Disclaimer: Star Wars and any related material belong to Disney, Lucasfilm, and any respective writers/game developers/etc. MLP: FIM belongs to Hasbro and Lauren Faust.
BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP!
The alarms of the starfighter blared as yet another computer panel sparked with electricity. The starfighter's pilot drew his hand away and cursed. "Kriff! Not now!" he said, looking left and right for another control panel.
Everything was going wrong. In mere hours, he was thrown off of his original course and into whatever region of space he was in. If that wasn't worse, his craft started malfunctioning upon arrival. First, it was the navigation, then the communications went down, and now the stabilizers were going haywire.
The universe really had a twisted sense of humor.
The pilot jostled in his seat. Any hope of gaining some semblance of balance was gone as he felt himself and his craft drift away. "Oh, that's not good," he said, staring at the source of the pull.
The said source was a planet, the same one the pilot first noticed before his vessel began to malfunction. Now, the pilot was caught by its gravity, and the planet was becoming larger and larger.
Metal heated as the starfighter entered the atmosphere, its shields barely holding. Pilot felt the pilot building heat as sweat fell from his forehead and the constant shaking did not help either. The craft was on the verge of falling apart. The pilot would need to get through this ordeal alive or die trying.
"Do or do not, there is no try," he reminded himself to bring some comfort.
The pilot closed his eyes. He breathed and emptied his mind of all distractions, simple techniques he learned from years ago. In no time, the pilot felt a surge of power well inside of him, protecting and guiding him while in his crashing craft.
The heat no longer bothered the pilot. It felt like a small fire that was warming his body, not the raging inferno surrounding him. The said flames slowly dissipated from the metal exterior, and with the heat, went inside. It was almost as if the heat was being absorbed.
Whatever was going on, it let the craft to survive until the red heat of reentry disappeared like a mist. Unfortunately, the starfighter was still falling to the planet's surface.
His eyes snapped open to the clouds he plummeted by. He kept his grip on the controls for several minutes as the layer of gray passed over the viewport to reveal a vast forest.
"Hang on, little buddy! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" he called out behind him, though he was not sure if he was heard.
The pilot tried to remain calm and focused, controlling his starfighter to best of his abilities. He believed he still had time to avoid a crash-landing.
Only moments later, and the pilot and his vessel met the forest.
"Well, that was a bad idea," the pilot muttered while taking slow and heavy steps through the forest.
It had not been long since his "gracious landing," and one could see that. Far behind him was a billow of smoke rising from the flaming husk that was once his craft. The fire would no doubt attract attention from some native beasts to it and the pilot had no intention of encountering what strange, carnivorous creatures were on this planet.
He did not look back and slightly limped on his legs as he carried on, despite his wounds. He groaned again and again with every step as he kept one hand was on his side and the other dangling and glowing from the object he carried.
Things were not going as the pilot expected. First, he ended up in the middle of nowhere, then crashed, and now he was stuck on a planet that probably little to no sign of civilization. To add to that, he was hurting all over with a bleeding side and a bruised leg.
"What I would do for a bacta tank right now?" the pilot chuckled to himself.
A cough cut him short. One cough quickly turned several and were joined with hacks of pain that enflamed his lungs and shot through his entire body. The pilot's hand released the object he carried and covered his mouth in time for more liquid to fly right into his flood. The smell of saliva, mixed with blood, filled his nose before he resumed coughing once more
The pilot collapsed on his knees and bent over, hacking out more of his fluids. The coughing stopped a moment later, but the pilot's body was so weak he collapsed on the ground. As he lied there, a small wheeze escaped his lungs.
There was no point in hiding it, the pilot told himself. He would die on this world, far away from the academy, far away from any civilized world… far away from home.
Despite the hopelessness of his situation, the pilot felt calm, at peace. He knew why. The artifact was safe. It was far away from the reach of any creature to use. That small glimmer of hope alone made the pilot smile.
Closing his eyes, the pilot relaxed as his final breath left him. His flesh, instead of being left for the worms to feast, slowly became transparent. Soon, the transparency told hold of his entire form, taking him from the physical plane of existence, and his clothes collapsed on the ground moments later with no wearer.
Not too far away, the green grass turned blood red from the light of a small fallen object.
"My dearest Twilight,
I'm sorry for sending this message to you so late, but I'm in of need your assistance. Some minutes ago, my sister and I noticed there was something strange. From what I know, the source of this comes from the Everfree Forest, not too far from you. I wish for you and the other Elements of Harmony to search for this.
Now, I must warn you to use extra caution, Twilight. This disturbance felt unlike anything in Equestria. Neither Luna nor I know what it is. Please be safe.
Signed,
Princess Celestia."
That had been the message from more than hour ago, and Twilight couldn't stop herself from worrying during that hour. Having gathered her friends, it wasn't long before they head off towards the disturbance that not only Celestia had warned about, but what had woken up the entirety of Ponywille at night. Of course, they all had to rush in order to catch up with a very fast and speeding Pegasus named Rainbow Dash.
Two large lights from Twilight and Rarity's horn shone brightly and lit the way through the Everfree's darkness. Their hooves–and Spike's claws–pounded on their ground and scared away the tiny insects and critters as they rushed to catch up with the fleeting image of Rainbow.
"Rainbow, wait up!" Twilight called out. The call went unnoticed by the leading speedster.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came to a screeching halt. Her eyes narrowed, as if trying to figure out what she noticed was real. When she did, she called over her shoulder, "Hey! I think I've found something!"
Soon, Rainbow's friends came towards her. First came Twilight and Spike with Rarity, the two unicorns depowering their horns. Then, Applejack came with a bouncing Pinkie, and finally, a frightful Fluttershy glanced around her. As they lined up, they all saw what Rainbow found.
"Oh, no!" Rarity's eyes widen in horror. "It's… it's…"
Lying on the grass was tunic. Despite the darkness, there were evidence of small rips stretching from sleeves down to the matching pants and boots. It looked like it was mauled by a manticore, and the large rip on the side only supported that.
"It's a disaster!" Rarity cried out as she rushed to the "victim." "Who would dare ruin such clothing?!"
"Uh… yeah, who would?" Applejack said before turning to Twilight. "Just what do you think happened here?"
Twilight answered. "I don't know. This just seems… well, odd."
"Whoever did this must have been crazy!" Rainbow exclaimed as she hovered over the ruined clothes. "I mean, who leaves their clothes lying around?"
Rarity, still a little distressed, glanced at her. "Perhaps, somepony who didn't wanted to wear it after being so… damaged." She glanced back down. "I mean, it's torn in so many places. It would take days to fix this!"
As Rarity lamented, the rest gathered around the ruined clothes. "Still," Applejack spoke from across Rarity, "what fella wears this? I mean, don't they look strange to y'all?"
Fluttershy, who hovered with Dash, added. "They don't look like a pony's."
"Of course not, Fluttershy," Rarity cut in. "I've had many customers and these clothes certainly do not belong to a pony." She laid a hoof on a sleeve. "And this fabric isn't like anything I've seen."
Next to Rarity, Twilight took her turn. "Also, Rainbow brought a point. Why would anypony just leave their clothes? It looks like whoever was here just… vanished."
"Like there's no trace left," Fluttershy finished, almost shivering in fear.
"What about this?" Pinkie asked, directing all eyes on her.
Pinkie was on the other side with Applejack, and her hoof was pointing to the other sleeve. It seemed to be bulging out, and the others were not too sure since it was a little dark to make it out.
Twilight focused her lit horn, and everypony saw the bulge was really a limb. From the shape of the sleeve, it was less like a pony's foreleg, and more like an arm. The small rips revealed glinting light to the seven pairs of eyes, making them even more curious.
Applejack glanced at it. "What'd ya reckon that is? Looks like a limb. Maybe a Minotaur's?"
"I don't know. Minotaurs have four fingers, not five," Twilight eyed the limb as her light went down the arm and fell on a strange claw, making it shine. "And it's made of some kind of metal."
"A metal arm?" Spike shivered slightly. "This like something out of a sci-fi book."
"Or Daring Do," Dash muttered.
Pinkie intruded again before anypony caught carried away. "There's also this thingy."
They found her hoof not on the arm, but a metallic cylinder hooked with one end hooked to the belt. It was strange, ten inches long and made of several segments. "Any ideas, Twi?" Applejack asked the brains of the group.
"I don't know. Some kind of tool, I g–Pinkie, be careful with that!" Twilight's study stopped when Pinkie unhooked the cylinder from the belt and held it in her hooves.
"I wonder what this button does," Pinkie wondered aloud, pointing to a stud on the cylinder.
"Pinkie, I don't think…" Rarity spoke up but Pinkie's hoof already fell on the stud and…
With a SNAP-HISS, a great beam of yellow energy shot up all of a sudden! Everypony jumped in shock, including Pinkie who dropped the object in her surprise.
"Watch out!" Twilight shouted just as the yellow beam, now a blade, swung down. She pulled Spike away with her magic before jumping.
"Whoa!" came from Rainbow, flying away with Fluttershy.
Like an ax, the blade slowly fell to Rarity and Applejack. The two leaped away and the yellow blade struck the ground they stood on, burning the green grass black. Just as it came out, the yellow blade retracted into the cylinder with a soft hiss.
All eyes fell on the strange cylinder, now no longer active and resting atop of the clothes. A silence came over them for several moments until Rainbow oh so eloquently voiced their thoughts:
"Just what the hay was that thing?!"
Twilight mustered enough courage to come out of her shock. "I-I don't know," and she treaded over to the cylinder. Carefully, she engulfed it in her magic and lifted it to her face slowly to study it.
"Whatever it is, we need to keep it safe." She glanced at the ruined garments. "Same with these."
"Allow me," Rarity offered, her magic already wrapping the garment around the metal limb. "This needs a gentle touch."
Twilight looked at the others. "Alright, we should look around. Maybe there's something more around."
The others nodded and split up; Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash went one way, Pinkie Pie and Applejack in another, and Rarity remained behind. Twilight put the cylinder in her saddlebag and went in her own direction. "What do you think we'll find?" asked Spike, still on her back.
"I don't know. Maybe something to do…" Twilight's voice trailed off as her eyes caught something.
"Twilight, what is it?" Spike found his own question when looking in Twilight's direction.
Not too far away, a glow stood from the Everfree's green and brown. It was soft like a candle in the night. And it was red.
The pair approached the light and saw a source of red light lying on the grass. Twilight took particular notice of the refraction of light through its casing. "It looks like glass," she turned to Spike. "Is it a gem?"
"Doesn't look like one to me," he observed, jumping off his ride. Twilight took a step forward when Spike grabbed her leg. "Careful! It might do something!"
Recent experience proving so, Twilight nodded and turned to the object. Her purple aura grasped it, floating it over and almost fitting in her open hooves.
Grasping it, Twilight gazed at the curious thing. The source was a pyramid with strange golden symbols etched into its four sides and four faces. What they were, Twilight could not tell. They certainly were not runes or pictographs, not the ones she read about. Beneath the glass-like exterior was a crystal placed into the center, illuminating its case and the surroundings in a red glow.
"Man, this just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Twilight heard Spike, but she wordlessly put the object in her saddlebag, hoping to study it when she returned.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash's voice rung. "You should see this come and see this!"
Following Dash's voice, Twilight found her and Fluttershy on the ground. For some reason, the two pegasi covered their noses with their hooves.
Twilight learned why. A horrible stench, something worse than a dragon's smoke or coal, came filled her nose and mouth, and she started coughing. "What…" A cough cut her off. She finally covered her mouth and asked "What is that?"
"That," Fluttershy said, pointing a free hoof forward. Twilight looked and her eyes widen.
Surrounded by broken tree branches was some kind of craft. Its body was long, over twelve meters, and a red stripe ran across it. Its front was buried in the dirt, and in the center, a window was popped open to reveal a compartment. A black trail of smoke emerged from the back end, where four wings stuck out and formed an "X."
"Well," Rainbow coughed, "we've found what's causing that smoke."
"What did you fin-holy horseapples!" the four heard Applejack as the orange pony joined them. "What is that?"
Rarity, carrying the clothes on her back, approached with a hoof over her snout. "I believe that is a vehicle of some kind," she stated a matter-of-factly.
Pinkie showed up, completing the entire group and beaming at the ship. "Maybe it's aliens! Do you think I should to throw it a welcome party?!"
Twilight wondered about that. Aliens? There were facts about other worlds, but anything about aliens were mainly conspiracies or fiction. Then again, there was no other explanation to make sense of the strange craft.
All six eyes looked up at the sound of flapping wings and saw two ponies descending. Twilight recognized their bat-like wings and the lavender-colored armor. "It's Princess Luna's guards!" she announced.
The two guards landed in front of the ponies. One stared at them with their cat-like eyes and spoke in a deep voice, "Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. We were sent by their highness, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, to find a disturbance in the Everfree Forest." He turned to the craft. "It seems you have already found it."
"More guards will arrive to secure this … thing," said the other guard in a higher pitch. "We will stay to make sure that nopony will come."
"Wait," Applejack interrupted, "what about us?"
"We will handle it from here. There is no need for you to worry," the first guard answered. "You may return to Ponyville."
"If you're sure, come on, girls," Twilight said, and they left the two guards at the craft.
Once they were out of earshot and out of the smoke, Rainbow exclaimed, "Finally! I couldn't stand being near that thing without breathing!"
"I'll say," Applejack nodded. "This is a lot better than over there."
Rarity gagged at the last whiff of smoke and gas she left behind. "I agree. That smoke was very disgusting. I hope to never experience that again."
Twilight silently pondered while conversation buzzed around her, her mind on what she and her friends found. The strange clothes, the sword, the pyramid and the ship–none of them looked like anything she had read about before. Twilight could barely believe all that happened by just receiving one letter.
Speaking of which, she had to inform Princess Celestia of what happened. She would have to remember after taking care of everything back in Ponyville…
"Dear Princess Celestia,
I am to report that my friends and I have discovered the disturbance. Apparently, some kind of craft crashed in the Everfree Forest. We also found some things near the craft.
Among the things we found, one was strange garments that were badly torn up. We also found a metal limb with the strange garments. It looks like a minotaur's arm, but it has five fingers instead of four. I can't be sure for what creature has such a limb.
We found something as well. There was a strange cylinder with the garments. We soon found it was some kind of weapon when Pinkie accidentally turned it on. A yellow blade came out and it can burn whatever it touches. Nopony was hurt, fortunately. Rainbow Dash calls it a laser sword. It's completely incorrect, but I don't know what else to call it.
There is one final thing. Spike and I found some kind of object not too far from the clothes. It's a small object shaped like a pyramid with strange symbols on it, and there's a crystal in the center. I'm afraid I can't figure out what it is or what it does.
I will inform you as soon as I learn more.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle."
Princess Luna set down the letter stared at her sister with worried eyes. "Sister, are you sure this is true?" she asked quietly from her seat in the chariot.
Across from Luna, Princess Celestia's multi-color sprayed in the wind, but her gaze was one of the utmost certainty. "I am, Luna. It's been a millennium, but I'm sure. From what Twilight wrote in her letter, everything seems to match."
At that, Luna almost chewed the inside of her cheek. She wanted to doubt Celestia words and perhaps, her sister did, too.
Recent events told the princesses otherwise. First, there was that presence they both felt sensed some hours ago; Celestia in the midst of her soothing cup of tea before bed, and Luna amongst her night court. It had been a pricking sensation that differed from the magical aura they were used to. Only minutes later came in reports of a star falling from the sky.
Luna immediately called for the guard and Celestia cautioned to preemptively send in the Elements of Harmony. The results were undeniable but it was the results that worried Luna more. A strange "carriage," a sword of yellow light, and glowing pyramid? They were things that stirred memories but were not solid enough to make any connection.
"Do you really think it is that?" Luna spoke up.
Celestia's eyes softened with longing nostalgia. "Perhaps. What we sensed, it was a presence we hadn't felt since…" her voice trailed off, but Luna shared the fondness in its meaning.
"No," Celestia shooed the thought away with a shake of her head, "this was something else. And there another presence. Something else… something dark."
Luna envied her sister's control. For the past few hours, Luna held back the emotion swelling inside and dividing her thoughts. One part wanted to support her original impression while her caution was against it, and the conflict would have made her jump up if not for her sister's calming presence.
Erring on her caution, Luna continued, "But we may be rushing into this. For all we know, this could be some mistake. You said yourself Twilight Sparkle had rushed through her letter."
"We still have to know. What Twilight found might be important, and despite of what we think, we need to do what's best for our subjects, Luna."
The conversation went silent and neither sister thought to push the subject. The silence continued for several minutes until the deep voice of a Royal Guard announced, "Your highnesses! We're arriving at Ponyville!"
Looking past their chariot and the five armored pegasi pulling it, the two princesses saw the town in the distance. "Looks like we'll soon find out, sister," Celestia said. "Soon, we'll gain some idea of what happened in the Everfree Forest."
And hopefully answer some questions, Luna mentally added as a very bright Ponyville seemingly grew bigger.
The princess' arrival did not go unnoticed. By the time the chariot touched the streets, tired ponies were already out of their homes and chattered amongst themselves of the events that transpired earlier. A few looked they were about to return to bed when they were surprised to see their rulers.
When Luna got out of her, she felt something seize inside of her. A cold feeling overcame her senses and clouded her thoughts with its spiteful touch. She breathed hard, almost unable to speak. Celestia was the same, albeit more composed than her younger sister as she stood like a weathered colossus in spite of the slightly flushed discoloring of her muzzle.
The reaction was easily noticed by their escorts. "Are you alright, princesses?" one of them inquired.
"We're fine," Celestia warmly answered after a moment. "We'll be looking around to see what we can find. Please, tend to the ponies and make sure they return home."
The guards, though concerned, did as their princesses commanded. "Do feel that, sister?" Luna whispered as soon as the guards left.
Celesta nodded grimly. It was impossible for her to not notice. "This presence was the darker one I mentioned," she explained. "We need to find it first before anypony is put in harms' way."
Luna did not argue with that. However, just as the princesses dismounted the chariot, both heard a small cry of "Princess Luna!"
The cold feeling became a mere thought as Luna turned to the caller. She was surprised to see a familiar pinto colt rushing passed the guards and right towards her. "Pipsqueak?"
Pipsqueak hugged her. "It's good to see you!" he said, glee in thick Trottingham accent.
"It is good to see you too, Pipsqueak," Luna gave a small smile as she returned the hug.
Celestia would have smiled if not for the fact Pipsqueak was not alone. Curious mutters and whispers grew louder with the ponies slowly crowded into the town square. Keeping the crowd at bay were the royal guards who escorted the princesses.
"Luna," Celestia glanced over to Luna, who quickly noticed the crowd as well. "I'll deal with the crowd. Head over to Twilight's."
Pipsqueak released his hug. "Can I come?" he asked excitedly.
Luna gave an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid not. It's late and you should return to bed."
"But I want to…" Pipsqueak started, but Luna cut him off.
"I will see you another time. We can play, then."
The colt eyes widen at the night princess. "Promise?"
"I promise," Luna smiled.
"Alright!" Pipsqueak gleefully said, and he returned to the crowd.
Luna's smile remained until she saw her smirking sister. "What?" Luna asked.
"Nothing, sister. Nothing at all," Celestia answered before she faced the crowd of ponies.
Luna ignored the creeping annoyance. Unfurling her wings, she took flight to leave just as Celestia addressed the crowd of ponies in the town square.
Rainbow Dash sighed as she slumped to the floor of Twilight's library. "So how much longer do you think it will take?" she asked the other Elements of Harmony sitting beside her.
None of them said anything, save for Spike who brought in a tray of drinks. "Well, it is Twilight, so it's going to go on for a while. Maybe even hours." He set the tray down. "Here you go."
"Thank you Spike," said Rarity as she took her cup of tea.
"She'd been like this ever since we got back," Applejack agreed, taking her own cup of apple juice. "And half of Ponyville's gone back to sleep by now."
All eyes went to the unicorn at her desk, the same place she had been since their return. The strange objects were placed on the desk, and her face was buried in a journal, where she jot notes on her new findings.
Fluttershy said with worry, "I hope she doesn't go on for too long. She might exhaust herself."
"It's Twilight," Rainbow assured. "She'll be fine."
Rarity thought otherwise. "I don't know. Ever since we got back, she seems to be more…" she paused to find the appropriate word, "…well, studious than usual."
"Yeah! It's almost like that time she met her future self," Pinkie chimed in and Spike inwardly winced. He remembered the dilemma caused Twilight to worry over nothing and left him with an aching stomach full of ice cream.
Applejack glanced back to Twilight. "Uh Twilight?" Twilight continued jotting notes, ignoring the call. "Twi'?" Again, nothing.
An impatient Dash flew up and called out, "Hey, Twilight!"
Twilight jumped, almost dropping her book. "Rainbow…" She glared at the speedster.
"Did you find anything?" Pinkie asked before Twilight could yell.
"Nothing," she sighed, more frustrated at her lack of knowledge than at Rainbow. "I've been looking at that thing for half an hour now, and I still haven't come up with anything!"
"We've only just found them, dear," said Rarity. "You can't expect to find everything, immediately."
"I guess," Twilight reluctantly relented, gazing back at the objects on her desk.
The cylinder rested was pushed aside and beside it was the strange garment. The metal limb lied on the far right and removed from the sleeve to reveal metal components acting as flesh. Then, there was pyramid in the center. Out of all the objects, the pyramid was the most important. Twilight was not sure how she knew it, but she did.
"I need to find out more," Twilight murmured, loud enough for everypony to hear.
"Whatever," Rainbow said off to the side, "just keep that laser sword away from me."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "It's not a laser sword, Rainbow. Lasers are just beams of light. They can't really burn anything."
"Then, what do you think we should call it?"
"Ooh, I know! How about beam saber or a light sword?" Pinkie jumped, but it went ignored.
"Well, I…" Twilight paused. "I really don't know."
"Laser sword it is, then!" and Rainbow backed away.
Shaking her head, Twilight turned back to the pyramid, the spectacle of her curiosity. "There had to be some way to work all of this," Twilight thought aloud.
Applejack suggested, "Maybe there's a button somewhere? There was on that tube."
"Cylinder, Applejack," she corrected. "And I've already studied them. I didn't find any button."
"Um," Fluttershy quietly spoke, "maybe you can use your magic on it?"
Twilight's head perked up. "What?"
Finding eyes on her, Fluttershy almost hid behind her pink mane. "Well, you see… maybe it reacts to magic… and since you use magic, maybe you could give it some juice…"
Twilight blinked, surprised she did not think of that. "That actually might work. Thanks, Fluttershy," she said, earning a mutter of a "you're welcome" from the timid mare.
Twilight looked at the pyramid. "Alright, here it goes," and closing her eyes, Twilight channeled her magic into her horn. The others gathered around her to watch and wonder what would happen.
The familiar purple magic covered the pyramid, but it remained still. Twilight poured more magic, hoping it would do something. Sadly, there was only the dim red glow of the pyramid.
While Twilight literally worked her magic, Spike heard slight chattering of bones. He turned to Pinkie, whose knees shook her face in some kind of trance. "Pinkie, are you alright?" he asked with concern.
The knees stopped, but the look on Pinkie's face didn't leave her. "Knees are pinchy! Something scary is about to happen!"
Spike did not question it. Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense let her predict near-future events via twitches. "If Pinkie's a-twitchin', you'd better listen," Applejack once said. He found it to be true, and after much deliberation, even Twilight.
Hearing Pinkie, the others already had their own concerns. "Maybe we should stay away," Rarity agreed and Fluttershy nodded.
"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Rainbow. "This is just a, a… whatever this thing is! It's not going to do anything!"
Applejack shot a glare to her. "Rainbow, this is Pinkie's sense we're talking about!"
"Uh girls, can you please be a little quiet? I need to concentrate," Twilight said, but was ignored.
"What's it going to do? Jump out and bonk us on the head?"
"It's better to be safe than sorry."
"Girls, can you please be quiet?" Twilight repeated irritably.
"But how can a pyramid be scary? Maybe Pinkie's wrong this time."
"Never question the Pinkie Sense!" exclaimed Pinkie.
Then, said Fluttershy, "Girls, maybe we should…"
"I said: be quiet!" Twilight's eyes shot open, releasing a surge of power from her horn into the pyramid.
Suddenly, the pyramid released a flash of red light.
Several gasps rang through Golden Oaks' Library as everypony, even Twilight back away. Though the flash had dissipated, the once-dormant pyramid ecstatically pulsed with red energy as it slightly floated above the table it rested upon. Everypony huddled together and kept their distance more so than before.
"Oh my goodness!" Rarity nearly cried out.
"Sweet Celestia!" That was Applejack, whom Fluttershy currently hid behind.
"I take it back, Pinkie! You were right!" Rainbow said with fear in her voice.
Spike looked to Twilight for answers. "Twilight, what's going on?!"
Twilight shook her head. "I… I don't know." How could she know? This was unlike anything she had ever seen in her entire life. This was completely new and not of this world.
Maybe Pinkie was right about it being aliens, Twilight thought, staring at the pyramid.
The energy inside of it grew and grew until a blue light emerged from the pyramid. All eyes watched the blue light spread out and coalesced into the form of a creature.
The creature itself was strange. It was bipedal with two arms and two legs, and the bulky figure would have mistaken the creature for a Minotaur if not for the lack of fur. The folds of its dark clothing covered much as did the armor on the arms and chest. The armor's small circular plates gleamed, almost as if they were alive.
The seven stood there, unsure at what they were seeing. This thing was no mere apparition or an illusion of their mind. It was real and it made them both frightened and curious.
Twilight took a brave trot towards. "H-hello?" she stuttered through her fear.
Twilight shivered when the creature raised its head to her. The helmet was like a cage, jagged pieces of metal crawling all over the pale flesh, and a pair of cold eyes gazed at her. Visible lips thinned and released a voice deep and ancient.
"Why have you summoned me?"
Twilight was taken back. "E-excuse me?"
"You were the one who activated the holocron, were you not?" the being inquired. "If so, then why? You are obviously not a Sith. There it barely a hint of the Dark Side around you. Are you a Jedi?"
Twilight could barely comprehend what she just heard. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what a holocron or a Jedi is."
The being was silent for a moment. "I see," he finally spoke. "You must not know. Surprising, considering your strength in the Force."
Behind her, Rainbow muttered to the others, "What's this guy talking about? Is he crazy?"
"Rainbow Dash, shush!" Rarity shushed her. "It isn't nice to interrupt a pony–er, thing when they're speaking."
"Uh girls? A little help," Twilight called over her shoulder.
"Here, let me," Applejack offered, trotting forward. "My name's Applejack. Now, we've got some misunderstandin'. Maybe it'd help if you explain a few things for us."
The strange being finally took notice of the others and his lips curled into a snarl. "The Light Side permeates around you. All of you," he gazed at each one with contempt. "Has the Order of the Sith Lords fallen so far that my knowledge has fallen into the hands of a bunch of animals? And those with the Light Side, no less?"
All stared at the being, insulted at his words. All save for Rainbow Dash who shouted, "Hey, who're you calling animals?!"
"Hold it, Rainbow!" Applejack held out her foreleg to stop the speedster.
Twilight mentally sighed, knowing she had to do something before this got out of hoof. "Maybe we've got off the wrong hoof," she spoke. "How about we introduce each other? My name is Twilight Sparkle. What's yours?"
The creature's hardened gaze fell on Twilight. "I am Darth Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith."
Good, a name. That was something. "Well, Darth Bane, I can assure you that we're not here to… damage you or anything. We just want to know what happened that's all."
'Bane' crossed his muscular arms with a small harrumph. "If you have questions, then speak or be gone! I will not waste my time with trivial pandering or hesitation!"
Twilight narrowed her eyes and her patience wearing thin. "Alright… just what are you? You certainly aren't Equestrian and certainly aren't living. Are you some kind of construct?"
"In a sense." He seemed impressed, if that was possible. "To such a primitive world like yours, I would seem unique. But to the rest of the galaxy, I'm considered an artifact."
"The galaxy? What in the hay are you talking about?" Rainbow interjected.
Bane said nothing, and he disappeared for another image to take his place. It was a large disc, spinning on its central axis with its thin arms moving in a spiral. The seven watched the many dots in the disc shine brightly like… like they were stars. Not just the stars a pony would see at night but beyond their own skies, stars with their own worlds, moons, and other celestial objects. There were billions–no, trillions upon trillions of them!
Twilight almost lost her voice. "That's… that's…"
"… a lot of stars," Spike finished for her.
The galaxy was gone and Bane's image returned, ruining everypony else's daze. "The galaxy at large is a place of great technologies but it is dangerous. It is a place where only the strong can survive." Bane snorted. "Others would say otherwise."
Before anypony could ask anything, there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" Spike rushed to the door with relief.
The ponies, finally happy to look away from Bane's ghostly being, were surprised to see Princess Luna at the door. "Princess Luna!" said Twilight as she trotted the princess. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming!"
Luna dismissed the worried tone. "There's no need for formalities, Twilight Sparkle. This visit was unannounced."
"If you don't mind me asking, your highness," Rarity spoke up, "But aren't you and Princess Celestia supposed to be back at Canterlot?"
"We were. We both left after reading your letter and…"
Luna trailed when she saw the holocron, and her eyes flickered with fear and shock. Finally, she spoke, "Is that what you found in the Everfree Forest?"
"It is," Twilight said, glancing at the device. "It wasn't too far from the craft we found. There were also a few other things that…"
"How did you activate the holocron?"
Taken aback by Luna's interjection, Twilight stared at the princess and noticed the sense of familiar in her eyes. How did the princess know about the device?
"I… I'm not sure. I think I turned it on when I tried to use some of my magic. Then, it just started saying things like Jedi and Sith. I can't make heads or tail of anything." Twilight's eyes went to the pyramid, the holocron. Then, she went back to Luna. "Princess Luna, just what is that?"
"My sister would better explain this than I, but I shall try." Luna stepped through the small crowd around her. "That is a holocron. It is a repository that a pony records their life's information for others to learn from."
"So it's like one of those fancy films?" asked Applejack.
"In a sense, but holocrons are unique." Luna's gaze went to the ghostly image of Bane. "What you see is an imprint of the holocron's creator, a gatekeeper to interact with living beings and teach."
Rainbow spoke up, "So what do we do then? Talk to it?"
"Yes," and everypony was surprised at Luna's straightforward answer, but no of them objected.
Luna stepped forward was about to take a step forward when Twilight spoke. "Be careful, princess. We still don't know what this 'holocron' can do. It could be dangerous."
"And he's a big meanie-pants!" Pinkie piped in.
"I shall keep that in mind," the princess said. All eyes followed Luna as she went to the floating image–the gatekeeper, as she called it. The others could only wonder if this Darth Bane would not be as forceful to Luna as he was with them.
Bane's avatar studied the princess with much curiosity. "There is much power in you. More so than I have ever felt in a thousand years… for an animal such as yourself."
Luna's nostrils flared. "I am no animal. I am Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria and Herald of the Night. I suggest you watch your tone when speaking to me, Sith."
Surprise flashed across the cold gaze. "So, you know what I am."
"I recognize the holocron's shape, and I'm well aware of the power you wield. It won't work on me."
Bane's stone gaze hardened. "Who has told you of the Sith?"
Luna's gaze matched Bane's. "Why should I tell you?"
"Because whoever told you must have trained you," he answered coolly. "You're strong in the Force. I can feel it. There are even small hints of the Dark Side on you."
Luna slightly twitched, remembering her time as Nightmare Moon. She remained firm in addressing the gatekeeper. "Once, I touched its power, but I've rejected it. It never did me any good."
"If you think that, then you're a fool."
The ponies and Spike almost gasped at the insult. "Alright, that's it! Nopony talks to the princess like that and gets away–" Rainbow shouted and ready to pounce but Luna stopped her.
"I can handle this, Rainbow Dash. There is no need to be concerned." The princess stared back at Bane. "I know what your power can do and what you do, Sith. All your kind ever care about is to conquer and being misery to others. I hope the Jedi finally put an end to your evil."
"The Jedi?!" Bane's avatar snorted. "All they ever are is fools blinded by their need to serve even more fools! Hoth was no different."
Finally, Luna's hardened face broke into shock. "You… you knew Lord Hoth?" she managed to ask.
The gatekeeper studied Luna for a moment. "Ah, I see… So he was here at one time," he said, more to himself, then to Luna. "I never met him, but I know of him… and I know his fate." A smile formed on his face. "Would you like to know what happened?"
"No, I don't!" Luna said, but a small quiver nearly betrayed her.
All of the ponies watched. Twilight glanced between the holocron and the princess. This Darth Bane was trapping Princess Luna, trying to rustle her feathers, and it seemed like it was working.
Suddenly, the holocron was momentarily covered in a yellow aura. Its avatar was surprised while its body collapsed into the blue light. The light was swallowed whole by the holocron, which clattered on the table, no longer active. "I believe that's enough of that," said a familiar voice.
Everypony, relieved to be rid of the frightening being, turned to the entrance. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight noticed and was the first to step forward to her mentor.
"It is good to see you, my student," Celestia smiled while trotting in. "I've seen to all the ponies. They've returned to their homes and the guards are posted near the Everfree Forest. They should let us know if anything else happens."
Luna stepped passed the others and her eyes met Celestia's. "Sister, I…"
"It's alright, Luna," she spoke softly before noticing the curious glances from aside. "Leave this to me. I'll join you shortly.
With a silent nod, Luna closed the door on her way out, and Celestia turned to her ponies. "I know you all want answers," she said, "and I'm not sure if I can give them all to you, but I can't answer them now."
Twilight was perturbed by her mentor's command. "But princess, what about all of this? There's so much we've just learned!"
"And that's I'm afraid of," Celestia retorted. "This might be too much for you to handle all in one night. Believe me, I will answer your questions in time. You must trust me, for now."
"Pardon me, princess, but we can't leave this be!" Applejack joined in. "You know how that thing acted to Princess Luna. There's all this stuff here that can do who know what…"
"And there's a spaceship right in the Everfree!" Pinkie added.
"The guards are already seeing to the Everfree. As for the rest, I have a pony in mind." The princess smiled softly at her little ponies. "You've all done more than enough. I think you deserve some rest."
All eyes went to each other, but there were no objections. One by one, the Elements of Harmony shuffled out of the library, save for Twilight and Spike; the latter immediately went back upstairs to sleep. "Twilight, may I have a moment?" Celestia called before Twilight could join Spike.
Twilight nodded and approached her. Celestia bent her neck down and spoke softly. "I've already said the royal guards are excavating the nearby area, trying to find anything new. Until then, I am entrusting all of this to you," she said, gesturing to the items on the table. "I don't want anypony to come near them until we've secured whatever else we find."
"Me, princess?" Twilight's eyes widen. She had seen what the holocron was and from its conversation with Luna, she was a little worried what it contained. "But what the holocron? Is it dangerous?"
"I suspect it might be, but all I need you to do is keep them locked away for a short while, nothing more." Celestia gave another of her warm smiles. "I have the utmost trust in you, Twilight."
The encouragement brought up Twilight's hope a little. "I… I'll keep it safe, princess."
"Thank you, Twilight." Celestia managed another smile before she left.
Just as the door closed behind her princess, Twilight let her questions roam. Her mentor knew something about this entire thing, or had some suspicion. What it was, Twilight could guess, yet it did not give any concrete answers. What was it about all of that made her teacher so concerned?
Twilight sighed to herself and turned around for the stairs. Maybe she was overthinking things. Besides, Celestia did say she would explain things in time. All Twilight had to wait, and right now, a good night's rest would certainly help.
Elsewhere, on another planet far, far away…
Soft clicks echoed across the long corridor as a pair of boots pounded against the ancient stone path. A lone figure continued on his path, his black cloak billowing behind him. A touch of the night's humid air brushed against his skin with each step he took, careful to stay close to outer walls of the ziggurat.
To his other side lied the surrounding jungle, crawling with many a creature ready to rip each other apart. The terrain was thick with dense roots and trunks of trees, and the tops shone orange from the great gas giant hovering in the night sky.
The ziggurat was the only man-made structure. It was thousands of years old, abandoned by its makers, but it teamed life as did the jungle, as the figure sensed. Inside, many soundly slept or enjoyed the night with a nice game of sabaac.
A smile took root. Long ago, it had been by a group of rebels to strike against their oppressors. He was a young man then, a mere farmboy who took his first step into the larger galaxy.
After so many years, he was back here, slowly rebuilding the teachings he learned. A praxeum, he called it, where he would pass on his teachings. The others inside, his students, were here to learn the ways of the Force and take their place in the galaxy peace keepers.
Old memories were cast aside when the walk came to a close. In front of the ziggurat was a large stone clearing and right in its center was a great bird of prey. Not a live one, but a bird made of durasteel and large enough to fit a few people inside its hull. Approaching it, the man found a small droid at the legs keeping the vessel upright.
The droid's domed head swirled and stared at the man with its lone eyepiece. Rolling over, it let out a series of beeps and whirls to greet its master. "Is everything ready, R2?" the man called out.
The droid beeped an affirmative. "Good," the man smiled. "I need to run a diagnostic on the ship."
"Already took care of that," another voice interjected.
Looking up, the man found the ship's owner jumping off the ship's beak-like cockpit. A pair of brown boots hit the stone and under the light of the distant gas giant, he was greeted by a bearded face of a fellow human.
"I've already looked at the Claw's computer and everything checks out," the stranger explained. "The Raven Claw's ready to leave whenever we are. And with Mon Mothma's upgrades to the hyperdrive, we should be there in no time. Wherever 'there' is."
The man gave a gracious nod before pulling a small datachip from his cloak. "I've the coordinates right here," he held the ship in his hand. "I just need to plug them in, and we're set, Kyle."
"Good to know," Kyle Katarn said, crossing his arms over his plain shirt. "Alright, so where are we heading?"
"That's difficult to say," was the hesitant reply as the datachip went back into the cloak. "The coordinates are too far out to be sure of them. The beacon's still working, though. We should find Rosh's fighter in time…"
"… before the beacon dies, I know," Kyle finished in a gruff tone.
Soft blue eyes stared at his bearded friend. "Are you sure you want to do this, Kyle? I could always have Jaden come with me instead. He did train with Rosh and he is his friend."
"Jaden's already got enough on his hands," Kyle shook his head. "No, I should come along. Rosh was my student. I trained him and I looked out for him. Even if…" Kyle's voice trailed as it grew soft, "even if he's gone, I still need to know what happened. You know that."
His friend hid a sigh. "I know. I just wanted to make sure. We might run into trouble there."
"Well, trouble's an old friend for us. They go hand-in-hand with these." Kyle slightly grinned and patted the lightsaber resting on his pants. He looked to his ship, the Raven Claw, then back. "Well, you know what they say. The Force is with us, right Luke?"
Luke Skywalker smiled. "Yeah, it is. Now, let's get going. We've got a long journey ahead of us."
AN: Just a bit I had for an old MLP/SW crossover of mine from FimFiction, which was basically "Mane Six and crew find Sith holocron, Twilight slowly and unknowingly turns to the Dark Side after learning from said holocron and a Force Ghost of a fallen Jedi from the Hundred-Year Darkness (aka the war that created the Sith), Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn arrive to help, and everyone bands together to redeem the fallen Jedi's ghost after Twilight corrects her own ways." It's certainly not the best thing I had written in this past, if the writing indicates anything (and this was the revised version of the story, mind you). Still, I had fun looking back at it and thought to put it up. Until next time, take care.
Raika out.