Celestial Battles: Episode IV

Chapter I

THE BADLANDS

With a thunderous thud and an earthquake that would be felt for many miles around the impact site, the droid-carrying escape pod crashed on the surface of the Badlands.

Many moments passed with no commotion, before, with a groan of metal, the door popped open, and the two droids crawled and trundled their ways out.

“And so, the dashing RAR-80 makes her daring escape!” the white equinoid dramatised. A series of beeps interrupted whatever she would say next, causing her to turn her attention to the purple celesti-droid, who was wheeling its way along the dune sea, already far from the escape pod.

“And where do you think you’re going?” RAR-80 shouted to the droid. “That way’s much too dangerous, don’t you see how rough it is? Besides, I’m sure civilisation is that way,” she added, pointing a metallic hoof in the opposite direction.

A long, sighing whistle sounded out from the purple droid as it carried on in the direction it had been going.

“Come on, SP. I am not going that way!” RAR-80 complained.

After several seconds of silence from her companion, she sighed.

“Fine, go without me. If you end up in trouble, it’s your fault!”

“Queen Luna,” the pink mare spoke breathlessly, still recovering from the unwanted unconsciousness given to her by the magical blaster. “I should have known! Only you could be so vile as to attack a peaceful, diplomatic—”

“Don’t you even dare try to play those mind games with me, Princess,” Luna interrupted her, a scowl on her muzzle. “This was no peaceful mission. Your flight path took you directly through restricted Kingdom systems. Not only that, but you received several transmissions matching Rebel wavelengths. I know what you’re doing here, Princess. You’ve joined their side.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she bluffed. “I’m a member of the Kingdom’s elite on a diplomatic mission to my homeworld of Crystalla!”

“You are a Rebel and a traitor. Take her away,” Luna ordered to the guards standing at her side, who immediately stepped forward, blasters trained on the princess as they marched her down the hallway and through the broken-down doorway into the larger ship.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Luna’s second-in-command asked moments after the mare was led away. “Arresting the Princess could brew sympathy for the Rebellion. If word of this gets out, we might see more ponies joining their cause.”

“The Rebel spies were traced back to this very ship, and that very mare,” Luna explained. “She is our only link to finding the Rebellion’s secret base.”

“You won’t get anything from her,” the uniformed mare spoke, “she’d rather die than tell you anything.”

“Leave that to me,” Luna said cryptically, before stating her plans for the small ship she had slaughtered to capture the Princess. “Send out a fake distress signal. Make it seem like all aboard were killed in an accident. No need to let anyone know we’re holding the Princess.”

“Queen Luna,” a Kingdom troop trotted to the dark alicorn, “the plans are not aboard this ship! No transmissions were made, either!”

“Escape pods,” the Queen spoke, asking a question in only two words.

“One was jettisoned, but there were no life forms on board,” the troop explained. “We shot it down just to be safe.”

“She must have hidden them there,” Luna reasoned, frowning. “Send a detachment down to find that pod, and bring back whatever rests inside!”

“How in the Galaxy did we get into this mess,” RAR-80 lamented as she made her way across the sandy expanse of the Badlands. “I really don’t know how,” she added, with a glare at her companion. She soon turned her attention forward before the small celesti-droid noticed, though. “Are we just made to suffer…”

SP1-K beeped and whistled at her.

“No, no, I simply can’t keep going. I’m going to fall apart any moment now!” the white equinoid whined. “And look at what all this sand is doing to my pristine coat…”

More whistling and beeping, which was swiftly ignored by the purple and green droid’s companion.

RAR-80 stopped in her tracks moments later, having a good look around at the desolate wastes. Nothing but sand… I hate sand, she thought. It gets everywhere.

But the sand wasn’t the only concern. Where was everypony? Aren’t planets usually bustling with life, no matter how inhospitable? Then why was this place so… so barren. Lifeless. Empty.

All that was soon forgotten, though, as her follower seemed to decide it was time to simply leave her. Trundling along in the sand, SP1-K turned and rolled off, taking a perpendicular path.

“Where do you think you’re going?” RAR-80 asked.

Beep beep whistle.

“Well, I’m not going that way,” she huffed synthetically. “It’s far too rocky. This way is much easier.”

Bloop whistle beep.

“Oh? There are settlements over there?” she echoed. “And just what makes you think that?”

Whistle beep boop.

“Hmph! Well, if you’re going to be rude—”

Beep boop.

“Mission? What in the Galaxy are you talking about?”

Boop warble beep.

“Oh, I’ve just about had enough of you,” the white droid finally said, turning back to the direction she had been going before. “If it pleases you so, then fine. Go that way. You’ll be a pile of scrap by tomorrow.”

And, if that mild threat wasn’t enough, she gave a kick to the droid with her back hooves, causing a clang to resound across the wasteland.

And, if that wasn’t enough; “Don’t let me catch you crawling back to me for help. You won’t be getting any.”

A long, whining beep came from the small droid, before he started his journey up again.

“Oh, that little…” RAR-80 grumbled. It had been easily an hour since she had left the smaller droid, and she wasn’t faring very well. She had seen absolutely zero signs of life in the time she had been on this planet. “I bet he’s already found a settlement. He’s probably getting polished and pampered as I speak!”

Then, she saw something. On the horizon, a shining light, and as it faded, a shadow against the scorching sky of a large vehicle.

“A transport! I’m saved!”

Firing off a mana flare from her horn to attract its attention, she began to shout and yell, waving her front legs around.

Slowly, the vehicle turned, and headed towards her.