Chapters 1 Discovering the Way
The sun was shining and the birds were singing in the trees as the slow breeze wafted through the branches of Sweet Apple Acres. Not a cloud in the sky to mar the seemingly perfect afternoon, although the picturesque vista belied the somber gloom that hung over the Apple household. Hiding under her bedsheets, curled into a tight ball with her hands gripping her pillow against her chest, was young Applebloom. Her eyes were dripping with tear and her nose was runny from the raw emotion that had been poured into her bedsheets upon her return to the house earlier that day. See, there was something special about this day, one that made most of the town overjoyed for those it had happened to, but for little Applebloom, it was the anniversary of the worst day of her life.
Exactly one year prior, she and her fellow Crusaders had been searching for their cutie marks, as they had been since the founding of there little club. But that day proved to be anything other than ordinary. First Scootaloo had discovered her talent for flying aircraft when she had snuck into the cockpit of one of the newest planes to roll onto the tarmac and flown it halfway to Canterlot before being turned around by Rainbow Dash and the other Wonderbolts. Then Sweetie Bell had discovered her love for singing right in front of a talent scout from Manehatten. Needless to say, the party that followed their discovery of their marks was epic to the most amazing degree, except, Applebloom hadn’t attended.
Seeing her closest friends earn their marks without her, and then moving on to lives that she could never follow them to, had crushed the little filly’s heart like an ant under hoof. She had raced home while the others were celebrating, and spent the entire week sobbing in her room, barely eating and only coming out to use the bathroom if she absolutely had too. To say the disbanding of the Cutie Mark Crusaders was a crushing blow to the young mare’s psyche would have been an understatement of Princess level proportions. It took months before Applebloom could even look at her friends again without feeling her heart break, and almost two seasons before she could bring herself to speak to them again. It wasn’t born of malice or hatred, but the complete loss of connection she had felt when the other fillies got their marks.
Now, on the anniversary of her greatest shame, Applebloom was planning something, something that would change her life for the better, or would end in complete disaster. She sat up slowly, wiped her eyes with one hand, and then slipped the pillow case off of her bed before stuffing it with some of her most prized possessions. She picked up the photo that rested on her bedside table and looked it over with a singular tear in her eye, the smiling faces of her family looking back at her from the last Apple Family Reunion. Sniffing once, she stuffed the photo into the pillow case with the rest of her things and slipped on her favorite blue-jean jacket over her apple green shirt. Her signature pink bow found its place in her crimson mane as her tail slipped out the hole in the back of her cargo pants, forcing her to fiddle with the loose hair before she was satisfied it wouldn’t bunch up against her flanks if she walked too long. With that done, she slung her packed pillow over her shoulder and climbed out of her bedroom window while the rest of the household was out working the orchard. Granny Smith wouldn’t be awake until it was close to dinnertime, and her siblings weren’t going to be back until even later once the work harvesting the apples was complete for the day.
Applebloom walked off into the northern parts of the orchard, knowing fully well what she was doing would get her flank tanned if she was caught, but she couldn’t sit by any longer while the world passed her by. If her friends could get their marks on a day like today, then with Celestia as her witness, she could do the same.
“Look out world, Ah’m comin’ to get ya.” She said to herself as she walked off into the wild unknown between Ponyville and Mt. Canterhorn.
For the majority of the day, Applebloom walked along the old dirt road that had once been the connection between Ponyville and Canterlot, which had fallen to the wayside as the railroad overtook it as the fastest way to the capital. Now the road was little more than an overgrown dirt path that wound its way through the Whitetail woods and into the plains beyond that bordered the Everfree Forest. Applebloom had no true idea what she was doing, but if her sister could go off on adventures and come back completely fine, then so could she. She planned on visiting her Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten once she could get a train ticket in Canterlot, although what she planned to do with herself to find her mark afterwards was still up in the air.
Suddenly, as she came around a bend in the road and exited the Whitetail Woods, Applebloom was assaulted by the sickeningly familiar stink that could only come from one source. Her eyes widened in fear as a quintet of Timberwolves stalked out of the darker Everfree and onto the path, two blocking her retreat while the other three spread out to surround her as they licked their hard, wooden lips with vine-like tongues. Applebloom stood in place, her hooves frozen in terror as the wolves prowled around her like a circle of vultures, only these vicious predators were not going to wait for her to simply drop dead from fight, no matter how hard her heart tried to beat itself out of her chest.
Without waiting for her to even scream in fright, one of the wolves lunged at Applebloom, its claws aimed to maim and kill as it growled out a challenge in the back of its throat. A last-second leap to the right saved Applebloom from losing her head, but it wasn’t enough to stop the second wolf from jumping on top of her and biting into the base of her left shoulder with its thorny teeth. Applebloom screamed as fresh blood soaked the cloth of her shirt and jacket, the wolf taking another go at her as its body pinned Applebloom to the dirt. Its teeth dug into her flesh as she tried in vain to push the larger creature off of her, but it was not meant to be.
The next bite closed around her neck, and Applebloom choked as the wolf’s teeth closed in around her windpipe, thankfully not puncturing it but still cutting off her air supply. A single green eye locked with hers, and in that instant, Applebloom knew she was going to die. The darkness began to creep into the sides of her vision as her struggles began to weaken, her hands falling flat to the ground as she gaped in a desperate attempt to breathe. All through this, the wolf simply watched her as her eyes began to glass over, and as her world went dark, the last thing Applebloom thought was how foolish she had been, going off on her own in search of a destiny that would never come to pass.
Then, like a switch had been flipped deep inside her, Applebloom felt something strange run through her body. Something new and powerful that filled her body with energy. Her eyes snapped open as she pressed her hands into the wolf’s underside, feeling that same power surge through her hands as the wolf was flung high into the air, a ragged gasp of air filling her lungs as the Timberwolf came crashing down and disintegrated upon impact. Applebloom barely knew what she was doing as she stood up, blood dripping down the sides of her neck and shoulder as she flung her hands forward, an invisible shockwave throwing the Timberwolves backwards with enough force to shatter their forms against the nearby trees of the Everfree. For a moment or two she stood there, breathing hard as she waited for the wolves to reform and try again, but nothing happened.
Feeling the strange power ebb slightly as she came down off of her high, Applebloom sat down on the road and stared at what remained of the Timberwolves. She lifted her hands in front of her and stared at them like they belonged to somepony else and wondered just what in Equestria had just happened.
“What was that?” She asked herself as she slowly lowered her hands and pushed herself to her hooves. “Ah can’t use magic like a unicorn can, so how did I do that if Ah’m just an earth pony?”
Her question left unanswered, Applebloom felt that it would be best to return home before anything else tried to kill her and had better luck than the wolves. Yet as she walked back to Sweet Apple Acres, she could still feel the same power flowing and ebbing inside her chest like a small flame, although the thought of suddenly developing magic powers was far from her mind as the pain from her wounds finally registered with her brain.
“Gah! Mother-bucking apple rot that hurts!” She cried as she held a hand against her shoulder, trying to staunch the flow of blood as it continued to ruin her favorite jacket and run down the side of her body like a small river.
She was thankful her family hadn’t heard her string of curses, or she’d have gotten an earful from Granny and her sister before they proceeded to wash her mouth with soap. She knew there was no way she could get back home and take care of her injuries without her family finding out, but she made a vow to herself that she would at least keep her new powers a secret, until she could figure out what they were and if they could be a danger to anypony.
As she crested the last hill leading back to her house, Applebloom spotted her sister racing around the farm, shouting her name as the filly stumbled back down the hill. It only took a second before Applejack spotted the younger Apple sibling and raced up the slope to meet her, her emerald eyes widening in shock and fear as she spotted her sister’s injuries.
“Land’s sake, Applebloom,” she cried as she knelt down and inspected Applebloom with both her eyes and her hands as she pulled the ruined jacket off the filly’s shoulders, “What happened to ya? Ya’ll look like ya got into a fight with some Timberwolves and lost. And what’s with the big idea runnin’ off and not tellin’ anypony where ya were goin’? Ya’ll had me and Big Mac worried sick about you.”
Applebloom averted her gaze as tears formed in her eyes, “Ah’m sorry AJ, Ah just had this crazy idea that Ah could go off and discover my destiny like when you were a filly.” She wiped her eyes and leaped into her sister’s arms, bawling her eyes out as the full implications of her little adventure crashed down upon her mind. “Ah’m sorry AJ, Ah’ll never run away again for as long as Ah live. Ah just wanted to prove that Ah could get my cutie mark and be a cool filly like Scoots and Sweetie. Ah never meant to get mixed up with Timberwolves and worry ya’ll and almost lose my life – ”She clapped her hands over her mouth, only realizing too late how much she had said.
Applejack looked down at her sister with wide eyes, “Did Ah hear ya’ll correctly, you really did run into Timberwolves and nearly got yerself killed !?”
All Applebloom could do was nod, although instead of the verbal thrashing she expected, she was plucked from the ground and cradled in her sister’s arms as the larger mare raced through the orchard and into Ponyville proper. Applebloom could only stare in wonder up at her sister as she pounded down the street at speeds that would put Rainbow Dash to shame, only coming to as stop once she came bursting through the doors of Ponyville General.
“Ah need a doctor, and Ah need one now!” Applejack cried as the nurse at the front desk jumped in surprise. However, it only took a single look at the wounds on Applebloom to convince the dark grey mare that the older Apple sibling meant business.
Before Applebloom could blink, several nurses and a pair of unicorn doctors had rushed her into the emergency room, the events of her attack coming from her mouth almost of their own volition as the doctors peppered her with questions. She only barely managed to stop herself from revealing her new powers when they asked her about how she managed to get away, although from the look Applejack gave her when she lied, she had a feeling her sibling knew she hadn’t been telling the truth. However, that all passed into the darkness of unconsciousness as the I.V. drip did its job, the last thing Applebloom could remember was Big Mac and the rest of her sister’s friends rushing into the room with worried looks on their faces.
Far across the galaxy, in a bar on a forgotten planet that no one cared to name, sat a young man who wore a brown cloak about his shoulders. His clothing was dirty but well maintained, and if one cared to look closer, they would notice that he carried himself with a confidence that belied his rough exterior. His hood was currently pulled back, revealing a head of messy brown hair that sat above a pair of warm green eyes, his sharp nose a fierce contrast to the calm smile that graced his lips. Upon his belt were a custom blaster pistol of his own design, and a silver cylinder that could ignite into a golden blade of superheated plasma with the press of a button.
Prax Solaris was a Force wielder, although unlike the Jedi and Sith that had reformed their Orders upon the destruction of the Empire, Prax was a part of a much more select and secretive group. He was one of the second-generation members of the newly reformed Jensaarai Order, who dedicated themselves to keeping the balance within the Force and to ensure that another conflict between the Light and Dark never again consumed the galaxy like in the Clone Wars. However, unlike the normal members of the Jensaarai, Prax was part of an even more select group known as the Wanderers.
Trained extensively in the Temples of the Mind, Body and Soul, and chosen directly by the Force, Wanderers were some of the few Jensaarai that regularly left the home system, although they were far from simple vagabonds. Wanderers would wait for years, sometimes decades, before receiving a vision from the Force, guiding them towards whatever they were tasked to find. It could be a person, an artifact, even a planet that had yet to be discovered, but the one certainty was that at some point, every Wanderer would receive their vision and become a Seeker. Then, once their mission was complete, they would go back to being a Wanderer and continue on with their lives until the Force called upon them again.
It was in that cheap bar, on some backwater world in the Outer Rim, that Prax felt a disturbance in the Force. He set his drink down as images flashed before his eyes, of a small planet far beyond the Reach, deep in uncharted space, and the constant presence of a round red fruit. An apple, if he remembered the name correctly from some of his ventures into the Inner Systems. His lips curled into a grin as he stood up, his cloak billowing behind his as he dropped several credits on the counter and walked out of the bar.
“So, the time has come at last,” his light tenor voice was slightly muffled as he pulled his hood up to shield his head from the light snow that was falling outside, “it would seem I am going to be on a longer trip than usual, if this vision means what I think it does.”
Prax followed the main road until he found the local spaceport, which constituted of small docks that allowed the ships to land without having to deal with the large backwash that normally followed as the craft touched down. Prax climbed up one of the landings to his personal ship, an old T-6 shuttle that had been repurposed after the end of the Clone Wars into a long-distance communications ship, and then repurposed again into a small gunship during the height of the Empire. Outfitted with twin turbo laser platforms along the sides of the main fuselage, the star craft could destroy anything smaller than a cruiser with relative ease, although the lack of powerful shields left much to be desired on the defensive side of things if combat became necessary. However, thanks to the rotating crescent-moon wings, shielding was almost never needed because Prax could simply evade enemy fire instead of taking it. Its advanced hyperdrive made traveling the galaxy far easier than relying on conventional transportation, and with its advanced communications array, he could contact the temples on Jen-Saarinos from almost anywhere in the galaxy.
With the air lock sealed and his grip on the controls secure, Prax powered up the engines of the ship and lifted off, rotating the wings into their vertical flight position as he powered out of the atmosphere and into the vast void of space. He could sense where he needed to go and powered up the hyperdrive, typing in the coordinates with the guidance of the Force before flipping the main activation switch. The stars before him seemed to stretch into infinity before his ship made the jump to hyperspace, the tunnel of blue and white lights signaling his entrance into the higher dimension. By the calculations of the nav computer, he would arrive at his destination within the next planetary cycle, assuming the planet rotated at the standard rate of twenty-four hours. However, because he was traveling into uncharted space, deep beyond the Outer Rim and into the Reach, Prax was preparing for an adventure unlike anything he had experienced before. Few Wanderers had ventured into the Reach, and even fewer outside the Jensaarai had made the journey, so he was going into this adventure with no idea as to what he would find.
Prax leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head, staring into the swirling vortex of hyperspace with a grin on his face, “Off to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, oh what I wouldn’t do to have a witty one-liner for when I get there.” He tapped his chin with one hand as he stood up and walked into the personal quarters of the ship’s aft, “Maybe I could say something like, ‘That’s one small jump for me, and one giant mess for others to clean’.” He chuckled to himself as the terrible idea bounced around in his head for a moment before he entered his personal chambers, “Nah, I’ll just go with the usual Jensaarai shtick and go in under the radar before checking the place out on foot. Can’t be too much more difficult than the last adventure I went on, could it?”
Prax had no idea that at that very moment, the subject of his vision was being patched back up by a team of doctors, while her loved ones watched on in worried anticipation. No one and nopony knew that roiling inside the young filly’s body, was a fount of Force power that was wild and untamed, waiting for the right moment to unleash its striking fury on anything and everyone around it. The clock had started ticking, and only the Force itself knew when the timer was going to run out. The Jensaarai knew nothing of the dangers that awaited him upon his arrival, while the ponies of Equestria were completely unprepared for the shock that was about to literally come falling from the sky.
Author's Note
Hello everypony, and welcome to the first chapter of my new book! Hope you all are enjoying it so far, and I will endeavor to get more chapters out as soon as possible. Also, little side note, the Jensaarai (Jen-sar-ri) were a group of Rouge Jedi that broke off from the Order during the Clone Wars according to the Star Wars Legends. This is not the same group, my friends and I simply came up with an alternate history and used the name because of the old canon's use of both Dark and Light-side Force abilities. Everything else about this group of Force wielders is completely original
Anyways, I hope to hear from you all, leave a like, comment in the towel section below, and give me a follow if you feel so inclined. Anything else is fine by me.
See you all next chapter,
2 Arrival
The white and blue streams of hyperspace slowly drew back to reveal the dots and darkness of real space, the glowing orb of a star in the not-so-far distance and a large blue and green planet in the center of Prax’s viewport. From the powerful pull of the Force, he could tell that he had arrived at his destination. Even more than that, due to the strength of the pull, as well as the fact that the Force seemed to be emanating from the source, it led him to believe that he had been sent to this backwater planet in search of someone, not something. Only powerful Force-wielders gave off such strong ripples in the Living Force, although as his ship slowly drew closer to the planet, he began to notice other things that were not so encouraging. For one thing, there were no radio signals coming from the planet, or anywhere in the system for that matter, which could only mean one thing, primitive civilization, if there was a civilization at all.
That in it of itself presented problems. If the inhabitants had no radios, then it was a safe bet that they had yet to discover space flight or anything resembling a space worthy vessel. This meant that they would have no knowledge of the galactic community at large or of any alien life beyond their own planet. However, this was all speculation until he could get a closer look, so Prax guided his shuttle down to the dark side of the planet, where the pull of the Force was strongest. He guided his ship through the atmosphere and into the sky above the strange planet, noting with some confusion how similar it was to some of the planets he had visited in the Inner Worlds. Then again, the galaxy was full of strange things indeed, so who was to say that there couldn’t be a planet similar to lush Terran planets like Naboo way out here in the Reach?
Prax flew onward, past a high mountain that seemed to reach out of the plains below like a lone spire, towards a smaller settlement on the southern side that seemed to be the source of the Force sensations he was receiving. However, instead of simply setting down on the outskirts of town like he normally would, he opted to set his ship down within the confines of the nearby forest, finding a clearing large enough for his ship a good five miles into the dense foliage. The retro thrusters activated as he lowered the ship, rotating the wings of the shuttle to their horizontal landing configuration as the landing gear impacted the grass with a soft thud.He powered down the engines and exited the cockpit, walking over to the airlock and checking the readings for any unknown hazards that he might not be aware of. Usually life-supporting planets like this one were relatively hospitable, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Oxygen levels at forty-three percent.” He muttered with a raised eyebrow, “No signs of industrial pollutants other than slightly elevated levels of carbon dioxide, and no signs of background radiation or native bacteria that could be harmful.” He hummed to himself in surprise, “Must be quite a place to have an atmosphere this pure.”
Prax strapped on his blaster belt and clipped his saber to his opposite hip, slipping his dark grey cloak over his otherwise average clothing. He figured that if the natives had never seen an alien before, then it would probably be best to avoid detection until he got a better feel of the situation. He flipped his hood over his head and opened the airlock, the boarding ramp lowering to the ground with a hiss as he stepped onto the planet’s surface for the first time.
The grass was soft under his booted feet, the woods around him silent after his landing, although the rustle of smaller life could be heard if he listened hard enough. He smiled, feeling almost like he was back home on Jen-Saarinos with how peaceful this world seemed to be. Setting his wrist communicator with a beacon so he could find his way back, he set off into the wilds towards the settlement. Hopefully he could find the Force sensitive and get a lay of the land before the local star rose, given that the inhabitants of this world were hopefully diurnal in nature. Nocturnal natives would prove to be a bit of a challenge, but even then, he had confidence that he could move in and out of such a small town unnoticed if the need arose.
Princess Luna was feeling very out of her element. One minute she had been playing poker with some of her night guard to overcome the boredom that besieged the empty Night Court, and the next the entire castle had echoed with a deep rumble as something approached the city. She had stumbled to her hooves as she rushed from the throne room in an effort to locate the increasingly loud sound as her wings flared in terror. What kind of terrible beast could make such a noise and why hadn’t anypony alerted her to its presence sooner?
She had left the castle proper and found herself on the edge of one of the larger courtyards, spinning on her left leg to look over the castle and towards the looming shadow that was Mount Canterhorn’s peak. The illumination of her stars and moon were more than enough to spot the enormous bat-shaped thing as it flew past the city and headed towards the plains below, although as it passed she noticed a trio of blue lights located in the back of the creature, which seemed to be the source of the tremendous thunder that accompanied its passage.
For a moment Luna was tempted to follow the huge behemoth, but her instincts told her that this was something that even she couldn’t handle, even though she had fought dragons of larger size in her younger years. This thing hadn’t moved like a living creature, nor had her senses picked up any magic coming from it as it flew off into the distance and landed in the depths of the Everfree Forest. This greatly confused the lunar princess, because all life native to Equis had a reservoir of magic that helped them to sustain their own existence within the energy field of the planet. For something to completely lack magic was very troubling to Luna, as it begged a very important question. Where had the strange object come from, and what was it doing here in Equestria?
“Princess!” Captain Silver Light, her most trusted of her thestral guards and her personal body guard, cried as she flew up and knelt before Luna, “What was that terrible noise?” Her head flew from one side to another as her golden slit pupils searched the darkness for threats, “Are we under attack?”
“Nay, stay your nerves for the time being,” Luna soothed her jittery commander as she pulled the smaller mare to her hooves, “whatever it was simply passed the city by in favor of more wild places to roost.” She slowly turned and looked out over the plains below the city, as if she could see the hulking object from her perch upon the balcony, “And yet I fear this will not be the last we hear of strange occurrences happening in our fair land. Captain,” the thestral mare saluted sharply as she got herself under control, “see to it that the night guard is put under high alert, and have my armor readied for my use at a moment’s notice.”
Silver Light’s eyes widened under her helm, “Are you saying we’re going to fight whatever that was?”
Luna shook her head, “Not in a direct confrontation if it can be avoided. I sensed a large amount of power coming from whatever that was, although none of it seemed to be magical in nature. I am merely taking precautions on the chance that whatever it was turns into a threat to my little ponies.” She turned away from the railing and walked past the gaping thestral, who shook her head and followed her princess after a moment’s hesitation.
“So, what’s the plan, Your Highness?” Silver Light asked as she fell in on Luna’s left.
“We wait, and we listen,” Luna replied, “for any signs of danger near the town of Ponyville. I want you to send a small squad of the guard to keep an eye on things there, as an early warning system should that thing return for a less peaceful flight over our fair land. Whatever it was, I have a feeling this is only the beginning of something much bigger.”
Silver Light shivered at the ominous tone Luna had used but saluted anyway as she raced off down another set of halls to alert the rest of the guard. Meanwhile, Luna continued through the castle into the more brightly colored wings, following the stairs up one of the eastern towers until she found herself before a large set of double doors that were painted with stylistic representations of the sun.
Her sister’s bedchambers.
A duo of night guard stood watch at either side of the door, although they stepped to the side as Luna approached.
“Princess Celestia is expecting you, My Lady.” The guard on the left, Moon Shield if Luna remembered correctly, said with a bowed head as he opened the door with one hand.
Luna nodded her thanks as she strode into the room, hearing the door close behind her as she gazed about her sister’s chambers. Not much had changed since the last time she had been in this room, although the tears of shame and joy that had been shed upon her return had now been replaced by a heavy sense of foreboding and worry. Celestia was already up and dressed, although her crown rested on the bedside table instead of in her flowing mane and her eyes were slightly bloodshot from being awoken at such a late hour.
“Ah, Luna,” Celestia said as she spotted her sister in the reflection of her mirror, “I take it you were privy to our unexpected thunderstorm as well?”
Luna snorted at her sister’s poor attempt at humor, “Tis not the time for jest, dear sister. I saw what passed our city by and followed its flight path until it landed in the interior of the Everfree Forest. Whatever it is, it was large, roughly bat-shaped and had what I could only assume were engines sticking out of the back of its bulk.”
“Engines?” Celestia echoed, “What do you mean? Even the largest airships only make a fraction of that racket when they fly over the city.”
Luna nodded, “And yet that is the conclusion I am forced to make, given it was far too rigid to be a living creature, plus the fact that I could not sense any magic coming from it in any form.”
“What?!” Celestia cried, her towering form stumbling slightly as she forced herself into a standing position, “No magic, are you certain?”
Luna nodded once again, “I am certain. Whatever landed near Ponyville is far from the ordinary, and I fear we might be facing something we have never encountered before. I sent a small group of my guard to keep an eye on the town for safety, but other than that I felt it was prudent to alert you to the situation and to seek your guidance on this matter. You have been a part of Equestria far longer than I and have seen things that still make my own head spin. So, tell me sister, what are we to do?”
Celestia paced back and forth as she pondered the information she had been given, leaving Luna to stand and fidget in place as worry continued to eat at her mind.What was that thing, truly, and why was it here?
After several minutes, Celestia pulled up short and turned to face Luna, “I want a group of the Night Guard sent into the Everfree on top of the group you’ve sent to Ponyville. I want to find out what this thing is and what it is capable of before it can cause any harm. Please inform Captain Silver Light of my wishes, as you are the commander of the thestrals, not me.”
Luna swelled a bit in pride at her sister’s respect for her station, “I will see to it that a squad is sent immediately, sister. You only need to worry about your own duties once the sun had been risen this morrow.”
Celestia chuckled, “Oh if only it were that easy. I fear I might not get to sleep this night now that all of this has happened.” She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms under her generous bust, gazing out the bay windows at the city below, “I fell you may be right. I can sense it too. Something big is happening, and it all centers around that mysterious object.”
Luna followed her sister’s gaze, looking up instead of down at her shining moon, feeling for the first time in a long time, uncertain that she was doing the right thing. Certainly, she had been nervous and upset when she had made mistakes after her return, but this was something unprecedented, something not even she and her sister had experience with.
“May mother’s light guide our path,” she whispered to herself, “and father’s might protect us should we come to blows.”
It was an old prayer the ponies of Equestria had come up with for her and her sister’s parents once upon a time, back when ponies still remembered the fact that she and Celestia were not the first alicorns to control the sun and moon. It seemed only fitting to use it now, when even she and Celestia were not sure of the trials ahead, should there be conflict brewing on the horizon.
Prax could almost feel the forest retreating from his presence, although he was unsure if it was because of the aura he gave off with his Force abilities or because he was unknown to the local life. He skulked through the depths of the jungle-like foliage more like a wraith than a living being, using his abilities to hide his presence from the larger lifeforms he could sense hidden in the darkness. Smaller life he could probably handle, but if the size of the creatures he was sensing could be believed, then he would much rather avoid being detected at all.
It took him the better part of an hour to make his way to the edge of the forest, although by the time he managed to push his way out of the thick plant life, he was surprised by the seemingly perfect edge between the forest and the plains that he had just entered. On either side the forest stretched out in an almost straight line, leaving Prax to wonder what could have possibly led to such a divide from the disorder of the woods to the groomed environment he had entered.
“Definitely one for the records.” He muttered to himself as he recorded several pictures of the surroundings on his wrist computer, a little toy he had gotten from the creative exploits of the Temple of the Mind before he left on his journey.
From what Prax could see in the silver light of the full moon, there was a small cottage off to the left that seemed to be made from more plant life than metal, although it was hard to tell with the limited visibility. Further down the way was a path that led directly toward the town he had passed over, his keen senses picking up almost two hundred living creatures, although it remained to be seen if they were receptive to strangers. Given what little he knew of backwater worlds, they were typically more superstitious and had little in the way of combatting modern galactic tech, although he was unsure if this world was going to live up to the usual standards. Already he could sense that there was something odd about this world, and he was beginning to wonder if it was wise to continue on in the middle of the night without gathering more intel.
Prax decided that following his Force sense to the source of his vision would be the most prudent choice, and then falling back to the ship to figure out a plan of action. So, with his path chosen, Prax walked down the small road and soon found his way into the town proper. As he looked around, he noticed that the majority of the buildings seemed to be made from wood and thatch, although some of them almost defied the local standard with how out of place they were. One building looked like it was made from slabs of pastry while another seemed to have been carved from the interior of a tree. All and all it fit his first impression that this world was industrial level at best, and medieval level at worst, although from the lack of sewage clogging the streets he could hazard a guess that it was more towards the upper end if the train tracks that led towards the north were anything to go by.
Prax followed his senses as he made his way up to one of the larger buildings, noting the red cross that marked the front side and hoped that it wasn’t what he thought it was. If the person his senses were guiding him towards was in a medical facility, then it could prove difficult getting to them in order to assess their potential. However, using the Force to enhance his speed and strength, Prax was able to jump onto the roof of the building with little effort, allowing him to look through the windows as he drew nearer to the source of the Force vision. Finally, he found the room of his charge, opening the window and slipping into the room with barely a sound.
What met his eyes was a more modern medical facility than what he had first anticipated, although it was still far from the standards of the galactic community. There was a heart monitor hooked up to the youngling’s right arm and there was a packet of blood attached to its wrist just below the heart monitor patch. There were other machines hooked up to the child in various places, although Prax had no idea as to their function. The child’s neck and left shoulder were wrapped in what seemed to be medical gauze, leading Prax to reason that the youngling had been in an accident of some sort or had been attacked by something. While not what he had hoped to find, it was better than the youngling being institutionalized because of some unforeseen condition. At least now he knew that he could hopefully deal with the natives in a more civilized manner, although the question of how to do so remained to be seen.
Prax took a moment to inspect the child now that he was certain that it wasn’t going to be in any immediate danger, and he was slightly taken aback by its appearance. While the sheets covering its body were limiting in what he could see, Prax was able to determine that the youngling before him was humanoid in stature, although the finer details were definitely equine in nature. Its head was covered in a bright red mane that was tied in the back with a light pink bow, while the rest of its body was covered in a thin yellow-gold fur. The nose was more pronounced, a muzzle if he remembered the term correctly, and the eyes were absolutely huge compared to the rest of the face. A set of ears rested within the mane, large enough to be highly sensitive and probably omnidirectional given their location on the being’s head.
“Definitely one of the more aesthetically pleasing races I’ve met.” Prax whispered to himself, smiling down at the young equine, “Bet your parents are just as cute looking.”
He could sense the Force within the child before him, although he was surprised at how far towards the Light it was. Normally beings unfamiliar with the Force were more balanced between the Light and Dark sides, yet this child was so far into the Light he was actually beginning to wonder if it had been affected by the Children of the Light, and if it had, why the rest of the town hadn’t been assimilated into that repugnant excuse for an Order that plagued the Inner Systems. He was tempted to take the child and run some basic tests to ensure that it wasn’t under any effects that could prove problematic in the future, but he was interrupted by the sounds of wingbeats coming from outside.
Prax quietly walked over to the window and spotted a trio of what looked like winged adults flying over the building, each armed with what seemed to be swords and black metallic armor that covered about half of their bodies. Their wings were leathery, and their eyes were reflective in the moonlight, meaning they were most certainly nocturnal in nature, although Prax was unsure if they were the same species as the youngling behind him. Perhaps they were a subspecies, although Prax was pulled from his thoughts as one of the presumed soldiers paused in its flight and circled back towards the hospital.
Feeling that he had overstayed his welcome, Prax fell back to the front of the room, opening the door as silently as he could and making his way through the hallways towards the exit. The lights were mostly out, although as he made his way down a flight of stairs he found himself inside the lobby and discovered that he was not alone. Sitting at one of the desks, her hooves rested on the desk before her and her body leaned back in the chair she was seated in, was another of the adults, although this one lacked the wings and tufted ears that the others had sported. Her chest was pronounced like a human woman’s, and her body shape was very similar to that of a human woman, although the presence of white fur on her entire body and the bright pink mane and tail that hung down over her shoulder and hips dispelled that image to a certain extent.
Taking great care not to disturb the mare, for lack of a better term, Prax made his way to the front door and slipped outside, checking the sky for the soldiers before exposing himself completely. The last thing he needed was to get in contact with the locals before he was prepared.
Slipping through the town, now on full alert, he slipped through the side streets and kept to the shadows as much as he could, hoping to get away from the settlement without getting spotted. It took him several minutes, and with a few close calls as one or more of the soldiers flew over the rooftops of the village, before he was able to slip out past the small cottage and into the forest once again.
By the time he got back to the ship, Prax was beginning to get tired, even with his Force augmentation to help him keep going. Yet as he approached the shuttle, his senses picked up signs of life, and not the local fauna he had encountered before. Voices of various tones could be heard as he came up to the clearing that he had parked his shuttle in and was surprised to find more of those bat-winged equines walking all around and flying over sections of his ship. All were armed with swords and shields, although the armor seemed to be more for heavy engagement then the ones he had seen back in the village. One of them that stood next to the ship’s entrance hatch held up a hand and spoke into a glowing crystal. Her voice was a high, lilting tone, although the words were complete gibberish to Prax as a voice replied through what seemed to be a communicator of some sort.
“Well that kind of puts a hamper on my plans.” Prax muttered, although to his utter shock the ears of all six equines swiveled in his direction, their eyes widening and their stances shifting towards defensive forms as they turned to lock their gazes on Prax.
“Time to go.” Prax said as he turned and sprinted into the foliage, hearing one of the equines cry out a challenge as he raced into the plant life.
Slipping through vines and over rocky outcroppings, Prax felt confident he would be able to evade the locals, although now that they had found his ship things had just gotten more difficult. Without the communicators in the ship he wouldn’t be able to contact the other Jensaarai, let alone do anything about the locals with what little gear he had on him. Sure, he had his blaster and lightsaber, but he had a feeling sniping the local military wasn’t a good idea if he wanted to establish a peaceful relationship before taking care of the youngling.
With some difficulty, Prax was able to lose his pursuers, although there were several close calls where he had to use his Force abilities to hide his presence from them in order to avoid being detected. Finally, after several minutes of hiding and moving in a large circle, Prax was able to find his way back to the ship. The only problem, one of the soldiers had stayed behind and was guarding the loading ramp and was watching the edge of the forest like hawk. Her sword was drawn, and her shield was in the ready position, her body protected from the front and left side by the hunk of metal, although Prax was pretty sure his blaster could cut through the primitive armor without much difficulty.
Seeing no alternative, Prax walked out of the foliage and into the clearing, the eyes of the mare locking onto him in an instant. For a moment, it looked like she was going to call for help, but instead she walked up to him, keeping a close eye on his movements with her sword at the ready. Prax kept his hands at his sides and made no movements other than to follow the mare with his eyes as she walked around him and to his left.
Hoping to avoid anything unfortunate, Prax slowly turned to face the mare, noting that her fur was a dark grey in color while her tail was a light silver-blue. Her eyes were the same golden slits that all of her kind seemed to have, and her armor was indeed black metal of some kind. The sword in her grip was held in a firm but easy grip, and the shield on her left arm was held between them like it was her only line of defense.
Prax slowly walked up to the mare, his arms held wide in a placating manner, her eyes following his movements as he approached her. Suddenly, Prax lunged forward using his Force-enhanced speed to strike the mare right under the chin with a duo of fingertips. The mare barely had time to yelp in shock before her eyes rolled up in the back of her head, her sword and shield falling to the ground as she slumped forward.
Prax let the mare fall into his arms before lifting her up bridal style as he carried her back over to the ship, noting that she was surprisingly light for her size and the armor she was wearing. Feeling it would be best if he didn’t bring a possibly hostile alien onto his ship, he left her on the grass beside the landing gear and opened the hatch, walking into the ship before locking the hatch behind him.
Finally taking a breath, Prax walked into the communication section of the ship, noting that the array was active and seemed to be picking up a signal from somewhere. After fiddling with the controls on the console for a bit, he was able to locate the source of the signal, and in all honesty, it was rather surprising. Instead of picking up radio signals like it was supposed to, the array seemed to be picking up radiation coming from the outside, although instead of being constant like if there had been a solar flare, it was pulsing and ebbing at irregular intervals as if it were some kind of signal.
Not sure what to make of it, Prax set the array to record and then set the substation aside so that he could operate the normal communications systems. Getting the array fully powered up, Prax sent out a signal towards Jen-Saarinos, hoping to get into contact with the others before the locals sent in reinforcements.
The holo-projector came alive with the image of the Master, the middle-aged human nodding to Prax as he glanced around the communications room, “So Prax, off on another adventure, are we?”
Prax couldn’t help but smile, the Master’s dry humor had always been a favorite of his, “Yep, and you’ll never guess where I’m at this time.”
The Master shook his head, “You know I don’t make it a habit to ask where you Wanderers end up, although from what I can sense you’ve become a Seeker once more.”
Prax nodded, “Yes sir, and I’ve run into a bit of a snag. From what I’ve gathered from the locals thus far, they aren’t much more than industrial level tech, and they already found my ship. I did manage to find the child I was sent here to locate, but with the locals on to my presence, I’m not sure I can get to her without making the natives upset with me.”
“Have you tried talking with them to see if they can be persuaded to listen?” The Master asked, “Do they not speak Galactic Common?”
Prax shook his head, “Not from what I can tell. The language barrier is going to be an issue, but I’m more worried about what might happen to the child if we don’t get to her soon. Force powers that haven’t been trained can be explosive if left unchecked, so it’s imperative that we help the child learn to control her powers as soon as possible.”
The Master nodded, “Indeed, but right now I think discretion might be the better part of valor. I think it would be best if you retreated so you can continue observing the locals without being under surveillance from the government. We need to know more about how this society works before we can move forward with training the child. Take your ship and hide it somewhere the locals won’t find it, then observe the child from afar and make sure it stays alive until you can make formal contact.”
“And if they find me again and I can’t get away?” Prax prompted.
“Then you will do everything in your power to make a good impression.” The Master replied, “At all costs, you must ensure that the presence of the Jensaarai is not taken as a threat to the local population, in the case that we must return to that planet after your task is complete.”
Prax bowed his head, “Understood, Master. I will do as you ask and hide my presence until I have a better understanding of the situation.”
The Master nodded, the holo-projector shutting down as Prax turned to the cockpit and began powering up the engines. As the ship began warming up, he saw the shadows of the other soldiers flying up from the woods and back towards the clearing. Hoping to avoid being followed, Prax shot the engines up to full power, rotating the wings to their upright position as he climbed in altitude. As he flew into the sky, Prax could see the soldiers following him into the air, although he quickly left them behind as he kicked the ship up to speed. As he flew up and into the upper atmosphere, he thought about what he could do in order to be close to the child without being spotted again. The closest thing he had to a plan would be to circle around the planet and then come in from the opposite side of the forest.
With no other course of action, he powered into space before slingshotting around the planet and then coming in from the eastern horizon, using the rising sun to hide his approach as he came down in another clearing further into the forest. After rotating the wings for landing, he powered down the engines and let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he had barely avoided getting into trouble with the authorities. However, now that he was once again settled into a secure location, he had to figure out what to do concerning the child. He couldn’t simply follow the child everywhere she went, but if the Master was to be believed, along with his own experience, time was of the essence. With every passing day, the child’s power would grow until it reached a breaking point, surging through the child and the surroundings, destroying everything and everyone in the near vicinity. Entire cities had been destroyed by children of the Force in the past, and from what he had seen of this world so far, they had no idea what was coming. Time was running out, and if he couldn’t figure out what to do soon, their might not be a child left to train, or a town to live in.
As the shining morning star reflected off the hull of the shuttle, Prax walked out of the ship and made his way to the edge of the village once again, hoping and preying that by the time he came up with a plan, time hadn’t run out. He could see several soldiers walking the paths of the town, their gold and white armor in sharp contrast to the black armor of the others he had run into. These soldiers also seemed to be mostly male, while the ones he had run into previously were mostly female. He could also see other natives walking about in normal garb, and they seemed to come in almost every color of the rainbow. They ranged from bright pink to dark brown, and everything in between.
Prax couldn’t tell if he would be able to slip into the town unnoticed, but he had a slight feeling that he could at least get a good view of the hospital if he wound his way around to the north side of the village. Now if only he could get around the soldiers and villagers without being seen.
“Why do these things always seem to happen to me?” Prax asked himself, wishing that for once the Force would send him on an easy mission. “Oh well, that’s the way fragging cookie crumbles.”
Now if only he could figure out what to do from here.
Author's Note
Well, here's the second chapter of my new story. Please leave a like or comment if you wish, follow me if you so desire, and I hope you enjoy the book as it continues from here.
Anyways, hope to see you all next chapter,
The first thing Applebloom became aware of was the beeping sound of her heart monitor as her mind slowly came back to the land of the waking. The next thing she felt was that she had been changed into one of those flimsy hospital gowns and was covered with what was most likely the bedsheet, although she could feel something wrapped around her shoulder and neck as she opened her eyes and looked around the room. All and all it was a standard hospital room with a table next to her bedside with all the trimmings a patient could need, including that annoying heart monitor that was hooked up to her chest with a trio of wires. An I.V. was attached to her left arm just above the wrist, and a quick look at her shoulder revealed it had been heavily wrapped in gauze and medical tape. Using her other hand, she felt along her neck and found more of the gauze wrapped around her throat where the Timberwolf had bitten her, although for the life of her she couldn’t remember exactly what had happened after she got back to the farm. The last thing she could remember was Applejack talking to her, and then, nothing.
Speaking of her older sister, a second look around the room revealed said mare was sitting in a chair against the far wall, her Stetson pulled down over her face as she slept, her arms crossed under her chest and her denim jacket hung on the back of the chair next to her. Applebloom opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the door opening, revealing the brown fur and bright blue eyes of Dr. Tenderhoof. The unicorn took a glance at the chart in his hands before walking into the room proper, his gaze landing on Applebloom’s for a moment before his mouth split into a smile.
“Nice to see you awake.” He said as he walked up and shined a flashlight in her eyes one after the other, “We were worried you had lost too much blood and wouldn’t be able to recover. Your sister wanted to give you a blood transfusion, but we were able to get you stable before that was needed.”
Applebloom nodded, her gaze traveling over to her sister as the orange mare stirred from her slumber. As she lifted her hat brim and spotted Applebloom awake, her emerald eyes lit up with happiness and before anypony could react, Applebloom felt herself being nearly crushed in her sister’s arms as the older mare gave her a nearly bone-breaking hug around her middle.
“Ah was so worried you weren’t going to wake up.” Applejack said into Applebloom’s chest, “Granny and Big Mac said ya were goin’ to be fine, but they didn’t see ya when ya walked back to the farm, all covered in blood and nearly trippin’ over yer own hooves.” She looked up and met Applebloom’s gaze, her eyes brimming with tears as she sniffed heavily, “Ah was sure we were goin’ ta lose ya, just like we lost ma and pa back when you were little.” Her grip tightened slightly, nearly causing Applebloom to wince as the larger mare’s face grew hard, “Don’t you ever go runnin’ off like that again, or Ah swear Ah’ll tan yer hide like a rattlesnake in the desert on a hot summer’s day and then hogtie you to yer bedpost. Do ya’ll hear me?”
Applebloom quickly nodded her head, her eyes wide with fright, not because of her sister’s threat, but because of the true and vibrant fear she could see in her sister’s eyes. Applejack had been scared, scared of losing her. Applejack wasn’t scared of anything, not ever, not even when she had to go and face down that big dragon that was smoking over the whole town all those years ago. No, Applejack wasn’t scared of anything. And yet here her sister was, on the verge of tears at the though of losing her to a pack of Timberwolves. It was a sobering thought, and in that moment, Applebloom knew that no matter what happened, she would never make her sister feel that kind of fear ever again for as long as she lived.
“Ah understand sis.” She said softly as she wrapped her good arm around her sister’s shoulders, “Ah promise never to run away again. Ah just thought that if you could go off on an adventure to find yerself when you were mah age, then why couldn’t Ah do the same?”
Applejack pulled away and sat on the edge of the bed, allowing Dr. Tenderhoof to examine Applebloom’s shoulder and neck as he carefully cut away the tape and gauze, “Thank ya, Applebloom. It does mah heart good to know ya won’t go runnin’ off again like that.” She glanced over at the doctor as he pulled the first swab of gauze off of Applebloom’s shoulder, “How she doin’, doc?”
“We’ll know more in just a moment,” he replied as he watched his handiwork carefully, “I just need to make sure the healing salve is taking full effect before we can send your sister home.”
Applebloom watched with rapt attention as the final layer of gauze was pulled away, revealing something that made all three ponies gasp in sock. Underneath the gauze, where there had once been a huge bite mark, was nothing more than smooth fur and unmarked skin. Applebloom’s eyes widened in wonder as she slowly moved a hand up to touch the area, finding to her complete surprise that there was absolutely no pain when she pressed into her own flesh with her fingertips.
“This is impossible.” Tenderhoof said as he carefully examined Applebloom’s shoulder with his light blue magic, “We didn’t administer any healing spells to her shoulder. The healing salve should have simply stopped any infection from taking root and helped to prevent further tissue damage. She should still have a huge wound here, on top of the fact that it would never have healed without leaving some kind of scar.” He stood up straight and looked down at Applebloom with a questioning stare, “Did you do anything before your sister brought you here to help heal your wounds?”
Applebloom shook her head, her eyes flickering between the doctor and her sister, “No, Ah just walked back to mah house and then sis brought me here, or at least I think that’s what happened. Mah memory is kind of fuzzy from that point on.”
Tenderhoof nodded, “Ah, I see, amnesia caused by the loss of blood.” He turned to Applejack before speaking his next words, “Then I must ask you the same question, Ms. Apple. Did you administer any kind of aid to your sister before bringing her here?”
AJ shook her head, “No sir, Ah brought her right here as quick as I could once I saw what had happened to her. Speaking of which,” she turned her attention back to Applebloom, making the younger mare shrink under her sister’s penetrating gaze, “somethin’ ain’t addin’ up about what ya told me when ya got back to the farm. Ya said you were attacked by Timberwolves, and yet you managed to get away without being killed, and somehow got all the way back to the farm without them following you. Care to explain how that happened?”
Applebloom felt the world come to a standstill, mostly because she had no idea what she was supposed to do next.Sure, she could tell them the truth, but who would believe her? Tartarus, she barely believed it herself and that was taking into account that she was there. Then again, Applejack could smell a lie a mile away, so she was sure to call her out on it if she fibbed. Yet she had no idea what else to do so after taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and spoke.
“Ah was walking out of the Whitetail woods when they showed up,” she said slowly, trying to keep to the truth as much as possible, “there were about six of them, maybe seven, Ah’m not entirely sure. They surrounded me and then one of them tackled me to the ground, biting mah shoulder before going after mah neck.” One of her hands moved to her throat as the memory of the Timberwolf’s fangs came rushing back to the forefront of her mind, “Ah couldn’t breathe, and the world was goin’ dark, when all of a sudden there was this huge roar. Ah don’t remember much after that, but it had to be a Manticore or something, because the wolf let me go and the pack ran back into the forest before I could even move. I could hear them fighting with something inside the forest, so I got up and ran back to the farm as fast as mah hooves would take me.” She looked up and focused her gaze on the doctor, hoping to avoid her sister’s eyes for as long as possible, “The rest ya’ll already know from Applejack’s side of things.”
One of Applejack’s eyebrows rose up in a questioning manner as she placed her hands on her hips, although she neglected to call Applebloom out on her fabrication as Tenderhoof walked up and placed a caring hand on her healed shoulder, “Well then I’d say you are one very lucky filly to make it out of that situation alive.” He glanced over his shoulder at Applejack, “I am comfortable letting her go home as long as she takes it easy for the next couple of days, just to make sure her shoulder and neck fully heal before she does anything strenuous. Are you comfortable with that, Ms. Apple?”
Applejack nodded, “Yes sir. Ah’ll make sure she gets plenty of rest once we get back to the farm.” She fixed Applebloom with a look that said under no uncertain terms was she off the hook just yet. “Ah think we could all use a break after yesterday’s excitement.”
Applebloom gulped as she stood up and grabbed her clothing from the bedside table, letting the doctor leave the room before pulling on her shirt, jeans and tying her signature ribbon into her mane. Applejack led her out of the door and down the hall, a firm grip on the filly’s shoulder telling her that she wasn’t going anywhere. After some paperwork and a few bits as fee, Applebloom found herself being led down the streets of Ponyville and back to Sweet Apple Acres, where she was certain a grilling from her older sister was sure to await her.
By the time the duo got back to the farm, Applebloom was nearly sweating bricks, and it only got worse when Applejack steered her away from the house and to the barn. She was ungraciously shoved into the barn and the door was firmly shut behind them, effectively locking them inside as Applejack fixed her with a withering glare.
“Ya’ll want to explain what kind of horse apples ya’ll were spittin back at the hospital?” Applejack’s tone made it abundantly clear that Applebloom was in for it if she so much as tried to weasel her way out of this conversation, “Because Ah’ve heard more convincing lies coming from Fluttershy on a bad day, and that’s assuming she could even get it out of her mouth to tell it. Now explain exactly what happened when you were attacked, or so help me Ah’m going to get Granny in here and she’ll be the one to talk to ya.”
Applebloom faltered at the mention of the Apple matriarch. One thing she knew, if the grilling she was going to get from her sister was bad enough, Celestia help her if her grandmother got wind of her tellin lies. A verbal lashing would be the least of her worries, and she could barely imagine the punishments Granny could come up with if she put her mind to it. So, left with no other choice, she told the truth, or at least an edited version of it.
“Alright, Ah’ll tell ya the truth,” Applebloom said as she waved her hands about in front of her like a shield, “no need ta get Granny involved in this.” She let out a gusty sigh before continuing, her arms falling to her sides as she spoke, “Ah don’t really know what happened, only that when that Timberwolf had me by the neck, there was this force that just seemed to pick them up and throw them like ya got a good buck in against their muzzles. No, it was more like a hundred of yer bucks hitting 'em all at once. The one holding me got thrown against the trees of the Everfree and was turned into splinters, and then a second wave of that force pushed the rest of them into the trees as well. Just like that, an entire pack of Timberwolves, gone.”
Applebloom kept her eyes locked with her sister’s the entire time, hoping that Applejack wouldn’t sniff out her alteration of the truth. The older Apple sibling stared her down for a moment, her eyebrow raised in disbelief for several seconds before she let out a sigh of her own, “Alright, Ah believe ya. Ah don’t rightly know what could have caused something like that, but I can tell yer tellin the truth, much as I don’t want to believe it.” She walked past Applebloom and opened the barn door, allowing the midday sunlight to shine in through the opening, “Go on and get out of here before Ah decide to keep ya in the house for the rest of the week.”
Applebloom grinned wide as she ran past her sister, barely paying attention as the orange mare called after her, “And don’t go running off into the forest again unless ya take somepony with ya! Ah don’t want to hear about ya’ll getting into trouble again or Ah’ll tan yer hide worse than a sunbathing rattlesnake!”
Applebloom ran off into the orchard, hoping to get some time to herself so that she could figure out what that crazy power was that she had felt when she pushed the Timberwolves away from herself. She had no idea what kind of magic could be at work inside her, but she thought it would be best to work away from anypony else until she got a handle on things. Last thing she wanted to do was hurt somepony by pushing them into a tree at pegasus flight speeds. And yet, as she raced off into the rows of apple trees, she was unaware that she was being followed, the hooded figure pausing for a moment at the edge of the farm to glance over its shoulder at the shrinking form of Applejack.
Neither mare knew it, but the figure had been following them from the time they left the hospital, and had overheard the entire conversation, even though Equish was not a language it understood. It took a second look to make sure that Applejack wasn’t going to follow her younger sibling, and then raced off into the orchard after Applebloom, its silent footsteps barely making an imprint in the soft dirt as it ghosted between the orderly rows of trees.
Prax Solaris knew one thing as he fell into a long-strided lope that would catch up with the youngling at a rapid pace, and that was that he wasn’t going to let his charge out of his sight until he could figure a way around the language barrier, never mind the idea of playing diplomat for the galaxy at large. He sighed as he followed the youngling at a distance, making sure to keep his Force Stealth ability active to avoid being detected. If here was one thing he knew, it was that Force sensitives were much more attuned to the areas around then than normal beings of their race, and after his encounter with the black guard and their super hearing, he wasn’t taking any chances.
The young equine kept going until she made it to the edge of the orchard, the wooden fence the only thing acting as a barrier between the dark forest he had landed in and the neat rows of fruit trees the youngling’s family owned. He had assumed that the adult from earlier was the youngling’s mother, if the way she scolded the small mare was anything to go by, although when he had looked around the farm to try and find more clues as to who his charge was, he found that the only other residents of the farm were a large red stallion and an aging green mare, whom he assumed was either an elder of the family or some other such relation. Yet the idea of three beings taking care of such a vast orchard, especially if the stallion was anything to base the others off of, was enough to frazzle his mind.
He had spotted the red equine kicking the fruit right out of the trees on the northern side of the orchard, and then picking up what had to be several kilos of fruit with seemingly little effort. He shuddered to think what would happen if one of them got a hold of him with that kind of strength. Flight and super hearing he could deal with, at least on the short term. Superior endurance and strength, not so much, especially if the entire village had the same abilities.
Prax shook his head to clear it as he fell in behind one of the trees, a few rows to the left of the youngling a she began to wave her arms around in seemingly random directions. At first Prax thought she was simply performing some kind of dance, but as he payed closer attention, he noticed that she seemed to be trying to push something away from her with her hands.
His eyes widened as he realized that the youngling was attempting to perform a Force push, “Well I’ll be. I never though I would see the day that a youngling would try to self-teach themselves in the Force. Then again, most younglings are far too young to do anything like that by the time we find them and bring them back to the Temples for training.” He grinned as the filly threw her head back and groaned in what he assumed was frustration, “Not so easy is it little one? Well, I guess I can’t really blame you for not getting it on the first try. Took me almost a month just to sense my own powers when I first started my training.”
For several hours Prax watched the filly try every possible body motion she could think of, and some he had never thought to try, in order to get a reaction out of her powers, yet it all ended in vain as she flopped onto her back and lay in the dirt, panting as she wiped the sweat off of her brow. Prax smirked as he stood up, taking a moment to scan his surroundings for the tenth time to make sure he wasn’t being snuck up on by any of the other family members. The last thing he needed was that big stallion splitting him in half with one of his kicks.
As Prax returned his attention to the youngling, he noticed that she was standing up again, this time turning towards the dark forest that bordered the farm’s land. She seemed to steel herself for a moment before walking into the forest, forcing Prax to quickly follow or risk losing her in the thick foliage. His nervous reflex was quickly soothed as he spotted the filly on a well-established trail, leading further into the woods as he followed behind. He wondered what the filly could possibly be doing in here after getting a scolding from her mother for probably doing something just as risky. He could sense larger predators in the area, although for some reason they stayed away from the path, almost like they were being repelled by something.
As the duo ventured further into the forest, Prax spotted small vials and other totems hanging from the trees along the path, all leading up to a massive tree at the far side of a small clearing. The tree was marked with all manner of archaic masks and other trinkets, the vials and totems littering the edge of the clearing like glowing fence posts. Prax stopped at the edge of the clearing, watching as the filly walked all the way up to what seemed to be a door built right into the tree, her hand knocking on the wood three times before she pushed it open and walked in.
Making his way over to one of the windows, Prax glanced inside and widened his eyes in surprise at what he saw. A massive cauldron took up the majority of the room he spied upon, more masks and all manner of flasks and jars taking up almost every available space in the tree hut. And yet, that was all underplayed by the being who was currently stirring the bubbling green concoction. Her clothing was minimalistic and seemed to be made from animal skins instead of the cloth the other natives wore, along with several gold rings that wrapped around her neck and left wrist. Her fur was mostly dark grey with deep black stripes and her mane was done up in a wild mohawk that nearly touched the hut’s ceiling when she stood up fully. Had Prax not known any better, he would have thought he had stumbled into a remnant of the old Night Sisters coven, if the shamanistic setting was anything to go by.
“So, the little one sought out help from the local shaman instead of revealing it to her family,” Prax mused to himself, “interesting. Then again, given how remote this system is, the likelihood of there having been another Force sensitive and it not having caught the attention of at least one of the Orders would be next to impossible.” His face fell slightly as the filly waved her arms about in animated gestures, the strange mare only nodding every once and a while with a perfectly straight face, “Poor kid, she must be scared out of her mind, not knowing what kind of power she has inside her and no one to ask for help.”
The striped mare finally spoke, her voice archaic and rhythmic to Prax’s ears as she walked over to the far wall and picked up a long wooden staff that had large golden rings attached to either end. She flipped it around a few times in what looked to be practiced ease, then slipped in into a sling over her back before turning to the filly. With a flick of her head, she walked over to the door and walked out into the clearing, his charge following eagerly with a wide grin on her face as the duo walked off into the forest, away from the village.
“Now where are you off to now?” Prax asked himself as he followed the pair, stopping just at the edge of a small clearing as the duo continued up to the edge of a small pond. The water was crystal clear and perfectly smooth, creating a perfect mirror image of the forest beyond as the larger mare turned to the filly with a soft smile.
The striped adult sat down and crossed her legs in a manner that reminded Prax of his own meditation sessions in the Temple of the Soul, the filly taking a similar position after a moment’s hesitation. Both closed their eyes as the shaman began to chant softly, her voice taking on an almost ethereal quality as the two slowly slipped into a meditative state. Prax’s eyes widened as he began to sense the Force rising inside the filly’s body, even though he was getting nothing from the shaman. Before long, the stones and small twigs around the duo began to lift off the ground, and the shaman smiled as she opened one eye to see what was happening. The filly kept her eyes firmly closed as the shaman’s words continued, slowly picking up speed as their bodies very slowly began to rise off the ground. Prax’s eyes widened further in shock as the filly performed one of the more advanced meditation techniques on her first try, although he was pulled out of his stupor when he realized that he was losing his grip on his Force Stealth. He quickly reaffirmed his concentration and focused back on the levitating duo, listening in just in time to hear the older mare speak in a soft and comforting tone.
The filly opened her eyes and seemed confused for a moment, her eyes taking in the floating sticks and rocks with wonder before her gaze eventually turned toward the ground. Her eyes widened in fright and she screamed as she flailed about in the air, the collection of rocks and twigs dropping to the ground as the duo followed suit. The mare simply unfolded her legs and landed perfectly on her hooves, while the filly landed flat on her rump with a grunt, rolling onto her back before immediately jumping to her own hooves. Her eyes were wide with fright and it took a moment and several comforting words from the shaman before she calmed down.
Prax could feel the Force running through the youngling in much greater quantities now, along with there now being a direct flow that matched the filly’s emotions as she slowly brought herself back to a calm state. Prax could barely believe it, had he not seen it with his own eyes, but a non-Force user had just initiated a Force-wielder’s training on the first try, and with no experience with anything like it on the planet to use as a guide. To say Prax was impressed would have been the understatement of the century.
Yet, as the filly slowly lifted her hands to her face, her eyes wide with wonder as she closed her fingers into fists and opened them again, he knew that it was for the best. Any training and control the filly could use before he brought her to the Temples for training would be a blessing, not to mention it would allow him to make his case to the locals a bit easier if the youngling knew at least some of what was going on with her powers. Not to say she wasn’t still in danger, but at least now he had a bit more time to work with before it came down to the wire. He walked a bit further into the forest as the duo began to walk back to the hut, letting his Force Stealth drop for a moment to regain his strength. Keeping his abilities powered up like that for long periods wasn’t impossible, but it was certainly draining to keep his presence hidden for such extended lengths.
Now if he could just figure out how to break the language barrier and he would be golden.
Applebloom wasn’t really sure what to think as she followed Zecora back to her hut. She felt somewhat better that she had finally discovered how to access her new abilities, at least to a certain extent, but it still left her wondering exactly what this new power was. It wasn’t magic, that was for sure, at least not any kind of magic that she was familiar with, Zecora either for that matter. It was certainly a mystery, and one that made her extremely nervous should anypony else find out about her abilities. She wasn’t sure what her family would say if they discovered she could use strange magic, let alone what the unicorns up in Canterlot would do once they got word of it. At the very least they might try and study her, at worst she might be experimented on, or driven from her home because she was different. She was already an outcast in part because of her lack of a cutie mark, she shuddered to think what it would be like to be driven from her home and family because ponies feared what she could do.
“Do not fret young Applebloom,” Zecora said softly as she placed a hand on her shoulder, “this new power will not spell your doom. Trust in your friends and take heed of my advice, because power is not defined by its strength, but by deeds and sacrifice. You are never alone in life, be it in times of good or those of strife.” She stepped in front of Applebloom and tilted her head up with one hand under her chin, “Stand strong and proud, and do your fellow pony well, because you are more than just some new magic spell.”
Applebloom nodded as Zecora released her, falling in step behind the zebra as they came back to Zecora’s hut. She paused for a moment as she stood in front of the hut’s door, feeling something at the back of her mind, something that wanted to grab her attention but was just a little too weak to fully drag her out of her focus. Applebloom turned her head towards the forest at the far side of the clearing, her mind pulling at her senses as she tried to figure out what her heart was trying to tell her. At first, she couldn’t see anything, but as she followed the sensation further, she thought she saw something waiting just outside the sunlight that broke through the canopy.
She took a hesitant step closer, feeling drawn towards the dark figure as if it was calling her name, “Hello? Anypony there?”
The dark figure seemed to not have heard her, but just as she took another step, it jerked to one side and raced further into the darkness. Applebloom felt the presence in her mind traveling further away before fading from her senses like mist. Yet, even with its presence diminished, she could still tell at least the general direction it had gone.
“Ah’ll be right back, Zecora,” she called out as she started walking in the direction the figure had gone, “Ah think Ah saw something in the forest.”
Before Zecora could reply, Applebloom raced into the wood, following the dim echo in her mind as she tried to figure out what the figure could have been. It was too tall to be a pony, yet it didn’t seem to be a monster of any kind she had heard of before. So, against her better judgement, she ventured further into the darkness as the vines tangled around her legs and snagged against her clothing. Yet the tug in the back of her mind seemed to grow stronger as she went further, almost as if the figure was calling to her as she picked up her pace and began running as fast as the brush would allow.
For what seemed like an hour and yet no time at all, Applebloom ran through the forest’s dark recesses. She felt the tug in her mind growing stronger with each step, and then all at once it vanished like the morning mist. Before she could even think about slowing down, she came crashing out of the brush and into a clearing, where a massive manticore stood as if it had been waiting for her all along.
Applebloom screamed as the lion hybrid roared at her, her legs back-peddling as she fell onto her rump and slid back until her back was pressed against one of the trees that ringed the clearing. She cowered against the trunk as the monstrous creature slowly prowled closer to her. All she could imagine was her sister’s tear-stained face when she got the news that she had perished in the Everfree, her body torn to bits by a monster. Yet as the feline drew closer, she felt the presence flare into being again, directly to her left as the shadowy figure raced out of the forest and placed itself between her and the manticore. Her eyes widened in shock as the robed being came to a stop, its supernatural speed having brought it to a halt almost faster than her eyes could see. Its head was covered by a hood, the grey cloak covering its body all the way down to the lower leg, leaving its oddly-shaped hooves open to the air as it faced down the manticore.
The large monster tilted its head to the side, as if confused by the figure keeping it from lunging at the helpless filly before it. For a moment it seemed like the creature would simply leave, but then it roared and flared its wings as its scorpion tail lashed back and forth behind it.
The being’s robes billowed for a moment as it pulled something free, an oddly-shaped device that looked like a dart blower fused with a crossbow, although much smaller and made completely of metal. The being pointed it at the manticore, a trio of red bolts flaring into being for a moment as the weapon discharged with a loud pew sound. The charged bolts of energy impacted the manticore square in the chest, the fur sizzling as the flesh and hair burned under the intense heat.
At first Applebloom thought the being had actually hurt the manticore, but as she got a closer look, she saw that the bolts hadn’t penetrated the skin, instead leaving bright red burns that seemed to do little more than irritate the monster. It roared once more, taking a swipe that was aimed at removing the being’s head from its shoulders with one powerful paw. Yet the being seemed to move as if it was made of water, flowing around the strike like it wasn’t even there as the paw’s momentum swung the manticore around like a top. The beast stumbled for a moment before turning back to face them, its teeth bared in challenge as it swung its tail high, preparing to sting the being and deliver a dose of deadly poison.
Applebloom cried out a warning, but the figure seemed to be one step ahead of her. It let out what sounded like a deep growl before it pulled something else out from its robes, the silver cylinder fitting snuggly in its gloved hand before igniting with a crack-hiss . A long golden blade erupted from the end of the cylinder as the manticore’s tail came whipping down like a hammer.
As the manticore’s tail came down, the being took the glowing blade and swung it like a sword, cutting the end of the tail off with barely any effort as the heat cauterized the wound. The manticore roared in pain and fury as the end of its tail fell to the forest floor with a thud. It took several steps back as it curled its tail under its body, its teeth now bared in a threat as it slowly began to back away.
The being held its blade between it and the manticore, waving it with a whoosh sound as it swung back and forth in slow arcs. The manticore watched the blade like it was a lantern in the night, its eyes narrowed in fury as it followed the blade’s motion with its head and ears.
Prax felt like his heart was going to beat itself out of his chest. Here he was, staring down a blaster-proof monster in order to protect his charge from certain death, with the only thing keeping them alive and out of that thing’s belly held in his shaking hands. The lion creature hissed as it stepped closer to them again, its paws clicking as its claws dug into the ground and scraped against the stones that littered the clearing’s dirt and grass. Prax raised his blade and stepped closer to the creature, trying to draw it away from the filly. It followed his motion for a moment, before turning its attention back to the youngling and taking a step in her direction.
“Oh no you don’t.” Prax growled as he stepped back between the feline and the filly, “Not on my watch.”
Without any warning, the monster dove forward, its claws extended as it tried to bowl him over and knock him to the ground. Prax swung his lightsaber in an attempt to stop it, but as his blade dug into the creature’s flesh, its claws slashed into his robes, cutting them to ribbons as his blade carved into its midsection.
The weight of the creature’s body fell completely on top of him, driving his blade into its body all the way to the hilt as his body was pressed into the ground and pinned in place. He grunted as its weight settled on top of him, forcing the air from his lungs as he rolled its body to the side. He grunted as he pushed the dead mass off of his thinner frame, using a bit of Force assistance to get some extra power as the feline’s body settled to the forest floor.
Prax slowly stood up, his robes falling to the ground in tatters as he deactivated his saber, his attention drawn back to the filly as he heard a loud gasp coming from her mouth. He turned his full attention her way, taking in her wide eyes as her gaze travelled up and down his body, stopping several times on his weapons as he stood up to his full height. With little choice now that his cover had been blown, he gave his best smile and slowly lowered his saber, attaching it to his belt again as he slowly raised his hands in a placating gesture.
“It’s alright, little one,” he said in a soothing tone, “I’m not going to hurt you. Are you alright?”
The filly’s expression changed from wonder to confusion, and Prax berated himself for forgetting the language barrier, his arms falling limp at his sides as a sigh escaped his lips, “Frelling language mix-up. Why couldn’t I have landed on a planet where the natives spoke Galactic Common?”
He turned his attention back to the child as she slowly stood up, her back still pressed to the tree as she looked up and met his gaze. For a moment her gaze met his, and then her lips pulled back into a wide smile. Before Prax could react, her arms wrapped around his middle, forcing the air from his lungs again as her arms squeezed him like a vice.
He patted her on the back for a moment before she pulled back, his voice slightly groggy as he spoke, “You might not understand me, but I guess there are some things that are universal.”
The filly’s voice started going a mile a minute as she started pulling him back the way they had come, her grip so tight on his fingers it nearly cut off the circulation. Prax was tempted to try and stop her from dragging him back to the village, but without any idea as to how he was going to break the language barrier, he figured it would be best to go along with her instead of letting her go back alone. Karabast, he knew she wouldn’t be able to make it back by herself.
As Prax was dragged back through the forest and out into the grassland that separated the woods from the village, he had one last moment of hesitation, remembering the warnings of the Master from their earlier communications. As far as they knew, there had never been any kind of connection between this world and the galaxy at large, and if his own feelings were anything to go on, there hadn’t ever been another Force-wielder either. Then again, unless he could get past the language barrier that was preventing him from talking to the natives, there wasn’t any way he could ever explain to them how and why he had come to this planet in the first place.
As they entered the village proper and walked down the main street, he could feel the eyes of all the natives on his back, especially the guards in gold armor as they began to collect a following. The little filly seemed completely unaffected by the attention and directed him up to what looked like a house built directly into a large oak tree. Before he could react in any way, the door to the tree house opened, revealing a bright purple mare that sported both a pair of wings and a long horn that sprouted from her forehead. She was dressed in a dark brown vest over a dark blue shirt, her legs and hips covered in a pleated black and dark blue skirt. Her lower legs were covered in black socks that went up to her knees, and a pair of purple reading glasses were perched on the midsection of her muzzle.
The older mare’s eyes widened in what had to be shock as she looked Prax up and down. Prax felt like a bit of a lab exhibit as the winged unicorn seemed to have a slight aneurism, her wings snapping wide open and her mouth running almost as fast as the filly’s had when they were back in the forest as she battered the filly with questions. Getting a rather rushed reply from the filly, the mare turned back to Prax, looking him up and down once more before stepping aside, allowing them to enter the strange abode.
As the mare led them into what looked like the foyer of a library, Prax noticed that a duo of the guards had followed them inside. His senses immediately went on high alert, and he kept a hand near his blaster just in case they got aggressive. The filly seemed to be friendly enough, but these adults could very well be a different story. Plus, they had some very strange abilities indeed, if the glowing aura that the lavender mare’s horn was giving off was any indication. A collection of books, paper, quills and feather pens floated around her in a halo of knowledge as she muttered to herself at a rapid pace.
Prax sat down on one of the couches, feeling rather comfortable in the apparent library as he looked about the place in interest. It was rare to see paper books nowadays when most information was stored on data chips and computer banks. The filly sat down next to him, leaning against his side as she watched the older mare rush about like a frantic bird. The guards had taken up posts next to the door, effectively blocking his only way out unless he wanted to climb out a window. The winged unicorn came back soon after he took a seat, trailing a large collection of books as they levitated along next to her head. She sat down on the chair opposite him as the books came to a stop on the table between them, her hands busy with a scroll and quill as she latched her gaze onto him.
She rattled off a string of words that meant absolutely nothing to Prax, and he shook his head after she stopped, bracing himself for the long haul, “I can’t understand you. I’m sorry, but perhaps we can try to come to an understanding some other way.”
The mare’s eyes narrowed in frustration before her horn ignited again, this time forming a ball of purple energy between them as she placed her hand into the ball. For a moment, Prax hesitated, remembering some of the stories of the old Night Sisters and their magics. When the mare made a motion for him to do the same, he hesitated for a moment before gently placing his hand inside the sphere. He could feel the gentle pulse of energy as it flowed between them, and in an instant, he understood. Words and meanings that he never knew before suddenly appeared in his mind, and as he pulled his hand out of the bubble, he realized what the mare had been doing.
The mare smiled as she opened her mouth, the words escaping her lips somehow being completely understandable even though it was still far from anything he had ever heard before, “My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle, it’s nice to meet you. Welcome to Equestria, or the town of Ponyville, to be precise.”
Prax sat back and rubbed his hand down his face, letting out a sigh of exasperation as he turned his gaze back to the apparent princess before him, “And here I thought the language barrier was going to be an issue.”
Author's Note
Well another one in the books, as the saying goes. This one was more my usual speed when it comes to length, so expect something more alike to this from now on when it comes to word count. Hope you guys are enjoying the book so far, and I hope to see more of you enjoying my work in the future. As always, leave a like, fav or follow if you so desire, and I look forward to hearing from you all in the towel section below.
As always, I'll see you all next chapter,
