried. “I loved you so much, we all did. We searched across the galaxy for the last few years trying to find you. We’d never abandon you.”

Once again, Seraphina laughed menacingly as she stepped forward once more till she and Twilight were just within arms’ length from each other.

“You always told me Twilight, ‘Focus on what I want, and it will happen’. Well… do you know what I want now? I… want… you… DEAD!”

Darth Seraphina unclipped her cloak and let it fall to the ground before she ignited her dual saber, twirling it around a few times before standing at the ready to fight. Twilight hesitantly reached for her own lightsaber, igniting it.

“I don’t want to fight you Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight said hesitantly. “But I will do whatever I have to do to save the galaxy… and you!”

“I wouldn’t want to fight me either,” Seraphina smirked wickedly.

<>

Within the confines of her mind, Sunset Shimmer currently waged a war of her own. Satele Shan currently battled the Vitiate form of the Emperor and though she was strong in the force, the Emperor was certainly equal to her. Valora Syn battled against her long-time enemy in Darth Andromedis and Darth Marr battled against the man who killed him in Valkorion. This left Sunset Shimmer as the lone one standing across the Emperor’s true form: Tenebrae. The red-skinned Sith pureblood just laughed as he stared her down.

“Don’t you see the errors of the ways that held you back for so long?” He asked. “Why do you continue to resist? Let go… accept the darkness. We will accomplish so much once I am in control of that wonderful vessel of yours.”

Sunset held her lightsaber before her, standing at the ready to attack.

“You won’t hurt me or anyone else in the galaxy ever again,” She spoke determined. “I will stop you, once and for all.”

This only caused Tenebrae to laugh harder.

“So confident…” He chuckled. “You clearly don’t know as much of me as you think. Both versions of me became too complacent, too distracted by moral concerns. Empires, wars… even family. I have seen where that path led, and I am not so easily distracted now.”

Tenebrae leapt through the air and Sunset did the same as Tenebrae quickly procured an ancient lightsaber. The two began to duel back and forth. Both landed heavy blows that under normal circumstance would have blown a regular person to pieces. Tenebrae delivered a vicious kick to Sunset’s stomach causing her to groan and fall back. Tenebrae tried to strike her down, but Sunset was much too quick, rolling toward the side and regaining her ground. When she got back up, Sunset and Tenebrae collided their sabers together as they battled out in a test of strength.

“You lash out with such conviction,” Tenebrae growled. “Don’t you see how pointless it all is? I control this place, and all that happens. Every motion happens by my design, and you are no exception. You cannot succeed, only die alone.”

A sudden glow of purple caused them both to turn just as Revan charged in with his lightsaber drawn.

“In the fight against you, no one is alone.”

He leapt through the air and brought his lightsaber down, striking the former Emperor who dispersed in a dark purple mist. Revan turned back toward Sunset, who smiled at him in appreciation.

“Thanks for the hand,” She thanked him. “Took you long enough.”

“He divided us,” Revan spoke. “That’s how he’s always won. He knows only together we are stronger than he could ever hope to be.”

Revan held out a hand to her which Sunset happily took.

“Are you ready to go home, Sunset Shimmer?” Revan asked.

“Let’s do this,” She said determined.

“Then let’s end him—together!”

<>

Back in the Death Star, Vader and Luke entered the throne room alone. They walked across the dark space before the throne, both father and son, side by side, beneath the gaze of the Emperor. Vader bowed before his master.

“Welcome, young Skywalker,” Palpatine greeted. “I have been expecting you.”

Luke peered at the hooded figure defiantly. The Emperor looked down at Luke’s binders.

“You no longer need those.”

The Emperor motioned ever so slightly with one finger and Luke’s binders fell away, clattering to the floor. Luke looked down at his own hands, free now to reach out and grab the Emperor’s neck. But for now, he does nothing.

“Guards, leave us,” Palpatine ordered.

The red-cloaked guards turned and vanished behind the elevator, never to be seen again.

“I’m looking forward to completing your training. In time, you will call me Master.”

“You’re gravely mistaken,” Luke replied defiantly. “You won’t convert me as you did my father.”

The Emperor climbed down from his throne, walking very closely toward Luke. The Emperor looked into his eyes, and for the first time Luke could perceive the evil visage within the hood.

“Oh no, my young Jedi,” Palpatine said. “You will find that it is you who are mistake… about a great many things.”

“His lightsaber,” Vader piped in.

Vader extended a gloved hand toward the Emperor, revealing Luke’s lightsaber. The Emperor took it, examined it thoroughly.

“Ah yes, a Jedi’s weapon,” Palpatine chuckled. “Much like your father’s. By now you must know your father can never be turned from the dark side. So will it be with you.”

“You’re wrong,” Luke shook his head. “Soon I’ll be dead… and you with me.”

The evil Emperor only chuckled.

“Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet,” He spoke knowingly.

Luke looked up sharply.

“Yes… I assure you we are quite safe from your friends here.”

Vader looked toward Luke.

“Your overconfidence is your weakness,” Luke pointed out.

“Your faith in your friends is yours.”

“It is pointless to resist, my son,” Vader added.

The Emperor then turned to face Luke again.

“Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design,” He mocked. “Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel fleet! It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them.”

Luke’s look darted from the Emperor to Vader and, finally, to the sword in the Emperor’s hand.

“Oh… I’m afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive.”

<>

Han, Leia, Chewie, Marek, Mando, the Equestrians, and the Rebel strike team stormed through a door and entered the main control room, taking all the personnel prisoner.

“Alright everybody!” Pinkie yelled. “Put your hands up in the air…”

All at once, many of the controllers threw their hands in the air as though they had absolutely no control of their actions.

“… and wave ‘em around like you just don’t care!” Pinkie said happily.

All the controllers began waving their arms in the air along with Pinkie, much to the confusion of everyone else. It wasn’t until Rainbow Dash came up and placed a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder did they finally stop, much to their relief.

“Um Pinkie, I know you’re having fun and all, but in case you haven’t noticed… WE’RE ON A MISSION HERE!!!” She yelled loudly.

“Alright, alright,” Pinkie said defensively. “Yeesh! No one gets my humor!”

“All right! Up!” Han ordered. “Move! Come on! Quickly! Quickly, Chewie.”

The Rebel troops herd the generator controllers away from their panels. Leia glanced at one of the screens on the control panel.

“Han!” Leia yelled. “Hurry! The fleet will be here any moment.”

“Charges!” Han ordered. “Come on, come on!”

The team worked quickly to set the charges around the controls, knowing that time was not on their side at the moment.

<>

Outside, 3PO watched nervously in the bushes as several more controllers and stormtroopers raced into the bunker, leaving the guards at the door. He then took notice of a few more figures approaching from the rear. Those figures being General Grievous, the Dazzlings (Minus their visors), and Demitria.

“Oh, my!” 3PO cried. “They’ll be captured!”

Wicket chattered in Ewok and took off full steam into the forest.

“Wa-wait!” 3PO called after him. “Wait, come back! R2, stay with me.”

<>

Meanwhile, inside the bunker, Han and Pinkie Pie looked up from setting charges as an Imperial commander entered.

“Freeze!” The commander yelled.

“Uh… think fast!” Pinkie shouted, hurling a case.

The case with the charges struck the commander, and he fell backward over the rails screaming while plummeting to his death. Everyone else spun around to find dozens of Imperial weapons trained on them and their cohorts. A poised force of Imperial troops surrounded them, even more pouring into the room, roughly disarming the Rebel contingent. And among them, another commander glared at the nervous group.

“You Rebel scum…”

“Ooh boy…” Spike muttered.

Han, Leia, and the others exchanged looks as they found themselves completely helpless. In that moment, Grievous, the Dazzlings, and Demetria finally arrived.

“Well… well… well…” Grievous chuckled. “Like wamprats caught in a trap, you scum make it far too easy to exterminate you.”

“And look what we have here girls,” Adagio smirked. “Galen Marek, alive and ticking… we shall remedy that very soon.”

“Ooh-ho-ho, all the things we’re going to do to you…” Sonata smiled, pointing at everyone. “And you… and you… and…”

Sonata paused when she noticed the masked bounty hunter, Mando, just staring defiantly at the confused Siren.

“And… you are?”

“My name is of little importance to either of you,” Mando spoke defiantly.

“You think you’re pretty tough,” Aria glared. “Well we’ll see how you last after we rip you apart, so we can look into the eyes of the man who thinks he could destroy us.

“Remove the Rebels from the base, on the double!” Demetria ordered.

And so the stormtroopers proceeded to do so, without question, as they started taking our heroes’ weapons and lead them through the bunker back toward the surface.

<>

The Death Star and its Sanctuary Moon hung distant in space, as the Rebel fleet appeared from hyperspace with an awesome roar. The Millennium Falcon and several Rebel fighters are at the front as the space armada bared down on its target: The Death Star. Lando flipped switched, checked his screen, and spoke into the radio.

“All wings report in.”

“Red Leader standing by,” Wedge reported.

“Gray Leader standing by.”

“Green Leader standing by.”

“Lock S-foils in attack positions,” Wedge commanded.

From the bridge of the Rebel Headquarters Frigate, Admiral Ackbar watched the fighters massed outside his viewscreen.

“May the Force be with us.”

Lando looked worriedly toward his alien copilot, Nien Nunb, who pointed to the control panel and spoke to Lando.

“We’ve got to be able to get some kind of reading on that shield, up or down,” Lando informed his colleague.

To which Nunb voiced his concerns through his own native tongue.

“Well, how could they be jamming us if they don’t know… if we’re coming,” Lando realized.

Lando shot a concerned look toward the approaching Death Star, as the implications of what he’s just saying sunk in. He quickly hit a switch on his commlink.

“Break off the attack! The shield is still up.”

“I get no reading!” Red Leader spoke. “Are you sure?”

“Pull up! All craft pull up!”

The Falcon turned hard to the left. Out the window, the stars and the Death Star moved off right. The Falcon and the fighters of Red Squad veered off desperately to avoid the unseen wall. Alarms screamed, lights flashed, all while the huge ship changed course abruptly. Other ships in the fleet shot by outside as the armada tried to halt its forward momentum.

“Take evasive action!” Ackbar commanded. “Green Group, stick close to holding sector MV-7.”

A Mon Calamari controller turned away from his screen, calling out toward Ackbar quite excitedly. The Admiral rushed over to the controller.

“Admiral, we have enemy ships in sector 47,” The controller informed.

On the screen the moon could be seen, the Death Star, and the massive Imperial fleet. Ackbar moved toward the commlink.

“It’s a trap!” Ackbar shouted.

“Fighters coming in!” Lando confirmed, over commlink.

Much excitement was on the bridge as the attack began. The Millennium Falcon, and several Rebel squads, head into an armada of TIE fighters. The sky exploded as a fierce dogfight ensued in and around the giant Rebel cruisers.

“There’s too many of them!” A Rebel Pilot informed.

“Accelerate to attack speed!” Lando ordered. “Draw their fire away from the cruisers.”

“Copy, Gold Leader!” Wedge confirmed.

And thus, the battle continued around the giant cruisers. A desperate defense to keep their plan in motion, knowing that they still face a grueling, daunting task ahead.

<>

Through the round window behind the Emperor’s throne, distant flashes of a space battle in progress could be seen.

“Come boy,” The Emperor beckoned. “See for yourself.”

As the Emperor sat in his throne, with Vader standing by his side, Luke moved to look through a small section of the window.

“From here you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance,” The Emperor continued. “And the end of your insignificant Rebellion.”

Luke Skywalker was in utter torment. He glanced toward his lightsaber sitting on the armrest of the throne. The Emperor watched him, smiling, and caressing the lightsaber.

“You want this, don’t you? The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant.”

Vader watched the agony grow increasingly on Luke’s face, despite the young man’s best efforts to remain strong.

“No!” Luke defied.

“It is unavoidable,” The Emperor spoke calmly. “It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine!”

<>

Han, Leia, Chewie, and the rest of the strike team were led out of the bunker by their captors. Grievous, the Dazzlings, and Demetria took the lead looking out toward the surface proudly. The surrounding area, deserted before, was now crowded with two-legged Imperial walkers and hundreds of Imperial troops. It seemed the situation looked hopeless for our heroes.

“All right, move it!” A stormtrooper ordered. “I said move it! Go on!”

“Ooh… this is terrible, just horrible!” Fluttershy whimpered. “Just when everything was turning around for us, we’ve been outsmarted by our bitter enemies.”

“A feeling I share far too well…” Sonata replied, absently.

“Don’t talk to the prisoners, Sonata!” Aria scolded, punching Sonata’s shoulder.

“Ow!” Sonata pouted.

“Chin up, Fluttershy dear,” Rarity reassured. “We’ll figure out a way through this somehow.”

Suddenly, from the undergrowth beyond the clearing emerged a wild series of beeps and whistles, and—

“Hello!” 3PO called. “I say, over there! Were you looking for me?”

The Equestrians looked up seeing R2 and 3PO stood near one of the big trees. 3PO purposely exposed himself, waving his arms about drawing the Empire’s attention.

“3PO?!” The Equestrians shouted, baffled.

“What the hay is he doing?!” Rainbow cried out.

“Bring those two down here!” The commander ordered.

“Let’s go!”

As six Imperial stormtroopers rushed over to take them captive, the two droids ducked out of sight behind the tree.

“Well, they’re on their way,” 3PO assured. “R2, are you sure this was a good idea?”

The stormtroopers come around the tree, finding the two droids waiting quietly to be taken. 3PO quickly rose his hands in surrender.

“Freeze!” One trooper yelled. “Don’t move!”

“We surrender!” 3PO said.

As the Imperial troops moved to do so, however, a band of Ewoks dropped down from above and overpowered them.

“Oh!” 3PO gasped. “Stand back, R2.”

In a nearby tree, an Ewok rose a horn to his lips and sounded the attack call. And all at once… all hell broke loose! Hundreds of Ewoks threw their fuzzy bodies into the fray against the assembled stormtroopers and their awesome two-legged walkers. Biker scouts darted about blasting Ewoks only to be crushed by a volley of rocks tossed by Ewoks from the trees above.

Seeing their chance, the Equestrians broke free from their captors, raised their arms, and summoned back their previously discarded weapons, the lightsabers and even Mando’s guns.

“I don’t know about you ladies,” Pinkie spoke. “But I’ve had just about enough of these Intergalactic Nazi rip-offs!”

“Yeah… like she said!” Rainbow agreed. “Let’s buck these mothers up!!!”

Applejack merely turned toward Rainbow Dash and nodded with a smirk.

“ATTACK!!!” Grievous shouted.

The stormtroopers and controllers, undistracted by the Ewoks, raced toward the Equestrians and their allies with guns blazing. And they all leapt high into the air, Mando igniting his jetpack, and dove straight into the incoming battle ready to fight. Applejack landed on the ground and swung one leg hard, knocking two stormtroopers aside. Applejack proceeded to hack and slash away several beams shooting toward her and any unfortunate stormtroopers standing in their way.

She then flipped her lightsaber into the air, quickly took out her lasso, and whipped it high in the air snatching the glowing blade. She rapidly twirled the lightsaber with her lasso like a twirling chained hook and swung hard with a grunt. Her attack hit her targets, as stormtrooper helmets flew high into the air.

Rainbow Dash toward one controller and sliced him down with her twin lightsaber. She turned toward a charging stormtrooper, twirled her blade around, and knocked him down as he fell in pain. Several Stormtroopers attempted to fire from the corners of the trees, only for Rainbow to block them rapidly. She quickly raced toward the shooting stormtrooper, sliced his weapon in half, and kicked him upside the head. Then using the force, she lifted a nearby, heavy rock and swung it hard against the other stormtrooper knocking him flat on his back. She raced back to rejoin the others, twirling her dual-lightsaber high in the air.

In the meantime, the Mandalorian fired every arsenal of his weaponry he had against any stormtrooper and controller in range. Galen Marek defended his fellow ally using his lightsabers and Jedi force abilities, sending the Empire’s forces flying and screaming. Suddenly, Galen felt something and quickly blocked an incoming lightsaber only to find himself staring into the rage-filled eyes of Demetria.

“What did your master ever see in a has-been like you?” Demetria growled.

“What a coincidence?” Marek smirked confidently. “I was just about to say the same about yours.”

Demetria snarled and pushed Galen back, slashing her lightsaber with fury as Galen desperately ducked and blocked every form of attack she threw at him.

Rarity, along with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, defended themselves against the flurry of the Dazzlings offense. It is such a chaotic fight between all six competitors, at times Rarity blocked Adagio’s blade from grazing Fluttershy, who barely blocked a fist from Aria with her boot.

And while their own allies had their arms full, Pinkie Pie and Sonata Dusk fought with their own flurry of lightsaber action. Their beams sparked against one another as they attempted to strike one another, pressing their weaponry in an attempt to get close. And then out of random, Pinkie quickly pulled out a cellphone from her hair.

“Say cheese!” Pinkie shouted gleefully.

Sonata quickly smiled alongside Pinkie Pie, who snapped a quick selfie, and they looked at the picture.

“Aw… I blinked!” Sonata whined.

“Eh, I’ll edit this later,” Pinkie shrugged.

Then the girls quickly resumed their fight after one random motion. Ducking between their legs and the chaos of falling bodies, Spike weaved through the crowd avoiding the crossfire. But he was not entirely defenseless as he had already applied the force on an unfortunate group of Empire soldiers, twirling them around like a hurricane over his tiny body. Whaling each of them against approaching Empire Stormtroopers like hurling hammer-throws toward them.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash laid out their own group of Stormtroopers, mounting their fallen forms into piles. Just then, Applejack spotted a trooper approaching Rainbow from behind and quickly took him out before he could reach her. Rainbow turned toward Applejack, who caught her gaze in a flash.

“Wut?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed hold of Applejack’s shoulders, drawing her close.

“You are just… so… awesome, A.J.!” Rainbow said.

She proceeded to lock lips with Applejack, who was caught off guard yet quickly fell into the spell and kissed her back. A pair of troopers made out to get them when a rocket hit the ground before them, exploded, and sent them flying high into the air. Smoke stemmed from the pack of The Mandalorian, who merely shook his head at the sight.

“Women…” Mando replied.

In a later time, Storm Shield and General Grievous fought heavily in the center of the battlefield. With his multiple arms Grievous swung his sabers rapidly against Storm, who used his saber pike to block out as much of the assault as he could. All of which caught the attention of Pinkie Pie, who randomly appeared while blocking Sonata’s attacks.

“Hiya Storm!” Pinkie called out.

“Hi Pinkie!” Storm waved. “Just one second!”

Storm quickly swung his pike and chopped off one of Grievous’ arms, only for a new arm to appear and grab another light saber hidden in his figure. Storm twirled his blade around watching sparks fly over him before moonsaulted backward to provide extra distance. He soon spotted Pinkie Pie waving one of the stormtrooper’s guns.

“Need a gun or anything?”

“Nah… I’m good!”

Storm Shield quickly took out a pair of stormtroopers charging at him, hacking them apart with his pike. He barely dodged an attack from Grievous, who pierced one of his sabers into the dirt floor. Storm twirled in the air and grabbed hold of one of Grievous’ free arms with his legs, bending it as Grievous struggled to break free.

“How about some water?” Pinkie asked, holding a canteen.

“Sure!” Storm smirked.

Pinkie held the canteen over Storm’s lips, as the man opened wide and guzzled down the cool beverage down his throat. With a sigh, he quickly twisted his legs and broke another of Grievous’ arms as the cybernetic general roared in pain.

Amidst the confusion of the battle, Han and Leia broke away and dove for cover by the bunker door, while explosions erupted around them. Han went to the bunker door control panel attempting to open the doors.

“The code’s changed,” Leia panicked. “We need R2!”

“Here’s the terminal!” Han shouted.

“R2, where are you?” Leia asked, over commlink. “We need you at the bunker right away.”

R2 and 3PO hid behind a log as the battle raged around them. Suddenly, the stubby little Astro-droid released a series of whistles.

“Going?!” 3PO asked. “What do you mean, you’re going? But—but going where, R2?”

R2 didn’t answer and shot off across the battlefield. 3PO panicked and raced after him.

“No, what! R2! Oh, this is no time for heroics. COME BACK!!!”

Biker scouts race around and over the two droids, blasting away at the little Ewoks as the furry beasts scurried for cover. A group of Ewoks moved a primitive catapult into position. They fired off a large boulder which struck one of the walkers. The walker turned and headed for the catapult, blasting away with both guns. The Ewoks abandoned weapons and fled in all direction. Just as the walker moved in to stomp the catapult, Ewoks dropped vines restraining two huge logs which swung down and smashed the walker’s head flat.

A line of Ewoks hung desperately to a vine hooking another walker’s foot. As the walker moved along, the fuzzy creatures are dragged behind.

Two speeder bikes pursued the Ewoks through the underbrush. As the scouts rounded a tree, they are knocked off as their bikes were vine-tied between two trees. And amidst all this chaos, the hypnotized stormtrooper scout was firing away at random shooting his own colleagues with his gun.

“I will fight for the rebellion!” He spoke dazily. “I will fight for the rebellion! I will fight for the rebellion!”

And somehow the lucky scout had missed every shot that was hurled around him, every explosion near his feet, and he just kept walking.
> Breaking Through
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laser blasts and explosions sounded out across the forest moon of Endor, as the battle between the Rebellion and Imperial troops intensified. In the midst of the carnage, the group of Equestrian Jedi battled against Grievous, the Dazzlings, and Demitria. Adagio and Rainbow Dash were currently locked in a battle of strength, both swinging furiously at one another. Adagio applied a powerful force push hurling Rainbow Dash backwards toward a nearby tree. However, rather than crashing into the tree like anyone else would, Rainbow flipped through the air and pushed her feet off the tree the moment of impact. This caused her to leap off and soar through the air before doing the same with the next tree and the one after. Before too long, she was jumping back and forth between trees circling the entire area. Adagio growled in irritation, turning toward the incoming Stormtroopers.

“What are you idiots waiting for?!” She hissed. “Shoot her!”

The troopers aimed their blasters high and released a series of rounds. Seeing the incoming blasts, Rainbow expertly dodged them as she bounced back and forth between the trees.

“Come on losers!” She yelled mockingly. “Can’t ya hit me?! My sickly grandmother could shoot better than you dipsticks!”

The troopers fired at the spunky tomboy Jedi, completely unaware of the tiny purple puppy leaping behind them. Spike dug way deep into his very core and unleashed a force bark so big the troopers flew across the forest. Seeing the assailants gone, Rainbow performed a quick somersault before landing back on the ground safely. She quickly gave the little dog a pat on his tiny head in gratitude.

“Thanks for the assist little dude,” She thanked him.

“No problem!” Spike responded. “You know, I’m really getting the hang of these force barks.”

“Good for your slugger, but let’s save the boasting till we win this fight.”

Spike nodded, quickly taking off to help the others while Rainbow leapt back into action. Soon, she found herself staring down a very irate Adagio.

“Is that the best you can throw at me goldilocks?” She mocked.

“Oh, I’m just getting started…” Adagio growled in response.

The two clashed lightsabers once more, as the fight between a Siren and a pony-turned-human continued.

Meanwhile, Aria Blaze and Applejack were in the midst of a slug fest. Seeing Aria preferred physical force than magic, she engaged the country girl in a battle of fists and kicks. She three a series of hard lefts and rights, which Applejack either ducked, dodged, or blocked.

“Ah thought the point of throwing fists was that ya would actually land one!” She mocked Aria.

Aria growled as she took another approach, spearing Applejack to the ground and released a series of right hands. Applejack grabbed the siren in a headlock, and they went rolling across the ground as they wrestled and fought one another. Eventually Applejack was able to get Aria’s arm behind her back and wrenched it hard. But Aria elbowed Applejack in the nose, causing her to let go and Aria rolled away.

Both got back to their feet and Applejack wiped a bit of blood beginning to trickle from her nostril. Seeing the blood on her hands seemed to put Applejack in a trance-like state, as she leapt across the field with a huge spin kick. Aria ducked the kick, but Applejack used the distraction to force push Aria into a nearby boulder and she crashed upon the ground.

<>

The Falcon and other Rebel fighters engaged in a ferocious battle with Imperial TIE fighters, as the battle raged around the cruisers of the Rebel armada. Lando was in constant radio communication with the pilots of the other Rebel squads.

“Watch yourself, Wedge!” He ordered. “Three from above!”

“Red Three, Red Two, pull in!” Red One yelled.

“Got it!” Red Two responded.

“Three of them coming in, twenty degrees!” Red Three called.

“Cut to the left! I’ll take the leader! They’re heading for the medical frigate.”

Lando steered the Falcon through a complete flip, as his crew fired at the TIEs from the belly guns.

Pressure’s steady,” The Navigator said.

The copilot Nien Nunb chattered an observation.

“Only the fighters are attacking,” Lando observed. “I wonder what those Star Destroyers are waiting for.”

<>

The giant Imperial Star Destroyer sat silently some distance from the battle. The Emperor’s huge Super Star Destroyer nestled in the midst of the fleet. Admiral Piett and two fleet commanders watched the battle at the huge window of the Super Star Destroyer bridge.

“We’re in attack position now, sir,” The commander said.

“Hold here,” Piett ordered.

“We’re not going to attack?”

“I have my orders from the Emperor himself. He has something special planned for them. We only need to keep them from escaping.”

<>

The Emperor, Vader, and a horrified Luke watched the aerial battle fireworks out the window and on the viewscreens. Another Rebel ship exploded against the protective shield.

“As you can see, my young apprentice, your friends have failed,” Palpatine mocked. “Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station.”

The Emperor then spoke into the commlink on his throne.

“Fire at will, Commander.”

Luke, in shock, looked out across the surface of the Death Star to the Rebel fleet beyond. Controllers pulled back several switches, as Commander Jerjerrod stood over them.

“Fire!”

One button pressed, switching on a panel of lights. A hooded Imperial soldier reached overhead and pulled a lever. A huge beam of light emanated from a long shaft. Two stormtroopers stood at one side at a control panel. The giant laser dish on the completed half of the Death Star began to glow. Then powerful beams shot out toward the aerial battle, where the atmosphere was thick with giant ships.

In among them, Rebel X-wings had a dogfight with Imperial TIE fighters. Now an enormous Rebel cruiser was struck by the Death Star beam and blown to dust. The Millennium Falcon roared over, followed closely by several TIE fighters, buffeted by the tremendous explosion of the Rebel cruiser. Lando and his copilot are stunned by the sight of the Death Star’s firepower.

“That blast came from the Death Star!” Lando said horrified. “That thing’s operational! Home One, this is Gold Leader.

Ackbar stood amid the confusion on the wide bridge.

“We saw it,” Ackbar responded, through commlink. “All craft prepare to retreat.”

“You won’t get another chance at this, Admiral.”

“We have no choice, General Calrissian. Our cruisers can’t repel firepower of that magnitude.”

“Han will have that shield down. We’ve got to give him more time.”

<>

Back on Endor, R2 and 3PO made it to the door while Han and Leia provided covering fire.

“We’re coming!” 3PO yelled.

“Come on!” Han said urgently. “Come on!”

“Oh, R2, hurry!”

The little droid moved toward the terminal and plugged in his computer arm. A large explosion struck near R2, knocking him head over heels, before finally landing on his feet. The stubby astro-droid’s head spun and smoldered. Suddenly, there was a loud noise and Han and Leia turned around catching R2 with all his compartment doors open, all his appendages sticking out. Water and smoke spurt from the nozzles of his body. Han rushed for the terminal, as 3PO rushed to his wounded companion.

“My goodness!” 3PO gasped. “R2, why did you have to be so brave?”

“Well, I suppose I could hotwire this thing,” Han suggested.

“I’ll cover you,” Leia said.

Off to the side, Storm Shield and General Grievous engaged in another war between them. Barely pausing his offensive for a nanosecond, General Grievous redoubled his attack on the Grand Jedi. He cut, slashed, and stabbed with all his considerable fury. Into the attack he poured every last frustration, indignity, and outrage he endured over the past weeks. Each blow carried his repressed anger at the aliens for their primitive world and their naïve philosophies, his indignant fury at his own helplessness, and his utter apocalyptic rage over one pony he had respect for betraying him. The blows fell without pause or reprieve, faster even than the unaided eye could properly follow… it was almost enough.

“You will never defeat me Jedi scum,” Grievous growled. “Lord Sidious ensured that the alloy in my armor can withstand the incredible heat of a lightsaber. You may manage to land a blow to my being, but it will do nothing to phase me.”

“Fine with me Grievous,” Storm groaned. “Just means I can get as creative as I want; thinking all the ways to end you for good!”

Grievous just let out a loud mechanical laughter.

“Still hurling words to the voice like the petulant child you are. But your friend is going to die, just like Khaleena. And I will kill you, the same as I did to her… slowly!”

The two continued back and forth, throwing strike after strike toward one another. Wherever the cyborg’s blades fell, his own, guided by the Force, was there to meet them. Each attack Storm caught, batted aside, or simply avoided with easy steps backwards or to the side. Utterly in tune with the harmony of the light side, Grievous’ assault could not break him.

In the meantime, Galen Marek and Demetria fought tooth-and-nail attempting to land the killing blow to end the fight for all. A battle between two figures very close with a certain Equestria girl corrupted by the dark side. And while Marek had his share of many intense battles with warriors on an equal scale, he had never felt such raw power from the likes of this warrior. Power from a figure who suffered so greatly, endured so much, and so much hatred in her eyes it would make the Gods themselves cringe.

“You’re giving me a run for my money, I’ll admit it!” Galen grunted. “You could’ve been an incredible asset for our side. Instead you choose to fight for a side just using your pain for their own needs.”

“What’ve you to know of pain?!” Demetria growled. “I had to fight everyday of my life to be where I am today. They may have taken me in, but I fight only for me!”

“We’re not so different, Demetria. It doesn’t have to be this way!”

“Shut up and fight!”

Demetria swung with such rage, Galen nearly lost hold of his own lightsaber. Seeing that this woman was so far gone, he had no choice but to keep fighting. But something within her words reminded him of another, someone suffering just as greatly as her… someone he hoped could still be saved.

Ewoks in handmade, primitive hang-gliders dropped rocks onto the stormtroopers, divebombing their deadly adversaries. One was struck in the wing by laser fire and crashed. A walker lumbered forward, shooting laser blasts at frantic Ewoks running in all directions. Two Ewoks were struck down by laser blasts… thankfully one managed to pick himself up. He reached for his friend and tried to drag him away, but he just laid there. The Ewok looked down upon his friend, trying to stir him away… only to realize he was dead, and the Ewok leaned over him mourning greatly.

<>

The Rebel fleet continued to be picked off, from one side by the Death Star’s deadly beam, from the other by the rampaging Imperial Star Destroyers. Lando steered the Falcon wildly through an obstacle course of floating giants. He’s been yelling into the commlink.

“Yes!” Lando said desperately. “I said closer! Move as close as you can and engage those Star Destroyers at point- blank range.”

“At that close range, we won’t last long against those Star Destroyers,” Ackbar responded.

“We’ll last longer than we will against that Death Star… and we might just take a few of them with us.

The Rebel cruisers moved very close to the Imperial Star Destroyers and began blasting away at point-blank range. Tiny fighters raced across the giant surface, against a backdrop of laser fire. The control tower of a Star Destroyer was under attack while Rebel pilots suffered heavy blows.

“She’s gonna blow!” A rebel pilot yelled.

“I’m hit!” Another pilot screamed.

The damaged Y-wing plummeted toward the Star Destroyer, crashing into the control tower with a terrible explosion.”

<>

Out of the window, from the view screens, the Rebel fleet were being decimated in blinding explosions of light and debris. But in the Emperor’s throne room, there’s no sound of battle. The Emperor turned toward Luke.

“Your fleet has lost,” Palpatine said mockingly. “And your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape, my young apprentice. The Alliance will die… as will your friends.”

Luke’s eyes were full of rage, this Vader observed closely.

“Good…” Palpatine grinned. “I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon! Strike me down with all your hatred, and your journey towards the dark side will be complete.”

Luke Skywalker, unable to resist any longer, reached out his hand and the lightsaber flew toward him. He ignited it in an instant and swung toward the Emperor. Vader’s lightsaber flashed into view, blocking Luke’s blow before it could reach the Emperor himself. As the two blades sparked on contact, the Emperor chuckled sinisterly as the fight between Luke and his father took place before his eyes.

<>

The battle raged on as Stormtroopers fired against the Ewoks with sophisticated weapons, while their furry little adversaries snuck from behind the troopers and bashed them over the head with large clubs. A walker marched through the undergrowth, blasting Ewoks wherever it went. Suddenly, Chewie, with two Ewoks clinging to him, swung on a vine to the roof of one of the walkers. They land with a thud atop the lurching machine, hanging on for dear life. One of the Ewoks peeked through the window.

“Look!” One pilot yelled.

“Get him off of there!” The other ordered.

The walker pilot opened the hatch to investigate, only to get yanked out and tossed overboard before he could scream. The two Ewoks jumped into the cockpit and knocked the second pilot unconscious. The Ewoks are thrown violently as the mighty machine careened out of control. Outside, Chewie was nearly knocked overboard; he stuck his head through the hatch with a series of angry barks. Course, the Ewoks were too busy and frightened to listen to the Wookie’s complaint, as the latter slipped inside the walker.

Chewbacca’s walked moved through the forest, firing laser blasts at unsuspecting stormtroopers, and destroyed other Imperial walkers. The Ewoks shout and cheered as the giant machine helped turn the tide of battle in their favor.

In speaking of changing tides, General Grievous surprisingly found himself overwhelmed by Storm Shield’s own tenacity. Despite having all the weaponry and advanced material on his side, that was not enough to hold Storm back. The young man seemed to just grow stronger with every swing he took. At one moment, he managed to repel Grievous’ attempt at assault long enough to actually pierce the cybernetic warrior in the chest. He grunted in agony as he stepped back a slight, but the metallic monster only stared with growing rage.

“You… you can’t defeat me, boy… I won’t lose to another Jedi…” Grievous growled.

He violently grabbed hold of Storm’s pike saber, pulled it off his armor, and hurled it aside as a few sparks flew out.

“I am the ultimate war machine… I was programmed for the battlefield. You’re just a boy playing pretend… living the fantasy. Throw all your might as you want, but I will never be destroyed! I’ll just come back… I always come back!”

“Well then, I do have some good news Grievous,” Storm sighed, determinedly. “It’s not going to be me who ends up destroying you… then again, I never had to be.”

“What’re talking about boy?!” Grievous growled.

“That’s… where the bad news comes in. I just needed you in the right place… at the right time…”

Suddenly, Storm Shield threw his arms out and applied enough of the force to bind the metallic warrior in his grasp, forcing him at a standstill. Try as he might to fight out of it, the mechanized warrior couldn’t break free from Storm’s force-like grasp no matter how hard he turned and swung his lightsabers. Unable to twist around and see he was standing around the bottom of a nearby cliff.

“NOW!!!” Storm shouted.

An Ewok warrior gave the signal, and another pair struck down the ‘key’ stone. In doing so, without the one stone holding it in place, a mountain of boulders fell loosely over the edge. Grievous finally turned and his eyes widened as he saw the boulders raining down toward him. He cried out in rage, raising his arms out, only for the boulders to finally topple all over his figure and he was crushed under the weight of the stones.

Storm covered his face as the dust swirled about him and waited till it settled before lowering his hands. Before his eyes, what remained of General Grievous was one metallic hand sticking out limply amidst the rocks stacked on top of him. The fingers twitched, as sparks flew out, but not a trace of further life was seen of Grievous. And before Storm’s very eyes, once more, the monster formerly known as General Grievous was soundly defeated.

“Tell Khaleena that Storm Shield said ‘hi’,” Storm spoke.

On the opposite side, Aria and Adagio were pushed back, forced on the defense as Applejack and Rainbow Dash laid out on the offense. The numbers were suddenly stacked against them the moment Fluttershy and Rarity came in, adding their own offense with their friends. Still, the two Dazzlings fought hard determined not to lose another group of Equestria Girls again.

Just then, The Mandalorian raced past and lassoed the girls with his metallic whip from an armbrace looping around the pair. Before the two Dazzlings could break free, they were dragged off by Mando who proceeded to tie the extended wire along a tree, and the two girls screamed as they swung around in ever-tightening circles until the wire broke off from Mando’s armbrace and they crashed together into a tree, tied up and nowhere to go (Their weapons beyond reach).

As the Mandalorian landed back on the ground to rejoin his allies, they noticed one of the Dazzlings was missing. They turned around, only to see that Pinkie Pie and Sonata Dusk were actually sitting together outside the battlefield. Somehow, Sonata had a taco which she was munching on and listened with interest as Pinkie held out a list for… wait what?

“So you guys actually shared an adventure with a gang of talking sea creatures?” Sonata asked, interested. “Do any of them like music?”

“Uh, duh!” Pinkie smiled. “It was practically a Broadway musical blended with a movie made for kids, yet adults find it funny too. Oh they are such wonderful creatures. But lemme tell ya, that’s nothing compared to all the ‘other’ adventures we have in mind. Why, in one adventure, there’s definitely a band of mermaids we have to contend with who have wonderful singing voices underwater.”

“Oh really? Well, I’d love to meet them sometime—”

“AHEM!!!”

Sonata Dusk and Pinkie Pie turned around, and the Siren’s eyes widened to see the Equestrian heroes (And Mando) staring down at her with their arms folder. Sonata twisted around nervously realizing she’s caught, while Pinkie Pie seemed more laidback.

“Uh… allow me!” Sonata offered.

She quickly rolled one hand into a fist and delivered a hard *WHAM!* to her face, thus sending her falling backward and she laid there unconscious. Pinkie Pie merely clicked her tongue as she patted the top of Sonata’s boot.

“Nighty-night Sonata…” Pinkie smiled.

In the meantime, Han worked furiously at the control panel. Wires sparked as he attempted to hotwire the door. He motioned to Leia, who blasted away at some stormtroopers.

“I think I got it,” Han said. “I got it!”

The three wires sparked as a connection was made. With a loud swoosh, a second blast door crashed down in front of the first. Han frowned and turned back toward the wires again. Leia exchanged shots with stormtroopers in the bushes, then suddenly cried out in agony as her shoulder was struck by laser fire.

But the stormtrooper did not have time to celebrate when he was blasted in the face… by his own comrade. The very same stormtrooper scout who walked slowly down the trail, firing randomly at his own allies, and still stuck under the Jedi spell.

“I will fight for the rebellion…” The scout muttered. “I will fight for the rebellion! I will fight for the rebellion!”

Galen Marek fell with a grunt as he was kicked back by Demetria. She was about to finish the young man for good, when she heard the random mutterings of the nearby scout walking toward her and every shot of his flew right over and past her.

“I will fight for the rebellion… I will fight for the rebellion… I will fight for the…”

Having enough, Demetria hurled her lightsaber with a grunt watching it spin in the air and impale the stormtrooper scout right in the chest. He stood there for a moment until the pain took its toll, his strength faded, and his gun fell onto the grassy floor.

“The rebellion…” The scout gasped.

Drawing his last breath, the scout fell backward onto the ground as Demetria used the force to pull the lightsaber out and it flew straight back into her hand.

“NOOOO!!!!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “RANDOM STORMTROOPER GUY!!!”

Galen Marek groaned as he forced himself back to his feet, managed to get onto one knee as Demetria slowly stalked toward him.

“This is what the Empire has come down to now?” Marek asked. “Killing the Emperor’s own allies?”

“Like you were any better?” Demetria asked. “Yes… my master told me ‘all’ about you, ‘Starkiller’. That you were once the most dangerous warrior for the Empire, a man who kills without mercy. I look at you now… and now all I see is a husk of a has-been warrior.”

“Do you truly believe the Emperor will ever make you his successor? He doesn’t care about you… he doesn’t care about anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of his plot! Believe me, I know what he’s like… I know what he’ll do to persuade you to follow him.”

“I do not serve the Emperor; I could care less what the old man wants. I serve only ‘one’ master, and ‘one’ master only. And unlike you, my master granted me the right to be any warrior I want to be… encouraged me in ways you failed to do. And I was given only two instructions: Fight you… or kill you. Either way, you’re going down the same way you started… alone.”

But rather than showing anger and hate, Galen merely chuckled over Demetria’s words. The latter of which found it rather surprising, if not insulting.

“You sit upon the pedestal of death… and you laugh?!”

“That’s the funny thing about people like me lady…” Marek spoke, catching his breath. “I’m never alone. Not anymore.”

Before Demetria could argue, she quickly sensed something and turned rapidly for a death swing. But before she could land the killing blow, a pair of fingers pressed against her forehead, and she gasped in shock. In front of her, Storm Shield stood over with his fingers to her head staring calmly at her.

“Funny thing about anger: let it consume you, and soon enough… you lose sight of everything,” Storm quoted. “Now… sleep!”

As if following a command, Demetria’s eyes forcibly closed, and she collapsed onto the ground the force drifting her into the void to rest. With Demetria taken care of, not dead but taken out, he slowly approached Marek, stood over the young man, and reached his hand out toward him. With no second thought, Marek took Storm’s hand and lifted himself back up.

All of which occurred as the remainder of their allies checked on the wounded Leia.

“Oh, Princess Leia, are you all right?” 3PO asked concerned.

“Let’s see,” Han studied the wound.

“It’s not bad,” Leia assured.

Suddenly, a number of Stormtroopers ran in with laser blasters at the ready and pointed right at them.

“Freeze!”

“Oh, dear,” 3PO gasped.

“Don’t move!” One trooper yelled.

Leia held her laser gun at the ready, behind Han, out of view of the two stormtroopers moving toward them. Han and Leia’s eyes locked; a moment seemingly suspended in time.

“I love you,” Han told her.

Another shared look happened between them, as she smiled up at Han.

“I know,” She responded.

“Hands up! Stand up!”

Han stood up slowly and turned, revealing the gun in Leia’s hand. She disposed of the stormtroopers in a quick flash. As Han turned back toward Leia, as all their allies gathered around the doors, they looked up and saw a giant walker approach and stood before them, its deadly weapons aimed right at them.

“Stay back,” Han warned.

All at once, the hatch on top of the walker opened and Chewie stuck his head out, barking triumphantly.

“Chewie!!!” Fluttershy cheered.

“Chewie!” Han yelled to him. “Get down here! She’s wounded!”

Chewbacca was just about to climb down from the war machine when Han suddenly had a thought.

“No, wait… I got an idea.”

<>

In the meantime, Luke and Vader are engaged in a man-to-man duel of lightsabers even more vicious than the battle on Bespin. But the young Jedi had grown stronger in the interim, and now the advantage shifted to him. Vader found himself forced back, losing his balance, and fell down a flight of stairs. Luke stood atop the stairs, ready to attack.

“Good,” Palpatine smiled. “Use your aggressive feelings, boy! Let the hate flow through you.”

Luke momentarily turned toward the Emperor, then back to Vader, realizing he was using the dark side. He stepped back, turned off his lightsaber, and relaxed, driving the hate from his very being.

“Obi-Wan has taught you well,” Vader said.

“I will not fight you, father,” Luke responded.

Vader climbed back the stairs toward Luke’s level.

“You are unwise to lower your defenses.”

And Vader attacked, forcing Luke on the defensive. The young Jedi leapt in an amazing reverse flip toward the safety of the catwalk overhead. Vader stood just below him.

“Your thoughts betray you, father. I feel the good in you… the conflict.”

“There is no conflict,” Vader argued.

“You couldn’t bring yourself to kill me before,” Luke countered. “And I don’t believe you’ll destroy me now.”

“You underestimate the power of the dark side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny.”

Vader hurled the laser sword, which sliced through the supports holding the catwalk, then returned to Vader’s hand. Luke tumbled to the ground in a shower of sparks, rolling out of sight under the Emperor’s platform. Vader moved to follow him.

“Good,” Palpatine grinned wickedly. “Good…”

<>



Inside the main reactor room aboard the Death Star, Darth Seraphina lashed out at Twilight Sparkle as they continued their ferocious sword fight. Seraphina threw a number of containers toward Twilight with the force, but thankfully Twilight was able to dodge each one of them. They battled their way off the platform and into the main entry hallway moving their fight toward the main control center.

As the laser swords flew, bits of the hallway are cut up. Both force wielders eventually locked sabers with one another testing their strength. Twilight placed her hand out, using the Force to push Seraphina away. But Seraphina responded with her own hand blocking the attack. Both combatants are blasted backwards onto the control panels, sending sparks flying. Eventually, they regained their footing as Twilight once more stared down the dark Sith.

“Sunset, please stop!” Twilight begged. “This isn’t you at all. You need to wake up and realize how crazy this whole thing is!”

“But I am awake, Twilight Sparkle!” Seraphina chuckled darkly. “For the first time, in the longest time, I am awake! I see things more clearly now than ever before.”

Seraphina reached out with one hand, and a large tankard of explosive material was released from its mooring. Seraphina used the Force to hurl the tankard toward Twilight, who managed to jump out of the way as the tankard exploded into a ball of fire. Seraphina then used the force to rip a sliding door clear off the wall and proceeded to race down the hallway. Twilight leapt after her, but Seraphina quickly turned and aimed the full brunt of her force lighting toward the young Jedi, catching her in mid-air and hurling her hard against the wall. The force caused Twilight to drop her lightsaber and Seraphina leapt across the hallway, pinning Twilight to the wall with one hand clasped firmly around her throat. Twilight struggled to breathe, as she tried pushing Seraphina off her but to no avail.

“Why don’t you just give up Jedi?!” Seraphina hissed. “Save yourself the agony of a slow, painful death and just die with some dignity.”

Twilight quickly surveyed the environment around her, desperate for a way out of the situation. Looking above them, she noticed a pipe above them where she could clearly hear hot air travelling through. Channeling the force, Twilight reached out and pulled the pipe with such power it eventually broke and blasted hot air right into Seraphina’s face.

The Sith yelped in agony, blinding by the hot air, and lost her grip on Twilight as she stumbled blindly down the hall. Twilight recovered from being choked, drew her lightsaber back to her with the force, and raced after Seraphina. Twilight used the force to slam Seraphina against the wall, but the Sith lady recovered before the Jedi can cut her down. The two continued to fight their way down the hall toward the stairwell leading back to the Emperor’s throne room.

<>

The two armadas, like their sea-bound ancestors, blasted away at each other in individual point-blank confrontations. A Star Destroyer exploded. The Rebel victor limped away, its back half alive with a series of minor explosions. The Rebel cruiser managed to move in next to a second Star Destroyer before it exploded completely, taking the Imperial Star Destroyer with it. The Falcon and several fighters attacked one of the larger Imperial ships.

“Watch out!” Lando called. “Squad at .06.”

“I’m on it, Gold Leader.”

“Good shot, Red Two,” Wedge said, over commlink.

“Now… come on, Han, old buddy,” Lando pleaded to himself. “Don’t let me down.”

<>

Controllers watched the main viewscreen on which a vague figure of an Imperial walker pilot could be seen. A great deal of static and interference kept the image from being properly seen.

“It’s over, Commander,” Han said determined. “The Rebels have been routed. They’re fleeing into the woods. We need reinforcements to continue the pursuit.”

“Send three squads to help,” The CR commander ordered. “Open the back door.”

“Yes sir,” The second commander said.

As the bunker door opened, and the Imperial troops rushed out, they’re surprised to find themselves surrounded by Rebels, their weapons pointed at them. Ewoks holding bows and arrows appeared from the roof of the bunker. The Imperial troops threw down their guns, as Spike gave a shrug with a cocky smirk.

Han and Chewie rushed inside the bunker with the remaining explosive charges. Han, Chewie, and the Equestrian Heroes rushed toward the control room and started planting charged along the control panels.

“Throw me another charge!” Han ordered.

“Aye-Aye Captain!” Pinkie saluted. “Now for my favorite part of any part; ending it all with a Big Bang! BANG!!!!!”

The last word Pinkie sung at random, to which the others just shook their heads as they planted the remaining charges.

<>

Vader stalked the low-ceilinged region on the level below the throne. The Sith lord searched for Luke in the semi-darkness, his lightsaber held ready to kill.

“You cannot hide forever, Luke,” Vader told him.

“I will not fight you,” Luke responded.

“Give yourself to the dark side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for…”

Vader stopped, sensing something. Luke shut his eyes tightly, in anguish, trying to prevent his father from reading his thoughts. But it was too late!

“Sister!” Vader realized. “So… you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps… she… will.”

“NEVER-R-R!!!” Luke growled.

Luke ignited his lightsaber, screaming in anger, rushing toward his father with a frenzy never seen before. Sparks flew as Luke and Vader fought in the cramped area. Luke’s hatred forced Vader to retreat from the lower area and across a bridge overlooking a vast elevator shaft. Each stroke from Luke’s sword drove his father further toward defeat.

The Dark Lord was knocked to his knees, as he raised his sword to block another onslaught until… Luke slashed Vader’s right hand off the wrist, causing metal and electronic parts to fly from the mechanical stump. Vader’s sword clattered uselessly away, over the edge of the platform toward the bottomless shaft below. Luke moved toward Vader, holding the blade of his sword to the Dark Lord’s throat.

It was at the moment the throne room door blasted off, as Twilight Sparkle was thrown through the air before crashing before the Emperor’s throne. Twilight looked up in a daze toward the evil tyrant smiling down at her menacingly. Before she could do anything, however, she was force-pulled back into a standing position as Seraphina charged in with her lightsaber pointed forward like a javelin. Twilight leapt over the oncoming attacker, landing directly behind her. But Seraphina was far too quick and kicked her with such force she flew backwards and crashed into the railing overlooking the dangerous drop to the chasm below. Twilight looked down in horror of the terrifying drop but was quickly cut off when she leapt to the side to avoid Seraphina’s strike, the railing sparked as Seraphina cut through with her saber.

But Seraphina grabbed the metal piping of the railed and ripped it off before nailing Twilight in the back with it. Twilight cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, but she held up her lightsaber as Seraphina brought hers down for the killing blow. The two pushed against one another for a moment before Seraphina flicked her saber and in the process sliced Twilight’s saber in half. Seraphina stepped back as Twilight slow sat on her knees, looking down toward her destroyed lightsaber. Adding insult to injury, Seraphina saw the glasses having fallen from Twilight’s face inches from her and Seraphina stomped upon it, crushing it to smaller pieces. Twilight then turned up toward Seraphina looking at her with the most hateful look she could muster.

“You’ve lost Twilight Sparkle,” She declared. “Now I can finally do what I’ve been waiting to do for the past few years. However, I will give you the opportunity to say a few final words. If I were you, I’d make them count.”

Twilight lowered her head, closing her eyes tight as a few tears fell down her face. She couldn’t believe she had truly lost a fight. From the side, Luke looked over toward Twilight at the mercy of Seraphina.

“Twilight!” He called out.

He was about to race forward and help, but Twilight held her hand up. Slowly, she lifted her head to look in the eyes of her former friend. And in that moment, Twilight could only think of ‘one’ last thing to say to her.

“Sunset Shimmer, you are my ‘best’ friend… more than just that. You mean more to me than even Princess Celestia. But I refuse to live in a timeline where we must fight.”

She brushed the destroyed remains of her lightsaber aside, allowing her arms to fall to her side.

“If you are truly ‘evil’… you truly believe in the Dark Side… then go ahead. Strike me down. Do what makes you happy… but I’ll ‘always’ forgive you. I love you, Sunset.”

Hearing those words actually caused Seraphina to freeze on the spot.  She was actually willing to let herself be killed?  As those thoughts were running through Seraphina's, something else was weighing heavily upon her mind.

<>

Deep within the oblivion of the void, the seemingly endless battle between light and darkness waged on. Darth Marr battled against the form of Valkorion with the might he possessed thousands of years before. Valkorion laughed lowly and darkly as he disappeared in a puff of black smoke. But this did nothing to deter Marr, who simply stood his ground with the same level of determination.

“Show yourself coward,” He growled.

“Gladly,” Valkorion responded.

A few puffs of smoke appeared all around Marr and in an instant, he was completely surrounded by many forms of Valkorion. Marr made to attack one but was quickly ambushed by the others as they all threw him back and forth with the force. They all threw force lightning at him and though Marr held off a few of them, even he along couldn’t stop the lightning from contacting his form. Eventually, it all became too much for him as they blew him to the side, and he rolled along the ground before coming to an eventual stop. He groaned as he slowly sat up and looked at the many forms of Valkorion.

“You wear a mask to maintain the illusion you are a powerful Sith worthy of respect,” Valkorion taunted. “Yet despite your beliefs, you were always weak. That’s why it was so easy for me to kill you all those years ago.”

Marr growled to himself as he grabbed his lightsaber and hurled it through the air. In the process, his saber twirled through the air with the force and acted like a boomerang as it took out numerous Valkorion forms. Marr caught the saber as it returned and leapt high in the air before coming down with a huge force shockwave that eradicated the remaining replicas. This left only Valkorion, the true Valkorion, left standing as Marr quickly advanced on him.

“You’re wrong Valkorion,” Marr said. “You only destroyed my being because I allowed it. All it served was to make me stronger, as I became one with the force.”

In another part of the void, Andromedis and Valora were locked in their own battle. The two arch enemies during the Old Republic clashed their sabers back and forth with great force, neither willing to give an inch. Andromedis short force lightning from the tips of his fingers, but Valora blocked with her own lightsaber and threw it back at him. The Sith lord groaned in pain as the lightning coursed through him, as Valora raced up and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick sending him flying back. Andromedis flipped through the air before eventually landing on his feet and Valora flew up to meet him.

Eventually, Andromedis had quite enough of this nonsense. He reached into the darkest recesses of his black heart, unleashing a huge explosion of force lightning that blew Valora far back. The Jedi Master landed hard on the ground as her lightsaber rolled a great distance away from her and she laid there nearly knocked out. Andromedis walked slowly to her fallen figure, raising his lightsaber high, and prepared to deliver the killing blow… but stopped.

Valora looked up, seeing Andromedis looking down at her with a wicked, cocky smirk on his face. He deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back to his side.

“Killing you now would be far too easy,” He mocked. “Besides, I have far bigger plans set for the future of this galaxy. Now that I have been awakened, soon enough the galaxy will bend their knees to me.”

Then, within the blink of an eye, Andromedis disappeared in a haze with his sick laughter echoing through the void. This made Valora increasingly nervous about what he meant

Unlike herself, he wasn’t dead and confined to the force. He still had a living, breathing being able to unleash pain and torment on the galaxy. And with her unable to stop him any longer, she only hoped someone would finally bring an end to him. But hearing the continuous struggle around her, Valora quickly shook these thoughts from her head and resumed the fighting.

Sunset Shimmer and Revan held their own against the former Sith Emperor, as Tenebrae released a series of force lightning strikes against his adversaries. Yet Revan was quick to block them with his lightsaber. When Sunset and Revan attempted to attack with their own blades, Tenebrae was more than ready for them as he produced not one but two blood red sabers and expertly countered each of their attacks. Eventually, all the fighting led to the three forms of the Emperor led to the middle of the rocky terrain of the void.

“ENOUGH!!”

The three forms of the Emperor combined their power and with a humongous blast of dark energy sent every single one of their attackers backwards. Sunset and everyone else slowly sat up seeing the three forms of the Emperor side by side with their eyes glowing blood red. A strange force seemed to envelop them as though they were calling on the very essence of the dark side itself to aid them.

“I told you…” Tenebrae said.

“I control all that happens here…” Vitiate added.

“I am immortal,” Valkorion finished. “Infinite… endless!”

Just as all seemed lost for Sunset and the others, a glowing blue portal opened to the side causing everyone to stop and stare at the strange phenomenon. From the very portal emerged a figure of a lady dressed all in white, even her hair was completely white. Though the Emperor had not seen this being for thousands of years, he remembered her as though it were yesterday.

“Meetra Surik,” He growled.

“Everything ends,” Meetra said to him. “Even you.”

This caused Tenebrae to laugh evilly.

“I believe you tried to destroy me once before,” He reminded her. “You failed.”

“True,” Meetra nodded. “However, last time we did not have the one thing needed to finally wipe the galaxy clean of you.”

The deceased Jedi master slowly walked towards the group of heroes before coming to a rest before Sunset Shimmer.

“You were the missing quality we needed,” She declared. “Someone who has faced the darkest corners of their own heart and vanquished it. You, Sunset Shimmer, who always felt underappreciated and overlooked, allowed yourself to become as dark as the dark side itself. However, you fought the darkness and came out into the light. Now you serve as a guardian of piece, the light side itself.”

Sunset smiled, hearing such kind words from the long dead master before turning her attention to the Emperor. Reaching within herself, she closed her eyes and allowed the light to flow through her. The entire landscape of the void soon became enveloped in a magnificent golden light amongst the darkness. One by one, everyone stood up by Sunset’s side as they all faced the Emperor. Tenebrae’s gaze faltered for a moment as he could feel the darkness growing weaker around him. Satele Shan stood right up alongside Sunset as she faced the dark master.

“Everything you’ve done…”

Then, miraculously, more and more figures emerged from the light. Many former Jedi, Soldiers, Civilians, and others alike appeared from the light offering their strength in the force to fight against the dark. Some of those being the family of Valkorion himself: Senya Tirall, Arcann, Thexan, and Vaylin.

“Everyone you betrayed…” Senya continued.

From beside Darth Mar emerged familiar figures of Jedi Knight, Kira Carson and the former Emperor’s wrath, Lord Scourge. Along with many others the Emperor had twisted and vanquished.

“Everyone you’ve manipulated…” Kira finished.

More and more, the three forms of the Emperor felt their strength faltering and tried to maintain it. However, they were quickly losing this battle of will.

“Everyone you’ve murdered…” Meetra spoke.

Revan then stepped alongside Sunset as well.

“The force seeks balance,” He said. “Always…”

Eventually, the power of the light proved overpowering for the darkness, and it blew Tenebrae back. Soon he and his other forms went stiff, starting to freeze up.

“No, no, no!” Vitiate panicked.

“The force is mine!” Valkorion yelled. “I command it!”

“I… am… endless!!!” Tenebrae growled.

Sunset then stepped before the giant gathering of followers behind her with the light side practically radiating from her very form.

“No…” She shook her head. “In the end… you are nothing.”

The light side could be felt through the very air as it permeated strongly. Vitiate and Valkorion both slowly became entrapped in stone much like the Legion of Doom long ago, leaving only Tenebrae left. Soon, even he began to be entrapped in stone.

“AAAAAARGH!!!”

Sunset slowly walked forward to the now stone form of Tenebrae, gently reaching out, and gave a tiny flick of her finger. The stone statue crumbled under her very touch and the other forms followed suit. And just like that, the Sith Emperor was no more.

<>

All Seraphina could do was look down toward Twilight, who knelt on the ground waiting to be struck. Not even bothering to lift what remained of her lightsaber, discarded all over the ground. So many thoughts raced through her head: Why was Twilight willing to let herself be killed? Was she truly doing this for her? Eve after the things she did?

Palpatine interrupted her thoughts, cackling evilly while watching the scene unfold.

“Yes… kill her, she is weak,” Palpatine spoke, sinisterly. “Kill her and the rebellion falls with her. Together, we shall rule the galaxy.”

Seraphina pushed those words back into her head, trying to focus on her task at hand. But for the first time in a long while, she suddenly had no idea what to do. On one hand, this could all end with one strike, one strike and it’s over. And yet, Seraphina still couldn’t believe that the pony-turned-girl was willing to lay her life down to her, the very same one her master claimed forgotten all about her. Yet there she was, kneeling in defeat and succumbing to her fate as a sacrifice for her.

All these thoughts raced through her head, as she raised the crimson blade of her saber above her head. A fierce look dawned on her face, staring toward Twilight, who doesn’t even return her gaze. She’s just sitting there, staring toward the ground sadly. All at once, Seraphina's intense glare softened seeing Twilight in this state.  The once blood red Sith eyes of Darth Seraphina seemed to melt away and were replaced with the moderate cyan eyes of Sunset Shimmer.

“Twilight…” Sunset whispered.

Then Sunset closed her eyes, weighing her options. And just as quickly opened her eyes, as if it suddenly dawned on her what must be done. Sunset turned around and swung her lightsaber, spinning on her heels toward the Emperor. She felt her blade make contact, but not the way she thought. She looked up toward the Emperor’s face, as he smirked knowing the attack was coming and produced his own lightsaber to block the attack.

“You betray your friends and this rebellion,” Palpatine cackled maniacally. “I always knew you’d eventually betray me too.”

Lunging his hand out, the Emperor ‘force punched’ Sunset to the farthest corner of the room. She crashed against the metal wall and fell to the ground, groaning in pain as Twilight looked on. She turned towards Palpatine, who laughed as he watched Sunset hit the floor.

“You had such potential, just like Lord Vader. You could’ve been my successor, like him. My equal, like him. But it seems you’re willing to share the same fate as the rebel scum. Now Seraphina, my former apprentice… you must die!”

“My name…” Sunset growled, picking herself up. “… is Sunset Shimmer!”

Sunset quickly recovered, screaming her lungs out as she ignited her lightsaber and raced toward her ‘master’. She swung furiously a few times, but each blow Palpatine blocked easily. Using as much strength as she could, Sunset conjured as much force lighting in her hands and shot it at the Emperor. Palpatine blocked the incoming bolts with his lightsaber, applying the force to hurl back at Sunset. She could feel the lightning jolt through her body, feeling the intense pain skyrocket through her.

Just then, Sunset gasped as she felt something hot pierce through her abdomen, followed by extreme pain. Her eyes glazed over, as she looked down and saw Palpatine thrust his lightsaber straight through her abdomen.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Twilight screamed.

Palpatine ripped his lightsaber out of Sunset, placing it back in his robes. Sunset took a shaky breath as she fell to her knees and Twilight quickly jumped up running toward her side. Sunset fell back into Twilight’s waiting arms, as she looked up at her with fear in her eyes. She too could see the worry in Twilight’s.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Twilight pleaded. “Come on Sunset, stay with me. Stay with me.”

“T-Twilight…” Sunset spoke raspy. “Hold me… I-I need… t-to know… please…”

Nodding, Twilight held her hand towards Sunset Shimmer who weakly clutched her hand with Twilight’s. Then her eyes began to glow, and she gasped. She could see everything playing out before her, every event from the all the time spent here. Twilight’s time… everything she’d done… all her words… all her feelings… and as the light faded, Sunset slowly turned toward Twilight.

“Y-Y-You… you really did come for me…”

“Yes… yes Sunset, I’m here,” Twilight cried. “I’m never letting go… I promise…”

Chuckling at the sight, Palpatine turned his attention toward Luke who still stood over Vader.

“Good!” He chuckled. “Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father’s place at my side!”

Luke looked toward his father’s mechanical hand (Or what’s left of it), then to his own mechanical, black-gloved hand. Only then did he realize how much he became like his father. He made the decision for which he has spent a lifetime in preparation. Luke stepped back, hurling his lightsaber away.

“Never!” Luke said defiantly. “I’ll never turn to the dark side. You’ve failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”

The Emperor’s glee was quickly replaced with pure, raw rage.

“So be it… Jedi.”
> One With The Force
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back down on the battlefield once known as Endor, Han and several fighters raced out of the bunker across the clearing.

“Move! Move!” Han yelled.

Storm Shield, Spike, and the rest of the girls followed Han and the soldiers out of the bunker. They knew right away the whole place was about it to blow and needed to get out of the blast radius right away.

“We gotta go! Now!” Rainbow yelled. 

As they were about to leave, Storm remembered the two Dazzlings tied to the tree, including Sonata and Demetria knocked out on the ground. It’d be so easy to just leave them here, let the blast take them out after everything they’ve done. But… in Storm’s heart, he knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. His family would never permit this.

“Wait!” He shouted. “We’ve got to get ‘them’ out of here too.”

The girls and Spike turned back toward Rainbow, looking at him as if he were insane.

“You’re joking right?” Rainbow asked. “They ‘literally’ tried to kill us a few minutes ago.”

“No, he’s right sugar cube,” Applejack spoke up. “It don’t matter wut they’ve done, we ain’t lettin’ ‘em go up in smoke like that.”

“She’s right dear,” Rarity nodded.

“Yes-siree, especially Sonata,” Pinkie exclaimed gleefully. “We had a real blast when we were talking. It would put a real damper on all the good times we had if she blew up to smithereens.”

“Less talking, more helping!” Storm yelled.

It was then they just noticed that Storm had just been trying to untie the Dazzlings while they were talking.

“Oh right! We better hurry!” Fluttershy spoke urgently.

Pinkie Pie quickly raced over, scooping an unconscious Sonata off the ground, and threw her limp body over her shoulder as Storm did the same with Demitria. Meanwhile, the others raced over and started untying Adagio and Aria from the tree, much to the two sirens’ chagrin.

“Get your filthy hands off us!” Adagio yelled.

“We’re trying to help, you ditz!” Rainbow replied.

“Help? Help!? We don’t need any help!” Aria growled. “It’s you who’ll need help when we get out of this! You may have beaten us today, but I swear we will…”

She didn’t even get an opportunity to finish that sentence when Mando descended to the ground from the air and used the butt of his blaster to knock the sirens out cold, much to Rainbow’s relief.

“You know, I was going to suggest you do that,” She smirked.

“They were getting on my nerves,” Mando replied bluntly.

The girls finally untied the now unconscious former sirens and lifted them both up. Once everyone was accounted for, they ran as fast as they could until…

*BOOM!!!*

A shock wave knocked them flat as the bunker exploded, followed by a spectacular display as a huge shield-generator radar dish exploded along with the bunker. After recovering from the aftershock of the explosion, the group sat back up and returned their feet as they stared upon the now destroyed shield generator.

“Wow!” Pinkie giggled. “Now that’s what I call going out with a bang!”

Rainbow smirked and wrapped an arm around Pinkie’s shoulder.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself Pinkster,” She nodded.

As they gazed upon the smoking pile of steel that once was the generator, Spike looked around and noticed someone was missing from their group.

“Wait a second!” He spoke up. “Where’s Marek?”

Everyone looked around seeing that indeed there was no sign of Galen Marek anywhere in sight.

“I don’t know Spikey,” Rarity answered. “I thought he was with us when we were fighting the others?”

“Oh, I hope he’s okay,” Fluttershy said worriedly.

<> 

From the fleet hovering above the forest moon, Ackbar, sitting in his control chair, spoke into the radio.

“The shield is down!” He said. “Commence attack on the Death Star’s main reactor.”

We’re on our way!” Lando responded. “Red Group, Gold Group, all fighters follow me. Told you they’d do it!”

Nien Nunb merely chuckled as the Falcon, followed by several smaller Rebel fighters, flew toward the unfinished superstructure of the Death Star.

<> 

Luke Skywalker stood still, as the Emperor reached the bottom of the stairs. The Emperor’s laughter turned to anger as he rose his arms toward Luke.

“If you will not be turned,” Palpatine smirked evilly. “You will be destroyed!”

Blinding bolts of force lightning shot from the Emperor’s evil hands. Even in his surprise, the young Jedi tried to use the Force to deflect them. At first, he is half successful, but after a moment the bolts of energy came with such speed and power the young Jedi shrunk before them, his knees buckling. The wounded Vader struggled to his feet, standing by his master’s side.

“Young fool… only now, at the end, do you understand.”

Luke was almost unconscious beneath the continuing assault of the Emperor’s lightning. He clutched a canister to keep from falling into the bottomless shaft as the bolts tear through him.

“Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side. You have paid the price for your lack of vision.”

Luke writhed on the floor in unbearable pain, reaching weakly up toward where Vader stood watching.

“Father, please!” Luke groaned in pain. “Help me!” 

But again Vader just stood, watching Luke suffer. He turned toward his master, the Emperor, then back toward Luke on the floor.

“Now, young Skywalker…” The Emperor declared. “You will die…”

It was then, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps alerted them to another presence amongst them. Losing his concentration for a moment, Palpatine turned just in time to see Galen Marek charging toward him. Marek leapt through the air with a primal yell as he prepared to deliver the death blow to the Emperor. Palpatine quickly shot his hand towards Marek, sending another charge of force lightning at him.

Thankfully, Marek blocked it with his lightsaber as he came back down and deflected the blasts all around the room. Palpatine continued sending copious amounts of the lightning towards him.

“So… you return to die by my hand, traitor?” Palpatine laughed menacingly.

“Marek merely grit his teeth, pushing the force lightning back with his two lightsabers.

“No… I returned to ‘end’ you!”

Palpatine merely cackled as he threw more force lightning at Marek. Though he managed to hold it off, he quickly felt his strength leaving him as he pushed with all his might. Vader looked back and forth between his former apprentice and his son, who continued to write in pain from being shocked severely. 

It was then Vader shot his attention back toward the dying Sunset Shimmer, held in the arms of a shocked Twilight Sparkle. And when he looked at Sunset Shimmer, Vader swore he saw a vision of his late wife, Padme Amidala, the last image of her suffering just as he envisioned all those years ago. He could still hear her voice whisper…

“Ani… Ani…”

So much madness… so much pain… so much misery inflicted upon others. And all for what? Looking back and forth, it quickly became apparent of what the man known as Darth Vader had to do.

“No…” He spoke lowly. “NO!!!”

Vader lunged for the Emperor from behind, fighting for control of the robed figure despite the Dark Lord’s weakened body and gravely weakened arm. The Emperor struggled in his embrace, his bolt-shooting hands lifting high, away from Marek. And now the lightning stroke Vader, who stumbled with his load as the sparks rained off his helmet and flowed over his black cape. And still he held his evil master high over his head and approached the edge of the abyss at the central core of the throne room.

With one final burst of his once awesome strength, Darth Vader hurled the Emperor’s body into the bottomless shaft. Emperor Palpatine screamed as his body spun helplessly into the void, falling deeper into the abyss. Finally, when it was far down the shaft, it exploded and created a rush of air through the room. Vader’s cape whipped against the wind, as he stagged and collapsed toward the bottomless hole wheezing heavily.

Luke crawled toward his father’s side, drawing him away from the edge of the abyss to safety. Both the young Jedi and the giant warrior were too weak to move, all their energy depleted from the force lightning. While this went on, Marek looked over toward Sunset lying in Twilight’s embrace and quickly raced toward their side.

“Twilight! What happened to her?” He asked urgently.

Twilight looked toward him with tears streaming down her face.

“She finally snapped out of the darkness and tried to fight against the emperor,” She cried. “She got stabbed through the abdomen.”

Marek looked down, noting the burnt wound stemming through Sunset’s body. Sunset slowly turned her head toward Marek, a very weak smile formed across her face at the sight of him.

“M-Marek…” She wheezed.

Marek quickly knelt to her side, placing a comforting hand along her cheek.

“It’s alright Sunset,” He assured her. “I’m here now. We’re going to get you help.”

Marek reached under her, lifting her up bridal style as he proceeded to carry her out of the throne room towards the hanger of the Death Star. Twilight followed right behind every step of the way, helping Luke lift Vader to his feet as they followed.

“C’mon, hurry!” Marek called out. “I got a ship waiting for us at the hanger; this whole place could blow any minute!”

<> 

Rebel fighters followed the Falcon across the surface of the Death Star into the unfinished portion, they dove into the superstructure of the giant battle station followed by many TIE fighters.

“I’m going in,” Wedge said.

“Here goes nothing,” Lando added.

Three X-wings led the chase through the ever-narrowing shaft, followed by the Falcon and four other fighters, plus TIE fighters continually firing at the Rebels. Lights reflected off the pilots’ faces as they raced through the dark shaft.

“Now lock onto the strongest power source,” Lando ordered. “It should be the power generator.”

“Form up!” Wedge announced. “And stay alert. We could run out of space real fast.”

The fighters and the Falcon raced through the tunnel, the TIE fighters in hot pursuit. One of the X-Wings was struck from behind and exploded.

“Split up and head back to the surface,” Lando instructed. “See if you can get a few of those TIE fighters to follow you.”

“Copy, Gold Leader.”

The Rebel ships peeled off, pursued by three of the TIE’s, while Lando and Wedge continued through the narrowing main tunnel. The Falcon barely scraped the side dangerously, while two other TIE fighters blasted away at them.

“That was too close,” Lando sighed in relief.

Nien Nunb agreed in his native tongue.

The battle between the Rebel and Imperial fleet raged on. Several cruisers fired against the giant Super Star Destroyer.

“We’ve got to give those fighters more time,” Ackbar said. “Concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer.”

X-wing pilots head across the surface of the huge battleship. From their viewpoint, Admiral PIett and a commander stood at the window gazing at the battle before them. They, along with their crew, looked on with great concern.

“Sir, we’ve lost our bridge deflector shield,” A commander reported.

“Intensify the forward batteries,” Piett responded. “I don’t want anything to get through.”

The commander looked out the winder where a damaged Rebel fighter spun out of control, its hurdling directly toward the bridge.

“Intensify forward firepower!”

“IT’S TOO LATE!”

The Rebel pilot screamed as his ship struck the Star Destroyer, generating a huge explosion. The giant battleship lost control, crashing into the Death Star, and exploded. There’s great excitement on the bridge as the battle raged on all sides. The Rebels cheered as the giant Star Destroyer blew up amidst the chaos. For the first time, the Death Star was rocked by explosions as the Rebel fleet, no longer backed against a wall, zoomed over and unleashed a heavy barrage of firepower.

Inside, imperial troops ran in all directions, confused and desperate to escape. In the midst of this uproar, Marek raced with a moaning Sunset in his arms while Twilight and Luke struggled to carry the enormous deadweight of his father’s weakening body toward Marek’s ship.

“Hurry guys!” Marek shouted. “We’re almost there!”

But then Marek skid to a halt when he saw a few of the Empire’s controllers and stormtroopers make their way toward Marek’s ship. Before they could do anything, they ignited the engines and our heroes could only watch as the ship Marek took lift off and soared away out of the hanger.

“Son of a—” Marek groaned, looking around.

“What about that ship?” Twilight pointed.

They turned and saw an Imperial shuttle still sitting in the hanger, presumably either Vader’s or the Emperor’s vessel.

“Okay… Plan B!” Marek declared.

They raced toward the Imperial shuttle as fast as they could. Finally, Luke and Twilight collapsed from the strain at the foot of the ship. Explosions grew louder, as Luke and Twilight tried to lift Vader up, who merely drew them closer. Until he could stare face-to-face toward his son.

“Luke… help me take… this mask off,” Vader spoke weakly.

“But you’ll die,” Luke argued.

“Nothing can stop that now. Just for once… let me… look on you with my own eyes.”

Slowly, hesitantly even, Twilight turned toward Luke and nodded her head silently. Luke proceeded to remove the mask from his father’s face, piece by piece. Twilight, Marek, and a weakened Sunset watched on as Luke stripped the last piece of the headpiece off, oxygen hissed from the mask as it peeled off to reveal… an elderly man. 

Before their eyes they were not looking at Darth Vader… they were looking towards the Jedi master destined to end the Empire and secure the future of the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker. A bald man with a nasty scrape upon his head, his eyebrows completely gone, and though his eyes could barely focus the dying man smiled at the sight of his son before him. As if when he looked into Luke’s eyes, he could see a trace of Padme within him.

“No… go, my son. Leave me.”

“No Anakin,” Twilight shook her head. “You have to come with us!”

“I can’t leave you here,” Luke added. “I’ve got to save you.”

“You already have, Luke. You were right… you were right about me. Tell your sister… you were right.”

The dying man then slowly turned toward Twilight Sparkle’s, who’s eyes shimmered with tears as she gazed upon him.

“Princess Twilight… tell Luna… tell Storm Shield… I’m sorry…”

“Father… we won’t leave you…” Luke insisted.

With one final breath, Darth Vader… Anakin Skywalker… Luke’s father… died. A huge explosion rocked toward the docking bay. The ship was going to be destroyed at any minute, and they were running out of time.

“Luke… we have to go…” Twilight told him.

Slowly, Luke rose half carrying, half dragging the body of his dead father with Twilight’s help. They stumbled toward the shuttle as Marek carried Sunset inside.

<> 

The Millennium Falcon led a swerving bomb run through the immense superstructure of the half-built Death Star. The Rebel Star Cruisers outside continually bombarded the huge station. Each direct hit was answered by resonating, chain-reaction explosions within the station itself. Lando’s crew fired away at the pursuing TIE fighters as the dashing Baron of Bespin and his alien copilot homed in on the main reactor shaft. It is such an awesome sight before them. A lone X-wing was just in front of the Falcon.

“There it is!” Wedge said.

“All right, Wedge. Go for the power regulator on the north tower,” Lando ordered.

“Copy, Gold Leader. I’m already on my way out.”

The X-wing flew for the top of the huge reactor, firing several proton torpedoes at the power regulator, causing a series of tiny explosions. The Falcon headed for the main reactor, and when it was dangerously close, Lando fired the missiles which shot out of the Falcon with a powerful roar and struck directly at the center of the main reactor. He maneuvered the Falcon out from the winding superstructure just ahead of the continuing chain of explosions. 

Ackbar and the other Mon Calamari leaned upon the railing of the bridge, watching the large screen showing the Death Star in the main briefing room.

“Move the fleet away from the Death Star,” Ackbar ordered.

An Imperial shuttle, with Luke alone in the cockpit, rocketed out of the main docking bay as the entire section of the Death Star was blown away. 

And finally, just as it looked like the Falcon wouldn’t make it, Lando expertly piloted the craft out of the exploding superstructure and whizzed toward the Sanctuary Moon, only a moment before the Death Star supernovas into oblivion. Lando and Nien Nunb laugh, cheering in relief.

<> 

Back on Endor, Han Solo and Leia Organa, Chewbacca, the droids, the Rebel troops, the Ewoks, and the Equestrian Heroes looked toward the sky as the Death Star’s explosion revealed itself in a final flash of self-destruction. They all cheered.

“They did it!” 3PO cheered.

The girls celebrated their victory, at long last after a lengthy struggle. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie hopped on their feet as they embraced each other. Rainbow Dash and The Mandalorian shook hands till she felt a tap on her shoulders. Curious, she turned around only for Applejack to draw Rainbow Dash in for a kiss. To which Rainbow wrapped her arms around her, playfully pushing Applejack’s hat off, and they collapsed onto the ground. Spike barked and howled toward the sky, as Rarity lifted the pup up in her arms and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Hearts formed in his eyes, as Spike sighed heavily.

All the while, Han turned from the sky toward Leia. A look of concern formed on his face. She just stared toward the sky as if listening for a silent voice.

“I’m sure Luke and the others weren’t on that thing when it blew,” Han reassured.

“They weren’t,” Leia spoke. “I can feel it.”

“You love him, don’t you?”

Leia smiled toward Han, slightly puzzled but smiled, nonetheless. 

“Yes…”

“All right… I understand,” Han nodded. “Fine. When he comes back, I won’t get in the way.”

It was only then Han realized his misunderstanding.

“Oh. No, it’s not like that at all,” Leia corrected. “He’s my brother.”

Han was stunned by the news. But before he could speak, Leia smiled and embraced him as the rest gathered around him.

“Yeah… it’s a long, long story, pal,” Rainbow smirked.

While the Rebels prepared to celebrate their momentous victory, Pinkie watched over with a smile on her face and her arms crossed.

“So I’ve been thinking Sonata,” Pinkie spoke absent-mindedly. “If you and your friends agree to put aside this whole ‘taking over the world’ business and are willing to apologize for being a group of meanie-pants… maybe I can put in a good word and reduce that ‘banished from Equestria’ sentence to about… a couple hundred years. If not, the least we can do is promise we won’t do something drastic like turning you girls to stone… or propelling you to the moon… few weeks of community service won’t hurt. We have a deal?”

Pinkie Pie waited for an answer, only to frown when no answer came. Curious, she slowly turned around.

“Girls?”

But when Pinkie Pie turned around, the Dazzlings and Demetria were gone. Not a trace of them were found at the spot where they piled up; it’s like they just vanished.

“Hey… where’d you go?” Pinkie asked, looking around.

<> 

Inside the Imperial Shuttle, flying across the sky toward Endor, Sunset Shimmer groaned in pain in the cargo area. She leaned against Twilight Sparkle, who gently lifted her head trying to make eye contact. Sunset slowly opened her eyes to her friend’s once again. Galen Marek looked silently from the corner, trying to process everything. Never thinking the two would ever be friends again, even to Sunset’s surprise, she was wrong. 

“Hey Twilight…” Sunset spoke weakly. “I just want to say… I’m sorry… for everything I did to you.”

“No! No, no, no, no, no, no!” Twilight replied, tears streaming. “Don’t talk like that! It was my fault! I should’ve found you all those years ago. This mess would never have happened if I—”

Sunset gently squeezed Twilight’s hand, trying to comfort the crying princess.

“Hey Twilight?” Sunset asked.

“Yes?” Twilight replied.

“I’m just… happy your with me again. I missed those days… where we used to just hang out… like normal girls…”

Sunset coughed slightly, but her eyes never left Twilight.

“I missed those days too Sunset,” Twilight smiled. “All I ever wanted… what I always wanted… was just to be with you…”

Despite the circumstances, Galen Marek could see that Twilight was so happy that she and Sunset could be friends again. Sunset lifted her hand weakly towards Twilight’s face, who grasped the hand with hers.

“I’m glad… I got to see my first true friend…” Sunset spoke weakly. “One… last… time…”

Before Twilight Sparkle, Sunset’s eyes closed shut, her breathing came to a halt, and her hand lifelessly struck the ground. Twilight, in complete shock, couldn’t believe it. Sunset Shimmer… her best friend… was dead…

“Sunset… no… no… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

Twilight screamed, hugging her best friend close to her chest. Galen Marek looked on in silent shock, no longer able to prevent the tears from escaping his eyes. The girl who had worked so hard to see the good in him, inspiring him to be more, and now she was dead before him. Cries of anguish filled the halls of the shuttle as Luke now carried two dead bodies toward Endor.

<>

By the time they made it back to Endor, when the word spread like wildfire, all the other girls and Spike shed their own tears as they gathered around Twilight Sparkle. They all looked down upon Sunset Shimmer, who laid lifelessly on a stone table, mourning together. They wept tears heavily, unable to accept the fact… Twilight failed her.

All around them, Rebel troops bowed their heads in respect, including the Mandalorian. Leia buried her face in Han’s chest, crying as well, and Han placed an arm around her for comfort. Though they shed no tears, Luke and Han felt the same level of sadness everyone else currently felt. Though this may have been a shining moment for the Rebellion, it was perhaps the most somber moment for a group of friends.

<> 

A blinding white light met the moderate cyan eyes of Sunset Shimmer as she blinked her eyes open, rapidly regaining her vision. When she was finally able to see, she noticed she was laying on the ground of a large room that absolutely beamed with white light. Large windows were all around the room and when she looked out of them, all she could see was white and nothing else. In a large circle around the room were a series of chairs.

*Deploy photo here*

In those chairs sat many different individuals, of all different species. There were a few humans, one of them an African American man with a bald head, one an elder-looking man with long graying hair and a beard, another with auburn hair and a beard, and the last one a younger looking man. The other creatures in the circle included a Togruta woman, a Kel Dor, a Nautolan, and a little green Yoda. Every single person and creature in the room simply sat in their seats and smiled at the young girl who slowly stood on her feet and looked around with wide eyes.

“Am I dead?” She asked. “Is this heaven? Or the other place?”

“Dead you are,” Yoda nodded. “Heaven you speak of this is not. Before you the force itself lies.”

Sunset looked around in shock once more. Before she could say anything else, however, another bright flashing light blinded her slightly. Until it faded and she once more saw the familiar forms of Satele Shan, Darth Marr, Valora Synn, and Revan.

“You have been through much trial and trepidation Sunset Shimmer,” Satele said. “Though through it all, you have shown great strength, bravery, and trust in the light side of the force.”

“You managed to do what no other being in over three thousand years has ever been able to accomplish,” Marr added. “You put an end to the Emperor once and for all. You… brought an end to the Sith.”

“Something even I could not do,” Valor smiled. “You alone were the key needed to finally the purge the galaxy of its greatest threat.”

Sunset turned back toward the circle of people and the auburn haired man, Obi-Wan Kenobi, stepped forward and stood before her.

“What you managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time is something many of us consider legendary.”

Then the bald-headed man, Mace Windu, stepped up alongside Obi-Wan.

“It is true your physical form was controlled by the darkness,” He said. “However, it is what your heart and soul have demonstrated in the void that truly defines you. You may have had darkness in your heart long ago, but you have certainly shown the purest form of the light.”

“Shown the true heart of a Jedi, you have,” Yoda smiled. “Become one with the force, you have earned.”

Sunset’s eyes widened with surprise. The grandest honor to ever bestow upon anyone, a chance for Sunset to ascend to a level of greatness. And despite everything she’s done, all the pain and suffering, she was granted a grand gift. She was given a chance to ascend to the status of Gods, to sit upon the throne of all the greats that came before her, all waiting for her to accept this grand honor. A chance she never thought she would ever receive… and this day had finally come.

What more could Sunset Shimmer ever ask for? What more… could she possibly want?

<> 

Late in the night, Luke Skywalker set a torch upon a stack of logs under a funeral pyre where his father’s body laid, again dressed in black mask and helmet. With the Equestrians, Spike, and their few allies standing before him, they watched sadly as the flames leapt higher consuming the very last of Darth Vader… no, the last of Anakin Skywalker. As he looked out upon the fire, he slowly turned toward Twilight Sparkle who stared so despondently toward the pyre. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Marek asked, concerned.

“I don’t think so…” Twilight sighed. “Not for a while.”

She looked toward him, and Marek could read the truth upon her face. For all they managed to succeed, in a way they still felt like they lost. And though the souls they were determined to rescue are now finally free, they would not get to be among them right now except in spirit.

“What’re you going to do now?” Twilight asked Marek.

“Honestly… I’m not really sure,” Marek answered honestly. “I’ve been fighting for the Empire since I was a little boy. And now that they are finally gone… I’m not sure what to do for the rest of my life.”

Twilight nodded in understanding as they turned back to watch the fire burn Vader’s body in a carcass of smoke and ash. Little did anyone in the group know, another figure came to join them in watching Vader’s body erupt in flames. The flames matching her fiery hair as she gazed silently toward him.

“Master Skywalker is in a better place now,” She assured.

“I guess so…” Marek sighed.

Suddenly, Marek’s eyes went wide as he looked up and even Twilight was startled. One by one, everyone turned around and a silent gasp escaped their lips. There, before everyone’s eyes, a familiar face stood before them… Sunset Shimmer, alive and well. Dressed in her Jedi outfit when she first arrived but only for the first time do the group get to see her this way. She smiled toward them, her normal eyes tearing with happiness.

“Hey guys!” Sunset spoke softly.

“SUNSET!!!” The group shouted.

They quickly gathered around Sunset, bursting into tears as they hugged their friend. They laughed and cried, as Sunset allowed her friends to embrace them, to feel their arms wrap around her as she cried. Amidst all the chaos, Spike raced toward Sunset, and she caught him in her hands as Spike licked Sunset’s face clean. As she looked around at all her friends, Sunset turned toward Twilight Sparkle who was looking at her as if this were a dream and she didn’t want to wake from it.

“Are you really here?” Twilight gasped quietly.

“Yes Twilight…” Sunset smiled. “It’s me.”

“There’s so many things I want to say… how?”

“We thought you were dead,” Fluttershy spoke.

“Heh… as a matter of fact, I was,” Sunset shrugged. “I woke up to find myself in a place that 
wasn’t heaven per say… but it was a place where all the greats gathered. They gave me the best 
opportunity a girl could ever ask for. And… I was considering it…”

<> 

Sunset Shimmer stood before all the gathered Jedi, all waiting to hear her decision. She weighed her options carefully before releasing a deep breath. With her mind made up, she faced the gathering with a look of determination.

“Thank you very much for the generous offer,” Sunset spoke. “Unfortunately… I have to pass.”

“How so?” Obi-Wan asked.

“It’s true I did play my part in defeating the remnants of the Emperor… but I did not truly defeat the Emperor. It was Anakin… he was the one destined to defeat Emperor Palpatine, not me. I only fought so I could get back to my friends… and because it was the right thing to do. Besides, I don’t feel like a hero like any of you… least, not completely.”

The young man himself, Anakin Skywalker, stood up from his seat and slowly approached Sunset Shimmer. It was not often that she had seen Anakin in this state before, yet there he was at the height of his glory before descending into the Dark Side. He looked over toward Sunset and gave a gentle smile.

“Maybe not…” Anakin admitted. “If there’s one thing I’ve come to learn during my time, a hero is someone who doesn’t go looking for it. You and your friends never gave up on me, even when I was at the lowest point of my life. You freed me, and for that I owe you some thanks.”

“Just remember Sunset Shimmer,” Obi-Wan spoke. “The force is not measured by all the deeds you perform, but through your heart. What is your heart saying now?”

Sunset looked down, reaching deep within herself. Of all the things she could ever ask for, only one thing came to her mind…

<> 

“You gave up being ‘one’ with the force to come back to us?” Marek spoke.

“I know I could’ve been one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy,” Sunset admitted. “But it wouldn’t feel satisfying if no one I knew was there to share it with. I just couldn’t find myself in a world where I had to be truly apart from my friends, so I merely asked them to send me back… and they agreed.”

“I’m sorry you had to give up being a Goddess again,” Twilight apologized. “Even just for us—”

“I’m not sorry,” Sunset smiled. “I don’t need the galaxy… and I don’t need the fame. Being with all of you is the highest honor… I’m home.”

The girls smiled and embraced Sunset Shimmer again, as Luke Skywalker looked on. Sadly, yet proudly, he smiled at the tender scene. 

Little did anyone know, watching out from the distance, Demetria looked out from a small cliff toward the scene. She had seen and heard everything that Sunset Shimmer said, now back in the arms of her own friends. It filled her with shock seeing that her master had turned away from the Dark Side, turning away everything she initially lead her to fight for… just to throw it all away. Her shock was soon replaced with rage as she ultimately turned away, racing off into the blackness… betrayed by her own master.

<> 

In every sky above, fireworks exploded over the horizon. In every corner of the galaxy, there was much celebration once word spread that Emperor Palpatine and the Empire in general had been soundly defeated. Every planet in the galaxy from Cloud City to Tatooine and even the distant planet of Naboo (‘Weesa free!’) cheered and cried aloud, gathering all across the streets knowing they no longer have to fear the empire. Cities like on Coruscant no longer needing the statues of Palpatine’s image, tearing them down and celebrating their newfound freedom.

On the moon planet of Endor, fireworks exploded, and Rebel fights zoomed above the forest. A huge bonfire, the centerpiece of a wild celebration, had Rebels and Ewoks rejoicing along the warm glow of firelight. Drums were beating, singing, dancing, and laughter filled the air in the communal language of victory and liberation. Lando ran in, enthusiastically hugged by Han and Chewie. Then finally, Luke arrived with all his friends rushing to greet and embrace him. They stood close, this hardy group, taking comfort in each other’s tough, together to the end.

The original group of adventures, with Twilight Sparkle and Storm Shield in the lead, watched from the sidelines smiling happily. Only they could see Luke was distracted, along in their midst, his thoughts elsewhere. He looked off toward the side and saw three shimmering, smiling figures at the edge of the shadows: Ben ‘Obi-Wan’ Kenobi… Yoda… and finally, Anakin Skywalker, in his youth.

Twilight and the others smiled as they looked toward the force ghosts in admiration. Suddenly, they felt a rush of air around them and noticed a bright light as the familiar portal back to Equestria finally opened once more. Luke, Leia, Han, Marek, and Lando stared toward the portal pool with wide eyes.

“What is that?” Luke asked.

“That… is our ride home,” Twilight answered.

“You’re leaving?” Leia asked surprised.

“Indeed we are, Leia dear,” Rarity nodded. “We have families and friends waiting for us back in Equestria.”

“No doubt they miss us one hay of a heap load,” Applejack agreed.

Leia smiled at her group of friends, as she stepped toward each of them and gave the group a big hug. Han looked at them as he gave a light smile.

“Good work out there kids,” He complimented. “I guess you’re not just a couple of Nancy-girls like I once thought.”

“And you’re not a big stupid meathead like I once thought,” Rainbow snarked.

This caused Han to chuckle as he walked up and hugged her, along with each one of the girls (Even Storm as well). All of a sudden, Ahsoka, Cal, and Luke walked toward them shaking hands before hugging them.

“It was an honor to train and fight with you all,” Luke told them.

“You have proven to us, and to the rest of the galaxy, you are true heroes of the Republic,” Ahsoka added.

“As far as we, and everyone else are concerned, you are Jedi just as we are,” Cal smiled.

The girls and Storm all smiled, bowing their heads in thanks before turning back to the portal. Twilight looked over to the side, seeing Sunset Shimmer still sitting on the ground, looking down.

“Come on Sunset!” She called. “Time to go home.”

Sunset slowly looked up at Twilight, who could see the disappointed (Somewhat hurt) look on her face. Sunset picked herself to her feet, turning around as she awkwardly rubbed her shoulder. Twilight walked over, placing a hand upon her shoulder.

“You okay?” She asked concerned.

It was then Sunset finally turned back, releasing a deep breath.

“I’m not going back Twilight Sparkle,” She said seriously.

This caught Twilight by surprise, so much she took a step back as her eyes widened over what she heard.

“W-What?” She asked.

Sunset once again looked down.

“What I mean to say is… I can’t go back,” She said softly. “Not after everything I’ve done. I have to make things right.”

Twilight once more approached Sunset, lifting her chin so they could look into each other’s eyes.

“You don’t have to fix ‘anything’ Sunset,” She assured. “That wasn’t ‘you’ doing all those things. It was the dark side controlling you. As far as I’m concerned, you more than made up for it all when it really counted.”

Sunset had to turn away once again, shedding a single tear down her face.

“It’s not just about that,” She whimpered.

“Then… what do you mean?” Twilight asked.

Sunset took one more deep breath before she faced Twilight.

“I never wanted to have to tell you this,” She sighed. “But for the longest time, I’ve had this feeling deep down that I just don’t belong anymore. I knew that after graduating high school, I’d have to decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Do I stay in Canterlot City? Try to get myself a job? Do I go back to Equestria? Try to find my place there? Hard as I tried to make sense of it, neither of those options seemed best for me. I just… never could truly find my place.”

As Twilight listened to Sunset’s explanation, she couldn’t help but she a few tears herself.

“Back at the party you threw for my graduation, those thoughts ran around my head so much,” Sunset continued. “I wanted to tell you, when you found me on the balcony, but… I just didn’t know ‘how’. I just had absolutely no idea what to do. Then when we got sucked in here, I found myself trapped in my subconscious. But when I was there, learning to be a Jedi, it was the first time in a long while I actually felt confident with my life. I knew I found a reason to live, a reason to fight…”

It was then Marek walked up alongside Sunset. She stared at him with a smile, as they locked hands together.

“A reason to love,” She said happily.

She then turned back toward Twilight.

“I know my being here hasn’t been the greatest experience, but it helped open my eyes in a way I could never hope to understand,” She explained. “Here, there are so many different worlds to explore, new adventures to have, new friends to make. A place where I can truly start over and become something bigger than myself.”

Sunset released Marek’s hand and walked off to the side. Twilight walked up behind her, casting a downward glance.

“Were you feeling this way? Even back with the Perron’s?” She asked seriously.

Sunset didn’t give a response, but simply nodded her head slowly. Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, contemplating her friend’s words.

“Oh Sunset…”

As she contemplated the thoughts going through her head… she couldn’t help but sing.



After the song had ended, Twilight and Sunset embraced each other in such a warm embrace, both allowing their tears fall.

“I’m really going to miss you Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight whimpered. “Just know… you’re more than welcome to come visit Equestria, no invitation necessary.”

“I’ll come visit you every chance I get,” Sunset reassured. “You will always be in my heart, as I am in yours.”

And with that settled, Twilight and Sunset eventually parted from one another as they kept their eyes locked toward each other. Sunset returned to Marek’s side, and Twilight in Storm’s. They stood there at a slight distance from the other, Storm and Twilight mere feet from the open portal and its light glowing behind them, giving them a radiant glow.

“Take care of your princess, Storm Shield,” Marek smiled.

“And take care of yours, Galen Marek,” Storm replied.

“No matter what anyone says Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight concluded. “You will ‘always’ to be a Princess to me.”

Then, as they waved their hands toward one another, Storm and Twilight stepped backward into the portal as Sunset and Marek looked on for one final time until the portal finally vanished before their eyes. As they stood there hand in hand, watching from a distance, the Mandalorian looked out over a distant hill for one last look. 

“Good luck, Sunset Shimmer,” He spoke.

Finally turning away, The Mandalorian ignited his jet pack and took off into the distance. With his work finally done, he could finally go back to his own work even if it meant not saying goodbye to his new allies directly. For when it come to his work, the life of a Mandalorian is never over. This was only… the beginning.

<> 

Unbeknownst to our heroes, deep within the Everfree forest, three former sirens and a Twi’lek Sith emerged from their own portal. All four ladies were battered from war, and angry as ever.

“Damn that Twilight Sparkle and those stupid, meddling ponies!” Adagio sneered. “Why is it every time we finally have a means to achieve our end, they always come out of nowhere and ruin everything?”

“It took us forever to finally find the empire after losing our singing voices,” Aria groaned. “Even longer to finally climb the ranks to become Inquisitors. All that power, all that dark energy, gone in the blink of an eye.”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t win this time,” Sonata shrugged.

This caused both Adagio and Aria to snap their heads, glaring at her. Sonata squeaked and nearly shrunk in stature.

“Sorry, she apologized. “It’s just… for real-sies, I never liked the Emperor. Always pushing around the way he did, telling us what to do. And besides… we could’ve died in that explosion. Those ponies saved our lives.”

“Sonata, I’m only going to say this with the upmost sincerity,” Aria said calmly. “YOU’RE AN IDIOT!!!”

Sonata jumped and hid herself behind Adagio, hiding from her sister’s wrath. Adagio just rolled her eyes before pulling Sonata out from behind her.

“Alright you two, that’s enough!” She said.

Beside them, Demetria growled to herself as she breathed heavily.

“She said we’d rule the galaxy together,” She seethed quietly. “She promised me the galaxy… and she practically spat in my face!”

Demetria then released the most ungodly scream imaginable, and a whole bunch of trees in the Everfree ripped from the ground itself blasting off into distant space.

“She is going to pay for this!” Demetria vowed. “Mark my words, if it’s the last thing I ever do, I WILL destroy Sunset Shimmer!”

Soon the Dazzlings walked up beside her.

“Get in line tentacles,” Aria quipped. “We all want to destroy those pathetic little ponies.”

“Well—” Sonata spoke timidly.

“ALL!” Aria clarified, sighing. “Seems we can never come up with a good enough plan to do it.”

“Perhaps I can help with that.”

All four girls snapped their heads to the side, as another dark figure emerged from the Everfree. The figure which turned out to be none other than the Master of the Dead himself, Darth Andromedis. The white haired Sith lord slowly stalked from the trees with his black cloak billowing in the wind. All the girls looked at him with quirked brows in confusion.

“Well look who ‘finally’ decided to show up!” Aria groaned.

“What are you doing here?” Demitria asked. “I thought you were ripping the galaxy to oblivion.”

“I was…” Andromedis nodded. “Or at least, that’s what I ‘wanted’ Palpatine to believe. When the truth is I had something to find.”

Andromedis snapped his fingers and in a dark cloud, Palpatine’s stone throne appeared behind them.

“What? You spent all that time looking for a rocking chair?” Aria asked. “You wanted something so uncomfortable to sit on, there’s an endless supply of fallen trees here.”

Andromedis merely chuckled at her words humorously. From behind the mighty Sith, the Mysterious Benefactor, Cozy Glow, Lord Tirek, Sombra, and Chrysalis appeared. The Dazzlings and Demetria all stood at attention, ready for an attack.

“No need for that,” The Benefactor informed them. “We haven’t come to kill you, rather to aid.”

“Yeah right!” Adagio said sarcastically. “Like we’d ever believe anything from someone who wears an old bedsheet over their head?”

“Silence you worm!” Chrysalis hissed.

“At ease Chrysalis,” The Benefactor assured. “We don’t expect you ladies to trust us. Matter of fact, we’d consider you fools to do so. However, what we offer onto you is ‘very’ real.”

The Benefactor motioned to Chrysalis, Cozy, Tirek, and Andromedis.

“These four already agreed to join us in taking over countless worlds behind this, and we offer you the same. The chance to join an order so powerful, even the mighty princesses and their Elements of Harmony can never stop us.”

Though the idea seemed tempting, the Dazzlings and Demitria certainly were no fools.

“How do we know you’ll even keep your word?” Adagio asked.

“And how do any of us know this isn’t a trap?” Demitria agreed.

Andromedis stepped to the side of the Benefactor.

“Because I offer you the full might of my new empire.”

The girls looked at him in confusion, as Andromedis turned and held out a hand. The very stone of the throne cracked, bits chipping away, and when the dust settled they couldn’t believe what they saw. In place of the stone instead sat a magnificent throne forged of dark steel.



“Behold… the Eternal Throne,” Andromedia smiled wickedly.

“Impossible!” Adagio said. “It was said to have been destroyed three thousand years ago.”

“So it was believed,” Andromedis nodded. “In reality, however, the throne was sealed away in stone by the Republic so no man or woman could ‘ever’ again possess the incredible power it wields. They buried it so far beneath the earth it was believed impossible to find again.”

“So then how in the world did old wrinkle-face end up with it?” Aria asked.

“How he came to possess it is a mystery,” Andromedis admitted. “However, he was never able to unlock the true potential of the throne. When hidden in formation, one could never truly possess the power of the Eternal Fleet. Had Palpatine been aware of the true power he possessed, perhaps the tide of war may have shifted in his favor.”

Andromedis stepped forward to the throne, turning back to face the sinister group before him.

“Now I possess the Eternal Throne, and with it I will bring forth a new empire unto the galaxy. Under my rule, we will begin a new era in galactic history.”

Hen then looked over toward the Dazzlings and Demitria.

“Join me as my apprentices, and I will allow you to command the Eternal Fleet however you see fit.”

Andromedis sat upon the throne and the moment he did, a strange energy burst from the throne itself. From across the galaxy, across different worlds, an entire armada of ancient starships arose from beneath the earth and shot off at lightspeed toward Equestria. Looking above them, the entire group saw them looming overhead at the ready. The Dazzlings and Demitria looked amongst each other, wicked grins on their faces, and they turned back toward Andromedis and the Dark Order.

“Where do we sign up?” They asked together.

From the darkness of the forest, while the evil syndicate plotted, a menacing black figured loomed in the dark. It’s red glowing eyes watching everything unfold before it, then its bat-like wings opened at full length, and it shot up into the sky. As it flew off into the darkness, it released a shriek that could make a cockatrice quake.



And then… it disappeared into the unknown.

The End…?