Worlds Intertwinedby Wannabe ScholarChaptersPrelude: One Thousand Years Ago...Prologue: Lost and CrashingChapter 1: Findings in a ForestChapter 2: News and StudiesChapter 3: Voice from the PastCANCELLATIONPrelude: One Thousand Years Ago...The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters stood abrupt in the Everfree Forest, the grey bricks clashing with the green and brown of grass and trees. Night already fell and most the ponies inside were fast asleep. Besides the guards, there was one other pony up. At the highest balcony of the castle’s tallest tower, a young mare sat and stared at the night sky. She was an alicorn, as any could tell from her horn and the wings folded against her shining blue coat. Her cutie mark was, quite curious, a crescent moon against a night background. The growls and howls of the Everfree Forest critters went ignored as the alicorn stared up. She kept her gaze at the twinkling stars overhead, as if she was searching for something. Her wide eyes were filled with a longing, not for a lover but for one just as close and dear to herself. “Lulu, what are you doing?” a voice called out. The young alicorn, Lulu, turned away from the stars to doorway that led to her bed chambers. At the threshold was another alicorn, this one was older with a pink mane and a sun for a cutie mark. As the alicorn stepped into the moonlight, her white coat shone brighter than Lulu, which made the younger alicorn slightly jealous. It was pushed aside as Lulu returned her gaze to the sky. “I’m just gazing at the stars, Tia,” she answered it a quiet voice. A sigh left Tia as she trotted beside Lulu. “You’re looking for him aren’t you?” The question, though rhetorical in nature, brought out a twinge of sadness inside the younger alicorn. The sadness in Lulu’s lowering gaze was more than enough of an answer. “I’m worried about him, sister,” she finally spoke. “He has been gone for a month now.” Tia said nothing, only pulled her sister in a hug with a wing. “Lulu, you know he could not stay. He has done more than his part for us.” Tia looked at up the stars. “And we both know there are other evils he must fight.” Lulu glanced up at her sister. “Do you think we’ll ever see him again?” “I know we will,” she smiled at Lulu. After a pause of silence, Tia removed her wing from Lula. “Come on, we should be go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us.” Lulu gave a small smile before raising herself all four legs and trotting off to bed. Tia stood there, smiling as her younger sister enter the chamber. She was about to follow when she stopped herself and glanced at the night sky with her own curiosity. She was greeted with an object rising from the Everfree Forest. Despite the object being so far away, Tia recognized it immediately. It was a strange craft, neither a sailing ship nor cart, but a vehicle capable of flight. It was shaped like a bird with long wings and made of a strange metal unknown to the world. It roared like a dragon as flew further into the night. The strange craft was gone from her sight, but Tia wore a small smile. The feeling of relief and happiness warmed her heart for that mere sight set aside her concerns. Not wanting to keep her sister waiting, Tia entered the bed chamber, the smile never leaving her face. The clouds parted ways as the small craft continued to fly higher and higher. It was not long until the craft finally left the planet’s atmosphere, but it came to a stop, remained floating loftily in planet’s orbit. The inside the craft was filled with technology too advanced for the ponies or any other creature. The machines let out beeps that matched the blinking of multiple colors. Right in the center of all the technology was a creature of flesh, unlike any creature known to the ponies. It, or rather he, was a biped in gray armor that covered most of his body. He could have been mistaken for a Minotaur with his muscular stature, but he did not have bull legs and there was hair only on his head, tied up like a pony’s tail. Resting next his thigh was a gray cylinder, a simple object but a symbol to the order he belonged to. The being relaxed in his seat and he stroked his disheveled beard with a large hand. The past few months stranded on the planet had been an extraordinary experience. Never before in his life had he seen creatures such as the ponies. Two ponies, alicorn sisters in fact, were especially stuck in his mind. The memory of the sisters brought a smile to the being’s face. Though powerful, the sisters were lonely as they lost their parents many years ago and were forced them into their roles as rulers. Yet during his stay, their faces beamed with joy. The smile faded and the being’s brown eyes turned to the great planet he just departed. His craft floated above it, giving the view of the white clouds mixing with the blue oceans and green landmasses. It was relatively hidden from the rest of the galaxy, as well as the problems that plagued it. The world indeed had its own share of evils but there had been one specific kind of evil, the kind the being swore to fight. Fortunately, it was stopped in its place and the planet was safe… for now, that is. The being knew he could no longer afford to stay. There was a war to fight and he needed to lead his army into battle. When he was done, he would return, just as he promised. Turning his gaze away, the being’s hand went to the machines and began pressing buttons. Moments later, the being felt his craft humming with life and he gripped the handles controlling his craft. The stars turned into white lines streaking over his vision. And in a blink of an eye, he was gone. Author's Note That's the prologue. I hope you liked it and you will enjoy future chapters. Honestly, I'm not too sure how this story will turn out and this prologue seem to pale in comparison with my other story, but I'll leave that up to you, the readers, to decide. Please leave kind reviews, and if you have any problems, please leave constructive criticism to let me know what to fix. Thank you very much. -W.S. EDIT (10/30/2013): Sorry I forgot to put this up earlier, but I changed the prologue to a prelude. One of the commentators said that it didn't feel a prologue. After reading it, he was right, so I decided to change it. I hope that's alright with everyone else. Thanks. Prologue: Lost and CrashingBEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP! The alarms of the starfighter blared as a computer sparked, flashing for a moment. The starfighter’s pilot, a biped creature with messy black hair, brought away his hand from the computer before the heat could singe him. “Kriff!” the pilot cursed. “Not now!” Everything was going wrong for the pilot. In just hours, he had been sent off of his original course and lost in whatever region of space he was in. The pilot was lost, plain and simple, and his craft had been malfunctioning since he arrived. First it had been navigation, then the communications went down, and now the stabilizers were going haywire. The universe really had a horrible sense of humor. Grabbing the controls with both hands, the pilot tried to regain control of his craft. He flexed the small appendages on his hands, his fingers, around and guided himself through the space he traveled. Sadly, it lasted only for a second before the starfighter suddenly shook before it was drifting. The pilot’s brown eyes widen with fear as he recognized what was happening: He was being pulled by something. “Oh that’s not good,” he said, turning to the source of the pull. The said source was a planet, blue water and green landmasses. It had been the same planet that the pilot first noticed before his vessel began to malfunction. Now, the pilot was caught by its gravity and now, the planet was becoming larger and larger. He flexed the small appendages on his hands, his fingers, just as his starfighter entered the planet’s atmosphere. As the starfighter fell, its shields managed to protect it, but barely. The reentry heated the metal of his starfighter and the pilot felt it. Sweat was coming off his furless body and soaking the black and red uniform covering him. His vessel constantly shaking in the vigorous turbulence did not help either. It was almost as if it was falling apart and that would be the case soon. The pilot would need to get through this ordeal alive or die trying. “Do or do not, there is no try,” he suddenly remembered, the words bringing a small hint of comfort. Thinking back to his training, the pilot closed his eyes. He, then, followed the simple routines he learned all those years: breathing, clearing the mind of all distractions, and letting his power guide him. The building heat no longer bothered the pilot, in fact did not felt like a burn at all. Rather, it felt like a small fire that was warming his body, not the raging inferno surrounding his. It was almost as if the heat was being absorbed into the pilot’s body. Whatever was going on, it allowed the pilot to survive the atmosphere. The red heat of reentry disappeared like a mist and no longer had to deal with that again. Unfortunately, the starfighter was still falling further and further to the planet’s surface. The pilot could feel his craft plummeting through the air and vaporizing any passing clouds. Already, he could see a vast forest from the window of his cockpit. The pilot tried to remain calm and focused, controlling his starfighter to best of his abilities. He believed he still had time to avoid a crash-landing. Then, the pilot and his vessel met the forest. Princess Celestia’s ear perked up and she whirled her head from her steaming cup of tea. Her eyes, once calm as she began enjoying her daily teatime, were now wide with alarm. Something was off, very off from the usual peace and calm the princess felt. However, there was nothing in the room as Celestia soon found out when she scanned the throne room. “Your highness?” a voice spoke. Celestia turned to the two guards positioned at the throne room’s double doors, their spears at ready. Both of them were concerned for their princess, who gave them a soft glance. “I am fine, thank you,” she told them in a warm tone. “If you may excuse me, I would like to be alone.” One guard confusedly glanced at the other, who just shrugged before trotting away. The former followed the latter out of the throne room and the doors quietly closed behind the pair. Finding herself alone, the seriousness returned to Celestia’s face. She levitated her tea onto the small stand near her throne and began pondering about the presence she felt. It was a pricking sensation at the back of her mind, something different from the magical aura she was used to. That sensation, it was so familiar, one she had not felt since… Celestia shooed that thought away. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things. Even if it was similar to that, this presence came from a different source. Besides, there was another presence, something else. Something dark. At that point, doors swung open and entering the throne room was Princess Luna. Alarm spread across her face, Luna urgently began, “Sister, we…” “I know, Luna. I felt it, too” Celestia interjected, stepping down from her throne. “Do you know what it is?” “No, sister, but we know that it comes from the Everfree Forest,” Luna replied. “We shall dispatch the royal guard to investigate.” “It will be hours before they make it,” she said, walking towards one of the stained-glass windows. The night princess walked up beside her sister. “Then, what do you suggest we do?” Celestia paused a moment to ponder before she finally answered, “We’ll send the Elements of Harmony.” Luna’s eyes widen. “But sister, we can’t just send the Elements on this mission. It could be dangerous.” “They live much closer to the Everfree Forest and are more than capable to protect themselves. They can at least make sure that nopony else enters before the royal guard arrives,” said the older alicorn. “They may even find something that can help us understand just what we are dealing with.” Luna went silent as she thought about her sister’s words. “Very well. I shall prepare the guards for departure,” she finally spoke. She was about to leave when she added with concern, “And tell the Elements to take care.” “I trust my student and her friends very much, sister. They will be fine,” Celestia assured with a smile. The concern on her sister’s face never went away as she left the throne room. Celestia’s own concern stirred forth as she doubted her own words. “Please be safe, Twilight,” Celestia whispered. Author's Note Alright, *this* is the prologue. Sorry if I confused any of my readers at any point with that when I said about the prelude being the prologue… and you guys don’t really care do you? Oh well. Anyway, please let me know what you think. Is it good, bad, or just meh? Leave comments bellows and please leave constructive criticism to let me know what I need to fix. Thanks a bunch! -W.S. Chapter 1: Findings in a Forest“Spike, where are you?” Twilight Sparkle’s voice rang out through her library. A few books and scrolls floated around the purple mare before she levitated them into the saddlebag in front of her. Closing her saddlebag, Twilight turned to the silent library. “Spiiiiiiike!” she called out once again. “I’m coming! I’m coming!” Spike called back before he walked down the stairs. “Ah, there you are!” Twilight said as she levitated her saddlebag on her back. “Come on Spike, we need to leave.” Spike yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. “But Twilight, it’s past midnight. Can’t we just put this off till morning?” Twilight glared at him as if chastising a filly. “Spike, did you even hear what Princess Celestia said?” Using her magic, Twilight took from her saddlebag a scroll, the same scroll that forced Spike from his comfortable bed minutes ago. It had the royal Canterlot seal, meaning it directly came from Princess Celestia herself. Twilight unrolled the letter and began reading: “My dearest Twilight, I’m sorry for sending this message to you so late, but I’m in of need your assistance. Some minutes ago, my sister and I noticed there was something strange. From what I know, the source of this comes from the Everfree Forest, not too far from you. I wish for you and the other Elements of Harmony to search for this. Now, I must warn you to use extra caution, Twilight. This disturbance felt unlike anything in Equestria. Neither Luna nor I know what it is. Please be safe. Signed, Princess Celestia.” By the time she finished, Twilight saw Spike dozing off on a nearby pile of books. “Spike!” “Huh, what?!” Spike snapped up his tired head. “Oh yeah. Thing in Everfree, need to go there and find it…” The little dragon murmured the last word before he yawned again. Rolling her eyes, Twilight turned around for the door. “Come on Spike. We need to get the others.” Spike got off of his pillow of books and asked, “But what if somepony else is up?” “I don’t think so Spike. It’s late at night, so I don’t think anypony…” Twilight opened the door and her ears drooped, “… would be up.” Staring outside, Twilight found all of Ponyville to be up and about. The light of every single household was on and everypony stood was in the middle of the streets. Some of them were already out, while most had disheveled looks that meant they recently gotten out of bed. Twilight could hear chatter from the tired ponies as they wondered about the source of their sudden awakening. Spike popped his head beside her. “Looks like the entire town’s up,” he commented. “But why?” Twilight asked as she trotted out with Spike in tow. “Twilight!” they heard a familiar voice. The pair turned and saw more ponies rushing through the crowded streets. Those ponies were the other Elements of Harmony: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. The two pegasi flew, while the others trotted. “Girls!” the purple mare said as the five ponies approached her. “What’s going on? Why’s the entire town up?” “Didn’t you hear?” Rarity asked. “There was an explosion!” “An explosion?” Twilight repeated. “Yeah,” Pinkie Pie zipped in front of the purple mare, “we were all sleeping, but there was a loud ‘BOOM!’ and now, everyone’s up and really, really worried!” After Pinkie’s rapid-fire talking ended, Twilight spoke up, “How come I didn’t hear it, then? I’ve been inside my library and I haven’t heard a thing.” “Didn’t you put up that sound-proof shield so you could sleep better?” Spike spoke up. Twilight glanced at her home and noticed the small magical aura surrounding it. “Oh… right,” she gave a nervous chuckle to her friends and mentally kicked herself. Rainbow Dash landed beside “So why are you up, then?” Rainbow Dash asked as she noticed Twilight’s saddlebag. “And what’s with the bags?” Twilight cleared her throat a bit. “I received a letter from Princess Celestia. She said that she and Princess Luna noticed a disturbance in the Everfree Forest, and she wanted me to investigate.” She paused before adding, “Maybe this explosion has something to do with it.” The news made the others even more curious as Applejack stepped forward. “Did she say how we can find it, Twi’?” “No,” Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof. “We need something to trace it with. Maybe some kind of magical signature or…” “Something like that?” Twilight’s assistant cut her off. The six ponies looked at Spike with a raised claw, pointing past them. Turning their heads, they saw the Everfree Forest past the many houses of Ponyville and all of them were surprised to see… “Smoke?” Rarity gasped at the large black trail rising from the Everfree Forest treetops. It was unnatural for there to be smoke in the first place since nopony lived there, besides Zecora. Also, it was larger than a smoke trail from a mere campfire. Some of the Ponyville ponies noticed it as well, and wondered as to what it was. The six ponies and Spike had an idea as to what it was. Pinkie jumped. “Looks like somepony’s throwing a party!” That was not it. Ignoring Pinkie, Twilight faced her friends. “We need to find that smoke! It could be the disturbance the princess warned us about!” “Then what are waiting for?!” Rainbow shouted as she flew up into the air. “Let’s go!” “Wait, we need to stick together!” Twilight shouted, but Rainbow was already gone. She sighed and turned to the others. “Come on, girls!” And they were off like a shot, with a frightful Fluttershy in tow as she repeated “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!” In the Everfree forest, smoke emerged from the mess that was the mysterious starfighter. The exterior was still hot from reentry and the nose of the starfighter was buried in the ground with a long dirt trail behind it, a mark left from its “landing.” Treading away from the craft in slow and heavy steps was its biped pilot. His body was wounded with multiple scratches and his uniform was dirtied. One hand was on his side, while the other held onto an object that gave a glowing red hue. “Ow,” the pilot winced from his wounds, yet continued walking. Things were not going as the pilot expected. First, he ended up in the middle of nowhere, then crashed, and now he was stuck on a planet that probably little to no sign of civilization. To add to that, he was hurting all over, with a bleeding side and a bruised leg. “What I would do for a bacta tank right now?” the pilot chuckled to himself, but a cough cut him short. The simple cough turned into a hack and a jolt of pain shot through the pilot’s entire body. His hand released his grip on the object and covered his mouth. It did little, though, as blood flew from his mouth to his palm. The pilot collapsed on his knees and bent over, hacking out more blood. The coughing stopped a moment later, but the pilot’s body was so weak he collapsed on the ground. As he laid there, a small wheeze escaped his lungs. There was no point in sugarcoating it. The pilot knew he would die on this world, far away from the academy, far away from home. Despite the hopelessness of his situation, the pilot felt calm, at peace, and he knew why. The artifact was safe, far away from the reach of any creature to use. That was made the pilot smile. Closing his eyes, the pilot relaxed his body as his final breath left him. His flesh, instead of being left for the worms, began to fade away. A moment later, and the pilot was completely gone, leaving his clothes to collapse on the grass. Not too far away, a small object lied on the green grass. Its glow was casted on its surrounding, and covering the greens and browns in blood red. Both Twilight and Rarity’s horns glowed, lightning the way as they and their friends trotted down the Everfree Forest. They were rushing, desperately trying to catch up with Rainbow Dash, who was flying far ahead of them. “Rainbow, wait up!” Twilight called out, but it went unnoticed as the speedster took the lead and flapped her wings. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came to a screeching halt and her eyes widen at what she saw. “Woah,” she uttered. Rainbow called over her shoulder, “Hey, I found something!” Soon, Rainbow saw her friends coming towards her, one by one. First came Twilight and Spike with Rarity, the two unicorns depowering their horns. Then Applejack came with a bouncing Pinkie, and finally, Fluttershy, who was frightfully glancing around her. As they lined up, they all saw what Rainbow found. “Oh, no!” Rarity’s eyes widen in horror. “It’s… it’s…” Lying on the grass were clothes, a white and red tunic to be more precise. Though the forest was dark, there were evidence of small rips stretching from sleeves down to the matching pants and boots. It looked like a manticore mauled it and the large rip on the side only supported that. “It’s a disaster!” Rarity cried out as she rushed to the “victim.” “Who would dare ruin such clothing?!” “Uh… yeah, who would?” Applejack said before turning to Twilight. “Just what do you think happened here?” Twilight answered. “I don’t know. This just seems… well, odd.” “Whoever did this must have been crazy!” Rainbow exclaimed as she hovered over the ruined clothes. “I mean, who leaves their clothes lying around?” Rarity, still a little distressed, glanced at her. “Perhaps, somepony who didn’t wanted to wear it after being so… damaged.” She glanced back down. “I mean, it’s torn in so many places. It would take days to fix this!” As Rarity lamented, the rest gathered around the ruined clothes. “Still,” Applejack spoke from across Rarity, “what fella wears this kind of clothes? I mean, don’t they look strange to y’all?” Fluttershy, who hovered with Dash, added. “They don’t look like a pony’s.” “Of course not, Fluttershy,” Rarity cut in. “I’ve had many customers and these clothes certainly do not belong to a pony.” She laid a hoof on a sleeve. “And this fabric isn’t like anything I’ve seen.” Next to Rarity, Twilight took her turn. “Also, Rainbow brought a point. Why would anypony just leave their clothes? It looks like whoever was here just… vanished.” “Like there’s no trace left,” Spike finished from Twilight’s other side. “But what about this?” Pinkie asked, directing all eyes on her. Pinkie was on the other side with Applejack, and her hoof was pointing to the other sleeve. It seemed to be bulging out, like some limb was inside of it. The others were not too sure as it was still a little dark to make it out. Then, Pinkie’s hoof tapped the sleeve twice. CLANG! CLANG! Everypony else almost backed away and stared at the clothes. “What the hay…” Applejack said, voicing everypony’s thoughts. “Just what is that?” came from a surprised Rainbow. Before more could be said, Twilight quickly lit her horn again, and everypony saw the bulge was really a limb. From the shape of the sleeve, it was less like a pony’s foreleg, and more like an arm. The small rips revealed glinting light to the seven pairs of eyes, making them even more curious. “What do you reckon that is?” Applejack was the first to ask, adjusting her Stetson while doing so. “I don’t know.” Twilight eyed the limb as her light went down the arm and fell on a strange claw. “It doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before.” Spike looked at her. “It looks like a limb. Maybe a minotaur’s?” “But minotaurs have four fingers, not five,” Twilight noted, pointing a hoof to the claw’s five digits. Seeing the claw shine in the light, she added, “And it’s made of some kind of metal.” “There’s also this thingy,” Pinkie intruded once again. They found her hoof not on the arm, but to a metallic cylinder with one end hooked to the belt. It was strange, much like the metal arm, ten inches long and made of several segments. “Any ideas, Twilight?” Rainbow asked the brains of the group. “I don’t know. Some kind of tool, I g-Pinkie, be careful with that!” Twilight exclaimed when Pinkie unhooked the cylinder from the belt. As the pink pony held the cylinder in her hooves, she noticed a stud on it. “I wonder what this button does,” Pinkie wondered aloud. Applejack extended a cautious hoof. “Pinkie, I don’t think…” But Pinkie’s hoof already fell on stud. SNAP-HISS! A great beam of yellow energy shot up, and it was so sudden that Pinkie dropped the cylinder in surprise. The yellow beam, now a blade, swung down as the cylinder fell with it. “Watch out!” Twilight shouted, and everypony backed away. “Woah!” Rainbow nearly yelled as she and Fluttershy narrowly dodged the blade. Rarity, Twilight, and Spike leapt away, and the blade struck the ground they stood on. The green grass that the blade touched burned black as they were incinerated. Then, the yellow blade retracted into the cylinder with a hiss and the hazard was over. Pinkie found a few glares on her and sheepishly smiled. “Oops.” “Just what the hay was that thing?!” Rainbow demanded. Twilight grabbed the unlit cylinder with her magic and lifted it to her face. “Whatever it is, we need to keep it safe.” She glanced at the ruined garments. “Same with these.” “I shall deal with this,” Rarity offered, her magic already wrapping the garment around the metal limb. “Alright.” Twilight looked at the others. “We should look around. Maybe there’s something more around.” The others nodded and split up, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash going one way, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack in another. Seeing Rarity remain behind, Twilight put the cylinder in her saddlebag and went in her own direction. “What do you think we’ll find?” asked Spike as he followed. “I don’t know. Maybe something to do…” Twilight’s voice trailed off as her eyes caught something. “Twilight, what is it?” Spike’s question was ignored as Twilight ran forwards. What caught the mare’s attention was a red glow not too far away. Twilight and Spike approached the light and saw its source came from a small object. It was shaped like a four-sided pyramid that was covered in some kind of glass. Twilight lifted the curious thing with her magic. Beneath the glass, she could see a crystal, the source of the red light, placed in the center. Etched on each face were strange symbols, but they did not look like runes or pictographs. Not the ones she read about, anyway. “Man, this just keeps getting weirder and weirder,” Twilight heard Spike. Twilight said nothing as she put the object in her saddlebag and closed it. “Hey!” the two heard Rainbow Dash. “You should see this come and see this!” Following Dash’s voice, Spike and Twilight found her and Fluttershy on the ground. For some reason, the two pegasi’s hooves covered their noses. Twilight and her assistant found why when they started coughing from the stench of smoke. “What…” Twilight coughed, “What is that?” “That,” Fluttershy said, pointing a hoof forward. Twilight and Spike looked, and their eyes widen. “Woah,” said the latter. Surrounded by broken tree branches was some kind of craft. Its body was long, over twelve meters, and a red stripe ran across it. Its front was buried in the dirt, and in the center, a window was popped open to reveal a compartment. A black trail of smoke emerged from the back end, where four wings stuck out and formed an “X.” “Well,” Twilight coughed a bit, “we found what’s causing that smoke.” “What did you fin-holy horseapples!” the four heard Applejack as the orange pony joined them. “What is that?” “I believe that is a vehicle of some kind,” Rarity stated matter-of-factly as she trotted beside Applejack. The garment they found were on her back, and she kept a hoof over her snout. “I wonder what is it?” Pinkie showed up, completing the entire group. “Maybe it’s aliens!” She beamed at the idea. “Do you think I should to throw it a welcome party?!” Twilight wondered about that. Aliens? There were facts about other worlds, but anything about aliens were mainly conspiracies or fiction. Then again, there was no other explanation to make sense of the strange craft. All seven eyes looked up at the sound of flapping wings and saw two ponies descending. Twilight recognized their bat-like wings and the lavender-colored armor. “It’s Princess Luna’s guards!” she announced. The two guards landed in front of the ponies and Spike. One stared at them with their cat-like eyes and spoke in a deep voice, “Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. We were sent by their highnesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, to find a disturbance in the ‘Everfree Forest.’” He turned to the craft. “It seems you have already found it.” The other guard spoke, his voice a little lighter than his comrade. “More guards will arrive to secure this … thing. We will stay to make sure that nopony will come.” “But wait,” Applejack interrupted, “what about us?” “We can handle it from here. There is no need for you to be here,” the first guard answered. “You may return to Ponyville.” “If you’re sure,” Twilight said. “Come on, girls.” The ponies and Spike glanced at each other with uncertainty. Still, they followed the purple unicorn away from the craft, leaving the two guards to their duty. “Finally!” Rainbow exclaimed once they were out of earshot. “I couldn’t stand being near that thing without breathing!” “I’ll say,” Applejack agreed. “This is a lot better than over there.” “I agree. That smoke was very disgusting,” Rarity said before shivering. “I hope to never experience that again.” While the others conversed, Twilight was silent. She could only think of what she found. First, the clothes, then the strange sword, and then that craft. There were so many bizarre things, and all just from answering a letter. Twilight made a mental note to write a letter to Princess Celestia. After that, there was still a lot more work to be done. It definitely was going to be a long night. Author's Note Alright, that’s chapter 1. I would like to thank The Lunar Samurai and Coda Crescendo for helping me with this chapter. Really appreciate it guys. So, what do you think of the chapter? Was the format good, did I portray the characters correctly, did I make the mood correct, and were there any bits that need editing? Please let me know. Thanks. -W.S. Chapter 2: News and Studies“Your highness, your highness!” From her throne, Celestia gazed at one of her royal guards running into the chamber. “Have they found it?” she asked. “Yes… they have,” the guard answered after breathing for a moment. “Two of Princess Luna’s guards arrived to find the disturbance. According to their reports, it was some kind of… carriage, to best describe.” “And the Elements?” Celestia continued as she stored that bit of information away. “The guards reported to have met them at the scene,” “They arrived before the guards did and were sent back to Ponyville to rest. There was no sign of any harm on them.” Celestia did not show it, but she was relieved to know the Elements were safe. Now, to worry about the task at hand… “Send another squadron of guards,” the alicorn princess ordered. “They’re to set up a perimeter around the area and have another to will be sent to retrieve this ‘carriage.’” “Yes your highness,” the guard bowed and took his leave. Just as the guard exited and doors closed behind him, Celestia saw a small green trail of dragon fire entered the throne room. It swirled towards the sun princess and with a flash, a scroll popped in front of her. The yellow magic grabbed the scroll and unrolled it to reveal Spike’s handwriting, which Celestia quickly read. "Dear Princess Celestia, I am to report that my friends and I have discovered the disturbance. Apparently, some kind of craft crashed in the Everfree Forest. We also found some things near the craft. Among the things we found, one was strange garments that were badly torn up. We also found a metal limb with the strange garments. It looks like a minotaur’s arm, but it has five fingers instead of four. I can’t be sure for what creature has such an arm. We found something as well. There was a strange cylinder with the garments. We soon found it was some kind of weapon when Pinkie accidentally turned it on. A yellow blade came out and it can burn whatever it touches. Nopony was hurt, fortunately. Rainbow Dash calls it a laser sword. It’s completely incorrect, but I don’t know what else to call it." “Laser sword?” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Could she mean…” Cold realization halted the princess’ sentence in its place. What she just read sounded too familiar to not recognize it. But there was no way it could be that? Could it? Celestia looked down and continued reading. "There is one final thing. Spike and I found some kind of object not too far from the clothes. It’s a small object shaped like a pyramid with strange symbols on it, and there’s a crystal in the center. I’m afraid I can’t figure out what it is or what it does. That’s all I have to report. I will update you as soon as I learn more. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." The yellow magic around the letter dissipated, letting it loftily drop to the floor. Celestia’s face was pure surprise, eyes widen and mouth slightly open as she whispered, “It just can’t be. It just can’t…” Recent events told the princess otherwise. First, there was that presence she and Luna sensed some hours ago. Then, there was that strange craft found in the Everfree Forest. Twilight’s letter only added on the princess’ suspicions. Now, Celestia had to find out. She needed to know if her suspicions were true. “Guard!” the sun princess called and a guard entered. “Prepare my chariot and get my sister! We’re leaving!” Rainbow Dash let out an impatient sigh and slumped on the floor of Twilight’s library. She turned to the other Elements of Harmony sitting with her and asked, “So how much longer do you think it will take?” None of them said anything, save for Spike who was walking with a tray of drinks. “Well, it is Twilight, so it’s going to go on for a while. Maybe even hours.” He set the tray down in front of the five mares. “Here you go.” “Thank you Spike,” said Rarity as she took her cup of tea. Applejack took her own cup and then looked to Twilight. “She’d been like this ever since we got back,” she agreed. “And all of Ponyville’s gone back to sleep by now.” All eyes went to the unicorn at her desk, where she had been since they returned from the Everfree Forest. They could not see her face as Twilight buried it in a journal, where she jotted notes on the strange objects they found, which were placed on front of her. As Twilight continued to jot notes in her journal, Fluttershy worried, “I hope she doesn't go on for too long. She might exhaust herself.” “It’s Twilight,” Rainbow said with much confidence. “She’ll be fine.” Rarity thought otherwise. “I don’t know. Ever since we got back, she seems to be more…” she paused to find the appropriate word, “…well, studious than usual.” “Yeah!” Pinkie chimed in. “It’s almost like that time she met her future self.” Spike inwardly winced, remembering the dilemma caused Twilight to worry over nothing and left him with an aching stomach full of ice cream. Applejack glanced back to Twilight. “Uh Twilight?” It went unheard as Twilight continued writing in her journal. “Twi'?” Again, nothing. An impatient Dash flew up and called out, “Hey, Twilight!” causing Twilight to almost jump and drop her book. Twilight whirled her glaring eyes to the pegasus. “Rainbow…” Before Twilight could say anything, Pinkie asked, “Did you find anything?” “Nothing,” she sighed, more out of frustration than anger. “I’ve been looking at that thing for half an hour now, and I still haven’t come up with anything!” “We’ve only just found them, dear,” said Rarity. “You can’t expect to find everything, immediately.” “I guess,” Twilight reluctantly relented, turning back around. Scattered all over Twilight’s desk were the four objects. The metal cylinder was on the left and beside it was the strange garment. The metal limb, removed from the sleeve, was placed on the far right and now it showed entire metal components that acted as flesh. In the center rested the pyramid, the spectacle of Twilight’s curiosity. “I need to find out more,” Twilight murmured, loud enough for everypony to hear. “Whatever,” Rainbow said off to the side, “just keep that laser sword away from me.” Twilight rolled her eyes at that. “It’s not a laser sword, Rainbow. Lasers are just beams of light. They can’t really burn anything.” “Then, what do you think we should call it?” “Ooh, I know! How about beam saber or a light sword?” Pinkie jumped, but it went ignored. “Well, I…” Twilight paused. “I really don’t know.” “Laser sword it is, then!” Rainbow nodded. Shaking her head, Twilight turned back to the pyramid and the red glow fell on her face. Out of all the objects, the pyramid was the most important. Twilight was not sure how she knew it, but she did. “There had to be some way of working all of this,” Twilight thought aloud. Applejack let out a hmm and suggested, “Maybe there’s a button somewhere? There was on that tube.” “Cylinder, Applejack,” she corrected. “And I've already studied them. I didn't find any button.” “Um…” Fluttershy squeaked, “maybe you can use your magic on it?” Twilight’s head perked up. “What?” Finding eyes on her, Fluttershy almost hid behind her pink mane. “Well, you see… maybe it reacts to magic… and since you use magic, maybe you could give it some juice…” Twilight blinked, surprised she did not think of that. “That actually might work. Thanks, Fluttershy.” There was a small mutter of a “Your welcome” from the timid mare. The lavender mare looked at the pyramid. “Alright, here it goes,” and closing her eyes, Twilight channeled her magic into her horn. The others gathered around her, watching with amazement and curiosity to see what would happen. The purple aura of Twilight’s magic covered her horn and soon surrounded the pyramid. It remained still as Twilight poured more magic out of her horn. The field around the pyramid grew stronger and stronger with every passing second. The red glow dimmed a little, but it was barely noticeable by everypony. Spike heard chattering bones and he found it came from Pinkie. Instead of being the usual ball of energy, Pinkie just stood there, her knees slightly twitching. Her eyes were wide with fear and her face looked like it was in a trance. “Pinkie, are you alright?” Spike asked with concern. Pinkie came out of her trance and said with widen eyes, “Knees are pinchy! Something scary is about to happen!” Spike did not question it. Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense let her predict near-future events via twitches. “If Pinkie’s a-twitchin’, you’d better listen,” Applejack once said something along those lines. He found it to be true, and after much deliberation, even Twilight. The others heard Pinkie and they were already having their own concerns. “Maybe we should stay away,” Rarity said cautiously and Fluttershy nodded. “You can’t be serious!” exclaimed Rainbow. “This is just a, a… what this thing is! It’s not going to do anything!” Applejack shot a glare to her. “Rainbow, this is Pinkie’s sense we’re talking about!” “Uh girls,” Twilight said through her concentration, “can you please be a little quiet? I need to concentrate.” Unfortunately, she was not heard. “But what’s it going to do? Jump out and bonk us on the head?” Rainbow taunted. “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” refuted Applejack. “Girls, can you please be quiet?” Twilight repeated as she felt her control slowly slipping away. “But how can a pyramid be any scary?” Rainbow asked. “Maybe Pinkie’s wrong this time.” “Never question the Pinkie Sense!” came from Pinkie this time. Then, said Fluttershy, “Girls, maybe we should…” Twilight’s eyes shot open. “I said be quiet!” Her horn glowed brighter than before, pouring more magic into the pyramid. The magic build up in the pyramid until it was released in a flash of red light. Everypony gasped, even Twilight, and backed away from the desk. The flash had dissipated, but the red light from inside the pyramid glowed. The glow only became brighter and brighter with every passing second while everypony was left standing there, afraid of what may happen. It did not help that a few of them thought the library’s lights flickered a little. “Oh my goodness!” Rarity nearly cried out. “Dear Celestia!” That was Applejack, whom Fluttershy currently hid behind. “I take it back, Pinkie! You were right!” Rainbow said with fear in her voice. Spike looked to Twilight for answers. “Twilight, what’s going on?!” Twilight shook her head. “I… I don’t know.” How could she know? This was unlike anything she had ever seen in her entire life. Yes, Twilight had seen plenty with Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra, but this was nothing like them. This was completely new. This was completely new and not of this world. Maybe Pinkie was right about it being aliens, Twilight thought. Twilight brought her gaze back to the glowing pyramid. The energy continued to build up until a blue light emerged from the pyramid. Gasps filled the library as everypony saw the blue light spread out and coalesced into the form of a creature. The creature itself was strange. It was bipedal with two arms and two legs, and the bulky figure would have mistaken the creature for a Minotaur if not for the lack of fur. The folds of its dark-colored clothing covered much as well as the armor on its arms and chest. The small circular plates comprising the armor gleamed, making them look like they were alive. The six ponies and the lone baby dragon just stood there, unsure at what they were seeing. This thing was no mere apparition or an illusion of their mind. It was real and it made them both frightened and curious of the being. Mustering enough courage, Twilight took a brave trot forwards. “H-hello?” she said through her fear, though it came off more as a stutter. The creature raised its head to Twilight and she almost shivered. The helmet was like a cage, jagged pieces of metal crawling all over the pale flesh. A pair of eyes coldly gazed at her and the pair of visible lips turned into a thin line. “Why have you summoned me?” said the being, a male from its deep and ancient voice. “E-excuse me?” Twilight said, taken back. “You were the one who activated the holocron, were you not?” he inquired. “If so, then why? You are obviously not a Sith. There it barely a hint of the Dark Side around you. Are you a Jedi?” Twilight could barely comprehend what she just heard. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what a holocron or a Jedi is.” The being was silent for a moment. “I see,” he finally spoke. “You must not know then. Surprising, considering your strength in the Force.” Now, Twilight was not sure if she was being complemented or insulted. Behind her, Rainbow muttered to the others, “What’s this guy talking about? Is he crazy?” “Rainbow Dash, shush!” Rarity scolded. “It isn’t nice to interrupt a pony–er, thing when they’re speaking.” Twilight’s friends gave her a nice distraction as she turned to them. “Uh girls? A little help,” she called out to them. “Here, let me,” Applejack offered, trotting forward. “My name’s Applejack. Now, we’ve got some misunderstanding. Maybe it’d help if you explain a few things for us.” The strange being finally took notice of the others, but he did not answer Applejack’s question. Instead, his lips curled into a snarl. “The Light Side permeates around you. All of you,” the being said with contempt as he gazed at each one of them. “Has the Order of the Sith fallen so far that my knowledge has fallen into the hands of a bunch of animals? And those with the Light Side, no less?” All stared at the being, insulted at his words. All save for Rainbow Dash who shouted, “Hey, who’re you calling animals?!” “Hold it, Rainbow!” Applejack held out her foreleg to stop the speedster. Twilight mentally sighed, knowing she had to do something. Being called animals did not leave her and her friends a good impression of this strange creature, but they need to learn more. “Maybe we’ve got off the wrong hoof,” Twilight spoke to break the awkward silence. “How about we introduce each other? My name is Twilight Sparkle. What's yours?" The creature’s hardened gaze fell on Twilight and he said, “I am Darth Bane. Dark Lord of the Sith.” Author's Note Sorry for the ending. I kind of went lazy with the writing and I apologize if any characters were OOC. The story is going slow, but I’ll try to speed it up later on. Classes have been a pain and haven’t given me much time or motivation to write the chapters, so it’ll be a while before I update the next chapter. Just thought I should let you know. As usual, thanks to The Lunar Samurai and Coda Crescendo for pre-reading the chapter. I really appreciate it guys! -W.S. Chapter 3: Voice from the Past“Sister, are you sure this is true?” Luna asked quietly from her seat in the chariot. The wind breezed through Celestia’s mane as she stared at her sister. “I am, Luna. It’s been a millennium, but I’m sure. From what Twilight wrote in her letter, everything seems to match.” “But we may be rushing into this. For all we know, this could be some mistake. You said yourself Twilight Sparkle had rushed through her letter.” Luna almost chewed the inside of her cheek as she doubted her own words. “We still have to know. What Twilight found may help us learn what happened in the Everfree Forest,” Celestia said, mentally adding, And hopefully answer some questions. “And what if it’s nothing?” Luna posed the question. She opened her mouth, but one of the pegasi pulling of the chariot announced, “Your highnesses! We’re arriving at Ponyville!” The two princesses looked over the edge and saw the town in the distance. “We’ll soon found, sister,” Celestia said as Ponyville seemingly grew bigger. The chariot landed in the town square some moments later and the princesses’ arrival did not go unnoticed. Some ponies who went back to sleep less than an hour ago, slowly stirred and were surprised to find Equestria’s rulers in their town. Just as they dismounted the chariot, both heard a small cry of “Princess Luna!” and they turned to see who it was. Luna was certainly surprised to see a familiar pinto colt. “Pipsqueak?” Pipsqueak rushed up to the Night Princess and hugged her leg. “It’s good to see you!” he said gleefully through his thick Trottingham accent. “It is good to see you too, Pipsqueak,” Luna gave a small smile as she returned the hug. Celestia would have smiled if she did not notice Pipsqueak was not the only one up. Curious mutters and whispers grew louder with the ponies slowly crowded into the town square. Only two royal guards, the pegasi pulling the chariot, managed to keep the crowd at bay. “Luna,” Celestia said as she glanced over to Luna, who quickly noticed the crowd as well. “I’ll deal with the crowd. Head over to Twilight’s.” “Can I come?” Pipsqueak asked excitedly as he released himself from Luna. Luna looked down to him with an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid not. It is late and you should return to bed.” “But I want…” Pipsqueak started, but Luna cut him off. “I’ll see you another time. We can play then.” The colt looked up at the Night Princess. “Promise?” A smile formed on Luna’s muzzle. “I promise.” “Alright!” And so, Pipsqueak gleefully turned around and was soon out of sight. Luna’s smile did not leave her, at least not until she saw her smirking sister. “What?” Luna asked. “Nothing, sister,” Celestia faced the crowd of ponies, “nothing at all.” Luna ignored it as she turned to leave and unfurled her wings. She took flight to leave as Celestia addressed the crowd of ponies in the town square. Silence fell over the Golden Oaks Library as Twilight blinked at the ghostly creature in front of her. Her friends stared at the being as well, but it was a mixture of fear and confusion. Twilight’s gaze was of curiosity focused on the being–this “Darth Bane,” as it gave its name moments ago. Before anypony could ask anything, there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” Spike rushed to the door with relief. The ponies, finally happy to look away from Bane’s ghostly being, were surprised to see Princess Luna at the door. “Princess Luna!” said Twilight as she trotted the princess. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming!” Luna dismissed the worried tone. “There’s no need for formalities, Twilight Sparkle. This visit was unannounced.” “If you don’t mind me asking, your highness,” Rarity spoke up, “But aren’t you and Princess Celestia supposed to be back at Canterlot?” “We were. We both left after reading your letter and…” Luna trailed when she saw the holocron, and her eyes flickered with fear and shock.. Luna finally asked, “Is that what you found in the Everfree Forest?” “It is,” Twilight said, glancing at the holocron. “It wasn’t too far from the craft we found. There were also a few other things that…” “How did you activate the holocron?” Twilight was taken back. How did the princess know about this? Nonetheless, Twilight answered. “I… I’m not sure. I think I turned it on when I tried to use some of my magic. Then, it just started saying things like Jedi and Sith. I can’t make any sense of it.” Her eyes went to the holocron, then to Luna. “Princess Luna, just what is that?” Luna drew out a long sigh. “My sister would be better explaining this than I, but I shall try.” She stepped through the small crowd around her “That is a holocron. It is a repository that a pony records their life’s information for others to learn from.” “So it’s like one of those fancy films?” asked Applejack. “In a sense, but holocrons are unique.” Luna’s gaze went to the ghostly image of Bane. “What you see is an imprint of the holocron’s creator, a gatekeeper to interact with living beings and teach.” Rainbow spoke up, “So what do we do then? Talk to it?” “Yes.” Everypony was surprised at Luna’s straightforward answer, but no of them objected. Luna stepped forward was about to take a step forward when Twilight spoke. “Be careful, princess. We still don’t know what this 'holocron' can do. It could be dangerous.” “And he’s a big meanie-pants!” Pinkie piped in. “I shall keep that in mind,” the princess said. All eyes followed Luna as she went to the floating image–the gatekeeper, as she called it. The others could only wonder if this Darth Bane would not be as forceful to Luna as he was with them. Bane’s avatar studied the princess with much curiosity. “There is much power in you. More so than I have ever felt in a thousand years… for an animal such as yourself.” Luna’s nostrils flared. “I am no animal. I am Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria and Herald of the Night. I suggest you watch your tone when speaking to me, Sith.” Surprise flashed across the cold gaze. “So, you know what I am,” he finally stated. “I recognize the holocron’s shape,” she nodded, “and I’m well aware of the power you wield. It won’t work on me.” Bane’s gaze hardened, if that were even more possible. “Who has told you of the Sith?” Luna’s gaze matched Bane’s. “Why should I tell you?” “Because whoever told you must have trained you,” he answered coolly. “You’re strong in the Force. I can feel it. There are even small hints of the Dark Side on you.” The princess slightly twitched. No doubt, he was referring to Luna’s time as Nightmare Moon. “Once, I touched its power, but I’ve rejected it. It never did me any good.” “If you think that, then you’re a fool.” The ponies and Spike almost gasped at the insult. “Alright, that’s it! Nopony talks to the princess like that and gets away–” Rainbow shouted and ready to pounce but Luna stopped her. “I can handle this, Rainbow Dash. There is no need to be concerned.” The princess stared back at Bane. “I know what your power can do and what you do, Sith. All your kind ever care about is to conquer and rule. I hope the Jedi finally put an end to your evil.” “The Jedi?” Bane’s avatar snorted. “All they ever are is fools blinded by their need to serve even more fools. Hoth was no different.” Finally, Luna’s hardened face broke into shock. “You… you knew Lord Hoth?” she managed to ask. The gatekeeper studied Luna for a moment, then said, “Ah, I see. So he was here at one time. I never met him, but I know of him… and I know his fate.” A smile formed on his face. “Would you like to know what happened?” “No, I don’t!” Luna said, but a small quiver nearly betrayed her. All of the ponies watched. Twilight glanced between the holocron and the princess. This Darth Bane was trapping Princess Luna, trying to rustle her feathers, and it seemed like it was working. Suddenly, the holocron was momentarily covered in a yellow aura. Its avatar was surprise while its body collapsed into the blue light. The light was swallowed whole by the holocron, which clattered on the table, no longer active. “I believe that’s enough of that,” said a familiar voice. Everypony, partially relieved to be rid of the frightening being, turned to the entrance. Twilight, as with Luna, was the first to step forward and greet her mentor. “Princess Celestia!” “It is good to see you, my student,” Celestia smiled as she trotted in. “I’ve seen to all the ponies. They’ve returned to their homes and the guards are posted near the Everfree Forest. They should let us know if anything else happens.” Luna stepped passed the others and her eyes met Celestia’s. “Sister, I…” “It’s alright, Luna,” Celestia told her softly. She noticed the curious glances, then she looked back at Luna. “You should go outside and wait at the chariot. I’ll join you shortly.” With a silent nod, Luna closed the door behind, leaving her sister in the library. Celestia heard Luna flying away before she turned to the others. “I know you all want answers,” Celestia began, “and I’m not sure if I can give them all to you. But if you wish to ask, you should do it now. You may not have another chance.” From the group, Applejack spoke up. “Princess… just what was that? Princess Luna said it was some avatar or somethin’.” “Yes, and it kept on mentioning about light and dark,” Rarity added. “Yeah,” Rainbow chimed in. “It even said something about a ‘Lord Hoth.’ Princess Luna seemed to know him.” Celestia’s eyes flickered with surprise, but only a moment. Twilight stepped forward. “Please princess,” she said, “do you know anything about this?” Celestia met the gaze of her ever-curious pupil and sighed softly, “I do, but this may take a while.” She looked around her. “Perhaps, you all should sit down. It is quite a story.” Moments later, Celestia took a seat in the library. The Elements of Harmony and their baby dragon friend sat around, eagerly waiting for their princess to begin. Taking in a long breath, Celestia did. ““The story begins over a thousand years ago, back when Luna and I ruled together. A strange light fell from the sky and crashed nearby our castle, so Luna and I went to investigate. What we soon realized that it was not a meteorite but a strange, metal craft, and inside of it was a creature unlike anything in Equestria. That creature’s name was Hoth.” Celestia paused for a moment. “Hoth was unlike any creature. He was what he’d call a human. They’re like minotaurs in many respects. They can walk and two legs and have arms, but humans only have hair on their heads.” “So wait,” Spike interrupted, “If he wasn’t like anything in Equestria, where did he come from then? Another land?” Celestia smiled at him. “Much farther than that, Spike. Hoth’s home was far, far away from here. Another world, in fact.” Surprise almost overtook everypony around the sun princess. “Hold on!” Rainbow halted the story. “You mean this Hoth guy was an alien? That’s crazy!” “Luna and I didn’t believe it, either. However, it should not be far-fetched with all you've just seen,” Celestia spoke, which made the others look at each other. All lot did happen within the past hours. Applejack spoke up, “We know, your highness. It’s just all of this…” she said but trailed off, unsure what to say. Rarity cut in for her. “All of this is quite a lot to take in, your highness. It’s just the idea of so many worlds outside of our own is... is…” “… is out there!” Pinkie finished. “Thank you, Pinkie.” Twilight stood there, trying to imagine the possibilities of she just heard. “Well, astronomers have known for centuries that the stars in the sky are suns ad some have even theorized other worlds, but this… this is unbelievable. To think there are other beings out there!” Celestia held back a chuckle from her student’s growing excitement. “But princess, why was he in Equestria?” Fluttershy asked, bringing Celestia back to the story. “Hoth explained to us that he came onto our world by accident and the craft he arrived in had been damaged. So we allowed him to stay with us while he fixed his craft, and we helped whatever we could.” Celestia’s eyes softened with nostalgia. “During his stay, he became a dear friend to Luna and I.” Her nostalgia went as quickly as it appeared. “But Hoth’s leave was inevitable. You see, Lord Hoth was part of an order of warriors called the Jedi Knights. They have, for millennia, kept the peace among many worlds, serving as guardians for the people.” “Oh my,” Fluttershy’s eyes widen and the other carried very similar reactions. Glancing aside her, Celestia gestured to the table. “May I see that cylinder over there?” Twilight levitated the cylinder over to Celestia, who caught it in her own magic aura. The princess pressed the button on it, and the others almost backed away seeing the familiar yellow blade. The princess held the weapon with assurance. “This is a lightsaber, a weapon and a symbol of the Jedi,” “An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” Rainbow didn't buy it. “Elegant? That thing nearly fried us!” Celestia gave a patient smile. “That what is does, Rainbow. The Jedi face many foes, so they need these to fight against them. Many of these lightsabers come in many colors: blue, white, and even gold.” She noticed the others watching the blade with fascination, especially Rarity. “But the lightsaber isn’t the only weapon,” Celestia explained, turning off the blade and placing it back. “For the Jedi, they use a power call the Force, or what we would call magic. The Jedi use the Light Side of the Force, using emotions such as kindness and serenity to help others.” “But wait, you said there’s a Light Side,” Pinkie raised a hoof, “so isn’t there a dark?” Celestia nodded. “Yes. Those who use it use emotions such as rage and fear. The Sith are such and are the opposite of the Jedi, using the Dark Side to gain power and conquer others.” “Have ya actually met one, princess?” Applejack asked. “No. What I know what Lord Hoth told me,” she glanced over to the deactivated holocron, “and he also told me much about holocrons. I believe Luna already explained what holocrons are, correct?” They all nodded. “Then, you know that one stores their own knowledge in these holocrons. Any knowledge the Sith has left in this holocron can be dangerous if placed in the wrong hooves.” Twilight looked ready to serve. “What do ask of us, princess?” Celestia’s gaze softened at her student. “For now, I suggest you all get some rest. You’ve had a busy night, my little ponies.” Nopony else was willing to argue, and one by one, the Elements of Harmony shuffled out of the library. Only Twilight and Spike remained, the latter immediately going back upstairs to sleep. Twilight was about to join when her mentor called out, “Twilight, may I have a moment?” Twilight nodded and approached her. Celestia bent her neck down and spoke softly. “The royal guards are excavating the nearby area, trying to find anything new. Until then, I am entrusting all of this to you,” she said, gesturing to the items on the table. “I don’t want anypony to come near them until we’ve secured whatever else we find.” “Me, princess?” Twilight’s eyes widen. She had seen what the holocron was and from its conversation with Luna, she was a little worried what it contained. “But didn’t you say all of this knowledge could be dangerous?” “It is, but all I need you to do is keep them locked away for a short while. Nothing more.” Celestia gave one of her warm smiles. “I have the utmost trust in you, Twilight.” The encouragement brought Twilight’s hope a little. “I… I’ll keep it safe, princess.” “Thank you, Twilight,” and with that, Celestia departed the library. Author's Note … and it’s not dead! Boy, I haven’t touched this in six months. I must really be losing it! Oh well, at least I got this in for the New Years. Anyway, some news: First, I’m on winter break and I’ll have some free time to write the story. However, the story already is going too slow and could be better condensed. So, I’m planning rewrite what I have to give you guys a better written and hopefully a more captivating story. Like with everything I’m writing, I don’t know when I will get it done. I just hope it will be soon for you great guys, who have been reading this story. I hope you’ll like it. Thanks. -W.S. CANCELLATION Author's Note Hello, to anyone who is reading this. I apologize for not being on the site for a long time. However, I have sadder news regarding my stories: I will be discontinuing most of my stories on FIMFiction. I'm doing this because I felt I have not been fully committed to any of my stories on FIMFiction: Secrets, Truths, and Retribution (or STR) started out more as an idea that I did fully planned out and had high expectations to make it work. However, I posted it before season 4, and as the seasons went on, I became less and less comfortable with my initial plans and my story in general. The same applied to my SW/MLP crossover, Worlds Intertwined. I had a full story planned out and had high expectations to make it work, but I lost interest in it with things like Disney making the old EU non-canon, and the ever-changing material in new MLP episodes. Because of this, I haven't paid much attention to those stories, as many of you readers have noticed. I haven't touched Worlds Intertwined in years, and STR was only given its new chapter at the start of the year. I felt like I was pushing myself to write these stories to finish them, instead of wanting to write them. It got worse with a number of things happening in real life (graduating from college, getting a job, etc.), and my lack of interest in MLP, and FIMFiction. I barely watched anything from Season 4 or 5, I haven't even watched season 6 (nor I do feel the need to do so), and my focus has been on other shows like Voltron: Legendary Defender, RWBY, SW Rebels, and others. I don't think MLP is bad, I'm just not as interested as I used to be. Another thing is that I have recently been planning on some non-MLP-related stories, possibly a long-term project (if I ever have the free time, that is), that will take my time away from most of my other stories. I don't want to make readers, people who have been enjoying my stories, to see just one chapter and wait another year for the next one to show up. That being said, Falling from the Stars will continue. Unlike the other two mentioned, I don't feel any real compulsion to update the story so quickly. I feel like I can take my time, and it's easy on me to write the chapters. Also, I do have an idea for a MLP crossover-I have completed the prologue, and I would like to write some more before I post it, but we'll see how long that'll take. I'm not so sure about my Bionicle/MLP crossover, Tales of Virtues and Harmony, but I feel I can make it work. If not, I will discontinue it. I apologize to anyone who has enjoyed these stories, but I feel it has to be done. My stories won't have much progress, if any, and it won't be helpful to either the readers, or myself, if I just let them stay there for years on end. If anyone wishes to continue the work, then please send me a PM with your intent to adopt the story. I will send the documents that has my notes, drafts, and the chapters made thus far. -W.S.
Prelude: One Thousand Years Ago...The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters stood abrupt in the Everfree Forest, the grey bricks clashing with the green and brown of grass and trees. Night already fell and most the ponies inside were fast asleep. Besides the guards, there was one other pony up. At the highest balcony of the castle’s tallest tower, a young mare sat and stared at the night sky. She was an alicorn, as any could tell from her horn and the wings folded against her shining blue coat. Her cutie mark was, quite curious, a crescent moon against a night background. The growls and howls of the Everfree Forest critters went ignored as the alicorn stared up. She kept her gaze at the twinkling stars overhead, as if she was searching for something. Her wide eyes were filled with a longing, not for a lover but for one just as close and dear to herself. “Lulu, what are you doing?” a voice called out. The young alicorn, Lulu, turned away from the stars to doorway that led to her bed chambers. At the threshold was another alicorn, this one was older with a pink mane and a sun for a cutie mark. As the alicorn stepped into the moonlight, her white coat shone brighter than Lulu, which made the younger alicorn slightly jealous. It was pushed aside as Lulu returned her gaze to the sky. “I’m just gazing at the stars, Tia,” she answered it a quiet voice. A sigh left Tia as she trotted beside Lulu. “You’re looking for him aren’t you?” The question, though rhetorical in nature, brought out a twinge of sadness inside the younger alicorn. The sadness in Lulu’s lowering gaze was more than enough of an answer. “I’m worried about him, sister,” she finally spoke. “He has been gone for a month now.” Tia said nothing, only pulled her sister in a hug with a wing. “Lulu, you know he could not stay. He has done more than his part for us.” Tia looked at up the stars. “And we both know there are other evils he must fight.” Lulu glanced up at her sister. “Do you think we’ll ever see him again?” “I know we will,” she smiled at Lulu. After a pause of silence, Tia removed her wing from Lula. “Come on, we should be go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us.” Lulu gave a small smile before raising herself all four legs and trotting off to bed. Tia stood there, smiling as her younger sister enter the chamber. She was about to follow when she stopped herself and glanced at the night sky with her own curiosity. She was greeted with an object rising from the Everfree Forest. Despite the object being so far away, Tia recognized it immediately. It was a strange craft, neither a sailing ship nor cart, but a vehicle capable of flight. It was shaped like a bird with long wings and made of a strange metal unknown to the world. It roared like a dragon as flew further into the night. The strange craft was gone from her sight, but Tia wore a small smile. The feeling of relief and happiness warmed her heart for that mere sight set aside her concerns. Not wanting to keep her sister waiting, Tia entered the bed chamber, the smile never leaving her face. The clouds parted ways as the small craft continued to fly higher and higher. It was not long until the craft finally left the planet’s atmosphere, but it came to a stop, remained floating loftily in planet’s orbit. The inside the craft was filled with technology too advanced for the ponies or any other creature. The machines let out beeps that matched the blinking of multiple colors. Right in the center of all the technology was a creature of flesh, unlike any creature known to the ponies. It, or rather he, was a biped in gray armor that covered most of his body. He could have been mistaken for a Minotaur with his muscular stature, but he did not have bull legs and there was hair only on his head, tied up like a pony’s tail. Resting next his thigh was a gray cylinder, a simple object but a symbol to the order he belonged to. The being relaxed in his seat and he stroked his disheveled beard with a large hand. The past few months stranded on the planet had been an extraordinary experience. Never before in his life had he seen creatures such as the ponies. Two ponies, alicorn sisters in fact, were especially stuck in his mind. The memory of the sisters brought a smile to the being’s face. Though powerful, the sisters were lonely as they lost their parents many years ago and were forced them into their roles as rulers. Yet during his stay, their faces beamed with joy. The smile faded and the being’s brown eyes turned to the great planet he just departed. His craft floated above it, giving the view of the white clouds mixing with the blue oceans and green landmasses. It was relatively hidden from the rest of the galaxy, as well as the problems that plagued it. The world indeed had its own share of evils but there had been one specific kind of evil, the kind the being swore to fight. Fortunately, it was stopped in its place and the planet was safe… for now, that is. The being knew he could no longer afford to stay. There was a war to fight and he needed to lead his army into battle. When he was done, he would return, just as he promised. Turning his gaze away, the being’s hand went to the machines and began pressing buttons. Moments later, the being felt his craft humming with life and he gripped the handles controlling his craft. The stars turned into white lines streaking over his vision. And in a blink of an eye, he was gone. Author's Note That's the prologue. I hope you liked it and you will enjoy future chapters. Honestly, I'm not too sure how this story will turn out and this prologue seem to pale in comparison with my other story, but I'll leave that up to you, the readers, to decide. Please leave kind reviews, and if you have any problems, please leave constructive criticism to let me know what to fix. Thank you very much. -W.S. EDIT (10/30/2013): Sorry I forgot to put this up earlier, but I changed the prologue to a prelude. One of the commentators said that it didn't feel a prologue. After reading it, he was right, so I decided to change it. I hope that's alright with everyone else. Thanks.
Prologue: Lost and CrashingBEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP! The alarms of the starfighter blared as a computer sparked, flashing for a moment. The starfighter’s pilot, a biped creature with messy black hair, brought away his hand from the computer before the heat could singe him. “Kriff!” the pilot cursed. “Not now!” Everything was going wrong for the pilot. In just hours, he had been sent off of his original course and lost in whatever region of space he was in. The pilot was lost, plain and simple, and his craft had been malfunctioning since he arrived. First it had been navigation, then the communications went down, and now the stabilizers were going haywire. The universe really had a horrible sense of humor. Grabbing the controls with both hands, the pilot tried to regain control of his craft. He flexed the small appendages on his hands, his fingers, around and guided himself through the space he traveled. Sadly, it lasted only for a second before the starfighter suddenly shook before it was drifting. The pilot’s brown eyes widen with fear as he recognized what was happening: He was being pulled by something. “Oh that’s not good,” he said, turning to the source of the pull. The said source was a planet, blue water and green landmasses. It had been the same planet that the pilot first noticed before his vessel began to malfunction. Now, the pilot was caught by its gravity and now, the planet was becoming larger and larger. He flexed the small appendages on his hands, his fingers, just as his starfighter entered the planet’s atmosphere. As the starfighter fell, its shields managed to protect it, but barely. The reentry heated the metal of his starfighter and the pilot felt it. Sweat was coming off his furless body and soaking the black and red uniform covering him. His vessel constantly shaking in the vigorous turbulence did not help either. It was almost as if it was falling apart and that would be the case soon. The pilot would need to get through this ordeal alive or die trying. “Do or do not, there is no try,” he suddenly remembered, the words bringing a small hint of comfort. Thinking back to his training, the pilot closed his eyes. He, then, followed the simple routines he learned all those years: breathing, clearing the mind of all distractions, and letting his power guide him. The building heat no longer bothered the pilot, in fact did not felt like a burn at all. Rather, it felt like a small fire that was warming his body, not the raging inferno surrounding his. It was almost as if the heat was being absorbed into the pilot’s body. Whatever was going on, it allowed the pilot to survive the atmosphere. The red heat of reentry disappeared like a mist and no longer had to deal with that again. Unfortunately, the starfighter was still falling further and further to the planet’s surface. The pilot could feel his craft plummeting through the air and vaporizing any passing clouds. Already, he could see a vast forest from the window of his cockpit. The pilot tried to remain calm and focused, controlling his starfighter to best of his abilities. He believed he still had time to avoid a crash-landing. Then, the pilot and his vessel met the forest. Princess Celestia’s ear perked up and she whirled her head from her steaming cup of tea. Her eyes, once calm as she began enjoying her daily teatime, were now wide with alarm. Something was off, very off from the usual peace and calm the princess felt. However, there was nothing in the room as Celestia soon found out when she scanned the throne room. “Your highness?” a voice spoke. Celestia turned to the two guards positioned at the throne room’s double doors, their spears at ready. Both of them were concerned for their princess, who gave them a soft glance. “I am fine, thank you,” she told them in a warm tone. “If you may excuse me, I would like to be alone.” One guard confusedly glanced at the other, who just shrugged before trotting away. The former followed the latter out of the throne room and the doors quietly closed behind the pair. Finding herself alone, the seriousness returned to Celestia’s face. She levitated her tea onto the small stand near her throne and began pondering about the presence she felt. It was a pricking sensation at the back of her mind, something different from the magical aura she was used to. That sensation, it was so familiar, one she had not felt since… Celestia shooed that thought away. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things. Even if it was similar to that, this presence came from a different source. Besides, there was another presence, something else. Something dark. At that point, doors swung open and entering the throne room was Princess Luna. Alarm spread across her face, Luna urgently began, “Sister, we…” “I know, Luna. I felt it, too” Celestia interjected, stepping down from her throne. “Do you know what it is?” “No, sister, but we know that it comes from the Everfree Forest,” Luna replied. “We shall dispatch the royal guard to investigate.” “It will be hours before they make it,” she said, walking towards one of the stained-glass windows. The night princess walked up beside her sister. “Then, what do you suggest we do?” Celestia paused a moment to ponder before she finally answered, “We’ll send the Elements of Harmony.” Luna’s eyes widen. “But sister, we can’t just send the Elements on this mission. It could be dangerous.” “They live much closer to the Everfree Forest and are more than capable to protect themselves. They can at least make sure that nopony else enters before the royal guard arrives,” said the older alicorn. “They may even find something that can help us understand just what we are dealing with.” Luna went silent as she thought about her sister’s words. “Very well. I shall prepare the guards for departure,” she finally spoke. She was about to leave when she added with concern, “And tell the Elements to take care.” “I trust my student and her friends very much, sister. They will be fine,” Celestia assured with a smile. The concern on her sister’s face never went away as she left the throne room. Celestia’s own concern stirred forth as she doubted her own words. “Please be safe, Twilight,” Celestia whispered. Author's Note Alright, *this* is the prologue. Sorry if I confused any of my readers at any point with that when I said about the prelude being the prologue… and you guys don’t really care do you? Oh well. Anyway, please let me know what you think. Is it good, bad, or just meh? Leave comments bellows and please leave constructive criticism to let me know what I need to fix. Thanks a bunch! -W.S.
Chapter 1: Findings in a Forest“Spike, where are you?” Twilight Sparkle’s voice rang out through her library. A few books and scrolls floated around the purple mare before she levitated them into the saddlebag in front of her. Closing her saddlebag, Twilight turned to the silent library. “Spiiiiiiike!” she called out once again. “I’m coming! I’m coming!” Spike called back before he walked down the stairs. “Ah, there you are!” Twilight said as she levitated her saddlebag on her back. “Come on Spike, we need to leave.” Spike yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. “But Twilight, it’s past midnight. Can’t we just put this off till morning?” Twilight glared at him as if chastising a filly. “Spike, did you even hear what Princess Celestia said?” Using her magic, Twilight took from her saddlebag a scroll, the same scroll that forced Spike from his comfortable bed minutes ago. It had the royal Canterlot seal, meaning it directly came from Princess Celestia herself. Twilight unrolled the letter and began reading: “My dearest Twilight, I’m sorry for sending this message to you so late, but I’m in of need your assistance. Some minutes ago, my sister and I noticed there was something strange. From what I know, the source of this comes from the Everfree Forest, not too far from you. I wish for you and the other Elements of Harmony to search for this. Now, I must warn you to use extra caution, Twilight. This disturbance felt unlike anything in Equestria. Neither Luna nor I know what it is. Please be safe. Signed, Princess Celestia.” By the time she finished, Twilight saw Spike dozing off on a nearby pile of books. “Spike!” “Huh, what?!” Spike snapped up his tired head. “Oh yeah. Thing in Everfree, need to go there and find it…” The little dragon murmured the last word before he yawned again. Rolling her eyes, Twilight turned around for the door. “Come on Spike. We need to get the others.” Spike got off of his pillow of books and asked, “But what if somepony else is up?” “I don’t think so Spike. It’s late at night, so I don’t think anypony…” Twilight opened the door and her ears drooped, “… would be up.” Staring outside, Twilight found all of Ponyville to be up and about. The light of every single household was on and everypony stood was in the middle of the streets. Some of them were already out, while most had disheveled looks that meant they recently gotten out of bed. Twilight could hear chatter from the tired ponies as they wondered about the source of their sudden awakening. Spike popped his head beside her. “Looks like the entire town’s up,” he commented. “But why?” Twilight asked as she trotted out with Spike in tow. “Twilight!” they heard a familiar voice. The pair turned and saw more ponies rushing through the crowded streets. Those ponies were the other Elements of Harmony: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. The two pegasi flew, while the others trotted. “Girls!” the purple mare said as the five ponies approached her. “What’s going on? Why’s the entire town up?” “Didn’t you hear?” Rarity asked. “There was an explosion!” “An explosion?” Twilight repeated. “Yeah,” Pinkie Pie zipped in front of the purple mare, “we were all sleeping, but there was a loud ‘BOOM!’ and now, everyone’s up and really, really worried!” After Pinkie’s rapid-fire talking ended, Twilight spoke up, “How come I didn’t hear it, then? I’ve been inside my library and I haven’t heard a thing.” “Didn’t you put up that sound-proof shield so you could sleep better?” Spike spoke up. Twilight glanced at her home and noticed the small magical aura surrounding it. “Oh… right,” she gave a nervous chuckle to her friends and mentally kicked herself. Rainbow Dash landed beside “So why are you up, then?” Rainbow Dash asked as she noticed Twilight’s saddlebag. “And what’s with the bags?” Twilight cleared her throat a bit. “I received a letter from Princess Celestia. She said that she and Princess Luna noticed a disturbance in the Everfree Forest, and she wanted me to investigate.” She paused before adding, “Maybe this explosion has something to do with it.” The news made the others even more curious as Applejack stepped forward. “Did she say how we can find it, Twi’?” “No,” Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof. “We need something to trace it with. Maybe some kind of magical signature or…” “Something like that?” Twilight’s assistant cut her off. The six ponies looked at Spike with a raised claw, pointing past them. Turning their heads, they saw the Everfree Forest past the many houses of Ponyville and all of them were surprised to see… “Smoke?” Rarity gasped at the large black trail rising from the Everfree Forest treetops. It was unnatural for there to be smoke in the first place since nopony lived there, besides Zecora. Also, it was larger than a smoke trail from a mere campfire. Some of the Ponyville ponies noticed it as well, and wondered as to what it was. The six ponies and Spike had an idea as to what it was. Pinkie jumped. “Looks like somepony’s throwing a party!” That was not it. Ignoring Pinkie, Twilight faced her friends. “We need to find that smoke! It could be the disturbance the princess warned us about!” “Then what are waiting for?!” Rainbow shouted as she flew up into the air. “Let’s go!” “Wait, we need to stick together!” Twilight shouted, but Rainbow was already gone. She sighed and turned to the others. “Come on, girls!” And they were off like a shot, with a frightful Fluttershy in tow as she repeated “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!” In the Everfree forest, smoke emerged from the mess that was the mysterious starfighter. The exterior was still hot from reentry and the nose of the starfighter was buried in the ground with a long dirt trail behind it, a mark left from its “landing.” Treading away from the craft in slow and heavy steps was its biped pilot. His body was wounded with multiple scratches and his uniform was dirtied. One hand was on his side, while the other held onto an object that gave a glowing red hue. “Ow,” the pilot winced from his wounds, yet continued walking. Things were not going as the pilot expected. First, he ended up in the middle of nowhere, then crashed, and now he was stuck on a planet that probably little to no sign of civilization. To add to that, he was hurting all over, with a bleeding side and a bruised leg. “What I would do for a bacta tank right now?” the pilot chuckled to himself, but a cough cut him short. The simple cough turned into a hack and a jolt of pain shot through the pilot’s entire body. His hand released his grip on the object and covered his mouth. It did little, though, as blood flew from his mouth to his palm. The pilot collapsed on his knees and bent over, hacking out more blood. The coughing stopped a moment later, but the pilot’s body was so weak he collapsed on the ground. As he laid there, a small wheeze escaped his lungs. There was no point in sugarcoating it. The pilot knew he would die on this world, far away from the academy, far away from home. Despite the hopelessness of his situation, the pilot felt calm, at peace, and he knew why. The artifact was safe, far away from the reach of any creature to use. That was made the pilot smile. Closing his eyes, the pilot relaxed his body as his final breath left him. His flesh, instead of being left for the worms, began to fade away. A moment later, and the pilot was completely gone, leaving his clothes to collapse on the grass. Not too far away, a small object lied on the green grass. Its glow was casted on its surrounding, and covering the greens and browns in blood red. Both Twilight and Rarity’s horns glowed, lightning the way as they and their friends trotted down the Everfree Forest. They were rushing, desperately trying to catch up with Rainbow Dash, who was flying far ahead of them. “Rainbow, wait up!” Twilight called out, but it went unnoticed as the speedster took the lead and flapped her wings. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came to a screeching halt and her eyes widen at what she saw. “Woah,” she uttered. Rainbow called over her shoulder, “Hey, I found something!” Soon, Rainbow saw her friends coming towards her, one by one. First came Twilight and Spike with Rarity, the two unicorns depowering their horns. Then Applejack came with a bouncing Pinkie, and finally, Fluttershy, who was frightfully glancing around her. As they lined up, they all saw what Rainbow found. “Oh, no!” Rarity’s eyes widen in horror. “It’s… it’s…” Lying on the grass were clothes, a white and red tunic to be more precise. Though the forest was dark, there were evidence of small rips stretching from sleeves down to the matching pants and boots. It looked like a manticore mauled it and the large rip on the side only supported that. “It’s a disaster!” Rarity cried out as she rushed to the “victim.” “Who would dare ruin such clothing?!” “Uh… yeah, who would?” Applejack said before turning to Twilight. “Just what do you think happened here?” Twilight answered. “I don’t know. This just seems… well, odd.” “Whoever did this must have been crazy!” Rainbow exclaimed as she hovered over the ruined clothes. “I mean, who leaves their clothes lying around?” Rarity, still a little distressed, glanced at her. “Perhaps, somepony who didn’t wanted to wear it after being so… damaged.” She glanced back down. “I mean, it’s torn in so many places. It would take days to fix this!” As Rarity lamented, the rest gathered around the ruined clothes. “Still,” Applejack spoke from across Rarity, “what fella wears this kind of clothes? I mean, don’t they look strange to y’all?” Fluttershy, who hovered with Dash, added. “They don’t look like a pony’s.” “Of course not, Fluttershy,” Rarity cut in. “I’ve had many customers and these clothes certainly do not belong to a pony.” She laid a hoof on a sleeve. “And this fabric isn’t like anything I’ve seen.” Next to Rarity, Twilight took her turn. “Also, Rainbow brought a point. Why would anypony just leave their clothes? It looks like whoever was here just… vanished.” “Like there’s no trace left,” Spike finished from Twilight’s other side. “But what about this?” Pinkie asked, directing all eyes on her. Pinkie was on the other side with Applejack, and her hoof was pointing to the other sleeve. It seemed to be bulging out, like some limb was inside of it. The others were not too sure as it was still a little dark to make it out. Then, Pinkie’s hoof tapped the sleeve twice. CLANG! CLANG! Everypony else almost backed away and stared at the clothes. “What the hay…” Applejack said, voicing everypony’s thoughts. “Just what is that?” came from a surprised Rainbow. Before more could be said, Twilight quickly lit her horn again, and everypony saw the bulge was really a limb. From the shape of the sleeve, it was less like a pony’s foreleg, and more like an arm. The small rips revealed glinting light to the seven pairs of eyes, making them even more curious. “What do you reckon that is?” Applejack was the first to ask, adjusting her Stetson while doing so. “I don’t know.” Twilight eyed the limb as her light went down the arm and fell on a strange claw. “It doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before.” Spike looked at her. “It looks like a limb. Maybe a minotaur’s?” “But minotaurs have four fingers, not five,” Twilight noted, pointing a hoof to the claw’s five digits. Seeing the claw shine in the light, she added, “And it’s made of some kind of metal.” “There’s also this thingy,” Pinkie intruded once again. They found her hoof not on the arm, but to a metallic cylinder with one end hooked to the belt. It was strange, much like the metal arm, ten inches long and made of several segments. “Any ideas, Twilight?” Rainbow asked the brains of the group. “I don’t know. Some kind of tool, I g-Pinkie, be careful with that!” Twilight exclaimed when Pinkie unhooked the cylinder from the belt. As the pink pony held the cylinder in her hooves, she noticed a stud on it. “I wonder what this button does,” Pinkie wondered aloud. Applejack extended a cautious hoof. “Pinkie, I don’t think…” But Pinkie’s hoof already fell on stud. SNAP-HISS! A great beam of yellow energy shot up, and it was so sudden that Pinkie dropped the cylinder in surprise. The yellow beam, now a blade, swung down as the cylinder fell with it. “Watch out!” Twilight shouted, and everypony backed away. “Woah!” Rainbow nearly yelled as she and Fluttershy narrowly dodged the blade. Rarity, Twilight, and Spike leapt away, and the blade struck the ground they stood on. The green grass that the blade touched burned black as they were incinerated. Then, the yellow blade retracted into the cylinder with a hiss and the hazard was over. Pinkie found a few glares on her and sheepishly smiled. “Oops.” “Just what the hay was that thing?!” Rainbow demanded. Twilight grabbed the unlit cylinder with her magic and lifted it to her face. “Whatever it is, we need to keep it safe.” She glanced at the ruined garments. “Same with these.” “I shall deal with this,” Rarity offered, her magic already wrapping the garment around the metal limb. “Alright.” Twilight looked at the others. “We should look around. Maybe there’s something more around.” The others nodded and split up, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash going one way, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack in another. Seeing Rarity remain behind, Twilight put the cylinder in her saddlebag and went in her own direction. “What do you think we’ll find?” asked Spike as he followed. “I don’t know. Maybe something to do…” Twilight’s voice trailed off as her eyes caught something. “Twilight, what is it?” Spike’s question was ignored as Twilight ran forwards. What caught the mare’s attention was a red glow not too far away. Twilight and Spike approached the light and saw its source came from a small object. It was shaped like a four-sided pyramid that was covered in some kind of glass. Twilight lifted the curious thing with her magic. Beneath the glass, she could see a crystal, the source of the red light, placed in the center. Etched on each face were strange symbols, but they did not look like runes or pictographs. Not the ones she read about, anyway. “Man, this just keeps getting weirder and weirder,” Twilight heard Spike. Twilight said nothing as she put the object in her saddlebag and closed it. “Hey!” the two heard Rainbow Dash. “You should see this come and see this!” Following Dash’s voice, Spike and Twilight found her and Fluttershy on the ground. For some reason, the two pegasi’s hooves covered their noses. Twilight and her assistant found why when they started coughing from the stench of smoke. “What…” Twilight coughed, “What is that?” “That,” Fluttershy said, pointing a hoof forward. Twilight and Spike looked, and their eyes widen. “Woah,” said the latter. Surrounded by broken tree branches was some kind of craft. Its body was long, over twelve meters, and a red stripe ran across it. Its front was buried in the dirt, and in the center, a window was popped open to reveal a compartment. A black trail of smoke emerged from the back end, where four wings stuck out and formed an “X.” “Well,” Twilight coughed a bit, “we found what’s causing that smoke.” “What did you fin-holy horseapples!” the four heard Applejack as the orange pony joined them. “What is that?” “I believe that is a vehicle of some kind,” Rarity stated matter-of-factly as she trotted beside Applejack. The garment they found were on her back, and she kept a hoof over her snout. “I wonder what is it?” Pinkie showed up, completing the entire group. “Maybe it’s aliens!” She beamed at the idea. “Do you think I should to throw it a welcome party?!” Twilight wondered about that. Aliens? There were facts about other worlds, but anything about aliens were mainly conspiracies or fiction. Then again, there was no other explanation to make sense of the strange craft. All seven eyes looked up at the sound of flapping wings and saw two ponies descending. Twilight recognized their bat-like wings and the lavender-colored armor. “It’s Princess Luna’s guards!” she announced. The two guards landed in front of the ponies and Spike. One stared at them with their cat-like eyes and spoke in a deep voice, “Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. We were sent by their highnesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, to find a disturbance in the ‘Everfree Forest.’” He turned to the craft. “It seems you have already found it.” The other guard spoke, his voice a little lighter than his comrade. “More guards will arrive to secure this … thing. We will stay to make sure that nopony will come.” “But wait,” Applejack interrupted, “what about us?” “We can handle it from here. There is no need for you to be here,” the first guard answered. “You may return to Ponyville.” “If you’re sure,” Twilight said. “Come on, girls.” The ponies and Spike glanced at each other with uncertainty. Still, they followed the purple unicorn away from the craft, leaving the two guards to their duty. “Finally!” Rainbow exclaimed once they were out of earshot. “I couldn’t stand being near that thing without breathing!” “I’ll say,” Applejack agreed. “This is a lot better than over there.” “I agree. That smoke was very disgusting,” Rarity said before shivering. “I hope to never experience that again.” While the others conversed, Twilight was silent. She could only think of what she found. First, the clothes, then the strange sword, and then that craft. There were so many bizarre things, and all just from answering a letter. Twilight made a mental note to write a letter to Princess Celestia. After that, there was still a lot more work to be done. It definitely was going to be a long night. Author's Note Alright, that’s chapter 1. I would like to thank The Lunar Samurai and Coda Crescendo for helping me with this chapter. Really appreciate it guys. So, what do you think of the chapter? Was the format good, did I portray the characters correctly, did I make the mood correct, and were there any bits that need editing? Please let me know. Thanks. -W.S.
Chapter 2: News and Studies“Your highness, your highness!” From her throne, Celestia gazed at one of her royal guards running into the chamber. “Have they found it?” she asked. “Yes… they have,” the guard answered after breathing for a moment. “Two of Princess Luna’s guards arrived to find the disturbance. According to their reports, it was some kind of… carriage, to best describe.” “And the Elements?” Celestia continued as she stored that bit of information away. “The guards reported to have met them at the scene,” “They arrived before the guards did and were sent back to Ponyville to rest. There was no sign of any harm on them.” Celestia did not show it, but she was relieved to know the Elements were safe. Now, to worry about the task at hand… “Send another squadron of guards,” the alicorn princess ordered. “They’re to set up a perimeter around the area and have another to will be sent to retrieve this ‘carriage.’” “Yes your highness,” the guard bowed and took his leave. Just as the guard exited and doors closed behind him, Celestia saw a small green trail of dragon fire entered the throne room. It swirled towards the sun princess and with a flash, a scroll popped in front of her. The yellow magic grabbed the scroll and unrolled it to reveal Spike’s handwriting, which Celestia quickly read. "Dear Princess Celestia, I am to report that my friends and I have discovered the disturbance. Apparently, some kind of craft crashed in the Everfree Forest. We also found some things near the craft. Among the things we found, one was strange garments that were badly torn up. We also found a metal limb with the strange garments. It looks like a minotaur’s arm, but it has five fingers instead of four. I can’t be sure for what creature has such an arm. We found something as well. There was a strange cylinder with the garments. We soon found it was some kind of weapon when Pinkie accidentally turned it on. A yellow blade came out and it can burn whatever it touches. Nopony was hurt, fortunately. Rainbow Dash calls it a laser sword. It’s completely incorrect, but I don’t know what else to call it." “Laser sword?” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Could she mean…” Cold realization halted the princess’ sentence in its place. What she just read sounded too familiar to not recognize it. But there was no way it could be that? Could it? Celestia looked down and continued reading. "There is one final thing. Spike and I found some kind of object not too far from the clothes. It’s a small object shaped like a pyramid with strange symbols on it, and there’s a crystal in the center. I’m afraid I can’t figure out what it is or what it does. That’s all I have to report. I will update you as soon as I learn more. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." The yellow magic around the letter dissipated, letting it loftily drop to the floor. Celestia’s face was pure surprise, eyes widen and mouth slightly open as she whispered, “It just can’t be. It just can’t…” Recent events told the princess otherwise. First, there was that presence she and Luna sensed some hours ago. Then, there was that strange craft found in the Everfree Forest. Twilight’s letter only added on the princess’ suspicions. Now, Celestia had to find out. She needed to know if her suspicions were true. “Guard!” the sun princess called and a guard entered. “Prepare my chariot and get my sister! We’re leaving!” Rainbow Dash let out an impatient sigh and slumped on the floor of Twilight’s library. She turned to the other Elements of Harmony sitting with her and asked, “So how much longer do you think it will take?” None of them said anything, save for Spike who was walking with a tray of drinks. “Well, it is Twilight, so it’s going to go on for a while. Maybe even hours.” He set the tray down in front of the five mares. “Here you go.” “Thank you Spike,” said Rarity as she took her cup of tea. Applejack took her own cup and then looked to Twilight. “She’d been like this ever since we got back,” she agreed. “And all of Ponyville’s gone back to sleep by now.” All eyes went to the unicorn at her desk, where she had been since they returned from the Everfree Forest. They could not see her face as Twilight buried it in a journal, where she jotted notes on the strange objects they found, which were placed on front of her. As Twilight continued to jot notes in her journal, Fluttershy worried, “I hope she doesn't go on for too long. She might exhaust herself.” “It’s Twilight,” Rainbow said with much confidence. “She’ll be fine.” Rarity thought otherwise. “I don’t know. Ever since we got back, she seems to be more…” she paused to find the appropriate word, “…well, studious than usual.” “Yeah!” Pinkie chimed in. “It’s almost like that time she met her future self.” Spike inwardly winced, remembering the dilemma caused Twilight to worry over nothing and left him with an aching stomach full of ice cream. Applejack glanced back to Twilight. “Uh Twilight?” It went unheard as Twilight continued writing in her journal. “Twi'?” Again, nothing. An impatient Dash flew up and called out, “Hey, Twilight!” causing Twilight to almost jump and drop her book. Twilight whirled her glaring eyes to the pegasus. “Rainbow…” Before Twilight could say anything, Pinkie asked, “Did you find anything?” “Nothing,” she sighed, more out of frustration than anger. “I’ve been looking at that thing for half an hour now, and I still haven’t come up with anything!” “We’ve only just found them, dear,” said Rarity. “You can’t expect to find everything, immediately.” “I guess,” Twilight reluctantly relented, turning back around. Scattered all over Twilight’s desk were the four objects. The metal cylinder was on the left and beside it was the strange garment. The metal limb, removed from the sleeve, was placed on the far right and now it showed entire metal components that acted as flesh. In the center rested the pyramid, the spectacle of Twilight’s curiosity. “I need to find out more,” Twilight murmured, loud enough for everypony to hear. “Whatever,” Rainbow said off to the side, “just keep that laser sword away from me.” Twilight rolled her eyes at that. “It’s not a laser sword, Rainbow. Lasers are just beams of light. They can’t really burn anything.” “Then, what do you think we should call it?” “Ooh, I know! How about beam saber or a light sword?” Pinkie jumped, but it went ignored. “Well, I…” Twilight paused. “I really don’t know.” “Laser sword it is, then!” Rainbow nodded. Shaking her head, Twilight turned back to the pyramid and the red glow fell on her face. Out of all the objects, the pyramid was the most important. Twilight was not sure how she knew it, but she did. “There had to be some way of working all of this,” Twilight thought aloud. Applejack let out a hmm and suggested, “Maybe there’s a button somewhere? There was on that tube.” “Cylinder, Applejack,” she corrected. “And I've already studied them. I didn't find any button.” “Um…” Fluttershy squeaked, “maybe you can use your magic on it?” Twilight’s head perked up. “What?” Finding eyes on her, Fluttershy almost hid behind her pink mane. “Well, you see… maybe it reacts to magic… and since you use magic, maybe you could give it some juice…” Twilight blinked, surprised she did not think of that. “That actually might work. Thanks, Fluttershy.” There was a small mutter of a “Your welcome” from the timid mare. The lavender mare looked at the pyramid. “Alright, here it goes,” and closing her eyes, Twilight channeled her magic into her horn. The others gathered around her, watching with amazement and curiosity to see what would happen. The purple aura of Twilight’s magic covered her horn and soon surrounded the pyramid. It remained still as Twilight poured more magic out of her horn. The field around the pyramid grew stronger and stronger with every passing second. The red glow dimmed a little, but it was barely noticeable by everypony. Spike heard chattering bones and he found it came from Pinkie. Instead of being the usual ball of energy, Pinkie just stood there, her knees slightly twitching. Her eyes were wide with fear and her face looked like it was in a trance. “Pinkie, are you alright?” Spike asked with concern. Pinkie came out of her trance and said with widen eyes, “Knees are pinchy! Something scary is about to happen!” Spike did not question it. Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense let her predict near-future events via twitches. “If Pinkie’s a-twitchin’, you’d better listen,” Applejack once said something along those lines. He found it to be true, and after much deliberation, even Twilight. The others heard Pinkie and they were already having their own concerns. “Maybe we should stay away,” Rarity said cautiously and Fluttershy nodded. “You can’t be serious!” exclaimed Rainbow. “This is just a, a… what this thing is! It’s not going to do anything!” Applejack shot a glare to her. “Rainbow, this is Pinkie’s sense we’re talking about!” “Uh girls,” Twilight said through her concentration, “can you please be a little quiet? I need to concentrate.” Unfortunately, she was not heard. “But what’s it going to do? Jump out and bonk us on the head?” Rainbow taunted. “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” refuted Applejack. “Girls, can you please be quiet?” Twilight repeated as she felt her control slowly slipping away. “But how can a pyramid be any scary?” Rainbow asked. “Maybe Pinkie’s wrong this time.” “Never question the Pinkie Sense!” came from Pinkie this time. Then, said Fluttershy, “Girls, maybe we should…” Twilight’s eyes shot open. “I said be quiet!” Her horn glowed brighter than before, pouring more magic into the pyramid. The magic build up in the pyramid until it was released in a flash of red light. Everypony gasped, even Twilight, and backed away from the desk. The flash had dissipated, but the red light from inside the pyramid glowed. The glow only became brighter and brighter with every passing second while everypony was left standing there, afraid of what may happen. It did not help that a few of them thought the library’s lights flickered a little. “Oh my goodness!” Rarity nearly cried out. “Dear Celestia!” That was Applejack, whom Fluttershy currently hid behind. “I take it back, Pinkie! You were right!” Rainbow said with fear in her voice. Spike looked to Twilight for answers. “Twilight, what’s going on?!” Twilight shook her head. “I… I don’t know.” How could she know? This was unlike anything she had ever seen in her entire life. Yes, Twilight had seen plenty with Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra, but this was nothing like them. This was completely new. This was completely new and not of this world. Maybe Pinkie was right about it being aliens, Twilight thought. Twilight brought her gaze back to the glowing pyramid. The energy continued to build up until a blue light emerged from the pyramid. Gasps filled the library as everypony saw the blue light spread out and coalesced into the form of a creature. The creature itself was strange. It was bipedal with two arms and two legs, and the bulky figure would have mistaken the creature for a Minotaur if not for the lack of fur. The folds of its dark-colored clothing covered much as well as the armor on its arms and chest. The small circular plates comprising the armor gleamed, making them look like they were alive. The six ponies and the lone baby dragon just stood there, unsure at what they were seeing. This thing was no mere apparition or an illusion of their mind. It was real and it made them both frightened and curious of the being. Mustering enough courage, Twilight took a brave trot forwards. “H-hello?” she said through her fear, though it came off more as a stutter. The creature raised its head to Twilight and she almost shivered. The helmet was like a cage, jagged pieces of metal crawling all over the pale flesh. A pair of eyes coldly gazed at her and the pair of visible lips turned into a thin line. “Why have you summoned me?” said the being, a male from its deep and ancient voice. “E-excuse me?” Twilight said, taken back. “You were the one who activated the holocron, were you not?” he inquired. “If so, then why? You are obviously not a Sith. There it barely a hint of the Dark Side around you. Are you a Jedi?” Twilight could barely comprehend what she just heard. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what a holocron or a Jedi is.” The being was silent for a moment. “I see,” he finally spoke. “You must not know then. Surprising, considering your strength in the Force.” Now, Twilight was not sure if she was being complemented or insulted. Behind her, Rainbow muttered to the others, “What’s this guy talking about? Is he crazy?” “Rainbow Dash, shush!” Rarity scolded. “It isn’t nice to interrupt a pony–er, thing when they’re speaking.” Twilight’s friends gave her a nice distraction as she turned to them. “Uh girls? A little help,” she called out to them. “Here, let me,” Applejack offered, trotting forward. “My name’s Applejack. Now, we’ve got some misunderstanding. Maybe it’d help if you explain a few things for us.” The strange being finally took notice of the others, but he did not answer Applejack’s question. Instead, his lips curled into a snarl. “The Light Side permeates around you. All of you,” the being said with contempt as he gazed at each one of them. “Has the Order of the Sith fallen so far that my knowledge has fallen into the hands of a bunch of animals? And those with the Light Side, no less?” All stared at the being, insulted at his words. All save for Rainbow Dash who shouted, “Hey, who’re you calling animals?!” “Hold it, Rainbow!” Applejack held out her foreleg to stop the speedster. Twilight mentally sighed, knowing she had to do something. Being called animals did not leave her and her friends a good impression of this strange creature, but they need to learn more. “Maybe we’ve got off the wrong hoof,” Twilight spoke to break the awkward silence. “How about we introduce each other? My name is Twilight Sparkle. What's yours?" The creature’s hardened gaze fell on Twilight and he said, “I am Darth Bane. Dark Lord of the Sith.” Author's Note Sorry for the ending. I kind of went lazy with the writing and I apologize if any characters were OOC. The story is going slow, but I’ll try to speed it up later on. Classes have been a pain and haven’t given me much time or motivation to write the chapters, so it’ll be a while before I update the next chapter. Just thought I should let you know. As usual, thanks to The Lunar Samurai and Coda Crescendo for pre-reading the chapter. I really appreciate it guys! -W.S.
Chapter 3: Voice from the Past“Sister, are you sure this is true?” Luna asked quietly from her seat in the chariot. The wind breezed through Celestia’s mane as she stared at her sister. “I am, Luna. It’s been a millennium, but I’m sure. From what Twilight wrote in her letter, everything seems to match.” “But we may be rushing into this. For all we know, this could be some mistake. You said yourself Twilight Sparkle had rushed through her letter.” Luna almost chewed the inside of her cheek as she doubted her own words. “We still have to know. What Twilight found may help us learn what happened in the Everfree Forest,” Celestia said, mentally adding, And hopefully answer some questions. “And what if it’s nothing?” Luna posed the question. She opened her mouth, but one of the pegasi pulling of the chariot announced, “Your highnesses! We’re arriving at Ponyville!” The two princesses looked over the edge and saw the town in the distance. “We’ll soon found, sister,” Celestia said as Ponyville seemingly grew bigger. The chariot landed in the town square some moments later and the princesses’ arrival did not go unnoticed. Some ponies who went back to sleep less than an hour ago, slowly stirred and were surprised to find Equestria’s rulers in their town. Just as they dismounted the chariot, both heard a small cry of “Princess Luna!” and they turned to see who it was. Luna was certainly surprised to see a familiar pinto colt. “Pipsqueak?” Pipsqueak rushed up to the Night Princess and hugged her leg. “It’s good to see you!” he said gleefully through his thick Trottingham accent. “It is good to see you too, Pipsqueak,” Luna gave a small smile as she returned the hug. Celestia would have smiled if she did not notice Pipsqueak was not the only one up. Curious mutters and whispers grew louder with the ponies slowly crowded into the town square. Only two royal guards, the pegasi pulling the chariot, managed to keep the crowd at bay. “Luna,” Celestia said as she glanced over to Luna, who quickly noticed the crowd as well. “I’ll deal with the crowd. Head over to Twilight’s.” “Can I come?” Pipsqueak asked excitedly as he released himself from Luna. Luna looked down to him with an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid not. It is late and you should return to bed.” “But I want…” Pipsqueak started, but Luna cut him off. “I’ll see you another time. We can play then.” The colt looked up at the Night Princess. “Promise?” A smile formed on Luna’s muzzle. “I promise.” “Alright!” And so, Pipsqueak gleefully turned around and was soon out of sight. Luna’s smile did not leave her, at least not until she saw her smirking sister. “What?” Luna asked. “Nothing, sister,” Celestia faced the crowd of ponies, “nothing at all.” Luna ignored it as she turned to leave and unfurled her wings. She took flight to leave as Celestia addressed the crowd of ponies in the town square. Silence fell over the Golden Oaks Library as Twilight blinked at the ghostly creature in front of her. Her friends stared at the being as well, but it was a mixture of fear and confusion. Twilight’s gaze was of curiosity focused on the being–this “Darth Bane,” as it gave its name moments ago. Before anypony could ask anything, there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” Spike rushed to the door with relief. The ponies, finally happy to look away from Bane’s ghostly being, were surprised to see Princess Luna at the door. “Princess Luna!” said Twilight as she trotted the princess. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming!” Luna dismissed the worried tone. “There’s no need for formalities, Twilight Sparkle. This visit was unannounced.” “If you don’t mind me asking, your highness,” Rarity spoke up, “But aren’t you and Princess Celestia supposed to be back at Canterlot?” “We were. We both left after reading your letter and…” Luna trailed when she saw the holocron, and her eyes flickered with fear and shock.. Luna finally asked, “Is that what you found in the Everfree Forest?” “It is,” Twilight said, glancing at the holocron. “It wasn’t too far from the craft we found. There were also a few other things that…” “How did you activate the holocron?” Twilight was taken back. How did the princess know about this? Nonetheless, Twilight answered. “I… I’m not sure. I think I turned it on when I tried to use some of my magic. Then, it just started saying things like Jedi and Sith. I can’t make any sense of it.” Her eyes went to the holocron, then to Luna. “Princess Luna, just what is that?” Luna drew out a long sigh. “My sister would be better explaining this than I, but I shall try.” She stepped through the small crowd around her “That is a holocron. It is a repository that a pony records their life’s information for others to learn from.” “So it’s like one of those fancy films?” asked Applejack. “In a sense, but holocrons are unique.” Luna’s gaze went to the ghostly image of Bane. “What you see is an imprint of the holocron’s creator, a gatekeeper to interact with living beings and teach.” Rainbow spoke up, “So what do we do then? Talk to it?” “Yes.” Everypony was surprised at Luna’s straightforward answer, but no of them objected. Luna stepped forward was about to take a step forward when Twilight spoke. “Be careful, princess. We still don’t know what this 'holocron' can do. It could be dangerous.” “And he’s a big meanie-pants!” Pinkie piped in. “I shall keep that in mind,” the princess said. All eyes followed Luna as she went to the floating image–the gatekeeper, as she called it. The others could only wonder if this Darth Bane would not be as forceful to Luna as he was with them. Bane’s avatar studied the princess with much curiosity. “There is much power in you. More so than I have ever felt in a thousand years… for an animal such as yourself.” Luna’s nostrils flared. “I am no animal. I am Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria and Herald of the Night. I suggest you watch your tone when speaking to me, Sith.” Surprise flashed across the cold gaze. “So, you know what I am,” he finally stated. “I recognize the holocron’s shape,” she nodded, “and I’m well aware of the power you wield. It won’t work on me.” Bane’s gaze hardened, if that were even more possible. “Who has told you of the Sith?” Luna’s gaze matched Bane’s. “Why should I tell you?” “Because whoever told you must have trained you,” he answered coolly. “You’re strong in the Force. I can feel it. There are even small hints of the Dark Side on you.” The princess slightly twitched. No doubt, he was referring to Luna’s time as Nightmare Moon. “Once, I touched its power, but I’ve rejected it. It never did me any good.” “If you think that, then you’re a fool.” The ponies and Spike almost gasped at the insult. “Alright, that’s it! Nopony talks to the princess like that and gets away–” Rainbow shouted and ready to pounce but Luna stopped her. “I can handle this, Rainbow Dash. There is no need to be concerned.” The princess stared back at Bane. “I know what your power can do and what you do, Sith. All your kind ever care about is to conquer and rule. I hope the Jedi finally put an end to your evil.” “The Jedi?” Bane’s avatar snorted. “All they ever are is fools blinded by their need to serve even more fools. Hoth was no different.” Finally, Luna’s hardened face broke into shock. “You… you knew Lord Hoth?” she managed to ask. The gatekeeper studied Luna for a moment, then said, “Ah, I see. So he was here at one time. I never met him, but I know of him… and I know his fate.” A smile formed on his face. “Would you like to know what happened?” “No, I don’t!” Luna said, but a small quiver nearly betrayed her. All of the ponies watched. Twilight glanced between the holocron and the princess. This Darth Bane was trapping Princess Luna, trying to rustle her feathers, and it seemed like it was working. Suddenly, the holocron was momentarily covered in a yellow aura. Its avatar was surprise while its body collapsed into the blue light. The light was swallowed whole by the holocron, which clattered on the table, no longer active. “I believe that’s enough of that,” said a familiar voice. Everypony, partially relieved to be rid of the frightening being, turned to the entrance. Twilight, as with Luna, was the first to step forward and greet her mentor. “Princess Celestia!” “It is good to see you, my student,” Celestia smiled as she trotted in. “I’ve seen to all the ponies. They’ve returned to their homes and the guards are posted near the Everfree Forest. They should let us know if anything else happens.” Luna stepped passed the others and her eyes met Celestia’s. “Sister, I…” “It’s alright, Luna,” Celestia told her softly. She noticed the curious glances, then she looked back at Luna. “You should go outside and wait at the chariot. I’ll join you shortly.” With a silent nod, Luna closed the door behind, leaving her sister in the library. Celestia heard Luna flying away before she turned to the others. “I know you all want answers,” Celestia began, “and I’m not sure if I can give them all to you. But if you wish to ask, you should do it now. You may not have another chance.” From the group, Applejack spoke up. “Princess… just what was that? Princess Luna said it was some avatar or somethin’.” “Yes, and it kept on mentioning about light and dark,” Rarity added. “Yeah,” Rainbow chimed in. “It even said something about a ‘Lord Hoth.’ Princess Luna seemed to know him.” Celestia’s eyes flickered with surprise, but only a moment. Twilight stepped forward. “Please princess,” she said, “do you know anything about this?” Celestia met the gaze of her ever-curious pupil and sighed softly, “I do, but this may take a while.” She looked around her. “Perhaps, you all should sit down. It is quite a story.” Moments later, Celestia took a seat in the library. The Elements of Harmony and their baby dragon friend sat around, eagerly waiting for their princess to begin. Taking in a long breath, Celestia did. ““The story begins over a thousand years ago, back when Luna and I ruled together. A strange light fell from the sky and crashed nearby our castle, so Luna and I went to investigate. What we soon realized that it was not a meteorite but a strange, metal craft, and inside of it was a creature unlike anything in Equestria. That creature’s name was Hoth.” Celestia paused for a moment. “Hoth was unlike any creature. He was what he’d call a human. They’re like minotaurs in many respects. They can walk and two legs and have arms, but humans only have hair on their heads.” “So wait,” Spike interrupted, “If he wasn’t like anything in Equestria, where did he come from then? Another land?” Celestia smiled at him. “Much farther than that, Spike. Hoth’s home was far, far away from here. Another world, in fact.” Surprise almost overtook everypony around the sun princess. “Hold on!” Rainbow halted the story. “You mean this Hoth guy was an alien? That’s crazy!” “Luna and I didn’t believe it, either. However, it should not be far-fetched with all you've just seen,” Celestia spoke, which made the others look at each other. All lot did happen within the past hours. Applejack spoke up, “We know, your highness. It’s just all of this…” she said but trailed off, unsure what to say. Rarity cut in for her. “All of this is quite a lot to take in, your highness. It’s just the idea of so many worlds outside of our own is... is…” “… is out there!” Pinkie finished. “Thank you, Pinkie.” Twilight stood there, trying to imagine the possibilities of she just heard. “Well, astronomers have known for centuries that the stars in the sky are suns ad some have even theorized other worlds, but this… this is unbelievable. To think there are other beings out there!” Celestia held back a chuckle from her student’s growing excitement. “But princess, why was he in Equestria?” Fluttershy asked, bringing Celestia back to the story. “Hoth explained to us that he came onto our world by accident and the craft he arrived in had been damaged. So we allowed him to stay with us while he fixed his craft, and we helped whatever we could.” Celestia’s eyes softened with nostalgia. “During his stay, he became a dear friend to Luna and I.” Her nostalgia went as quickly as it appeared. “But Hoth’s leave was inevitable. You see, Lord Hoth was part of an order of warriors called the Jedi Knights. They have, for millennia, kept the peace among many worlds, serving as guardians for the people.” “Oh my,” Fluttershy’s eyes widen and the other carried very similar reactions. Glancing aside her, Celestia gestured to the table. “May I see that cylinder over there?” Twilight levitated the cylinder over to Celestia, who caught it in her own magic aura. The princess pressed the button on it, and the others almost backed away seeing the familiar yellow blade. The princess held the weapon with assurance. “This is a lightsaber, a weapon and a symbol of the Jedi,” “An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” Rainbow didn't buy it. “Elegant? That thing nearly fried us!” Celestia gave a patient smile. “That what is does, Rainbow. The Jedi face many foes, so they need these to fight against them. Many of these lightsabers come in many colors: blue, white, and even gold.” She noticed the others watching the blade with fascination, especially Rarity. “But the lightsaber isn’t the only weapon,” Celestia explained, turning off the blade and placing it back. “For the Jedi, they use a power call the Force, or what we would call magic. The Jedi use the Light Side of the Force, using emotions such as kindness and serenity to help others.” “But wait, you said there’s a Light Side,” Pinkie raised a hoof, “so isn’t there a dark?” Celestia nodded. “Yes. Those who use it use emotions such as rage and fear. The Sith are such and are the opposite of the Jedi, using the Dark Side to gain power and conquer others.” “Have ya actually met one, princess?” Applejack asked. “No. What I know what Lord Hoth told me,” she glanced over to the deactivated holocron, “and he also told me much about holocrons. I believe Luna already explained what holocrons are, correct?” They all nodded. “Then, you know that one stores their own knowledge in these holocrons. Any knowledge the Sith has left in this holocron can be dangerous if placed in the wrong hooves.” Twilight looked ready to serve. “What do ask of us, princess?” Celestia’s gaze softened at her student. “For now, I suggest you all get some rest. You’ve had a busy night, my little ponies.” Nopony else was willing to argue, and one by one, the Elements of Harmony shuffled out of the library. Only Twilight and Spike remained, the latter immediately going back upstairs to sleep. Twilight was about to join when her mentor called out, “Twilight, may I have a moment?” Twilight nodded and approached her. Celestia bent her neck down and spoke softly. “The royal guards are excavating the nearby area, trying to find anything new. Until then, I am entrusting all of this to you,” she said, gesturing to the items on the table. “I don’t want anypony to come near them until we’ve secured whatever else we find.” “Me, princess?” Twilight’s eyes widen. She had seen what the holocron was and from its conversation with Luna, she was a little worried what it contained. “But didn’t you say all of this knowledge could be dangerous?” “It is, but all I need you to do is keep them locked away for a short while. Nothing more.” Celestia gave one of her warm smiles. “I have the utmost trust in you, Twilight.” The encouragement brought Twilight’s hope a little. “I… I’ll keep it safe, princess.” “Thank you, Twilight,” and with that, Celestia departed the library. Author's Note … and it’s not dead! Boy, I haven’t touched this in six months. I must really be losing it! Oh well, at least I got this in for the New Years. Anyway, some news: First, I’m on winter break and I’ll have some free time to write the story. However, the story already is going too slow and could be better condensed. So, I’m planning rewrite what I have to give you guys a better written and hopefully a more captivating story. Like with everything I’m writing, I don’t know when I will get it done. I just hope it will be soon for you great guys, who have been reading this story. I hope you’ll like it. Thanks. -W.S.
CANCELLATION Author's Note Hello, to anyone who is reading this. I apologize for not being on the site for a long time. However, I have sadder news regarding my stories: I will be discontinuing most of my stories on FIMFiction. I'm doing this because I felt I have not been fully committed to any of my stories on FIMFiction: Secrets, Truths, and Retribution (or STR) started out more as an idea that I did fully planned out and had high expectations to make it work. However, I posted it before season 4, and as the seasons went on, I became less and less comfortable with my initial plans and my story in general. The same applied to my SW/MLP crossover, Worlds Intertwined. I had a full story planned out and had high expectations to make it work, but I lost interest in it with things like Disney making the old EU non-canon, and the ever-changing material in new MLP episodes. Because of this, I haven't paid much attention to those stories, as many of you readers have noticed. I haven't touched Worlds Intertwined in years, and STR was only given its new chapter at the start of the year. I felt like I was pushing myself to write these stories to finish them, instead of wanting to write them. It got worse with a number of things happening in real life (graduating from college, getting a job, etc.), and my lack of interest in MLP, and FIMFiction. I barely watched anything from Season 4 or 5, I haven't even watched season 6 (nor I do feel the need to do so), and my focus has been on other shows like Voltron: Legendary Defender, RWBY, SW Rebels, and others. I don't think MLP is bad, I'm just not as interested as I used to be. Another thing is that I have recently been planning on some non-MLP-related stories, possibly a long-term project (if I ever have the free time, that is), that will take my time away from most of my other stories. I don't want to make readers, people who have been enjoying my stories, to see just one chapter and wait another year for the next one to show up. That being said, Falling from the Stars will continue. Unlike the other two mentioned, I don't feel any real compulsion to update the story so quickly. I feel like I can take my time, and it's easy on me to write the chapters. Also, I do have an idea for a MLP crossover-I have completed the prologue, and I would like to write some more before I post it, but we'll see how long that'll take. I'm not so sure about my Bionicle/MLP crossover, Tales of Virtues and Harmony, but I feel I can make it work. If not, I will discontinue it. I apologize to anyone who has enjoyed these stories, but I feel it has to be done. My stories won't have much progress, if any, and it won't be helpful to either the readers, or myself, if I just let them stay there for years on end. If anyone wishes to continue the work, then please send me a PM with your intent to adopt the story. I will send the documents that has my notes, drafts, and the chapters made thus far. -W.S.
