Across the Stars

Chapters

A Wary Start
Royal Contact
Echoes
Revelation
First Steps
Redirection
Divergent
Breaking Atmosphere
Whispers

A Wary Start

The first thing Jorcen felt was pain. The last thing he remembered was just barely avoiding putting his ship down into a primitive looking settlement. He opened his eyes slowly, careful to avoid blinding himself. He was in what could be a place for medical treatment if the clean atmosphere and simple heart monitor were proper indicators. Jorcen smiled peacefully closing his eyes again, calling on the force to speed his recovery. After several moments he remembered how he got out of the crash. He remembered the purple four legged animal he had used the force on to calm it and have it help him. The door to the room was slowly opening and Jorcen was curious to see what the native species of the planet looked like. In walked another of the little quadrupeds, this one with white fur, a hat and a red plus on its rear. Its eyes widened and it quickly turned and left the room. Jorcen looked on the scene with a confused look on his face. I guess that wasn’t just an animal that saved me he thought. The white alien’s reaction suggested to Jorcen that this was an undiscovered planet. He closed his eyes and reached out with the force in all directions, gently probing the minds of those he could sense. There was so much peace and serenity on this planet as well as some kind of sensation Jorcen couldn’t describe. The force was strong here, perhaps a future sight for a Jedi Enclave. Jorcen was interrupted from his thoughts as the white alien returned with a familiar purple one in tow. Getting a closer look at it he noticed that it had a horn protruding from its head and also had a colorful star shaped mark on its rear. A natural defense and cultural tattoo perhaps? The two aliens were talking back and forth in a language Jorcen couldn’t understand. By the pitch of their voices Jorcen thought it safe to assume that these were females. The purple one slowly approached the side of the hospital bed and spoke slowly as if it was over enunciating its words. Jorcen sat up, surprising both of them, putting his hands up in defense to try and calm them.

“Forgive me, I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

They both exchanged looks like they were surprised at his ability to speak. Jorcen ignored their back and forth chatter and began making crude gestures, hoping to get his belongings back. The last thing he wanted was one of these creatures wounding or killing itself with his lightsaber. Purple one looked at him with a raised eyebrow before her eyes widened with understanding. It said something to the white one who promptly left through the door, presumably to fetch his belongings. The purple ones ears drooped as it took on a somber demeanor and spoke as if it were apologizing. Jorcen gently placed a hand on top of her head, briefly startling her as he gave his best smile.

“Don’t worry about me little one. I’ll be fine, the force is strong here.” To make his point he threw off the blanket he was under and stood up. He was immediately reminded of the pain he felt when he woke up. While not as bad as it could be, his legs were still quite sore causing him to wince slightly. Through the purple one’s fur a blush formed on her cheeks. Jorcen instinctively looked down to see that he was completely nude. The purple one looked away, blushing intensely as her horn was surrounded by a magenta aura. Jorcen felt a pillow wrapped in the same aura brush against his leg and he quickly snatched it and covered himself. What he just saw though was something quite interesting.

“Excuse me, Miss?” He started, getting her attention. “How did you do that?” He asked, punctuating the question by pointing at his own head where her horn was. Her blush quickly faded as she went on what looked to be a carefully practiced speech. She grabbed the other pillow off the bed in her aura and showed her telekinetic ability. She dropped it on the floor in front of him with a starry-eyed expression. Jorcen nodded, guessing her meaning as he lifted it off the floor with the force and flew it all around the room. She reacted with child-like joy as she watched the pillow with amazement. The demonstration was brought to a halt when the white one returned pushing a cart with all of his belongings on it. He smiled warmly as he dropped the pillow causing the two females in the room to blush again. He smirked playfully and did a little motion with his finger for them to turn around. They did as suggested and Jorcen made himself look like he did before the crash. Thankfully it looked like none of the aliens rifled through his things. His robes smelled wonderful, they must have washed them since the crash he thought. He sat down on the bed and looked at the two aliens, thinking how the language barrier was going to be a problem if he wanted to repair his ship. Jorcen rubbed his beard, thinking of potential solutions. Then and idea came to him. He got the other two’s attention and made a motion to his head and theirs, then to his mouth and theirs. They looked confused by the display but the purple one nodded. Jorcen concentrated as hard as he could. He had never attempted this power before, he recalled the old holorecords in the Jedi library on how one could pull understanding of another's language from their mind while simultaneously forcing yours into theirs. He hoped he didn’t hurt her as he went through with the process. The purple one looked dazed and stumbled slightly before shaking her head and steadying herself.

“What the heck was that?” She asked, putting a hoof to her head.

“Excellent, it worked.” Jorcen smiled triumphantly.

“Wait you can understand me now? And I can understand you!?” She asked with a bewildered expression.

“Forgive me for the discomfort you just felt. It was no easy task pulling your species’ language from your mind. You must be quite the learned one.”

Twilight smiled, appreciative of the impromptu compliment.

“But where are my manners. My name is Jorcen Alketses, Jedi Master of the Galactic Republic.”

Twilight was rapidly processing everything that happened in the last minute. Stowing away her questions about this Galactic Republic and what his title meant.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m the one who saw your ship crash and brought you here.”

“It’s good to know my saviors name. I thank you Twilight Sparkle.” Jorcen said with a bow.

“I have a lot of questions for you mister Jorcen.”

“Yes I imagine so. Very well Twilight Sparkle, I will answer your questions.”

Twilight suddenly got very nervous. “Are…are you here to conquer us?”

Jorcen chuckled. “I may be a powerful warrior but I am still one man. I am no conqueror Twilight Sparkle. My ship was damaged and I was forced to crash land on your planet.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. You have no idea how long that thought loomed in my head.”

“It’s understandable. I presume this is your planets first encounter with aliens?”

“You say it like you’re surprised. How many aliens are out there?”

“There are thousands of planets that comprise the Galactic Republic, thus there are thousands of alien species out among the stars.”

That was almost too much for Twilight to handle. It was one thing to stare at the stars and wonder if there was life out there. It was entirely another thing to know that there was a galaxy spanning government there the whole time.

“Are you ok Twilight?”

“Its…it’s just a lot to take in.”

“I understand. Can we walk and talk? I’d like to see my ship.”

“Oh, yes of course. I need to stop by my home first. Is that ok?”

“Of course it is. Lead the way. Oh and thank you miss…” Jorcen turned to the white alien.

“Redheart, nurse Redheart.”

“Thank you for treating me nurse Redheart.” And with that Jorcen and Twilight made their way out into the streets of Ponyville. All around him as they walked down the street, slack jawed stares were sent his way from the aliens in the streets and nearby marketplace. A few even shrieked in terror and ran away.

“I seem to be frightening them.” Jorcen said softly.

“They’ve never seen anything like you before, I would be scared to if I hadn’t been the one to rescue you.” Twilight said back.

As they walked Jorcen was getting more and more worried that their civilization would be unable to assist him in repairing his ship. The building around him were made of wood with straw thatch roofs and shutters for windows. There was little technology to be seen, the most advanced he had seen were carts that the inhabitants pulled themselves. However his hopes were lifted when a nearby whistle sounded, drawing Jorcen’s attention to a steam powered train pulling into its station.

“The closest thing to you they’d be aware of would be a Minotaur and our experience with one wasn’t the best.”

“I see. Hopefully I will be able to change their minds if I’m to stay here for a while.” He said, cheerfully waving at a young alien. That made him think of something.

“Twilight, what is the name of your race? It wouldn’t do to keep referring to you as alien.”

“We’re all called ponies. We have three variants of pony. There are ponies like me, called unicorns.” She pointed to her horn for reference. “There are ponies like nurse Redheart, called earth ponies. Lastly there are-”

“Hey Twilight!” called a voice from above us. Jorcen looked up to see a winged pony hovering in the air.

“Perfect timing Rainbow Dash, as I was saying, lastly there are Pegasus ponies like my friend here.”

“So this is the alien huh? Doesn’t look that cool to me.”

Jorcen looked down at his plain brown robes and nodded. He could see why that would be the first impression.

“Rainbow Dash! Be polite, Mr. Jorcen just got out of the hospital.”

“It’s quite alright Twilight. A pleasure to meet you Rainbow Dash.” Jorcen bowed deeply. “I am Jorcen Alketses, Jedi Master.”

“Jedi huh? Is that like, your job?”

“In a sense yes. I have dedicated my life to the Jedi Order. We are peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic. Although during times of war…” Jorcen let his sentence die out. Thoughts of the horribleness of war choking the words in his throat.

Rainbow Dash seemed to understand his meaning and decided to abandon the topic. She looked around frantically, looking for something to change the subject.

“So…uh…what’s the deal with that silver rod you have?” She asked, pointing to Jorcen’s belt.

Jorcen was grateful for the distraction, regaining his composure. “Oh this? This is my lightsaber, the traditional weapon of my order.”

“Weapon? Awesome! Maybe you’re cooler than I gave you credit for, can I see it? C’mon pleeeeaaaase!” Rainbow Dash was practically touching noses with Jorcen, her excitement getting the better of her.

“I don’t think so, not here anyway. Ask me again sometime.” Jorcen smiled at her enthusiasm, this planet had so much potential.

“Aww man! Oh well, I’m off to Fluttershy’s. I’ll be sure to let her know you’re ok, she was very worried for you after all.”

“Thank you Rainbow, I’ll be sure to take Mr. Jorcen to see her after I take him to his ship.” Twilight nodded her thanks as Rainbow Dash flew into the air.

“Catch you later Twilight! See ya Jorcen!” With that she shot of in a blur, her rainbow mane leaving a multicolored streak behind her.

“Quite spirited that one.” Jorcen muttered to himself.

“Maybe sometimes.” Twilight started, looking after her winged friend with a warm smile. “But you couldn’t ask for a more loyal friend.”

The ponies on the streets seemed to be less afraid of Jorcen now, after seeing him have a conversation with Dash. That and some ponies in the crowd couldn’t help but feel relaxed by his presence.

After that it didn’t take long to get to Twilight’s home. A giant hollowed out tree with a balcony on one side with a telescope pointed to the skies. Thankfully he was able to read the sign out front. Golden lettering inlaid into a red, wooden sign read, Golden Oak Library.

“You live in a library?” Jorcen asked, smiling at the scene before him.

“Yes…Why? Is that strange?” Twilight’s ears briefly fell against her head.

“Of course not. I have spent many a night in the archives of the Jedi Temple. You could say my home is also a library.” Jorcen chuckled to himself, watching Twilight's expression change from worry to delight so quickly. Twilight opened the red, wooden door and walked inside. Jorcen had to duck slightly to cross the threshold. Once inside he saw the large, open room that was circular in shape with a great collection of books on bookshelves made from the tree itself. On a ladder near the highest bookshelf was a small, purple creature with a feather duster.

“Welcom home Twilight. How did it go toda-” He dropped the duster as he turned around to see Jorcen for the first time.

“I didn’t think you’d be bringing…it? Umm…him? Home…” his words vanished as he hid his claws behind his back in embarrassment.

Twilight looked back at Jorcen with inquisitive eyes, urging him to speak.

Jorcen sighed and confirmed what he thought didn’t need to be confirmed. “Yes, I am a male of my species. I’d have thought you of all ponies would know that Twilight.” He gave her a sly wink, reminding her of their first meeting. Twilight blushed, images of what she saw flashing through her mind.

“A-anyway!” Twilight steered the conversation away from what she saw. “Spike, come introduce yourself to Mr. Jorcen.” Twilight tried to hide her face behind a book until the red in her face faded away. Jorcen chuckled at the sight. Call it a guilty pleasure. Spike slowly walked up to Jorcen, barely coming up to his knees.

“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Spike and I’m Twilight’s number one assistant!” He declared proudly, puffing out his chest a bit while striking an almost heroic pose.

“The pleasure is mine.” Jorcen countered, bowing deeply yet again. “I am Jedi Master Jorcen Alketses.”

“A real live alien…” Spike said, almost not believing what he was seeing. “I thought aliens would look a bit more…I don’t know, more tentacley.”

“You’ve been reading those comics again haven’t you?” Twilight asked, finally putting her book-shield away.

“Maybe oh and Twilight? Remember when we first saw his ship crash?”

“Of course Spike, how could I forget? What about it?”

Spike coughed into his claw, faux hiding his smug expression. “Told you it was aliens.”

Twilight frowned staring daggers at Spike before relaxing after a few seconds. “I’ll let you have this one Spike. You were right.”

“Hehe you have no idea how good that feels to hear.” He said to Jorcen.

“I imagine it’s a quite rare occurrence?”

“Oh you have no idea.” Spike deadpanned.

“So Twilight, what was it you needed here? I apologize if I’m rushing you but I’m quite anxious to see the state of my ship.” As true as that statement was, it wasn’t the only thing on his mind. No one had mentioned his droid companion and Jorcen feared the worst. He could be lost somewhere on the planet or worse… Jorcen would not let his fears get to him, his years of training coming back to him, though the thought wouldn’t be fully banished until he saw for himself.

“Almost done. I just need to grab a few things.” She said, hoisting on some saddlebags she promptly loaded with writing utensils and paper. “I want to try and get a sketch of your ship!” she said excitedly. “Err, if that’s ok with you that is.”

“Its fine with me, will young Spike be joining us?”

“Oh please Twilight can I go? Please!”

“I don’t know Spike, we have to go into the Everfree Forest. Remember what happened last time?”

Spike shuddered at the thought of the big green dragon he encountered when he ran away that one time. “I-I’ll be fine Twilight. After all I’ll have you with me and Jorcen!” he declared, looking for some support from the older Jedi.

“I don’t see the harm in him coming along. I am quite capable of defending you both should we find danger.” The confidence in his voice did a lot to convince Twilight.

“Ok you can come Spike but stay close to us ok?”

“Of course Twilight! C’mon let’s get going!” He declared boldly, walking right out the door, no idea where he was going.

“We’d better catch up to him and show him the way. You first Twilight. Jorcen held an arm out towards the door, beckoning her to lead the way. Once they were all out in the streets something made Jorcen feel uneasy. He looked off into the distance to see a white stone city set into the side of a tall mountain. He could feel something through the Force coming from the mountain city. Something…dark. While for now it felt like it meant no harm he still put up a mental barrier just to be sure. He eyed the distant city one more time before falling in line to follow Twilight.

In the private chambers of the Royal Palace, sat Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Their eyes closed in concentration. “Can you feel him Luna?” Celestia asked. The royal sisters had been monitoring the strange being since he touched down on their world. They could feel a power in him, a power that could change the course of history. Luna’s power to enter the minds of others proved useful, even while he was awake.

“Nay sister, He…he felt my presence. We can no longer find him. He has shielded himself from us.”

“Most troubling. We have to take a more direct action. Should this being mean us harm…”

“We won’t let him sister, let us leave post haste. We can tolerate his presence no longer.”

Royal Contact

All at once the rolling green hills of ponyville turned into a thick dark forest. The Jedi Master sensed a myriad of life from its depths, though they kept their distance from the trio. They soon came upon a deep scar in the dirt, several trees that lined it were still black and charred.

“Ok, now we just follow the furrow until we get to your ship.” Twilight smiled, sounding a bit more eager than she wanted.

“Seems I did a fair amount of damage to this forest. My apologies.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it Jorcen.” Spike said, tapping a claw on his leg. “I’m sure the forest will fill in the scar in no time at all.”

They followed the gash until they reached a fairly large clearing. Resting near the center off to the side was the mangled wreck of the Windshear. The loading ramp was down and Jorcen was finally able to confirm his fear. R3’s chassis was broken and mechanical parts spilled out onto the floor of the ship. Jorcen made a beeline up the loading ramp, ignoring a question from Twilight as he did. Once inside Jorcen crouched down over the remains of his companion. Were he on a civilized world he could be repaired but here? It would be a truly difficult job, perhaps even an impossible one.

“What’s that? A friend?” Twilight asked, a bit of sadness tinged her voice.

“R3-78, my astromech droid, my companion.” Jorcen placed a hand on R3’s head dome.

“I’m so sorry Jorcen, if you need-”

“It’s fine Twilight. He’s just a droid. He can be fixed, I just don’t know if I’ll be able to do it here on this planet.”

“Oh…droid?” She took the opportunity to learn what she could.

“Mechanical beings. We use them in fields or for jobs too menial or dangerous for sentient species.”

“Like…like a slave?”

“Not quite, most droids possess artificial intelligence and independent thought.”

“Your civilization is so advanced…” Twilight was taken aback by the mention of artificial intelligence, a metal being that could think like her or anypony else.

Jorcen turned his attention away from his broken companion and started pulling panels off the walls and gathering bits of machinery.

“What are you doing?” Spike asked, curious as to why he was ripping his own ship apart.

“I won’t be able to repair my ship, that much has been made obvious. If I’m lucky, there’ll be enough parts that survived the crash to build a long distance deep space distress signal.”

“You want to call more aliens here?” Spike asked again, fear snaking into his mind.

“Yes, though it’s unlikely that anyone will find it.”

“Why’s that?” Twilight asked, taking a step forward.

“This planet is located in a part of the galaxy we call the unknown regions. There exist no hyperlanes for ships to travel safely and this area of space is rarely explored due to the danger.”

“So…you mean that-”

“That yes, I may never get off this world.” Jorcen said forlornly. The galaxy was at war and his army had been scattered by the ambush that stranded him here in the first place. Hopefully the rest of them made their way to a civilized world and would be able to rejoin the war effort.

An hour later Jorcen had indeed found the parts he needed and with the tools he was able to salvage from R3’s innards had constructed a functional distress beacon. With one push of a button, a light blinked on and the Jedi began recording his message.

“This is Jedi General Jorcen Alketses. I have been stranded on an uncharted world after my ship was damaged when my fleet was ambushed by the Separatists. The whereabouts of the rest of the 312th Legion are unknown. If anyone finds this message I am in need of rescue. This message will repeat, may the force be with you.”

“Fleet? Legion?” Twilight asked as she walked up the Windshear’s loading ramp.

“Yes, the galaxy is at war. As a Jedi Master I lead troops in battle as the general of the 312 Legion. My fleet was ambushed and destroyed. During the retreat my ship was damaged just as I made the jump to hyperspace. That’s how I got here, your planets gravity well forcibly pulled my ship back into realspace, whereupon I lost control and crashed.” Jorcen stepped forward and handed her a datapad. “Here there should be plenty of things in there to sate your desire for knowledge, including several of the terms I just used.”

Jorcen walked back outside, now he simply had to wait until rescue came or until he became one with the force.

“I…I have questions.” Twilight said, worry evident in her voice.

“Perhaps later.” Jorcen had a good feeling about what she was going to ask about.

“Are you guys ready to head back?” Spike asked eagerly, ready to go home.

“I believe so.” Jorcen stood to his full height. “I will answer your questions when we return to Ponyville Twilight, I promise.”

Her expression wasn’t a happy one but one of content and that would have to do for the time being. Before they made half the distance of the clearing, a dark shadow slammed into the ground just in front of them, kicking up dust and dirt from the impact.

“We have found you at last.” Said the scowling form of Luna, Princess of the Night.

“Princess Luna? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, surprised by her appearance.

“Step away from this creature Twilight Sparkle. He is dangerous.”

“No no Princess, he is not a threat to us, he only wants to return home.” Twilight tried to step in between Luna and Jorcen when a flash of golden light surrounded her and Spike. She reappeared on the other side of the clearing standing next to her mentor, Princess Celestia.

“Princess Celestia? What’s going on? Stop her!” Twilight pointed at Luna, who was now taking an aggressive stance in front of Jorcen.

“Twilight Sparkle speaks the truth.” Jorcen said, holding up his hands in surrender.

“Lies!” Luna yells, stomping her hoof on the ground. “We will know the truth and we will get it from you. Through battle if necessary.”

“You don’t want to fight me. You want to calm down and talk.”

Luna began to feel a presence in her mind, one she had trouble fighting. “We…we don’t…want to-” Luna threw her hooves up to her head like she was in pain. “You cannot control me!” Finally shaking the compulsion from her head, she readied herself for a fight…she had no choice now.

“Be careful my sister, do not underestimate him.” Celestia said, pushing Twilight and Spike behind her. “If you require my aid…”

“I’ll be fine sister.” Luna said back, extending her wings to their full lengths. “I must protect our little ponies.”

Jorcen saw that there was no reasoning with the regal looking pony called Luna. He sighed and reached to his belt, grabbing his lightsaber.

“I will fight you if I must.” With a sharp hiss, the bright orange blade of his lightsaber sprang to life. Bringing it up in the stance of Form III, ready to gauge his opponent’s capabilities.

A light blue aura surrounded her horn, blasting a beam of magical energy at the waiting Jedi. Jorcen was quick to block the blast with his lightsaber, deflecting it to the ground between them. Luna’s eyes were wide with shock. She was the Princess of the night, her power raised and lowered the moon yet this alien was able to withstand her magic. Luna growled, she would have to resort to a style of combat that she thought she had abandoned centuries ago. She launched off the ground with her tremendous strength, flying at Jorcen with great speed. Jorcen, with his senses enhanced through the force, anticipated the attack. He Jumped into the air himself and hit her with concussive blast of pressurized air using the force. The near explosive impact hit Luna like a boulder, slamming her into the ground in a cloud of dust.

“We don’t need to fight, I mean you no harm.” Jorcen extinguished his blade, trying his best to get through to her. “If we could just talk I can explain.”

“Listen to him Princess!” Twilight called from behind Celestia.

“Silence Twilight Sparkle! He can control minds, you are only saying what he wants you to.”

Luna launched back into the air, uprooting many trees with her as she did. She positioned herself in front of the sun and started raining the trees into the clearing.

Jorcen’s blade ignited in a flash as he defended himself from the onslaught. Slicing through any tree that got close to him. The last tree was flying his way when he caught it in his telekinetic grasp. The tree was surrounded by Luna’s aura as the two tried to push it towards the other. It didn’t move in any direction for some time before the two powers pushing on it caused it to explode into splinters. Using the hail of wood as cover, Luna dashed down and hit the ground next to Jorcen. The force of her impact knocked Jorcen off balance enough for her to pivot on her front hooves and deliver a strong buck to his body. Jorcen was surprised by the force of the blow as he flew through the air. He used the Force to cushion his impact as he collided with a boulder on the edge of the clearing.

It didn’t take long for him to get back to his feet, using his power to lift the boulder and hurl it towards the dark princess. Luna held her ground, conjuring a blue shield around herself, reducing the boulder to rubble when they collided.

“You are indeed a powerful warrior. It has been sometime since we faced a foe such as you.” Luna surrounded her horn with a long aura that took the shape of a blade. “It is clear that magic will not decide this battle, rather our martial prowess.”

“If that is the path you wish to take.” Jorcen readied himself in a more aggressive stance. He rushed forward, his speed enhanced by the force. Their blades clashed with the sound of thunder, shaking the ground around them. Switching to Form V, Jorcen began to rain heavy blows against the spectral sword. Despite her strength, Luna found that she was losing ground. The force of his strikes was unlike anything she had faced save Celestia. Luna retaliated as best she could, her every attack being either deflected or blocked, only to be followed by his heavy hits. With one final overhead strike, Luna’s spellsword wavered and she fell to her knees, looking up at the alien angrily.

“What are you waiting for?”

Jorcen deactivated his weapon and clipped it back on his belt. “Because I told you I have no interest in fighting.” He held out a hand to help her up. “My name is Jorcen Alketses. I wish our meeting could have been more civilized.”

Luna looked at his hand warily. Despite what had just transpired she didn’t feel any evil intent in this man. She lifted a hoof to meet his hand to which she was promptly helped up.

“Princess Luna.” She said before disappearing in a light blue flash.

Jorcen looked around the clearing, momentarily confused.

Twilight sat at the edge of the clearing, her mouth open in disbelief. When Jorcen said he was capable of defending her and Spike she had no idea that meant he was a match for Princess Luna in battle. Celestia stood beside her, thinking something similar. She knew that neither combatants had shown their full power. She carefully stepped forward to stand in front of Jorcen. He matched her in height, something she wasn’t used to.

“I see we acted hastily and with poor judgement.” She said, bowing her head slightly. “When we felt your presence we thought you were a threat to us. Please accept an apology on my and my sister’s behalf.”

“It is quite alright. I understand your reasoning.”

“I am Princess Celestia. Ruler of this kingdom of Equestria.”

“My name is Jorcen Alketses. I suppose I am a refugee to your world. Apologies if I have upset the order of things.”

“I believe it is I who should apologize. Twilight would you come here please?”

Twilight shook her surprise away and trotted to Celestia’s side. “Yes Princess?”

“I believe it would be proper to invite Jorcen to Canterlot. I never planned for a first contact scenario but I think if we treat as if we were receiving a foreign dignitary we could still build relations.”

“I’ll make the arrangements Princess. I’ll have Spike send word before we arrive.”

“Very good my student.” Celestia turned to Jorcen and nodded.

“It’s not uncommon for Jedi to serve as ambassadors. Until we meet again Princess.” Jorcen bowed to Celestia.

She smiled at the gesture before she vanished with a golden flash of light.

“Jorcen…”

“Yes Twilight?”

“Just…what are you?”

Echoes

The walk back through the forest was one fraught with never-ending questions to Jorcen from a certain bookish pony.

“Are there more like you?” She wasn’t even walking anymore. She would teleport beside Jorcen, ask him a question, get left behind pondering his answers, and repeat.

“There is a whole order of Jedi. Though not all are like me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean there are other aliens who call themselves Jedi and that not all of them are as strong as me.”

“Are they stronger than you or weaker than you?”

“Both.”

“Holy smokes! There are aliens stronger than you?” Spike asked from beside Jorcen.

“Indeed. Grand Master Yoda leads the order and I don’t believe myself powerful as other Jedi like Master Kenobi or Master Windu even though I share their rank.”

“I…I just don’t understand. How are you so strong? You can’t even use magic.”

“A Jedi draws their strength from the Force, an energy field present in all living things.”

Twilight was having a hard time breaking down the scene she just witnessed. This alien had stood on equal ground with Princess Luna and he wasn’t even the strongest of his order.

“A-are you invincible?”

“Of course not Twilight. I age as all life does and I can be killed. Many people of the galaxy see the Jedi as unbeatable heroes of the Republic but we are not invincible.”

“The Princesses were supposed to be!” Twilight yelled without thinking. A shocked expression formed on her face before slowly melting down to regret. “I’m sorry Jorcen.” She held her head low in shame.

Jorcen stopped and placed a gentle hand on Twilight’s back. “I’m the one who should be sorry. My presence seems to be disturbing your longstanding beliefs. Cultural contamination is no longer a concern in the galaxy today but it would seem otherwise. For that I apologize.”

Twilight lifted her head and gave Jorcen a far-off look. “It’s all too much too fast.”

“I know. I wish things could have been different. We could have handled first contact better than my crashing into your world.”

“Are you gonna be ok Twilight?” Spike placed a claw on her legs, looking up at her with worried eyes.

“I’ll be fine Spike. I…I just need time to wrap my head around all this.”

“C’mon let’s get back to the library so you can rest.”

The rest of the trip proceeded in silence. Twilight slowly regained her composure along the way, a fact that was of great relief to Jorcen.

As they neared the library, Twilight seemed to notice something and smiled. She slowed her pace and fell behind Jorcen, letting him take the lead as they reached the door. Jorcen thought nothing of that and opened the door.

“SURPRISE!!!” Yelled a high voice followed immediately by confetti cannons firing across the room. Jorcen’s instincts kicked in and before he knew it his lightsaber was in his hand and held in front of him, humming softly and eliciting a cry of terror from the one who yelled.

“Whoa Jorcen take it easy.” Spike tentatively patted him on the leg trying to calm him down.

“What…what just happened?” Jorcen asked dumbfounded that he let this startle him.

“It was supposed to be a surprise/glad you’re out of the hospital/welcome to Ponyville party.” A pink maned pink furred pony said, poking her head out from under a nearby table.

“Why couldn’t I sense you?” Jorcen said to himself more than anyone else.

“Because it wouldn’t be a surprise otherwise.” The pink pony stated happily, hopping over to Jorcen. He extinguished his blade and turned to Twilight, his expression begging her to explain. Could this pony conceal herself with the force?

“This is Pinkie Pie, party planner extraordinaire. She did something similar on my first day in Ponyville.”

Jorcen looked around the room and saw the decorations that were strewn all about. Balloons were everywhere, banners were hung from the ceiling proclaiming welcome and in the center of the room was a large table covered in colorful sweet smelling confectionaries next to a glass bowl filled with a red liquid.

“Apologies for my reaction.” Jorcen bowed as was his traditional greeting. Pinkie Pie stopped hopping and waved her hoof dismissively.

“Eh don’t worry about it. Just watch where you swing that glowy stick you had. You might pop a balloon!” She said excitedly, pulling a small cannon from behind her and firing it into the air and giving the room a new coat of confetti. “Now C’mon it’s supposed to be a party!” Pinkie disappeared and reappeared near a contraption connected to a couple speakers which started playing whimsical music.

Twilight and Spike gladly partook in the festivity while Jorcen was admittedly uncomfortable. Though it would be rude to decline food when it was offered to you he thought. He cautiously picked up a plate with a colorful array of small edibles.

“What are these treats called?” He asked inquisitively. Pinkie zipped over to him in a blur giving a look of absolute shock.

“You don’t know what a cupcake is? What kind of alien doesn’t know what a cupcake is!?” She looked to the others in the room who looked back at her with disbelief. “Oh right hehe alien.” She looked back at Jorcen sheepishly for a moment before a large smile broke out on her face. “Well? Go on! Give it a try.”

Jorcen was surrounded by expressions of expectation as they waited for his reaction. He grabbed one of the cupcakes and gave it a brief inspection before taking a small bite. The taste was incredibly sweet but was balanced by the less sweet moist cake beneath.

“This is wonderful. Thank you.” Jorcen finished the confectionary and folded his arms in his robes.

Pinkie stared at him like he was an alien…even to aliens.

“That’s it? Not even a smile?” Pinkie was in his face with a concerned expression.

Jorcen forced a smile and bowed his head slightly. “Apologies Pinkie, I have dedicated my life to the Jedi and I’ve learned to suppress my emotions as a result of my training.”

“Suppress your emotions? Even happieness?”

“To an extent. It’s a demanding life.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask Jorcen.” Twilight stepped forward. “You’re not common in the rest of the galaxy are you? The Jedi I mean.”

“No, the restrictions on Jedi recruitment keeps our number low.”

“How low?”

“Let me put it this way. There are many planets upon which an individual has never seen a Jedi and even more planets that have never heard of the Jedi.”

“Before you told me that Jedi were the peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic. How can there be planets where your order is unheard of?”

“The Jedi Temple is on Coruscant, the galactic capital. The capital has a population of approximately one trillion. The Jedi Order numbers in at about ten thousand individuals. As much as I’d like to share the history of the Jedi with you Twilight, everything you could want is in that datapad I gave you.”

“I imagine I’ll have a lot of studying to do then.” Twilight said, unloading her belongings in the corner of the room.

“Soooo…can you do any tricks?” A sudden Pinkie Pie said from Jorcen’s shoulder.

“Tricks?”

“Yeah! Tricks, like you had that cool light stick thingy before. What else can you do?”

Jorcen was once told that the force was not to be used in petty ways such as tripping a fellow Jedi or parlor tricks. However Jorcen was no longer a padawan and his master was not around to chastise him.

He outstretched his hand and closed his eyes, focusing on the piles of confetti that littered the floor. The confetti blew and swirled on an invisible breeze and began to dance across the room. He floated them into a myriad of shapes, including galactic landmarks and amazing creatures. He opened his eyes and saw that Pinkie was in a stunned silence as she watched his display with childlike awe. It was then that he noticed a third pony in the room. Standing in the doorway was a white unicorn pony with an elegant purple mane. She looked on with an equally starry eyes expression. Another few minutes passed and Jorcen was done with his ‘puppet show’ throwing the confetti into the air, showering the room for a second time. Everyone in the room gave him a round of applause to which he simply bowed.

“That was beautiful Darling.” The white unicorn said, finally making her way out of the doorway. “I was afraid you were going to be some kind of brute but I’m glad to see you possess a degree of elegance.”

“That’s very kind of you to say miss…”

“Oh excuse me, where are my manners. My name is Rarity.” She whipped her mane with a flourish and struck a slight pose.

“Lovely to meet you miss Rarity. I am Jedi Master Jorcen Alketses.” Jorcen bowed to her as was his custom. He wondered if there would ever be an end to it.

“Such a gentleman but may I ask you a question darling?”

“Certainly.”

“How did you do that without a horn? It’s almost like magic wasn’t involved at all.”

“It’s some kind of energy manipulation he calls the Force.” Twilight answered for him. “With that power he was able to fight evenly with Princess Luna.”

“My goodness, Master Jorcen is this true?”

“Your princess forced me to defend myself yes and while I came out ahead I don’t believe she was using her full power.”

Twilight found that bit of information relieving. Ever since she witnessed the fight she began to question the power of her monarchs, something that rattled everything she thought she knew about magic. For now though her thoughts were temporarily appeased.

“So what brings you by Rarity?” Twilight asked, eager to change the subject.

“Oh…well to tell you the truth Twilight dear, I don’t remember. My apologies but I suppose that show Master Jorcen performed distracted me.”

“No worries Rarity. C’mon upstairs and let’s see if we can’t figure it out together. Jorcen? Will you be ok down here for a bit?”

“I’ll be fine. Best of luck to you two.”

And with that Jorcen found himself alone with Spike and Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie while I appreciate the welcome party I’d very much like some time to meditate. Would it be alright with you if we reschedule another occasion such as this? Perhaps with all of your friends?” With the force to guide him he knew just what to say to the pink party mare to send her into a long gasp and momentary jaunt into the air

“That’s a great idea!” She cried in delight and zipped out the door, leaving a puff of dust in her shape behind her.

“What a curious little creature.” Jorcen bemused to himself.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Spike watched her go with a tired look on his face. However he was quick to recover as he wandered to the side of the room and took out a colorful picture book and quietly began reading it. Jorcen was quick to follow suit and found himself a nice spot to sit and calm his mind. Collecting himself in his mind, with the force to guide him, often lent him to curious visions of what was, what is and what could be. Though this time despite his desire he could not find peace. Something was interfering with his meditation. Something…on the planet. What could it be? He thought. Even a planet such as this was not safe from the cloud of the dark side. Though try as he might he could not breach the fog to find its source and before he knew it hours had passed and a particularly worried looking unicorn was tapping his leg impatiently.

“Yes Twilight? What is it?”

“What do you mean ‘what is it’? You’ve been sitting there with your eyes closed all day.

Jorcen looked out the closest window and saw that it was indeed late, the sun painting the skies the colors of dusk.

“Forgive me. A Jedi can spend hours, if not days meditating.”

“Well I’m glad you’re alright. I’ll know now for the future but now that I have your attention I have another question.”

Jorcen knew this kind of hunger for knowledge and gave Twilight a knowing smile. “Just one?”

“Well…just one for now. Your datapad said that for a Jedi to attain the rank of Master they have to train an apprentice to knighthood. If that’s the case, where is your apprentice?”

“She’s not my apprentice anymore but I imagine she’s helping the Republic’s war effort. We would often join our forces together but I haven’t seen her in months.”

“I hope she’s alright.” Twilight’s concern for someone she had never met was appreciated by the older Jedi. Jorcen knew in his heart that she still lived and was fighting to put an end to this war. With nothing else important to attend to Jorcen and Twilight figured out a place for him to stay for the time being.

***

Ryloth Space, Outer Rim Territories.

Jedi General Norana Venn had just docked the last troop transport ship into an Acclamator class assault ship following the successful defense of her homewolrd of Ryloth. With this sector of space secured she was to return to Coruscant and receive new orders from the Jedi Council. Norana retreated to the quiet of her personal quarters, sitting on the floor, legs crossed where she would meditate until her fleet exited hyperspace. Once her mind was calm and her senses open to the force, she saw herself standing in a cloud of thick, dark smoke. Her yellow skin and brown vest were barely visible to her through the cloud that obscured her sight. It was then that she caught a glimpse of something, something that put her at ease. It was as if this feeling was familiar to her, a distant echo of a presence she knew very well. All came rushing back to her as she was shocked out of her meditative trance with a feeling that left her lekku twitching in confusion.

“Master?”

Revelation

The rest of the walk to this farm Apple Bloom mentioned seemed like it took forever. The three fillies pestered the poor Jedi about his wound so much that eventually he lost patience and had to explain to them why it wasn’t a big deal.

“That’s enough you three.” He said sternly, silencing them immediately. “I was careless. I let my fear for your safety cloud my judgment. I got hurt because I acted rashly, there were many ways I could have prevented this minor injury. And it is minor. Look.” Jorcen rolled up the sleeves of his robe to show them that the wound had mostly stitched itself back together, leaving only faint scratches that would soon disappear themselves.

“Oh…” The three of them looked momentarily abashed which quickly warped into fascination. “How did ya heal so fast?” Appleblom opened up a new round of pestering.

“The same way I did everything else.”

“The same power you used to make me fly? And pulverize that timber wolf What did you call it again…the Force?” Scootaloo asked, curiosity an unfortunate vice of the young.

“Yes and the Force is my ally. Especially so here, your planet is strong with the Force.”

Jorcen continued to follow the three until the forest gave way to rolling green hills and meadows. Off a decent distance from the tree line was an orchard of identical trees, all of them bearing red fruit.

“We’re almost there. C’mon ya’ll!” Apple Bloom picked up her pace and sped over the small hills towards her farm. Soon they had crossed through a wooden arch that led to a lot that held a bright red barn off to the right and an equally bright red farmhouse in the center.

“Applejack! Granny! Big Mac! Look who Ah brought fer dinner!” Apple Bloom cried joyfully, darting into the house through the open door. Jorcen waited outside with Sweetie and Scootaloo, wondering just what kind of reaction he’d get this time.

“Let me guess.” An older voice with an accent like Apple Bloom’s came from inside. “Is it Sweetie Belle and Scoo-” A tan colored mare with blonde mane and a light brown hat appeared in the doorway and froze once she saw the bearded human.

Applejack remembered seeing his battered body when Twilight had found his crash site. It was her who had spoken caution and questioned if helping it was the right thing to do. Now that she saw it with her little sister and friends that primal fear she felt at the crash site returned.

“Girls get inside now!” Applejack yelled, ushering the other two fillies to her side. They briefly shared a confused glance at each other but obeyed her nonetheless. They scampered across the threshold and Applejack slammed the door behind them. Jorcen had received colder greetings but she was the first on this planet to act like he was some kind of monster. He could hear the sounds of arguing coming from the other side of the door. Closing his eyes and honing his senses he reached out with the Force and all at once could hear them clearly.

“What the hay were you three even doin’ in the Everfree Forest?” The mare from before asked.

“We wanted to see the alien, his name is Jorcen by the way.” Sweetie Belle said timidly.

“Ya’ll know ya aint supposed t’ go in there alone!” The mare continued. “Especially t’ look fer aliens. Ah should have never told ya about it.”

“Applejack stop it!” Apple Bloom yelled back. “Ya’ll don’t know nothing ‘bout him, he saved our lives!”

“Listen Sugarcube Ah know what ya think happened but Ah’m tellin’ ya can’t just-”

“How would you know? Ya haven’t even talked to him. Remember how ya’ll treated Zecora? Now she’s your friend. Why won’t ya give him a chance?”

“Apple Bloom…the situations aint the same, we’re talkin’ bout-”

“How?! How aint they the same!?”

The mare called Applejack said nothing more. Jorcen could feel the confliction in her as well as her suspicion and love for her sister. After a moment’s deliberation Applejack sighed and relented.

“All right Apple Bloom, you win.” The door opened slowly and she stepped out. Jorcen opened his eyes and gave her his full attention. “Muh sister says ya saved her and her friends lives. If that’s true ya have my honest gratitude.” Applejack closed her own eyes and removed her hat, placing it on her chest above her heart.

“Thank you for giving me a chance.” Jorcen bowed and smiled at her reaction to knowing their language. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Applejack seemed to regard him a moment before placing her hat back on her head and stepping aside.

“Ya’ll might as well come in.” She relented, much to the delight of the three young fillies.

Jorcen felt odd seated at the small kitchen table. The silent glares from the three adults in the room didn’t serve to help matters. Jorcen just bowed his head and gratefully ate the food they reluctantly provided him.

“So…what is you? Sum kinda mutant minotaur?” The eldest know as Granny Smith asked.

“Granny!” Apple Bloom admonished. “That’s no way t’ speak t’ a guest.”

“Hush now Apple Bloom.”

“Oh, its fine” Jorcen said, joining the conversation. “My species are called humans. Most species of the galaxy are like me, bipedal that is.”

The ponies at the table tilted their heads and blinked in confusion. “That means they stand on two legs.” Jorcen clarified.

“Ah see…” Applejack mumbled. “Can ah ask ya somethin’?”

“Of course.”

“Why are ya here?” Applejack, despite sounding serious, didn’t seem to harbor any particular dislike for the displaced Jedi. She was scared, plain and simple. She wanted to make absolute sure that this bizarre creature from the stars was who it said it was.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom interrupted again.

“Hush, the big ponies are talkin’” Applejack countered, silencing her younger sibling.

“Do you want the whole truth?” Jorcen asked as if he were daring her.

“Y-yes.” Applejack hesitated briefly but knew better than to pass up an opportunity for the honest truth.

“My fleet was ambushed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems. I lost many men and ships before we could even evacuate. I bought my troops as much time as I could to get clear of the fight and in the process, when it was my time to flee, my ship was damaged. Your planet is in an area of space that is not fully mapped. I had no intention arrive on your world and I’m lucky I even found it. The damage done to my ship forced it to the ground, as I know you saw.” Jorcen declared, getting a glimpse of Applejack on the scene through the Force. “If you must fear me or be suspicious then so be it. Just know that I am here by accident and I am no threat to your world.”

“Ah’m not so sure about that.” The big one said, his voice deep and forceful. “Ya’ll sound like yer at war. Who’s t’ say that war won’t follow you here?”

Jorcen hadn’t considered that. Jedi were high value targets to the Separatists. Though even with that in mind he seriously doubted the Confederacy would commit forces into the unknown regions to hunt for one Jedi.

“No one can say for sure but like I said, your planet is uncharted and with the war still raging it is very unlikely any retribution will befall you. It is more likely that no one will hear my distress call and I will die on this planet If that is to be the case then I’d like it to be peaceful.” That seemed to be enough for them as all of their expressions softened at the mention of his likely death on their world.

“Ah’m sorry t’ hear that…” Applejack added, uncertain what to say to that all too likely eventuality. After that, nopony felt particularly like talking and ate in silence.

Jorcen, feeling more alien to them than usual, stood up to the table and bowed. “Thank you for the food, I’ll take my leave now.” Jorcen ignored the pleading of the children to stay and walked out the door. Hospitality only went so far and he could tell when he wasn’t wanted. He simply walked the path that led away from Sweet Apple Acres and followed it to reach Ponyville.

Jorcen had to admit that there was an undeniable beauty to this planet. Lush and green like Ithor and it radiated an aura of calm and peace like Alderaan. As he mused, he felt the presence of another join him, this one just slightly above him.

“Sup Jorcen.”

“Hello Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey are you alright? You look a little down and…are you bleeding?” Rainbow caught a glance of the torn and bloody robes around Jorcen’s arm, concern taking over her expression.

“I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.” Jorcen rolled up the sleeve and showed her that he was not harmed. “Though I should do something about my robe. I can’t imagine how the other ponies may react. They are wary of me as it is.”

“Well if its clothes you need fixed, you’d better go see Rarity.” Rainbow landed next to the Jedi, trotting alongside him.

Jorcen remembered the white unicorn from the day before and since he had no clear destination in mind, a quick detour to repair his robes might be just what he needed.

“Very well. Where might I find her?”

“She’ll be at Carousel Boutique.”

“And where is that?”

“I’ll show you…on one condition.”

Jorcen didn’t like the sly grin Rainbow was giving him but he sensed that her intentions were mischievous at worst.

“Name it.”

“You have to beat me in a race.” Rainbow flared her wings out, placing a hoof on her chest at taking a prideful stance. “Don’t worry if you lose, nopony beats Equestria’s finest flyer.”

“Therein lies the problem I would think. I can’t fly.”

“Oh…right. I guess I could take it easy on you and go on hoof.”

“In that case, I accept your wager. Where shall we race to?”

“There is a stone bridge that goes over the river on the edge of Ponyville, I think that’ll be a good finish line. Just know that I won’t be holding back and that means you shouldn’t either got it?”

Jorcen nodded and took a position beside Rainbow. “Call it.”

“Ready…” Rainbow gave her wings a flap in excitement. “Set…”

Jorcen took a deep breath and readied himself.

“…GO!”

Rainbow shot off with an impressive amount of speed gaining the early lead but Jorcen’s longer strides helped him catch up rather quickly and just as soon as she had it, Rainbow’s lead was gone.

“Not bad for whatever you are, but we’re just getting started!” Rainbow smiled as she put on more speed, taking the lead back and running away with it, leaving Jorcen no choice but to kick it into high gear. Jorcen shed his heavy brown robe, leaving him in his gray tunic and pants as he pushed his body to its limit, blowing past Rainbow and taking the lead for himself.

“What!?” Rainbow yelled, astonished that she had been outdone again. “I won’t lose to you! I never lose!” Rainbow snorted through her nostrils and gave every last ounce of speed she had to just barely eek ahead of the older Jedi.

“You move quick.” Jorcen said, finding it hard to suppress a smile himself. “But you have much to learn.” With a knowing smirk, he allowed the Force to flow into him and give him everything he needed to end this race once and for all. Jorcen blended into a gray blur as he shot off and left Rainbow Dash behind, leaving her to gawk with mouth agape. Jorcen came to a stop at the bridge and turned to watch as Rainbow had given up and trotted the remaining distance to him. She scowled for a moment before her expression softened and she looked up at him curiously.

“How the hay did you that?”

“A great many things are possible with the Force as your ally.” Jorcen extended his arm, hand open and called his fallen robe back to him where he promptly put it back on.

“That. Is so…Awesome!” Rainbow leapt into the air and did a quick loop before landing back in front of the Jedi. “What else can you do? Is it like magic? You don’t have a horn so can it be taught? *gasp* Can you teach me!?” Rainbow couldn’t hold still and the stars in her eyes nearly blinded her but she couldn’t help it, her excitement was through the clouds.

Jorcen stroked his beard, wondering himself if anyone else on the planet had the potential to wield the Force.

“Perhaps.” He said, to which Rainbow pressed both her hooves to her face and squished it into a silly smile. “Step forward.”

Rainbow managed to hold still long enough to step up to him where he placed his open palm on her forehead.

“Hey! What’re you-”

“Quiet.” Something about his voice made her obey as she plopped her rump firmly on the ground and did as she was told.

Jorcen explored the depths of her being, ignoring past events and powerful memories. He was careful to avoid pulling anything to the surface when he found what he was looking for. Just like with Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash had a connection to the force, one that was stronger than the young filly’s. Rainbow had likely been drawing on this power her whole life and probably never realized it but with a proper teacher, she could be taught to use it the way it was meant to be used.

“I sense potential in you.” He said, withdrawing his hand. “In time I could teach you to wield the powers that I command.” Rainbow Dash was about to explode into the air for more stunts of joy but, before she could get very far, Jorcen said something that took the wind right out of her sails. “But I won’t”

“What!?” Rainbow slumped so hard she fell out of the sky and landed on her rump. “Why not!?”

“It’s not my place. I am not some wandering wizard here to teach you tricks Rainbow Dash, I am a Jedi Master of the Jedi Order. I will not teach to use this power without everything that would come with it. Commitment to the Jedi Order is not something that should be taken lightly.”

“So if I want to learn from you I’d have to become a Jedi…whatever that is.”

“Correct. That way you have the mindset to use your powers properly. But before you go and say something rash, I will tell you that even should you wish to commit, I still will not teach you.”

“Oh come on! Why would you even tell me that if you aren’t serious?”

“As I said, it is not my place.”

“And what does that mean exactly?” A new voice added, watching from the bridge. Twilight Sparkle was standing in front of the bridge, book suspended in front of her whereupon she placed it in the saddlebags she was wearing.

“It means that the Jedi Order demands much from those who would join it. It is not as simple as joining an army or a club. It takes a lifetime of study and dedication. You must forego all worldly attachments and relationships. It is for these reasons that the Order usually takes in children, to start their training before such attachments can form.”

“That…that’s awful.” Twilight looked a little shocked by this revelation. “W-were you taken as a child too?”

“Yes”

“So…you never knew your parents?”

“Not in the sense that you think. When I got older, I was permitted to know their names and the planet of my birth but beyond that I have never met them. This is precisely what I’m talking about, that is the level of commitment the Order expects. That is the kind of commitment I don’t believe you can give.”

Twilight had no idea what kind of sacrifices Jorcen must have made in his life to stay true to his order. This man before her was no ordinary warrior.

“But that still doesn’t explain what you said before about it not being your place.”

“By that I meant that even if there are some among your kind that would accept that price, it would be wrong of me to do so. It would be asking you to give your loyalties to the Republic, the Jedi and the Force. It would be asking you to give up your life here. I couldn’t ask such a thing when this world is all you know. It is a shame that I am a Jedi and must ask this of my students. I would rather like teaching again.”

“What if we got permission?” Twilight suddenly looked very serious, the voracity of her own thirst for knowledge forcing her to ask.

“Pardon?”

“What if Princess Celestia agreed to release us from her charge? What if she gave you her blessing to begin teaching ponies the way of the Force?”

“Twilight you can’t be serious?” Rainbow Dash zoomed over to her friend. “You’d give up everything you have, your friends, your family, for this?”

The hunger in Twilight’s eyes seemed to vanish as she was brought back down to earth. “I…I don’t know.” She wasn’t able to convince herself and therefore convinced nopony else.

“I fear I may have been too blunt.” Jorcen said, joining the two ponies. “The code does not forbid friendships, it forbids attachments.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Let me tell you what my Master told me; you must train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose. That is the difference.”

“I don’t know, it still seems like asking a lot.” Rainbow Dash added, unsatisfied with the finer rules of the Jedi.

“Oh it is, but no one is forcing you. The choice will ultimately be yours, should Princess Celestia allow it.”

“So if she agrees…?” Twilight almost whispered.

“I will consider it.” It wasn’t an answer that Twilight liked but she felt it was the best she could hope from the displaced Jedi. “Now I think this has been enough excitement for one day, I’d very much like to find Rarity and have my robes repaired.”

“Oh yeah! Well, a deal’s a deal.” Rainbow flapped her wings and flew into the air above them. “C’mon, keep up and follow me!” She flew off so fast that she left a rainbow-colored blur in her wake.

“Until we meet again Twilight.” Jorcen nodded his head and took off after the speedster pegasus. Twilight was left standing on the stone bridge, her book completely forgotten as she stood and stared into the calm water below her. What had she just gotten herself into? Jorcen had been on their planet for almost a week now, counting his time in the hospital, and all of a sudden she was considering joining a galactic force of peacekeepers? What was going on with her? It was as if the Jedi’s very presence had shifted the path Equestria was to walk, turning it towards a path that led to places Twilight couldn’t even fathom.

First Steps

Twilight Sparkle, faithful student to Princess Celestia was suddenly unsure of her place in the world. Now that a fateful event had brought a life form from another planet into her midst, that world got bigger. Infinitely bigger. She loved her life here in Ponyville, she loved her friends…yet something in the back of her mind thirsted for more. Something that had awoken in when she saw Jorcen fight Princess Luna. She was no longer content to be what she was. Part of her regretted that she would even consider asking Princess Celestia to give her up as a student. Another part almost demanded she do it. Twilight had always been a scholar and now she was presented with knowledge, much more than she could ever acquire across a hundred lifetimes on Equus. Confliction was building in her heart and that confliction would eat at her until she reached a decision. A decision she equal parts wanted and did not want to make. Twilight sat on the bridge, staring at her reflection for long time. She needed somepony to talk to but she couldn’t ask Celestia about this particular dilemma, at least not yet. Who else did she know who could offer the advice she sought? Cadence? Her brother? They were both in Canterlot as far as she knew. That left her with one option. Which meant she had a bit of a walk ahead of her.

***

Zecora’s hut sat a bit within the Everfree Forest, a decent distance from Jorcen’s crash site. Twilight had no doubt that the enigmatic zebra was aware of what had transpired earlier this week. Twilight sat beside a bubbling cauldron as she explained everything that she had learned from the Jedi, sipping tea from a carved wooden cup. Zecora was opposite her, gathering ingredients and adding them to the cauldron intermittently.

“I just don’t know what to make of this Zecora. It’s like I lost total track of what my life was supposed to be. How can I want something and not want it at the same time?”

“Dissonance plagues your pony mind, it often comes from enlightening finds. Knowledge is not something to fear, worry not for those you hold dear.”

“So what are you saying? I should just do whatever I want and not worry about the consequences?”

Zecora nodded her head and took a drink from her own teacup.

“I’m saying that perhaps you are overthinking, tell me what do you think of my tea for drinking?”

“It…actually it tastes a little different than usual.” Twilight suddenly got defensive, wondering what the stripped potion maker was up to.

“It is laced with something from my homeland, something that will help you understand.”

An abrupt feeling began to form in Twilight’s stomach. A sensation that felt like she was falling became all she could focus on as the world melted away and left her careening through the darkness. She screamed for help, begged anypony who could hear to come rescue her but it was no use. When she dared to open her eyes, she saw something beautiful. She was floating in the space between Equus and the moon. Her home planet glowed beneath her, a sight she had only dreamt of. In the distance behind the planet was a ghostly image that Twilight couldn’t focus on no matter how hard she tried.

“We know of the power that you speak, and can offer the answers that you seek.” It sounded like a million voices all speaking at once, coming from everywhere.

“How do you know about the Force!?” Twilight yelled into the vastness of her surroundings.

“It has always been here for us to find, a power that was used by both our kinds. This Force exists for all to feel and its will is very real.”

“What does that mean!?”

“It was not pure chance that brought him here, his presence is not one you should fear. The Force acts in mysterious ways, for he will help you in the coming days.”

“What is the Force!?”

“It is an energy that lives in all but only some can hear its call. It is a force that belongs to none, yet exists inside everyone. Our creators used it to control and bind and then it left them far behind.”

Creators? Was use of the Force widespread in the past? If so, what made it leave them? Twilight was more confused now than she had ever been. She wanted answers but she had no idea where she could find them, or if they even existed.

“What…what should I do?” Twilight couldn’t muster the energy to shout anymore, though her volume mattered little to the presence that spoke to her.

“You must do what your heart commands, though you needn’t listen to all its demands. Just know this before you quit, all is as the Force wills it.”

Before Twilight could pose another question, she felt herself being pulled. The planet before her began to shrink as she was pulled away, far far away. Her planet disappeared, replaced in the distance by the glow of the sun. Farther and farther she flew until she was in dark space, looking upon the entire galaxy. Twilight felt something warm and pleasant permeate her body as she observed the galaxy. But just as soon as she had felt this warmth, it was replaced by another feeling. A deep pit formed in her stomach as a stinging cold began to bite at her being. Images flashed before her, images that meant nothing to her but she could somehow feel their importance. She saw a massive disc shaped building sat at the center of an endless city. Another flash and she saw a planet covered in sinkholes, a mechanical four armed being fighting another Jedi. Lastly, through a red haze of heat and smoke she saw a lone robed figure with tears in their yellow eyes. Before she could process any of what she had seen, the unseen force pulled her back with renewed intensity. She jerked her body and when she opened her eyes, found that she was back in Zecora’s hut.

“W-what did you do to me? What was that?”

“I gave you a taste of the serenity flower, they are filled with mystical power.”

“Mystical power? You knew…your people knew this whole time.” Zecora nodded and took another sip of her tea.

“The spirit wind we called it in times past, though its power was not to last. It was a part of us that we took for granted, now we can only harness it from what is planted.”

“You lost your connection to the Force? How does that happen?” Zecora shrugged.

“It faded from your kind as well, can it be healed? Only time will tell. All I know is that it’s still here but the way forward is quite unclear. The secrets of the past are lost to history, though now there’s a new piece to the mystery. The one called Jorcen who came from the sky could show us the way, the path of the Jedi. To reconnect with what we held dear, begins and ends with you my dear.” Zecora stood and dumped the remainder of her tea into the cauldron, causing it to shake and disgorge enough smoke to fill the hut. Twilight tried to wave it away, coughing into her hoof. When it faded Zecora was nowhere to be found. She was unsure if she had found any answers. If anything, she had found more questions, questions that somehow related to the ancient past of this planet. The presence said that this wasn’t an accident. Jorcen was here for a reason, guided by the invisible energy field called the Force…Twilight knew what she had to do but she didn’t know if she had the courage. With her mind as clouded as ever, she gathered her belongings and departed Zecora’s hut. It begins and ends with me, she thought wondering now if her part to play was grander than she could possibly imagine. Whether she had the strength to do it or not was yet to be seen, though something she had been told put her at ease. All is as the Force wills it.

***
Republic Space

Norana Venn was uneasy. She had been ever since she saw her former master in a vision. A vision she couldn’t make heads or tails of. The feeling only intensified when she tried to contact his ship and received nothing in return. Something was wrong. The Force was trying to tell her something. Norana stood on the bridge of one of the Venators under her command, staring at the holo map.

“Something troubling you General?” Admiral Lona Fel approached the holo map, concern in her expression.

“I have a feeling something happened to my master.”

“General Alketses?”

“Yes. I’ve been unable to contact him or anyone under his command.”

“Perhaps he is just out of range? The 312th was sent on a covert op a little over a week ago.”

“I know Lona, I know. I just have a really bad feeling about it.” Norana’s lekku twitched. She had always thought she had good instincts and her master once told her that her will and the force are interconnected. Though that did nothing to soothe her mind. Her bond with her master was still strong and if she felt this way it was likely she was right.

“Incoming transmission General Venn.” One of the bridge staff said from the command station.

“What is it?” The Jedi General asked.

“It’s a distress signal. Its from the 312th legion.”

“What’s their status?” Norana’s fears were confirmed.

“Under separatist attack. We are thirteen parsecs away from their position.”

“Put in their coordinates and make the jump to hyperspace! Admiral, prep the fleet and make sure our troops are ready to deploy as soon as we arrive!”

“Yes General.” Admiral Fel snapped a quick salute and began distributing her orders, pilots prepped the hangar bays and reality stretched away as her fleet made the jump into hyperspace.

Norana stared into the swirling, blue vortex of hyperspace with renewed determination.

“Hold on master, I’m coming.”

***

Jorcen stood in the center of the Carousel Boutique, his arms stretched out as Rarity took his measurements. He tried to insist that he didn’t need anything more than a quick mend, which Rarity was happy to do, but after a bit of pleading the Jedi acquiesced and allowed her to get his measurements.

“This is really unnecessary.” Jorcen mumbled. Rarity looked over the rim of her red glasses and scoffed.

“Unnecessary? Hardly darling. You could do with a new wardrobe. Get you in something flattering instead of those drab old robes.”

“These are the ceremonial robes of my order.” Jorcen was a little insulted by her comment. Most beings in the galaxy could take one look at him and instantly know what he was. Drab indeed.

“Oh! I didn’t mean to offend you darling but…well just look at you. Plain brown robe, plain gray tunic underneath? One would think fashion would have higher standard where you come from. Besides, I’ve never made clothing for a creature like you and I do so enjoy a challenge from time to time.

“Rarity…”

“Ah ah, no protesting. There, now that I have your measurements, I have everything that I need. What would you say to something with frills? How about the color purple? Are you partial to trim? If so, do you like gold? Silver? And we can’t rule out gems of course, I just had a batch of emeralds cut into…” Rarity stopped her fashion tirade and saw that Jorcen had yet to move and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh dear…did I get a tad carried away?” Rarity blushed slightly and rubbed her forelegs together trying to hide her embarrassment.

“Just a little.” Jorcen, despite the seriousness in his expression, gave her a warm smile.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s just that-”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me Rarity. Your passion for your craft is quite admirable.”

“R-right. Well…thank you for stopping by.” Rarity was ready to beat a hasty retreat upstairs but first she would see her guest out.

“Thank you for mending my robes.”

“It’s the least I could do for saving my sister.” Rarity had been shocked by the story he told when he arrived but knowing that her sister was safe gave her an enormous sense of gratitude towards the man. Jorcen bowed and made for the door, the entrance bell ringing as he left. Rarity let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and began to make her way upstairs.

“Oh and Rarity.” Rarity froze halfway up her stairs, craning her head to see that Jorcen had poked his back inside, a big smile on his face “I think I would prefer silver trim.”

Rarity couldn’t suppress a smile herself now that she got his blessing to create an ensemble for him. With that, Jorcen nodded and made his way back outside. Rarity couldn’t contain a happy little hop as she sped upstairs to her planning room to begin creating some designs. She looked out her window to see Jorcen and Rainbow Dash walking down the street towards the market. She watched as the Jedi knelt, arms outstretched as her sister and her friends came speeding towards him, jumping into his arms for a group hug. Once he set them down Sweetie Belle began tugging at his robes, a pleading expression on her face. Rarity couldn’t make out what she was saying from here but it looked important…well important to Sweetie Belle. Jorcen shook his head and Sweetie Belle started to pout. Something that made Rarity laugh. He really got along with the three fillies, especially Sweetie. As she thought that she felt her cheeks get a bit warm. Where did that come from, she thought? This was no time for distractions so she pulled her shutters closed and got back to something that would take her mind off it. Work.

***

Twilight Sparkle had trotted nonstop from the Everfree Forest back to the Golden Oak library. On her way she compiled a list of books she needed to review. After the revelation she received at Zecora’s she had to give the history of Equestria, as well as Zebrica a closer examination. She threw the doors open with a crash.

“Library’s closed! Everypony out!” She yelled, startling a number of readers. It took little more convincing to get them to leave, Twilight’s disheveled mane and manic look seemed to do the trick.

“What the heck was that about Twilight?” Spike asked, only to receive a scroll to the face.

“I need you to find these books for me Spike, I think I’m going to have a long night ahead of me.”

Spike grumbled to himself, dutifully retrieving the books on Twilight’s list. Soon he found himself precariously carrying a tower of books up the stairs to Twilight’s room.

“I got…whoa!” Spike’s tower teetered but he was able to correct and save it from falling. “Phew…I got the books you wanted Twilight but what do you need them for? Haven’t you read all these books a hundred times?”

“Twelve times.” Twilight corrected, running a hoof through her mane absentmindedly. “Anyway, that’s not important. Zecora showed me…something eye opening and now I need to corroborate what I heard with what I know and see if it’s true.” In the back of her mind she heard a voice telling her that she knew it to be true. Zecora’s tea had allowed her to speak to some kind of manifestation of Force energy. However, she still had to do this, if at the very least to give herself the time she needed to find the path forward. She cracked open one book after another, hours passed and spike had brought her a fourth cup of coffee. It was nearing three in the morning when Twilight found what she was looking for.

It was in an old history book, detailing a biography of a powerful Lord from millennia ago. The story of White Crest began before his rise to power. The story explained that in his youth he was able to levitate items roughly the size of toys well before other unicorns of his age, the interesting part however was that White Crest was an earth pony. As he grew older, he became unmatched in battle. Nopony could best him with a sword. It was said by his challengers that it was like he knew what they were going to do before they did. With his talents he quickly earned a lordship of his own. His court said his charisma was unmatched. Ponies around him would follow him anywhere, even into the depths of Tartarus itself. His story, over time, has turned into legend and many historians and scholars wrote off his abilities as romanticized embellishment. Twilight knew this was not the case. With what she learned from Jorcen’s datapad, she knew that White Crest had been force sensitive. The Force had been a part of Equus’ history. How many other tales and legends were now made true with this revelation? More importantly…did the Princesses know? They must know, they were alive around the same time as some of these old pony’s tales. An itch in the back of Twilights mind told her what she needed to do. She had reached a decision.

“Spike, take a letter. Tell Princess Celestia we’re coming to Canterlot.” Twilight looked down only to see that Spike had curled up in his bed and was snoring softly. Twilight couldn’t suppress a giggle as she magically pulled his blanket up and tucked him in.

“Alright then. Tomorrow. We’ll send a letter tomorrow.” Twilight herself let out a long yawn and climbed into her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was off to dream land.

***

Dreams could come in the strangest shapes. Twilight’s were no exception. Twilight found herself again high above the skies of Equus. Though this time there was ground beneath her hooves. And she wasn’t alone. To her left sat Princess Luna, staring down at their home alongside her.

“Princess? Wha-”

“You have a lot on your mind Twilight Sparkle. I’m here to warn you of the path you intend to follow.”

“Warn me? But Princess, we could learn so much. Today I was shown that the Force has always been here, been a part of our history. We can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist. Jorcen’s arrival here has shown me what our world was and now what it can be again.” Twilight had been right when she first thought that Jorcen would steer Equestria towards a new path, one that would reconnect them with what they had lost.

“I have gazed into the Force, I did it much as we are now. I touched the Jedi Jorcen’s dreams and through him I saw the Force. What awaits you down this path is nothing but despair and death. Through him I saw the deaths of millions, I could feel their every emotion…every scream of terror…You will find nothing you’ll like if you continue to follow this road.”

To Twilight, Princess Luna looked…scared. She had seen the force directly through Jorcen and she saw fire and death. Had she glimpsed the future? Possible fates that might befall Equus? Precognition was a relatively common power in the Force, determining which future would come to pass however was nearly impossible. What Twilight found odd was that when she had glimpsed the Force earlier that day, she saw nothing destructive. Both Zecora and the aspect she conversed with shared with her the mysteries of the past and that at some point in time the races of Equus lost their connection to the Force. Now they had a chance to reestablish that connection and warning or not Twilight knew that it had to be her. A responsibility like no other had been thrust upon her and without her Equestria would continue on its path without ever truly understanding its own past. Jorcen wasn’t here by accident, all is as the Force wills it and it would begin and end with her.

“I’m sorry Princess. I have to do this. I’d rather take a chance and be wrong than never try at all.”

Princess Luna was silent, staring into Twilight’s eyes with an evaluating expression.

“Pity. We had great plans for you Twilight Sparkle.” In a flash she was gone, leaving Twilight alone in her dreamscape. What did she mean by that?

***

Luna reappeared in her quarters at Canterlot castle. Her mind had been plagued with conflicting thoughts ever since she took Jorcen’s hand and peered into a world far beyond her own. Young Twilight however was not afraid as she was. Perhaps Luna had been harsh in her judgement, besides it wasn’t a decision she could make on her own. Celestia would also have to weigh in. Which brought another question to mind.

“What are you doing in my quarters sister?”

“I could ask you something similar. What were you doing in the dreams of my student?”

“Merely checking up on her…I don’t think she is the one to complete Starswirl’s spell.”

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“She has chosen to walk another path. The same path as this Jorcen Alketses. The path of a Jedi.”

Redirection

Twilight had spent all morning preparing for her trip to Canterlot. A pit of dread began to form in her stomach as she trotted with her bags to the train station. She had sent a letter to Princess Celestia as soon as she had woken up and as of now, hours later, she had not received anything in response.

“Are you sure this is a good idea Twilight?” Spike asked from her side, panting slightly, equally laden with luggage.

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”

“Okay…if you say so. Shouldn’t you at least tell the girls?”

“No time.”

“But-”

“No time! This train will get us there by noon. Hopefully we can get there and back before nightfall.”

Twilight sped off towards the platform as the train began to pull into the station.

“What’s gotten into you Twilight?” Spike muttered to himself, hesitantly following after her to board the train.

***

Despite the invitations of Rainbow Dash and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Jorcen opted to spend another night at his crash site. This gave him the peace and quiet he desired…for a time at least.

“Greeting Princess, what brings you to my dreams tonight?” He was standing alone in an endless plain of wispy mist. From behind a swirling wall of fog stepped the princess of the night.

“We’ve come to assess the threat you pose to our world.” Her eyes were narrowed in a stern glare.

“Well, I thank you for your honesty but I’m afraid you might have the wrong impression of me.” He started, moving to approach Luna. “There are many misconception of the Jedi but I assure you that we are keepers of the peace, enforcers of justice and seekers of knowledge.”

“We did not come to hear your lies. We came to see the truth, we will examine your memories and we will know you. Jorcen Alketses.” The mist around them began to gain color as it swirled around them like a tornado. When it faded away, they stood in a large, rocky canyon. In the distance was a village with the telltale lights of torches flickering in the wind as the sky darkened. Luna stepped forward to investigate the village, leaving Jorcen to stand in confusion. He remembered this place, this night but this wasn’t where he had been. This wasn’t just reliving his memories, it was watching them from a completely different angle. He had never seen anything like it. Luna’s abilities were truly extraordinary. After his mind caught up he followed after Luna and caught her just in time to see the first event of the evening. Luna entered the street and gasped, lying in the middle of the path were two dead Twi-leks with a younger female standing atop them, both fists clenched tight as she scowled. A bit further down the street was Jorcen, a younger Jorcen with shoulder length hair and a clean shave. He held his lightsaber out in front of him, though his stance was neutral.

“You don’t have to do this young one. Surrender and I can help you.” Past Jorcen started, extinguishing his weapon. “I can give you a home, a life, a purpose.” Past Jorcen continued, taking cautious steps toward the young Twi-lek.

“G-get away from me!” The young Twi-lek yelled, blasting the ground beside Jorcen with the Force. Jorcen didn’t flinch.

“I can teach you how to control your power. To use it for good, for children like you.” Jorcen took another few steps closer, undaunted.

“Stop!” The young girl screamed as she began to cry. When she opened her eyes Jorcen was directly in front of her, hand extended.

“Take my hand and leave your old life behind. For good.” Jorcen smiled softly down at her, not a hint of deception in his being. Through tearstained eyes the girl hesitated for a moment, took his hand and the memory vanished in fog much as it began.

“What? Who was that?” Luna asked, she had focused on a particularly emotionally charged memory and the result was not what she had been expecting.

“That was fifteen years ago. The day I met my Padawan.” Jorcen answered, standing just as cool as ever.

“Your what?”

“It’s what Jedi call our students. Her name is Norana Venn. She was an orphan on Ryloth, her home planet. The Jedi sent me to investigate rumors of killings where the victims had died without an obvious cause or cases that left behind no evidence.”

“So what? You imprisoned her?” Could she have been completely wrong about the man? What about that vision she saw through him?

“No. I inducted her into the Jedi Order. It took her a few years to adapt to such a life and when the time came she requested me to supervise her Jedi training. I had become like a father to her and I feared that she wouldn’t take it well if she were apprenticed to another.”

Luna suddenly felt a strange sense of empathy towards the man. “W-well it is the duty of all to help prepare the next generation.”

“A wise observation Princess.” He smiled at her. “Is there anything else you’d like to see?”

Luna accepted his offer and spent a short time on memories she felt might contain something. At the end Luna had proven herself right. She had misjudged this creature and what he stood for. She watched him jump in the path of weapons fire to protect civilians, watched him care for the soldiers under his command, and watched him walking the Jedi Archives late at night with Norana. She had seen enough but that vision wouldn’t leave her mind.

“Jorcen…may we ask you something?” She idly dug at the dreamscape with her hoof.

“Of course Princess.” He replied, giving the night Princess his full attention.

“We have seen your memories, seen the truth of who you claimed to be. We would like to apologize.”

“Apology accepted. You had a question?”

“Yes…This power of yours…the Force…what is it? Last time we entered your dreams we…saw a vision through you.”

“And what you saw…unsettled you?” Jorcen stroked his beard, his intuition addressing the matter precisely.

“We saw fighting, destruction…” Luna hesitated a moment, a new pit forming in her stomach. “Death.” She finished. She had thought the vision had come from Jorcen, that he was responsible for what she saw. Now she wasn’t so sure.

“I see.” Jorcen started, placing a hand on Luna’s back. “The Force doesn’t belong to anyone. It is an energy field created by all things that live. Whether by design or chance, certain beings possess a greater sensitivity to the Force, being able to call on it for aid. Everyone sees the Force differently the first time, what you saw was simply your first look into it.”

“W-we can touch the Force?” Luna was dumbstruck. She was already an extremely powerful being, practically a living goddess and now she discovered that she could possibly draw on a power that literally spanned the entire galaxy.

“In time perhaps, your species has a high affinity for the Force.” Jorcen had meant the hand on her back to be one of comfort, however he was secretly probing her for her hidden potential. Like Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash before her, he could feel it deep within Luna although on a much grander scale.

“We…we thank you for tonight. We found it most enlightening.” Luna turned her back on the human, preparing to return to the waking world when something in the back of her mind stopped her. She doubled back and hovered next to Jorcen.

“Do you have something more to ask?” He asked, not turning to face her.

“Our vision…will what we saw happen?” Luna’s fear had been eating at her since she had the vision. Her fear had been great enough to warn Twilight Sparkle, a warning that had been made in falsity.

“That…is difficult to say. The Force is always moving, any action can send ripples through it. You must be careful when sensing the future Princess. Many Jedi have lost their way following a future that never came to be.”

“We understand.” It wasn’t a lie per se but it wasn’t the truth either. “Goodnight Jorcen.”

“Goodnight Luna.”

***

Jorcen rose early as he often did and walked to the middle of the clearing where he had sparred with Princess Luna, reflecting on what they had spoken about in his dream. He sat and began to meditate. His senses spread out over his surroundings, feeling the abundant life within the forest. He probed deeper than he had before and found new sensations. The deeper he probed into the forest the more he felt…a disturbance. The force was strong in this forest but something within its depths was twisting his ability to see. There was more to this planet than meets the eye. When Jorcen opened his eyes, he saw that the sun had moved and that he had accidentally spent hours meditating.

However, noon was still to come and he moved into the next part of his routine. He ignited his orange lightsaber and began to practice his technique. He fell into the sequences of Makashi. Jorcen had only just started training in the form. He saw it as a necessity after the first battle of Geonosis when Master Kenobi and his Padawan had been defeated by former Jedi Count Dooku. In the end it turned out to be a wise decision with the introduction of Dooku’s assassin; Ventress and the cyborg General Grievous both of whom fought with lightsabers. Forms blended into each other as he moved into Shii-Cho then Soresu and even Djem-so. Jorcen was no blademaster by any sense of the word but he was no slouch either. He had never faced Grievous or Ventress in combat but it never hurt to be prepared. His swings and jabs began to slow as he sensed the presence of another. Just out of sight beneath the tree line was a pony. Jorcen wiped the lone bead of sweat form his forehead and extinguished his weapon.

“Hello there.” He called out, waving in the direction of the observing pony. “Don’t be afraid. You can come out now.” Jorcen could sense the pony’s hesitation and a subtle fear. After a moment of no movement or words Jorcen took the initiative and gently plucked the pony from its hiding place with the Force.

“Eeek!” She whimpered as she was pulled from the safety of the brush. As he drew her closer, he saw her butter yellow fur and long flowing pink mane. Despite the wings on her sides she didn’t struggle and they remained pulled tight against her body. When Jorcen set her down beside him he saw that she was trembling and her eyes were shut tight. Maybe he hadn’t done the right thing by bringing her over. He settled for the best thing he could think of and began softly petting the top of her head. The timid pegasus squeaked at his touch but as he continued to stroke her mane and scratch behind her ears, her breathing began to steady and her trembling subsided. Soon she began to hum to herself and even lean into his hand. She opened her eyes and all at once realized what was happening and promptly hid behind her wings like a shield.

“My name is Jorcen Alketses. May I ask yours?”

“I-its Fluttershy.” Her voice disappeared into an inaudible whisper.

“What was that? Firefly?”

“N-no its Fluttershy.” Little more volume…but not that much.

“Still can’t hear you little one.”

“F-Fluttershy.” She let down her wings but had her head turned so she was behind her mane.

“I know that name. Rainbow Dash said you were worried about me, didn’t she?”

Fluttershy still wouldn’t look but managed a weak nod instead.

“Is that what you were doing in the bushes? Checking up on me?”

“U-um yes…” Fluttershy fidgeted in place. Normally she wouldn’t be intimidated by new critters but this wasn’t an ordinary critter. Rainbow had said that he was an alien. Could she get along with aliens the same way she could her critters? She wanted to know…but was too afraid to find out.

“I hope you didn’t come too far out of your way to see me.”

“Oh no no. I live on the edge of the forest…easier to take care of my critters that way.”

“An animal caretaker I see. Noble profession…provided it isn’t for the Hutts.”

Fluttershy didn’t know what a Hutt was but she found the more she spoke to the alien to the more at ease she felt. Time to try something bold, she thought.

“Umm… Mr. Jorcen? Would you care to, uh that is if you don’t mind, join me for tea? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Fluttershy closed her eyes as she waited for his answer. Though she didn’t say it, she had in fact been quite worried about him, her animal empathy difficult to ignore.

“That sounds lovely Fluttershy. I’d love to have tea with you.”

A joy like no other sprouted inside Fluttershy as she happily flapped her wings and hovered in the air next to him. She didn’t know why but she was as content with the alien as she was her own critters now. Maybe her talent did extend to creatures of all kinds.

“Oh thank you, thank you! My cottage is this way.” Fluttershy lazily turned herself around and began to fly back towards her home. Jorcen followed behind her but never strayed too far since Fluttershy seemed to be taking an amount of comfort from his proximity. Such a kind and gentle creature, he thought. At the speed Fluttershy was flying it would take some time to reach the edge of the forest but the Jedi and the pegasus said nothing about it and enjoyed their walk through the forest.

***

As soon as the train doors were open Twilight Sparkle, student to Princess Celestia, darted out onto the platform like a mad mare. Spike struggled to keep pace with her, his tower of luggage threatening to give him an express pass to the cobbled streets of Canterlot.

“Slow down Twilight!” He called after her, the load in his claws wobbling dangerously. Twilight came to a screeching halt, her ears twitching in annoyance. The look in her eyes showed the frustration that had been building inside her the whole train ride up. Upon seeing Spike struggle with the luggage she saddled him with she became immediately remorseful.

“Oh Spike…” She said quietly, using her magic to take some of the load off him. “I’m sorry Spike…it’s just that-”

“It’s okay Twilight, really. Just slow down a bit. There’s no need to rush this. What did you pack in these anyway?”

Twilight sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “Umm all the books I had you gather for me the other night.” Twilight forced a strained laugh.

“Seriously? You brought half the library with us? You don’t think that maybe the Princess has all these in the Canterlot archives?”

“I’m sorry Spike but I can’t take any chances. She needs to see what I’ve found.”

“If you say so Twilight.”

***

When Jedi Knight Norana Venn’s fleet came out of hyperspace they were not prepared for what they found. Wreckage was all that remained of her master’s fleet. Three Venators and two Acclamators reduced to debris.

“I don’t understand, where is the distress signal coming from?” Norana asked no one in particular.

“Perhaps there are survivors in escape pods.”

“Worth a look. Admiral, prepare three rescue shuttles and let’s start combing this wreckage.”

“Yes General.” Admiral Fel retreated from the bridge to carry out her orders, leaving the Jedi alone to look out at the field of what remained of her master’s ships.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

***

General Grievous stood on the bridge of a Providence class dreadnought, waiting for his trap to catch another foolish republic fleet. He had his droids salvage several of the republic’s escape pods and was able to deploy a distress signal on republic frequencies. If there was anything he was confident in, it was the predictability of the Jedi.

“General, we are detecting three republic cruisers coming out of hyperspace.” A nearby B1 battle droid offered from his seat at an array of long-range scanners.

“Good…let them come. Engage the engines and divert all remaining power to the turbolasers.” The good General had positioned his fleet inside a nearby nebula so the republic’s scanners wouldn’t detect them until it was too late. Of course, they could be spotted if they simply looked out the viewport but surely they would be occupied searching the debris. Grievous would have smiled had he a face as his fleet burst from the nebula behind the republic’s ships.

“Open fire!” He commanded. All around the blackness of space flashed in the brilliant colors of red and orange as Grievous’ ships ripped through his enemies before they could even raise their shields. He cackled maniacally as one support ship after another exploded in balls of fire and red-hot metal. Some ships managed to launch a few escape pods. They didn’t get far.

“General, their command ship has been disabled.”

“Prepare a boarding party. The Jedi won’t escape me this time.”

***

Twilight made it to the castle gates in record time, blowing past the guards so quickly that they couldn’t even get off a salute before the purple blur blitzed up the steps and into the audience chamber.

“Princess can I speak with you!” She blurted out louder than she meant to. Her voice echoing off the high walls. Princess Celestia was sat upon her throne, bathed in the beautiful colors of light shining through the many stained-glass murals. Thankfully Twilight had found the monarch of the sun alone, she’d have been upset if she’d made this kind of scene in front of foreign dignitaries.

“Twilight…” Celestia seemed to hesitate a moment. Did she know what Twilight was here to ask? Twilight’s heart began to thunder in her chest and her instincts were telling her to run and forget this ever happened but she couldn’t. She knew what she had to do. “Your letter sounded urgent. What can I do for you my student?”

My student. How that moniker hurt her now, knowing full well that she intended to ask to be released from her services. Could she really go through with this? Give up her studies with the Princess? With her friends? And for what? To reconnect this planet with its birthright. Those words lingered in the back of her mind and gave her the courage to steady her shaky breathing.

“Twilight?” Spike’s concern was evident ever since they boarded the train but now Twilight looked as if she were about to tackle the greatest challenge of her life.

“Princess…I have made some interesting discoveries about our ancient past.” Twilight tried to keep her voice as normal as she could…and failed miserably. “Zecora told me that the power the Jedi Jorcen possesses was once commonplace. That all life of Equus was touched by the Force but now we cannot.” Twilight began to levitate her notes and findings over to Princess Celestia. She took them in her own golden aura and eyed them uninterestedly.

“But you already know this…don’t you?”

Celestia released a tired sigh the likes of which Twilight had never heard. “Yes.”

“What happened?” Twilight had a suspicion that Celestia knew the whole story, but then why would she keep something like this a secret for centuries?

“Twilight…in your research did you find any mention of the Old Gods?”

“T-the what?”

“It’d be better if I show you.” Celestia’s horn was wrapped in her brilliant aura once again and the two of them vanished from the throne room, leaving Spike alone in a sea of luggage. Princess Luna emerged from the shadows and began to charge her own spell.

“What are you hiding dear sister.”

Twilight’s senses were quick to return, granting her the smell of musty and heavy air she associated with caves. When she opened her eyes, she saw an endless gorge stretch out before her, infinite darkness dwelt in its depths and Twilight couldn’t fathom how deep it could possibly go.

“W-where are we?” Twilight asked, her breath showing despite the absence of cold. “Princess?”

There was no answer.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight screamed, her voice quickly snuffed out by the massive expanse before her.

“Calm yourself Twilight.” Princess Celestia walked from the shadows, her bright colors dulled by the absence of light. Even her mane was no longer flowing. “I have something I want to show you.”

Celestia’s horn began to glow again, casting a weak light upon the path in front of them, barely enough to illuminate the area around them.

“What is this place?” Twilight caught herself asking aloud. The path in front of her seemed to go on forever.

“We are deep beneath Canterlot, below the city, below the crystal caverns, below it all.”

“You mentioned the Old Gods…how are they involved with this planet being cut off from the Force?”

“I’ll show you.” Celestia held out one of her majestic wings just in time to stop Twilight from running into a massive stone door. How did it sneak up on her like that? Hadn’t the path been longer than this? Twilight looked up and got a feel for the scale of this door. It was immense. More immense than she could imagine. This was under Canterlot? How could that be?

Princess Celestia touched her horn to the smooth stone surface of the door which caused it to spread apart. It didn’t move for long, opening only the tiniest crack in its enormous surface. Thankfully for the two equines, that still left them with a path ten hooves wide. As soon as they crossed the threshold the aura around Celestia’s horn began to flicker until it eventually winked out. Twilight tried to aid her mentor by supplying her own light but found her magic wouldn’t obey her…like it wasn’t even there. It was then Twilight understood this uneasy feeling she had noticed since arriving in the ravine. Unicorns could detect and feel ambient magical energy and there was almost none to be found here. It was like a void. Outside the doors magic almost didn’t exist but in here? It felt as if it could never exist again.

Whilst she had been thinking Twilight failed to notice the wall in front of her. When poked by Princess Celestia she raised her head to see a mural that covered the entirety of the wall, stretching up so high that it faded into the darkness above. The mural depicted ponies from all three tribes, working in fields of green. Others had ropes tied around their barrels as they hauled large stones, building a monument of some kind. Other lay in darkness unmoving in the corner of the mural. But above them all stood a large and imposing figure. It was bipedal like Jorcen, though that was where the similarities ended. Its skin was grey and it wore a heavy looking black cloak. The head was tall, almost conical in shape with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. On the sides of its head were horizontal eyestalks giving it the shape of an upside-down T. Around one of its hands there was what appeared to be lightning and in the other was a long sword that dripped with blood. Behind the towering being was a shape Twilight didn’t recognize. Despite the absence of light in the chamber the mural glowed brightly. A monument to those who would forget their rightful rulers.

“W-what is that?” Twilight found her voice trembling. The imposing image of the towering being sent a chill down her spine.

“The last reminder that our world once served another.” Celestia stared blankly up at the mural. “The old gods were a part of our history from the very beginning, they brought with them the throes of slavery and service. In reward, or perhaps an accident, ponykind learned to use the power of the gods. Beyond murals like this and other works of tribute, mentions of the old gods have been systematically destroyed in the millennia since they vanished. Since then our ability to use their power has diminished and now there isn’t a pony alive who can.”

“The Force…” Twilight whispered.

“Yes.” Celestia answered. “I lived to see the last of the force-users, my mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. That was fifteen hundred years ago.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Twilight didn’t understand, if she had brought her here to learn some kind of lesson then Twilight just wasn’t seeing it.

“To show you that there was a cost to connect us to the Force. What will we have to pay this time?” Celestia’s blank expression gave way to a stern, serious one.

“J-Jorcen’s not like that.” Twilight started, suddenly aware of the stakes. “If you’d read the datapad he gave me you’d see that the Jedi-”

“I have read it.” Celestia interrupted. “I took it in the night after he fought with Luna. My question to you Twilight Sparkle, is have you read it?”

“W-well not entirely, just enough to-”

“War. War follows the Jedi like a plague. Every major conflict the galaxy has ever seen had Jedi at its center. Even now in the depths of space a war for the galaxy is being fought, a war led by the Jedi Order.”

“N-no!” Twilight managed to find her voice. “The J-jedi are peacekeepers!” Even through all of her insistence, a doubt began to cloud Twilight’s mind.

“Peacekeepers who lead armies? I will hear no more of the Jedi. I know you came here to get my blessing to receive his tutelage. My answer is no.”

“But- but-” Twilight sputtered, unable to get a word to form.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” A voice bellowed from the darkness. Stepping into the light was the dark blue form of Princess Luna, a cold fire in her eyes.

“Luna…” Princess Celestia said, somewhere between a gasp and a growl.

“How long have you been keeping this from us!?” Luna demanded. “How long have you known!?”

“Luna, sister this is not the place or the time to-”

“That much has been made evident to us.” Luna bit back. “I have seen the Jedi Jorcen’s memories and Twilight Sparkle speaks the truth. We were wrong about him…I was wrong about him.”

“Whether or not he is who he says he is irrelevant. I will not let the Force touch this planet again.” Celestia had been welcoming towards the alien at first, however once she knew what he was capable of, what he brought with him…the price was too great. She thought she had banished the last of its presence with the defeat of Nightmare Moon but now it was poised to come back.

“You can’t stop it sister, it is already here. It will be known to us once again, with or without you.” Luna’s voice had lost it edge, trying to reason with the distraught alicorn.

Celestia growled but conceded no ground. “I have made my decision Luna, no student of mine will study the Force.”

“Then you leave us no choice.” Luna extended her wings and hovered in the air, her horn glowing as her royal voice thundered against Twilight’s ear drums. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE! I HEARBY GRANT YOU THE WRIT OF ABSOLUTION! YOU ARE HENCEFORTH RELEASED FROM ALL YOUR DUTIES PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM OF EQUESTRIA! YOUR DESTINY IS IN YOUR HOOVES NOW!”

Luna drifted down to the floor, the glow around her horn disappearing. “Go now and live whatever way seems best to you. Sister I hope you can forgive me.” With that she vanished in a flash of blue magic.

“P-princess…I-” Twilight stammered, too much was happening too fast. What even just happened? The writ of absolution meant that she was released from any duty or task given to her from the Princesses or their court. She was free.

“I hope you’re ready to face the consequences my once faithful student.” Celestia snarled. “They will come and when they do I want you to remember the choice you made.” Like her sister, Celestia vanished in flash of golden magic, a flash that also surrounded Twilight. When it faded she was back in her room in Ponyville, an equally confused Spike at her side.

“Who- what- when-?” Spike mumbled, his head twisting every way in search of what happened. That is until a deluge of luggage appeared above him in a burst of magic, burying him in a hail of books.

“We’re home Spike.” Twilight said, her voice choked and low. A single tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheek, leaving a dark trail in her fur as she gazed out her window at nothing in particular. In her mission to convince Celestia to allow her to receive tutelage from the Jedi Master, never in her life would she have guessed that it’d ruin the relationship she had with her mentor. Despite the deep sadness she felt, the purpose she had cryptically been given by the vision she experienced at Zecora’s was still there burning bright. Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat and managed to blink away her tears, spying the clock on her wall she noted that it was just about to be one in the afternoon. She mentally willed away her emotional fatigue and stood up, eyes narrowing slightly at what she had to do.

“C’mon Spike, let’s go find Jorcen.”

A purple claw shot out from under the pile of books with an upraised thumb.

***

Celestia cursed herself for what just happened. She’d had the power to stop it, to stop Luna but she didn’t and that wouldn’t leave her mind. She paced the brilliant white tiles of her private quarters, teeth grinding against each other as she searched for a solution. She was ruler of this land and yet she came up with nothing! She knew that if she wanted to she could stop Twilight…for good and maybe even confront the Jedi Jorcen herself but every time her mind wandered down that dark path she pulled herself away.

The lure of the darkness is strong.

Her mentor Starswirl had told her.

It is a pathway for those who seek to obtain power for themselves. The darkness will never serve the individual and once it has you forever will you be its servant.

“I understand.” Celestia said aloud. It wasn’t the Force she feared. It was the darkness, the unspoken side of the force that existed in its undercurrents. Temptation and promises of great power had tempted her mentor in the past, had tempted her and ultimately corrupted her sister. Now she was afraid that influence would make a resurgence with her pupil as the catalyst.

“I haven’t seen you look so serious since you imprisoned me.” A voice said, startling Celestia from her musings.

“Discord!” She said, an accusatory tone tinging her voice. “How long have you been there!?”

“Not long.” He said from her bed, sounding bored. “In fact I had some catching up on my reading to do.” He pulled a book from under the pillow and opened it facing Celestia. In its pages were not words, instead moving pictures recreated the scene from below before her eyes. “Interesting turn of event don’t you think?” He asked innocently. With a snap the book dissolved into sawdust.

“What do you want?” Celestia couldn’t hide the venom in her words as she glared at the Spirit of Chaos.

“Why so hostile my dear Princess?” Discord fluttered his eyelashes as they grew to absurd lengths. “I’m reformed remember?” He snapped again and reappeared on Celestia’s back in an artist’s costume, leveling a faux examination at a smaller version of what he had looked like in his stone prison. “Not a good look if you ask me.”

“Why are you even asking me? You clearly know what happened.” Celestia snorted in agitation, her wings giving a slight shuffle.

“Because what I took from your mind doesn’t reflect your words.” He reached a paw into her mane and pulled out miniatures of herself and Twilight. “Sure it would be easy to destroy your precious purple pupil.” He said slowly, watching the miniature Celestia disintegrate the miniature Twilight with ease. “But that won’t stop what you fear from becoming reality. Besides didn’t your mentor teach you the value of redemption, even for one such as me?”

“What are you getting at?” Celestia was running out of patience, she’d had a particularly bad day and the pestering Draconequus wasn’t helping matters with his cryptic nonsense.

“Would it kill you to play along just this once?” Discord gave her his best puppy eyes but Celestia was having none of it. “Oh fine. My point is that there is nothing you can do. Plain and simple. You can oppose it with all your will or accept it and maybe even help guide it.”

“How can I-”

“Oops looks like I’m late for tea.” Discord reached out into the air and pulled open a hole in space. “Think about what I said…or don’t!” He laughed joyfully as he slipped into the hole and closed it behind him.

***

“You have a lovely home Fluttershy.” Jorcen said, craning his head to look about the room. Though the table he sat at was much too small and even a little uncomfortable for him, he said nothing as he sipped his tea with a quiet appreciation.

“O-oh it’s nothing really.” Fluttershy said from behind her mane. Though she acted shy and reserved Jorcen could sense her subtle joy at the compliment.

“I thank you again for…” Jorcen trailed off, his eyes wandered to the window, a distant look filling them.

Fluttershy was already walking the edge as it was and that look from the man sent her over.

“What’s wrong!?” She barely managed to squeak, diving under the table for safety.

Before, Jorcen had been able to sense the menagerie’s worth of critters Fluttershy kept on her property. Now, just outside the door, he couldn’t sense anything at all. There was a void in the Force.

“Sorry to drop by unannounced but I thought some tea time with friends would do me some good.” A strange mish-mash of a being stepped through the door, a noticeably mischievous smile on its face.

“Oh it’s just you Discord.” Fluttershy said with relief, crawling out from her hiding spot. “You really shouldn’t just drop by unannounced.” She admonished the creature in the least threatening voice Jorcen had ever heard. Despite that the creature known as Discord actually shrunk a little bit away from the yellow pegasus.

“Oh my dear Fluttershy.” He said, scooping her up and cradling her like a baby. “Spontaneity adds spice to any friendship wouldn’t you agree?” The last word came out slow as Discord’s tail slapped Fluttershy’s pet bunny across the room and into the garbage bin. Jorcen’s eyes narrowed as the act but he kept his silence…for now. “Besides, I wanted to see him for myself.” A third arm sprouted out of Discord’s body reached out to touch Jorcen in the center of the forehead.

“What are you-” Jorcen froze as he felt Discord invade his mind, trying to shape it in a way that Jorcen didn’t recognize.

“Discord stop!” Fluttershy shouted a bit too late as Jorcen’s world melted away.

To Jorcen it looked as if he were about to have another late night conversation with Luna but the presence he felt was more sinister, though it somehow felt forced.

“So you’re what has Celestia’s feathers ruffled.” Discord said, appearing as a cloud of smoke with a face. “An unforeseen variable like you should speed things up. Pity, there was so much more fun for me to have.”

“What are you talking about?” The confused Jedi asked. What else called this planet home? Jorcen wondered as he stood at the mercy of Discord.

“Just a little of what was, what will be and what could have been. Would you like to know how your journey ends? I can show you.” A portal began to shimmer in front of Jorcen but before the images became clear Jorcen closed his eyes.

“Be gone from my mind.” He said, extending his hand. “You will not tempt me any further.” A whirlwind of energy gathered around Jorcen and began to blow Discord away.

“Is that what I was doing? Fine, have it your way.” The smoke that held Discord’s body together dissipated into nothingness with a snap as reality returned to Jorcen all at once.

He was still seated at the table, a tea cup idly resting in his hand. Fluttershy looked confused as she picked herself up off the floor. When had she fallen? Jorcen wondered. Something about this seemed wrong, a strange echo in his mind that he couldn’t hear no matter how hard he focused. He reached out with his senses and found nothing unusual, that is except for the anxious unicorn and nervous drake he felt approaching the cottage.

Fluttershy’s door flew open and banged off the wall, eliciting a frightened squeak from the timid pegasus.

“Fluttershy! Is Jor-” Twilight shouted into the room, stopping herself as her eyes found Jorcen.

“Good afternoon Twilight, Spike.” He regarded them coolly. “Is there something I can do for you?” He knew full well that they were here to ask him something important. Or at least one of them was.

“Jorcen I…” Twilight hesitated. Letting her fear from before eek back into her mind. However before it could take shape she took a deep breath and locked it away. “I’ve been released from my duties by the princesses. I’d like to ask you to allow me to begin training under you as a Jedi.”

Twilight knew the risks in what she was asking. Commitment to the Order demanded a great deal of sacrifice but Twilight knew that this was the right choice. Her vision had promised as much and even though it pained her to give up her friends in service to the greater good, she took comfort knowing that their harmony would continue with or without her.

Jorcen paused a moment, caught off guard by her request. It wasn’t common for Jedi to take on an apprentice without the consent of the Jedi Council, let alone take one that was already an adult. He was about to voice his thoughts when he stopped and carefully considered his answer. The Force had brought him here for a reason…was it to train this unicorn? Just as the Force guided the late Qui-Gon to the Chosen One on Tatooine, it had guided him here. He quieted his mind and attempted to hear the will of the Force.

“What’s he doing?” Spike asked, quirking an eyebrow at the silence.

“Quiet!” Twilight hissed. “He’s calling on the Force.” Twilight’s legs were beginning to tremble and her heart was thundering in her ears. She had given up a lot to reach this moment and she didn’t know what she would do if he refused.

When Jorcen opened his eyes Twilight froze under his gaze. His expression was unreadable and his eyes looked far away. He knew that his landing here was no accident, that and the abundance of force sensitive beings on this planet was no coincidence. The Force had brought him here for a reason and he was but its servant.

“Twilight Sparkle.” He said, his voice carrying an intimidating calm authority. “I accept your request by my right as a Jedi Master. My Padawan you will be.” Jorcen extended his hand and used the Force to twist a tight braid in her mane just behind her right ear.

Twilight found herself beaming as he formed the braid that identified her as a Padawan of the Jedi Order. Her first steps into a greater galaxy. “Thank you Jor… Master.” She quickly corrected herself and bowed.

“You may have a head start from what you learned in the datapad but I have much to teach you my young apprentice. It will not be easy and you must always be on your guard. The Jedi put the lives of others above their own. Are you truly prepared for what lies ahead? If you wish to back out-”

“No!” Twilight said, stamping a hoof. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, watchful of her anger. “I’ve made my decision. I…I’m ready to see this through. No matter what it takes.”

“I can sense your hesitation…and also your commitment. Very well. I will meet you at your library in one hour. Do not be late.” He turned back and gave Fluttershy a gentle pat on the head. “Thank you for inviting me into your home Fluttershy. I’m certain we’ll meet again.” With that the Jedi strode forth and out the door, disappearing into the Everfree Forest.

“Twilight what just happened?” Fluttershy asked, extremely confused by what she just witnessed. Inside her mane rested the tiny form of Discord, watching from the safety of the pink fortress.

“So…it begins.”

Divergent

Twilight could hardly believe what just happened. Once she had been Twilight Sparkle, faithful student to Princess Celestia. Now she was Twilight Sparkle, Jedi Padawan. She sat quietly in the middle of the library, carefully going through the datapad Jorcen had given her. It had been two hours now and Jorcen was nowhere to be found. Spike was pacing near the front doors, an act which began to put Twilight on edge.

“Spike, would you please just sit still?” Twilight asked, setting the datapad down on the table in front of her.

“I don’t get it.” Spike said, throwing his claws in the air in exasperation. “He said an hour so where is he?”

“I don’t know Spike but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.” Twilight rubbed gently at her temples. Now that she had finished waiting she found herself with time to think. Had she made the right decision? Did Jorcen change his mind about training her? Before she could drag herself down any further the front door was pushed open and her master walked in. He stood in the doorway in silence and after a moment’s introspection he smiled.

“Good, you’ve passed the first lesson.”

“Lesson? What lesson?” Twilight asked, standing from her seat and moving to the Jedi’s side.

“One of the most important lessons for a Jedi. Patience. A very important lesson for one who is already an adult I would think. When you learn to slow down and quiet your mind you will hear it.”

“Hear what?”

“The will of the Force. Sometimes it speaks to us and as its servants we must do our best to listen, to understand the knowledge it grants us.”

“I…I think I understand.” Twilight lowered her head in concentration. Though it wouldn’t be until later she would understand completely.

“Then you shouldn’t have any trouble committing these words to memory.” Jorcen began, standing a little straighter and hiding his arms in the opposite sleeves of his robe. “There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force. This is the Jedi Code. They are more than just words to be memorized. Explore each phrase until you understand the meaning behind them and then, once you have proven to me your commitment, I will show you how to draw on the Force.”

“I understand Master.” Twilight bowed her head, her thoughts stirred to a frenzy, desperate to unlock the hidden meaning in the Jedi Code. Twilight thought she saw her master frown for a second when she realized she had already forgotten her first lesson. Taking a deep breath she tried to rein in her addled mind, to quiet the storm she had unwittingly created. Once she had calmed down Jorcen’s frown vanished and he nodded in approval.

“I will return tomorrow to see if you have unlocked the meaning behind the code. You have an interesting advantage when compared to most students of the Force. As an adult you should know what it means to surrender yourself to emotional outbursts. You also understand that to close yourself off from them you have the potential to become blinded to the mundane world. I will guide you down this path but the choices you make along the way will shape your destiny in ways you would never guess.” Jorcen wondered what the council would think of his decision. “You will be tested, it is the fate of all Jedi to battle adversity. Never forget that the Force is your ally and through it you can accomplish anything. May the Force be with you.” Jorcen bowed and turned his back on his new Padawan.

Twilight returned the bow and watched as her master left her to ponder what he’d told her.

“That’s it?” Spike said, his arms crossed in front of him.

“It was enough.” Twilight said, transcribing Jorcen’s words to paper. “All I’m missing is context.”

***

“Watch those wrist rockets!” A clone trooper shouted, seconds too late to keep one from hitting the wall of the corridor. With a new tear into the vacuum of space, dozens of clones and droids alike were sucked into the black. Seconds later what blast doors and ray shields still functioned were able to partition the new tear from the rest of the ship.

“Fall back! Fall back!” Another clone yelled. The hangar was overrun and with no escape pods left the few clones and their Jedi General were being backed into a corner. Norana’s lightsaber was in her hands, spinning and deflecting any blast that came her way with its green blade. From behind her defenses her troops poured blasterfire down the hallway. For a brief second Norana thought they might make it out alive but a sinister cackle made her blood run cold.

“Finally found you Jedi!” Grievous declared, igniting his lightsabers, one in each hand. “Crush them! Make them suffer but leave the Jedi to me!” From behind Grievous jumped six commando droids. Norana couldn’t stop all of them. Blaster bolts slipped past her lightsaber and three troopers dropped to the floor dead. As she moved to intercept another bolt, the blue blade of one of Grievous’s lightsabers blocked her. “You can’t save them Jedi scum!” Grievous used his other blade to slap Norana’s aside, spinning to kick her in the chest with a large, clawed foot. “But you can die with them!” Blasterfire and shouts filled the hallway which were nearly drowned out by the clash of lightsabers.

To Grievous’ surprise the battered clones put up an impressive defense. With nowhere to go their efforts increased tenfold. Ultimately useless against his tide of droids but impressive nonetheless. Even when the last clone fell the Jedi would not relent. Their battle had led them back to the hangar where the Jedi, surrounded by droids on all sides, still refused to surrender. It mattered little to Grievous. This Jedi whelp would die by his hands regardless. Dooku had made it clear that there needed to be more dead Jedi. After the debacle several days ago when the dead fleet’s Jedi commander had escaped he refused to let another one get away. He currently had a tactical droid studying the escaping vessels drive lines and last known trajectories. He had been assured the ship’s hyperdrive had been damaged but that sadly meant the Jedi could be anywhere between here and wild space. The Twi-lek Jedi, bruised and beaten, fell to her knees and her lightsaber extinguished as it rolled from her hand. Grievous claimed the fallen lightsaber and cackled in triumph.

“Another lightsaber for my collection. A pity your master wasn’t here to see you fall.”

Norana’s body twitched at the mention of her master. All the pieces began to fit together in her head. Grievous’ ambush, the fake distress signal. Had Grievous killed her master? If that were the case she’d have felt it. He was alive and she knew that to be absolute truth. Time to try something daring she thought.

“My master would never fall to the likes of you. Pity he wasn’t here indeed so he could have scrapped you, droid.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth Grievous’ cold fingers were around her throat as he lifted her high into the air.

“RRAGH!” He growled in anger. “I see your spirit is more durable than your body. No matter, we have ways to break you Jedi.”

“Just like you broke my master?” Norana was barely able to choke out. With another growl Grievous flung her across the room where she bounced painfully off the side of a droid shuttle.

“Your master will fall like the rest as soon as we locate him. Rest easy Jedi for soon he will join you in the Force!” Grievous’ arms split down the middle, four lightsabers whirling in his mechanical arms. Norana gathered the last of her strength and loosed a concussive wave towards Grievous. The cyborg general dug in the claws of his feet and skidded several feet backwards, his droids on the other hand were flung to the floor with relative ease. Now was her chance. Before Grievous could surround her again, she bolted up the loading ramp of the droid shuttle and piloted it through the ray shield and out of the hangar into space. With coordinates from the navicomputer Norana wasted no time in making the jump to hyperspace.

Grievous watched in outrage as another Jedi escaped his clutches. There was little he could do about her but as for her master…it was only a matter of time. They would have to double their efforts, no doubt the whelp was on her way back to the temple on Coruscant to gather a rescue party. First they would have to get past Grievous.

“Contact the fleet at Aagmar, redirect those ships here. I don’t want the Republic to know where the Jedi Alketses has gone.”

“Sir, Count Dooku is demanding an update on the hunt.” A nearby B-1 battle droid said, standing at attention.

“Move the fleet back into the nebula.” Grievous ordered, moving to board one of the other shuttles.

“But sir that will disrupt our long-range communications.”

“Precisely. I’d rather not contact Dooku until I have something to report.

***

“I fear we have been undone, Lord Tyrannus.”

“Do you refer to the vision you had of the Jedi Alketses?” The blurry holo image of Count Dooku said, a curious tilt to his head. “I assure you that Grievous will find him and destroy him.”

“Can you say that with absolute certainty? He’s already escaped our grasp once. By forcing him to retreat into the unknown we may have, inadvertently, delivered him right where he needs to be to bring my visions to reality.”

“He’s just one Jedi and not one of the best or brightest either. How could he possibly be a threat?”

“It’s not the Jedi that concerns me, it’s what he might find. The Force has already taken measures against me. I predict that this vision is alike in nature.”

“Then we shall double our efforts, my Lord.” Dooku genuflected down on one knee.

“See to it, personally if you have to. Only time will tell if he poses a threat to the Grand Plan and time is short.” Hidden beneath the cowl of his cloak, Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, balled his fist in anger and scowled.

***

A week had passed since Twilight Sparkle, former protégé of Princess Celestia had given up her studies to become Twilight Sparkle, Jedi Padawan. In that time her master had shared and taught her the underlying philosophies that defined the Jedi Order. A Jedi uses their powers for knowledge and defense, not to attack. A Jedi puts others before themselves. A Jedi must be in control of their emotions, lest the temptations of the Dark Side cloud their judgment. Today however was a special day. Jorcen had asked Twilight to meet him in his Everfree clearing at dawn. Today was the day he would teach her to hear the Force.

Jorcen was seated cross-legged on a pillow in the center of the clearing when Twilight arrived.

“Good morning Master!” she called out excitedly, waving a hoof toward the meditating human. Most would consider the action a useless gesture since even from this distance she could see his eyes were closed. Luckily for her she knew a Jedi didn’t need their eyes to see. In fact he’d likely seen her coming well before she entered the clearing.

“Sit Padawan.” He beckoned to the pillow on the ground beside him. Twilight eagerly trotted to her waiting pillow and plopped her flanks down on the plush cushion, battling to keep her fidgeting under control. “Calm yourself Twilight. You will need calm and focus if we are to breach the veil.”

“Yes Master, sorry Master.” Twilight bowed her head and mentally went through the Jedi calming exercises Jorcen had taught her. After a moment, when Twilight felt sufficiently calm, Jorcen stood. He loomed over her, hands clasped behind his back, the morning sunlight glinting off the silver trim of his new grey robes. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the blue gems shaped like Rarity’s cutie mark on each of his lapels.

“The first thing you should know is that each individual sees the Force differently so I won’t be able to help you find it.”

“B-but-” Twilight started, all the cool she’d been gathering gone. A raised hand from Jorcen stopped all the words that were to follow.

“Worry not Padawan. I might not be able to guide you right to it but there will be no mistaking it once found.”

Twilight nodded and went through the calming exercises for what felt like the tenth time that day. “I’m ready.” She declared with as much confidence as she could muster.

“Then let’s begin. Close your eyes and reach out with your feelings.”

Twilight did as instructed, centering her being and trying her best to reach out past herself. She felt her heartbeat, the calming presence of her master but that wasn’t enough. She had to go even further. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she gave all one hundred percent of her effort, every last lesson she had learned both old and new came together and helped shape her into what she was today. She was a Jedi. With a final mental push, Twilight felt the barrier around her shatter. She gasped as her consciousness was spread out far and wide. She could feel it! She could actually feel it! Once the barrier was gone the Force rushed in to fill the void she’d unknowingly carried her entire life. She could hear it, she could see it, a great rolling plain of grass endlessly swaying in the wind. Twilight barely felt something touch her and all at once the great plain retreated inward and brought Twilight back to reality with a crashing wave of sensation. She sucked in a breath of air as if she had been drowning. She lost her strength and nearly fell forward if Jorcen hadn’t been there to catch her.

“What was that?”

“Those were your first steps. Welcome to a greater galaxy Twilight Sparkle.”

“Way to go Twi!” An overly enthusiastic voice bellowed.

“R-rainbow Dash?” Twilight said, a surprised look on her face.

“They’re all there, well minus Rarity and Pinkie Pie…maybe.” Jorcen pointed to the spot where Fluttershy had hid during their first encounter.

Now that the jig was up the other two ponies meandered into the clearing, each with a smile on their faces.

“Knew you could do it Twilight.” Applejack said, giving Twilight a friendly thump on the shoulder.

“Um…yay!” Fluttershy cheered at near whisper volume.

“Soooo Jorcen.” Rainbow started, batting her eyelashes at the stoic man. “Is now a good time to check out your weapon!?” She pointed excitedly at the lightsaber clipped to his belt.

“I suppose.” He said with a stroke of his beard. “Everyone stand back if you please.” The gathering of ponies did as he said and spread out from the center of the clearing. “Not you Twilight. You’re part of this demonstration.” Twilight stopped in her tracks and turned around to face her Master, a puzzled look on her face.

“M-me? Are you sure I’m ready?”

“No, I’m not sure.” He said plainly. “All I can do is trust my instincts.” Jorcen reached into his robes and drew a small blaster he’d managed to scrap together from R3’s own weapon.

“OOooh! Another weapon!?” Rainbow cheered, priming herself to jump into the sky before she was pulled back to the ground by her tail. Applejack spat out a few prismatic strands of hair and sat up a bit straighter.

“This aint one o’ yer flight shows RD.” She said sternly. “Just sit tight an’ watch.”

“Now that you can touch the Force.” Jorcen said, ignoring the conversation of the peanut gallery and handing his lightsaber to Twilight. “You must understand that your will and the Force are connected. Each gives the other direction but the causation is not linear.” Jorcen continued, taking several long steps back away from her.

“I…think I understand.” Twilight said, mulling it all over in her head.

“Then use that understanding and deflect this blaster bolt back at me.” Jorcen lifted the blaster and pointed it at Twilight.

Twilight didn’t fully understand but she’d gleaned enough from Jorcen’s datapad to get the general idea of how a blaster worked. It would fire some kind of energy projectile in the direction it was pointed, in this case at Twilight. A lightsaber, on the other hoof, could block and redirect that energy. Jorcen had once said that shooting a blaster at a Jedi was tantamount to shooting it at yourself.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight magically held the lightsaber up in front of her face and ignited it. The snap-hiss of the orange blade coming into existence barely had time to be appreciated by a particularly starry-eyed Rainbow Dash when Jorcen fired the blaster. Twilight’s eyes went wide as the burning red bolt of energy streaked towards her. Then she did as she did before and opened herself to the Force. Twilight felt an invisible hoof nudge the telekinetically guided lightsaber where it needed to be. Then, with hardly any effort, the blade of the saber caught the bolt and sent it careening harmlessly into the clear blue sky above.

“That. Was so. AWES-”

“Again!” Jorcen shouted, firing again without much warning. Twilight was barely able to redirect the second bolt into the dirt a few paces from her. “Focus, deflect them back at me.” He said, firing a burst of three shots at her. Twilight shut her eyes and called to the Force, willing it to help her send a bolt back to her Master. In her mind’s eye, she could see it. See it before it happened. The first bolt was coming in at her face, the second her legs and the last would be aimed at her chest. The present came back to her and as if she’d practiced the sequence for years, she effortlessly batted the first two bolts away. Bringing the saber around her in a tight arc, she caught the final bolt and sent it straight back at Jorcen. There was a gasp from the nearby onlookers as Jorcen extended his hand, palm outward and caught the bolt, redirecting its energy straight up into the air.

“It would seem, my apprentice, that the Force is with you. Well done.”

Twilight released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She felt something tug at the lightsaber held aloft in her telekinesis. Releasing her hold on it, it shot through the air into Jorcen’s outstretched hand.

“But it is only the beginning.” Jorcen continued, leveling the gathered ponies with a serious stare. “Nothing is impossible with the Force as your ally. It can help you sense threats and it can help guide your actions. Powerful Force-users can use it for more specific purposes.”

“Like what?”

“In due time, apprentice.” Jorcen said, tucking his hands into the opposite sleeves of his robes. “For now you should master what you’ve already learned, then once-” Jorcen suddenly staggered forward as if he had been pushed from behind. Twilight was about to rush to his side when a similar sensation made her body too heavy to obey her commands.

“M-master? What’s happening?”

“There…there is a disturbance in the Force. Something terrible is happening.” Jorcen’s expression was grim and he had yet to regain his poise.

“T-twilight?” Rainbow said shakily. “Look.” Twilight followed Rainbow’s hoof and her mouth dropped open. Climbing into the sky from the west horizon was Luna’s majestic moon…climbing to meet its sibling as the glorious sun rose up from the east. The sun and moon were sharing a sky.

Breaking Atmosphere

Explosions dotted the blackness of space as the Confederacy of Independent Systems’ successful ambush pulled a Jedi strike fleet out of hyperspace. Before the shields could even be raised the confederate ships had already destroyed half of the fleet. Alarms blared throughout the bridge as Jedi General Jorcen Alketses watched in disbelief as his fleet was quickly falling to separatist bombardment.

“General! Our engines have been disabled! We need to abandon ship!” Clone Captain Hale shouted over the ships comm system.

“Get as many men off the ship as you can Captain. Fall back to the closest republic planet. I’ll see you there.”

Jorcen turned and announced to the whole ship over the comm system to abandon ship before setting the self-destruct. Couldn’t risk republic intelligence falling into the enemy’s hand. Jorcen quickly made his way to the hangar bay and boarded his personal transport ship, ‘Windshear’. It was the last ship to leave the republic cruisers hangar, just barely getting enough distance before it exploded into useless wreckage.

“All craft clear.” Jorcen started over a republic frequency. “Everyone make the jump to hyperspace as soon as you’re clear.” Jorcen’s Astromech droid R3-78 had set the nav computer’s coordinates and prepped the engines for the jump to hyperspace. Just as the hyperdrive kicked in and the stars started to stretch into lines, a stray blast from an enemy fighter struck the rear of the ship causing the hyperdrive to malfunction. Before the Jedi could react his ship shot off into the blue void of hyperspace.

“What do you mean you can’t pull us out!?” Jorcen yelled at the little yellow droid. It beeped and booped frantically as it tried to interface with the ships systems.

“How much damage are we talking about?” Jorcen asked, trying to get the long range communications online.

R3 continued to chirp the damage report and potential solutions.

“Blast! Hopefully, Force willing, we come across a planet somewhere along the jump. Maybe the hyperdrive’s safety procedures will pull us out once we hit a planetary mass shadow.” R3 beeped his own words of hope and statistical likelihood.

“If not then it was a pleasure to have a loyal little droid like you R3.” R3 beeped somberly, returning the sentiment. Jorcen closed his eyes and began calling on the force to calm his mind and wait for whatever would come to pass. Several hours passed and a deep hum from the engines sounded as the Windshear was pulled back into realspace just above the atmosphere of a colorful terrestrial planet. Jorcen smiled and opened his eyes.

“Thank the Force, R3 what do the star charts say? Where in the galaxy are we?” R3 beeped slowly as if hesitant to tell its master.

“Spit it out R3.” The droid spun its head to face the Jedi and projected a map of the galaxy out of its holoprojector with a bright blue dot showing where they were. Jorcen slumped back into the pilots chair and closed his eyes again.

“The unknown regions…” He sighed heavily but was quickly reminded of how much trouble they were in when the ships consoles starting beeping warnings. R3 squealed loudly in response to multiple system failures.

“Hopefully there’s some kind of civilization down there to repair the ship. That is if we make it, hold on to your dome buddy we’re putting her down the hard way.” The Windshear’s systems started blaring emergency klaxons and the dull red emergency lights kicked on as the ship entered the atmosphere in a spear of fire.

Twilight Sparkle sat on her balcony, slowly sipping on a cup of tea her assistant Spike had made for her to keep her warm while she spent the night watching the stars. Twilight set the cup down and went back to looking through her telescope, scanning the heavens for shooting stars and her favorite constellations. She smiled softly as she spotted a small gleam streaking its way across the sky. This one lasted significantly longer than most shooting stars she’d seen so she decided to share the spectacle.

“Spike! Come quick! You should see the size of this shooting star!”

“Jeez Twilight you don’t need to yell, I’m right here.” Spike said, rubbing his ear in mock annoyance. Twilight looked away from the telescope and smiled sheepishly.

“Eh he he, sorry Spike. Here come take a look.”

“I don’t think I need to Twilight, is that what you’re talking about?” He asked, pointing a claw at the sky.

Twilight’s mouth hung open in disbelief. The shooting star was burning a large streak across the sky, showing no sign of burning out.

“I don’t believe it Spike, do you know what this means? It must not be a shooting star, I think I just discovered a new comet! I’ve been waiting for this day since magic kindergarten! I have a list of names I came up with for astral entities, though I was hoping for a constellation but this will do. Tell me Spike, what do you think about-”

“Ummm Twilight?” Spike interrupted. “It looks like it’s coming right at us.” He said, eyes shrinking to pinpricks as he started fidgeting nervously.

“Don’t be ridiculous Spike, if it was going to hit the ground it… would…” Twilight lost the words in her mouth as the comet had changed direction sharply and was indeed heading in their direction. Twilight and Spike were paralyzed with fear as a flaming hulk about half the size of the library blazed over their heads and came to a loud landing at the edge of Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest. The pair sat on the balcony, stunned at what they just saw. Several ponies in the streets below began poking their heads out their windows and doors. Murmuring words of confusion and fear.

“D-did we almost get hit by a meteor?” Spike asked quietly.

“I…I don’t think that was a meteor Spike.” Twilight’s mind was racing so fast it was hard for her to think straight. “I’m…I’m going to go check it out. Go tell the rest of the girls and have them meet me there.” Twilight stood up and started making her way downstairs.

“Twilight wait!” Spike chased after her. “I don’t think you should go alone.”

“I’ll be fine Spike, I’m the most qualified mare to go take a look.”

“Are you sure about that? You said yourself it’s not a meteor.”

“That’s why I’m going to go see what it is.”

“But what if it’s something dangerous? What if it’s ALIENS?!”

“It’s not aliens Spike, now hurry and go get the others. Don’t worry I’ll be fine.” Twilight turned and left towards the impact site as fast as she could. She knew that if she kept talking Spike may have been able to talk her out of going. As she neared the edge of the forest she could see the scar left in the ground by the object. There were bits of flaming metal here and there all along the gash in the dirt. Twilight cautiously started walking down the new path towards her goal. She ignited her horn into a ball of light to illuminate her path. The crash must have scared off every animal that had been anywhere near as the forest was eerily silent save for the small flames scattered through several trees. Twilight continued down the path through broken trees until a large glow could be seen just ahead. She swallowed hard and steeled herself for what she might find, mentally shoving the idea of aliens out of her head. As she got close enough to finally see the object she couldn’t believe her eyes. Whatever the nature of what lay before her it was clear that it wasn’t natural. Maybe it was some kind of science experiment or a new kind of airship. Twilight’s thoughts were brought to a complete halt when a loud hiss sounded from the crashed ship. A ramp weakly fell to the ground and a dark form stumbled down it. It really was aliens. Twilight never thought in her wildest dreams that she would see first contact from another world. As excited as she was at the prospect she was equally afraid. What if they weren’t friendly and were bent on conquering Equestria. She took a few apprehensive steps closer to the alien and spoke softly.

“Hello? My name is Twilight Sparkle. Can you understand me?” Twilight gasped sharply as the alien fell face first into the dirt at the bottom of the ramp. Now that the alien was in the dim light of a nearby flame Twilight could see its brown garment was stained with blood. Twilight mentally bucked herself for not thinking of that sooner. Whether it was an accident or not the alien had crashed and could die and Twilight would do everything in her power to prevent that. The alien briefly made its way up to its knees and slowly extended its hand at Twilight. It muttered something Twilight couldn’t hear as all the worry in her mind was wiped away and replaced with calming and soothing thoughts. Despite her worry’s earlier Twilight quickly trotted to the alien’s side. It muttered something Twilight couldn’t understand and slumped against her, unconscious. A moment later after making sure it hadn’t died, the rest of Twilight’s friends came into the clearing.

“Twilight! What happened?” Applejack asked as they slowly surrounded Twilight.

“What the heck is that thing?” Rainbow asked, wrinkling her nose at the battered creature leaning against Twilight.

“Oh…Oh my. Is that blood?” Rarity recoiled, taking a few steps back.

Pinkie Pie gasped loudly and zipped over to Twilight in a pink blur. “Ohmygoshtwilightisthatanalien!”

“Pinkie! Calm down! It’s very hurt.”

“W-what are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“We are going to take it to Ponyville General.”

“Are ya sure that’s a good idea Twi?” Applejack said, looking at everypony else’s worried expressions.

“Trust me girls, it’ll all be alright. You’ll see.”

Whispers

The first night in Ponyville was not a comfortable one. Despite the protests from Twilight Jorcen could simply not find any comfort in the much too small beds that she had to offer. It was even harder to convince her that he wished to return to the wreck of his ship and convert its remains into a temporary shelter. As Jorcen walked through the dark of the Everfree Forest he could feel creatures from all walks of life with their eyes upon him. Yet they kept their distance. He was an enigma to these creatures as they had no natural instincts on where he sat on the food chain. Be he predator or prey? No creature seemed especially keen to find out. The Windshear was as he remembered it, though the detritus from his fight with the Princess now littered the clearing. A clear effect on what his presence on this world could do to it if left unchecked. Though the brilliant serenity of the moon above put such thoughts at ease and assured him that so long as he followed the will of the Force no harm would befall this planet because of him. Yet he was still not at peace. Calmed, perhaps for now but his worries would not go away. Whatever shroud of the dark side he had felt earlier may have been to blame for the unease he felt. Regardless of these matters he had a fair bit of work to do to clean up and make the Windshear habitable again. Besides the mess inside and the damage to the hyperdrive the ship had held up surprisingly well. Jorcen cleared out the sleeping area rather quickly and within minutes he was in bed and off to sleep.

Jorcen sat quietly in a calm meditation, the soft trickling of the water in the room of a thousand fountains always helped him when he would contemplate the deeper aspects of the Force.

“W-what is this place?” A clearly entranced voice asked from beside him.

“This is the greenhouse of my home. The Jedi Temple.”

“This is a greenhouse?”

“Indeed, and perhaps the most tranquil place on the planet. Now I must ask, what brings you to my dreams Princess Luna?”

“I…I needed to be sure that were not deceiving us. Forgive us, we did not know what you were. I see now that you spoke the truth before.”

“Thank you, Princess. Would you care to join me?”

“J-join you?”

“Yes, take my hand.” Jorcen opened his eyes and met Luna’s with a gaze of an understanding mentor. Luna was glad to have been wrong about this man. She tentatively reached for his outstretched hand and once he had her hoof everything she saw shifted radically. It was like she wasn’t even in her body anymore. Yet like looking through a thick fog the things she did see were unclear. She saw the expansive greenery of the room, heard the roar of the waterfall near its center. She saw an endless city that went on to the horizon and beyond. Luna couldn’t believe what was happening to her, images and feelings kept coming of events she had witnessed and scenes that had yet to be. However, the enlightening experience would not last as soon the smell of smoke and the heat of flames overwhelmed her senses. The room in which she sat was now engulfed in fire. There were shadowy figures standing amongst several bodies. Before she could see anything else her perspective was pushed to the black void of space, overlooking a peaceful looking planet. Then, in an instant, the planet was reduced to rubble by a weapon of unimaginable power. Luna let go of Jorcen’s hand and fell back, panting and exhausted from the experience.

“W-what did you do to me?” Luna whispered in revulsion before disappearing in a blue flash of light. Jorcen surmised that she had seen a vision of something that shocked her. In hindsight it may have not been the greatest idea to let her glimpse the Force through him. After all everyone experiences the Force differently the first time, there was no telling how their species would react to it. Though she did react to it, that meant that their species could touch the Force. Something to be looked into in the future. For now, Jorcen returned to his own thoughts until the dawn would rouse him from slumber.

The morning came and marked the start of day two on this planet. Jorcen was greeted by the rumblings of his stomach, remining him that it had been some time since he had eaten. With that thought in mind he started to make his way back into Ponyville. Before he made it out of the clearing however he was stopped when he sensed the presence of others. He stopped and turned around just in time to see three small tails disappear into a bush.

“You can come out. I know you’re there.” Jorcen smiled as the heads of three pony children popped out of the bush.

“You can speak our language?” an orange filly with short purple mane asked.

“I can. Now what are you three young ones doing out here? I was told that this forest is very dangerous.”

“Only at night, b’sides we had a really big path t’ follow.” A pale-yellow filly with bright red mane with an equally bright bow and some kind of accent added.

“Oh my gosh I can’t believe it! A real live alien!” The last of them, a white filly with pink and purple mane squeaked. Jorcen was pleasantly surprised at the way the trio had sought him out. Though he may have been but a spectacle to them, to him they were something more. The older Jedi Master had always had a soft spot for children and not just the younglings of the Jedi Temple.

“Yes I suppose I am.” Jorcen allowed himself a small laugh. “Go on then, I imagine you didn’t come here just to gawk at me. Surely you must have questions.” With how many Twilight had asked him he may come to regret the offer to the three.

“Do you eat ponies!?” The orange one blurted out as if she could contain the words no longer.

“If I did then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?” He gave them a devious smile, albeit one that faded into a teasing one. “Now I have one for you three, what are your names? Its quite rude to ask if I eat ponies without introducing yourselves.” Again Jorcen teased the three, doing his best to keep them at ease.

“Oh right, my names Scootaloo!” The orange declared proudly, puffing out her chest as she did.

“Muh names Applebloom.” The one with the bow said, looking quite proud of herself.

“And I’m Sweetie Belle.” The white one finished, doing a little hop for emphasis. The whole affair was undeniably cute to the older Jedi Master. Doing a best to stifle a chuckle Jorcen bowed and introduced himself.

“Jedi Master Jorcen Alketses at your service.” Resuming his full height he held out a hand towards the three. “I am heading back to Ponyville to get something to eat, whould you three like to join me?”

There was no question in their young eyes, they entered the forest to see an alien and just might walk out with a friend. They all nodded their affirmation and fell in step behind the taller biped.

“So, what do you eat then?” Scootaloo asked, cocking an eyebrow expectantly.

“Fruit, vegetables…meat. Humans are quite versatile in their diet.” Jorcen seriously doubted there would be any meat to be had in Ponyville based on what little he knew about ponies.

“Can ya eat apples?” Applebloom asked, a slight twinkle in her eyes.

“Perhaps. Did you have something in mind?”

“Ah do! Ah can take ya back t’ the farm! Applejack’s the one who told us ‘bout ya and Ah bet Granny and Big Mac would get a hoot out of meetin’ ya.” Applebloom sped ahead of the group, turned and began walking backwards to look at Jorcen. “You aint lived ‘till you had one of Granny’s Apple pies!”

Before Jorcen could respond he felt a chill run down his back, robbing him of his smile. He came to a stop, body tensing as the three fillies around him grew frightened expressions.

“J-Jorcen? What’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle inched closer to Jorcen, hiding behind his legs.

A shadowed figure leapt out of the brush to their left and was homing in on Applebloom, all alone at the front of the group.

“Applebloom, DROP!” Jorcen yelled. Applebloom’s eyes shrunk in fear and without hesitation she dove into the dirt just in time to dodge a claw swipe from a brown four-legged beast. As soon as Applebloom was clear Jorcen sent a wave of Force energy at the creature, lifting it up on an invisible breeze and sending it careening back into the forest where it struck a tree trunk and broke into pieces. Jorcen reached out and felt the presence of at least four more of the creatures and then all at once the fifth that had broken apart was back on its feet.

“Timber wolves!” Applebloom shouted, having recovered enough to label the attackers. She too ran to hide behind Jorcen.

“Stay close.” He ordered them, his orange lightsaber snap-hissing into existence before him to defend the children. Another of the wolves leapt straight at Jorcen, angry that such easy prey was being denied them. The orange blade of the Jedi went right through it, the remnants of its wooden body smoldering under the morning sun.

The next attack was harder to defend against. Three of the wolves jumped the Jedi from three different directions. The first two were deflected by a barrier of Force energy while the third was bisected by the Jedi’s weapon. A panicked squeal pulled Jorcen’s attention away as he turned around to see the fourth wolf dragging Sweetie Belle away by her tail. One of the wolves he deflected was already sprinting towards the helpless filly, poised to land a fatal bite.

“NO!” Jorcen shouted, gathering his power and leaping to intercept the charging monster. He landed beside Sweetie Belle and threw his arm out to protect her, taking the bite meant for her on his left forearm. The jagged teeth of the beast shredded through his robes and flesh alike. Jorcen grit his teeth as he flipped his arm around and threw the wolf to the ground, slicing a burning line across its back. With both his arms free he extended a hand to the one dragging Sweetie Belle and clenched his fist aggressively, reducing the offending wolf to splinters. The lone surviving wolf turned tail and disappeared back into the forest. Jorcen extinguished his lightsaber and moved to comfort the young unicorn.

“Are you alright Sweetie Belle?” He asked, his voice as calm as ever.

“Y-you saved our lives…” Sweetie Belle was having trouble catching her breath, her chest rising and falling so fast that words were hard to form.

“I did what any of my order would do. Defend the innocent with my life.” Jorcen helped the frightened filly to her hooves and brought her back to the comfort of her friends.

“Jorcen yer…yer hurt.” Applebloom’s eyes were wide with concern. Jorcen was able to hide the worst of the damage under his robes but the darkening splotch where his blood was seeping through made his injury clear as day.

“My injury is inconsequential compared to your safety.” He would not have these children worrying themselves over a small sacrifice he gladly made. “All that matters is that you three are safe.” Jorcen had already focused his power on healing the bite on his arm and was ready to continue to Applebloom’s farm.

“That was so cool! I thought only unicorns could use magic.” Scootaloo pointed out, motioning towards her forehead where a horn would be.

“That wasn’t magic.” Sweetie Belle observed, her breathing finally slowing down “He had no aura.”

“And what the hay was that fire stick ya had?” Applebloom asked, curious about the metal rod that now hung on the Jedi’s belt.

Jorcen had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he explained the Jedi Order or his powers to someone. So he told them everything he had told Twilight the day before, about everything except his Lightsaber.

“So yer like a wizard?” Applebloom pondered, trying her best to wrap her head around what she just heard.

“Somewhat. Peacekeeper, wizard, sorcerer. All of these labels have been applied to the Jedi. Though in truth we are closer to diplomats and scholars…well we were.” Jorcen hesitated to bring up the war in front of ones so young.

“Can you use your powers to make me fly?” Scootaloo’s tiny wings were buzzing with excitement, her eyes carrying an innocent hope that reminded Jorcen of better times. He simply smiled and lifted Scootaloo into the air on an unseen current. Scootaloo’s face lit up like the morning sun and began to test the power of her wings. Jorcen focused on keeping her weightless, allowing the young pegasus to control her own path and direction. She zipped through the air at a fair speed, stopping every so often to perform a small trick or attempt a more complicated one. This went on for as long as Scootaloo had energy. As soon as Jorcen noticed her wings flapping with less energy and her speed dropped by more than half he safely floated her back to the ground. Scootaloo was beyond happy. Words couldn’t describe the joy she felt at that moment. With tears in her eyes she did the only thing that felt right and threw her hooves around Jorcen’s leg and hugged with all her heart.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “You have no idea what that meant to me.” She squeezed his leg harder, unconsciously wiping her tears on him. Jorcen didn’t know what to make of this reaction to what he thought was simple curiosity. Though in keeping with the mood he placed a hand on top of her head and stroked her mane tenderly.

“You’re very welcome Scootaloo.”

“Could you show me how to do that?” Sweetie Belle’s horn glowed weakly then fizzled out, showing the experienced Jedi that her magic was weak.

“I don’t think so. As I said my command of the world is not through magic.” A thought did occur to him, something he learned last night in his dream with Princess Luna. “Sweetie would come a bit closer?”

Sweetie Belle obeyed and stepped up next to her orange friend still wrapped around one of Jorcen’s legs. “What is it?”

Jorcen took his hand from Scootaloo and placed it on Sweetie’s head. Though this was not a soothing touch as it had been with the elated pegasus but rather a probing one. Jorcen reached out with his senses into the depths of Sweetie Belle’s being. He ignored surface thoughts, deeper thoughts and even what he assumed to be her untapped well of magic until he found what he was looking for. Sweetie Belle shuddered away from the mental invasion, looking up at Jorcen with a confused expression.

"What did you just do?"

It was faint but it was there and with time it could be refined and utilized. Sweetie Belle was force sensitive.