Disclaimer: I don't own LucasFilm and Disney's Star Wars (the trash that it is) or Hasbro's MLP:FIM.
Prologue
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
The New Sith Wars engulf the galaxy in flame and destruction. The New Sith Empire, led by Darth Ruin, continues to expand throughout the Outer Rim forcing the Galactic Republic into the Core Words.
With the help of the Jedi Order, the Republic fights back against the Sith threat. However, the Jedi's interference only brings the war to a stalemate as the two forces vie for territory from each other.
Not too far from the world of Bothawui, a fleet of Republic ships have been stationed there to defend against the Sith. The suddenly arrival of the Sith fleet throws the two forces to battle one another for control of the planet…
Ren Incerto stood at the bridge of the Republic warship Enlightenment, his blue eyes staring out at space. The stars glittered in the dark void that was almost mesmerizing. It had been such a long time since he had a view of space, not since he had been promoted to Jedi Master.
Jedi Master, Ren repeated as he unclasped his hands from behind his back. He ran one of them through his black hair, almost unsure of his position. The rank of Jedi Master was not easy to attain, especially when one such as him managed to keep up with his peers. Then again, the rank wasn't easily given, not after his mission… after he met her.
A smile of nostalgia spread on his dark face. It had been many years since he last saw her, but he still remembered her face vividly…
A hand brushed against the armored pad on Ren's left shoulder. "Master?" a voice brought him out of his thoughts.
Turning around, Ren saw a young Zabrak, barely a woman, beside him. While the technicians and soldiers aboard respectively wore red uniforms and white armor, this one wore a long cloak around her, similarly designed to Ren's own brown Jedi robe. The cloak itself did not hide the tattoos lining her concern face and the horns slightly poking from her brown hair.
"Yes Elara?" Ren asked his Padawan.
Elara stared with her green eyes. "Master, General Dodonna has reported Sith ships have dropped out of hyperspace. He's engaging them right now and asking for assistance."
The Jedi Master almost sighed, wishing he would just watch the stars a little while longer. Nonetheless, he told Elara, "Order all troops to ready their stations. We're heading for battle."
As Elara left, Ren turned back around to face the window, his eyes no longer on the field of stars, but on the Republic warships in the foreground, along with battle cruisers of the New Sith Empire. In the back of his mind, Ren swore he felt a familiar presence in the heat of the battle.
He shook the thought away and stared ahead. The floor shook ever so slightly as the Enlightenment began to move and head towards the familiar shapes of warships exchanging fire.
To say the battle looked like a mess was an understatement. Other Republic warships–Hammerhead and Thranta-class–were spread wide and thin across the starry plain, engaging the Scimitar-class vessels of the Sith fleet. Colorful lights filled blackened spaces in between as ships and starfighter were shot down in the chaotic haze.
Another battle in the long war against the Sith.
Upon entering the fray, the Enlightenment shook from the laser fire. Keeping his balance, Ren turned to the inner workings of the bridge and called out, "Elara, what's our status?"
"Shields are holding, master," his Padawan reported from her station, her eyes never leaving her computer terminal. "Our pilots have yet to man their starfighters, but our cannons are active."
The Jedi Master returned to the window and saw the Sith battle cruiser in front of him. Against Ren's hopes, the element of surprise wore off rather quickly, and the Enlightenment was being bombarded by the Sith lasers. "All forward batteries return fire!" Ren ordered. "Have our starfighters ready for deployment!"
Murmurs spread across the bridge as the Jedi Master's orders were carried out and it was not long afterwards that the Enlightment's cannons fired. It became an exchange of lasers between the Enlightenment and the Sith battle cruiser. Ren hoped that he would fight off this enemy and get to the next ship.
Then Elara's voice rang out once again. "Master, another Sith cruiser is approaching us! It's the Ragnos' Scepter!"
With wide eyes, Ren looked at his Padawan. "Are you sure about that?"
Elara nodded and he turned back to the back to see the said ship closing in…
The Sith warship, the Ziost Frost, shook again from laser fire, making Sith General Eliza Jade almost lose her footing. Her hair ruffled around in the air with her cape, and she shuffled her black boots to keep herself standing, despite the weight of her Sith armor bearing down on her.
Standing upright, Eliza whirled pale face around. "Status report, now!" she shouted over the sound of battle.
From among the gray-cladded Sith officers at the computers, a man reported from his station, "Primary batteries are at full power and shields are holding, my lady! However, one of the secondary batteries has been damaged!"
"Have the engineers fix it! I'm not going to lose this ship!" Eliza ordered.
Then, another Sith soldier, one donned in full black armor, reported, "My lady, a Republic warship has joined the battle! Hammerhead-class and has yet to deploy its starfighters!"
Eliza almost snarled, turning to the battle before her. There was one Republic warship standing out from the constant laser fire between the other vessels. Just like the soldier reported, it was a Hammerhead-class warship and it was closing in on the Ziost Frost.
Eliza's sickly yellow eyes stared at it, surprised at its sudden appearance. But there was something as well. She swore she could sense something familiar on aboard. A presence she had not felt in years.
"My lady, your orders?" the same soldier asked, catching the Sith general's attention.
After a moment, Eliza ordered, "Have all guns to focus on that ship! We need to hold it off as long as possible!"
The crew of the Ziost Frost carried out her orders, and Eliza turned back to the battle before her. Yet that same presence she felt before continued to nip at the back of her mind.
"My lady, the Ragnos' Scepter is closing in!" announced another Sith officer.
Just as she heard, Eliza saw the Ragnos' Scepter, the flagship of the Sith fleet, approaching. She was surprised to see it all and even more surprised to see smoking rising from its battered hull. "What is Balor doing?" Eliza muttered to herself. "He's supposed to be leading the Sith into battle!"
Just then, yet another officer called from his post, "My lady, we're detecting a strange anomaly from Lord Balor's ship!"
"Can you detect what it is?" she inquired.
"Yes my lady, I…" the officer's eyes widen at the new information on his computer terminal. "My lady, Lord Balor's ship is trying to jump into hyperspace!"
That was unexpected. Traveling into hyperspace in the middle of a battle was one thing, but doing so with fault engines could bring… unexpected results.
Eliza's temper flared as she roared to her crew, "Just what is that fool thinking?! Get us away from here, now!"
Her orders came a little too late. Everyone on board saw the familiar blue lane of hyperspace appeared and the Ragnos' Scepter flew into it. However, the hyperspace lane remained, and the Ziost Frost and the Republic war vessel were being pulled towards it.
"… son of a hutt," she cursed as the hyperspace portal swallowed her ship whole.
The golden eyes of a pony snapped open as she shot up from her bed. The mare took in deep breaths of air to calm herself and she felt relaxed in moments. Still, a shiver ran down the mare's white coat as she wondered what was going on.
"Are you alright?" she heard the deep voice.
Pushing aside her golden, flowing mane, the mare turned to the stallion beside her. He was an alicorn, just like her, with wings and a horn, but he had a dark coat, and his mane was a deep purple. "I'm fine," the mare breathed. "I just need relax a little."
As he sat up, the stallion's purple eyes stared at her. "You sensed something, haven't you?"
"I have," she nodded. "There was a strange surge of energy in the barrier. It was like a mixture of emotions. Something has arrived… something powerful."
Her tone made the stallion uneasy as he asked, "Do you know what it is? Could it be Cerberus?"
The mare shook her head. "I don't think so. Cerberus is still in Tartarus. Whatever this is, it felt like it doesn't belong here."
The stallion was silent as he pondered what about she said. "I will have our guards to locate the source of this disturbance tomorrow morning," he finally spoke. "It shouldn't clash with our upcoming meeting."
The mare gazed at him curiously. "Meeting? You mean with those ambassadors from Equestria, right?"
"Our new neighbors, yes," the stallion yawned as he lied back on the bed. "They'll be here in a few days. Hopefully we can figure this disturbance out before they arrive."
She lied next to him. "Will our daughter be safe?"
"She has dozens of guards watching over her. She'll fine," the stallion assured the mare, hugging her with a dark wing. "And when we find this disturbance, we'll be ready for it. Don't worry."
"I know, dear. I'm just worried that's all," the mare nuzzled him.
The stallion smiled and closed his eyes, the mare following suit. As the two drifted off to sleep, the mare's mind was on the disturbance she felt, as well as a certain little filly sleeping in a nearby chamber.
"Celestia."
Chapter 1
"Elara? Elara?"
Hearing her name, the young Padawan stirred from unconsciousness. She raised her head from her computer terminal and opened her eyes to see her master's concerned face. "Master? What's going on? Where are–ow!" Elara began quickly, but a headache stopped her.
"Glad to know you're alright," Ren smiled as he stood.
Rubbing her aching head, Elara asked, "How long was I out?"
"I don't know. I got up not too long ago," he turned to the bridge, "and it seems things aren't that well."
Elara looked at the bridge of the Enlightenment and found out what her master meant. Many officers were sprawled all over the floor, while the technicians were working on the now damaged computers. To the young Padawan, the crew looked like they had gone through hell and back.
"Just what happened here?" Elara gazed at the bridge. "I remember the Ragnos' Scepter going into hyperspace and then…"
"… we were pulled into the hyperspace lane," Ren finished.
She looked at him. "So where did we end up, then?"
Her master did not answer that question. Instead, he left the computer terminal and headed down the walkway with a curious Elara following him. When the two Jedi approached the window, Elara's eyes widen at what she saw. "What the…"
Outside of the Enlightment lied not the darkness of space, but the whiteness of moonlight surrounded by a night sky. There were white cloud hanging about, and down far below were blue oceans and green landmasses that reminded Elara of other worlds like, like Alderaan or Dantooine.
But where ever they were, this certainly was not Bothawui.
"Master, where are we? What is this planet?" she asked.
"I don't know," Ren answered.
Elara turned to her mentor, incredulous. "What do you mean 'you don't know?'"
"I mean I don't know," he stated calmly without looking away. "According to our technicians, this planet, this system, isn't even in the star charts."
While Elara reeled in her thoughts, Ren noticed a figure approaching them. Striding down the walkway of the bridge was a dark-skinned woman, donning the red uniform of a Republic officer. "General Incerto," she greeted, stepping beside the Jedi Master.
"Captain Leth," Ren returned, "anything to report on the ship?"
The captain hesitated and slightly fiddled with the cap on her brown hair bun. "Well general, it does not look that well. The ship is fine, save for a few bruises, but there's the problem of our… displacement. We're having trouble pinpointing our location, but we know we're no longer is within the Mid or Outer Rims. We could be in Wild Space, for all we know."
Elara thought about that for a moment. Alright, they were no longer in the Outer Rim, but perhaps it was not too bad. "Can we return to Known Space?" she spoke up, her voice holding a sliver of hope.
The captain shook her head. "Not without the right calculations. That may take time, since the position of the stars here are different. And then, there are the starboard engines we need to worry about…"
The Padawan drowned out the rest of the conversation, frowning at this development. Just great. Here they were, stuck in an unknown sector of space with no way of returning. As if that was not bad enough, there was that Sith ship across from them–wait, what?
Elara's eyes widen again this time seeing a Sith battlecruiser. It was a distance away from the Enlightenment as it remained hovering in the strange planet's sky. "Master," Elara said, catching the attention of the other two, "is that the Ragnos' Scepter?"
It was the captain, not Ren, who answered, "We've already scanned it. Its identification tag doesn't match the Ragnos' Scepter."
"It must have been the other Sith ship that was sucked into the hyperspace lane," Elara thought aloud. "Has it done anything?"
"No, nothing yet. It's just floating there. Lucky for us, the Ragnos' Scepter is nowhere in sight. It's either destroyed or far away from us."
"Maybe, captain," Ren spoke warily, his eyes on the Sith battlecruiser. Again, the Jedi Master felt something from the vessel. There was that presence, the same one he felt near Bothawui. He hadn't felt it since…
"So master," Elara's voice caught Ren's attention, "what do we do?"
He pondered for a minute before turning to the captain. "Have you scanned the planet below?"
She nodded. "We did. The planet appears to be breathable. We were getting some strange readings from down there. Our sensors could be a little haywire from our sudden jump, though."
Slowly, the gears in Ren's mind started turning, and he gave his orders. "Alright, let's give the crew some rest. Everyone has to be ready in case of another battle."
"And the planet, sir?"
"I want to take a look at this place. Prep a shuttle and an away team," Ren answered, glancing at Elara. "My Padawan will come with me."
Elara blinked. "Master, are you sure about that? You'll need someone to command the Enlightenment."
"Our captain's more than capable," he assured. "Besides, do you want to be stuck on a ship with nothing to do?"
Knowing her master was right, she said in a defeated tone, "No, master."
Ren turned back to the captain. "When you get communications back up, try contacting the Sith warship. They're stuck too, so I don't think they'll try anything yet."
It was the captain's turn to look surprised. "Uh, yes sir…" When Ren turned to leave, the captain called out, "General, if I do manage to contact the Sith, what should I do?"
"Keep in contact with me and let me know what's happening!" Ren answered as he led Elara down the walkway.
"But what should I say to the Sith?"
"That's up to you, captain!"
The captain would have asked again if the doors did not close behind the two Jedi. She glanced around, finding herself alone on a damaged bridge with all eyes on her.
From the window, Councilor Clover of Equestria, or Clover the Clever, watched the night sky with unease. Hours ago, she had been studying the stars and weather patterns, checking on the progress of the working unicorns and pegasi.
That changed when Clover had spotted something in the sky. Somethings, to be precise, outlined by the sliver of moonlight; one, thin and with a giant hammer, and the other was shaped like a hook. They hung in the sky and were partially hid in the shadow of night clouds. Where they came from, nopony knew, and it only gave Clover a sense of curiosity and fear just by looking at them.
"Has anything changed?" inquired a tired voice.
Clover turned to see a stallion closing the chamber's doors behind him. "They're still up there, Hurricane," Clover answered.
Hurricane, former Commander of the Pegasi Tribe and now member of the First Council of Equestria, gave an irritated sigh as his hooves left heavy trots on the chamber's floor. "And there's nothing? They haven't even moved?"
Clover regarded her fellow councilor with a pensive look. "We should be grateful, Hurricane, they're not attacking."
"If there was an attack, at least we would know what's going on," a huff left him before he went up beside Clover and glanced out of the window. "All of this waiting makes me uneasy."
Clover didn't argue with that. She had her own concerns about these things, whatever they were, and simply waiting left the Unicorn a little antsy. Besides, it was pointless to argue with a veteran who slightly towered her. With little sleep, Hurricane's neck, wings, and shoulders sulked as if heavy weights dragged them down, and the stallion without his armor left him naked, figuratively and literally.
Finally, Clover asked, "Anything from our scouts?"
"Nothing," Hurricane blew his dark, disheveled mane out of his tired eyes. "Whatever those things are, they're too far up for anypony to reach."
"I didn't think they would." Clover wrapped her white cloak close, protecting her pink coat from the chilly air. "I'm surprised Master Starswirl isn't here. He might have an answer to this."
"Where is that old pinhead anyway? He would be jumping out of his ugly hat by now." Hurricane glanced around while Clover silently frowned at the Pegasus.
A light rap of hooves ran from outside. "Maybe that's him," Clover thought aloud.
The two mares turned to the closed doors, waiting for them to be open. The trots grew louder until they finally came to a stop. Then, then door was pulled from outside…
… only to stop in its frame.
"Uh, hello?" a chirpy voice called from the other side. "Anypony in?!"
An annoyed Hurricane groaned. "Clover, please…"
Sighing, Clover tossed blonde strands aside and powered her horn with a similarly colored magical aura, which also surrounded the door handles. When the door swung inward, a yellow and brown form fell flat on the floor with a plop. A yellow hat tilted forward atop a puffy head of red, showing the other two ponies its pudding-like top, and its owner, an Earth Pony with a magenta coat, lied there in front at the door.
"Puddinghead, are you alright?" Clover asked, somewhat tempted to trot over.
The hat rose to show a goofy grin from Equestria's third Councilor. "I'm fine! Just a little wobbly, that's all," she replied.
"Maybe you wouldn't be if you pushed instead of pulled," Hurricane shot at her.
Puddinghead let out an hmph as she stood on her magenta-colored legs. "Well, somepony's cranky."
"Puddinghead," Clover cut in quickly, "has something happened? Has Master Starswirl said anything?"
"Right!" Puddinghead pushed up her head her hat. "He says not to worry. There doesn't seem to be any danger yet."
"Did he say anything else?"
"Not yet. He says he'll be in his lab, looking for any magical disturbance," she continued with her hooves patting down her yellow ruff and blouse.
"Aaand?" Hurricane pressed for more.
After patting down her brown skirt, Puddinghead looked up. "Aaand that's it."
Again, the lone stallion groaned. Clover regarded Hurricane with a patient look. "Starswirl's doing his best, Hurricane."
"Doesn't change the fact he's such a recluse," he muttered.
"Actually, he's very outgoing for a pinhead–oops!" Puddinghead's gray eyes widen, and she covered her hooves over her mouth. "Sorry Clover! I forgot we're not supposed to use that word."
"I don't see the big deal. It's just a bunch of words," Hurricane said. "It's no different than calling Earth ponies dirt-diggers."
"Or feather brains for Pegasi!" Puddinghead chirped in, only realize her mistake. "Oops! I did it again!"
While Hurricane forced himself to not glare, Clover forced herself a smile. "It's alright," she said. "Just be careful in the future. More importantly, we need to think how we're going to deal with this."
Puddinghead, tapping a hoof on her muzzle, suggested, "How about we send a message?"
Hurricane replied with eyes of exasperation. "And how do you propose we do that?"
"Easy. We just write in the ground saying not to attack us, or we're peaceful."
"They're too far up in the sky for any Pegasi to reach them. How can they read a single word of Equish?" Hurricane deadpanned.
"… We could write in big letters."
As the two argued, Clover mentally sighed. 'You've dealt with this for five years, Clover. Just hold it together,' she told herself, then aloud to the others:
"Councilors, can we please focus?"
Turning from Puddinghead, Hurricane said, "Alright, what do you suggest we do?"
"Well… I…" Clover began, but her voice and mind came up on a blank. With strange things in the sky, what could she say? What could she do to calm the two ponies down?
After a moment, a yawn forced itself out of Clover's throat. "Maybe," she began tiredly, "we should just get some sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow."
"Best idea I've heard," and Hurricane turned for the door in his slouching manner. "Wake me up when something interesting happens."
"Don't sleep too long," Puddinghead interjected, hopping alongside him, "This might be a milestone in the history of Equestria!"
"Oh, be quiet!"
The Unicorn stared at the departing Earth Pony and Pegasus. "How Smart Cookie and Pansy handled them is beyond me," Clover mumbled before she followed them out.
Unbeknownst to the trio, a small dot left one of the strange figures in the sky, passing over the white face of the moon and traveling down to the forest beyond the capital's barrier…
Chapter 2
"Sir, we're getting a signal!" an officer exclaimed, using one good arm to work one of the Ziost Frost's working terminals. "A shuttle has left the Republic warship!"
Sergeant Rendar, towering over the officer, stared down. "Are you sure?" he asked with his deep voice. "It might be faulty sensors."
The officer, almost frightened by the Sith soldier's black heavy armor and superior height, replied, "N-no, sir, I'm sure. Our long-ranged sensors are knocked out for now, but our short-ranged sensors just picked a shuttle."
"Very well," Rendar said. "I'll report it to the general."
"Um, sir," the officer paled a little, "perhaps, the general should have her space. She's not in the best of moods."
She rarely was, but Rendar kept that to himself as he held his helmet under his arm and turned to leave. He barely made a few steps when a small, thin man–an officer, as determined by his gray uniform–strode up to Rendar. "Sergeant, is something the matter?" he spoke with a posh tone and regarded Rendar with a nod.
"Commander Needa," Rendar nodded back, trying to be polite. "I have some news for the general."
"Best if you tell me, sergeant," Needa said, glancing over to the general. "She seems to be preoccupied."
Rendar's eyes trailed down he walked the long and slightly dent gray floor of the Ziost Frost's bridge. The small, yet intimidating, form of General Jade glued her eyes to the window and wrapped a red strand of hair around her finger. No doubt, she was forming a plan of some sort.
Rendar, slightly defeated, looked back at Needa. "Well, we just received a report about a Republic shuttle heading for the planet's surface."
Needa seemed surprised. "Not their ship, just a shuttle? I thought the Republic would come here, if they wanted to talk about terms."
Rendar pointed out, "They haven't offered any terms yet, commander. They can't with the comm down."
"And they don't trust us," cut in a clearly ticked voice of a woman, "just as you apparently don't trust me to handle this, commander."
The two men almost jumped and turned around to see Eliza cutting in between the two. With eyes glaring at him, Needa tugged at his collar with a trembling hand, and he stammered whilst he collected himself. "W-well, considering our situation, I-I thought it would be better if I… I mean if you…"
Eliza raised a hand. The commander fell silent immediately, and Eliza turned to Rendar with a less piercing gaze. "Sergeant, your thoughts?"
Rendar looked at Eliza, through his black bangs. "Well, general, the planet would serve as neutral ground, if there were any talks, and it's possible the shuttle's departure could be a call… or a trap," he said, somewhat hesitantly at the end.
The general pondered for a moment, then she said, "Sergeant, prepare a boarding party. I want to see this for myself."
"General," Needa interjected with some courage, "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Many of our soldiers are still in the med bay and…"
"Some are good to come along," Eliza retorted sharply. "Anyway, I'll be leading the mission, so you don't need to worry."
"… Yes, general," the commander said, defeated.
"Then, get a team in the hangar by one hour, commander," and Eliza turned and left with her cape flowing behind her.
Once General Jade was out the door, Needa allowed himself a sigh and adjusted his officer's cap. "I'm not sure how we'll survive this," he said, more to himself.
"Everything will be fine, commander," Rendar assured, though his stoic expression did not change. "It won't be long until we return home."
Rendar was given a snort. "If only. The ship is in worse shape than you think. Just look," and Needa gestured to some of the ruined terminals.
The sergeant didn't need to look. Unlike the other terminals that had been ruined by the sudden hyperspace jump, these ones were crushed to pieces. As for who did it, Rendar remembered a Sith general thrashing away, redirecting her anger for another's mistake.
"I'm going to kill that son of a Hutt!" she had yelled before crushing at the terminals.
The memory caused Rendar's hand on his helm to tremble a little. He was used to seeing angry Sith, and General Jade always had a temper, but seeing her like that was… surprising, to say the least. No one was in her wrath, since the medics the medics to some of the injured.
"We just have to trust the general. She has never steered us wrong before," Rendar managed to say, then saluted. "By your leave, commander."
"Yes, sergeant," Needa said quietly, his voice distant.
Lowering his hand, Rendar turned around to leave. He stopped and took a short glance to the silent commander. When Needa looked away, his face showed concern. It was a look Rendar had seen before, and it now made the sergeant wonder about his own words. There was nothing to be done. Only hope for the best.
Rendar turned back to his path and strode out of the bridge, leaving the commander alone in his silence.
They were still up there. The two objects floated in front of the moon with no worry of wind or weather directing them away from their position. It was unthinkable, unnatural even, to be remaining in the sky without being subjected to the laws of nature. Whatever they were, they certainly were not dragons. Not even they were as huge as the behemoths floating above.
"Councilor? Councilor?"
Councilor Pansy turned from the sky to the stallion beside her. It was an Earth Pony–with no wings that Pansy possessed nor a Unicorn's horn–as grey as his armor. "Yes, corporal?" Pansy asked with a voice as soft as her face.
The steady, unusually high-pitched, tone answered her. "You've been staring at that for a while now, councilor."
"Sorry," Pansy said, brushing aside her flopping orange mane. "How long?"
"Ten minutes, I think."
Stars, that was long. "I see," Pansy removed her hoof from the battlement to the wooden plank. "I guess I let my mind wander a little longer than I thought, huh?"
A concerned look grew under the corporal's helm. "Councilor, you need to be careful, especially with those things up there. Nopony else's around to look out for you."
"I will fine," she assured, then paused. "If it helps, you could go back to sleep."
"I could," Pansy's guard said with a slight smirk, "but the captain wouldn't be happy if he found you by yourself."
"And I can't leave you alone," were the unspoken words.
Cheerful as the corporal tried to be, Pansy's yellow muzzle sunk into a frown. She didn't say anything at first, keeping her thoughts to herself. It took Pansy some more time before she voiced them: "Are you scared, Herp?"
The familiarity took the stallion by surprise. Still, he replied softly for nopony else to hear other than Pansy: "Yes, I am," Herp's yellow eyes rose up. "I'm no Pegasi or Unicorn, but seeing those things, it's… unsettling. It's some kind of bad omen."
To that, Pansy sighed inwardly. It was the same thing she heard throughout the fort. Everypony was scared, she included, and nothing seemed to ease their minds. "Sorry to bother you with this," Pansy said.
Herp sighed, this one of slight annoyance. "You need to stop apologizing," he said. "It doesn't help a councilor of Equestria. The problem's up there, not down here."
The words brought a small surge of confidence, and a smile finally spread on Pansy's yellow muzzle. "I guess not." Pansy rested her head on the corporal's shoulder. "Thanks, Herp."
Herp's muzzle went from grey to red. "Y-your welcome, Councilor," Herp muttered, feeling the orange lop of mane and her scent brushing on his face. He wanted stay like this for a little while longer and enjoy it…
"Corporal Hooves," a deep baritone spoke.
Herp snapped his back straight to attention, the warmness gone and the cool air was back. He whirled around with Pansy to see another Pegasus in shimmering silver armor and a pair of wings keeping him hovering nearby the battlement. Wary eyes watched the Pegasus land and furled his red wings against his side.
Golden eyes focused on Herp. "Weren't you supposed to be at the south wall?" the Pegasus inquired, rather authoritatively.
"Y-you're right! I'll head over there, sir!" And with a salute, Herp rushed for the stairs.
Just as Herp left the battlements, Pansy frowned to the Pegasus. "Captain Red Fire," she told him, "the corporal had my permission to remain at my side. He was there as my guard."
"And a shoulder to lean on?" the captain retorted.
She returned it with narrowed eyes. "That's private."
The golden eyes flinched a little, and Red Fire relaxed his posture. "I apologize. I meant no disrespect, Councilor," he humbly bowed his helmet.
Pansy mimicked the captain's tone. "I understand. Any word from the capital?"
"None, as usual," Red Fire responded as he trotted to the edge. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a telescope. "Commander Hurricane's must be busy with whatever the rest of the council keeps throwing on him… no offense."
"Hurricane's no longer a commander," she reminded him with pained patience.
"I guess," Red Fire's voice trailed while he looked through the telescope.
Pansy found it harder to hold her tongue, wanting to give the captain a couple more words of warning. She held back, knowing that she was far from the capital. A councilor of Equestria Pansy was, but Red Fire was in charge of the fort. She was just a guest.
"How is everypony?" Pansy asked to keep herself busy.
"Busy." Red Fire studied the terrain through his telescope. "All of the guards are still at their posts now, and the scouts are resting after their mission. I don't know how long it will be before we need… Wait, what's that?"
Pansy's ear flickered up on the sudden change in tone. "What is it?"
Red Fire handed the telescope to her. Staring through lens, Pansy saw it. A long white nose stuck out in front, and a pair of wings stuck out of the back, sloping downwards. The wings did not flap, yet it somehow flew through the air, soaring above a canopy of trees.
"Do you see it?" she heard Red Fire.
"I do. It's flying over for the Everfree Forest."
"Guards, gather the scouts to the courtyard!" Red Fire shouted over the battlement's edge, while she put the telescope down and walked away. "Where you are going Councilor?"
"Getting my armor, captain," Pansy responded without looking away.
"Councilor, you're hardly the…" the captain began, but Pansy cut him off.
"…the right pony for this?" She turned to face him. "Whatever that thing is, you will need a pony who knows how to talk with it. As a Councilor of Equestria, I am the only one in this entire fort who can do that."
Red Fire stared at Pansy for a long moment. "Very well," he conceded.
Pansy nodded, and, with a flap of her wings, she flew over the battlements, diving down to the courtyard as the fortress went on high alert.
Ren did his best to keep a firm footing, feeling the shuttle jostle while it descended through the tree tops. The others tried to keep still as well, either sitting down or holding onto the handles above their heads. They all radiated off with unease and anxiety, which was no surprise to the Jedi Master. He hid his own feelings to not worry his soldiers and Padawan.
The thrusters wheezed and the legs creaked open from the outside before they touched ground. When the shuttle jostled upon landing, a wave brushed up against Ren's mind, taking him by surprise.
Now, Ren let his unease show.
Elara's voice spoke off to the side. "Master, did you…"
"Yes," Ren nodded without looking at her to see her expression or know her thoughts. He had felt it in the sky, but so close to the ground, it was stronger than ever. For Elara, who was not attuned like he was, to feel it meant this presence, whatever its source, was far stronger than he anticipated.
"Pilot," Ren called to the front, "did you notice anything?"
At the cockpit ahead, the pilot studied his controls. "There was a structure nearby. Rather primitive," he remarked. "Seemed like some kind of outpost."
"Master," Elara called to her master once again, "maybe that's what we sensed."
Ren did not reply to that, his mind quickly switching back and forth. This was not what he had intended. He had not known about this fortress, or the source of the presence. Still, nothing was attacking nor was there anything else, so maybe he still could…
"General, detecting several lifeforms approaching. They're airborne," came from the pilot.
Ren withheld a sigh. He would have to delay his meeting, after all. "Open the door, pilot. Everyone stays on the ship… including you." Ren ordered, turning to his pupil.
He felt the denial before it showed up on Elara's face. "But master, you might need help," she said. "Who knows what might be out there?!"
"That's why you're staying here," Ren reasoned, just as the door opened. A flood of cool air entered and dim moonlight grazed his face. "I need someone to guard the shuttle in case we need to leave… and in case I don't come back."
This time, there was no retort or argument from Elara. Ren turned around and stepped out of the shuttle. His feet touched grassy ground and dirt, and he went on his way, not noticing Elara's silent stare at his back.
AN: Alright, another SW/MLP crossover from Fimfiction I wrote years ago. I felt this one was a bit better than the other I had worked on, but I eventually gave up on it as it did with other stories I was working on at the time. And this is just part one. Next part will probably show up next month or so. Until then, take care.
Raika out.