Pony Power Battlesby Pika pikaaaaChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7EpilogueChapter 1Trixie’s whole body was beginning to ache from her long journey on this Celestia-forsaken planet. She had no idea that being a Jedi involved ‘this’. Yavin IV housed the old Jedi training grounds, and for some stupid reason, the terentatek, a monster of force-devouring evil, chose to live here. Mud and vines coated her aching hooves. She looked up at her other Jedi companions, Archimedes, an orange baby dragon with green eyes, followed by Moonlight Scroll, a blue unicorn with a red mane. Moonlight Scroll's cutie mark rose and fell with each trot, a bound scroll set beneath the moon and stars. She sighed at their toughness and determination. Why was she even supposed to be here? “When will we be there?” She asked Moon with a complaining whine in her voice. “We’ve still got a while to go, do you want to rest?” Moon explained, comfort in his voice. Archimedes piped up at this response, almost indignant, “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. The more we trek today is less we have to trek tomorrow. Are you sure you want to rest with that knowledge?” There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. Another piece of the Jedi code came floating back to Trixie as the throbbing sensation in her hooves distracted her from the mission, and Archie’s question. It would be nice if knowledge could dry her legs and take this mud away, she thought. Her scrunched up face must have drawn attention, however, as both of her companions had stopped and were awaiting her reply. “Oh!” Trixie was taken aback, “I guess we can move on a little further…” She sighed as they began again. She didn’t really want to, but she would press on as long as time allowed, though not without complaint. She almost got caught again as she saw Moon looking back at her, thoughtfully. “If you really need to stop, just let me know. Here, have some water,” he said, using magic to hand the water skin to her. She drank deeply of it with a nod of thanks before handing it back. Refreshing! “I just don’t understand why a terentatek had to be all the way out here, in the middle of nowhere!” Instead of on some civilized world like Coruscant, Trixie thought. “It’s here, because this is where the old Jedi lived,” Archimedes began, not stopping the march, “Their latent force energy remains still. That legacy is what drew it here. If it weren’t for Luna’s connection to the force, none of us would even know of its existence, or that a terentatek decided to take up residence here. Come on, we’ll stop at the base of the next ridge,” Archimedes finished. The three of them continued to trudge through the jungle for the whole of the next hour, climbing a hill before finally catching sight of the run-down temple. In the middle of the jungle, overrun by wildlife, there stood a barely discernable metal spire, shooting towards the stars. It looked like old world tech, though it was completely run-down; and almost another day of travel, mercifully downhill, to get there. Trixie gawked at the majestic sight before her. If she weren’t so tired, she’d drink in the view even more. Instead, she plopped herself down onto the ground amidst the vines and brambles where she stood, bringing out a mat for her to lie down on. Just then she noticed Archimedes and Moonlight Scroll collecting firewood from the jungle. “Uhh,” Trixie started to offer, but was hesitant. It had been a long day, and she wanted to rest some. She almost let out an audible sigh as she began to surrender to her conscience. Noticing her apprehension, Moonlight Scroll said warmly, “Hey, just take it easy for now, we’ve got this. It’s just firewood.” Trixie stayed seated at this, exhaling in relief. “Yeah, if you want to be lazy and get weak, be my guest,” Archie replied, not even looking up. “Hey, just be a little nicer to her, okay?” Moonlight interjected, though not unkindly. Archimedes just scoffed and stayed silent. Trixie felt terrible, like she was caught in the middle of two warring dogs. She lifted a piece or two of firewood from nearby without rising, bringing it to a place in the middle of where they planned to sleep. She then cleared out a little space around the logs, making sure all the brush and flammable jungly things were out of danger. Feeling better, she decided to go into her pack, fishing for food. “Shit,” Archimedes said under his breath, almost falling over with an enormous stack of firewood. He stumbled but caught balance quickly. He set the large pile down next to the makeshift fire pit and threw a few logs onto the soon-to-be fire. Noticing the clearing his features softened somewhat. “Thanks,” he said genuinely. That’s a switch, Trixie thought to herself, almost scoffing. She then looked for Moon Scroll in the jungle from her spot as afternoon turned to twilight. Archimedes heaved back, breathing in a huge amount of breath before letting the inferno of cerulean flame wash over the wet branches, drying them and starting a blaze almost instantly. “Moonlight Scroll isn’t back yet,” Trixie noted with the sound of worry in her voice. “I’ll go look for him in a minute, if he isn’t back by then. I’m sure he’s fine,” Archimedes said, placing his hands in the fire. It wasn’t cold, but Trixie could see that little flakes of dirt and grime flew off and into the sky as the flame cleaned his hands. She almost caught herself being impressed as she pulled out a thing of cupcakes from her pack, munching on one eagerly. She was famished. “I’m sorry, Trixie. I don’t mean to push you so hard, but we’re Jedi now, and we’ve got a job to do,” Archimedes explained softly. “Oh, that’s fine,” Trixie said, though she still didn’t like him. Still, this new turn of events was interesting…Archie…apologizing? “Still, you’re right, it is getting late, and Moon isn’t back. I’m gonna go look for him, would you join me?” Archimedes offered, walking over to the mare. Trixie was apprehensive. She didn’t like the thought of going off into the jungle at night, but if Moon needed help, it was her duty as a friend to help find him! “Alright,” she said in reply, “But you don’t get to ride me!” Archimedes just smirked as she rose, bringing out her lightsaber. Archie also readied his double-bladed lightsaber, a testament to his skill in battle. Together, they trudged through the forest in Moonlight Scroll’s direction, being careful not to trip and to stay within sight of the fire. It was dark by now, and the going was slow. They carried on in silence, trying to sense his location in the jungle around them. Trixie couldn’t feel anything, though, except the fading remnants of the Jedi masters of old, still humming their old codes in the fabric of the force. An hour passed, maybe two, as they continued through the density and closeness of the forest. The jungle itself seemed to be playing mind games with them as evil faces appeared and vanished before their eyes. Trixie started to feel a very real shiver of fear run down her spine, though she felt nothing except the low drumming in the force. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but something was watching them. Trixie looked back at the fire, now a long ways off and dwindling. “Maybe we should go back and look for him tomorrow? Or maybe he’s already back at the campfire, I mean, if we can see it, so can he, right?” She whispered nervously. “Trixie,” A voice called to her left. Suddenly, she couldn’t see Archimedes in front of her. “Archie? Archie where did you go!?” She whispered as loud as she dared, looking this way and that, almost in full panic mode. The darkness seemed to creep all around her as she allowed the soft violet hue of her lightsaber to ignite in the blackness. Immediately, in its light, she saw the faces of many horrors in the leaves and branches of the jungle, and, startled, she began to gallop straight back to the campfire, running for her life. Minutes passed as the panic subsided into a low fear, the adrenaline coursing through her system. She never tripped, oddly enough, as she looked this way and that, hoping somewhere to see something besides spooky faces in the dark of the night. She sorely wished to be back on the spaceship, or even on Coruscant, lovely Coruscant with the Jedi masters giving her accolades and telling her how special she was. Tears started streaming down her face as she reached the campfire, the flames almost fully dead. She switched off her lightsaber as she put more wood on the fire, hoping it would catch. For the first time since the completion of her training, she sorely wished Archimedes were there. It wasn’t working. The flame seemed to hate the idea of wet logs being placed on it and choked, sputtering out. Trixie almost screamed, “Come on!” prancing on her hooves, reigniting her saber and drowning the blade in the moistened wood of the fire. This had to work, come on come on! Initially, the saber only made a small hole where she placed it, setting the surrounding wood to melt mode and causing a tiny amount of flame to catch on some of the smaller logs. Then the wood around it felt the heat of the saber and the melting log and decided to get with the program, catching fire and spreading grudgingly over the rest of the logs. Trixie almost cried out in joy, instantly looking around for any sign of Moonlight Scroll or Archimedes. She saw nothing in the denseness of the jungle, only the darkness stared back at her in the ominousness of the night. It all seemed quiet as she took out another cupcake, sitting on her mat facing away from the fire, afraid something would sneak up on her. She munched on another cupcake, then another, nervously eating. She held her lightsaber out and ignited, fully prepared for anything to come at her. Cupcakes and lightsaber, her two best forms of protection. After a while, she dug into the package for more cupcakes, but didn’t find any. Her heart sank. She felt so alone, and so hopeless. She looked into the night sky, hoping to see some kind of moon, some sign from her beloved master; but only inky blackness met her, not even stars. It was as if the doom of this planet had covered itself even from the small light of distant suns. It was then she heard rustling in the jungle. She went right back into panic mode, leaping behind the fire, lightsaber at the ready. If need be, she’d use her magic as well. Chapter 2A pony shaped figure approached the clearing. She swiped at it with her lightsaber, though it was blocked instantly by Moonlight’s blue blade. “Gee, if you wanted to train, you could have just asked!” Moonlight said, jokingly. Trixie was so happy to see him she dropped her saber, letting it go out. She had never been so pleased to see anypony in her life! Butterflies filled her stomach as she ran up to him, hugging him and giving him a small kiss on the mouth. She stared deeply into his blushing eyes before realizing what she’d done, a bright red hue covering both their cheeks. She recovered herself quickly, however and snapped back to the present, now ashamed at her unabashed show of affection. “I’m sorry! I was just so scared!” Trixie apologized. “There were these jungle monsters and I ran back here! I lost Archie!” She started to cry at this last part, hoping Moon would know what to do. He always did before… “Oh,” Moon said, snapping out of his trance from the kiss, “Oh, oh…OH! Archie’s gone? Hey, we have to go find him!” Just then a rustling in the bushes on the other side of the campfire drove both Trixie and Moon into attack mode, readying their sabers. Then, a small ball of orange and scales rolled out of the jungle, lightsaber in-tact and covered in mud. He looked up at them both, dazed, and spitting out a leaf. “Thanks, Trixie, I’m so glad you were going to stop and help me out of the mud I fell in,” Archie said, slight frustration in his voice. “Oh!” Trixie gasped, resisting the urge to run over and hug him. “Well then,” she giggled at his dismay, “let me get you cleaned up!” “No need, thanks anyway,” Archimedes said, hopping into the fire, and letting the mud harden. He then leaped out and shook off all the dried pieces, leaving a small coat of fine dirt in its wake. “I can live with this.” Trixie giggled at the sight, cuddling up close to Moon and blushing slightly. She wanted to feel his warmth, at least a little longer. He didn’t seem to object, either, as that look came over his face and he stood there, almost dumbfounded. “Where’ve YOU been, Moon?” Archie asked, digging sand out of his ear. “Me? What? Oh!” Moon was obviously distracted, and started again, gaining composure, “Oh I was still looking for firewood, when I came across this neat cable in the jungle! Thought I’d follow it and see where it went. Turns out, there’s an old communications bunker near here that we can use as a base to scout the ruins.” “SHELTER!?” Trixie said frantically. ”I mean, there’s shelter?” She would welcome the prospect of sleeping in an actual bed for once. “Yes, and there’s these nice fluffy beds we can sleep in, too. The atmospheric conditioners there were built to last,” Moonlight finished. “Wow, was not expecting that. Maybe I can even get a bath,” Archie said, revisiting old memories comfortingly. “Oh yeah, at least I think there’s showering devices,” Moonlight explained further. “Still, I think it’s best we get some sleep here tonight. It’s a long way, and there’s only a couple hours of night left anyhow.” Trixie couldn’t agree more as they all sat down on their respective bedding and went to sleep, Trixie falling into a deep slumber. Her dreams were pleasant, with Moon and her spending time on Coruscant, on the top of the Jedi temple as the sun set off on the horizon. It was a beautiful sight, far away from leaves and trees and terentateks. Then everything shifted as the jungle seemed to start to overtake the city, growing up in places all around her favorite parts. A giant tree replaced the tower she and Moon were sharing and Moon fell, reaching out for her, calling her name. She found herself on the jungle floor, seeing him fall through the leaves and thrush into quicksand. She ran over to help him, but he just fell on through, into oblivion. Before she could even cry out in terror or grief, she looked up at the most hideous monstrosity she’d ever seen, even uglier than a Gamorrean. Its sharp spines and twisted arms coiled around itself as its stocky, chitinous body sported the scars of a thousand lightsabers. Its blood red eyes swelled as seemed to be chewing on Moon and Archimedes. It showed her its breakfast with glee before swallowing the two broken forms. “You’re next, sweet mane!” It roared, letting an arm of incredible size and length reach out and grab her, dragging her across the ground towards its impressive mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth the size of a pony’s head! She couldn’t scream as the grip grew tighter and tighter, suffocating her and breaking every bone in her soft, furry body. She gave up. It was worthless anyway, her life. She’d lived for nothing but herself all these years, might as well die that way, now. The terentatek lifted her off the ground, showing her its teeth and looking her in the eyes. It smiled viciously as she woke up to the light of a new dawn, looking around at the familiar jungle sights. It seemed perfectly peaceful. She yawned and stretched, shrugging off the effects of the nightmare as she looked over for Moon and then Archimedes. Her mouth stood agape as she saw Moon’s headless body played out on the mat, blood everywhere. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she looked over to Archie to see the dragon hunched over something, the sounds of chewing and meat being ripped apart flittering along the cool jungle morning. “A-A-Archie?” Trixie asked, hesitantly. The dragon’s head twisted on a pivot, his eyes glowing red with Moon’s ear hanging out of his mouth. It smiled viciously. “AAAAHHHHHH!” Trixie screamed, waking up on her mattress in a cold sweat. She looked over at Moon, who was rubbing his eyes at her. “Trixie, what?” He asked groggily. “Go back to sleep, crazy mare,” Archie said from the other side of the now deceased fire, turning over in his sleep. Trixie wiped the sweat from her brow, composing herself, “It was nothing, Moonie, just a nightmare.” She shivered as she laid back down, reassuring herself as she nervously scanned the jungle. Chapter 3Moonlight scroll laid his head back down after Trixie seemed to calm down. It was such good sleep! He felt the thrill of the mission, reinvigorating his muscles as he relaxed, enjoying the last few minutes of rest he’d have for the long day ahead of them. As he dazed, he remembered the kiss that Trixie gave him. It gave him butterflies in his stomach. He shook with excitement on his mat. He had never felt this for anypony before, and he wondered how Trixie felt. Was this something real? He figured it was stupid to speculate, and they had a mission where one of them might die! But still, he enjoyed the thought of her being his special somepony. He finally stretched, still enjoying the remnants of his dream as he stood, making a quick check over the jungle surrounding them. He looked over at beautiful Trixie, still sleeping peacefully. He looked over at Archimedes and wondered why the dragon had to be so determined all the time. He kicked the half-empty fire pit and stepped over to Archie. “Hey, buddy, you ready to go?” he said, nudging the baby dragon with his hoof. “Let’s have some breakfast first, though, right?” “Ughh…” The baby dragon waved him off and rolled back over, bracing his eyes against the rising sun with an outstretched arm. “Yeah…” he managed, trailing off. Moonlight was satisfied with that as he moved to Trixie. He had to catch himself from saying ‘honey’ as he nudged her gently with his muzzle, “Trixie, it’s time to wake! We’re going to have breakfast soon, so what would you like?” Trixie almost sat bolt upright, but looked like she was trying to cover it. Moon got the strong impression she wasn’t actually sleeping either. She then made a mock display of yawning and said as though nothing was wrong, “Moonie, oh! I think I’ll have a lettuce, tomato and cheese sandwich, grilled, if we can.” “Are you okay? You seem a little nervous,” Moonlight asked compassionately. “Oh I’m fine,” Trixie said a little too quickly, waving him off with her forehoof. “Okay,” he said suspiciously, returning to Archie and the fire pit. He trusted her, even if she was keeping things from him. She was strong, and she was definitely somepony who could take care of themselves. Archimedes was finally awake as moon strolled over to him. The dragon was already starting a new fire for breakfast. He put fresh logs on the fire and breathed embers that could light metal into the pit. Instantly, it threw up smoke, vapor and the ashes from the night before. Trixie and Moonlight Scroll heaved an audible sigh of relief at the new warmth against the chilly morning. “So, Archie what would you like for breakfast?” Moonlight asked, bringing out his pot and pans. “I’d like a fried lizard that I see right over…there…” He said, jumping and catching the reptile in his claws just feet away from the fire. Moonlight was astonished at how much like a predator he moved, though it did kinda creep him out. He then set his stove kit over the fire, complete with a spit and some pans. Trixie dutifully pulled out the bread, tomato, and lettuce from her pack, setting them on an overturned pot next to the fire. Then Moonlight brought out the cheese from his pack and combined two lettuce, tomato, and cheese sandwiches, placing them in a pan over the fire. Archimedes took a long poker from his pack and stuck the ruined lizard with it, placing it over the fire, out of even near-touching distance of their food (as per Trixie’s heated request). “So, the compound is about three hours travel that way,” Moonlight pointed, munching on his perfectly cooked sandwich. “I only travelled enough last night to where I knew where it was and hurried back, but I assume everything still runs.” “We’ll find out once we get there,” Archimedes said, taking a bite of his rather charred lizard. “Ugh, I don’t understand how you can eat another creature,” Trixie said, obviously disgusted at the display. “It’s a question of morals, really,” she explained to the unspoken objection. Moonlight did agree it was pretty disgusting, but what was he to do? He simply bit into his sandwich and kept his mouth shut. After they had finished their meal, Moonlight cleaned up the pots and pans, putting them back into his pack. He then roughly threw on his backpack, eager to get underway. He watched Trixie for a moment, taking in her luxurious mane and beautiful form as she gracefully adorned her pack, smiling at him. “See something you like?” Trixie asked him coyly, batting her eyelashes at him. “Uh! I..!” He started, unable to come up with an excuse. He blushed deeply as he just looked away and fell into line. Archimedes was already starting to march towards the abandoned compound. He could feel Trixie’s gaze on him as he heard her giggle softly to herself. The redness in his cheeks remained for a long while after they started their walk as Moonlight Scroll chastised himself. After about two and a half hours they reached their destination, surely as Moon had predicted. The communications compound was old world tech, filled with broken, outdated systems. A small, vine-covered dish was propped on the roof of the antiquated building as a flag of surrender to the world’s native wildlife. Moonlight Scroll trotted to the entrance and opened the door via a terminal on the side of the building he had hotwired in the dark the night before. “Come on in, guys,” Moonlight said casually as he trotted in ahead. “Sweet!” Archimedes said, following in behind an exhausted Trixie who remained silently in awe. The compound was dimly lit by small track lights of bioluminescent material in the ceiling, enough to see where you’re going but not hotwire a computer. The main hallway stretched inside for a few hundred feet, several bunkrooms off to the left and right. The hallway ended in a main control room with a flickering computer screen that filled an entire section of the wall. The displays were in an archaic language that they’d need a protocol droid to understand. Moonlight Scroll trotted over to the first doorway on the right, gesturing for Trixie to go inside. The room was a small, dimly lit bunk room with four collapsible beds. An open showering stall leaned into an alcove on the far wall, and plastic dressers for clothing sat conveniently underneath the bunks. Moon went in after Trixie and turned the knob for the shower with his magic, smirking while he did so. Water immediately poured out of the nozzle with good pressure. Trixie almost jumped with glee as she went over to it, feeling the temperature with a hoof. The warmth of it caught her off guard as steam began to fill the room. Trixie and Moonlight gazed at each other lovingly as the steam billowed. “Ahem!” Archimedes interrupted them. Moonlight looked away, blushing. He then walked sadly over to the door of the room and turned around, surprised to still see Trixie looking at him. “I uhh…” He started, unsure of the words. Trixie just took off her cape and pack, looking very tired. She looked up and smiled weakly at him, “Shoo! A mare needs her privacy!” Moonlight blushed again and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Oh boy, he blew it. He tried focusing on what he was doing as both he and Archimedes picked rooms. “Hey, you know we’re Jedi, now, right?” Archie said to him, patting him on the shoulders. Moonlight just nodded. “Jedi can’t commit to those kinds of relationships, you know,” The baby dragon reminded him, trying to comfort him at the same time. “Yes, yes, it was just momentary! Relax, Archie!” Moonlight said, pepping back up. His heart throbbed in his stomach as he did so, neglecting his feelings. “I’ll be alright. Just get some rest, okay?” Arhcimedes shrugged and went into his room, closing the door behind him. Moonlight hung his head in defeat. He knew his commitment to the Jedi order came first, but why did he feel this way? He grew frustrated just thinking about it. He went into his room, shutting the door behind him. After they had showered, he’d gather everyone up for a quick bite before they organized their chores for the day. Yes, that’s it, just think about chores! Chapter 4After a refreshing shower, Moonlight Scroll strolled into the main hallway, then over to the main computer room, checking the doors of his companions on the way. Their doors were still shut, but he’d wait for them. He brought out a table that was sitting in one corner of the main room, and moved it to center stage, setting up a hologram device he’d brought with him from the capitol. The light from the device flickered on, showing only their present compound in a green, wiry three dimensional format. Then the trees around the compound took shape in the image as it grew smaller, the tiny device recording their surroundings. The map of the jungle grew in size until it barely touched the ruins of the old temple, unexpectedly stopping. “Hmm?” Moonlight said, paying careful attention. The map did not move. Trixie emerged from her room with a sigh just as he was about to flick the switch for it to restart. Moonlight blushed at just the sight of her beautiful form. “What’s the matter?” she called out, concerned about the map as she situated her saber on her side. “The map won’t record any more. And the life detector isn’t functioning at all. I was going to try to reset it,” Moon said, recovering himself. “Did you consider it might be the jungle?” Trixie asked, rubbing her drying mane with her hoof as she walked towards him. “I thought of that, but no, there’s something else in the atmosphere…an irregularity that’s stopping it,” he flicked the switch, the device starting over in its intent. Still the map only reached the base of the temple then stopped. He didn’t know what to do. If the map wasn’t functioning… “I think I might have to go back to the spaceship to get another device that’s actually working, or the droid,” Moonlight said, bouncing the idea off of her. “B-back to the spaceship? Are you sure there’s nothing we can do with it here?” Trixie asked, obviously opposed to the idea. “I’m sure,” Moonlight affirmed. He needed time to think as well…Trixie was just too important to him right now. It tore the heart out of his chest but… “I’ll be back in a day or two. If I’m not back by the third, go back to the ship, both you and Archie and get off of this planet. Don’t look for me,” Moonlight said, the rush of the mission hitting him once again. This is what he lived for, this kind of work. “But Moonie, please, don’t go. Why not send Archimedes? Isn’t he better at combat anyway?” Trixie pleaded, putting a hoof on Moonlight's shoulder. He thought deeply for a moment. Even if what she said was true, especially if what she said was true, he wanted Archimedes here to protect her. He just needed time to breathe, and think. “I have to go, Trixie,” Moon said, trotting to the door of the compound. Trixie hung her head low, and he thought he could see tears welling up in her eyes. It hurt him to see that, but he knew she was strong. “I promise I’ll be back!” Moonlight called back, a smile in his eyes as she looked up, hopeful. The door whirred shut behind him as he left the compound. He sighed audibly. Looking into the jungle towards the direction the ship was in, he trotted off, resolute. He wouldn’t let this keep him down! He would fight through the monsters of the jungle and arrive safely at the ship, then do the same thing, coming back with the droid. He didn’t think his Jedi training would fail him, not now anyway. But, terentateks were a force of dark power that existed for a thousand years. How could three new Jedi hope to defeat one? He didn’t dwell on that as he walked through branches and leaves. After about an hour, Moon came into a clearing dominated by a singular, ominous tree that stretched twice as tall as the trees around it, and three times as wide. Moonlight felt a strong deep humming in the force as he gazed at the giant. Its roots took up the entire clearing, and Moon could tell they’d make the way difficult. He felt agitated by the tree, put-off, and sad in his deepest parts. He had to stop for a moment as the humming seemed to cloud everything. He put a hoof to his head. It was swimming with thoughts of love for Trixie, anger at the beastly dragon, and self-loathing for leaving her alone with *him*. He almost couldn’t contain the rage and shame at everything he’d screwed up on over Trixie. He was confused. The Jedi…code? He couldn’t remember it, or why the Jedi were important. Pain shot through him, and he had to close his eyes as the humming turned to screeching. He held his hooves to his ears to shut out the noise. Then it ended, as suddenly as it came. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He felt blood on his hooves as he removed them from his ears. He wiped his nose, finding more blood. He felt himself internally, but nothing was wrong or damaged. It was then he noticed that everything around him was crushed or broken. Limbs were bent, and leaves were crumpled into heaps around the small crater he now found himself in. He was afraid, now. Nothing the Jedi taught him prepared him for this. He also noticed something even more frightening, about an hour had passed in the day and he was on the side of the clearing closest to his spaceship. He looked up at the tree thoughtfully, suspiciously, as he questioned the power that took hold of him. He almost didn’t want to leave, and just take scans of the tree itself, to find out what kind of hidden power lay dormant within. A feeling caught hold of him, and he just couldn’t shake it, that he had to leave. It was then he felt something else, a dark presence on the other side of clearing. He knew hiding wouldn’t work, and that he wouldn’t be able to fight it. He bolted into full gallop into the jungle. He knew the ship was still a ways off, but he wouldn’t let himself die…he had to get back to Trixie. He had to tell her he was sorry, and that he loved her! He sped on faster, faster than he ever thought he could. The force was guiding him as he didn’t even come close to tripping, moving smoothly through the jungle at top speed. The presence behind him was growing before, but now fell ominously silent, and then lost interest as it turned back. He started to slow at this revelation, wiping his forehead with a hoof and continuing at a slow trot. He heaved and heaved, still calming down from the run. He smiled, laughing to himself. It was the laugh of a survivor. He had won, had survived on that feeling, that love for Trixie. The good chemicals of his body flooded him with exhilaration as he laid down briefly, still heaving and laughing. He dreamed of sweet Trixie as he laid there, sweat pouring from every gland. After a few moments he rose to his hooves, brushing the dirt and leaves from his side. He knew what he had to do, now. He trotted in the direction of the spaceship, and, brushing aside a branch in his way, found the ship right where he left it. He had covered the whole distance in maybe an hour…what speed was he travelling at back there? He didn’t care. He knew how he got here, what power there was in the dark side, and he knew where his loyalties lay… Chapter 5Archimedes scrubbed himself free of the dirt and grime furiously. He kept muttering to himself, angrily, careful not to let the others hear him. “What kind of pony does she think she is? Can’t she see how much I love her? Can’t she see how much I care? And that Moonlight gets all of her attention, what does he have that I don’t? Why can’t she see that I’m better? I do all the hardest work, I try the hardest, and I fight the hardest. Even back at the academy, I did everything, and she didn’t even notice me!” Archie stepped out of the shower, completely clean. His orange scales glimmered seductively in the dim light of the room. “I’ll just try harder, yeah. She’ll see that I’m the dragon for her!” He said, bulking himself up. He then let his chest down dejectedly, “Aww, who am I kiddin’? I’m not even a pony. She’d never love a dragon like me.” The door to the outside swished opened and closed, tickling his ears as he grabbed his saber and headed to the door. He opened it, poking his head outside. “Trixie? Moonlight?” He called into the hallway. “I’m here, Archie,” he heard Trixie say. Her voice sounded so sad. “Are you alright Trixie?” He asked, leaving the comfort of his room to find her with the broken map, drying her tears. “No, Moon is going to go get a droid and he’s going to die!” She said, letting more tears out. “What do you mean? Moonlight Scroll is one of the best students from the academy,” Archie tried to comfort her, ignoring the broken map. “I know that,” Trixie began, “It’s just I had this nightmare and this horrible feeling all day, and the terentatek is a horrible monster! And it’s out there and we don’t know where and I don’t know what to do!!” Trixie degenerated into sobbing, becoming a pile of mush on the floor. Archie didn’t know what to do either, as he tried to comfort her, “But he’ll be fine! He’s smart…Here, I can configure the map to track his lightsaber energy source, that way you can see where he is!” Archimedes offered. It was a long shot, but with the right tinkering he thought he could pull it off. At least it would help Trixie calm down while he worked. “Really?” Trixie asked, recovering somewhat, “You can do that? I mean, Moonlight said he couldn’t do anything with the device at all!” “Psh! He didn’t ask me, first!” Archimedes said, smiling. It worked. He set to the device immediately, popping it open to look inside. A small matter of wiring and…there! “Alright, now we should see his…oh my…” Archie blanched at the scene unfolding on the map table. “What is it?” Trixie asked, rising to her hooves. There was indeed an energy signature, two of them…or a dozen…or a hundred! The map spanned out, covering the usual ground, but they saw an energy signature, presumably Moon, walking away from the compound. On the other side of the forest, well away from them both as well as Moon, sat a hundred lightsaber energy signals all clustered on the same point, moving swiftly toward where Moon was headed. It looked like it would be there in an hour, maybe two. At the edge of the map, right where Moonlight was heading into, there were another hundred, maybe two hundred small energy signatures, all stationary. “I think we’ve found the terentatek,” Archie whispered to Trixie, grimly. Trixie didn’t respond, instead backing to the corner of the room and turning white. “Trixie, just calm down, the beast isn’t heading this direction, and I’m sure Moon will be fine! He’s got his training as well as his ability to use the force, he’ll see it coming,” Archimedes said, moving to her. As he approached, she didn’t move or say anything. He put a clawed arm around her, thinking sarcastically about how wonderful this was all going to be. “Come on Trixie, remember: you’re a Jedi. You’re above fear, right? We’ve got to make a calculated decision here.” “What, is he going to be okay?” She whispered, staring unblinkingly at the screen. He couldn’t even guess what was going on inside of her at this moment. He was worried, too. As much as he was jealous of Moon, he did call the colt a friend. He’d hate to see him fall to the terentatek. “I’ll tell you what,” Archie began, still with his scaly appendage wrapped around her, “Let’s go when the thing is just a little ways away from him, but still in enough time to catch it. If we’re lucky, we can all fight it together. As for that cluster of lightsabers…I’d need to analyze the data. If Moon’s fortunate, he’ll run right into a supply of more firepower than he can use at that place.” “Okay,” was all Trixie could manage. Archie could tell she was far gone. Then, surprisingly, color flushed her cheeks and she came back to life! “Yes, Archie, you’re right, I’m a Jedi and Moon needs our help! Let’s analyze that data, it will go faster with the both of us!” “Great! Let’s get started,” he said as he leaned back over to the device, “I’ll need to rewire the terminal here, and repair the system…” as he was looking at the main computer he felt a peck on the scales of his cheek. He looked back to see Trixie with a smile, blushing. “Thank you, Archimedes,” She said, lovingly. Archie couldn’t help himself as the shock and overwhelming sensation of Trixie’s kiss paralyzed him. He almost fell backwards as he shook himself, hearing Trixie’s voice asking him what was wrong. “Archie? Are you okay?” She asked with a little worry. Finding himself on the floor, he sat up as she explained to him, “You went all limp there. Are you fine?” “I’m-wah…I’m fine!” He said, regaining his composure. He smiled at her one more time, indulging in the sweet sensation. He then dove under the computer, flipping a few switches and hooking wires, one to another. He had trained in computers while he was becoming a Jedi, and he recalled all of it for this momentous task. He deftly rearranged the circuitry to more up-to-date standards, using his fire breath for lighting and welding. Trixie handed him parts they brought from the ship as well, including the holographic device that mapped the terrain. Pretty soon, the computer monitor flickered to life in a language they could understand. “Well,” Archimedes said, brushing himself off of the dust and cobwebs as he climbed out from under the terminal, “I’ve rerouted the main interface and hardware of our little device into the main systems of this station. Hopefully, with a little programming we can use what we have to get a greater analysis of the situation, as well as cycle the data through the banks of the computer itself. If we can do it right, we can even find out what that cluster is.” Archimedes tapped away at the keys on the computer, reprogramming it to the best of his knowledge. A hiccup or two here and there, and fifteen minutes later, the screen displayed the proper data. A picture of a large tree with strange, ancient red symbols appeared. “Well, it isn’t translated, but that’s the same location where that cluster of sabers is stashed,” Archie said, looking over at Trixie. Her expression was scrunched into determination, but she relaxed while meeting Archimedes’ eyes. “I’m impressed, Archie,” she said, giving the dragon a sly wink. “Well, would you like to go check it out now?” “Hmmm…” the dragon thought for a minute as he flipped the screen back to the tracker. Moon had already reached the tree, but the terentatek was motionless…odd. “Let’s see this monster for ourselves,” Archie said with a cocky smile. “Yes!” Trixie said, giving him a full hug. Butterflies filled his stomach and redness touched his cheeks as he felt her warmth, his scaly arms embracing her. She finally let go as Archimedes hardened himself, ready for the task at hand. She loved him, back, it seemed, but there were no words to exchange; at least, not yet. They’d get their friend back, and save him from the terentatek! Together, they left the compound, taking lightsabers and packing light. Trixie looked over to him, a hint of shame in her smile. “It will go faster if you ride me there,” She said, motioning for him to climb on. Archimedes almost squee’d as he climbed delicately onto her back, feeling the softness of her mane. He ran his claws up her neck and fondled her ears. She let out a soft cooing noise. He stopped after a moment, drawing the hilt of his blade to be ready. “Onward, then!” Archimedes said triumphantly as Trixie sped off into the jungle… Chapter 6Archimedes was rumbled and tossed, hanging onto Trixie with all his might as she sped quickly through the density of the jungle. At trouble spots, she came to a slow, flinging him forward to her neck. ‘Well, this isn’t as pleasant as I first imagined,’ he thought to himself as a particularly large jump ended with his bowels in his tail. “Just hang on!” Trixie said out loud, a little late, Archie thought, just as another jump did the same, hurting him even more. This nightmare had to end, they had to be close! Suddenly, they came upon the clearing…only…something was off. “I think we overshot it!” Trixie said frantically, panting. Archie judged the distance, and looking at the crater before them, his jaw dropped. “No, I don’t believe it,” he whispered, staring at the lack of tree. The picture depicted the tree as humongous! Where did it go? Archimedes got off of Trixie, rubbing his backside as he stared at what looked like a giant canyon. “It’s…gone?” Trixie asked, bewildered. “That’s what it looks like,” Archimedes said, taking a claw of soil from the edge of the crater and sniffing it. He felt an unusually strong presence straight ahead of them, and noticed a shadow shifting on the other side of the gorge. A large shadow. Shifting very fast. Towards them! “Hey, Trixie, I think we either need to run or fight, now. I think it’s here!” Archie said, two yellow blades lighting on either side of his weapon. He heard the familiar sound of Trixie’s saber as well, and gained courage. “Let’s take this bastard down!” She said, as he was sure she felt the growing shadow. Her voice and determination brought comfort to him. Suddenly, their fears passed as…Moonlight Scroll entered the clearing? “Guys!” he said, panting heavily, sweat dripping off of his fur, “I found it!” “Found what?” Archimedes asked first, confused. He heard Trixie’s saber turn off; but he kept his ignited, skeptical at his friend’s appearance. “I found…this!” Moonlight said, standing to the side, showing a white furred filly with a purple curly mane. Or at least it looked like that until it started moving mechanically, and speaking in a robotic voice. “I am designation L0V3 M3, Sweetie Bot!” The droid said, a little sluggishly. “This is a top of the line droid! Haven’t seen its type in centuries!” Moonlight Scroll continued, “It had been sitting in the jungle, and I found it!” “How did you find us, or get back so quickly with that thing?” Archie asked as Trixie blew right past him, hugging Moonlight. ‘How convenient,’ Archie thought, the jealousy rising back up in him. “I…used the force,” Moonlight Scroll said cryptically, hugging Trixie back. “Besides, look here, on its back, it’s the same symbol all over the Jedi temple back home!” “We missed you!” Trixie said, ignoring the droid, “We found a way to track the energy signature of your lightsaber, and there were a thousand lightsaber signatures, and then we came to look for you, to tell you the terentatek was on your tail!” “Yeah, and then we found this tree, or what was supposed to be a tree, gone! Then you come into the clearing with an equally suspicious droid!” Archimedes said, backing away slightly. Before Moonlight Scroll could speak or explain, he was interrupted by the droid on his back. “I serve the great Jedi Masters, Luna and Celestia!” the Sweetie Bot informed, suddenly leaping off of Moon and erecting a host of defensive technology, including two missile launchers, laser guidance from its eyes, and a personal energy shield. “Detecting hostile life form approximately two hundred kilometers south, by this planet’s polarity. Based on size and speed: terentatek. Suggesting evasive action!” All three of them gasped. The terentatek burst into the clearing near them, sliding into the canyon due to its massive form. Before any of them could react, Sweetie Bot launched several missiles at it, a ball of fire erupting over its chitinous hide. Then she disappeared into the jungle, leaving a small trail of smoke behind her. The smoke then cleared from the beast, showing absolutely no signs of any effect whatsoever. Archimedes heard and saw both Trixie and Moonlight ignite their sabers, and all three looked grimly at the fast approaching monstrosity from their nightmares. Its small eyes glowed red underneath armoring of hide and bone. Its sloping head ended in a ridge of spikes and spines. Its stocky body was covered in chitin plates, sporting hundreds of ineffective lightsaber burns. Its arms were bulky and strong, ending in claws that could tear a starships’ hull apart. The legs were immense, and immensely powerful, contracting and then with a singular expansion, launching the stocky, invulnerable juggernaut into the air at them. Trixie gasped as Moonlight leaped with extraordinary strength and speed at the monster, wielding his blade with the magic he had learned as a unicorn, and steadying his balance with the force he had learned as a Jedi. Archimedes could sense something off about moonlight, though, as his movements were more aggressive than normal. The terentatek and Moonlight Scroll met midair and collided, lightsaber against claw. Archimedes almost couldn’t keep track of their movements, they were so fast! They both fell to the ground, sinking into the crater as they continued their fray. “Not my Trixie!” Moonlight yelled out. Archimedes was stunned. Had he really given in? He then noticed…maybe he had as well…It didn’t matter, the combat was now, feelings were later. He shook himself as he turned to Trixie, shaking her as well. “Come on Trixie, he needs our help!” She seemed unnaturally fearful for this situation. It was ugly, but not that ugly. “Uhm…Right!” She said unsteadily and they both charged into the fray, sliding into the great crater that lay before them. They surrounded the terentatek, coming at it from all sides. The beast was fast, however, and Archimedes thought he could hear it gurgle a laugh as it matched all of their skills and abilities. Lightsabers were swung with amazing speed and skill for new Jedi, though the beast blocked every attack. The only one that was keeping up with it without much difficulty was Moonlight Scroll. Trixie, seeing an opening, blasted it with the force as Archimedes breathed fire, catching it between the two of them. The beast didn’t even move, seeming to grow stronger, feeding from the energy of the shockwave from Trixie. The fire did nothing, barely blackening the plated chitin that covered it from head to toe. It grinned a toothy grin as it shunted, so fast Archie couldn’t see, punching him with a clawed fist and sending him flying out of the crater. He felt dizzy as he flew, his vision fading in and out. He couldn’t breathe as he felt himself free fall to a painful thud on the ground. He took inventory with what little concentration he had, through the searing pain. He knew at least five of his small ribs were broken, as well as the wing he landed on. He felt like he was drowning, so…maybe a punctured lung? He couldn’t tell. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. Was this…the end? One blow and mighty Archimedes was down for the count? Heh… His thoughts turned to Trixie as he faded, and to Luna, his Mistress at the academy. He missed home… Chapter 7Trixie was shocked at the pit in her stomach as she saw the baby dragon fly. Maybe there was something there after all…Focus, stupid! The terentatek turned to her, smiling as it did so, laughing its gurgled laugh. “My sweet ponies, so delicious!” it said, lunging at her, mouth open. Tears streamed down her face as she realized that she loved them both, Moonlight and Archimedes. She couldn’t bear the thought of either of them dying. She grew angry, very angry. Angry enough to tear the universe apart as she leaped into the terentatek’s mouth, lightsaber ahead. The mouth closed around her as the sticky, acidic mucous enveloped her. She used her lightsaber to rid the beast of its tongue as she slashed and cut and used every force technique she knew of to destroy the monster from inside out! Its thick blood started to fill the gaping chasm. Suddenly, lightning shot out of her horn, and she directed it down the hole at the back of its mouth. She then drove the lightsaber straight up through the roof of its mouth, electrifying it as it went. She felt it thud to the ground, her along with it, as she struggled to breathe in the mix of blood and saliva. Moonlight Scroll’s face appeared at the entrance of the toothy maw overhead, lifting her out with a hoof and some magic. “Trixie, are you alright? I thought you were done for!” He asked, brushing her off with his hoof. “I’m fine,” she said darkly, her heart still quivering with the rage that propelled her. She looked around the crater, and demanded, almost ignoring Moonlight, “Where is the dragon?” “He’s this way,” Moonlight led her. She knew he was weak, they were all weak. She felt the love for them, though, and it swelled to fill her heart against the rage. Finding his ruined form, the rage completely subsided into love and sadness. Trixie started bawling at the sight of her beloved champion! She knelt down and, using her magic, performed CPR while trying to reset the bones that were broken. Moonlight Scroll helped as well, setting more of the ribs and breathing into the small dragon’s airway. After a few compressions, the dragon started coughing. “Stahp!” He said, coming to. His voice was shallow and raspy, “It hurts every time you do that!” “Oh Archie!” Trixie said, pushing Moon out of the way to kiss him. She had almost never been this glad to see another alive in her life. This whole thing had been a nightmare! She then looked back up to Moon. He had a shocked expression on his face, like someone hit him with a truck. Oh no…Trixie had forgotten their encounters earlier. “Moonlight…I can explain, please don’t be sad!” She said, running over to him and hugging him. “W-what’s there to explain? Ha-ha…” Moonlight said, trying to cover. Suddenly, he relented and a torrent of anger gushed out of him, “You know what? Nevermind all that! I love you Trixie, and I came back to ask you to be with me, to run away with me or something!” Trixie interrupted him with a kiss. “I love you, too!” Trixie said through tears. She’d never felt this way before, and for two significant others? She was overwhelmed with love for them. Archimedes was struggling to sit up when Sweetie Bot came running out of the jungle. “Threat neutralized. Initializing first aid sequence,” as her missile launchers and other defenses retracted. In their place, a mechanical arm popped from her back and began to shoot green, bubbling liquid all over Archimedes. “Kolto applied,” it said as it wrapped a bandage over the green liquid, making sure it stayed in place long enough to do some good to the baby dragon. “First aid sequence complete, shutting down!” the small droid immediately shut down, a small whirring coming from inside the plasteel chassis as the mechanical arm was retracted and a small dish popped out of its head, rotating intermittently. Archimedes was stunned. He turned to Trixie and Moonlight Scroll, holding the bandage with a somber expression. “Trixie, if you love him I understand, I’m a dragon and…” Archimedes started, but Trixie interrupted him. “I love you, too, Archimedes!” She said, passionately. She looked from Archimedes to Moonlight Scroll, then back again, examining their astonished faces. “What? Isn’t a mare allowed to love two gentlecolts?” “But,” Archie began…followed quickly by Moon. “That’s not how it works,” Moonlight interrupted. “You have to pick one of us!” Archimedes said, suddenly defiant. Trixie just sat there, more ashamed than ever. Her fear had joined the love from before as she just shook her head, backing off from both of them. “You…you two decide, I can’t!” She finally said. Archimedes and Moonlight scroll looked at each other, eyes a blaze. “You really can’t expect us to choose!” Archimedes retorted. Trixie felt the rage from before returning at this apparent impass, and she understood what she had to do. She held a foot aloft and proclaimed, “The Great and Powerful Trixie demands a duel for her affection!” Moonlight Scroll looked over to Archimedes, determination in his eyes. He then looked back to Trixie and nodded grimly. Archimedes thought for a moment, apparently saddened by the prospect. He finally decided, “Yes, we duel over her.” They stood, drawing their sabers, facing one another. Archimedes tore off his bandage, the wounds almost fully healed underneath. That kolto was amazing, Trixie thought. The yellow saber that flowed forth from Archimedes’ finely decorated hilt crackled with determination to be Trixie’s only special somepony. Moonlight’s blue saber roared to life with the passion for Trixie’s love that filled him. They locked eyes, staring at each other for a long while as a small breeze blew up dust. Trixie could just sit there silently, unable to find her voice to tell them no. In the blink of an eye, they clashed. Archimedes used his two blades to his supreme advantage, coming at Moonlight Scroll from every angle, putting him on the defensive. Moon blocked every strike, moving with unnatural speed as he ducked, dodged, and struck back. The fact he didn’t have to hold his saber worked in his favor as his magic was able to position it to deflect blows that no physical body could deflect. It seemed to go on forever as they countered each other, in almost perfect tandem. Trixie wanted to cry out, to scream as the momentary burst of rage began to fight inside of her with the love from before. The conflict was almost unbearable as her two most gallant knights, each with their flaws and virtues, succumbed to their emotions, throwing away their code, their creed, and their very lives for her. A feeling started in her, small at first, but growing with each strike. It was pleasant, and washed over the conflict and the pain she felt at the horror she was forced to endure. The pain became pleasure as she found the prospect of two warriors proving their strength to win her affection pleasant. She found her tears of agony dry into a smile. Her smile became a full-toothed grin as she anxiously waited for one of them, either of them to deliver the final blow. “Trixie loves me more!” Archimedes would shout, causing Moon to erupt into a frenzy. “She’s mine!” Moonlight Scroll retorted, striking as hard as he could against the baby dragon. The dragon swiftly moved to the side, ducking the strikes, and lashed out with his blade. “I stayed with her while you left her!” Archimedes would scream; his blade coming within inches of Moonlight as Moon dodged out of the way. “You would have died on her! How can you protect her when you’re that weak!?” Moonlight retorted, leaping into the air and firing bolts of energy at the dragon from his horn. “You act like you don’t even care! I comforted her sorrow!” Archimedes came right back, blocking every bolt of energy with his saber, knocking the last one directly back at the Unicorn. Moonlight Scroll caught the energy blast, reabsorbing it as he fell to the ground. “You don’t even know what love is, little dragon!” Moonlight scroll said, preparing for the next attack, visibly tired. “I LOVE HEEEEERRRR!” Archimedes screamed, running to Moonlight Scroll, swinging his blade. They locked sabers, staring into each other’s eyes. They would grind back and forth, first Archie pushing with all his might, then Moonlight pushing back, equally hard. Trixie was ecstatic! It was coming to a close! In a flash, Archimedes ducked underneath the saber lock, and slid underneath Moon, whipping out with the other blade. He caught the unicorn in the hoof, knocking him off balance and singeing fur and flesh. The unicorn recovered quickly, however, and slammed his lightsaber down into Archie, tearing right through his hilt as the little dragon blocked the blow awkwardly. “I love Trixie…” Moonlight said forcefully, bringing his face close to Archimedes’, “and she’s coming with me!” Just then, Archimedes breathed gouts of flame into his friend’s face, blinding him momentarily and probably scarring him for life as he clawed into the unicorn’s side, biting into him and clawing up to his neck. Moonlight Scroll screamed out as he dropped his lightsaber, unable to defend against the tiny onslaught. Trixie thought she would die from glee as another emotion forced its way back to the forefront of her emotional capacity. “STOP!” She found herself crying out. “STOP! WAIT! YOU’RE KILLING HIM!” She was visibly shaken and sobbing uncontrollably. What was this? She was fine a moment before…and now she was crying? She couldn’t help herself as she fell to her own knees. Archimedes looked heartbroken, finally realizing fully what he was doing to his friend. He stopped and let the unicorn alone, though Moonlight simply fell to the ground, unconscious. Trixie ran over, tears in her eyes as she used her magic to try to mitigate some of the bleeding. “Sweetie Bot!” She croaked through her tears. The tiny droid stirred to life and strolled over. “Initializing first aid sequence,” it spoke mechanically, generating the robotic arm that spewed the green kolto all over Moon’s side, and onto his face. The bandages were also applied, and then the bot shut itself down again, next to Moonlight. Trixie just kept crying over him, hugging his ruined form. Archie stood silently, unable to move as waves of shame and sorrow hit him with each of Trixie’s sobs. They stayed like that as the sun set over the jungle on Yavin IV. The sadness and doom of that world hung heavy over our heroes that night… Epilogue“The dark side is a terrifying thing,” Celestia began, her voice echoing throughout the hall over all the fillies and colts in training, “it can twist any normal pony into a force of pure evil. It is important that you not succumb to its passions and instead feed on the light side of the force! Repeat after me! There is no emotion, there is peace.” Celestia’s words were echoed by the small group of ponies as Trixie, Moonlight Scroll, and Archimedes stood in the doorway. She smiled at them and continued the lesson, holding a hoof up for them to wait until she was done. After class, Celestia confronted the patiently waiting ponies and dragon amidst a throng of fleeing ponies. Once they had cleared out, she spoke freely. “I know why you’re here,” Celestia said, smiling. The three hung their heads, Moonlight feeling the burn scar on his face as they did so. “But take heart,” Celestia continued, “Your mission was a success! And I think you’ve all learned a valuable lesson about friendship.” “Yeah,” Archimedes stepped up, “I learned that no matter how much you want somepony else, if they don’t want you back, you should respect their decision. It doesn’t matter how much you want them to say yes, no means no.” “And I,” Moonlight Scroll began, “learned that even if your special somepony tells you to do something, if it conflicts with your principles, don’t do it. It’s respectful to both your partner, and yourself, to remain true to who you are.” “Very good, my friends,” Luna said gently, “And what did you learn, Trixie?” Trixie had a hard time maintaining composure as she recanted, “I learned that love can be just as destructive as hate, when it’s love of self instead of others. I should balance my two loves so that I don’t become blinded by arrogance.” “Very good, my little pony. Now I have another mission for you…”
Chapter 1Trixie’s whole body was beginning to ache from her long journey on this Celestia-forsaken planet. She had no idea that being a Jedi involved ‘this’. Yavin IV housed the old Jedi training grounds, and for some stupid reason, the terentatek, a monster of force-devouring evil, chose to live here. Mud and vines coated her aching hooves. She looked up at her other Jedi companions, Archimedes, an orange baby dragon with green eyes, followed by Moonlight Scroll, a blue unicorn with a red mane. Moonlight Scroll's cutie mark rose and fell with each trot, a bound scroll set beneath the moon and stars. She sighed at their toughness and determination. Why was she even supposed to be here? “When will we be there?” She asked Moon with a complaining whine in her voice. “We’ve still got a while to go, do you want to rest?” Moon explained, comfort in his voice. Archimedes piped up at this response, almost indignant, “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. The more we trek today is less we have to trek tomorrow. Are you sure you want to rest with that knowledge?” There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. Another piece of the Jedi code came floating back to Trixie as the throbbing sensation in her hooves distracted her from the mission, and Archie’s question. It would be nice if knowledge could dry her legs and take this mud away, she thought. Her scrunched up face must have drawn attention, however, as both of her companions had stopped and were awaiting her reply. “Oh!” Trixie was taken aback, “I guess we can move on a little further…” She sighed as they began again. She didn’t really want to, but she would press on as long as time allowed, though not without complaint. She almost got caught again as she saw Moon looking back at her, thoughtfully. “If you really need to stop, just let me know. Here, have some water,” he said, using magic to hand the water skin to her. She drank deeply of it with a nod of thanks before handing it back. Refreshing! “I just don’t understand why a terentatek had to be all the way out here, in the middle of nowhere!” Instead of on some civilized world like Coruscant, Trixie thought. “It’s here, because this is where the old Jedi lived,” Archimedes began, not stopping the march, “Their latent force energy remains still. That legacy is what drew it here. If it weren’t for Luna’s connection to the force, none of us would even know of its existence, or that a terentatek decided to take up residence here. Come on, we’ll stop at the base of the next ridge,” Archimedes finished. The three of them continued to trudge through the jungle for the whole of the next hour, climbing a hill before finally catching sight of the run-down temple. In the middle of the jungle, overrun by wildlife, there stood a barely discernable metal spire, shooting towards the stars. It looked like old world tech, though it was completely run-down; and almost another day of travel, mercifully downhill, to get there. Trixie gawked at the majestic sight before her. If she weren’t so tired, she’d drink in the view even more. Instead, she plopped herself down onto the ground amidst the vines and brambles where she stood, bringing out a mat for her to lie down on. Just then she noticed Archimedes and Moonlight Scroll collecting firewood from the jungle. “Uhh,” Trixie started to offer, but was hesitant. It had been a long day, and she wanted to rest some. She almost let out an audible sigh as she began to surrender to her conscience. Noticing her apprehension, Moonlight Scroll said warmly, “Hey, just take it easy for now, we’ve got this. It’s just firewood.” Trixie stayed seated at this, exhaling in relief. “Yeah, if you want to be lazy and get weak, be my guest,” Archie replied, not even looking up. “Hey, just be a little nicer to her, okay?” Moonlight interjected, though not unkindly. Archimedes just scoffed and stayed silent. Trixie felt terrible, like she was caught in the middle of two warring dogs. She lifted a piece or two of firewood from nearby without rising, bringing it to a place in the middle of where they planned to sleep. She then cleared out a little space around the logs, making sure all the brush and flammable jungly things were out of danger. Feeling better, she decided to go into her pack, fishing for food. “Shit,” Archimedes said under his breath, almost falling over with an enormous stack of firewood. He stumbled but caught balance quickly. He set the large pile down next to the makeshift fire pit and threw a few logs onto the soon-to-be fire. Noticing the clearing his features softened somewhat. “Thanks,” he said genuinely. That’s a switch, Trixie thought to herself, almost scoffing. She then looked for Moon Scroll in the jungle from her spot as afternoon turned to twilight. Archimedes heaved back, breathing in a huge amount of breath before letting the inferno of cerulean flame wash over the wet branches, drying them and starting a blaze almost instantly. “Moonlight Scroll isn’t back yet,” Trixie noted with the sound of worry in her voice. “I’ll go look for him in a minute, if he isn’t back by then. I’m sure he’s fine,” Archimedes said, placing his hands in the fire. It wasn’t cold, but Trixie could see that little flakes of dirt and grime flew off and into the sky as the flame cleaned his hands. She almost caught herself being impressed as she pulled out a thing of cupcakes from her pack, munching on one eagerly. She was famished. “I’m sorry, Trixie. I don’t mean to push you so hard, but we’re Jedi now, and we’ve got a job to do,” Archimedes explained softly. “Oh, that’s fine,” Trixie said, though she still didn’t like him. Still, this new turn of events was interesting…Archie…apologizing? “Still, you’re right, it is getting late, and Moon isn’t back. I’m gonna go look for him, would you join me?” Archimedes offered, walking over to the mare. Trixie was apprehensive. She didn’t like the thought of going off into the jungle at night, but if Moon needed help, it was her duty as a friend to help find him! “Alright,” she said in reply, “But you don’t get to ride me!” Archimedes just smirked as she rose, bringing out her lightsaber. Archie also readied his double-bladed lightsaber, a testament to his skill in battle. Together, they trudged through the forest in Moonlight Scroll’s direction, being careful not to trip and to stay within sight of the fire. It was dark by now, and the going was slow. They carried on in silence, trying to sense his location in the jungle around them. Trixie couldn’t feel anything, though, except the fading remnants of the Jedi masters of old, still humming their old codes in the fabric of the force. An hour passed, maybe two, as they continued through the density and closeness of the forest. The jungle itself seemed to be playing mind games with them as evil faces appeared and vanished before their eyes. Trixie started to feel a very real shiver of fear run down her spine, though she felt nothing except the low drumming in the force. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but something was watching them. Trixie looked back at the fire, now a long ways off and dwindling. “Maybe we should go back and look for him tomorrow? Or maybe he’s already back at the campfire, I mean, if we can see it, so can he, right?” She whispered nervously. “Trixie,” A voice called to her left. Suddenly, she couldn’t see Archimedes in front of her. “Archie? Archie where did you go!?” She whispered as loud as she dared, looking this way and that, almost in full panic mode. The darkness seemed to creep all around her as she allowed the soft violet hue of her lightsaber to ignite in the blackness. Immediately, in its light, she saw the faces of many horrors in the leaves and branches of the jungle, and, startled, she began to gallop straight back to the campfire, running for her life. Minutes passed as the panic subsided into a low fear, the adrenaline coursing through her system. She never tripped, oddly enough, as she looked this way and that, hoping somewhere to see something besides spooky faces in the dark of the night. She sorely wished to be back on the spaceship, or even on Coruscant, lovely Coruscant with the Jedi masters giving her accolades and telling her how special she was. Tears started streaming down her face as she reached the campfire, the flames almost fully dead. She switched off her lightsaber as she put more wood on the fire, hoping it would catch. For the first time since the completion of her training, she sorely wished Archimedes were there. It wasn’t working. The flame seemed to hate the idea of wet logs being placed on it and choked, sputtering out. Trixie almost screamed, “Come on!” prancing on her hooves, reigniting her saber and drowning the blade in the moistened wood of the fire. This had to work, come on come on! Initially, the saber only made a small hole where she placed it, setting the surrounding wood to melt mode and causing a tiny amount of flame to catch on some of the smaller logs. Then the wood around it felt the heat of the saber and the melting log and decided to get with the program, catching fire and spreading grudgingly over the rest of the logs. Trixie almost cried out in joy, instantly looking around for any sign of Moonlight Scroll or Archimedes. She saw nothing in the denseness of the jungle, only the darkness stared back at her in the ominousness of the night. It all seemed quiet as she took out another cupcake, sitting on her mat facing away from the fire, afraid something would sneak up on her. She munched on another cupcake, then another, nervously eating. She held her lightsaber out and ignited, fully prepared for anything to come at her. Cupcakes and lightsaber, her two best forms of protection. After a while, she dug into the package for more cupcakes, but didn’t find any. Her heart sank. She felt so alone, and so hopeless. She looked into the night sky, hoping to see some kind of moon, some sign from her beloved master; but only inky blackness met her, not even stars. It was as if the doom of this planet had covered itself even from the small light of distant suns. It was then she heard rustling in the jungle. She went right back into panic mode, leaping behind the fire, lightsaber at the ready. If need be, she’d use her magic as well.
Chapter 2A pony shaped figure approached the clearing. She swiped at it with her lightsaber, though it was blocked instantly by Moonlight’s blue blade. “Gee, if you wanted to train, you could have just asked!” Moonlight said, jokingly. Trixie was so happy to see him she dropped her saber, letting it go out. She had never been so pleased to see anypony in her life! Butterflies filled her stomach as she ran up to him, hugging him and giving him a small kiss on the mouth. She stared deeply into his blushing eyes before realizing what she’d done, a bright red hue covering both their cheeks. She recovered herself quickly, however and snapped back to the present, now ashamed at her unabashed show of affection. “I’m sorry! I was just so scared!” Trixie apologized. “There were these jungle monsters and I ran back here! I lost Archie!” She started to cry at this last part, hoping Moon would know what to do. He always did before… “Oh,” Moon said, snapping out of his trance from the kiss, “Oh, oh…OH! Archie’s gone? Hey, we have to go find him!” Just then a rustling in the bushes on the other side of the campfire drove both Trixie and Moon into attack mode, readying their sabers. Then, a small ball of orange and scales rolled out of the jungle, lightsaber in-tact and covered in mud. He looked up at them both, dazed, and spitting out a leaf. “Thanks, Trixie, I’m so glad you were going to stop and help me out of the mud I fell in,” Archie said, slight frustration in his voice. “Oh!” Trixie gasped, resisting the urge to run over and hug him. “Well then,” she giggled at his dismay, “let me get you cleaned up!” “No need, thanks anyway,” Archimedes said, hopping into the fire, and letting the mud harden. He then leaped out and shook off all the dried pieces, leaving a small coat of fine dirt in its wake. “I can live with this.” Trixie giggled at the sight, cuddling up close to Moon and blushing slightly. She wanted to feel his warmth, at least a little longer. He didn’t seem to object, either, as that look came over his face and he stood there, almost dumbfounded. “Where’ve YOU been, Moon?” Archie asked, digging sand out of his ear. “Me? What? Oh!” Moon was obviously distracted, and started again, gaining composure, “Oh I was still looking for firewood, when I came across this neat cable in the jungle! Thought I’d follow it and see where it went. Turns out, there’s an old communications bunker near here that we can use as a base to scout the ruins.” “SHELTER!?” Trixie said frantically. ”I mean, there’s shelter?” She would welcome the prospect of sleeping in an actual bed for once. “Yes, and there’s these nice fluffy beds we can sleep in, too. The atmospheric conditioners there were built to last,” Moonlight finished. “Wow, was not expecting that. Maybe I can even get a bath,” Archie said, revisiting old memories comfortingly. “Oh yeah, at least I think there’s showering devices,” Moonlight explained further. “Still, I think it’s best we get some sleep here tonight. It’s a long way, and there’s only a couple hours of night left anyhow.” Trixie couldn’t agree more as they all sat down on their respective bedding and went to sleep, Trixie falling into a deep slumber. Her dreams were pleasant, with Moon and her spending time on Coruscant, on the top of the Jedi temple as the sun set off on the horizon. It was a beautiful sight, far away from leaves and trees and terentateks. Then everything shifted as the jungle seemed to start to overtake the city, growing up in places all around her favorite parts. A giant tree replaced the tower she and Moon were sharing and Moon fell, reaching out for her, calling her name. She found herself on the jungle floor, seeing him fall through the leaves and thrush into quicksand. She ran over to help him, but he just fell on through, into oblivion. Before she could even cry out in terror or grief, she looked up at the most hideous monstrosity she’d ever seen, even uglier than a Gamorrean. Its sharp spines and twisted arms coiled around itself as its stocky, chitinous body sported the scars of a thousand lightsabers. Its blood red eyes swelled as seemed to be chewing on Moon and Archimedes. It showed her its breakfast with glee before swallowing the two broken forms. “You’re next, sweet mane!” It roared, letting an arm of incredible size and length reach out and grab her, dragging her across the ground towards its impressive mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth the size of a pony’s head! She couldn’t scream as the grip grew tighter and tighter, suffocating her and breaking every bone in her soft, furry body. She gave up. It was worthless anyway, her life. She’d lived for nothing but herself all these years, might as well die that way, now. The terentatek lifted her off the ground, showing her its teeth and looking her in the eyes. It smiled viciously as she woke up to the light of a new dawn, looking around at the familiar jungle sights. It seemed perfectly peaceful. She yawned and stretched, shrugging off the effects of the nightmare as she looked over for Moon and then Archimedes. Her mouth stood agape as she saw Moon’s headless body played out on the mat, blood everywhere. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she looked over to Archie to see the dragon hunched over something, the sounds of chewing and meat being ripped apart flittering along the cool jungle morning. “A-A-Archie?” Trixie asked, hesitantly. The dragon’s head twisted on a pivot, his eyes glowing red with Moon’s ear hanging out of his mouth. It smiled viciously. “AAAAHHHHHH!” Trixie screamed, waking up on her mattress in a cold sweat. She looked over at Moon, who was rubbing his eyes at her. “Trixie, what?” He asked groggily. “Go back to sleep, crazy mare,” Archie said from the other side of the now deceased fire, turning over in his sleep. Trixie wiped the sweat from her brow, composing herself, “It was nothing, Moonie, just a nightmare.” She shivered as she laid back down, reassuring herself as she nervously scanned the jungle.
Chapter 3Moonlight scroll laid his head back down after Trixie seemed to calm down. It was such good sleep! He felt the thrill of the mission, reinvigorating his muscles as he relaxed, enjoying the last few minutes of rest he’d have for the long day ahead of them. As he dazed, he remembered the kiss that Trixie gave him. It gave him butterflies in his stomach. He shook with excitement on his mat. He had never felt this for anypony before, and he wondered how Trixie felt. Was this something real? He figured it was stupid to speculate, and they had a mission where one of them might die! But still, he enjoyed the thought of her being his special somepony. He finally stretched, still enjoying the remnants of his dream as he stood, making a quick check over the jungle surrounding them. He looked over at beautiful Trixie, still sleeping peacefully. He looked over at Archimedes and wondered why the dragon had to be so determined all the time. He kicked the half-empty fire pit and stepped over to Archie. “Hey, buddy, you ready to go?” he said, nudging the baby dragon with his hoof. “Let’s have some breakfast first, though, right?” “Ughh…” The baby dragon waved him off and rolled back over, bracing his eyes against the rising sun with an outstretched arm. “Yeah…” he managed, trailing off. Moonlight was satisfied with that as he moved to Trixie. He had to catch himself from saying ‘honey’ as he nudged her gently with his muzzle, “Trixie, it’s time to wake! We’re going to have breakfast soon, so what would you like?” Trixie almost sat bolt upright, but looked like she was trying to cover it. Moon got the strong impression she wasn’t actually sleeping either. She then made a mock display of yawning and said as though nothing was wrong, “Moonie, oh! I think I’ll have a lettuce, tomato and cheese sandwich, grilled, if we can.” “Are you okay? You seem a little nervous,” Moonlight asked compassionately. “Oh I’m fine,” Trixie said a little too quickly, waving him off with her forehoof. “Okay,” he said suspiciously, returning to Archie and the fire pit. He trusted her, even if she was keeping things from him. She was strong, and she was definitely somepony who could take care of themselves. Archimedes was finally awake as moon strolled over to him. The dragon was already starting a new fire for breakfast. He put fresh logs on the fire and breathed embers that could light metal into the pit. Instantly, it threw up smoke, vapor and the ashes from the night before. Trixie and Moonlight Scroll heaved an audible sigh of relief at the new warmth against the chilly morning. “So, Archie what would you like for breakfast?” Moonlight asked, bringing out his pot and pans. “I’d like a fried lizard that I see right over…there…” He said, jumping and catching the reptile in his claws just feet away from the fire. Moonlight was astonished at how much like a predator he moved, though it did kinda creep him out. He then set his stove kit over the fire, complete with a spit and some pans. Trixie dutifully pulled out the bread, tomato, and lettuce from her pack, setting them on an overturned pot next to the fire. Then Moonlight brought out the cheese from his pack and combined two lettuce, tomato, and cheese sandwiches, placing them in a pan over the fire. Archimedes took a long poker from his pack and stuck the ruined lizard with it, placing it over the fire, out of even near-touching distance of their food (as per Trixie’s heated request). “So, the compound is about three hours travel that way,” Moonlight pointed, munching on his perfectly cooked sandwich. “I only travelled enough last night to where I knew where it was and hurried back, but I assume everything still runs.” “We’ll find out once we get there,” Archimedes said, taking a bite of his rather charred lizard. “Ugh, I don’t understand how you can eat another creature,” Trixie said, obviously disgusted at the display. “It’s a question of morals, really,” she explained to the unspoken objection. Moonlight did agree it was pretty disgusting, but what was he to do? He simply bit into his sandwich and kept his mouth shut. After they had finished their meal, Moonlight cleaned up the pots and pans, putting them back into his pack. He then roughly threw on his backpack, eager to get underway. He watched Trixie for a moment, taking in her luxurious mane and beautiful form as she gracefully adorned her pack, smiling at him. “See something you like?” Trixie asked him coyly, batting her eyelashes at him. “Uh! I..!” He started, unable to come up with an excuse. He blushed deeply as he just looked away and fell into line. Archimedes was already starting to march towards the abandoned compound. He could feel Trixie’s gaze on him as he heard her giggle softly to herself. The redness in his cheeks remained for a long while after they started their walk as Moonlight Scroll chastised himself. After about two and a half hours they reached their destination, surely as Moon had predicted. The communications compound was old world tech, filled with broken, outdated systems. A small, vine-covered dish was propped on the roof of the antiquated building as a flag of surrender to the world’s native wildlife. Moonlight Scroll trotted to the entrance and opened the door via a terminal on the side of the building he had hotwired in the dark the night before. “Come on in, guys,” Moonlight said casually as he trotted in ahead. “Sweet!” Archimedes said, following in behind an exhausted Trixie who remained silently in awe. The compound was dimly lit by small track lights of bioluminescent material in the ceiling, enough to see where you’re going but not hotwire a computer. The main hallway stretched inside for a few hundred feet, several bunkrooms off to the left and right. The hallway ended in a main control room with a flickering computer screen that filled an entire section of the wall. The displays were in an archaic language that they’d need a protocol droid to understand. Moonlight Scroll trotted over to the first doorway on the right, gesturing for Trixie to go inside. The room was a small, dimly lit bunk room with four collapsible beds. An open showering stall leaned into an alcove on the far wall, and plastic dressers for clothing sat conveniently underneath the bunks. Moon went in after Trixie and turned the knob for the shower with his magic, smirking while he did so. Water immediately poured out of the nozzle with good pressure. Trixie almost jumped with glee as she went over to it, feeling the temperature with a hoof. The warmth of it caught her off guard as steam began to fill the room. Trixie and Moonlight gazed at each other lovingly as the steam billowed. “Ahem!” Archimedes interrupted them. Moonlight looked away, blushing. He then walked sadly over to the door of the room and turned around, surprised to still see Trixie looking at him. “I uhh…” He started, unsure of the words. Trixie just took off her cape and pack, looking very tired. She looked up and smiled weakly at him, “Shoo! A mare needs her privacy!” Moonlight blushed again and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Oh boy, he blew it. He tried focusing on what he was doing as both he and Archimedes picked rooms. “Hey, you know we’re Jedi, now, right?” Archie said to him, patting him on the shoulders. Moonlight just nodded. “Jedi can’t commit to those kinds of relationships, you know,” The baby dragon reminded him, trying to comfort him at the same time. “Yes, yes, it was just momentary! Relax, Archie!” Moonlight said, pepping back up. His heart throbbed in his stomach as he did so, neglecting his feelings. “I’ll be alright. Just get some rest, okay?” Arhcimedes shrugged and went into his room, closing the door behind him. Moonlight hung his head in defeat. He knew his commitment to the Jedi order came first, but why did he feel this way? He grew frustrated just thinking about it. He went into his room, shutting the door behind him. After they had showered, he’d gather everyone up for a quick bite before they organized their chores for the day. Yes, that’s it, just think about chores!
Chapter 4After a refreshing shower, Moonlight Scroll strolled into the main hallway, then over to the main computer room, checking the doors of his companions on the way. Their doors were still shut, but he’d wait for them. He brought out a table that was sitting in one corner of the main room, and moved it to center stage, setting up a hologram device he’d brought with him from the capitol. The light from the device flickered on, showing only their present compound in a green, wiry three dimensional format. Then the trees around the compound took shape in the image as it grew smaller, the tiny device recording their surroundings. The map of the jungle grew in size until it barely touched the ruins of the old temple, unexpectedly stopping. “Hmm?” Moonlight said, paying careful attention. The map did not move. Trixie emerged from her room with a sigh just as he was about to flick the switch for it to restart. Moonlight blushed at just the sight of her beautiful form. “What’s the matter?” she called out, concerned about the map as she situated her saber on her side. “The map won’t record any more. And the life detector isn’t functioning at all. I was going to try to reset it,” Moon said, recovering himself. “Did you consider it might be the jungle?” Trixie asked, rubbing her drying mane with her hoof as she walked towards him. “I thought of that, but no, there’s something else in the atmosphere…an irregularity that’s stopping it,” he flicked the switch, the device starting over in its intent. Still the map only reached the base of the temple then stopped. He didn’t know what to do. If the map wasn’t functioning… “I think I might have to go back to the spaceship to get another device that’s actually working, or the droid,” Moonlight said, bouncing the idea off of her. “B-back to the spaceship? Are you sure there’s nothing we can do with it here?” Trixie asked, obviously opposed to the idea. “I’m sure,” Moonlight affirmed. He needed time to think as well…Trixie was just too important to him right now. It tore the heart out of his chest but… “I’ll be back in a day or two. If I’m not back by the third, go back to the ship, both you and Archie and get off of this planet. Don’t look for me,” Moonlight said, the rush of the mission hitting him once again. This is what he lived for, this kind of work. “But Moonie, please, don’t go. Why not send Archimedes? Isn’t he better at combat anyway?” Trixie pleaded, putting a hoof on Moonlight's shoulder. He thought deeply for a moment. Even if what she said was true, especially if what she said was true, he wanted Archimedes here to protect her. He just needed time to breathe, and think. “I have to go, Trixie,” Moon said, trotting to the door of the compound. Trixie hung her head low, and he thought he could see tears welling up in her eyes. It hurt him to see that, but he knew she was strong. “I promise I’ll be back!” Moonlight called back, a smile in his eyes as she looked up, hopeful. The door whirred shut behind him as he left the compound. He sighed audibly. Looking into the jungle towards the direction the ship was in, he trotted off, resolute. He wouldn’t let this keep him down! He would fight through the monsters of the jungle and arrive safely at the ship, then do the same thing, coming back with the droid. He didn’t think his Jedi training would fail him, not now anyway. But, terentateks were a force of dark power that existed for a thousand years. How could three new Jedi hope to defeat one? He didn’t dwell on that as he walked through branches and leaves. After about an hour, Moon came into a clearing dominated by a singular, ominous tree that stretched twice as tall as the trees around it, and three times as wide. Moonlight felt a strong deep humming in the force as he gazed at the giant. Its roots took up the entire clearing, and Moon could tell they’d make the way difficult. He felt agitated by the tree, put-off, and sad in his deepest parts. He had to stop for a moment as the humming seemed to cloud everything. He put a hoof to his head. It was swimming with thoughts of love for Trixie, anger at the beastly dragon, and self-loathing for leaving her alone with *him*. He almost couldn’t contain the rage and shame at everything he’d screwed up on over Trixie. He was confused. The Jedi…code? He couldn’t remember it, or why the Jedi were important. Pain shot through him, and he had to close his eyes as the humming turned to screeching. He held his hooves to his ears to shut out the noise. Then it ended, as suddenly as it came. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He felt blood on his hooves as he removed them from his ears. He wiped his nose, finding more blood. He felt himself internally, but nothing was wrong or damaged. It was then he noticed that everything around him was crushed or broken. Limbs were bent, and leaves were crumpled into heaps around the small crater he now found himself in. He was afraid, now. Nothing the Jedi taught him prepared him for this. He also noticed something even more frightening, about an hour had passed in the day and he was on the side of the clearing closest to his spaceship. He looked up at the tree thoughtfully, suspiciously, as he questioned the power that took hold of him. He almost didn’t want to leave, and just take scans of the tree itself, to find out what kind of hidden power lay dormant within. A feeling caught hold of him, and he just couldn’t shake it, that he had to leave. It was then he felt something else, a dark presence on the other side of clearing. He knew hiding wouldn’t work, and that he wouldn’t be able to fight it. He bolted into full gallop into the jungle. He knew the ship was still a ways off, but he wouldn’t let himself die…he had to get back to Trixie. He had to tell her he was sorry, and that he loved her! He sped on faster, faster than he ever thought he could. The force was guiding him as he didn’t even come close to tripping, moving smoothly through the jungle at top speed. The presence behind him was growing before, but now fell ominously silent, and then lost interest as it turned back. He started to slow at this revelation, wiping his forehead with a hoof and continuing at a slow trot. He heaved and heaved, still calming down from the run. He smiled, laughing to himself. It was the laugh of a survivor. He had won, had survived on that feeling, that love for Trixie. The good chemicals of his body flooded him with exhilaration as he laid down briefly, still heaving and laughing. He dreamed of sweet Trixie as he laid there, sweat pouring from every gland. After a few moments he rose to his hooves, brushing the dirt and leaves from his side. He knew what he had to do, now. He trotted in the direction of the spaceship, and, brushing aside a branch in his way, found the ship right where he left it. He had covered the whole distance in maybe an hour…what speed was he travelling at back there? He didn’t care. He knew how he got here, what power there was in the dark side, and he knew where his loyalties lay…
Chapter 5Archimedes scrubbed himself free of the dirt and grime furiously. He kept muttering to himself, angrily, careful not to let the others hear him. “What kind of pony does she think she is? Can’t she see how much I love her? Can’t she see how much I care? And that Moonlight gets all of her attention, what does he have that I don’t? Why can’t she see that I’m better? I do all the hardest work, I try the hardest, and I fight the hardest. Even back at the academy, I did everything, and she didn’t even notice me!” Archie stepped out of the shower, completely clean. His orange scales glimmered seductively in the dim light of the room. “I’ll just try harder, yeah. She’ll see that I’m the dragon for her!” He said, bulking himself up. He then let his chest down dejectedly, “Aww, who am I kiddin’? I’m not even a pony. She’d never love a dragon like me.” The door to the outside swished opened and closed, tickling his ears as he grabbed his saber and headed to the door. He opened it, poking his head outside. “Trixie? Moonlight?” He called into the hallway. “I’m here, Archie,” he heard Trixie say. Her voice sounded so sad. “Are you alright Trixie?” He asked, leaving the comfort of his room to find her with the broken map, drying her tears. “No, Moon is going to go get a droid and he’s going to die!” She said, letting more tears out. “What do you mean? Moonlight Scroll is one of the best students from the academy,” Archie tried to comfort her, ignoring the broken map. “I know that,” Trixie began, “It’s just I had this nightmare and this horrible feeling all day, and the terentatek is a horrible monster! And it’s out there and we don’t know where and I don’t know what to do!!” Trixie degenerated into sobbing, becoming a pile of mush on the floor. Archie didn’t know what to do either, as he tried to comfort her, “But he’ll be fine! He’s smart…Here, I can configure the map to track his lightsaber energy source, that way you can see where he is!” Archimedes offered. It was a long shot, but with the right tinkering he thought he could pull it off. At least it would help Trixie calm down while he worked. “Really?” Trixie asked, recovering somewhat, “You can do that? I mean, Moonlight said he couldn’t do anything with the device at all!” “Psh! He didn’t ask me, first!” Archimedes said, smiling. It worked. He set to the device immediately, popping it open to look inside. A small matter of wiring and…there! “Alright, now we should see his…oh my…” Archie blanched at the scene unfolding on the map table. “What is it?” Trixie asked, rising to her hooves. There was indeed an energy signature, two of them…or a dozen…or a hundred! The map spanned out, covering the usual ground, but they saw an energy signature, presumably Moon, walking away from the compound. On the other side of the forest, well away from them both as well as Moon, sat a hundred lightsaber energy signals all clustered on the same point, moving swiftly toward where Moon was headed. It looked like it would be there in an hour, maybe two. At the edge of the map, right where Moonlight was heading into, there were another hundred, maybe two hundred small energy signatures, all stationary. “I think we’ve found the terentatek,” Archie whispered to Trixie, grimly. Trixie didn’t respond, instead backing to the corner of the room and turning white. “Trixie, just calm down, the beast isn’t heading this direction, and I’m sure Moon will be fine! He’s got his training as well as his ability to use the force, he’ll see it coming,” Archimedes said, moving to her. As he approached, she didn’t move or say anything. He put a clawed arm around her, thinking sarcastically about how wonderful this was all going to be. “Come on Trixie, remember: you’re a Jedi. You’re above fear, right? We’ve got to make a calculated decision here.” “What, is he going to be okay?” She whispered, staring unblinkingly at the screen. He couldn’t even guess what was going on inside of her at this moment. He was worried, too. As much as he was jealous of Moon, he did call the colt a friend. He’d hate to see him fall to the terentatek. “I’ll tell you what,” Archie began, still with his scaly appendage wrapped around her, “Let’s go when the thing is just a little ways away from him, but still in enough time to catch it. If we’re lucky, we can all fight it together. As for that cluster of lightsabers…I’d need to analyze the data. If Moon’s fortunate, he’ll run right into a supply of more firepower than he can use at that place.” “Okay,” was all Trixie could manage. Archie could tell she was far gone. Then, surprisingly, color flushed her cheeks and she came back to life! “Yes, Archie, you’re right, I’m a Jedi and Moon needs our help! Let’s analyze that data, it will go faster with the both of us!” “Great! Let’s get started,” he said as he leaned back over to the device, “I’ll need to rewire the terminal here, and repair the system…” as he was looking at the main computer he felt a peck on the scales of his cheek. He looked back to see Trixie with a smile, blushing. “Thank you, Archimedes,” She said, lovingly. Archie couldn’t help himself as the shock and overwhelming sensation of Trixie’s kiss paralyzed him. He almost fell backwards as he shook himself, hearing Trixie’s voice asking him what was wrong. “Archie? Are you okay?” She asked with a little worry. Finding himself on the floor, he sat up as she explained to him, “You went all limp there. Are you fine?” “I’m-wah…I’m fine!” He said, regaining his composure. He smiled at her one more time, indulging in the sweet sensation. He then dove under the computer, flipping a few switches and hooking wires, one to another. He had trained in computers while he was becoming a Jedi, and he recalled all of it for this momentous task. He deftly rearranged the circuitry to more up-to-date standards, using his fire breath for lighting and welding. Trixie handed him parts they brought from the ship as well, including the holographic device that mapped the terrain. Pretty soon, the computer monitor flickered to life in a language they could understand. “Well,” Archimedes said, brushing himself off of the dust and cobwebs as he climbed out from under the terminal, “I’ve rerouted the main interface and hardware of our little device into the main systems of this station. Hopefully, with a little programming we can use what we have to get a greater analysis of the situation, as well as cycle the data through the banks of the computer itself. If we can do it right, we can even find out what that cluster is.” Archimedes tapped away at the keys on the computer, reprogramming it to the best of his knowledge. A hiccup or two here and there, and fifteen minutes later, the screen displayed the proper data. A picture of a large tree with strange, ancient red symbols appeared. “Well, it isn’t translated, but that’s the same location where that cluster of sabers is stashed,” Archie said, looking over at Trixie. Her expression was scrunched into determination, but she relaxed while meeting Archimedes’ eyes. “I’m impressed, Archie,” she said, giving the dragon a sly wink. “Well, would you like to go check it out now?” “Hmmm…” the dragon thought for a minute as he flipped the screen back to the tracker. Moon had already reached the tree, but the terentatek was motionless…odd. “Let’s see this monster for ourselves,” Archie said with a cocky smile. “Yes!” Trixie said, giving him a full hug. Butterflies filled his stomach and redness touched his cheeks as he felt her warmth, his scaly arms embracing her. She finally let go as Archimedes hardened himself, ready for the task at hand. She loved him, back, it seemed, but there were no words to exchange; at least, not yet. They’d get their friend back, and save him from the terentatek! Together, they left the compound, taking lightsabers and packing light. Trixie looked over to him, a hint of shame in her smile. “It will go faster if you ride me there,” She said, motioning for him to climb on. Archimedes almost squee’d as he climbed delicately onto her back, feeling the softness of her mane. He ran his claws up her neck and fondled her ears. She let out a soft cooing noise. He stopped after a moment, drawing the hilt of his blade to be ready. “Onward, then!” Archimedes said triumphantly as Trixie sped off into the jungle…
Chapter 6Archimedes was rumbled and tossed, hanging onto Trixie with all his might as she sped quickly through the density of the jungle. At trouble spots, she came to a slow, flinging him forward to her neck. ‘Well, this isn’t as pleasant as I first imagined,’ he thought to himself as a particularly large jump ended with his bowels in his tail. “Just hang on!” Trixie said out loud, a little late, Archie thought, just as another jump did the same, hurting him even more. This nightmare had to end, they had to be close! Suddenly, they came upon the clearing…only…something was off. “I think we overshot it!” Trixie said frantically, panting. Archie judged the distance, and looking at the crater before them, his jaw dropped. “No, I don’t believe it,” he whispered, staring at the lack of tree. The picture depicted the tree as humongous! Where did it go? Archimedes got off of Trixie, rubbing his backside as he stared at what looked like a giant canyon. “It’s…gone?” Trixie asked, bewildered. “That’s what it looks like,” Archimedes said, taking a claw of soil from the edge of the crater and sniffing it. He felt an unusually strong presence straight ahead of them, and noticed a shadow shifting on the other side of the gorge. A large shadow. Shifting very fast. Towards them! “Hey, Trixie, I think we either need to run or fight, now. I think it’s here!” Archie said, two yellow blades lighting on either side of his weapon. He heard the familiar sound of Trixie’s saber as well, and gained courage. “Let’s take this bastard down!” She said, as he was sure she felt the growing shadow. Her voice and determination brought comfort to him. Suddenly, their fears passed as…Moonlight Scroll entered the clearing? “Guys!” he said, panting heavily, sweat dripping off of his fur, “I found it!” “Found what?” Archimedes asked first, confused. He heard Trixie’s saber turn off; but he kept his ignited, skeptical at his friend’s appearance. “I found…this!” Moonlight said, standing to the side, showing a white furred filly with a purple curly mane. Or at least it looked like that until it started moving mechanically, and speaking in a robotic voice. “I am designation L0V3 M3, Sweetie Bot!” The droid said, a little sluggishly. “This is a top of the line droid! Haven’t seen its type in centuries!” Moonlight Scroll continued, “It had been sitting in the jungle, and I found it!” “How did you find us, or get back so quickly with that thing?” Archie asked as Trixie blew right past him, hugging Moonlight. ‘How convenient,’ Archie thought, the jealousy rising back up in him. “I…used the force,” Moonlight Scroll said cryptically, hugging Trixie back. “Besides, look here, on its back, it’s the same symbol all over the Jedi temple back home!” “We missed you!” Trixie said, ignoring the droid, “We found a way to track the energy signature of your lightsaber, and there were a thousand lightsaber signatures, and then we came to look for you, to tell you the terentatek was on your tail!” “Yeah, and then we found this tree, or what was supposed to be a tree, gone! Then you come into the clearing with an equally suspicious droid!” Archimedes said, backing away slightly. Before Moonlight Scroll could speak or explain, he was interrupted by the droid on his back. “I serve the great Jedi Masters, Luna and Celestia!” the Sweetie Bot informed, suddenly leaping off of Moon and erecting a host of defensive technology, including two missile launchers, laser guidance from its eyes, and a personal energy shield. “Detecting hostile life form approximately two hundred kilometers south, by this planet’s polarity. Based on size and speed: terentatek. Suggesting evasive action!” All three of them gasped. The terentatek burst into the clearing near them, sliding into the canyon due to its massive form. Before any of them could react, Sweetie Bot launched several missiles at it, a ball of fire erupting over its chitinous hide. Then she disappeared into the jungle, leaving a small trail of smoke behind her. The smoke then cleared from the beast, showing absolutely no signs of any effect whatsoever. Archimedes heard and saw both Trixie and Moonlight ignite their sabers, and all three looked grimly at the fast approaching monstrosity from their nightmares. Its small eyes glowed red underneath armoring of hide and bone. Its sloping head ended in a ridge of spikes and spines. Its stocky body was covered in chitin plates, sporting hundreds of ineffective lightsaber burns. Its arms were bulky and strong, ending in claws that could tear a starships’ hull apart. The legs were immense, and immensely powerful, contracting and then with a singular expansion, launching the stocky, invulnerable juggernaut into the air at them. Trixie gasped as Moonlight leaped with extraordinary strength and speed at the monster, wielding his blade with the magic he had learned as a unicorn, and steadying his balance with the force he had learned as a Jedi. Archimedes could sense something off about moonlight, though, as his movements were more aggressive than normal. The terentatek and Moonlight Scroll met midair and collided, lightsaber against claw. Archimedes almost couldn’t keep track of their movements, they were so fast! They both fell to the ground, sinking into the crater as they continued their fray. “Not my Trixie!” Moonlight yelled out. Archimedes was stunned. Had he really given in? He then noticed…maybe he had as well…It didn’t matter, the combat was now, feelings were later. He shook himself as he turned to Trixie, shaking her as well. “Come on Trixie, he needs our help!” She seemed unnaturally fearful for this situation. It was ugly, but not that ugly. “Uhm…Right!” She said unsteadily and they both charged into the fray, sliding into the great crater that lay before them. They surrounded the terentatek, coming at it from all sides. The beast was fast, however, and Archimedes thought he could hear it gurgle a laugh as it matched all of their skills and abilities. Lightsabers were swung with amazing speed and skill for new Jedi, though the beast blocked every attack. The only one that was keeping up with it without much difficulty was Moonlight Scroll. Trixie, seeing an opening, blasted it with the force as Archimedes breathed fire, catching it between the two of them. The beast didn’t even move, seeming to grow stronger, feeding from the energy of the shockwave from Trixie. The fire did nothing, barely blackening the plated chitin that covered it from head to toe. It grinned a toothy grin as it shunted, so fast Archie couldn’t see, punching him with a clawed fist and sending him flying out of the crater. He felt dizzy as he flew, his vision fading in and out. He couldn’t breathe as he felt himself free fall to a painful thud on the ground. He took inventory with what little concentration he had, through the searing pain. He knew at least five of his small ribs were broken, as well as the wing he landed on. He felt like he was drowning, so…maybe a punctured lung? He couldn’t tell. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. Was this…the end? One blow and mighty Archimedes was down for the count? Heh… His thoughts turned to Trixie as he faded, and to Luna, his Mistress at the academy. He missed home…
Chapter 7Trixie was shocked at the pit in her stomach as she saw the baby dragon fly. Maybe there was something there after all…Focus, stupid! The terentatek turned to her, smiling as it did so, laughing its gurgled laugh. “My sweet ponies, so delicious!” it said, lunging at her, mouth open. Tears streamed down her face as she realized that she loved them both, Moonlight and Archimedes. She couldn’t bear the thought of either of them dying. She grew angry, very angry. Angry enough to tear the universe apart as she leaped into the terentatek’s mouth, lightsaber ahead. The mouth closed around her as the sticky, acidic mucous enveloped her. She used her lightsaber to rid the beast of its tongue as she slashed and cut and used every force technique she knew of to destroy the monster from inside out! Its thick blood started to fill the gaping chasm. Suddenly, lightning shot out of her horn, and she directed it down the hole at the back of its mouth. She then drove the lightsaber straight up through the roof of its mouth, electrifying it as it went. She felt it thud to the ground, her along with it, as she struggled to breathe in the mix of blood and saliva. Moonlight Scroll’s face appeared at the entrance of the toothy maw overhead, lifting her out with a hoof and some magic. “Trixie, are you alright? I thought you were done for!” He asked, brushing her off with his hoof. “I’m fine,” she said darkly, her heart still quivering with the rage that propelled her. She looked around the crater, and demanded, almost ignoring Moonlight, “Where is the dragon?” “He’s this way,” Moonlight led her. She knew he was weak, they were all weak. She felt the love for them, though, and it swelled to fill her heart against the rage. Finding his ruined form, the rage completely subsided into love and sadness. Trixie started bawling at the sight of her beloved champion! She knelt down and, using her magic, performed CPR while trying to reset the bones that were broken. Moonlight Scroll helped as well, setting more of the ribs and breathing into the small dragon’s airway. After a few compressions, the dragon started coughing. “Stahp!” He said, coming to. His voice was shallow and raspy, “It hurts every time you do that!” “Oh Archie!” Trixie said, pushing Moon out of the way to kiss him. She had almost never been this glad to see another alive in her life. This whole thing had been a nightmare! She then looked back up to Moon. He had a shocked expression on his face, like someone hit him with a truck. Oh no…Trixie had forgotten their encounters earlier. “Moonlight…I can explain, please don’t be sad!” She said, running over to him and hugging him. “W-what’s there to explain? Ha-ha…” Moonlight said, trying to cover. Suddenly, he relented and a torrent of anger gushed out of him, “You know what? Nevermind all that! I love you Trixie, and I came back to ask you to be with me, to run away with me or something!” Trixie interrupted him with a kiss. “I love you, too!” Trixie said through tears. She’d never felt this way before, and for two significant others? She was overwhelmed with love for them. Archimedes was struggling to sit up when Sweetie Bot came running out of the jungle. “Threat neutralized. Initializing first aid sequence,” as her missile launchers and other defenses retracted. In their place, a mechanical arm popped from her back and began to shoot green, bubbling liquid all over Archimedes. “Kolto applied,” it said as it wrapped a bandage over the green liquid, making sure it stayed in place long enough to do some good to the baby dragon. “First aid sequence complete, shutting down!” the small droid immediately shut down, a small whirring coming from inside the plasteel chassis as the mechanical arm was retracted and a small dish popped out of its head, rotating intermittently. Archimedes was stunned. He turned to Trixie and Moonlight Scroll, holding the bandage with a somber expression. “Trixie, if you love him I understand, I’m a dragon and…” Archimedes started, but Trixie interrupted him. “I love you, too, Archimedes!” She said, passionately. She looked from Archimedes to Moonlight Scroll, then back again, examining their astonished faces. “What? Isn’t a mare allowed to love two gentlecolts?” “But,” Archie began…followed quickly by Moon. “That’s not how it works,” Moonlight interrupted. “You have to pick one of us!” Archimedes said, suddenly defiant. Trixie just sat there, more ashamed than ever. Her fear had joined the love from before as she just shook her head, backing off from both of them. “You…you two decide, I can’t!” She finally said. Archimedes and Moonlight scroll looked at each other, eyes a blaze. “You really can’t expect us to choose!” Archimedes retorted. Trixie felt the rage from before returning at this apparent impass, and she understood what she had to do. She held a foot aloft and proclaimed, “The Great and Powerful Trixie demands a duel for her affection!” Moonlight Scroll looked over to Archimedes, determination in his eyes. He then looked back to Trixie and nodded grimly. Archimedes thought for a moment, apparently saddened by the prospect. He finally decided, “Yes, we duel over her.” They stood, drawing their sabers, facing one another. Archimedes tore off his bandage, the wounds almost fully healed underneath. That kolto was amazing, Trixie thought. The yellow saber that flowed forth from Archimedes’ finely decorated hilt crackled with determination to be Trixie’s only special somepony. Moonlight’s blue saber roared to life with the passion for Trixie’s love that filled him. They locked eyes, staring at each other for a long while as a small breeze blew up dust. Trixie could just sit there silently, unable to find her voice to tell them no. In the blink of an eye, they clashed. Archimedes used his two blades to his supreme advantage, coming at Moonlight Scroll from every angle, putting him on the defensive. Moon blocked every strike, moving with unnatural speed as he ducked, dodged, and struck back. The fact he didn’t have to hold his saber worked in his favor as his magic was able to position it to deflect blows that no physical body could deflect. It seemed to go on forever as they countered each other, in almost perfect tandem. Trixie wanted to cry out, to scream as the momentary burst of rage began to fight inside of her with the love from before. The conflict was almost unbearable as her two most gallant knights, each with their flaws and virtues, succumbed to their emotions, throwing away their code, their creed, and their very lives for her. A feeling started in her, small at first, but growing with each strike. It was pleasant, and washed over the conflict and the pain she felt at the horror she was forced to endure. The pain became pleasure as she found the prospect of two warriors proving their strength to win her affection pleasant. She found her tears of agony dry into a smile. Her smile became a full-toothed grin as she anxiously waited for one of them, either of them to deliver the final blow. “Trixie loves me more!” Archimedes would shout, causing Moon to erupt into a frenzy. “She’s mine!” Moonlight Scroll retorted, striking as hard as he could against the baby dragon. The dragon swiftly moved to the side, ducking the strikes, and lashed out with his blade. “I stayed with her while you left her!” Archimedes would scream; his blade coming within inches of Moonlight as Moon dodged out of the way. “You would have died on her! How can you protect her when you’re that weak!?” Moonlight retorted, leaping into the air and firing bolts of energy at the dragon from his horn. “You act like you don’t even care! I comforted her sorrow!” Archimedes came right back, blocking every bolt of energy with his saber, knocking the last one directly back at the Unicorn. Moonlight Scroll caught the energy blast, reabsorbing it as he fell to the ground. “You don’t even know what love is, little dragon!” Moonlight scroll said, preparing for the next attack, visibly tired. “I LOVE HEEEEERRRR!” Archimedes screamed, running to Moonlight Scroll, swinging his blade. They locked sabers, staring into each other’s eyes. They would grind back and forth, first Archie pushing with all his might, then Moonlight pushing back, equally hard. Trixie was ecstatic! It was coming to a close! In a flash, Archimedes ducked underneath the saber lock, and slid underneath Moon, whipping out with the other blade. He caught the unicorn in the hoof, knocking him off balance and singeing fur and flesh. The unicorn recovered quickly, however, and slammed his lightsaber down into Archie, tearing right through his hilt as the little dragon blocked the blow awkwardly. “I love Trixie…” Moonlight said forcefully, bringing his face close to Archimedes’, “and she’s coming with me!” Just then, Archimedes breathed gouts of flame into his friend’s face, blinding him momentarily and probably scarring him for life as he clawed into the unicorn’s side, biting into him and clawing up to his neck. Moonlight Scroll screamed out as he dropped his lightsaber, unable to defend against the tiny onslaught. Trixie thought she would die from glee as another emotion forced its way back to the forefront of her emotional capacity. “STOP!” She found herself crying out. “STOP! WAIT! YOU’RE KILLING HIM!” She was visibly shaken and sobbing uncontrollably. What was this? She was fine a moment before…and now she was crying? She couldn’t help herself as she fell to her own knees. Archimedes looked heartbroken, finally realizing fully what he was doing to his friend. He stopped and let the unicorn alone, though Moonlight simply fell to the ground, unconscious. Trixie ran over, tears in her eyes as she used her magic to try to mitigate some of the bleeding. “Sweetie Bot!” She croaked through her tears. The tiny droid stirred to life and strolled over. “Initializing first aid sequence,” it spoke mechanically, generating the robotic arm that spewed the green kolto all over Moon’s side, and onto his face. The bandages were also applied, and then the bot shut itself down again, next to Moonlight. Trixie just kept crying over him, hugging his ruined form. Archie stood silently, unable to move as waves of shame and sorrow hit him with each of Trixie’s sobs. They stayed like that as the sun set over the jungle on Yavin IV. The sadness and doom of that world hung heavy over our heroes that night…
Epilogue“The dark side is a terrifying thing,” Celestia began, her voice echoing throughout the hall over all the fillies and colts in training, “it can twist any normal pony into a force of pure evil. It is important that you not succumb to its passions and instead feed on the light side of the force! Repeat after me! There is no emotion, there is peace.” Celestia’s words were echoed by the small group of ponies as Trixie, Moonlight Scroll, and Archimedes stood in the doorway. She smiled at them and continued the lesson, holding a hoof up for them to wait until she was done. After class, Celestia confronted the patiently waiting ponies and dragon amidst a throng of fleeing ponies. Once they had cleared out, she spoke freely. “I know why you’re here,” Celestia said, smiling. The three hung their heads, Moonlight feeling the burn scar on his face as they did so. “But take heart,” Celestia continued, “Your mission was a success! And I think you’ve all learned a valuable lesson about friendship.” “Yeah,” Archimedes stepped up, “I learned that no matter how much you want somepony else, if they don’t want you back, you should respect their decision. It doesn’t matter how much you want them to say yes, no means no.” “And I,” Moonlight Scroll began, “learned that even if your special somepony tells you to do something, if it conflicts with your principles, don’t do it. It’s respectful to both your partner, and yourself, to remain true to who you are.” “Very good, my friends,” Luna said gently, “And what did you learn, Trixie?” Trixie had a hard time maintaining composure as she recanted, “I learned that love can be just as destructive as hate, when it’s love of self instead of others. I should balance my two loves so that I don’t become blinded by arrogance.” “Very good, my little pony. Now I have another mission for you…”
