She couldn't sleep. She didn't really expect to, not after the conversation that she'd had last week with Luna , Fluttershy and Rarity during one of their weekly visits to Aloe and Vera's spa. Once an activity reserved for just Rarity and Fluttershy, Twilight suggested that she and Luna join in as well. Being a Princess was an extremely frustrating and physically painful process and weekly gatherings would help Luna to better practice her social form. Neither pony saw any harm in the idea and it went well, but now Twilight couldn't stand the questions she had in her mind. She'd always had access to the answers through books, sans emotional dilemmas.
She stepped out into her verandah and took in a deep breath of the fresh night air. Once again, Luna had done a splendid job with her night. The stars shone and the moon beamed the reflected light of the sun overhead, illuminating the land with a faint white that battled the darkness.
"Oh, why did we have to get on the topic of aliens?!" she whined, throwing her chin on the verandah's railing, staring up at the stars, hoping to get some sort of answer to the question burning within her heart.
"I wonder if there's life beyond this world?" Twilight said as Aloe dipped herself into the mud bath to better massage Twilight's wings, which felt fantastic on an almost sensual level.
"Oh... I hope not. Aliens are very scary. Rainbow Dash showed me a picture of an alien on one of her comic book covers. It was really frightening." Fluttershy said, sinking further into the mud bath so only her head was visible above the surface.
"Well I for one wouldn't mind meeting an Alien. As an advanced race, I'm sure first-hoof knowledge on their fashion would take my business to the pinnacle of Equestrian fashion." Rarity replied, leaning back in her end of the bath. Lotus stepped into the bath beside Luna and began mimicking her sister's actions with the dark Princess' wings.
"I admit, it would be interesting to find out if my night contains wonders the likes of which Equis has never before seen. While I accept that my night is rarely seen by our ponies... ooh, I've lost my train of thought... Lotus, your hooves are absolutely divine." The alicorn commented.
"Oh, careful Luna. You'll wind up like Rarity talking like that. Next thing you'll know, you'll be talking about designer fashion and you'll never escape that boutique of hers alive." Twilight commented, chuckling.
"What are you saying, Twilight?" Rarity accused the young Princess. Twilight just smiled at her.
"I nearly missed my inauguration because you wouldn't stop talking about the latest designs as you worked." the lavender Alicorn replied, chuckling afterward in order to make light of the topic.
"Is it wrong to take pride in my work, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"If your pride interfere's with the lives of others, then yes, Rarity." Luna interrupted, drawing the attention of all ponies.
"Pride is a deadly weapon when pitted against friendship. It even has the power to divide. I'd have hoped you all learned from Applejack's revelation two years ago." she said...
Twilight stared down at the city below. She missed the quiet nights that only Ponyville provided. Here in Canterlot, the city never slept. Divided between the day dwellers which she herself used to be and the new night ponies with the bat-like wings, aptly named Bat-ponies.
While Twilight had more important things to worry about, like which side of the day she wanted to co-rule over, the day or the night, she just couldn't get her mind off of the prospect of aliens. Celestia had struck Twilight with a difficult decision. Both princesses knew that sleep was a necessity in order to rule well and fairly, so Twilight had to choose who she would rule with. It wasn't an easy decision.
On one hoof, I've grown up learning under Celestia which makes her the ideal choice, not to mention my friends wouldn't exactly fancy night time social activities at three in the morning. she thought, trying to drag herself away from the mundane net niggling dilemma plaguing her mind.
On the other hoof, Luna although rather popular among the ponies after the events of Nightmare Night, is still rather lonely and having somepony to appreciate her night and be with her throughout it would go a long way to making her feel better about herself. Many ponies are still somewhat worried about the return of Nightmare Moon, so being there with her would definitely prevent her return.She'd hate to admit it, but the possibility of her falling again is high, regardless of how sorry she is. she continued. I'd like to be there for her. She is my friend after all. I could be there to appreciate her night sky... looking for aliens."Horse apples!!! I can't get my mind off the aliens!" she began to frazzle her mane in frustration, bashing her head against the railing.
"Troubles, Twilight?" a familiar voice said from above. Twilight's ears fell to her head and she looked up, seeing the ruler in question hovering above her, coming in for a landing beside her.
"Hello, Luna... it's that whole conversation about aliens we had last week with the girls. My curiosity's getting the better and I want nothing more than to know if aliens truly do exist; and if so, would they be friendly?" Twilight saw no point in hiding the truth from her. Surprisingly Luna's response was unexpected to say the least. She laughed.
"Twilight, you are my best friend and recently ascended sister. Since this is giving you such strife, I feel I should tell you that in all my years living, on Equis or on the moon, I have never caught sight of an alien." she said, trying to reassure Twilight. While Twilight found that to be a nice comfort, she wasn't entirely fulfilled.
"Luna, I know you don't like talking about it, but when you were Nightmare Moon," Luna's face grew saddened at the mention of the name. "Was there ever anything you did to rid your mind of unwanted thoughts?" she asked. Luna listened to the question, upset at having to recall the past over such a mundane matter. But Twilight was, as she had stated, her best friend and sister. She would do anything for her family, even use her past to help them.
"I... used to think all the time about how long I would be stuck on the thing I once cherished, but until recently saw as nothing more than a prison. The first thing I would do to calm myself and get rid of that thought was... well to be honest, I often thought about what it would be like to have Celestia beaten and broken beneath my hooves..." she paused, fighting back a few tears.
As a member of the family now, Twilight felt more comfortable with physical contact with the other Princesses. She offered Luna a comforting hug which the dark Alicorn proceeded to accept with gusto.
"But when I didn't think about that, I would consider the world. How it would have been had I won and how I would feel today. I looked up from the moon and saw the world I circled. It was beautiful and vibrant, perfect as it was. Every now and then, Equestria would suffer war and loss, but even that couldn't overthrow the overall beauty of the place. Had I ruled, it would not look like it did now. Had I ruled, my night still wouldn't be appreciated, but would instead be a catalyst for the fear I would inspire in everypony, and that was never what I wanted. I wanted to be appreciated, I wanted my greatest achievement to be praised as Celestia's was. Control over the moon is no small feat, even compared to the sun. Both are difficult in their own aspects." she continued.
"How so?" Twilight asked, totally absorbed in Luna's story.
"The Sun is much farther away from Equis than the moon is and much larger. But it's ultimately just a large ball of flaming gas that is never extinguished, whereas the moon is solid and heavy. It could easily destroy all life on the planet if it fell into orbit. After all, it generates it's own gravitational centre just like Equis." she replied.
Twilight loved talking about scientific values with Princess Celestia, but Luna had a certain flare when describing what most ponies passed off as magical. In a way it was magical, but there was a lot of science behind it. 'The magic of science' as Luna had put it. If Twilight was to be perfectly honest with herself, Luna touched every aspect of her academic interests in a way that nopony else could. She'd alter her sexual preference then and there just for Luna were they not kinda-sorta related as Rainbow Dash had described it.
"Thank you Luna... that really helps. I look out at Equestria and I think that it's perfect as it is now. The presence of an alien would disturb that perfection by initially adding panic and caution and perhaps it would introduce a new species designed to kill us to the world. It would be an unwanted scenario." Twilight replied, looking into Luna's eyes.
"That's right, Twilight. So if you decide to co-rule the night with me, we'll both be on the lookout for aliens but in preparation to defend the world we know and love." Luna said, looking back into Twilight's eyes.
There was a calm silence between them as they just sat there, smiling at each other. Subconsciously the two of them drew closer to each other, never taking their eyes off the others'. They were on the verge of touching lips when a sound erupted from towards the North, breaking their trances. They looked towards the source of the sound to find a meteorite, a fairly big one in fact on a narrow descent towards the Crystal Empire. The two Princesses watched the rock fall before it fell out of sight behind the Northern Mountains.
The two Princesses quickly flashed a glance at each other before turning away with a blush on their features. A moment later, a thought struck Twilight.
"You don't think that was...actually-."
"An alien? What are the chances, Twilight, seriously?" Luna asked.
In the upper atmosphere of Equestria, a lone ship with two people in it was descending rapidly, the exterior on fire, spewing black flames in a trail behind it. Inside, the two crew members sat at the cockpit, trying their best to stabilize the ship.
"Hyper drive's down, Artificial gravity's offline, Inertial dampeners are failing!" the younger of the two said. The other man was an elderly person with medium length hair tied into a bun. He was blind, but somehow, he managed to go through the controls on the cockpit as if he could still see them.
"Tell me something I don't know, Boy!" he replied, unbuckling from his seat.
"What are you doing?!" the young one called out. The old man rose from his cockpit and balanced his way towards the back of the room.
"I'm getting to an escape pod. I suggest you do the same!" he said, not stopping to face his comrade. The young one realized then that the ship was beyond saving. He followed the old man to the escape pods and took the one opposite to him.
"In all the time we've had this ship, I've never used the escape pods. Let's hope they work." he said through the intercom.
"Great, you say that now of all times? It's bad enough I can't see the equipment, and now you say it might not work?" he complained. The younger person just rolled his eyes and set the escape pod to exit through the chute. There was a large bang as a piece of their ship opened, allowing the escape pod to leave, then another as the old man escaped in his own pod. For the old man, the pod worked like a charm, but for the younger man, the thrusters failed to ignite, and he plummeted down toward the ground. It wasn't much of a fall to begin with. He was only a hundred feet above the nearest mountain. It was the roll down hill that rattled him. The man was tossed every way concievable. He hit his head a number of times, the last one being enough to knock him out cold.
"Boy, are you there? Boy! Boy!! Starkiller!!!
Starkiller first felt his head aching something awful. After a few seconds, it was made worse by the introduction of voices ringing in his ears. He tried to open his eyes. Through the blurriness, he could make out the colours of Kota, his friend and teacher. His vision focussed, as did his hearing. Seeing the scars over Kota's face and around his greyed-out eyes, he remembered how he was blinded, how it was Starkiller himself that blinded him with Kota's own weapon.
"...killer! Wake up, boy!" he heard Kota say. Starkiller groaned in pain as he tried to lift his head. He then felt Kota's hand support him and help him up to a seated position.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"In civilisation. So to speak. We landed on an inhabited planet. The people are equine in nature. Well, most of them. We're currently in a prison cell. Understandable seeing as how we're the first off-worlders they've ever encountered." he explained.
"So this is first contact?" Starkiller asked.
"Simply put, yes. I think they've given us special treatment since I've shown no aggression towards them and I think my blindness has played a part in it too. Knowing you, if you were conscious at the time, we'd probably be on death row." he joked.
"I'd like to see them try." he mused. It wasn't until the fact that he was in a prison settled in that he realised that he was sitting on a bed of some sort. "Did they take our Lightsabers?" he asked, looking to the old man.
"Yes, but don't worry. We'll get 'em back soon enough." he replied. There was a moment's silence between them, and Starkiller couldn't help but look into Kota's unseeing eyes.
"Well, while we've got this time together, Kota... I've been meaning to apologise to you about something for a while. Just never seemed to get around to it." he began.
Kota turned his head toward Starkiller's location and smiled. "This is about my sight, isn't it?" he asked.
Starkiller hung his head in shame. "Yeah. I don't mean to make excuses about it-." he began but was cut off.
"Boy, I don't expect you to apologise for doing what you thought you had to do at the time. As a Jedi, you have to learn to take the bad with the good. Yes, I lost my eyesight. Yes, eyesight is a useful tool in a Jedi's arsenal, but it also has its limits. No doubt you read Sith Holocrons as Vader's apprentice. There was a Sith Lord named Darth Traya who allowed her eyes to atrophy, yet was still able to see through the power of the force. She was living proof that eye sight is not mandatory for one to be a Jedi or a Sith." Kota explained.
"Yes, I think I remember her. She was one of Revan's many teachers, right?" Starkiller inquired.
"That she was. I imagine that alone made her legendary, for Revan is a being to either be feared or respected, depending on how you view him. You know, in a way, you remind me of him. You've both had more than one master, you've both been Jedi and Sith, you both had droids designed to kill, and you're both even associated with blind old people." A chuckle was shared between them before the cell doors opened with a rattle and a clang. Starkiller looked over to find two equines clad in old plated armour, holding swords in their teeth. One of the equines had wings, while the other seemed to lack any sort of additional limb.
"The Princesses will see you now." the winged one said. Starkiller and Kota both made their way to the gate where their hands were shackled together.
"Kota?" Starkiller groaned under clenched teeth.
"Don't worry, boy. No harm will come to us if we just do as they say. Think of the cuffs as a security measure." he replied. Starkiller huffed, but did as he was told. Even as a Jedi, Starkiller found it difficult to talk through things. He was a man of action. No doubt a remnant preservation tactic from his training as a Sith. Regardless, he fought the urge to make a break for it and followed Kota and their guards through the prison which turned out to be a castle dungeon.
The two of them were led to a large room filled with equines. Starkiller noticed that some had wings, others had horns, and then there were the ones with neither. What threw him off most were the four at the end of the room wearing what he assumed was the equine form of regalia. They bore both wings and horns and all but one of them were taller than all the other equines in the room, varying in height. Starkiller assumed these were the Princesses.
"Just let me do the talking, boy." Kota whispered.
"No arguments here." he replied, beginning to plan his escape route in the off chance things should things go pear shaped. They were brought to a halt roughly ten feet from the Princesses.
"Thank you, Guard. I think we can remove the shackles for the duration of this meeting." The tallest of the four said. She was a pearl white equine with golden regalia and a chromatic shimmering mane and tail.
"Your highness, for safety reasons, I wouldn't advise that course of action." the guard objected, but Starkiller had already removed his shackles upon suggestion and handed them to the guard. Kota sighed.
"You couldn't wait for them to do it, Starkiller?" he scolded.
"Tell me which is worse; the prisoner obeying the orders of royalty, or the guard second guessing the order?" he asked to no-one in particular. There was an amused chuckle from the white one.
"Quite right, Mr. Starkiller. Feel free to remove your own shackles, sir, seeing as how my guards are so adamant on opposing me in front of guests." she offered. As Kota began to remove his shackles, the guard who had challenged her bowed down.
"I meant no disrespect, Princess. I am merely concerned for your safety." he said.
Kota passed his shackles to the nearest guard and addressed the one that spoke. "If it's any consolation, my friend and I are what's known as Jedi. We are part of an old order that strives to maintain peace and stability throughout the galaxy. We've no intention of causing trouble for you." he clarified. A dark blue Princess wearing a lighter blue regalia with a similar starry themed mane and tail to the white one spoke up, holding out one of Starkiller's lightsabers.
"If you are supposed to be keepers of the peace, then why would such beings carry weapons?" she demanded in an accusatory tone.
"Should you not ask yourself that question regarding the guards? They too are keepers of the peace and yet they carry weapons." Starkiller replied.
"What happened to 'let me do the talking'?" Kota whispered over to his friend.
"She asked a stupid question, I couldn't let that be." he whispered back.
"Please, let us drop this topic and get down to the business at hoof... or hand as the case may be." the white one said.
"Perhaps we should start with Introductions, Princess." Kota suggested.
"Very well. Would you like to do the honours?" she offered. Kota smiled and bowed down to her.
"My name is Rahm Kota. I am a Master of the Jedi Order. As I said before, we are keepers of the peace. This is my former apprentice and my friend, Starkiller. He is a Jedi Knight." Kota said.
"A pleasure to meet you Master Kota and Knight Starkiller. I am Princess Celestia. This is my sister, Princess Luna," she motioned to the dark blue equine to her left. "Next to her is our neice, Princess Cadence," she motioned toward a pale pink mare with a trinity of colours in her mane and tail. unlike Celestia and Luna, it didn't shimmer and ripple, nor did the fourth Princess'. "And to my right is Princess Twilight Sparkle. She's a recent addition to our family. Formerly my own apprentice, now my new niece.
Each Princess addressed made different gestures. Luna seemed to be judging them, greeting them with a simple 'harrumph'. Princess Cadence seemed as calm and collected as Celestia and simply bowed to them with a smile on her face. Twilight Sparkle was completely different towards them. She seemed barely able to contain her excitement. Or maybe it was fear, Starkiller had difficulty telling.
"Now that introductions are out of the way, I must ask what these tools are used for?" Celestia asked, taking Kota's Lightsaber out into full view.
"Princess, those are exactly what you called them. For a Jedi, those are merely tools used to defend ourselves and others should push come to shove. To anyone else, they could be considered a weapon." Kota replied.
"And exactly how do they work?" Princess Twilight asked.
"Simply put, Princess; they act as an extension of our arms, much the same way a sword does, only it's virtually weightless, save for the hilt which you are currently holding. I'd explain how they're activated, but given the way you're holding them, if you succeeded in working them, you'd impale yourselves." Kota said. Both Luna and Celestia threw the weapons forward. Starkiller and Kota both caught them. As one had the other, they quickly swapped them and holstered them. Now Starkiller just needed the other one. "Perhaps my friend could demonstrate to you how to effectively use them?" Kota offered. Starkiller stepped forward. The guards began to feel restless and motioned to intercept him, but Celestia waved them off.
"First off, where's the other one?" he asked. Princess Twilight reached behind her and revealed his second Lightsaber to him. Starkiller extended his hand and the Lightsaber flew out of Twilight's hoof. The sudden liveliness of the tool caused Twilight to gasp in surprise. The lightsaber found its way to Starkiller's hand and he drew the already holstered saber. With enough room between him, Kota and the Princesses, he activated both Lightsabers, revealing two one meter length beams of light with a blue hue. The weapons hummed a low vibrant tone.
Needless to say, all four princesses were curious, while their guards were in the midst of a heart attack. "As Kota said, the blades themselves are weightless, making it harder to wield than a blade, because there's a big chance that if you tried any fancy tricks with it, you'll misinterpret the balance of weight in the hilt and nick yourself... if you're lucky. Jedi are trained to use these tools as effectively as any sword and even more so." he explained.
Among the four princesses, Twilight Sparkle was the most fascinated by these tools. Kota observed their reactions and smiled inwardly. "What else would you like to know?" he asked.
