My Little Pony: The Star Warsby AssassinPomaChaptersMy message.The CrashDiscoveryFirst Contact and NegotiationsThe AmbushExpositionMy message.4,000 years of existence can easily make one contemplate what the true meaning of life is. This is a fact I have learned the hard way, being incapable of aging and now lacking an organic body to fail me, I am effectively immortal. I cannot die. You cannot kill what does not live. Some would argue that I already am dead, and I have to admit, that they may be onto something. I no longer have a beating heart, nor a brain, I only possess a metal body. But let me assure you, I DO possess a soul. I made sure of it before I did this to myself. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, the personnel file attached will provide all of the information about me you require. I am Poma, former Jedi and former Sith, now a guardian. A protector of the innocent, a punisher for the guilty, a voice for the voiceless. It is my responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves, to ensure justice prevails where it is needed most, to ensure the balance of the Force is never threatened. I am Poma. And I am quite possibly the only Droid Gray Jedi, or even the only Jedi period, in this age. The age of darkness. The age of the Galactic Empire. To ensure security against possible threats, I am placing myself on the standby mode onboard my ship, of which 70% of it's systems have been disabled due to a recent pirate attack. After reaching out with the Force, I determined that my ship is being pulled by the gravitational field of a nearby star, I can only hope the power will remain active while the ship is being sucked in. Otherwise my standby will turn into something far more permanent. I have recorded this message, in case a creature the ships computer deems possibly sentient comes into contact with it, so that if such an event occurs I can reactivate and establish my galactic location. I can only hope that it will be enough. My predicament is, admittedly, dire. I have no shields, the hull has been compromised, and with each passing moment my power is draining. Standby is the only logical option to conserve power for as long as possible. Based on my calculations, it will take me two years to reach the star, and have my ships autopilot automatically home in and land on the closest planet. I have approximately two years of power left, if I am going to standby mode, so this is a serious gamble. One that will have to pay off. May the force be with me. Poma out. LOG UPDATED: New Personnel File available. Name: Poma Gender: Masculine Race: Human-turned-Droid Age: 4,137 Description: The head is round and somewhat smooth, with two white optic sensors and a vocabulator within it, going down into a slim neck that meets a broad, smooth chest with smooth shoulder plates topping arms of a cylindrical shape, ending in five perfectly shaped and working human digits. The back is adorned with a rectangular "Backpack" that can enter the body at will, that is adorned with numerous compartments, capable of storing multiple objects. Going down the abdomen the legs take on a more mechanical appearance, with pistons and joints taking up the bulk, ending in human-like feet with sharp claws for toes. The entire body is black and grey, mostly, with the occasional (but rare) times he wears a cape, which is Black on the surface but white underneath. Personality: Poma is a wise and very intelligent individual, with an extensive belief that those who are guilty deserve prosecution and punishment and those who are innocent deserve protection and guidance. He has taken these beliefs to heart. He is kind, patient, and loyal to those he calls friend, but is wicked, merciless, and deceitful to the few he calls irreversible foe. Weapons: Two black-bladed Lightsabers, Force abilities. Profession: Vigilante/Bounty Hunter Inventor: Himself. Combat style: Poma uses a brutal combination of Soresu, Ataru, and Shien when fighting single opponents, using one of his Lightsabers mainly for defense and the other mainly for offense. When fighting two or more opponents he switches gears and combines his Lightsabers into a saber-staff, and uses both blades for both purposes, making him an incredibly dangerous opponent. Weaknesses: •Like all droids, he is vulnerable to ion blasts. •He is also limited by his power source, which is solar cells, recharged with panels built onto his shoulder pads. •His moral code prevents him from taking the life of an individual under 18 years of age unless the need is absolute. •He does not acknowledge the concept of self-preservation when others are in danger. Strengths: •Due to his force-sensitivity and mechanical body, Poma has immense speed and strength, capable of performing feats ordinary force-users would find challenging. •He is known to have mastered Sith Alchemy, so much so he has an entire swarm of Techno-Spores within him to act as miniature repair men in times of need. •He has the ability of self levitation. •He is an expert in several forms of martial arts History: Many, many years before the battle of Yavin, Poma was a Jedi Knight who served the order loyally. Over the course of 20 years he was a Jedi, who intensely studied both technology and the Force technique Mechu-Deru, and how they could be connected. He was a key example of a Jedi Knight, calm and patient, until a traumatic event (that he never speaks of.) swerved him to the Dark Side. As a result he spent another 20 years as a Sith Lord. As a Sith he integrated Technology with the Force more often and eventually created a large number of techno-spores, and began to program them in numerous ways. He continued to study the Force and it's workings, and eventually came to a conclusion few before him did: Neither side was stronger. The Jedi and Sith were both wrong. As a result, he turned his back upon not only the Jedi but the Sith as well, and disappeared. In his disappearance he renounced his Sith title and gave himself the name Poma, along with two black Lightsaber crystals, to start over. But he had a new objective in life, to study the Force further. But in order to do so, he needed to do what no Sith nor Jedi had ever done before: Transcend Death. He came to the conclusion that in order to do so, he must become something Death could not claim: A droid. To become a droid, he used a mastery of the technique known as Mechu-Deru and combined it with a thorough understanding of every aspect of a droid. The trick was to give the techno-spores more advanced programming with a specific design in mind. He also used Sith Alchemy to bind his soul too, then convert his brain, essentially turning his new body into a sith artifact. He underwent the conversion while focusing on his consciousness and maintaining it through the Force. The techno-spores did the rest. Afterwards, his work was complete, and he is no longer bound to the laws of aging. He is now a droid, and has made his body extremely modular, to allow future modification. To follow his beliefs, he has become a bounty hunter/vigilante, and works to bring criminals to justice while he studies the Force further. Other: He has mastered several force abilities, such as Tutinkamis: The field of the Force that involves the study of energy in its variety of forms, as a result, he can hold off a lightsaber with his bare hands. Phase: The ability to phase through solid objects (walls, doors, etc.) at will. Doppelgänger: The ability to make realistic identical copies of himself to fight beside him. And Malacia: The ability to induce severe dizziness and nausea upon an individual by turning their equilibrium against them, though leaving no permanent effects. The CrashPrincess Twilight Sparkle was not having a pleasant morning. She had spent the entire night prior studying Equestrian Law in order to prepare for a court case she had to witness. Being a Princess, she had to be present for just about every hearing the little town had. It was tiresome, but necessary, and she knew it. So she made the best of it, paying close attention to the ponies in the court room, as case after case was presented and either the verdict was rejected or accepted with her signature. Luckily, this only happened once a month, so she was spared having to do this everyday. The last case of that day was completed, thank Celestia, and she was able to go back to the castle. Twilight was on the approach to her front door when a blur of Pink materialized in front of her with a "Hiya Twilight!" Twilight gave a tired smile in front of her friend, before continuing to walk. "Hey Pinkie." "What are you doing?!" Pinkie asked as she bounced beside the Alicorn. "I'm about to go take a nap. Today has been so exhausting, and I barely got any sleep last night, because of all of the studying I had to do for today!" Twilight replied. "Maybe I should make you one of my sleepy time cupcakes! I always go to sleep after eating one of those!" Pinkie ranted as Twilight climbed up her stairs. "I think I'll pass, Pinkie, but thanks for the offer. A good nap will do me well." Twilight said. "Okie Dokie Lokie, if you say so!" Pinkie replied from the bottom of the stairs. Twilight made her way into her bedroom, before getting into it and setting her clock to wake her up in two hours. More than enough time for a nap. She knew just how badly she needed it... As she rested her head on the pillow, she couldn't help but wonder what the future would hold. Starlight Glimmer on the loose, the cutie mark map showing them where they were all needed, she wondered just how much those factors would impact the future. These thoughts plagued her mind. What did the future have in store for her? She and her friends had faced multiple threats and opponents in her time, she had beaten Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, Tirek, and Starlight Glimmer. But she couldn't help but wonder: Would they one day meet an enemy they couldn't beat? The thought was disturbing, certainly, and it made her heart race. Luck had a limit, so some ponies told her, so how long until it ran out? She had tried debunking this scientifically, only to count the odds of the how much she odds were against her all times prior. It was unsettling. Those numbers, if printed on paper, would be as tall as Celestia by now. Before she could descend into a panic attack, she used the breathing technique Cadance had taught her to calm herself down. Sleep first, than worry. As she drifted off to sleep, the thought in her mind was only one thing: "What now? What happens now?" Celestia's sun was setting in the horizon as Rainbow Dash leaned back on her cloud near the Everfree Forest. The mare was, as usual, in the middle of one of her naps. For several moments she was undisturbed. Until... BOOM! What sounded like a clap of thunder woke up the Pegasus as it nearly punctured her eardrums and echoed across the area, and a shockwave slammed into her cloud with such brutal force that she was nearly thrown off. "SWEET CELESTIA!!" She screamed as she slipped off the cloud and just barely got her wings flapping in time. She looked up at the sky for the source of the sound before her jaw dropped. A massive fireball was hurling toward the Everfree at an alarming speed, but when she looked closer, she saw whatever it was was almost mechanical in nature and was spinning uncontrollably. It wasn't like anything she had seen before in her entire life. She watched in shock as it smashed into the Everfree with a sound that rivaled an earthquake. It took her several moments to get her to close her mouth and say one thing. "Twilight. I gotta get Twilight!" With a rainbow colored blur, she was gone. Systems coming online... Photoreceptors... Online. Vocabulator... Online. Primary bodily functions... Online. Central and Secondary processors... Online. Rebooting... Reboot complete. In the cockpit of the crashed starship, the photoreceptors of the droid in the pilots seat blinked on for the first time in two years. The first thing it did was "blink", or close the shutters over its receptors meant to protect them. Once that task was complete it tested the vocabulator. "Approximate calculations were correct. Chronometer indicates 2 years, 3 months, and 11 days since entering of standby mode. Not so bad, if I do say so myself." The droid then tested moving its legs and arms. They worked as well. Excellent. Now it had to check its power levels... The droid was surprised to discover 56% power was left from the two year hiatus. It expected less. Much less. This meant getting power was not an immediate concern. The next thing it tested was it's Lightsabers, summoning each in hand before activating them both. Both blades sprang to life with a hiss, the black blades seeming to suck all light surrounding them into the blades. The droid deactivated and put away it's weapons. Lightsabers operational He then tested his connection to the Force. He concentrated and was overwhelmed by the amount of it present on the planet... It was staggering. Few worlds had so much Force-Energy... He lifted a rock off of the ground and back on to test his telekinesis. It was still normal. He decided to examine his surroundings, but first he had to scour the ship for anything useful. He found two spare power cells, an emergency first aid kit (in case he ran into an injured organic.), and his cape. He clipped his cape over his shoulders before looking to the south. "Well, Poma, you have certainly gotten yourself into an interesting predicament." The droid said to himself. DiscoveryThe droid trudged through the Woodlands, due to the thick underbrush that constantly snagged at his feet, before coming to a small clearing. From that clearing he looked into the night sky, and tried to use the stars to triangulate his position in the galaxy, as night had fallen some time ago. "Judging by the constellations and the positions of most stars, and knowing my last location with those pirates, I am somewhere on the borders of unknown space." Poma spoke to himself. "The questions are, how lost am I, and can I get off this planet? No pollution present in the atmosphere indicates little-to-no presence of industry, further indicating this planet is likely not inhabited by any species advanced enough to be space-faring, therefore there are no Spaceports or Landing Zones I can use. Meaning that if I am to escape this planet, I must do so by scratch, first things first though: I must see if there is any sentient life on this planet. Even a basic knowledge of astronomy would be useful." The droid carefully looked around, determining which direction to go next, before he could make up his mind he heard talking nearby, approximately 300 meters to the southwest. It sounded like two women speaking in flawless Galactic Basic, arguing almost, and they were close by. Poma moved toward the source, while his processor kicked into gear. Galactic Basic? Here? Could I have been mistaken and this planet is space-faring? He wondered. Poma followed the voices for several minutes, he was too far off to make out too many words, but he heard one of the women telling the other to “Be patient.” At that point the woman being spoken to must have stopped walking, because her voice now longer moved when she retorted. Poma finally spotted a light up ahead, one that was stationary and purple, for some odd reason, no matter. A light and talking meant intelligent beings. Which he desperately needed right now. As he broke throught the treeline, his optics adjusted to the light to make out what these creatures were. He most certainly did not expect what he saw. -1 hour prior- Twilight Sparkle’s evening was not going the way she had planned it. She intended for it to be one of relaxation due to the tedius day she had had. Searching for a supposed crash meteor was not on her agenda, but the fact Rainbow Dash had claimed it to look “Mechanical” raised the Alicorn’s eyebrow. Mechanical? That was… strange. Twilight knew if it really was mechanical… Then it was of extraterrestrial origin. Upon becoming aware of that possibility, Twilight immediately grabbed her saddlebags and packed them for a journey into the Everfree, she would not jump to conclusions until she saw the object herself. “Twilight! You can’t go out there! It’s gonna be dark soon and the Everfree is no place to be at night!” Rainbow Dash protested. “I know it’s dangerous. But if my theory is right, I have to get to the site of impact as quickly as possible.” Twilight replied as she placed several scrolls and quills into the saddlebags, before reaching with her magic for the ink. “And what theory is that?” Rainbow asked. Twilight looked her pegasus friend in the eyes. “That this might be something big. Huge. Something that could shape all of Pony history from this day onward.” She replied. “And you can’t wait till morning or contact the Princess?!” Rainbow demanded. “No. This has to be done now and I don’t want to disturb Celestia in case I am wrong.” Twilight replied. “Twilight, there is no way I’m letting you go in there alone, I’m going with you!” Rainbow insisted. Twilight smiled. Rainbow represented the Element of Loyalty for a reason. “Then go home and pack your own saddlebags if you need anything. I leave in 10 minutes.” Their search through the Everfree for the next 50 or so minutes was done with little points of interest., for they were not finding anything, and it was getting frustrating for a certain rainbow maned pegasus, who was deeply considering voicing her objections. Thankfully Twilight had casted a silencing spell around her and Dash so no creatures would hear them, so they were safer than they would have been otherwise, but the downside of that was the glow of Twilight’s horn possibly attracting something. It was their only source of light, so Twilight couldn’t give it up. “Uhg, we’ve been out here for nearly an hour, and your egghead brain can’t find out where a stupid meteor crashed!” Rainbow snapped as she walked behind the Alicorn. “I told you, Dash, I can’t be sure of where it landed, especially if I didn’t see it!” Twilight replied. “It was you who pointed me in this direction, remember?” “Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d refuse to walk in any other direction for a whole hour, or be so determined to find this thing.” Rainbow retorted, stopping in her tracks. Twiligh groaned before stopping as well. “I know you’re frustrated. I am too. But we have to keep moving, so we can find this object and find out-“ Twilight’s words caught in her throat, as her eyes widened, looking over Dash’s shoulder. “What?” Dash asked, turning around. What she saw behind her made her freeze completely in both terror and awe. It was a tall, two legged metal… Thing. It was by far the most intimidating thing Dash had seen in her young life. It could have easily stood eye-to-eye with Princess Celestia without even stretching to what Rainbow assumed was it’s full height. It’s legs were long and thin, while two apendeges from what she assumed to be it’s chest ended in five long and slender digits, and a cape was wrapped around it’s neck and flowing behind it while two glowing orbs in the head, that she assumed to be it’s eyes, twisted and turned in their sockets. For a few monents, neither the ponies or metal behemoth moved or even made a sound, staring at eachother. Until Rainbow Dash finally regained her voice. “HOLY BUCK!” Then pandemonium ensued. First Contact and NegotiationsBefore the winged, rainbow-maned quadruped's outburst, Poma was busy thinking. These were extremely colorful, winged (and even horned) quadrupeds that could speak Galactic Basic, and were now aware of his presence. There were two of them, one cyan with wings, a rainbow colored mane and tail, and had a raspy yet feministic voice. The other, a lavender quadruped with a purple mane and tail with inidigo stripes along them, had a horn and wings. The lavender one was wearing what appeared to be bags, likely meant for carrying items, and from the looks of it both were full. His connection to the Force told him both the cyan and lavender quadrupeds possessed sensitivity to the Force, on varying levels. Poma could tell that these beings... No... These females, as he decided to call them due to their voices and obvious sentience, were not only sensitive to the Force, but were strongly so. He could literally sense the Force emanating off of them, in a strong, pulsating aura that could easily put most fully-trained Jedi Knights and Sith Lords to shame. It intrigued the Gray Jedi. Immensely. These thoughts, however, were quickly interrupted by the aforementioned outburst. "HOLY BUCK!" Poma was contemplating how the word “buck” could possibly be considered holy when the cyan quadruped spread out her wings and got into a combative stance. “Get out of here and warn the Princess, Twilight! I’ll hold this thing off!” She ordered. “Rainbow Dash, wait!” The other female, “Twilight”, yelled. “Rainbow Dash”, as that appeared to be her name, did not wait and instead lunged at the droid. For Poma, time froze, as he considered his options in a quarter of the amount of time it took for most organics with eyelids to blink. Bodily harm=unacceptable. Her small and lithe form dictates skill in athletics. Injury to her could hamper this skill very easily, and possibly permanently. Ending her life=unacceptable. Counter-productive to my goals and would only make things worse. I must find a way to end this confrontation quickly, and without actual fighting. Two possibilities existent: 1. Use of Malacia, to disorient and incapicitate her temporarily until a more permanent solution can be found, or 2. Suspend her in the air with the Force until she ceases hostilities. Poma chose option 2. As Rainbow Dash closed in he outstretched his palm and grabbed her body with the Force, preventing her from getting closer or getting away. “Hey! Let me go!” Rainbow Dash as she struggled. “Twilight, get out of here!” “I’m not going anywhere.” Twilight replied as her horn glowed while she pointed it at their supposed assailant. Poma was interested in this glowing as he sensed it was Force energy. Is it possible that this entire race is Force-sensitive, and evolved with this sensitivity enough to use it naturally, without Jedi or Sith interference? Poma wondered. He decided to end this fight before it even began. “Please cease your hostilities. I mean neither of you, nor any of your species, harm.” His vocabulator spoke loudly and clearly. Twilight froze, the glow dying in her horn, while Rainbow Dash also stopped struggling. “Did this thing just talk?” Rainbow asked her fellow. “Yes. I did.” Poma replied calmly. Twilight cleared her throat, shoving her shock into the back of her mind to be dealt with later. “You can understand us?” She asked. “Perfectly.” The droid responded. Twilight took a deep breath, now, for the moment of truth. “Were you involved in the object that crashed into this forest?” She asked. “Yes. That was my ship.” Poma responded calmly. “So you are not in any way from this planet?” Twilight asked, her voice full of barely contained excitement. “I am not even from the same arm of this galaxy, if my analysis of this planet’s astronomy is accurate.” Poma responded. Twilight nearly squealed, but contained her excitement. Now wasn’t the time for excitement or questioning, that came later at her castle. If this thing would even follow her there. “May I ask you to please release my friend?” Twilight requested. “Only if you both agree to cease any and all acts of hostilty against me.” The droid replied. “I promise I will not commit any acts of hostility against you. Rainbow Dash?” Twilight looked to her levitating friend. Rainbow Dash huffed in both annoyance and defeat. “Fine. I promise too.” With that, Poma lowered her to the ground. “Allow me to introduce us. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Nation Equestria, on the planet of Equis. This is my friend, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said, gesturing first to herself then her Pegasus friend. Poma drew himself to his full height. “I, Princess Twilight, am Poma of the Gray Jedi Order, born on the planet Taris and raised on the planet Coruscant.” He stated. “As a Princess of Equestria, and a representative of Ponykind, I welcome you here, Poma.” Twilight said courteously. “The welcome is appreciated and happily accepted, Princess, and I look forward to getting to know and your fellow, ponies?” Poma enquired politely. Twilight smiled. “That is correct, Poma, if you would not mind I would prefer to speak elsewhere. This forest is dangerous, and I would prefer to be out of here as quickly as possible, if that is alright.” “I have sensed multiple hostile presences around and watching us for some time now. I agree with your statement. This is not a safe location. Wherever you wish to go, I will follow, Princess. Understand if I sense any signs of deceit or manipulation from you or your peers I will take appropriate action to protect myself.” Poma stated. Twilight let out a breath she did not even realize she was holding after hearing that statement. “I can assure you, Poma, nopony will attempt to deceive or manipulate you. Ponyville is a town full of good, and honest, ponies.” She replied. Nopony? Ponyville? It seems their language is centered around their species. Poma thought. “I meant no offense in my statement, Princess, and I apologize if it sounded that way. I was simply stating that I do not take deceit or manipulation well.” Poma stated. “As with my experiences, such things are alarmingly common.” Twilight sighed. “No offense was taken, Poma, as we Ponies also have those who are dishonest and manipulative. But none reside in Ponyville, I know that much.” “I will take your word for that, Princess, shall we depart for this “Ponyville”?” Poma asked. “Yes, if you will please follow me.” Twilight stated, turning around. With that, both ponies and the droid began their journey to the town. The AmbushPoma walked beside Rainbow Dash and Twilight, using the Force to "see" his way around the area and detect threats, though none had appeared so far. As a result, Poma relaxed his circuits and joints very slightly, so slightly only an expert in droid bodies and mechanics could have even possibly have noticed the release of tension in his body. But he still remained on high alert, as danger lurked around every corner, and he had to be prepared to fight at a moments notice. Poma was generally a peaceful individual, but situations where he had to combat someone or something at very short notice had made him very observant, noting even the tiniest and most insignificant looking details he could see. This was due to the fact that in his existence he had faced Mandalorians, Rancors, Acklays, Sith Lords, Jedi, Clone and Storm Troopers, Battledroids, and even on one occasion a full-grown Sarlaac on Felucia.* Poma almost didn't catch the ambush on time. Almost. Luckily for the ponies, he did catch it on time, albeit barely, and had enough time to Force Push them out of the ambusher's path. When he spotted their assailants for the first time, he was taken by surprise, due to the mere appearance of the thing. It was a canine made from wood. It was such an oddity that despite the droid's long history with aliens it gave him pause. How was this even possible?! What was this creature? How did it function? Did it have internal organs? A brain? Bones? All were unknowns. Poma decided to find out the answers to these questions later. He had a local and royal to defend from this obviously predatory creature. He was just reaching for his Lightsabers when suddenly, he sensed another one coming right for him, as a response he leaped into the air. While in the air his Lightsabers shot out of his back, before he grabbed and activated them, and brought both blades to slice at the nearest canine's head as he started to drop. As Poma landed the blades sliced through the wood with ease, taking off the top part of the head and killing the creature instantly, before it fell to the ground smoldering, dead. Poma then performed a Lightsaber throw towards two more, decapitating one and impaling the other straight through the chest, killing them both. As the Lightsaber came spinning back toward him, two more canines were approaching from his left and right, Poma was being flanked from both sides. As a result, he channeled the Force into the blade of his remaining saber and stabbed it into the ground, releasing the Force in a powerful shock wave that sent his assailants flying back into nearby trees that snapped them in half upon impact. Two more approached him quickly, and as a response he clamped his foot around the head of one before tightening his clawed toes and squashing it like a melon, what looked like tree sap sprayed out if the head and ended up all over his foot. Fascinating, he thought, they have tree sap-like bodily fluids. With the other one approaching him, he swung the dead animal around and threw it at its live comrade, sending both careening outside of the clearing. His Lightsaber was flying back to him by the time he was ready to catch it. He caught his second Lightsaber and faced down the remaining canine, the largest of the bunch, which he guessed was the Alpha Male. The Alpha was snarling at Poma in obvious fury for killing or gravely injuring his comrades, and the show of aggression didn't even make the droid do so much as twitch. The two stared each other down for several long seconds, sizing the other up, preparing themselves. Suddenly, without warning nor hesitation, at the exact same instant: The inevitable happened. They lunged. Twilight didn't have time to even make a sound of protest. She didn't even have time to question WHAT it was that had pushed her away. All that she knew was that one second, they were alone, and the next, they weren't. But that was not the reason her jaw had nearly dislocated due to it being so slack. No, the reason for that was the fact that Poma was engaged in combat, with 9 full grown timberwolves. And he was massacring them. She watched as he mercilessly slaughtered them with the two glowing black swords he had taken from his back, she watched as he cut and slashed through the wolves like they were nothing but air, she watched in fascinated horror as he killed or gravely injured every single one that came for him. Her ears laid flat against her head as her eyes widened, as Poma crushed the skull of one of the timberwolves before throwing it at another. Rainbow Dash, however, was not so fortunate: She vomited upon the sight. The two watched in both fascination and horror as Poma massacred the entire pack, before turning on the leader, both seemed to stare each other down Then, without warning, both pounced at the exact same instant for each other. And Poma brought his weapons down in an X, as they passed, leaving the Timberwolf Alpha to fall into four pieces as it died. With that, Poma deactivated and put away his weapons before facing the two ponies. “Princess Twilight, Miss Dash, you are safe now.” He said. “SAFE?!?” Dash yelled. “GET AWAY FROM US, YOU MONSTER!” Poma looked at her. “Am I trully a monster for acting in self defense? They attacked first, I merely defended myself, do I not have that right?” Dash couldn’t make herself respond, so Twilight spoke up. “Yes, you do, but killing them? That was a little… Harsh…” She said in a small voice. “I apologize, I will attempt to avoid killing, if I can.” Poma stated. “I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to relinquish your weapons, I can’t let you carry them around in Ponyville, I… Don’t trust you with them.” Twilight said. “With respect, Princess, no.” Poma said. “These weapons are powerful pieces of sophisticated and intricate machinery and technology, far beyond the comprehension of your scientific community, and if these were to fall into the wrong clutches the damage could be catostrophic.” He added. “But-“ Twilight protested, before stopping herself and thinking. Hard. “Alright, if you swear to not use them unless absolutely necessary while in Ponyville, you may keep them.” “You have my word.” Poma swore. “Very well. We should almost be there, lets keep-“ Twilight started, before a sound cut her off. A whimper. Poma turned his head towards a nearby bush, and used the Force to pull the source out of it, revealing a Timberwolf pup. “Oh dear.” He stated. He approached the pup, who cowered in fear, before taking off his cape and draping it over the young wolf and picking him or her up and cradling him. The show of affection warmed Twilight’s heart. So there was good in him. “Let’s get him to my friend, Fluttershy, she takes care of animals like him all the time.” Twilight advised. “Lead the way.” Poma stated. ExpositionIt took less than thirty minutes for the three to leave the Everfree, the Timberwolf cub now sleeping soundly in Poma’s arms, his cape still wrapped around it. As the town came into sight with his infared filter activated, the first thing the droid noticed was the designs of the buidlings, and the colors. Bright. Vibrant. Almost festive. It intrigued him. “Are your centers of population usually designed with this style of architecture?” He asked. Twilight nodded. “This is pretty normal for us, but I don’t know what kind of architecture you are used to.” She stated. “The kind not nearly as colorful as this.” Poma replied honestly. “Most of the buildings I have seen are black, white, and grey, and stretch up sometimes kilometers into the sky, I’ve even fallen and jumped from a few. Not my greatest moments I will admit.” Twilight looked at Poma, turning around to face him. “Kilometers? They are kilometers tall?!” “Quite so. The tallest ones I have seen are up to 15.” Poma replied. Twilight shook her head in awe before turning back around. “Let’s just get this pup to Fluttershy, after that, you and I need to talk.” “Agreed.” Poma stated. As they approached a large building that looked like it had grass or moss for a roof, surrounded by boxes with sticks and holes on them, Twilight turned to Poma, and said. “It’s best if you give me the pup, you might startle Fluttershy if I don’t prepare her for you first, and that’s not what we want right now. I’ll give the pup to her and tell her to come to my castle in the morning.” Poma gave a single nod of confirmation and handed the pup to her after unwrapping it from the cape. Twilight then said. “You’ll need to hide, too, just to be safe. Though I don’t know where…” She paused. “I can do you one better.” Poma said as he clipped his cape back on. He concentrated on the Force within and around him and employed an ability that was one of the few that took him roughly a thousand years to master: Force Cloak. He called upon the Force to photo-kinetically bend light and sound around him, rendering him invisible to audio and visual detection, making it seem like he was never even there to begin with. Twilight’ and Rainbow Dash’s jaws dropped in amazement. “I suggest you hurry. While I can maintain this illusion for a time I cannot do it indefinitely.” Poma’s voice sounded from the same spot. Twilight shook herself out of her stupor and nodded, before galloping to Fluttershy’s cottage and knocked. After a few knocks the being Poma assumed was Fluttershy opened the door, bags under her eyes indicating her recent slumber, but they vanished the instant she saw the pup. She muttered something inaudible before grabbing and cradling the now awake infant and asking Twilight something, to which Twilight replied quickly, before gesturing to her castle. Fluttershy nodded and said something else before closing the door. Twilight trotted back to Dash and Poma. “You can come out now.” Poma reappeared in an instant. “Shall we go to your castle now?” He asked. Twilight nodded. “Yes. Follow me.” With that she turned to Rainbow Dash. “Do you want to go to bed? It’s pretty late.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “And leave you with this thing? No way! I’m staying with you until I’m sure he won’t hurt you!” Poma looked at Dash. “I assure you, once again, that I mean none of your kind any harm.” “And how-“ Dash asked as she got into his face. “-Am I supposed to believe you?” Poma stared back at her. “By trusting that I only hurt those who are a threat to me or the innocent.” “Really? Well I’m not buying that. I’m sticking with Twilight until I know you’re safe!” Dash said. Poma merely shrugged. “If you insist.” Dash glared at him as she slowly got down. Twilight shook her head in both annoyance and appreciation at just how loyal, yet stubborn, her friend could be. It took them only minutes to reach the castle due to the empty streets, caused by the night, and Poma soon saw the interior as Twilight opened the doors. It was made of crystal, entirely, and Poma couldn’t help but wonder just how the ponies managed to build this structure so flawlessly. It was almost as if this structure had sprouted from the ground… They soon walked into a room that had a large table, surrounded by multiple chairs with various symbols on them, one of which glowed for a moment as Rainbow Dash sat on the one that matched her own on her flank. Twilight also took a seat, before looking at Poma, and then looking around the room. “Would you… Um… Like a seat?” She asked awkwardly. “I will stand, thank you.” Poma replied. Twilight nodded as she brought up a quill, ink, and a scroll from her saddlebags. She dipped the quill into the ink before hovering it over the scroll, now unfolded, and wrote something down. “You said your name was Poma, right?” She asked. “That is correct.” Poma replied. “Ok. What is your age?” Twilight asked. “I am currently 4,137 years, 5 months, 14 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes and 16 seconds old.” Poma replied instantly. Twilight looked up in mild shock, before looking back down and scribbling something onto the page. “Where were you created?” She asked. “I was born on Taris. I became what I am today on a planet called Tython.” Poma replied. Twilight looked up again. “Born? But you’re a machine.” She stated. “Correction: I am a machine now. I have not always been one. I was once a human, until I decided to become something more, something that could not age.” Poma stated. “Human?! Oh, Celestia, Lyra is going to freak… Ok, how did you become what you are now?” Twilight asked. Poma explained as much as he safely could about the process he went through, though it was difficult, and nearly 15 minutes later he was finished. By now Twilight had used 3 scrolls and was grabbing a fourth. “Ok, now, explain to me how you can do all of this. The levitating, the invisibility, the sensing… How?” Twilight asked. “The Force.” Poma stated, as though the answer was obvious. “The Force?” Twilight asked. “Yes. An energy field that surrounds all living things. It surrounds us, flows through us, and penetrates us. Without it, many of my feats today and many days before, would have been impossible. I am surprised you know so little of it, you are using it right now, after all.” Poma stated. “I am? But, I’m using magic, are you sure that we’re using the same thing?” Twilight questioned. “Absolutely, over 4,000 years of existence, and I have never failed to identify it.” Poma stated. Twilight was stunned. “Tell me everything you know about it.” -Six Hours Later- Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep hours ago, but Twilight was still wide awake even though the sun was rising, as she scribbled onto her 24th scroll of that day. “So you are saying that Pegasi manipulate the Force for flight, Unicorns manipulate it to use spells, and Earth Ponies use it to enhance their strength and farm?” She asked Poma. “That is correct, by my observations, yes.” Poma stated. Twilight shook her head for the umpteenth time that day. All of this was clashing with every magical theory she had ever studied in her life, it was absolutely ground breaking, and if it was true… Hundreds of year’s worth of theorizing and speculation: Gone. Defenestrated. Useless. It was mind-blowing. “There are two other things I should mention about the Force. The Dark Side. And the Light Side.” Poma stated. Twilight looked up. “Dark Side? Light Side? What are those?” “Two separate, yet connected, aspects of the Force. The Dark Side follows emotion, greed, power. The Light follows serenity, peace of mind, and clarity. The Jedi follow the Light. Whilst the Sith follow the Dark.” Poma stated. Twilight grabbed 4 more scrolls from her saddlebags, the last ones, before saying. “Speak.” Poma did just that. Another two hours passed as he explained the differences, similarities, strengths, and weaknesses of both sides. “The Rule of Two?” Twilight questioned. “Yes, first implemented by Darth Bane, followed through by every Sith to this day.” Poma replied. “How does that work?” Twilight asked. “I will let him explain.” Poma stated. Before Twilight could question that, Poma’s eyes suddenly closed, and his mouth glowed red as it flashed while speaking in a voice that was not his own: "The Force is not fire, it is venom. In that simple maxim is the entirety of Sith Philosophy. What Lord Kaan and my other, lesser predecessors could not understand, is that such a fundamental truth is not evidence of insight on my part but rather, stupidity on their part. The Force is not fire. It cannot be passed down from one users lit torch to another's and another's until an entire hemisphere is illuminated in a blaze of a million lights, this is what Kaan foolishly believed, along with all Sith Lords before him for the past thousand years. It is why the once mighty Sith fell apart long before the defeat at Ruusan. When all carry a flame, no matter how dim and guttering it may be, they soon conclude they are the brightest stars, around which all others must orbit. Infighting follows and Jedi victory becomes inevitable. No, the Force is venom. If it is poured into many cups, it loses it's potency, until it becomes so diluted it is merely an irritant. Yet pour those cups back into a single vessel, and you will have the power to stop a Krayt Dragon's heart. This is the secret. This is the Rule of Two. One Sith must contain all the power of the Dark Side. One Master must decide how that power shall be used. Sharing power is an act of weakness, and a violation of the Sith Code. Yet the Sith Order must survive after the Master perishes, for this reason, the Master must take an apprentice. The Master instructs the pupil, but never gives up the smallest sliver of power. The apprentice learns through years of study, but must struggle for every achievement. If the apprentice becomes strong enough, a battle to the death will prove it. If should the Master be struck down, the apprentice becomes the Master, and the Order continues. Together the two may attract legions of minions, but true power, will remain concentrated. Always two. A Master, and an apprentice." As the recording ended Poma opened back his eyes, to look at Twilight’s shocked expression, of which also possessed some fear. After that she simply stood up and said. “I’m going to need some Coffee.” That was before a piercing scream filled the room.
My message.4,000 years of existence can easily make one contemplate what the true meaning of life is. This is a fact I have learned the hard way, being incapable of aging and now lacking an organic body to fail me, I am effectively immortal. I cannot die. You cannot kill what does not live. Some would argue that I already am dead, and I have to admit, that they may be onto something. I no longer have a beating heart, nor a brain, I only possess a metal body. But let me assure you, I DO possess a soul. I made sure of it before I did this to myself. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, the personnel file attached will provide all of the information about me you require. I am Poma, former Jedi and former Sith, now a guardian. A protector of the innocent, a punisher for the guilty, a voice for the voiceless. It is my responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves, to ensure justice prevails where it is needed most, to ensure the balance of the Force is never threatened. I am Poma. And I am quite possibly the only Droid Gray Jedi, or even the only Jedi period, in this age. The age of darkness. The age of the Galactic Empire. To ensure security against possible threats, I am placing myself on the standby mode onboard my ship, of which 70% of it's systems have been disabled due to a recent pirate attack. After reaching out with the Force, I determined that my ship is being pulled by the gravitational field of a nearby star, I can only hope the power will remain active while the ship is being sucked in. Otherwise my standby will turn into something far more permanent. I have recorded this message, in case a creature the ships computer deems possibly sentient comes into contact with it, so that if such an event occurs I can reactivate and establish my galactic location. I can only hope that it will be enough. My predicament is, admittedly, dire. I have no shields, the hull has been compromised, and with each passing moment my power is draining. Standby is the only logical option to conserve power for as long as possible. Based on my calculations, it will take me two years to reach the star, and have my ships autopilot automatically home in and land on the closest planet. I have approximately two years of power left, if I am going to standby mode, so this is a serious gamble. One that will have to pay off. May the force be with me. Poma out. LOG UPDATED: New Personnel File available. Name: Poma Gender: Masculine Race: Human-turned-Droid Age: 4,137 Description: The head is round and somewhat smooth, with two white optic sensors and a vocabulator within it, going down into a slim neck that meets a broad, smooth chest with smooth shoulder plates topping arms of a cylindrical shape, ending in five perfectly shaped and working human digits. The back is adorned with a rectangular "Backpack" that can enter the body at will, that is adorned with numerous compartments, capable of storing multiple objects. Going down the abdomen the legs take on a more mechanical appearance, with pistons and joints taking up the bulk, ending in human-like feet with sharp claws for toes. The entire body is black and grey, mostly, with the occasional (but rare) times he wears a cape, which is Black on the surface but white underneath. Personality: Poma is a wise and very intelligent individual, with an extensive belief that those who are guilty deserve prosecution and punishment and those who are innocent deserve protection and guidance. He has taken these beliefs to heart. He is kind, patient, and loyal to those he calls friend, but is wicked, merciless, and deceitful to the few he calls irreversible foe. Weapons: Two black-bladed Lightsabers, Force abilities. Profession: Vigilante/Bounty Hunter Inventor: Himself. Combat style: Poma uses a brutal combination of Soresu, Ataru, and Shien when fighting single opponents, using one of his Lightsabers mainly for defense and the other mainly for offense. When fighting two or more opponents he switches gears and combines his Lightsabers into a saber-staff, and uses both blades for both purposes, making him an incredibly dangerous opponent. Weaknesses: •Like all droids, he is vulnerable to ion blasts. •He is also limited by his power source, which is solar cells, recharged with panels built onto his shoulder pads. •His moral code prevents him from taking the life of an individual under 18 years of age unless the need is absolute. •He does not acknowledge the concept of self-preservation when others are in danger. Strengths: •Due to his force-sensitivity and mechanical body, Poma has immense speed and strength, capable of performing feats ordinary force-users would find challenging. •He is known to have mastered Sith Alchemy, so much so he has an entire swarm of Techno-Spores within him to act as miniature repair men in times of need. •He has the ability of self levitation. •He is an expert in several forms of martial arts History: Many, many years before the battle of Yavin, Poma was a Jedi Knight who served the order loyally. Over the course of 20 years he was a Jedi, who intensely studied both technology and the Force technique Mechu-Deru, and how they could be connected. He was a key example of a Jedi Knight, calm and patient, until a traumatic event (that he never speaks of.) swerved him to the Dark Side. As a result he spent another 20 years as a Sith Lord. As a Sith he integrated Technology with the Force more often and eventually created a large number of techno-spores, and began to program them in numerous ways. He continued to study the Force and it's workings, and eventually came to a conclusion few before him did: Neither side was stronger. The Jedi and Sith were both wrong. As a result, he turned his back upon not only the Jedi but the Sith as well, and disappeared. In his disappearance he renounced his Sith title and gave himself the name Poma, along with two black Lightsaber crystals, to start over. But he had a new objective in life, to study the Force further. But in order to do so, he needed to do what no Sith nor Jedi had ever done before: Transcend Death. He came to the conclusion that in order to do so, he must become something Death could not claim: A droid. To become a droid, he used a mastery of the technique known as Mechu-Deru and combined it with a thorough understanding of every aspect of a droid. The trick was to give the techno-spores more advanced programming with a specific design in mind. He also used Sith Alchemy to bind his soul too, then convert his brain, essentially turning his new body into a sith artifact. He underwent the conversion while focusing on his consciousness and maintaining it through the Force. The techno-spores did the rest. Afterwards, his work was complete, and he is no longer bound to the laws of aging. He is now a droid, and has made his body extremely modular, to allow future modification. To follow his beliefs, he has become a bounty hunter/vigilante, and works to bring criminals to justice while he studies the Force further. Other: He has mastered several force abilities, such as Tutinkamis: The field of the Force that involves the study of energy in its variety of forms, as a result, he can hold off a lightsaber with his bare hands. Phase: The ability to phase through solid objects (walls, doors, etc.) at will. Doppelgänger: The ability to make realistic identical copies of himself to fight beside him. And Malacia: The ability to induce severe dizziness and nausea upon an individual by turning their equilibrium against them, though leaving no permanent effects.
The CrashPrincess Twilight Sparkle was not having a pleasant morning. She had spent the entire night prior studying Equestrian Law in order to prepare for a court case she had to witness. Being a Princess, she had to be present for just about every hearing the little town had. It was tiresome, but necessary, and she knew it. So she made the best of it, paying close attention to the ponies in the court room, as case after case was presented and either the verdict was rejected or accepted with her signature. Luckily, this only happened once a month, so she was spared having to do this everyday. The last case of that day was completed, thank Celestia, and she was able to go back to the castle. Twilight was on the approach to her front door when a blur of Pink materialized in front of her with a "Hiya Twilight!" Twilight gave a tired smile in front of her friend, before continuing to walk. "Hey Pinkie." "What are you doing?!" Pinkie asked as she bounced beside the Alicorn. "I'm about to go take a nap. Today has been so exhausting, and I barely got any sleep last night, because of all of the studying I had to do for today!" Twilight replied. "Maybe I should make you one of my sleepy time cupcakes! I always go to sleep after eating one of those!" Pinkie ranted as Twilight climbed up her stairs. "I think I'll pass, Pinkie, but thanks for the offer. A good nap will do me well." Twilight said. "Okie Dokie Lokie, if you say so!" Pinkie replied from the bottom of the stairs. Twilight made her way into her bedroom, before getting into it and setting her clock to wake her up in two hours. More than enough time for a nap. She knew just how badly she needed it... As she rested her head on the pillow, she couldn't help but wonder what the future would hold. Starlight Glimmer on the loose, the cutie mark map showing them where they were all needed, she wondered just how much those factors would impact the future. These thoughts plagued her mind. What did the future have in store for her? She and her friends had faced multiple threats and opponents in her time, she had beaten Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, Tirek, and Starlight Glimmer. But she couldn't help but wonder: Would they one day meet an enemy they couldn't beat? The thought was disturbing, certainly, and it made her heart race. Luck had a limit, so some ponies told her, so how long until it ran out? She had tried debunking this scientifically, only to count the odds of the how much she odds were against her all times prior. It was unsettling. Those numbers, if printed on paper, would be as tall as Celestia by now. Before she could descend into a panic attack, she used the breathing technique Cadance had taught her to calm herself down. Sleep first, than worry. As she drifted off to sleep, the thought in her mind was only one thing: "What now? What happens now?" Celestia's sun was setting in the horizon as Rainbow Dash leaned back on her cloud near the Everfree Forest. The mare was, as usual, in the middle of one of her naps. For several moments she was undisturbed. Until... BOOM! What sounded like a clap of thunder woke up the Pegasus as it nearly punctured her eardrums and echoed across the area, and a shockwave slammed into her cloud with such brutal force that she was nearly thrown off. "SWEET CELESTIA!!" She screamed as she slipped off the cloud and just barely got her wings flapping in time. She looked up at the sky for the source of the sound before her jaw dropped. A massive fireball was hurling toward the Everfree at an alarming speed, but when she looked closer, she saw whatever it was was almost mechanical in nature and was spinning uncontrollably. It wasn't like anything she had seen before in her entire life. She watched in shock as it smashed into the Everfree with a sound that rivaled an earthquake. It took her several moments to get her to close her mouth and say one thing. "Twilight. I gotta get Twilight!" With a rainbow colored blur, she was gone. Systems coming online... Photoreceptors... Online. Vocabulator... Online. Primary bodily functions... Online. Central and Secondary processors... Online. Rebooting... Reboot complete. In the cockpit of the crashed starship, the photoreceptors of the droid in the pilots seat blinked on for the first time in two years. The first thing it did was "blink", or close the shutters over its receptors meant to protect them. Once that task was complete it tested the vocabulator. "Approximate calculations were correct. Chronometer indicates 2 years, 3 months, and 11 days since entering of standby mode. Not so bad, if I do say so myself." The droid then tested moving its legs and arms. They worked as well. Excellent. Now it had to check its power levels... The droid was surprised to discover 56% power was left from the two year hiatus. It expected less. Much less. This meant getting power was not an immediate concern. The next thing it tested was it's Lightsabers, summoning each in hand before activating them both. Both blades sprang to life with a hiss, the black blades seeming to suck all light surrounding them into the blades. The droid deactivated and put away it's weapons. Lightsabers operational He then tested his connection to the Force. He concentrated and was overwhelmed by the amount of it present on the planet... It was staggering. Few worlds had so much Force-Energy... He lifted a rock off of the ground and back on to test his telekinesis. It was still normal. He decided to examine his surroundings, but first he had to scour the ship for anything useful. He found two spare power cells, an emergency first aid kit (in case he ran into an injured organic.), and his cape. He clipped his cape over his shoulders before looking to the south. "Well, Poma, you have certainly gotten yourself into an interesting predicament." The droid said to himself.
DiscoveryThe droid trudged through the Woodlands, due to the thick underbrush that constantly snagged at his feet, before coming to a small clearing. From that clearing he looked into the night sky, and tried to use the stars to triangulate his position in the galaxy, as night had fallen some time ago. "Judging by the constellations and the positions of most stars, and knowing my last location with those pirates, I am somewhere on the borders of unknown space." Poma spoke to himself. "The questions are, how lost am I, and can I get off this planet? No pollution present in the atmosphere indicates little-to-no presence of industry, further indicating this planet is likely not inhabited by any species advanced enough to be space-faring, therefore there are no Spaceports or Landing Zones I can use. Meaning that if I am to escape this planet, I must do so by scratch, first things first though: I must see if there is any sentient life on this planet. Even a basic knowledge of astronomy would be useful." The droid carefully looked around, determining which direction to go next, before he could make up his mind he heard talking nearby, approximately 300 meters to the southwest. It sounded like two women speaking in flawless Galactic Basic, arguing almost, and they were close by. Poma moved toward the source, while his processor kicked into gear. Galactic Basic? Here? Could I have been mistaken and this planet is space-faring? He wondered. Poma followed the voices for several minutes, he was too far off to make out too many words, but he heard one of the women telling the other to “Be patient.” At that point the woman being spoken to must have stopped walking, because her voice now longer moved when she retorted. Poma finally spotted a light up ahead, one that was stationary and purple, for some odd reason, no matter. A light and talking meant intelligent beings. Which he desperately needed right now. As he broke throught the treeline, his optics adjusted to the light to make out what these creatures were. He most certainly did not expect what he saw. -1 hour prior- Twilight Sparkle’s evening was not going the way she had planned it. She intended for it to be one of relaxation due to the tedius day she had had. Searching for a supposed crash meteor was not on her agenda, but the fact Rainbow Dash had claimed it to look “Mechanical” raised the Alicorn’s eyebrow. Mechanical? That was… strange. Twilight knew if it really was mechanical… Then it was of extraterrestrial origin. Upon becoming aware of that possibility, Twilight immediately grabbed her saddlebags and packed them for a journey into the Everfree, she would not jump to conclusions until she saw the object herself. “Twilight! You can’t go out there! It’s gonna be dark soon and the Everfree is no place to be at night!” Rainbow Dash protested. “I know it’s dangerous. But if my theory is right, I have to get to the site of impact as quickly as possible.” Twilight replied as she placed several scrolls and quills into the saddlebags, before reaching with her magic for the ink. “And what theory is that?” Rainbow asked. Twilight looked her pegasus friend in the eyes. “That this might be something big. Huge. Something that could shape all of Pony history from this day onward.” She replied. “And you can’t wait till morning or contact the Princess?!” Rainbow demanded. “No. This has to be done now and I don’t want to disturb Celestia in case I am wrong.” Twilight replied. “Twilight, there is no way I’m letting you go in there alone, I’m going with you!” Rainbow insisted. Twilight smiled. Rainbow represented the Element of Loyalty for a reason. “Then go home and pack your own saddlebags if you need anything. I leave in 10 minutes.” Their search through the Everfree for the next 50 or so minutes was done with little points of interest., for they were not finding anything, and it was getting frustrating for a certain rainbow maned pegasus, who was deeply considering voicing her objections. Thankfully Twilight had casted a silencing spell around her and Dash so no creatures would hear them, so they were safer than they would have been otherwise, but the downside of that was the glow of Twilight’s horn possibly attracting something. It was their only source of light, so Twilight couldn’t give it up. “Uhg, we’ve been out here for nearly an hour, and your egghead brain can’t find out where a stupid meteor crashed!” Rainbow snapped as she walked behind the Alicorn. “I told you, Dash, I can’t be sure of where it landed, especially if I didn’t see it!” Twilight replied. “It was you who pointed me in this direction, remember?” “Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d refuse to walk in any other direction for a whole hour, or be so determined to find this thing.” Rainbow retorted, stopping in her tracks. Twiligh groaned before stopping as well. “I know you’re frustrated. I am too. But we have to keep moving, so we can find this object and find out-“ Twilight’s words caught in her throat, as her eyes widened, looking over Dash’s shoulder. “What?” Dash asked, turning around. What she saw behind her made her freeze completely in both terror and awe. It was a tall, two legged metal… Thing. It was by far the most intimidating thing Dash had seen in her young life. It could have easily stood eye-to-eye with Princess Celestia without even stretching to what Rainbow assumed was it’s full height. It’s legs were long and thin, while two apendeges from what she assumed to be it’s chest ended in five long and slender digits, and a cape was wrapped around it’s neck and flowing behind it while two glowing orbs in the head, that she assumed to be it’s eyes, twisted and turned in their sockets. For a few monents, neither the ponies or metal behemoth moved or even made a sound, staring at eachother. Until Rainbow Dash finally regained her voice. “HOLY BUCK!” Then pandemonium ensued.
First Contact and NegotiationsBefore the winged, rainbow-maned quadruped's outburst, Poma was busy thinking. These were extremely colorful, winged (and even horned) quadrupeds that could speak Galactic Basic, and were now aware of his presence. There were two of them, one cyan with wings, a rainbow colored mane and tail, and had a raspy yet feministic voice. The other, a lavender quadruped with a purple mane and tail with inidigo stripes along them, had a horn and wings. The lavender one was wearing what appeared to be bags, likely meant for carrying items, and from the looks of it both were full. His connection to the Force told him both the cyan and lavender quadrupeds possessed sensitivity to the Force, on varying levels. Poma could tell that these beings... No... These females, as he decided to call them due to their voices and obvious sentience, were not only sensitive to the Force, but were strongly so. He could literally sense the Force emanating off of them, in a strong, pulsating aura that could easily put most fully-trained Jedi Knights and Sith Lords to shame. It intrigued the Gray Jedi. Immensely. These thoughts, however, were quickly interrupted by the aforementioned outburst. "HOLY BUCK!" Poma was contemplating how the word “buck” could possibly be considered holy when the cyan quadruped spread out her wings and got into a combative stance. “Get out of here and warn the Princess, Twilight! I’ll hold this thing off!” She ordered. “Rainbow Dash, wait!” The other female, “Twilight”, yelled. “Rainbow Dash”, as that appeared to be her name, did not wait and instead lunged at the droid. For Poma, time froze, as he considered his options in a quarter of the amount of time it took for most organics with eyelids to blink. Bodily harm=unacceptable. Her small and lithe form dictates skill in athletics. Injury to her could hamper this skill very easily, and possibly permanently. Ending her life=unacceptable. Counter-productive to my goals and would only make things worse. I must find a way to end this confrontation quickly, and without actual fighting. Two possibilities existent: 1. Use of Malacia, to disorient and incapicitate her temporarily until a more permanent solution can be found, or 2. Suspend her in the air with the Force until she ceases hostilities. Poma chose option 2. As Rainbow Dash closed in he outstretched his palm and grabbed her body with the Force, preventing her from getting closer or getting away. “Hey! Let me go!” Rainbow Dash as she struggled. “Twilight, get out of here!” “I’m not going anywhere.” Twilight replied as her horn glowed while she pointed it at their supposed assailant. Poma was interested in this glowing as he sensed it was Force energy. Is it possible that this entire race is Force-sensitive, and evolved with this sensitivity enough to use it naturally, without Jedi or Sith interference? Poma wondered. He decided to end this fight before it even began. “Please cease your hostilities. I mean neither of you, nor any of your species, harm.” His vocabulator spoke loudly and clearly. Twilight froze, the glow dying in her horn, while Rainbow Dash also stopped struggling. “Did this thing just talk?” Rainbow asked her fellow. “Yes. I did.” Poma replied calmly. Twilight cleared her throat, shoving her shock into the back of her mind to be dealt with later. “You can understand us?” She asked. “Perfectly.” The droid responded. Twilight took a deep breath, now, for the moment of truth. “Were you involved in the object that crashed into this forest?” She asked. “Yes. That was my ship.” Poma responded calmly. “So you are not in any way from this planet?” Twilight asked, her voice full of barely contained excitement. “I am not even from the same arm of this galaxy, if my analysis of this planet’s astronomy is accurate.” Poma responded. Twilight nearly squealed, but contained her excitement. Now wasn’t the time for excitement or questioning, that came later at her castle. If this thing would even follow her there. “May I ask you to please release my friend?” Twilight requested. “Only if you both agree to cease any and all acts of hostilty against me.” The droid replied. “I promise I will not commit any acts of hostility against you. Rainbow Dash?” Twilight looked to her levitating friend. Rainbow Dash huffed in both annoyance and defeat. “Fine. I promise too.” With that, Poma lowered her to the ground. “Allow me to introduce us. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Nation Equestria, on the planet of Equis. This is my friend, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said, gesturing first to herself then her Pegasus friend. Poma drew himself to his full height. “I, Princess Twilight, am Poma of the Gray Jedi Order, born on the planet Taris and raised on the planet Coruscant.” He stated. “As a Princess of Equestria, and a representative of Ponykind, I welcome you here, Poma.” Twilight said courteously. “The welcome is appreciated and happily accepted, Princess, and I look forward to getting to know and your fellow, ponies?” Poma enquired politely. Twilight smiled. “That is correct, Poma, if you would not mind I would prefer to speak elsewhere. This forest is dangerous, and I would prefer to be out of here as quickly as possible, if that is alright.” “I have sensed multiple hostile presences around and watching us for some time now. I agree with your statement. This is not a safe location. Wherever you wish to go, I will follow, Princess. Understand if I sense any signs of deceit or manipulation from you or your peers I will take appropriate action to protect myself.” Poma stated. Twilight let out a breath she did not even realize she was holding after hearing that statement. “I can assure you, Poma, nopony will attempt to deceive or manipulate you. Ponyville is a town full of good, and honest, ponies.” She replied. Nopony? Ponyville? It seems their language is centered around their species. Poma thought. “I meant no offense in my statement, Princess, and I apologize if it sounded that way. I was simply stating that I do not take deceit or manipulation well.” Poma stated. “As with my experiences, such things are alarmingly common.” Twilight sighed. “No offense was taken, Poma, as we Ponies also have those who are dishonest and manipulative. But none reside in Ponyville, I know that much.” “I will take your word for that, Princess, shall we depart for this “Ponyville”?” Poma asked. “Yes, if you will please follow me.” Twilight stated, turning around. With that, both ponies and the droid began their journey to the town.
The AmbushPoma walked beside Rainbow Dash and Twilight, using the Force to "see" his way around the area and detect threats, though none had appeared so far. As a result, Poma relaxed his circuits and joints very slightly, so slightly only an expert in droid bodies and mechanics could have even possibly have noticed the release of tension in his body. But he still remained on high alert, as danger lurked around every corner, and he had to be prepared to fight at a moments notice. Poma was generally a peaceful individual, but situations where he had to combat someone or something at very short notice had made him very observant, noting even the tiniest and most insignificant looking details he could see. This was due to the fact that in his existence he had faced Mandalorians, Rancors, Acklays, Sith Lords, Jedi, Clone and Storm Troopers, Battledroids, and even on one occasion a full-grown Sarlaac on Felucia.* Poma almost didn't catch the ambush on time. Almost. Luckily for the ponies, he did catch it on time, albeit barely, and had enough time to Force Push them out of the ambusher's path. When he spotted their assailants for the first time, he was taken by surprise, due to the mere appearance of the thing. It was a canine made from wood. It was such an oddity that despite the droid's long history with aliens it gave him pause. How was this even possible?! What was this creature? How did it function? Did it have internal organs? A brain? Bones? All were unknowns. Poma decided to find out the answers to these questions later. He had a local and royal to defend from this obviously predatory creature. He was just reaching for his Lightsabers when suddenly, he sensed another one coming right for him, as a response he leaped into the air. While in the air his Lightsabers shot out of his back, before he grabbed and activated them, and brought both blades to slice at the nearest canine's head as he started to drop. As Poma landed the blades sliced through the wood with ease, taking off the top part of the head and killing the creature instantly, before it fell to the ground smoldering, dead. Poma then performed a Lightsaber throw towards two more, decapitating one and impaling the other straight through the chest, killing them both. As the Lightsaber came spinning back toward him, two more canines were approaching from his left and right, Poma was being flanked from both sides. As a result, he channeled the Force into the blade of his remaining saber and stabbed it into the ground, releasing the Force in a powerful shock wave that sent his assailants flying back into nearby trees that snapped them in half upon impact. Two more approached him quickly, and as a response he clamped his foot around the head of one before tightening his clawed toes and squashing it like a melon, what looked like tree sap sprayed out if the head and ended up all over his foot. Fascinating, he thought, they have tree sap-like bodily fluids. With the other one approaching him, he swung the dead animal around and threw it at its live comrade, sending both careening outside of the clearing. His Lightsaber was flying back to him by the time he was ready to catch it. He caught his second Lightsaber and faced down the remaining canine, the largest of the bunch, which he guessed was the Alpha Male. The Alpha was snarling at Poma in obvious fury for killing or gravely injuring his comrades, and the show of aggression didn't even make the droid do so much as twitch. The two stared each other down for several long seconds, sizing the other up, preparing themselves. Suddenly, without warning nor hesitation, at the exact same instant: The inevitable happened. They lunged. Twilight didn't have time to even make a sound of protest. She didn't even have time to question WHAT it was that had pushed her away. All that she knew was that one second, they were alone, and the next, they weren't. But that was not the reason her jaw had nearly dislocated due to it being so slack. No, the reason for that was the fact that Poma was engaged in combat, with 9 full grown timberwolves. And he was massacring them. She watched as he mercilessly slaughtered them with the two glowing black swords he had taken from his back, she watched as he cut and slashed through the wolves like they were nothing but air, she watched in fascinated horror as he killed or gravely injured every single one that came for him. Her ears laid flat against her head as her eyes widened, as Poma crushed the skull of one of the timberwolves before throwing it at another. Rainbow Dash, however, was not so fortunate: She vomited upon the sight. The two watched in both fascination and horror as Poma massacred the entire pack, before turning on the leader, both seemed to stare each other down Then, without warning, both pounced at the exact same instant for each other. And Poma brought his weapons down in an X, as they passed, leaving the Timberwolf Alpha to fall into four pieces as it died. With that, Poma deactivated and put away his weapons before facing the two ponies. “Princess Twilight, Miss Dash, you are safe now.” He said. “SAFE?!?” Dash yelled. “GET AWAY FROM US, YOU MONSTER!” Poma looked at her. “Am I trully a monster for acting in self defense? They attacked first, I merely defended myself, do I not have that right?” Dash couldn’t make herself respond, so Twilight spoke up. “Yes, you do, but killing them? That was a little… Harsh…” She said in a small voice. “I apologize, I will attempt to avoid killing, if I can.” Poma stated. “I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to relinquish your weapons, I can’t let you carry them around in Ponyville, I… Don’t trust you with them.” Twilight said. “With respect, Princess, no.” Poma said. “These weapons are powerful pieces of sophisticated and intricate machinery and technology, far beyond the comprehension of your scientific community, and if these were to fall into the wrong clutches the damage could be catostrophic.” He added. “But-“ Twilight protested, before stopping herself and thinking. Hard. “Alright, if you swear to not use them unless absolutely necessary while in Ponyville, you may keep them.” “You have my word.” Poma swore. “Very well. We should almost be there, lets keep-“ Twilight started, before a sound cut her off. A whimper. Poma turned his head towards a nearby bush, and used the Force to pull the source out of it, revealing a Timberwolf pup. “Oh dear.” He stated. He approached the pup, who cowered in fear, before taking off his cape and draping it over the young wolf and picking him or her up and cradling him. The show of affection warmed Twilight’s heart. So there was good in him. “Let’s get him to my friend, Fluttershy, she takes care of animals like him all the time.” Twilight advised. “Lead the way.” Poma stated.
ExpositionIt took less than thirty minutes for the three to leave the Everfree, the Timberwolf cub now sleeping soundly in Poma’s arms, his cape still wrapped around it. As the town came into sight with his infared filter activated, the first thing the droid noticed was the designs of the buidlings, and the colors. Bright. Vibrant. Almost festive. It intrigued him. “Are your centers of population usually designed with this style of architecture?” He asked. Twilight nodded. “This is pretty normal for us, but I don’t know what kind of architecture you are used to.” She stated. “The kind not nearly as colorful as this.” Poma replied honestly. “Most of the buildings I have seen are black, white, and grey, and stretch up sometimes kilometers into the sky, I’ve even fallen and jumped from a few. Not my greatest moments I will admit.” Twilight looked at Poma, turning around to face him. “Kilometers? They are kilometers tall?!” “Quite so. The tallest ones I have seen are up to 15.” Poma replied. Twilight shook her head in awe before turning back around. “Let’s just get this pup to Fluttershy, after that, you and I need to talk.” “Agreed.” Poma stated. As they approached a large building that looked like it had grass or moss for a roof, surrounded by boxes with sticks and holes on them, Twilight turned to Poma, and said. “It’s best if you give me the pup, you might startle Fluttershy if I don’t prepare her for you first, and that’s not what we want right now. I’ll give the pup to her and tell her to come to my castle in the morning.” Poma gave a single nod of confirmation and handed the pup to her after unwrapping it from the cape. Twilight then said. “You’ll need to hide, too, just to be safe. Though I don’t know where…” She paused. “I can do you one better.” Poma said as he clipped his cape back on. He concentrated on the Force within and around him and employed an ability that was one of the few that took him roughly a thousand years to master: Force Cloak. He called upon the Force to photo-kinetically bend light and sound around him, rendering him invisible to audio and visual detection, making it seem like he was never even there to begin with. Twilight’ and Rainbow Dash’s jaws dropped in amazement. “I suggest you hurry. While I can maintain this illusion for a time I cannot do it indefinitely.” Poma’s voice sounded from the same spot. Twilight shook herself out of her stupor and nodded, before galloping to Fluttershy’s cottage and knocked. After a few knocks the being Poma assumed was Fluttershy opened the door, bags under her eyes indicating her recent slumber, but they vanished the instant she saw the pup. She muttered something inaudible before grabbing and cradling the now awake infant and asking Twilight something, to which Twilight replied quickly, before gesturing to her castle. Fluttershy nodded and said something else before closing the door. Twilight trotted back to Dash and Poma. “You can come out now.” Poma reappeared in an instant. “Shall we go to your castle now?” He asked. Twilight nodded. “Yes. Follow me.” With that she turned to Rainbow Dash. “Do you want to go to bed? It’s pretty late.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “And leave you with this thing? No way! I’m staying with you until I’m sure he won’t hurt you!” Poma looked at Dash. “I assure you, once again, that I mean none of your kind any harm.” “And how-“ Dash asked as she got into his face. “-Am I supposed to believe you?” Poma stared back at her. “By trusting that I only hurt those who are a threat to me or the innocent.” “Really? Well I’m not buying that. I’m sticking with Twilight until I know you’re safe!” Dash said. Poma merely shrugged. “If you insist.” Dash glared at him as she slowly got down. Twilight shook her head in both annoyance and appreciation at just how loyal, yet stubborn, her friend could be. It took them only minutes to reach the castle due to the empty streets, caused by the night, and Poma soon saw the interior as Twilight opened the doors. It was made of crystal, entirely, and Poma couldn’t help but wonder just how the ponies managed to build this structure so flawlessly. It was almost as if this structure had sprouted from the ground… They soon walked into a room that had a large table, surrounded by multiple chairs with various symbols on them, one of which glowed for a moment as Rainbow Dash sat on the one that matched her own on her flank. Twilight also took a seat, before looking at Poma, and then looking around the room. “Would you… Um… Like a seat?” She asked awkwardly. “I will stand, thank you.” Poma replied. Twilight nodded as she brought up a quill, ink, and a scroll from her saddlebags. She dipped the quill into the ink before hovering it over the scroll, now unfolded, and wrote something down. “You said your name was Poma, right?” She asked. “That is correct.” Poma replied. “Ok. What is your age?” Twilight asked. “I am currently 4,137 years, 5 months, 14 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes and 16 seconds old.” Poma replied instantly. Twilight looked up in mild shock, before looking back down and scribbling something onto the page. “Where were you created?” She asked. “I was born on Taris. I became what I am today on a planet called Tython.” Poma replied. Twilight looked up again. “Born? But you’re a machine.” She stated. “Correction: I am a machine now. I have not always been one. I was once a human, until I decided to become something more, something that could not age.” Poma stated. “Human?! Oh, Celestia, Lyra is going to freak… Ok, how did you become what you are now?” Twilight asked. Poma explained as much as he safely could about the process he went through, though it was difficult, and nearly 15 minutes later he was finished. By now Twilight had used 3 scrolls and was grabbing a fourth. “Ok, now, explain to me how you can do all of this. The levitating, the invisibility, the sensing… How?” Twilight asked. “The Force.” Poma stated, as though the answer was obvious. “The Force?” Twilight asked. “Yes. An energy field that surrounds all living things. It surrounds us, flows through us, and penetrates us. Without it, many of my feats today and many days before, would have been impossible. I am surprised you know so little of it, you are using it right now, after all.” Poma stated. “I am? But, I’m using magic, are you sure that we’re using the same thing?” Twilight questioned. “Absolutely, over 4,000 years of existence, and I have never failed to identify it.” Poma stated. Twilight was stunned. “Tell me everything you know about it.” -Six Hours Later- Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep hours ago, but Twilight was still wide awake even though the sun was rising, as she scribbled onto her 24th scroll of that day. “So you are saying that Pegasi manipulate the Force for flight, Unicorns manipulate it to use spells, and Earth Ponies use it to enhance their strength and farm?” She asked Poma. “That is correct, by my observations, yes.” Poma stated. Twilight shook her head for the umpteenth time that day. All of this was clashing with every magical theory she had ever studied in her life, it was absolutely ground breaking, and if it was true… Hundreds of year’s worth of theorizing and speculation: Gone. Defenestrated. Useless. It was mind-blowing. “There are two other things I should mention about the Force. The Dark Side. And the Light Side.” Poma stated. Twilight looked up. “Dark Side? Light Side? What are those?” “Two separate, yet connected, aspects of the Force. The Dark Side follows emotion, greed, power. The Light follows serenity, peace of mind, and clarity. The Jedi follow the Light. Whilst the Sith follow the Dark.” Poma stated. Twilight grabbed 4 more scrolls from her saddlebags, the last ones, before saying. “Speak.” Poma did just that. Another two hours passed as he explained the differences, similarities, strengths, and weaknesses of both sides. “The Rule of Two?” Twilight questioned. “Yes, first implemented by Darth Bane, followed through by every Sith to this day.” Poma replied. “How does that work?” Twilight asked. “I will let him explain.” Poma stated. Before Twilight could question that, Poma’s eyes suddenly closed, and his mouth glowed red as it flashed while speaking in a voice that was not his own: "The Force is not fire, it is venom. In that simple maxim is the entirety of Sith Philosophy. What Lord Kaan and my other, lesser predecessors could not understand, is that such a fundamental truth is not evidence of insight on my part but rather, stupidity on their part. The Force is not fire. It cannot be passed down from one users lit torch to another's and another's until an entire hemisphere is illuminated in a blaze of a million lights, this is what Kaan foolishly believed, along with all Sith Lords before him for the past thousand years. It is why the once mighty Sith fell apart long before the defeat at Ruusan. When all carry a flame, no matter how dim and guttering it may be, they soon conclude they are the brightest stars, around which all others must orbit. Infighting follows and Jedi victory becomes inevitable. No, the Force is venom. If it is poured into many cups, it loses it's potency, until it becomes so diluted it is merely an irritant. Yet pour those cups back into a single vessel, and you will have the power to stop a Krayt Dragon's heart. This is the secret. This is the Rule of Two. One Sith must contain all the power of the Dark Side. One Master must decide how that power shall be used. Sharing power is an act of weakness, and a violation of the Sith Code. Yet the Sith Order must survive after the Master perishes, for this reason, the Master must take an apprentice. The Master instructs the pupil, but never gives up the smallest sliver of power. The apprentice learns through years of study, but must struggle for every achievement. If the apprentice becomes strong enough, a battle to the death will prove it. If should the Master be struck down, the apprentice becomes the Master, and the Order continues. Together the two may attract legions of minions, but true power, will remain concentrated. Always two. A Master, and an apprentice." As the recording ended Poma opened back his eyes, to look at Twilight’s shocked expression, of which also possessed some fear. After that she simply stood up and said. “I’m going to need some Coffee.” That was before a piercing scream filled the room.
