Star Wars: The Legend of the Alicornby HudibadudiChaptersChapter 1: SurvivalChapter 2: VisionsChapter 3: The YhfrendarChapter 4: RescueIntroductionChapter 1: SurvivalChapter 1: Survival A rusty-colored pegasus, Sunset Aura, emerged from a forest and out into the snow. A cold wind was blowing through her golden mane, making her shiver. She looked nervously around before saying, “Ok, it looks safe.” Two other ponies, a blue-green unicorn and a violet earth pony walked out carefully. Winter Star, the unicorn, asked, “How much farther do have to go before we reach the Crystal Empire?” She too shivered from the unexpected wind. The earth pony, Violet Petal, answered, “I really don't know. We've been running for almost three weeks now. It can't be far though, I hope.” She looked over to the pegasus and asked, “What do you think? Are we close?” She looked off into the distance. All she saw was an endless white tundra with blowing snow. “This forest is the last of the shelter we'll have. The rest of the way is across that tundra.” She asked, “Winter, do you think you can use your magic to protect us from the wind when we stop at night?” “Maybe,” she replied. “We have no choice but to try. Turning back is not an option, and we definitely can't stay here.” Violet said, “I guess it's the only way, but there's one problem. What will we eat out there? I have some food, but if we don't know how far away the Crystal Empire is, how can we be certain that we'll survive?” Sunset said, “I do know, however, that the Crystal Empire is on the other side of that tundra. What I don't know is how long it will take us to cross it.” She paused for a moment, thinking, “It could take us a day or two, or it could be a week. I agree with Winter, though. We have to try.” Violet sighed at the thought of what lay ahead. “Are you sure? I mean, what if we get lost? There's no landmarks or anything out there, just endless snow.” “Violet, I know we've been through a lot already,” said Winter. “But we're almost there. And I don't need to tell you what will happen to us if we go back.” Violet winced, memories of her family's death came flooding back. A tear ran down her cheek as she hung her head. “I … I know. It's just ...” She was cut off when Winter embraced her. “I'm sorry, Violet. I shouldn't have said anything.” She berated herself for not thinking about what effect that would have. “We all lost family and friends after the invasion. I just need you to know that you're not alone. Sunset and I are here for you, and we will be here for you forever. We just need you to be strong right now. I know you can.” She cast a glance at Sunset. Sunset struggled for something to say, “Uh, yeah, come on Violet. Winter is right, you can count on me, you should never feel alone. I've got your back.” Violet sniffled and wiped away a tear. “Ok. I can do this.” She took a deep breath. “I think we've wasted enough time here talking.” She looked at her friends and smiled. “We're almost there. Let's go.” The three ponies walked out into the whiteness, the harsh, bitter-cold wind blowing through their manes. They walked straight into the wind, cold, but determined. After nearly an hour of traveling like this, they sky began to darken as the sun set. “We need to stop before long. If we keep going until it gets dark we won't be able to see anything,” Winter shouted, trying to be heard over the wind. “I think if we gathered the snow up into banks to shield us from the wind, we can lie down for the night. Not to mention the magic shield would be too tiring.” “Yeah, you're right,” said Sunset. “And we can huddle together to keep warm.” Her stomach growled. “Violet, how much food do we have?” “Let me see,” she said as she looked in her saddlebags. “I'd say we have a few pounds of dried apples and some berries we picked yesterday.” Winter said, “Alright, try to push the snow up into a bank on the side the wind is coming from and we'll have a little shelter from it.” They silently set to work, pushing the snow with their hooves. It was hard work, but the snow was deep, so they were able to make a sizable depression in which to lie down. After the work was done, they lay down next to each other, huddling for warmth. Even though the wind was still fiercely blowing, they were protected from the worst of it. Violet took some of the apples and berries out of her saddlebags and distributed amongst the three of them. They ate in silence, before Violet spoke up. “I uh … I want to thank you both for your support earlier.” She threw her hoof around Winter's neck, pulling her into a hug. She relaxed for the first time that day, forgetting about the past and letting herself sink into the comfort of the embrace. Winter looked silently into Violet's eyes for a moment before leaning over and planting a kiss on her cheek, causing Violet to blush a little. “That's what friends do, Violet. We support each other in our times of need.” Sunset looked at the two of them and said, “Come on, you two can do that lovey-dovey stuff after we get to the Crystal Empire.” Sunset sighed. She just didn't understand how Violet could have gone through all she did and still be able to find happiness in somepony she had met just weeks before. “Let's just try to get some sleep.” The other two ponies nodded in agreement and laid their heads down. Despite the cold, the three ponies were exhausted from the day's journey and they soon drifted off to sleep. Morning came too soon for them. Violet was the first up. She tried to go back to sleep, but no matter how many times she tried to get comfortable, she couldn't. She stretched and yawned before gently nuzzling against Winter's neck, waking her. After Violet saw that she had disturbed her friend's sleep she whispered, to avoid waking Sunset, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.” “Don't be sorry, Violet,” she quietly replied, “I wouldn't want to wake up any other way.” She looked around for a moment. The wind still blew and the sky was still cloudy. She thought to herself, 'Is this place always like this? How can the crystal ponies even survive in this weather?' Her train of thought was cut when she heard a strange sound. She focused on it, trying to determine its origin. It was a loud roaring sound, that increased in volume before slowing diminishing as it moved away. The noise woke Sunset. She rubbed her eyes and asked, “What's going on? What was that noise?” Winter replied, “I don't know, I've never heard anything like it. But it sounded like it came from the direction we're going, so we can investigate when we get there, and avoid it if it's dangerous.” Violet pulled some of the fruit out of her saddlebags. “Here, I'm sure we're all hungry.” Her two friends agreed and then they ate their small breakfast. After they had finished Sunset said, somewhat reluctantly, “I guess we should get going now. Hopefully we get there today.” She didn't hear her friends' reply. All she could think was, 'What did that noise come from? And where did it go?' Chapter 2: VisionsChapter 2: Visions There were forests, rivers, mountains, cities. The whole world was prosperous. Everyone was able to make a living, everyone was provided for. The land had been at peace for ages. Trade flourished, wealth was abundant. Even the poor weren't bad off. And even though technology was primitive and the work was hard, life was quiet and peaceful. There were wise rulers who ensured these things, who had the best interests of their subjects at heart. Then suddenly it was gone. The green had been replaced with deserts, the cities with ashes. War ravaged the lands. There was death on an unprecedented scale. The wise rulers were replaced with one who sought to bring ruin. One who was strong with the Force. He woke suddenly, snapping out of his dream. He had been having these visions every night for over a week now. He pushed the thoughts into the back of his mind and started his morning routine. He dressed, donning a simple robe, and left his dwelling, a small hut, and walked down the hill to the nearby stream. He washed his face with the cool water, letting it wake him up fully. The morning air was cool and the area was shrouded in fog. It was peaceful here, a good place to meditate far from the distractions of everyday life. He returned to his hut, pushing the door open to reveal a small room. His bed was on the opposite wall and there was a small oven where he cooked. The hut was otherwise bare, except for a sword that hung from the wall. He ate a small breakfast of fruit, mostly berries, before taking the sword and walking off into the woods. As he walked, he thought of the visions and what they meant. He was soon talking to himself. “There has to be a reason for these dreams. It could be that there is a world out there that needs help. But what can I do? I'm an outcast.” He suddenly became silent, as memories of his past began to resurface. He remembered the trial, the verdict, and the banishment, along with the warning that he had been given. He stopped walking, and forced himself to turn back to the visions. “Alright. If there is a world that needs my help, how can I even find it? There are no clues in any of the visions I've had so far. And even if there were, it's not like I'm going anywhere with my ship in the shape it's in.” Indeed, he had been trying to repair it ever since he had crashed onto this world, three years ago. He finally arrived at his destination, a small clearing in the forest that he used as a meditating place. He lay his sword on the ground and removed his robe, laying them neatly on the ground. He then sat down, closed his eyes, and completely emptied his mind. All he could feel was the Force as it flowed across the world, through every creature and tree, and himself. He reached out into the galaxy, attempting to feel the darkness of the place in his visions. As the life of the galaxy came into focus, he began to hone in on areas where the dark side of the Force seemed strongest. Unfortunately, there were far too many for any sort of guesses to be made. He stood up and put his robe back on and took his sword and began walking back to his hut. The forest was thick, and because the fog hadn't dissipated yet the sunlight still wasn't making it through to the ground. On the way back, when he was close to his hut, he stopped by his starship. He stood for a moment before saying, “I'll never leave this place at this rate. The hull is ruined and I definitely haven't found any fuel.” He had searched for weeks sometimes to try to find something he could use to repair his ship, but without any luck. He sighed and walked over to the hut and placed his sword back on the wall. He sat down on his bed, which was really just a cot, and pondered his situation, as he had done countless times before. “The only way I can get off this planet is if someone else just happens to land here. And considering the number of possible planets for someone to land on, that seems pretty unlikely.” It wouldn't have bothered him so much if he didn't keep having those recurring visions. Just last month he had decided that living here the rest of his life wouldn't be that bad. But now there was a world that needed him. He finally had a quest, a mission in life. An opportunity to atone for the past. Thoughts of adventure filled his mind, but he soon snapped himself back into reality. The truth was that he was not going anywhere, and nothing, not even the Force, could change that. Over the years, his faith in the Force had faltered, especially after the trial, which he tried to avoid thinking about. Years ago, he would have been confidant that the Force guided his actions, and those of the beings of the galaxy around him, so that anything was possible. He would have firmly believed that something would come about to rescue him from his current situation. But that was in the past, and now he sat, alone and with nothing to save him. Just as he was about to stand up and go for a walk, he felt something. It was very miniscule and only for an instant, but he felt a slight tremor, a ripple, in the Force. Then he heard it, the sound was unmistakeable. Starship engines. He rushed outside, only to see that the fog still hadn't dissipated. Cursing the weather, he ran back inside to take the sword and ran off into the woods in the direction he thought he had heard the ship heading toward. 'Finally,' he thought to himself. Finally. Chapter 3: The YhfrendarChapter 3: The Yhfrendar The Yhfrendar was a small freighter that had been in use for nearly a hundred years, and Dups Winstar had acquired it six years ago. He had made many trips in it since then, and today he had just taken off from the world of Corellia with a cargo of transponder-code cards bound for Duro. Next to him sat a young, blonde-haired woman, Mira. “Dups, why did we have to leave so soon? I thought you said that we were going to stay in that spaceport for a few days,” Mira asked, pouting a little, as she looked over at him from the co-pilot's seat. “We need the money that's going to come from delivering this shipment,” he replied. “The ship needs some maintenance that should have been done a long time ago.” He finished putting Duro's hyperspace coordinates into the navicomputer and they made the jump to hyperspace. Mira got up and walked toward the back of the ship. “Another day or two wouldn't have made that much of a difference,” she called out from the crew quarters. “You did promise, after all.” Dups got up to go back and join her. “If we can make the repairs we need to make on Duro, we'll be staying there for at least a week.” He sat down next to her on the bed. “Plus you know how much I hate space travel,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I told you before that you didn't have to come with me,” he said. “You can go your own way whenever you want to.” They sat in silence for a moment, before being suddenly hurled forward onto the floor, as if the ship had come out of hyperspace. Dups got up and helped Mira to her feet. “That stupid navicomputer is probably acting up again.” He walked into the cockpit and sat down in his seat, examining the computer systems. “Everything seems okay,” he said, slightly confused. “It just doesn't seem that, well, that just shouldn't have happened. Unless...” He looked up to see his fears confirmed. “Pirates. Of course,” he said, sighing. There were three of them, two smaller ships with one larger ship, probably the captain's. Dups shifted the shield power to the front of the ship as the pirates opened fire. The ship trembled from the shots, causing Mira to come running up to the cockpit. “W-why are they firing at us? Don't they just want the cargo?” Mira asked, trying to stay calm. “Don't worry,” he said, trying to reassure her. “They know they can't do anything to us as long as the shields are up. They're just trying to frighten us into surrender. Then, their captain will...” He was cut off when the ship's communications system started beeping, indicating an incoming message. “Contact us,” he said, finishing his sentence. Dups pressed a button and the message began to play, in a rough, harsh voice: “Good day, captain. I am Captain Drathor, of the Perlious. I believe that it would be to both of our benefits if you were to surrender your cargo to me, along with any passengers that you might have on board. If you do so, you will of course be allowed to go free. If you refuse, I will take your cargo, your ship, and most importantly I will take your life. Make your decision and make it now.” “What are we going to do Dups?” Mira asked. Though she was afraid, she did a good job of hiding it, sounding quite calm when she asked the question. “Do you see that world down there?” Dups asked, pointing at a small world that was quite green. “They made the mistake of pulling us out of hyperspace in the middle of a planetary system.” “Wait. You're thinking about running? Won't they just destroy us?” she asked. “It's our only choice. The shields should last long enough for us to make it out of their range. Then we'll just spend a day or two on that planet until it's safe to leave. The only problem,” he added, “is that they might come looking for us, but I doubt that they'll think it's worthwhile.” Dups set the engines at max power and the ship began picking up speed as he pointed it at their destination. The pirates, after realizing that their prey was trying to escape, again opened fire. The ship began shaking from the impact of the hits. A red light began flashing on the console. “Shields low!” Mira shouted. She took her seat next to Dups and began adjusting the controls. “Cut back on the throttle or the shields won't have enough power to stay up.” “Don't worry, I've got this,” Dups reassured her. “Just two more minutes before we enter the planet's atmosphere.” “We won't make it that much longer. A few more hits and our shields will go down.” “Not if I have anything to say about it.” Dups did a barrel-role, and in so doing, dodged several incoming lasers. He began flying erratically, trying to throw off the pirates' aim. Unfortunately, a shot broke through the shield, causing a small explosion and setting off multiple alarms. The engines began losing power and the shields were now completely down. “How bad is the damage?” Mira asked. Dups didn't reply for a moment. “One more hit, Mira, just one more, and we're dead.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “We're almost there though.” The next few moments were tense, death could come at any moment. Finally, as the ship began entering the atmosphere, the lasers shooting past them stopped. Mira sighed in relief. “We made it.” She relaxed and sat back in the chair, no longer in a life or death situation. “Dups,” she said, “never, ever, do anything like that again.” He nodded his head in agreement. “Agreed. Never again.” Deep down though, he doubted whether or not he'd been able to keep his promise. As the ship neared the planet's surface, they noticed that there was nothing but forest as far as they could see. Tall trees reached up from the surface, obscuring the land below. They searched for a place where the trees were more scattered, but after several minutes of looking, they hadn't found one. Mira was the first to see a clearing. “There! Right over there! Do you see it?” she asked, pointing at it. “There's a clearing in the trees over there.” “Yeah, I see it,” Dups said. “I guess it's big enough for the ship to fit in. Of course, I don't see any other option. I can't fly the ship in its current condition much longer.” Dups turned the ship toward the clearing and initiated the landing procedures. Unfortunately, the damage was greater than Dups had estimated, and as the ship began descending, the repulsorlift engines failed and the ship dropped the remaining distance to the ground. Luckily for the two of them, they had been sitting down, buckled in their seats, so that when the ship hit the ground, neither one was hurt. The ship, however, didn't fare so well. It had landed on the landing gear, but the force of the impact was so great that the landing gear was destroyed. The engines had also stopped and none of the power systems were working. “Well, so much for leaving in a few days. In this shape we're not going anywhere for a while,” Mira stated as they worked their way through the wrecked ship to get outside and examine the exterior damage. They exited the ship, into a thick fog, and turned to see the extent of the damage. The ship lay at somewhat of an angle, having hit a few trees on the way down and was now laying on top of them. “Not a perfect landing, but I've had worse,” Dups remarked, almost jokingly. “The damage appears to be mostly minor, but I'll have to go back inside to see what shape the engines are in. If they aren't too bad, we should only have to make a few major repairs before we can leave.” He stopped when he noticed that Mira looked at him like he was crazy. “Just a 'few' repairs?” she asked sarcastically. “Are you crazy?! We can't fly anywhere in that! It's nothing but a heap of junk right now!” “How dare you call my ship a heap of junk!” Dups shouted back. “If it weren't for me you'd still...” he said before she cut him off. “Don't you even think about bringing that up!” she shouted, starting to get angry. “'Oh, Mira, I saved your life, I did this, I did that, blah blah blah',” she said, mocking him. “All you ever care about is how you can make more money. That's all that is ever on your mind. You always say, 'If we leave now we can make some extra money'. You never care about what I think. No, it's always you. Everything's about you.” She paused for a moment to take a breath before continuing on her rant, “Do you know how much you mean to me? Does it ever cross your mind?” She paused again for a moment. “I love you Dups, I really do,” she said, tears running down her face. “I … I don't know what else to say.” Dups reached out and pulled her into a hug. “Mira, I know I'm not perfect, far from it actually, but everything I do is with you in mind. I ran from the pirates because I didn't want to lose you. I don't care about the cargo, or the money I would get from selling it. The only thought going through my mind as we were landing was how grateful I was that you were safe. I love you too Mira.” Mira, no longer crying, looked up into his eyes. “I'm sorry Dups, I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. I'm sorry.” Dups brushed the hair away from her face. “No Mira, I'm sorry. I needed that. I lose track of things sometimes, things get in the way. You're always there to bring me back to reality.” They hugged again, and the fog that had shrouded the clearing since they had landed began to lift. Chapter 4: RescueChapter 4: Rescue A human with long hair and a beard emerged from the forest and walked slowly toward Dups and Mira. He wore an old robe and a sword hung from a belt around his waist. As he approached, Dups and Mira turned to meet him. He stopped about twenty paces away from them. “Hello there,” he said. “My name is Hylok Kon. Did you come to rescue me, by any chance?” He saw them staring at his sword. “Oh, you don't have to worry about me. I don't mean you any harm,” he reassured them. Finally Dups spoke up. “Hello. I'm Dups Winstar and this is Mira. And uh, no, we aren't here to rescue you. Sorry. We were forced to land here to escape some trouble with pirates.” He wished to himself that he had his weapons with him, even if this man didn't seem threatening. “Why are you here?” Dups asked. Hylok was silent for a moment and looked down at the ground. “The story is far too long to be told right now, and I don't think that you need to hear it even if we did have time.” He paused before continuing. “Is your ship in good repair?” Dups sighed. “Not exactly. It took a lot of damage when we landed and ...” he said before Mira pulled him off to the side. “Don't tell him about that stuff,” she whispered into his ear. “What if he just takes the ship after it's repaired and leaves us here?” She looked over toward the stranger, making sure that he wasn't listening to their conversation before continuing, “We have no way of knowing whether or not we can trust him.” “Look,” Dups said, “there is no reason for us to think that this man means us any harm. And what would he gain by leaving us here?” “I don't know. He just seems, suspicious,” she said. Dups sighed in frustration and turned back to face Hylok, who had a slightly confused look on his face. “Oh, she just doesn't know whether or not to trust you right now,” Dups stated with a smirk. “Dups!” yelled Mira. She would have punched Dups right in the face had Hylok not stepped in and kept the two apart. “Both of you, calm down and listen,” he requested. “If you two would stop arguing I would be able to explain what's going on here.” After he was satisfied that they were paying attention, he continued. “If you want to get off this world we have to work together. My ship may have enough working parts to repair your ship, and then we can leave.” “Why do you want to leave so badly?” Mira asked. “Can't you just wait for someone to come by and rescue you?” “I've been stuck here for three years,” Hylok answered. “No one knows that I'm here, and no one is coming to rescue me. If I don't leave with you, then I may be stranded here for several more years.” He paused for a moment. “Also, there is somewhere I have to go, before it's too late.” “And where is that?” asked Mira. “A world. I don't know where it is, but I do know that they need help,” Hylok replied. “How would you know that they need help if you don't know where it is?” “I don't mean to interrupt,” Dups said, interrupting them, “but I'm going to assess our ship's damages while you two are talking.” Hylok ignored Dups' comment as he answered Mira's question. “Dreams. I have dreams of that world.” “Why?” “Don't worry about it. I just do.” “There's something that you're not telling me, isn't there?” “Look, Mira, I told you. Don't worry about it. After we get the ship repaired and find that world, you can go your own way and not worry about it.” “Wait just a minute here,” Mira said, raising her voice. “You not only want us to rescue you, but you also want us to take you wherever you're going? Are you crazy?!” “Calm down, calm down. I'll of course ensure that you both will be well compensated for your troubles.” “With what? You have nothing that we want.” Hylok didn't want to give away too much about himself, but he had to offer some hint of something. “I can make some things,” he paused, searching for the right word, “easier for you.” “What do you mean?” Mira asked, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. “We'll talk on the way to your ship. I want to see how long it will take us to make these repairs. We can talk more about what will happen after that with Dups.” Hylok had no intentions of telling her, but he did have to keep her interested. The two walked back to the ship, talking about random things and getting to know each other a little bit. …....... Meanwhile, on the planet Earth, Darth Menator, the Dark Lord of the Sith, was overseeing the rebuilding of the land's infrastructure. Everything was being demolished and replaced with structures of Sith design built by enslaved ponies. There was a reason for this beyond simply being evil; whenever a human was inside a pony-designed building, he either had to bend over, or he would bump his head. The pony buildings were simply too small. All these new buildings would remove that inconvenience and life would become so much easier for the occupying Sith forces. The earth ponies were employed in building the new structures and in acquiring the resources for their construction. The pegasi were used to keep the weather favorable for this construction and some of the unicorns used their magic to make certain parts of the construction process easier. The other unicorns had their magic disabled and were put to work with the earth ponies. All this was overseen by the soldiers of the Sith Empire, with occasional inspections by Darth Menator or his apprentice, Darth Lo-ni Ren, known to some as the 'Destroyer of Worlds' for his role in the complete annihilation of a rebellious star system two years ago. Now the two of them were discussing what should be done to bring the remaining areas of the planet under their control. “What parts of the planet have we yet to conquer?” asked Darth Menator, his voice raspy and cracked. “My lord,” replied Darth Lo-ni Ren, “we have conquered the whole planet with one exception. The northern areas are still independent of our control.” “And why is that?” asked Menator, the irritation in his voice clearly audible. “My lord, the north is mostly a frozen wasteland, and there are many large and dangerous dragons.” “Dragons?! Why are we letting dragons stop us?” Menator asked, angry now. “This will not be allowed to continue,” he said, not waiting for an answer. “I will take command of our forces myself and we will see how dangerous these dragons are once they face the might of the Sith Empire. They will be destroyed, and their kind will cease to exist on this pitiful excuse of a planet.” “My lord, there is something else,” Lo-ni said, “if you would allow me.” “What is it?” “In the farthest reaches of the north, our scans have shown a civilization. The land appears to be arable, and it's inhabited by more of these disgusting, pacifistic ponies. It should be easy to conquer, and we will have more slaves.” “Good, good. You have done well, Lo-ni. Go, prepare the troops. We will take transports and if all goes well, we will embark in a few days.” “As you wish, my lord.” Lo-ni bowed slightly before turning and leaving the room. Darth Menator set about making his own preparations before the attack. …....... After a full day and a half of nonstop repair work, the Yhfrendar was repaired and ready to go. The repairs were definitely not anything permanent, but they would get the job done. While working on the repairs, Hylok, Dups, and Mira had talked about Hylok's plan to find that planet that he was looking for. They had agreed, after some arguments and haggling, that they would take him there. After that, he would be on his own. They just had to find it first. The three of them now sat in the cockpit of Dups' ship. Hylok was busy looking at a galactic map, trying to find a good starting place for their search. “Here,” he finally said, pointing at a blank spot on the map. He had been looking at it for nearly an hour. “This is where the planet should be.” Dups stared at him for a moment. “Wait, why there?” he asked. “There's nothing there.” He was starting to wonder if this guy was a little crazy. “And that is exactly why we'll find what we're looking for there,” Hylok stated confidently. “Chances are that the planet is outside of Republic space, so it won't be on any of their maps.” He paused for a moment for emphasis before continuing. “Also, this is very near the Sith Empire, which makes it more likely that the Sith have invaded it.” He sat back in his chair, waiting for a response from Dups and Mira. Dups was about to say something but Mira spoke first, “So, the creatures of this world are in grave danger and if we do nothing we'll be giving up on them.” She shook her head. “No, I can't let that happen. I'm with you, Hylok. Let's do this.” She looked at Dups, waiting for him to pitch in with his thoughts. Dups sighed before saying, “Ok, I guess. This is by far the craziest thing I've ever done, but as long as you follow through with your promises, Hylok, I'm down for this.” He began the engine start sequences and checked over all the systems to make sure everything was running smoothly before asking Mira, “What are the coordinates for where we suspect the planet is?” She looked at the map one more time to confirm the numbers. “It's sector 76AG-TFR87, at reference point 21856205625-43625094.” While Dups was putting the numbers in, Hylok asked, “How long will it take us to get there?” “Long enough for us to get some needed sleep,” Dups replied. The ship had already left the atmosphere and he looked over the coordinates one more time. “Prepare for the jump to hyperspace.” After he had determined that everything was in order, he pressed the button and they zipped off into space. Now that the ship was in hyperspace they could finally relax. “So, Hylok, you never did say why you were on that planet,” Dups mentioned. “I told you before,” Hylok said, “you wouldn't be interested in the story. Not only would you be bored by it, but you wouldn't understand the reasons behind it.” He ran his hand through his long hair and sighed slowly as he did. “Even I don't fully understand it. There are times when I think I do, but I only prove myself wrong later.” “But can't you tell us anything about it?” Mira pleaded. “Maybe some other time, but not now,” Hylok answered. 'I do have a feeling, however, that we'll be together a little longer than we expect,' he thought to himself as he walked back to the crew quarters to get some sleep. There was something about these two, something ominous. …....... Dups brought the ship out of hyperspace when they had reached the area where they anticipated the planet would be. They weren't disappointed. “How?” Dups asked. “How could you know where the planet was? You just guessed, didn't you?” “No, it wasn't a guess,” Hylok replied. “Just call it a ... a hunch.” They could see that the world seemed habitable, as much of it appeared green, and there also appeared to be oceans. There was a small Sith fleet in orbit around the planet, but it wasn't big enough to cause them any trouble. “So what do we do now?” Mira asked. “We can't just land there.” Hylok turned to look at her. “Why not?” he asked. “All we have to do is make a normal landing, I give you want you want and go on my way and you two go yours.” He stood up and grabbed his belongings, what few he had. “Simple as that.” “What if the Sith catch us?” asked Dups. “Then what?” “Just focus on landing, let me handle this,” Mira told him. She turned her attention back to Hylok. “And it's not just 'simple as that'. What if something goes wrong?” “Like what?” Hylok asked. Immediately after asking that question, the ship began rocking, followed by a power surge that fried everything in the ship. “Ah, like that,” he said. “You two,” Dups said, “prepare for an emergency landing. “I'll try to land softly but there are no guarantees. The power to everything is out so the repulsorlift engines won't work.” Everyone sat down and buckled up. Dups began the landing procedure manually and in order to reduce their speed he kept the ship in the air as long as possible. Unfortunately, this resulted in them missing the planned landing area and instead the ship was heading for the polar region. “Prepare to land,” Dups called out. They braced for the impact and the ship hit the ground hard and plowed through the snow before finally coming to a stop. They took a moment to orient themselves before taking some supplies and exiting the ship. The first thing they noticed was how cold and windy it was. That and the endless tundra. “We need to get moving before the Sith find us,” Hylok said. “Take what supplies we can carry and let's make our way south. We might be able to find warmer weather in a few days if we don't waste any time hanging around here.” Dups and Mira agreed, and after they had gathered some food and other supplies together, the three of them set off to get as far as they could before their food ran out. The three ponies were crouched behind a snowbank, watching the three humans as they made their way across the snow. “They look like Sith,” Violet said quietly, hoping to not be heard by them. “They must have made that noise that we heard earlier this morning,” Winter guessed. “It had to be them.” “Yeah, it probably was,” Sunset agreed. “If they're Sith, I say we ...” She stopped mid-sentence when one of the humans, the one with the long hair, turned toward the ponies and apparently saw them. The three of them were frozen in fear as he began walking toward them. IntroductionStar Wars The Legend of the Alicorn A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Long ago, before the reign of Celestia and Luna, before Equestria was founded, ponies lived in three different groups. There were earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. There were rumors of ponies who were more powerful with magic than unicorns, called alicorns, but their existence had never been proven. The earth ponies worked the land, providing food for the pegasi and unicorns. In return, the pegasi controlled the weather and served as soldiers to defend the land from invaders, while the unicorns raised the sun and moon every day. War was almost unknown to them. The most recent one had been over 100 years before, between them and the griffons. The ponies had lived in peace ever since the griffons' defeat. One day, all that changed. Strange creatures, who called themselves Sith, came down from the sky, with fearsome weapons and magic the ponies had never seen before. The ponies were defeated in a series of devastating battles, and were soon conquered. The griffons fared no better. The Crystal Empire remained free, but only because the Sith had no desire to invade what they considered 'a desolate wasteland' and because the crystal ponies agreed to pay a regular tribute. And so it was in the Crystal Empire that the seeds of rebellion were planted, as ponies fled the conquered lands and gathered there. Now all they needed was a leader, someone who knew their enemy. Little did they know, their best hope was currently far away, stranded on a distant world...
Chapter 1: SurvivalChapter 1: Survival A rusty-colored pegasus, Sunset Aura, emerged from a forest and out into the snow. A cold wind was blowing through her golden mane, making her shiver. She looked nervously around before saying, “Ok, it looks safe.” Two other ponies, a blue-green unicorn and a violet earth pony walked out carefully. Winter Star, the unicorn, asked, “How much farther do have to go before we reach the Crystal Empire?” She too shivered from the unexpected wind. The earth pony, Violet Petal, answered, “I really don't know. We've been running for almost three weeks now. It can't be far though, I hope.” She looked over to the pegasus and asked, “What do you think? Are we close?” She looked off into the distance. All she saw was an endless white tundra with blowing snow. “This forest is the last of the shelter we'll have. The rest of the way is across that tundra.” She asked, “Winter, do you think you can use your magic to protect us from the wind when we stop at night?” “Maybe,” she replied. “We have no choice but to try. Turning back is not an option, and we definitely can't stay here.” Violet said, “I guess it's the only way, but there's one problem. What will we eat out there? I have some food, but if we don't know how far away the Crystal Empire is, how can we be certain that we'll survive?” Sunset said, “I do know, however, that the Crystal Empire is on the other side of that tundra. What I don't know is how long it will take us to cross it.” She paused for a moment, thinking, “It could take us a day or two, or it could be a week. I agree with Winter, though. We have to try.” Violet sighed at the thought of what lay ahead. “Are you sure? I mean, what if we get lost? There's no landmarks or anything out there, just endless snow.” “Violet, I know we've been through a lot already,” said Winter. “But we're almost there. And I don't need to tell you what will happen to us if we go back.” Violet winced, memories of her family's death came flooding back. A tear ran down her cheek as she hung her head. “I … I know. It's just ...” She was cut off when Winter embraced her. “I'm sorry, Violet. I shouldn't have said anything.” She berated herself for not thinking about what effect that would have. “We all lost family and friends after the invasion. I just need you to know that you're not alone. Sunset and I are here for you, and we will be here for you forever. We just need you to be strong right now. I know you can.” She cast a glance at Sunset. Sunset struggled for something to say, “Uh, yeah, come on Violet. Winter is right, you can count on me, you should never feel alone. I've got your back.” Violet sniffled and wiped away a tear. “Ok. I can do this.” She took a deep breath. “I think we've wasted enough time here talking.” She looked at her friends and smiled. “We're almost there. Let's go.” The three ponies walked out into the whiteness, the harsh, bitter-cold wind blowing through their manes. They walked straight into the wind, cold, but determined. After nearly an hour of traveling like this, they sky began to darken as the sun set. “We need to stop before long. If we keep going until it gets dark we won't be able to see anything,” Winter shouted, trying to be heard over the wind. “I think if we gathered the snow up into banks to shield us from the wind, we can lie down for the night. Not to mention the magic shield would be too tiring.” “Yeah, you're right,” said Sunset. “And we can huddle together to keep warm.” Her stomach growled. “Violet, how much food do we have?” “Let me see,” she said as she looked in her saddlebags. “I'd say we have a few pounds of dried apples and some berries we picked yesterday.” Winter said, “Alright, try to push the snow up into a bank on the side the wind is coming from and we'll have a little shelter from it.” They silently set to work, pushing the snow with their hooves. It was hard work, but the snow was deep, so they were able to make a sizable depression in which to lie down. After the work was done, they lay down next to each other, huddling for warmth. Even though the wind was still fiercely blowing, they were protected from the worst of it. Violet took some of the apples and berries out of her saddlebags and distributed amongst the three of them. They ate in silence, before Violet spoke up. “I uh … I want to thank you both for your support earlier.” She threw her hoof around Winter's neck, pulling her into a hug. She relaxed for the first time that day, forgetting about the past and letting herself sink into the comfort of the embrace. Winter looked silently into Violet's eyes for a moment before leaning over and planting a kiss on her cheek, causing Violet to blush a little. “That's what friends do, Violet. We support each other in our times of need.” Sunset looked at the two of them and said, “Come on, you two can do that lovey-dovey stuff after we get to the Crystal Empire.” Sunset sighed. She just didn't understand how Violet could have gone through all she did and still be able to find happiness in somepony she had met just weeks before. “Let's just try to get some sleep.” The other two ponies nodded in agreement and laid their heads down. Despite the cold, the three ponies were exhausted from the day's journey and they soon drifted off to sleep. Morning came too soon for them. Violet was the first up. She tried to go back to sleep, but no matter how many times she tried to get comfortable, she couldn't. She stretched and yawned before gently nuzzling against Winter's neck, waking her. After Violet saw that she had disturbed her friend's sleep she whispered, to avoid waking Sunset, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.” “Don't be sorry, Violet,” she quietly replied, “I wouldn't want to wake up any other way.” She looked around for a moment. The wind still blew and the sky was still cloudy. She thought to herself, 'Is this place always like this? How can the crystal ponies even survive in this weather?' Her train of thought was cut when she heard a strange sound. She focused on it, trying to determine its origin. It was a loud roaring sound, that increased in volume before slowing diminishing as it moved away. The noise woke Sunset. She rubbed her eyes and asked, “What's going on? What was that noise?” Winter replied, “I don't know, I've never heard anything like it. But it sounded like it came from the direction we're going, so we can investigate when we get there, and avoid it if it's dangerous.” Violet pulled some of the fruit out of her saddlebags. “Here, I'm sure we're all hungry.” Her two friends agreed and then they ate their small breakfast. After they had finished Sunset said, somewhat reluctantly, “I guess we should get going now. Hopefully we get there today.” She didn't hear her friends' reply. All she could think was, 'What did that noise come from? And where did it go?'
Chapter 2: VisionsChapter 2: Visions There were forests, rivers, mountains, cities. The whole world was prosperous. Everyone was able to make a living, everyone was provided for. The land had been at peace for ages. Trade flourished, wealth was abundant. Even the poor weren't bad off. And even though technology was primitive and the work was hard, life was quiet and peaceful. There were wise rulers who ensured these things, who had the best interests of their subjects at heart. Then suddenly it was gone. The green had been replaced with deserts, the cities with ashes. War ravaged the lands. There was death on an unprecedented scale. The wise rulers were replaced with one who sought to bring ruin. One who was strong with the Force. He woke suddenly, snapping out of his dream. He had been having these visions every night for over a week now. He pushed the thoughts into the back of his mind and started his morning routine. He dressed, donning a simple robe, and left his dwelling, a small hut, and walked down the hill to the nearby stream. He washed his face with the cool water, letting it wake him up fully. The morning air was cool and the area was shrouded in fog. It was peaceful here, a good place to meditate far from the distractions of everyday life. He returned to his hut, pushing the door open to reveal a small room. His bed was on the opposite wall and there was a small oven where he cooked. The hut was otherwise bare, except for a sword that hung from the wall. He ate a small breakfast of fruit, mostly berries, before taking the sword and walking off into the woods. As he walked, he thought of the visions and what they meant. He was soon talking to himself. “There has to be a reason for these dreams. It could be that there is a world out there that needs help. But what can I do? I'm an outcast.” He suddenly became silent, as memories of his past began to resurface. He remembered the trial, the verdict, and the banishment, along with the warning that he had been given. He stopped walking, and forced himself to turn back to the visions. “Alright. If there is a world that needs my help, how can I even find it? There are no clues in any of the visions I've had so far. And even if there were, it's not like I'm going anywhere with my ship in the shape it's in.” Indeed, he had been trying to repair it ever since he had crashed onto this world, three years ago. He finally arrived at his destination, a small clearing in the forest that he used as a meditating place. He lay his sword on the ground and removed his robe, laying them neatly on the ground. He then sat down, closed his eyes, and completely emptied his mind. All he could feel was the Force as it flowed across the world, through every creature and tree, and himself. He reached out into the galaxy, attempting to feel the darkness of the place in his visions. As the life of the galaxy came into focus, he began to hone in on areas where the dark side of the Force seemed strongest. Unfortunately, there were far too many for any sort of guesses to be made. He stood up and put his robe back on and took his sword and began walking back to his hut. The forest was thick, and because the fog hadn't dissipated yet the sunlight still wasn't making it through to the ground. On the way back, when he was close to his hut, he stopped by his starship. He stood for a moment before saying, “I'll never leave this place at this rate. The hull is ruined and I definitely haven't found any fuel.” He had searched for weeks sometimes to try to find something he could use to repair his ship, but without any luck. He sighed and walked over to the hut and placed his sword back on the wall. He sat down on his bed, which was really just a cot, and pondered his situation, as he had done countless times before. “The only way I can get off this planet is if someone else just happens to land here. And considering the number of possible planets for someone to land on, that seems pretty unlikely.” It wouldn't have bothered him so much if he didn't keep having those recurring visions. Just last month he had decided that living here the rest of his life wouldn't be that bad. But now there was a world that needed him. He finally had a quest, a mission in life. An opportunity to atone for the past. Thoughts of adventure filled his mind, but he soon snapped himself back into reality. The truth was that he was not going anywhere, and nothing, not even the Force, could change that. Over the years, his faith in the Force had faltered, especially after the trial, which he tried to avoid thinking about. Years ago, he would have been confidant that the Force guided his actions, and those of the beings of the galaxy around him, so that anything was possible. He would have firmly believed that something would come about to rescue him from his current situation. But that was in the past, and now he sat, alone and with nothing to save him. Just as he was about to stand up and go for a walk, he felt something. It was very miniscule and only for an instant, but he felt a slight tremor, a ripple, in the Force. Then he heard it, the sound was unmistakeable. Starship engines. He rushed outside, only to see that the fog still hadn't dissipated. Cursing the weather, he ran back inside to take the sword and ran off into the woods in the direction he thought he had heard the ship heading toward. 'Finally,' he thought to himself. Finally.
Chapter 3: The YhfrendarChapter 3: The Yhfrendar The Yhfrendar was a small freighter that had been in use for nearly a hundred years, and Dups Winstar had acquired it six years ago. He had made many trips in it since then, and today he had just taken off from the world of Corellia with a cargo of transponder-code cards bound for Duro. Next to him sat a young, blonde-haired woman, Mira. “Dups, why did we have to leave so soon? I thought you said that we were going to stay in that spaceport for a few days,” Mira asked, pouting a little, as she looked over at him from the co-pilot's seat. “We need the money that's going to come from delivering this shipment,” he replied. “The ship needs some maintenance that should have been done a long time ago.” He finished putting Duro's hyperspace coordinates into the navicomputer and they made the jump to hyperspace. Mira got up and walked toward the back of the ship. “Another day or two wouldn't have made that much of a difference,” she called out from the crew quarters. “You did promise, after all.” Dups got up to go back and join her. “If we can make the repairs we need to make on Duro, we'll be staying there for at least a week.” He sat down next to her on the bed. “Plus you know how much I hate space travel,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I told you before that you didn't have to come with me,” he said. “You can go your own way whenever you want to.” They sat in silence for a moment, before being suddenly hurled forward onto the floor, as if the ship had come out of hyperspace. Dups got up and helped Mira to her feet. “That stupid navicomputer is probably acting up again.” He walked into the cockpit and sat down in his seat, examining the computer systems. “Everything seems okay,” he said, slightly confused. “It just doesn't seem that, well, that just shouldn't have happened. Unless...” He looked up to see his fears confirmed. “Pirates. Of course,” he said, sighing. There were three of them, two smaller ships with one larger ship, probably the captain's. Dups shifted the shield power to the front of the ship as the pirates opened fire. The ship trembled from the shots, causing Mira to come running up to the cockpit. “W-why are they firing at us? Don't they just want the cargo?” Mira asked, trying to stay calm. “Don't worry,” he said, trying to reassure her. “They know they can't do anything to us as long as the shields are up. They're just trying to frighten us into surrender. Then, their captain will...” He was cut off when the ship's communications system started beeping, indicating an incoming message. “Contact us,” he said, finishing his sentence. Dups pressed a button and the message began to play, in a rough, harsh voice: “Good day, captain. I am Captain Drathor, of the Perlious. I believe that it would be to both of our benefits if you were to surrender your cargo to me, along with any passengers that you might have on board. If you do so, you will of course be allowed to go free. If you refuse, I will take your cargo, your ship, and most importantly I will take your life. Make your decision and make it now.” “What are we going to do Dups?” Mira asked. Though she was afraid, she did a good job of hiding it, sounding quite calm when she asked the question. “Do you see that world down there?” Dups asked, pointing at a small world that was quite green. “They made the mistake of pulling us out of hyperspace in the middle of a planetary system.” “Wait. You're thinking about running? Won't they just destroy us?” she asked. “It's our only choice. The shields should last long enough for us to make it out of their range. Then we'll just spend a day or two on that planet until it's safe to leave. The only problem,” he added, “is that they might come looking for us, but I doubt that they'll think it's worthwhile.” Dups set the engines at max power and the ship began picking up speed as he pointed it at their destination. The pirates, after realizing that their prey was trying to escape, again opened fire. The ship began shaking from the impact of the hits. A red light began flashing on the console. “Shields low!” Mira shouted. She took her seat next to Dups and began adjusting the controls. “Cut back on the throttle or the shields won't have enough power to stay up.” “Don't worry, I've got this,” Dups reassured her. “Just two more minutes before we enter the planet's atmosphere.” “We won't make it that much longer. A few more hits and our shields will go down.” “Not if I have anything to say about it.” Dups did a barrel-role, and in so doing, dodged several incoming lasers. He began flying erratically, trying to throw off the pirates' aim. Unfortunately, a shot broke through the shield, causing a small explosion and setting off multiple alarms. The engines began losing power and the shields were now completely down. “How bad is the damage?” Mira asked. Dups didn't reply for a moment. “One more hit, Mira, just one more, and we're dead.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “We're almost there though.” The next few moments were tense, death could come at any moment. Finally, as the ship began entering the atmosphere, the lasers shooting past them stopped. Mira sighed in relief. “We made it.” She relaxed and sat back in the chair, no longer in a life or death situation. “Dups,” she said, “never, ever, do anything like that again.” He nodded his head in agreement. “Agreed. Never again.” Deep down though, he doubted whether or not he'd been able to keep his promise. As the ship neared the planet's surface, they noticed that there was nothing but forest as far as they could see. Tall trees reached up from the surface, obscuring the land below. They searched for a place where the trees were more scattered, but after several minutes of looking, they hadn't found one. Mira was the first to see a clearing. “There! Right over there! Do you see it?” she asked, pointing at it. “There's a clearing in the trees over there.” “Yeah, I see it,” Dups said. “I guess it's big enough for the ship to fit in. Of course, I don't see any other option. I can't fly the ship in its current condition much longer.” Dups turned the ship toward the clearing and initiated the landing procedures. Unfortunately, the damage was greater than Dups had estimated, and as the ship began descending, the repulsorlift engines failed and the ship dropped the remaining distance to the ground. Luckily for the two of them, they had been sitting down, buckled in their seats, so that when the ship hit the ground, neither one was hurt. The ship, however, didn't fare so well. It had landed on the landing gear, but the force of the impact was so great that the landing gear was destroyed. The engines had also stopped and none of the power systems were working. “Well, so much for leaving in a few days. In this shape we're not going anywhere for a while,” Mira stated as they worked their way through the wrecked ship to get outside and examine the exterior damage. They exited the ship, into a thick fog, and turned to see the extent of the damage. The ship lay at somewhat of an angle, having hit a few trees on the way down and was now laying on top of them. “Not a perfect landing, but I've had worse,” Dups remarked, almost jokingly. “The damage appears to be mostly minor, but I'll have to go back inside to see what shape the engines are in. If they aren't too bad, we should only have to make a few major repairs before we can leave.” He stopped when he noticed that Mira looked at him like he was crazy. “Just a 'few' repairs?” she asked sarcastically. “Are you crazy?! We can't fly anywhere in that! It's nothing but a heap of junk right now!” “How dare you call my ship a heap of junk!” Dups shouted back. “If it weren't for me you'd still...” he said before she cut him off. “Don't you even think about bringing that up!” she shouted, starting to get angry. “'Oh, Mira, I saved your life, I did this, I did that, blah blah blah',” she said, mocking him. “All you ever care about is how you can make more money. That's all that is ever on your mind. You always say, 'If we leave now we can make some extra money'. You never care about what I think. No, it's always you. Everything's about you.” She paused for a moment to take a breath before continuing on her rant, “Do you know how much you mean to me? Does it ever cross your mind?” She paused again for a moment. “I love you Dups, I really do,” she said, tears running down her face. “I … I don't know what else to say.” Dups reached out and pulled her into a hug. “Mira, I know I'm not perfect, far from it actually, but everything I do is with you in mind. I ran from the pirates because I didn't want to lose you. I don't care about the cargo, or the money I would get from selling it. The only thought going through my mind as we were landing was how grateful I was that you were safe. I love you too Mira.” Mira, no longer crying, looked up into his eyes. “I'm sorry Dups, I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. I'm sorry.” Dups brushed the hair away from her face. “No Mira, I'm sorry. I needed that. I lose track of things sometimes, things get in the way. You're always there to bring me back to reality.” They hugged again, and the fog that had shrouded the clearing since they had landed began to lift.
Chapter 4: RescueChapter 4: Rescue A human with long hair and a beard emerged from the forest and walked slowly toward Dups and Mira. He wore an old robe and a sword hung from a belt around his waist. As he approached, Dups and Mira turned to meet him. He stopped about twenty paces away from them. “Hello there,” he said. “My name is Hylok Kon. Did you come to rescue me, by any chance?” He saw them staring at his sword. “Oh, you don't have to worry about me. I don't mean you any harm,” he reassured them. Finally Dups spoke up. “Hello. I'm Dups Winstar and this is Mira. And uh, no, we aren't here to rescue you. Sorry. We were forced to land here to escape some trouble with pirates.” He wished to himself that he had his weapons with him, even if this man didn't seem threatening. “Why are you here?” Dups asked. Hylok was silent for a moment and looked down at the ground. “The story is far too long to be told right now, and I don't think that you need to hear it even if we did have time.” He paused before continuing. “Is your ship in good repair?” Dups sighed. “Not exactly. It took a lot of damage when we landed and ...” he said before Mira pulled him off to the side. “Don't tell him about that stuff,” she whispered into his ear. “What if he just takes the ship after it's repaired and leaves us here?” She looked over toward the stranger, making sure that he wasn't listening to their conversation before continuing, “We have no way of knowing whether or not we can trust him.” “Look,” Dups said, “there is no reason for us to think that this man means us any harm. And what would he gain by leaving us here?” “I don't know. He just seems, suspicious,” she said. Dups sighed in frustration and turned back to face Hylok, who had a slightly confused look on his face. “Oh, she just doesn't know whether or not to trust you right now,” Dups stated with a smirk. “Dups!” yelled Mira. She would have punched Dups right in the face had Hylok not stepped in and kept the two apart. “Both of you, calm down and listen,” he requested. “If you two would stop arguing I would be able to explain what's going on here.” After he was satisfied that they were paying attention, he continued. “If you want to get off this world we have to work together. My ship may have enough working parts to repair your ship, and then we can leave.” “Why do you want to leave so badly?” Mira asked. “Can't you just wait for someone to come by and rescue you?” “I've been stuck here for three years,” Hylok answered. “No one knows that I'm here, and no one is coming to rescue me. If I don't leave with you, then I may be stranded here for several more years.” He paused for a moment. “Also, there is somewhere I have to go, before it's too late.” “And where is that?” asked Mira. “A world. I don't know where it is, but I do know that they need help,” Hylok replied. “How would you know that they need help if you don't know where it is?” “I don't mean to interrupt,” Dups said, interrupting them, “but I'm going to assess our ship's damages while you two are talking.” Hylok ignored Dups' comment as he answered Mira's question. “Dreams. I have dreams of that world.” “Why?” “Don't worry about it. I just do.” “There's something that you're not telling me, isn't there?” “Look, Mira, I told you. Don't worry about it. After we get the ship repaired and find that world, you can go your own way and not worry about it.” “Wait just a minute here,” Mira said, raising her voice. “You not only want us to rescue you, but you also want us to take you wherever you're going? Are you crazy?!” “Calm down, calm down. I'll of course ensure that you both will be well compensated for your troubles.” “With what? You have nothing that we want.” Hylok didn't want to give away too much about himself, but he had to offer some hint of something. “I can make some things,” he paused, searching for the right word, “easier for you.” “What do you mean?” Mira asked, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. “We'll talk on the way to your ship. I want to see how long it will take us to make these repairs. We can talk more about what will happen after that with Dups.” Hylok had no intentions of telling her, but he did have to keep her interested. The two walked back to the ship, talking about random things and getting to know each other a little bit. …....... Meanwhile, on the planet Earth, Darth Menator, the Dark Lord of the Sith, was overseeing the rebuilding of the land's infrastructure. Everything was being demolished and replaced with structures of Sith design built by enslaved ponies. There was a reason for this beyond simply being evil; whenever a human was inside a pony-designed building, he either had to bend over, or he would bump his head. The pony buildings were simply too small. All these new buildings would remove that inconvenience and life would become so much easier for the occupying Sith forces. The earth ponies were employed in building the new structures and in acquiring the resources for their construction. The pegasi were used to keep the weather favorable for this construction and some of the unicorns used their magic to make certain parts of the construction process easier. The other unicorns had their magic disabled and were put to work with the earth ponies. All this was overseen by the soldiers of the Sith Empire, with occasional inspections by Darth Menator or his apprentice, Darth Lo-ni Ren, known to some as the 'Destroyer of Worlds' for his role in the complete annihilation of a rebellious star system two years ago. Now the two of them were discussing what should be done to bring the remaining areas of the planet under their control. “What parts of the planet have we yet to conquer?” asked Darth Menator, his voice raspy and cracked. “My lord,” replied Darth Lo-ni Ren, “we have conquered the whole planet with one exception. The northern areas are still independent of our control.” “And why is that?” asked Menator, the irritation in his voice clearly audible. “My lord, the north is mostly a frozen wasteland, and there are many large and dangerous dragons.” “Dragons?! Why are we letting dragons stop us?” Menator asked, angry now. “This will not be allowed to continue,” he said, not waiting for an answer. “I will take command of our forces myself and we will see how dangerous these dragons are once they face the might of the Sith Empire. They will be destroyed, and their kind will cease to exist on this pitiful excuse of a planet.” “My lord, there is something else,” Lo-ni said, “if you would allow me.” “What is it?” “In the farthest reaches of the north, our scans have shown a civilization. The land appears to be arable, and it's inhabited by more of these disgusting, pacifistic ponies. It should be easy to conquer, and we will have more slaves.” “Good, good. You have done well, Lo-ni. Go, prepare the troops. We will take transports and if all goes well, we will embark in a few days.” “As you wish, my lord.” Lo-ni bowed slightly before turning and leaving the room. Darth Menator set about making his own preparations before the attack. …....... After a full day and a half of nonstop repair work, the Yhfrendar was repaired and ready to go. The repairs were definitely not anything permanent, but they would get the job done. While working on the repairs, Hylok, Dups, and Mira had talked about Hylok's plan to find that planet that he was looking for. They had agreed, after some arguments and haggling, that they would take him there. After that, he would be on his own. They just had to find it first. The three of them now sat in the cockpit of Dups' ship. Hylok was busy looking at a galactic map, trying to find a good starting place for their search. “Here,” he finally said, pointing at a blank spot on the map. He had been looking at it for nearly an hour. “This is where the planet should be.” Dups stared at him for a moment. “Wait, why there?” he asked. “There's nothing there.” He was starting to wonder if this guy was a little crazy. “And that is exactly why we'll find what we're looking for there,” Hylok stated confidently. “Chances are that the planet is outside of Republic space, so it won't be on any of their maps.” He paused for a moment for emphasis before continuing. “Also, this is very near the Sith Empire, which makes it more likely that the Sith have invaded it.” He sat back in his chair, waiting for a response from Dups and Mira. Dups was about to say something but Mira spoke first, “So, the creatures of this world are in grave danger and if we do nothing we'll be giving up on them.” She shook her head. “No, I can't let that happen. I'm with you, Hylok. Let's do this.” She looked at Dups, waiting for him to pitch in with his thoughts. Dups sighed before saying, “Ok, I guess. This is by far the craziest thing I've ever done, but as long as you follow through with your promises, Hylok, I'm down for this.” He began the engine start sequences and checked over all the systems to make sure everything was running smoothly before asking Mira, “What are the coordinates for where we suspect the planet is?” She looked at the map one more time to confirm the numbers. “It's sector 76AG-TFR87, at reference point 21856205625-43625094.” While Dups was putting the numbers in, Hylok asked, “How long will it take us to get there?” “Long enough for us to get some needed sleep,” Dups replied. The ship had already left the atmosphere and he looked over the coordinates one more time. “Prepare for the jump to hyperspace.” After he had determined that everything was in order, he pressed the button and they zipped off into space. Now that the ship was in hyperspace they could finally relax. “So, Hylok, you never did say why you were on that planet,” Dups mentioned. “I told you before,” Hylok said, “you wouldn't be interested in the story. Not only would you be bored by it, but you wouldn't understand the reasons behind it.” He ran his hand through his long hair and sighed slowly as he did. “Even I don't fully understand it. There are times when I think I do, but I only prove myself wrong later.” “But can't you tell us anything about it?” Mira pleaded. “Maybe some other time, but not now,” Hylok answered. 'I do have a feeling, however, that we'll be together a little longer than we expect,' he thought to himself as he walked back to the crew quarters to get some sleep. There was something about these two, something ominous. …....... Dups brought the ship out of hyperspace when they had reached the area where they anticipated the planet would be. They weren't disappointed. “How?” Dups asked. “How could you know where the planet was? You just guessed, didn't you?” “No, it wasn't a guess,” Hylok replied. “Just call it a ... a hunch.” They could see that the world seemed habitable, as much of it appeared green, and there also appeared to be oceans. There was a small Sith fleet in orbit around the planet, but it wasn't big enough to cause them any trouble. “So what do we do now?” Mira asked. “We can't just land there.” Hylok turned to look at her. “Why not?” he asked. “All we have to do is make a normal landing, I give you want you want and go on my way and you two go yours.” He stood up and grabbed his belongings, what few he had. “Simple as that.” “What if the Sith catch us?” asked Dups. “Then what?” “Just focus on landing, let me handle this,” Mira told him. She turned her attention back to Hylok. “And it's not just 'simple as that'. What if something goes wrong?” “Like what?” Hylok asked. Immediately after asking that question, the ship began rocking, followed by a power surge that fried everything in the ship. “Ah, like that,” he said. “You two,” Dups said, “prepare for an emergency landing. “I'll try to land softly but there are no guarantees. The power to everything is out so the repulsorlift engines won't work.” Everyone sat down and buckled up. Dups began the landing procedure manually and in order to reduce their speed he kept the ship in the air as long as possible. Unfortunately, this resulted in them missing the planned landing area and instead the ship was heading for the polar region. “Prepare to land,” Dups called out. They braced for the impact and the ship hit the ground hard and plowed through the snow before finally coming to a stop. They took a moment to orient themselves before taking some supplies and exiting the ship. The first thing they noticed was how cold and windy it was. That and the endless tundra. “We need to get moving before the Sith find us,” Hylok said. “Take what supplies we can carry and let's make our way south. We might be able to find warmer weather in a few days if we don't waste any time hanging around here.” Dups and Mira agreed, and after they had gathered some food and other supplies together, the three of them set off to get as far as they could before their food ran out. The three ponies were crouched behind a snowbank, watching the three humans as they made their way across the snow. “They look like Sith,” Violet said quietly, hoping to not be heard by them. “They must have made that noise that we heard earlier this morning,” Winter guessed. “It had to be them.” “Yeah, it probably was,” Sunset agreed. “If they're Sith, I say we ...” She stopped mid-sentence when one of the humans, the one with the long hair, turned toward the ponies and apparently saw them. The three of them were frozen in fear as he began walking toward them.
IntroductionStar Wars The Legend of the Alicorn A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Long ago, before the reign of Celestia and Luna, before Equestria was founded, ponies lived in three different groups. There were earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. There were rumors of ponies who were more powerful with magic than unicorns, called alicorns, but their existence had never been proven. The earth ponies worked the land, providing food for the pegasi and unicorns. In return, the pegasi controlled the weather and served as soldiers to defend the land from invaders, while the unicorns raised the sun and moon every day. War was almost unknown to them. The most recent one had been over 100 years before, between them and the griffons. The ponies had lived in peace ever since the griffons' defeat. One day, all that changed. Strange creatures, who called themselves Sith, came down from the sky, with fearsome weapons and magic the ponies had never seen before. The ponies were defeated in a series of devastating battles, and were soon conquered. The griffons fared no better. The Crystal Empire remained free, but only because the Sith had no desire to invade what they considered 'a desolate wasteland' and because the crystal ponies agreed to pay a regular tribute. And so it was in the Crystal Empire that the seeds of rebellion were planted, as ponies fled the conquered lands and gathered there. Now all they needed was a leader, someone who knew their enemy. Little did they know, their best hope was currently far away, stranded on a distant world...
