//-------------------------------------------------------// A Tale of Sith -by StardustSprinkle- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prelude: A Beginning of the End //-------------------------------------------------------// Prelude: A Beginning of the End A long time ago, a Sith landed on a remote planet to hide from the powerful Jedi. This planet is thriving with life and give birth to many force sensitives. Among the people, the dark lord of Sith picked a young girl as her student and gave her the name: Darth Vicus. Where there is no laser beam, they trained in the rain. Every droplet of water on her skin will result in a shock of lighting. Every once in a while, her master will beat Vicus to the brink of death and leave her in the wild. The two will engage in violent duels, and failures will result in harsh punishments. With each test, Vicus will emerge more powerful than before and eventually suppressed her master. Instead of killing her master and take the title of Sith Lord, Vicus followed her master around as a form of payment for the knowledge she has learned. However, a Jedi Knight named Luna located the planet. The Council blocked the planet and sent in teams of robots and Jedi to hunt down the Sith. After countless failures and much damage being down on the planet and its' residents, the Council haunted the assault but kept the blockade up. Unable to escape, the Sith Master sought to enslave the people and bend them to her will. Enraged by her master's greed, Vicus drew strength from the Dark Side, slaughtered her master, and became the new Lord of Sith. Using her mastery of the force, Vicus clocked the existence of her town from the visions of Jedi. For years to come, Vicus used her power to better the lives of her people. Eventually, the Sith married and had four daughters. Instead of passing on the knowledge of the dark side, the Sith Lord wanted her daughters to have a happy life. One night, she had a terrible vision: the Jedi terraformed the entire planet and eliminated most of the lifeforms on it. Horrified by this future, Vicus sought guidance from Sith alchemy. Unfortunately, the destruction of the planet is inevitable no matter her action. The future is ever-changing, but the fate of the planet is inevitable. To save the legacy of Sith, she starts to look for an apprentice. Out of all the people she knows, her daughter, much to her horror, is the only suitable vessel. The young girl, fully aware of her mother's dilemma, decides to train in the art of the dark side. She was given the name: Darth Solus. The training was brutal, more so than the tests her mother received. During the day, Vicus will subject her student to horrors of all types. During the night, the mother will wipe for her daughter's injuries and her inability to heal the poor girl, for only pain and suffering will give power to the Lord of Sith. On a fateful day, the Jedi Council launched their attack. Instead of escaping, Vicus uses force to transport her daughter to a hidden planet where the ancient Sith once lived. At the same time, she remained alone side her loved one for certain death. The girl, forcefully removed from her family, was overtaken by rage. She wished to die with her mother. Now, she has nothing. Overtaken by guilt, Luna forsaken her lightsaber, severed her connection with the force, and left the Order. Meanwhile, on the ancient planet, Solus learned Sith techniques long thought to be lost. She explored ruins, fought monsters, and learned from the wisdom of ancient masters. After years of isolation, Solus become powerful, more so than her mother. With her mastery of the force, the Sith Lord disgusted herself and walked among the Jedi. She cannot revenge for no plan can crush the Order. She stayed still while waiting for an opportunity. The Jedi of this era study the dark side and are well-equipped to face crises of all kinds. They train all sorts of creatures and ages. With an open mind embracing all, the Order is genuinely a formable force. They know of the existence of another Sith Lord and sought to destroy her. Unbeknown to the masters, the very enemy they sought to destroy is one of their kind. With her mastery of the force, Solus explored the secrets of the temple and formulated a plan to hide future Sith from the Jedi. However, with Jedi actively hunting for Sith, disguises of any form can and will be unveiled. With time running against her, Solus increasingly see the importance of finding an apprentice. With Jedi becoming more alert by the day, such a task grew more complex. The link of Sith, the Rule of Two, is now in danger. If she fails, then the Sith will die with her. Yet, she stayed calm and wait for an opening. Over time, the Lord of Sith sit on the Council of Jedi and made decisions best of the Order itself. She concealed her emotions in order to mimic the robotic state of being that Jedi sought to achieve. Deep down, Solus despise the Jedi. She sees them as weak, and fearful much like a fish in the presence of a shark. Their rejection of emotion in fear of the dark side is like the rejection of eating in fear of choking. Despite all of that, Solus stayed down and practiced the dark side under their noses. Perhaps, a plan is not enough. There need to be something more. Something long-lasting. Something that can change the Jedi forever. The Order may be strong and cannot be destroyed by an outside force; the corrupt from the inside is most splendid. Much like a well-built dam: hard to destroy by external means, by will collapse from the slow and patient consumption of ants. This process may take years, if not centuries, but once complete, the Jedi will be wholly eliminated, and the galaxy will again return to the hands of Sith. Solus is never interested in power or strength. Many Sith Lords of the past may even consider her an unlikely candidate for an apprentice for her lack of hate. Yet, the Jedi, in pursuit of the dark side and their enemy, made a powerful opponent. They have chosen a path of destruction. //-------------------------------------------------------// Terror Looms //-------------------------------------------------------// Terror Looms "Away!" Sunset almost drops out of her meditation mat after receiving tat vision again: the open gate of the Jedi temple, a pair of yellow Sith eyes, and bodies of Jedi all over the floor as a blue lightsaber strikes them down. "Master Shimmer?" A Jedi knight knocks on Sunset's room: "Are you ok? The meeting is in 5 minutes!" "I'm fine," Sunset lied, wiping her head with a towel: "Is Grandmaster Celestia there yet?" "I don't know," The knight replies: "I'm just here to remind everyone about the meeting." "Ok, thanks!" Sunset inhales and exhales sharply as the footsteps of the knight stray further away. Sunset puts her boots on and heads to the conference room. "Sunset! You are early!" Celestia greets her old Padawan: "Have a seat!" "Master Celestia, there's something I need to ask you about," Sunset frowns, taking a seat next to her master: "I have been receiving...visions, and they are bad news." "We've talked about this, Sunset," Celestia puts a hand over Sunset's shoulder: "The sentinels are well-trained, and they will never let such a thing happen. Besides, there is a Sith on the run. One Sith cannot destroy the temple, but she can still cast nightmares to mess with your mind." "I guess so," Sunset messages her eye, now showing veins due to sleep deprivation: "It's just so vivid!" "Remember, a Sith can cast nightmares so real that even the strongest of Jedi will fall for it," Celestia says: "Have faith in the force, Sunset. No such thing will happen." "Of course," Sunset continues: "Also..." "Yes?" "Nothing," Sunset lies: "Thank you, master." "Sunset," Celestia raises an eyebrow: "Is there something you are not telling me?" "Well, I," Sunset takes a second before replying: "I just get this feeling of uneasiness ever since I was elected to be a member of the Council." "That's normal," Celestia chuckles: "I felt exactly the same when I was first elected into the Council. The amount of responsibility bestowed upon you can be a little overwhelming." "It's not like that!" Sunset argues back: "It's..." "Sorry, we are late!" Twilight barges in. "Darling, you need to relax!" Rarity follows behind. There it is again! Sunset thought to herself as the master enters the room. The feeling of uneasiness, almost as if something dark had entered the chamber, grows stronger as the masters enter one by one. "Alright!" Noticing the sweat on Sunset's forehead, Celestia speaks: "Meeting today is about a certain sensitivity matter, Master Shimmer." "Yes?" Sunset says, appears to be startled. "Is that about her dream?" Fluttershy asks. "Well, yes," Sunset says. "Your visions?" Rainbow asks: "Don't worry! A Sith can't defeat six Jedi!" "Sunset," Twilight says: "I think you should take a break; you look...tired." "Look," Sunset stands up: "It's not just that! It's..." "Feeling something dark lurking around?" Rarity asks: "Darling, you know we all have dark sides; it's just a matter of control. You can do it!" "Rarity's right; your lack of sleep and the amount of stress you are facing can..." "No, it's not like that!" Sunset cuts Twilight off: "It's...agh! Never mind!" "Ok, everyone!" Celestia takes control of the situation before anyone storms out of the room: "More about that later, now, onto the first order of business..." The meeting proceeds as usual, but Sunset's mind wanders elsewhere. Could it be a Sith Lord? Under the nose of the Council? No, that's crazy! Right? Right. "Oh, Sunset," Celestia says: "I would like to speak with you after meeting." "Right!" Sunset replies. "Master Luna!" Luna turns around and was greeted by a purple fuss: "My apologies, and you are?" "It's me! Twilight!" Sister to Shining Armor and Padawan to Master Celestia!" "Shining Armor's sister?" Luna's eyes widen: "You are Twilight Sparkle? The Youngling?" "Yes!" "You have grown so much!" Surprised by this unexpected outside of the Senate Building, Luna struggles to come up with anything to say. "How's everything going? Grandmaster Celestia has been talking about you a lot ever since you left!" "Tia, huh?" Luna rolls her eyes: "Tell my sister: I'm doing well. However, I'm here as a Senator on a critical mission and do not have much free time." "Master Luna..." "Do not call me that," Luna says with a cold tone: "I'm no longer a Jedi." "Right!" Stunned by such a display of hostility, Twilight tries to change the topic: "Life must be busy, huh?" "You don't say," Luna sighs: "I've really got to go, see you later." "See you, M...Senator Luna!" Twilight says as Luna walks away without looking back. "Are you suggesting that a Sith Lord hides among our ranking?" Celestia asks, locking the door behind her. "I don't know," Sunset groans: "Everything just feels so...cloudy." "The dark side is a path to many abilities, and some are considered unnatural," Celestia says: "A Sith may have mastered the skill of concealing oneself so well that she sneaked away right under our noses." "But how? That's impossible!" Sunset asks in defeat. "Keep your mind open, my Padawan," Celestia pours Sunset a cup of coffee: "Everything is possible, and the Order is not perfect." "I suppose," Sunset takes the cup: "Thank you." "You are welcome," Celestia looks into the cup: "We must keep our guards up. No matter how powerful, the Order can still make mistakes." "Yes," Sunset chugs the entire cup down: "I will." "The only question is, who is the Sith Lord," Celestia tries to search through the force but failed. "I don't know," Sunset says: "I just felt something was off when the masters all enter." "Then keep this between us," Celestia says: "I will inform the guards to pay special attention to the restricted areas, and you, in the meantime, will report to me whenever you see something's off." "Of course, master," Sunset nods: "But I really doubt it's actually a Sith." "It's a big world, and everything is possible," Celestia looks at the floor, thinking. "So what should we do if a Sith is disgusting as a Jedi master?" Sunset asks. "We find her, and we destroy her," Celestia says. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Dark Lord //-------------------------------------------------------// The Dark Lord "Who goes there?" An officer speaks through a speaker to a hooded figure, who stands in front of a cast-iron door: "I say: who goes there?" "Officer," the figure whispers into the microphone, her voice echoes in the office: "I've come here to meditate." "My apologies, ma'am," The officer says with a firm tone: "I can't let you through without the permission of the Senate." "Not even a Jedi?" The figure asks, her voice so cold that it sends a shiver down the officer's spine. "A Jedi?" The officer shuts down the speaker: "What is a Jedi doing here?" "Should we contact the Jedi Order, sir?" A soldier asks. "There's no need," The officer resumed communication: "Sorry, master Jedi, but you are not allowed here." "Why not?" The figure asks. "Jedi are not allowed in this ground at the request of Grandmaster Celestia," The officer explains, his other hand already on the emergence button: "Turn away at once, master Jedi." "You will let me through," The figure whispers. "I will let you through," A soldier says. "Master Jedi!" The officer warns: "Cease this..." His words were cut short by a pair of glowing yellow eyes. The officer drops dead without a sign as the soldier opens the door for the figure. The soldier gradually falls into a deep sleep, and the figure arrives at the hanger without setting off the alarm. She then takes over a ship, sets the destination to the surface of the forbidden planet, and leaves. As the ship crash lands onto the terrine, the figure departs without leaving a trace. It is not until the second morning that the unfortunate event leaked and caused uneasiness within the Jedi Order. "This is outrageous!" Luna throws the report on her desk as a droid brings her a cup of tea. "Master, whatever is the problem?" The droid asks. "I need to speak to Grandmaster Celestia as soon as possible," Luna takes the cup before picking up the papers again. "Of course," the droid says with a robotic voice: "Shall I arrange a meeting Between you and the Grandmaster this afternoon?" "That would be great," Luna replies, her eyes locked on the paper. "Yes, master," The droid leaves. As the droid left the room, Luna quickly takes out a comlink and speaks into it: "Hi, this is Luna." "Luna! It's nice to talk to you," A high-pitched female voice replies with an almost sinister tone. "Look, I may need to talk to you tonight," Luna says. "Of course," the voice replies: "I'm always here for you." "No, Luna, I didn't send anyone to the base last night," Celestia says, offering her sister a cup. "Thank you, sister," Luna politely take the cup: "But as the report indicated, the soldier claimed that the figure is a Jedi with the permission of the Senate." "The report also indicated that the officer died for an unknown reason," Celestia takes a seat across Luna: "There are no outside injuries, and none of the surveillance cameras catches anything." "He just drops dead, easy as that," Luna put the cup away: "And the cameras in the hall were deactivated." "But by who?" Celestia asks: "The control room is..." "Destroyed," Luna comments: "All the guards killed." "How?" Celestia almost jumps out of the seat: "It was located in a secret location was guarded elite soldiers with heavy firepower. Not even I can withstand all that unscathed." "The cameras were shut down as well, and there were signs of electricity overload," Luna continues: "Lightsabers kill the guards." "This must be the work of a Sith," Celestia mumbles. "Also, a ship was deployed from the starbase," Luna says: "And it might have landed on the planet." "It must be a Sith," Celestia insists. "Or a Jedi," Luna suggests: "Everything is possible." "Luna," Celestia exhales sharply: "I doubt a Jedi is capable of killing the innocent on such a large scale." "If that's the case, then we wouldn't even be in this mess," Luna says. "That was necessary," Celestia explains: "The dark side is dangerous; even one Sith can..." "It's hardly the time to talk about your belief, sister," Luna interrupts Celestia: "The Senate has launched an investigation regarding this event and has appointed me to research the surface of the planet." "I see," Celestia close her eyes: "Then good luck, my sister." "Also," Luna hands Celestia a document: "I'm allowed to handpick a Jedi to accompany me." "Of course you would," Celestia rolls her eyes: "Very well then, who do you pick?" "I don't know yet," Luna stands up before exiting the room: "I still have some other business to attend to. We will speak later." "Of course," WIth eyes on Luna's cup, Celestia apologizes to her sister: "Luna, I'm sorry." However, her sister is already gone and didn't hear the Jedi master. "Thank you for coming, my friend," Luna welcomes her friend into the apartment. "Of course, Luna," the figure speaks: "How are you meeting with...the Grandmaster." "She agreed," Luna offered to take her friend's hooded jacket. "Tis' good," the figure says, while politely turning down Luna's offer: "Who will you pick?" "That's why you are here," Luna pours her friend a cup of water. "I would say...someone who's well-versed in both sides of the force," the figure takes the cup, revealing a slim hand covered by pale skin more akin to that of a corpse: "The event years ago has left a scar on the force itself, and anyone inexperienced will be driven insane." "But who though?" Luna groans before taking a seat next to her friend. "Luna," the figure put a hand over Luna's shoulder: "I heard a Jedi called Sunset Shimmer is up to the task." "I have faith in you, old friend," Luna sighs. "I must take my leave," the figure stands up. "Of course," Luna messages her eyes: "I'm...a little tired, sorry." "It's quite alright," the figure takes her leave: "Rest easy, there is a long way ahead." "Of course," Luna yawn before falling asleep on the table as the door to her apartment shuts.