A long time ago, in a galaxy far far awayby ZeldageekChaptersLost in the PastA New BeginningThe thaw, and a new problemPondering LifeThe Sky's the LimitLove and an ApprenticeA new generationA long time ago...Far, Far AwayLost in the PastCold. That's all I felt now. I was being carried through the snow by several people, all wearing armor. It seemed odd, but my mind was adrift in my murky memories. I found myself in a cavernous room supported by immense pillars. Beings of all kinds walked about, dressed in similar robes and carrying some variant of that laser sword I had. This place elicited a feeling of longing, like I had been here before. This place... it was somehow important to me. "What is this place..." I wondered aloud. "I was hoping you could tell me that" a voice behind me answered, causing me to jump a turn around. Standing there was another equine being like the two before, but this one was dark blue and had wings and a horn. "How would I know? I'm just hallucinating aren't I?" I said back, looking a bit confused. "I can assure you that this is no hallucination. We are in your memory." She responded calmly, as if this were normal for her. "A memory? But... I don't remember any of this..." I said sadly, looking around as the scene shifted. Now I was standing in an arena made of red rocks, and robots with laser guns were now marching and shooting at us. I looked down at my hands and saw I had the laser sword gripped tight, blade ignited. "Verin! Come on!" cried a man next to me. I looked up at him as he turned and yelled. "For the republic!" Then he charged at the robots. No... not robots. Droids. Battledroids. "You remember something, don't you." the dark blue one was next to me again. "I... I was here... but my master..." I looked up in time to see him get cut down by blasterfire. "No!" I yelled, shoving my hands out to the side and pushing all the nearby droids over. I collapsed by my masters corpse, tears streaking down my face. "No.... I... I wasn't fast enough...." I sobbed, holding his body close. An armored solder, a clone, approached and managed to get me out of my stupor. "Sir, we need to move! Let's go!" he shouted, ushering me away and into a gunship. His presence made me uneasy somehow... but why? The scene shifted again, now I was standing on the bridge of a massive ship. "We will be entering the Naboo system soon sir." an officer informed me. "You seem to have had life thrust upon you, rather than having lived it." the dark blue one said, reappearing by my side. "Have I? I don't even remember it." I said grimly. "I think you want to forget. Forget and be forgotten. But you can't, no matter how hard you try." she said, turning to look at me as the scene shifted yet again. Now I was seated in tge ship I crashed it, fighting the Droid forces over the planet Dantooine. They shouldn't have been able to get this far into Republic territory, yet here we were. The battle had been raging for a while now, but then I felt it. Like cold water being washed over me. Suddenly my own troops began to fire at me, and I evaded. I kept dodging as well as I could, but I still got hit a few times. "Remember who you are, young Verin." the dark blue one told me as I made the blind jump to lightspeed. I awoke with a start, coughing and blinking. Hovering over me was a face I now recognized. "You..." I said softly, still weak. "Yes, it is I. Rest now, we will speak when you have strength." She said calmly, her voice soothing me back to a dreamless sleep. My mind, for once, was at peace. A New BeginningI had been in Equestria for two weeks now in their hospital. They wanted to ensure I was going to be alright. During my stay, I had a few visitors. Dashie, or rather Rainbow Dash, had come by a couple times to bring food for Pinkie Pie, wh refused to leave my side. The dark blue being I learned was a Princess named Luna, and that she had a sister named Celestia. They both came to see me when I had woken up after arriving. Then there were Pinkies other friends. So far I had only met Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkles as it seems the others were scared of me or something. Today was no different. Pinkie was asleep on the chair in the corner of the room, and I lay staring out the window. It was night, and the stars shone brightly. "Enjoying the view?" came a familiar voice. Turning I saw Princess Luna standing in the doorway. "Yes, your majesty. The night has always had a special place in my heart." I said with a slight smile. She returned the it with a soft chuckle. "Please, no need for formalities. Just call me Luna." she said. "Oh, of course... Luna" I replied. The moment I said her name, she sighed softly and I swore the stars twinkled just a bit brighter. "I assume this isn't just a social call, right?" I said, snapping her back to reality. "Am I not allowed to simply make social calls?" She retorted with another soft chuckle. "Well... I suppose you can do what you wish. You are[i/] a Princess after all." I replied. Seemingly satisfied with that answer, she sat at the foot of my bed as we star gazed together. After what felt like only moments, the sun began to rise. "Well, I guess our time has been cut short by your sister eh?" I chuckled. She just smiled back as she stood. "It seems so. Until next time, Verin." She said as she left. I spent the next few hours waiting for Pinkie to wake up, and then we went on a walk into town. I was allowed to make these small trips so long as I had someone with me. At least until I could be sure I could walk on my own. People gave me a weird look most days, or simply avoided me. Today was no different. I had a young filly walk up to me and tell me: "My momma think you look like a freak" before running off. "Oh, don't mind them" Pinkie said to me, "they just haven't seen someone like you before." "I know... still doesn't hurt any less though" We kept walking, eventually making it to Twilights library. Stepping inside we found said mare asleep on her couch. Pinkie giggled gleefully as she tip-toed right next to them. "WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!" She yelled before laughing hysterically. Twilight, on the other hand, wasn't as happy about it. She had nearly jumped out of her skin and was now rubbing her face from where she'd hit the floor. "Sorry Twilight, couldn't stop her." I said, bringing a slight grin to her face. "It's ok, I needed to get up anyway." She said with a yawn. I sat down on her couch next to Pinkie as Twilight began milling about, making coffee and preparing today's tests. She really did like tests it seemed. A fluttering noise could be heard and as I looked up, down came a small purple dragon. "Oh, hey Spike" I said, waving slightly, "sorry if we woke you." He just waved back before grabbing his own cup of coffee. I noticed my lightsaber on Twilights desk, surrounded by a myriad of drawings of it. I had let her borrow it after warning her just how dangerous it was if used improperly. I was sure at least most of what I said was heard at least. She had asked me if she could take it apart, but I had refused. I wasn't sure I could fix it if she broke any of the parts. But I had assured her that when I felt up to it, I would take it apart for her. And so began the tests. From the day I was cleared to walk, I came here and took her barrage of tests. I didn't mind honestly. It was nice that she wanted to help me, if only for her own ends. "Think you'll get it this time?" Pinkie asked, looking at me. "Only one way to find out." I said, reaching out for the saber. I could feel my energy stretch towards it, wrapping around the hilt. It shook slightly on the desk, grabbing Twilights attention. Then it shot into my hand where it was promptly ignited. "Oh my stars, you did it!" Twilight squealed as I deignited my saber. "All thanks to you and your tests." I said with a smile. She returned it and went to jot down some notes. "What will you do now?" Spike asked, now sitting beside me. "When the snow melts, I'm going for my ship. I need to get it back here." I said as he nodded understandingly. "Will you try and ho back to where you came from?" Pinkie chirped up. I just shook my head. "I couldn't even if I wanted too. I made a blind jump. Nobody knows where I am, not even me. Equis isn't on any known star chart. As far as I know, this is my new home." We all just sat there as Twilight made her notes, Spike having gone to run some errands. "Well..." Pinkie said, "at leat you know you have friends here." "I have more than that" I said, flashing a smile, "I have family." She blushed and pointed at herself. "Us? You think of us as family?" She said, slightly shocked. I nodded. "Of course. Even back when I was in the Order, I never had parents. Or sisters. Or brothers. I never knew my real family. But now... I have all of you. It's... it's more than I could ever ask for." I managed to say. I was then tackled by two mares in a back cracking hug. The thaw, and a new problemIt had been a few months since I pulled my saver to me, and it showed in my skills. I was now able to walk on my own and was training every day. I had veen staying with Pinkie since I had been discharged from the hospital. She seemed happy to have the company. She had been getting closer with me, as had Rainbow Dash, and one night while we were all sitting around in her living room, she asked a question that threw me off. "Verin, what do you think of us?" She asked quietly. "You two? I mean, I think you're great friends. I enjoy being around you. Why?" I asked confused. "Do you... like us as more than friends?" She pushed. "You mean... like... romantically?" I clarified. She nodded, looking like she was about to curl up any second. "Well.... honestly I never really thought about it. But that's mostly because I've been focusing on getting better." I said, watching as her face fell slightly. "Oh..." was all she could say. "Pinks... don't take that as a no. It's not. It's more a maybe than anything." I said, smiling softly. This perked her up a bit. "Well that's something!" She said cheerily. "What 'bout me huh?" Dashie said, looking over with a grin. "Well, I'd say the same goes for you too Dashie. It's too soon to tell. But we can explore it more, together." I said confidently. This seemed to satisfy her, and she stood. "Well, I should probably head home." She said with a stretch, flashing off her midriff. "You know you don't have to Dashie," Pinkie said with a chuckle, "besides, Verin won't mind, right?" She said, looking at me. "I.. no. No I don't mind" I answered, now on to what they were planning. "Good," Pinkie said with a giggle, "now come on, it's time for bed!" I followed them to the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I'll leave what happened to the imagination. The next morning, I was headed to Canterlot on a train. I had received summons to the castle from the Princesses, saying they had information to disclose with me. Arriving outside the castle, I took a deep breath. "Here we go" I said as a guard opened the gate. Walking up to the castle, I passed through a lush garden filled with all kinds of flowers and fruit trees. Dotted around were statues that, upon closer inspection, seemed too realistic to have been carved. One in particular was of a massive creature that seemed to be made of several other beasts. "That is Discord, Harbinger of Chaos." A voice behind me said. Turning around, I found Luna standing beside me. "Your majesty." I said, bowing slightly. She waved her hand dismissively. "There's no need for formalities when it's just us. Please, call me Luna." She said with a soft smile. "As you wish, you- I mean, yes Luna." I replied, returning the smile. "Well, we should probably head inside, my sister will be waiting." She said, gesturing towards the castle. "Ah yes, after you." I said, following as she lead the way. We walked in silence for a moment before I asked a question. "Luna, what are the laws on relationships in Equestria?" I asked. "What do you mean?" She asked back. "Has someone tried to herd you?" "I'm not sure really," I said as I rubbed my neck, "Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash asked me if I liked them both in a... romantic sense, and I didn't know if it was morally or even legally acceptable to say yes to both of them..." I paused, looking up at her as she looked at me confused for a moment. "Well, it would be morally acceptable to have multiple partners. We call this 'herding'. Typically a stallion, or male as you call them, will have anywhere from three to fifty females attending to him. And while monogamous relationships do exist, they are not common." She explained. I processed the information slowly as we continued walking. After a moment, I smiled up at her. "Thanks, that really helped me." "I'm happy I could help." She said as we reached our destination. Opening the doors, we found ourselves in the throne room. Banners lined the walls, elegant tapestries depicting historic moments were draped on the walls. And at the far end sat three thrones, two of which were already occupied. "Ah, you finally made it." Celestia said, rising from her throne. "Yes, sorry I'm late," I said with a bow, "the train ran a bit late." She nodded understandingly. "Yes yes, while the snow is[i/] melting, it still slows our travel..." She said solemnly. I cleared my throat. "So, you had something you wished to discuss?" I asked. "Oh, yes." She said, taking her seat. "We would like for you to become our consort." The room went deathly quite. Not even a whisper could be heard. "I'm sorry?" I said quite loudly. She seemed taken aback by my reaction. "Is something wrong with our request?" She asked, seeming genuinely confused. "Well, that's just not what I was expecting at all. I'm sorry, but you just caught me off guard with that." I said, looking a bit flustered. "Oh, I see..." She said, looking a little embarrassed now. An awkward silence ensued for several minutes before I spoke up. "If it's alright with you, your majesties, may I take time to think this over?" I asked. They spoke between themselves for a moment before addressing me. "This is acceptable. I apologize for my sisters tactlessness, she can be... very blunt at times." Luna said with a sheepish smile. "Alright. I'll have an answer for you by the end of the week." I said, turning and leaving the throne room. Now I had a big problem. Two girls was one thing. Now five? Oh man... I was in deep trouble now. Pondering LifeAuthor's Note Ok, so I know that the way things went in the last chapter were a bit... suggestive. I've been deliberating on actually trying to write an intimate scene, but I don't think it'll happen anytime soon. Stay tuned tho, as it may happen Pondering Life 'What am I going to do now?' I thought to myself as I rode the train back to Ponyville. 'I can't say no, can I? That would probably make things worse...' I had been stressing out over the Princesses request, trying to understand why. I didn't think I was anything special. Just a Jedi from Courascant. There were dozens just like me, maybe even hundreds. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind for the moment. Getting worked up now wouldn't help anyone. Closing my eyes, I began to meditate. Clearing my mind, I felt everything around me. The wind rushing by, the gentle rock of the train. I could feel my own heartbeat slow as I flooded my body with calming energy. "Sir.... you're floating!" A woman's voice said, snapping me out of my meditation trance. I fell a few inches back into my seat. "Wha... huh?" I spluttered, a little confused now. A blue mare was leaning towards me from the other side of the car. "You were floating! How'd you do that?" She asked inquisitivly. "Trade secret," I said with a smile, "if I told you, then everyone would wanna know." In reality I didn't know, but the answer seemed to placate the mare well enough. I was sure that had never happened before, but now I was unsure. This added another mystery to my already full plate. "Karabast, this is a nightmare...." I muttered to myself. The train rolled on for a while longer, and eventually we made it to Ponyville. "Ponyville! This stop is Ponyville!" The conductor called as some stood to leave. I got up as well, following the road into town. The snow was melted from the rooftops, and everything felt fresher. Funny how snow does that, no matter what planet your on. As I made my way through town, I caught a whiff of fresh baked bread coming from a building shaped like a cake. This cause my stomach to growl, so I made my way inside. Inside it was set up like a little café, and behind the counter was a familiar pink mare. "Heya Pinks, got anything good for me today?" I said happily, causing her to jump a bit before she looked at me. "VERI!" She squealed, rushing over to hug me. "How was your trip? Did the Princess have something reeeeaaaally important to talk about? Did she?" Her words seemed to speed up along side her excitement. "Pinks, easy now. Yes, she did have something important to say. But right now isn't the right time for that. I'll tell you and Dashie when you get home. Pinkie promise!" I said calmingly, holding up my Pinkie finger. She took it begrudgingly. "Okay... if it's that important, I can wait." Sge said, understanding on her face. "Now then, about that pastry..." I said, trying g to turn back to why I came inside in the first place. "Oh yeah, sorry!" She giggled, hopping back behind the counter, checking the inventory. "Let's see... we got three new Danish flavors this week!" She said, pulling one of each out for me to see. Pointing to the first, it had a yellow custard on it. "Thats our butterscotch Danish, it's suuuuper yummy!" She smiled cheerily before pointing to the next one. It was filled with a red jelly. "This is our strawberry rhubarb Danish, and this..." She point to the last one, filled with blue custard, "is our cotton candy Danish! This was my idea!" She says proudly. "Well, I feel it's obvious what to pick," I said with a smile, "I'll take the cotton candy one." "You're not gonna regret it!" She says happily, "That'll be five bits!" I smile again and hand over the money, picking up the pastry and taking a nice sized bite out of it. "So? What do you think?" She asks, looking to see my reaction. I chew slowly, my mouth now in a symphony of flavor. Swallowing, I can barely speak. "That.... that...." I stammer. She looks hurt for a second, then I burst out, "That was the best thing I've eaten so far! Wow!" She lit up with the biggest smile. "I'm so happy you like it! I'll make sure to keep them in stock!" She said, nearly crying herself. Little did she know, this would lead to me coming by every day from now on just for this delicious treat. Waving goodbye I headed back out towards home. I had managed to buy an older run-down cottage on the edge of town, and was in the process of fixing it. It wasn't small, but it was not built for the two of us that were living here. Crashed out on my couch was Rainbow Dash, snoring softly. I made sure not to wake her as I went to my room and put my bag down. It had only been two days, but it felt like longer. "Man.... what the heck am I gonna do..." I groaned to myself. I layed there for what felt like hours. Sitting up, I checked the time. It wasn't even noon yet? Man, need to get better with local time. I decided I was going to go for a walk into the Everfree, seeing as I could easily take on any of the beasts I would come across. Clipping my saber to my belt, I headed off not knowing where I would walk to inside. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== "Were we too forward with him?" I asked, turning to look at my sister. "No more than any other pony." Luna replied. "But the look he had... it worries me..." I frowned. "All you can do is have faith he will accept. After all, we are quite the 'catch', as this newer generation says" She said with a wink. This got a small chuckle out of me. "I'm happy to see you're still trying to understand modern society sister. It means a lot to me, and the people." I smiled. She nodded before going back to her salad. I stared out the window, my mind elsewhere. "Oh Verin... I hope I didn't scare you away..." I whispered to myself. ===========○○○●●●○○○========== Trekking through the undergrowth, I was forging deeper into the woods. I had decided to try and find my crash site, or what may be left if it. According to Pinks and Dashie, it looked to be intact, but since they didn't know what it was supposed to look like, the couldn't tell really. But it gave me hope. Not to go home, but to have something that was mine back in my hands. Not to mention my old friend. "Don't worry R3. I'm coming buddy..." I said as I delved deeper into the woods, a familiar peak looming over me. The Sky's the LimitAuthor's Note So I know the story seems random and all over the place. It's is a bit. I'm still getting in my writing groove, so please be patient with me. If you have any problems or ideas, pop them down in the comments section! The Sky's the Limit It didn't take me long to find the crash site. The ship laid in a small crater, lookin to be fairly intact. "Already looking good...." I said to myself as I climbed down to it. Examining it closer, everything seemed to be in relatively good condition. The engines were still attached, the hull plating was still sealed. The only obvious damage was the hole in the canopy where I had cut it open. Looking to the top, I saw a familiar old friend. "R3... I hope you're still functional..." I said as I climbed up to him. Finding his power switch was harder than normal since he was still connected to the ship, but after blindly feeling around I found it Clicking the switch, nothing immediately happened. Then he began to hum as his dome slid to face me. He chirped angrily at me for a moment, causing me to laugh. "I know, I know... I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I had to wait for the snow to melt a bit." I replied, only for him to beep and chirp some more. "Yes I worried about you. You're my partner R3." I said, rubbing my hands together for warmth. R3 chirped a question at me. "Where are we? Well, that's a bit of a story..." I said as I then proceeded to tell him everything that had happened since I arrived. "... and that's pretty much it." He rotated his dome to look around before looking back to me. "Can you do me a favor Buddy? Run diagnostics, see if we can get this thing airborne. I have a home in a village nearby we can take it to." I asked him as he chirped a rude response back. But he still did as was asked and showed me the results. "Hmmm... blown motivator in the Hyperdrive... a crack in the secondary engine manifold... and of course the canopy..." I muttered aloud. "I should be able to repair most of this with some help from a forge... but at least it can make it to town." I said, hopping into the cockpit. "R3, prime the engines for aerial travel." I said as I brought the main systems online. For having been in a pretty hard crash, the ship was in really good shape. The engines did sputter for a moment before roaring to life, and in no time at all, we were rising above the treetops. "OK, Let's go." I said as I punched it forward. The ship launched ahead at a surprising pace. I was a bit out of practice at flying, and it definitely showed as I clipped the top of a tree. "Oops..." I said as R3 angrily beeped at me. "I know bud, I need to get the hang of this again..." ==========○○○●●●○○○========== I had woken up after I'd heard someone leave the house. Funny... didn't remember anyone coming in. "Mmmmnnn.... probably Pinks...." I said, laying back and crashing again. Only to be woken back up moments later it felt like. The house shook as a loud rumbling could be heard outside. Rushing to see what was going on, I saw a large metal object swing low and touch down by the building. "What the hay is this?" I wondered angrily. Then the top opened, and Verin got out. "Ver? What the hay man! You scared me half to death!" I yelled at him as he climbed down, followed by what looked like a living trash can. "Wha...." I was now at a loss for words. He looked at me happily before realizing how freaked out I looked. "Ahhh, Heya Dashie... I uh, I got my ship back." He said, gesturing towards the craft. When I didn't say anything, he patted his companion. "And this is my trusted friend, R3-C4." The thing made a few beeps at the mention of its name. "Verin... you are one weird pony..." Was all I could say. He walked up to me and smiled awkwardly. "Come on... I have something to tell you. At least, once Pinkies home." He said as we walked back to the house. Love and an ApprenticeAuthor's Note Ok, so I'm trying to include a lot more Jedi moments in the story. Hopefully you all enjoy! Love and an Apprentice The conversation about Celestias offer went about as I had expected. Pinkie was excited about possibly herding with her friend Twilight, but Rainbow Dash seemed upset that I hadn't said yes up front "Why wouldn't you! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity! Do you know how long it's been since they last had husbands? I wasn't even born yet!" She rated at me. I put my hands up apologetically. "Look, Dashie, where I come from, it's just not as simple as that. For one, the Order typically forbade any form of romantic bonds. Two, I only asked to hold on so I could talk to you about it." I said, remaining as calm as I could. "I didn't want to make a decision I wasn't sure you would be ok with, you see?" She seemed to calm down a bit, but she still grumbled about me being dumb. I sighed, looking at the ceiling. "I guess I have some weddings to plan then..." I said quietly. A knock at the door grabbed all our attention. "Who is it?" I asked, now a bit on edge. "It's me, Twilight. I was told this was the home of Verin?" A familiar voice said. Opening the door, there stood a very familiar purple Alicorn. "Your majesty." I said with a bow. She chuckled a bit before entering. "Twilight!" Pinkie squealed, tackling her friend in a hug. "Heya." Dashie called from the couch. "It's so good to see you Twily!" Pinkie cheered. Twilight smiled and extracted herself from Pinkies hug. "I'm happy to see you guys too. It really feels like it's been too long." She said as she fixed her jacket. "I assume you know why I'm here... right?" She looked at both of them a little uneasy. "Yea, lead hoof over there told us about Celestias offer." Dashie snorted. She nodded slowly. "And what do you think of it?" She asked. "I told him he was an idiot for not saying yes!" She grumbled frustratingly. "I would follow him to the ends of Equis because I...." Her voice faltered as she blushed heavily. "F-forget I said anything..." "You love him Dash. It's ok to say it." Twilight said comfortingly. She sat next to Dash and put an arm around her friend, giving her a gentle squeeze. Pinkie meanwhile was giggling to herself at the scene unfolding in front of us. I was sure I knew what her thoughts were on this, she was like an open book sometimes. I smiled as well, knowing I had at least two girls who truly loved me. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== **A Few Weeks Later, 4 Months till the Wedding** I had learned a few things since I got my ship back. Equestrian Magic was very similar to the Force. In some ways it was better. But a lot was unknown regarding the darker side of Magic. Most knowledge of it was forbidden by the Princesses, simply for how dangerous it could be if in the wrong hands. It felt very similar to how the Order handled knowledge of the Dark Side of the Force. Yet I digress. "Ver, you in there?" Dash asked, waving her hand in front of my face. This snapped me out of a thoughtful trance as I looked at her. "Oh, yea. Sorry. I was thinking about... something." I said with a grin. She frowned at me and crossed her arms. "You know you can talk to me, right?" She said cracking a smile. I nodded, looking at her for a moment. It was so weird honestly. She had been acting so... normal around me. But at the same time, it really showed me how much she trusted me, since I knew she wasn't like this with just anyone. Not even her friends. With a sigh I looked up to the sky. "I've been thinking about taking on an apprentice. To train to be like me." I said, looking over to see her reaction. She raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Can that even work with our species? I mean, we aren't like you." She said confused. I shrugged and looked up again. "Who knows honestly. Your peoples Magic is fairly similar to my Force abilities. I think it's just about how you train yourself." I answered slowly, making sure I didn't confuse her. "I think I get it. Do you think I could learn?" She asked, looking a little hopeful. I thought about it for a while, scratching my chin as I did so. "While you would definitely be too old for the Order as it was, I don't see why I can't train you. But be warned, it will open your soul to the very essence of the galaxy. The good, as well as the bad." I said warningly. She just nodded with a small smile. Normally she would have blown it off as me just trying to scare her. But she seemed to understand the gravity of my words, and the danger it posed should she ignore me. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Training will not be as flashy as you would probably hope it to be. You must be open to change, to embrace the things you can not. And above all..." I said, turning to her, "be patient." At that last word her face fell a bit, but she nodded again. "I will do my best," She said, putting her fists together and giving a short bow, "Master." A new generationAuthor's Note I know it's another short chapter, but I'm still getting in my writing groove. Please be patient with me. A new generation Training was slow going. Dash, while determined, was struggling with patience. Every time she would fail, she would be so critical of herself. I made sure to reassure her every time that it was alright to fail. "From failure we learn, and then we improve." I had said with a soft smile. She had just grumbled and tried again. This had been the recurring theme for a month now. While not proficient with Magic, she was very gifted in the Force. She was now able to lift small objects, albeit with some effort. Today we were meditating, one of her least favorite things to do. "Ugh... this is so boring.." She complained. "Being a Jedi is not all about combat and Force abilities. You must also remain neutral. Be the very symbol of balance. Once you understand this completely, this will be no issue to you." I replied. "I know... it's just..." She sighed, "I hear all these amazing things about them from your stories. How they can do amazing things, like lifting whole spaceships and being able to heal wounds without medicine and stuff. But... I wonder if I'm even cut out for it..." She was having doubts again, but I wouldn't let her stay that way. I actually had a bit of a surprise for her. "You will be. Especially with our next activity." I smiled, standing and motioning for her to follow me. Grumbling and groaning she stood, following me to Twilights library. This made her look at me funny. "We gonna read a book on Jedi in here? I didn't think there were any." She asked confused. "Nope, I had Twilight build me something for you. For your next step as a Jedi." This made her even more curious as we entered, finding Twilight and Spike working a sort of lab right in the middle of the room. As soon as we entered, Spike waved and walked over. "Sup Verin, you here to pick up that thing you wanted?" I nodded at him, and he walked to a backroom. He came back after a moment, carrying a small wooden box and handed it to me. "Dash, do you accept this gift, accepting your next step, and accept the path of the Jedi?" I asked as she stared at me. She got down on one knee, putting her fist to the floor. "I do." "Then rise Rainbow Dash, Jedi Padawan." I smiled as she rose handing her the box. When she opened it, she gave me a confused look. "What is it?" "That..." I said, picking it up, "is a magic enhanced power cell. Very similar to the one in my lightsaber." Placing it back in its box, I looked up to see her processing what I said. "So... wait. I'm going to have a lightsaber?" I nodded, to which she whooped and cheered before calming herself. "I mean, thank you Master." She bowed. "Although, the next part will be tricky. You will need to find a crystal attuned to your energy. And I do not wish for you to use the shard of the element of Loyalty. It is it's own entity, and I fear it could... blow up." I chuckled weakly. She nodded understandingly, closing the box. "Yea... that wouldn't be good..." Turning to Twilight, I cleared my throat. She looked up for a moment. "Thanks again. I know it wasn't easy to do, but you did wonderfully." I bowed. She just smiled and waved it off. "No no, it was no big deal. It gave me some good insight on how it works." She smirked. "Yes, well... we must be going then." I turned and left the building, Dash right behind me. A long time ago...Author's Note Ok, so I know Star Wars isn't what you'd think of first when you'd think of an MLP crossover. But I wanted to explore the dynamic between the Force, and their magic, as well as throw a hapless guy into the midst of some excitable gals. It's meant to be all in good fun, so enjoy! A long time ago... Verin Altruan was a Jedi Knight leading a group of clone fighter pilots in the Outer Rim. They had been here for months, slogging away at the Seperatists. The last thing he expected was to get shot in the back. Quicker than ypu could say Bantha, blaster fire rained down around his ship like a torrential inferno. He couldn't understand it. How could his friends, the clones, turn on him? Something wasn't right, and he had to get out of there. "R3, prime the hyperdrive, we're making an emergency jump or else we'll get obliterated here" he said calmly, doing his best to dodge away from being shot His Droid companion acknowledged and together, they made a blind jump into deep space. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== Things were looking pretty grim in Canterlot. A blizzard had been raging for days now, piling snow high up to the rooflines on some homes. All she could do was watch and wait. "I wish it would cease to snow... I miss the sun" She grumbled. Sighing, she looked to her sister. "Do you believe it will end soon? I worry for the people... if they can't leave their homes, they'll eventually starve, or worse" She furrowed her brow, showing just how caring a ruler she was. Her sister just sighed with a slight smile. "I'm sure it will end soon. Have faith and be patient" Princess Luna replied softly, moving to hug her sister. "You must keep faith, for it is all we have at the end of the day" Celestia looked at her sister with a soft smile. Then there was a loud boom heard outside. It was so loud it shook the castle walls, dust drifting down from the ceiling. Startled, they looked around and then outside, where they saw a ball of fire streak through the sky, parting the clouds as it traveled. They watched as whatever it was crashed deep in the Everfree Forest, the ground shaking slightly upon impact. They were silent for a moment, before looking at each other. "What was that?" Celestia wondered. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it can't be good...." Luna replied, looking back out the window. ==========○○○●●●○○○=========== Verin grunted as he finally awoke. He seemed to be in a chased ship, but how had he gotten here? He couldn't remember. He tried to get up, only to find the canopy locked down. He pushed on it, it didn't budge. "Who designed this thing.... ugh... can't get it to open..." he grumbled. Looking round the cockpit, he noticed a metal handle looking object. Upon picking it up, it more resembled a sword hilt, but no blade. There was a button on one end, and upon pressing it, a bright orange blade shot out, straight through the canopy. "OK, this is getting us somewhere..." he said, deigniting the blade and repositioning it. "Here goes..." he said, igniting the blade and carving a hole to climb out from. As soon as he kicked the hole clear he was blasted by a wave of ice-cold winds and snow. Damn, what have i gotten myself into, he thought to himself. He had to find shelter, and as he poked his head out, he could see a cave several meters away. Looking up, he noticed that he almost crashed into the mountain itself. I'm either really lucky, or just good at crashing, he thought. Gathering his light sword he hopped out and made a break for the cave. Once inside he noticed he was not the only being in here. "Hello, nice of you to drop in" said a pink being by a campfire. Beside her was a light blue one, looking like they may want to tackle me at any second. "Where am I?" was all he could muster. The blue one scoffed and turned away, and the pink one addressed me again "You're in a cave in the Everfree Forest. Were you the one who made that large blast?" She asked inquisitivly. He nodded, shaking slightly from the cold. She noticed this and ushered him by the fire. "W-what planet am I on?" He asked, looking more confused than afraid. Sh just looked confused. "Planet? I'm not sure, but my friend Twilight could. I would take you to see her, if it wasn't snowing so hard." She said as we all looked at the entrance. Looking back at them, he noticed how equine their features were. They were humanoid for the most part, but they had hooves where theor feet should be, and tails coming out their backsides. He hadn't seen a species like them before... had he? The more he tried to remember, the foggier it all became. He must have made a face as the blue one finally spoke. "Is he even ok?" She said, slight concern in her voice. "Would you be if you crashed that hard?" The other replied. Before he could hear the response, he slumped over and passed out from exhaustion. Far, Far AwayIt took three more days for it to finally stop snowing. By then, the Princesses had managed to put together an expedition to the crash site. They were both very nervous about what they may find... "Should we take more guards?" a young purple pong asked. "Young Twilight, this is half of the Royal Guard, how much more do you think we will need?" Celestia asked in reply. Both wore plate armor, as they really weren't too sure what they would find. Only Luna seemed calm, staring at the whisps of smoke still emanating from the base of the mountains. She would turn as the captain of the guard marched up. "We are ready to depart, your majesties." he said, an equally calm look on his face. "Good, the sooner we know what is there, the happier I'll be." Luna replied, frowning slightly. The two other princesses nodded in assent, and the whole troop moved out. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== "You think he's dead?" "Nah, he's still breathing..." Leave me alone...[i/] I thought. My body was now throbbing, the adrenaline from the crash long worn off. I had been asleep for a while, but I wasn't sure how long. One, maybe two rotations? I remembered freeing myself from the ship... and then I walked into a cave I saw.... Ugh, why was my mind fogging up like this? I had escaped from something.... A lot of somethings.... "Look at his face, he must be in a lot of pain..." That voice... one of the beings I found here spoke like that... bubbly, yet soft at times... Man, what was wrong with me? "Wouldn't you be? He did walk away from that crazy crash without a scratch on him!" Ah, that would be the blue one... very dominant... or just tomboyish... Since when did I analyze people like this? "Looks like the snow stopped for a while... we should try and make it back before it starts again." the blue one said. "But what about him Dashie? We can't just leave him here..." the pink one replied. "What, you want me to carry him? I may be strong, but Applejack would be better for that. Not to mention, he's too injured to be moved I think..." they answered. Were they actually caring about me? "Then... you go back to Ponyville and get some help. I'll stay here and watch him." the pink one said. "Pinkie, you think I'm going to leave you alone with him? We don't even know who or what he is! He could be dangerous!" Dash argued. "He's not dangerous. Now go get help, I'm almost out if snacks." Pinkie said defiantly. Dashie yelled in frustration, but did eventually leave, her footsteps getting fainter until I could no longer hear them. Well, looks like she's not all bubbles and glitter... imagine that[i/] I thought. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== "Make me walk alone.... ugh, what is she thinking...." I thought. Pinkie Pie was acting weird. Well, weirder than normal. She almost seemed to like this guy. But why, it made no sense. She just met him. He literally crashed in some crazy contraption! Isn't that like, really weird?[i/] I was gonna drive myself nuts trying to understand what she was thinking, but I had to get help or else she would freeze out there. "C'mon Dash... just a bit farther" I told myself. I would have flown to town, but it was so dang cold I couldn't fly more than a few feet. The sun was getting low in the sky by the time I reached town, and I was sore from walking. "Dash? Dash!" Suddenly I was wrapped in a hug, and I realized it was Fluttershy. "H-hey Fluttershy. I n-need some help" I said, my voice cracking from the cold. Before she could answer, a voice called out from behind us. "So you were up on the mountain?" We both turned to see our friend Twilight as well as Celestia and Luna, along with a small army. I nodded, and Celestia stepped forward. "Then tell me. What happened?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lost in the PastCold. That's all I felt now. I was being carried through the snow by several people, all wearing armor. It seemed odd, but my mind was adrift in my murky memories. I found myself in a cavernous room supported by immense pillars. Beings of all kinds walked about, dressed in similar robes and carrying some variant of that laser sword I had. This place elicited a feeling of longing, like I had been here before. This place... it was somehow important to me. "What is this place..." I wondered aloud. "I was hoping you could tell me that" a voice behind me answered, causing me to jump a turn around. Standing there was another equine being like the two before, but this one was dark blue and had wings and a horn. "How would I know? I'm just hallucinating aren't I?" I said back, looking a bit confused. "I can assure you that this is no hallucination. We are in your memory." She responded calmly, as if this were normal for her. "A memory? But... I don't remember any of this..." I said sadly, looking around as the scene shifted. Now I was standing in an arena made of red rocks, and robots with laser guns were now marching and shooting at us. I looked down at my hands and saw I had the laser sword gripped tight, blade ignited. "Verin! Come on!" cried a man next to me. I looked up at him as he turned and yelled. "For the republic!" Then he charged at the robots. No... not robots. Droids. Battledroids. "You remember something, don't you." the dark blue one was next to me again. "I... I was here... but my master..." I looked up in time to see him get cut down by blasterfire. "No!" I yelled, shoving my hands out to the side and pushing all the nearby droids over. I collapsed by my masters corpse, tears streaking down my face. "No.... I... I wasn't fast enough...." I sobbed, holding his body close. An armored solder, a clone, approached and managed to get me out of my stupor. "Sir, we need to move! Let's go!" he shouted, ushering me away and into a gunship. His presence made me uneasy somehow... but why? The scene shifted again, now I was standing on the bridge of a massive ship. "We will be entering the Naboo system soon sir." an officer informed me. "You seem to have had life thrust upon you, rather than having lived it." the dark blue one said, reappearing by my side. "Have I? I don't even remember it." I said grimly. "I think you want to forget. Forget and be forgotten. But you can't, no matter how hard you try." she said, turning to look at me as the scene shifted yet again. Now I was seated in tge ship I crashed it, fighting the Droid forces over the planet Dantooine. They shouldn't have been able to get this far into Republic territory, yet here we were. The battle had been raging for a while now, but then I felt it. Like cold water being washed over me. Suddenly my own troops began to fire at me, and I evaded. I kept dodging as well as I could, but I still got hit a few times. "Remember who you are, young Verin." the dark blue one told me as I made the blind jump to lightspeed. I awoke with a start, coughing and blinking. Hovering over me was a face I now recognized. "You..." I said softly, still weak. "Yes, it is I. Rest now, we will speak when you have strength." She said calmly, her voice soothing me back to a dreamless sleep. My mind, for once, was at peace.
A New BeginningI had been in Equestria for two weeks now in their hospital. They wanted to ensure I was going to be alright. During my stay, I had a few visitors. Dashie, or rather Rainbow Dash, had come by a couple times to bring food for Pinkie Pie, wh refused to leave my side. The dark blue being I learned was a Princess named Luna, and that she had a sister named Celestia. They both came to see me when I had woken up after arriving. Then there were Pinkies other friends. So far I had only met Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkles as it seems the others were scared of me or something. Today was no different. Pinkie was asleep on the chair in the corner of the room, and I lay staring out the window. It was night, and the stars shone brightly. "Enjoying the view?" came a familiar voice. Turning I saw Princess Luna standing in the doorway. "Yes, your majesty. The night has always had a special place in my heart." I said with a slight smile. She returned the it with a soft chuckle. "Please, no need for formalities. Just call me Luna." she said. "Oh, of course... Luna" I replied. The moment I said her name, she sighed softly and I swore the stars twinkled just a bit brighter. "I assume this isn't just a social call, right?" I said, snapping her back to reality. "Am I not allowed to simply make social calls?" She retorted with another soft chuckle. "Well... I suppose you can do what you wish. You are[i/] a Princess after all." I replied. Seemingly satisfied with that answer, she sat at the foot of my bed as we star gazed together. After what felt like only moments, the sun began to rise. "Well, I guess our time has been cut short by your sister eh?" I chuckled. She just smiled back as she stood. "It seems so. Until next time, Verin." She said as she left. I spent the next few hours waiting for Pinkie to wake up, and then we went on a walk into town. I was allowed to make these small trips so long as I had someone with me. At least until I could be sure I could walk on my own. People gave me a weird look most days, or simply avoided me. Today was no different. I had a young filly walk up to me and tell me: "My momma think you look like a freak" before running off. "Oh, don't mind them" Pinkie said to me, "they just haven't seen someone like you before." "I know... still doesn't hurt any less though" We kept walking, eventually making it to Twilights library. Stepping inside we found said mare asleep on her couch. Pinkie giggled gleefully as she tip-toed right next to them. "WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!" She yelled before laughing hysterically. Twilight, on the other hand, wasn't as happy about it. She had nearly jumped out of her skin and was now rubbing her face from where she'd hit the floor. "Sorry Twilight, couldn't stop her." I said, bringing a slight grin to her face. "It's ok, I needed to get up anyway." She said with a yawn. I sat down on her couch next to Pinkie as Twilight began milling about, making coffee and preparing today's tests. She really did like tests it seemed. A fluttering noise could be heard and as I looked up, down came a small purple dragon. "Oh, hey Spike" I said, waving slightly, "sorry if we woke you." He just waved back before grabbing his own cup of coffee. I noticed my lightsaber on Twilights desk, surrounded by a myriad of drawings of it. I had let her borrow it after warning her just how dangerous it was if used improperly. I was sure at least most of what I said was heard at least. She had asked me if she could take it apart, but I had refused. I wasn't sure I could fix it if she broke any of the parts. But I had assured her that when I felt up to it, I would take it apart for her. And so began the tests. From the day I was cleared to walk, I came here and took her barrage of tests. I didn't mind honestly. It was nice that she wanted to help me, if only for her own ends. "Think you'll get it this time?" Pinkie asked, looking at me. "Only one way to find out." I said, reaching out for the saber. I could feel my energy stretch towards it, wrapping around the hilt. It shook slightly on the desk, grabbing Twilights attention. Then it shot into my hand where it was promptly ignited. "Oh my stars, you did it!" Twilight squealed as I deignited my saber. "All thanks to you and your tests." I said with a smile. She returned it and went to jot down some notes. "What will you do now?" Spike asked, now sitting beside me. "When the snow melts, I'm going for my ship. I need to get it back here." I said as he nodded understandingly. "Will you try and ho back to where you came from?" Pinkie chirped up. I just shook my head. "I couldn't even if I wanted too. I made a blind jump. Nobody knows where I am, not even me. Equis isn't on any known star chart. As far as I know, this is my new home." We all just sat there as Twilight made her notes, Spike having gone to run some errands. "Well..." Pinkie said, "at leat you know you have friends here." "I have more than that" I said, flashing a smile, "I have family." She blushed and pointed at herself. "Us? You think of us as family?" She said, slightly shocked. I nodded. "Of course. Even back when I was in the Order, I never had parents. Or sisters. Or brothers. I never knew my real family. But now... I have all of you. It's... it's more than I could ever ask for." I managed to say. I was then tackled by two mares in a back cracking hug.
The thaw, and a new problemIt had been a few months since I pulled my saver to me, and it showed in my skills. I was now able to walk on my own and was training every day. I had veen staying with Pinkie since I had been discharged from the hospital. She seemed happy to have the company. She had been getting closer with me, as had Rainbow Dash, and one night while we were all sitting around in her living room, she asked a question that threw me off. "Verin, what do you think of us?" She asked quietly. "You two? I mean, I think you're great friends. I enjoy being around you. Why?" I asked confused. "Do you... like us as more than friends?" She pushed. "You mean... like... romantically?" I clarified. She nodded, looking like she was about to curl up any second. "Well.... honestly I never really thought about it. But that's mostly because I've been focusing on getting better." I said, watching as her face fell slightly. "Oh..." was all she could say. "Pinks... don't take that as a no. It's not. It's more a maybe than anything." I said, smiling softly. This perked her up a bit. "Well that's something!" She said cheerily. "What 'bout me huh?" Dashie said, looking over with a grin. "Well, I'd say the same goes for you too Dashie. It's too soon to tell. But we can explore it more, together." I said confidently. This seemed to satisfy her, and she stood. "Well, I should probably head home." She said with a stretch, flashing off her midriff. "You know you don't have to Dashie," Pinkie said with a chuckle, "besides, Verin won't mind, right?" She said, looking at me. "I.. no. No I don't mind" I answered, now on to what they were planning. "Good," Pinkie said with a giggle, "now come on, it's time for bed!" I followed them to the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I'll leave what happened to the imagination. The next morning, I was headed to Canterlot on a train. I had received summons to the castle from the Princesses, saying they had information to disclose with me. Arriving outside the castle, I took a deep breath. "Here we go" I said as a guard opened the gate. Walking up to the castle, I passed through a lush garden filled with all kinds of flowers and fruit trees. Dotted around were statues that, upon closer inspection, seemed too realistic to have been carved. One in particular was of a massive creature that seemed to be made of several other beasts. "That is Discord, Harbinger of Chaos." A voice behind me said. Turning around, I found Luna standing beside me. "Your majesty." I said, bowing slightly. She waved her hand dismissively. "There's no need for formalities when it's just us. Please, call me Luna." She said with a soft smile. "As you wish, you- I mean, yes Luna." I replied, returning the smile. "Well, we should probably head inside, my sister will be waiting." She said, gesturing towards the castle. "Ah yes, after you." I said, following as she lead the way. We walked in silence for a moment before I asked a question. "Luna, what are the laws on relationships in Equestria?" I asked. "What do you mean?" She asked back. "Has someone tried to herd you?" "I'm not sure really," I said as I rubbed my neck, "Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash asked me if I liked them both in a... romantic sense, and I didn't know if it was morally or even legally acceptable to say yes to both of them..." I paused, looking up at her as she looked at me confused for a moment. "Well, it would be morally acceptable to have multiple partners. We call this 'herding'. Typically a stallion, or male as you call them, will have anywhere from three to fifty females attending to him. And while monogamous relationships do exist, they are not common." She explained. I processed the information slowly as we continued walking. After a moment, I smiled up at her. "Thanks, that really helped me." "I'm happy I could help." She said as we reached our destination. Opening the doors, we found ourselves in the throne room. Banners lined the walls, elegant tapestries depicting historic moments were draped on the walls. And at the far end sat three thrones, two of which were already occupied. "Ah, you finally made it." Celestia said, rising from her throne. "Yes, sorry I'm late," I said with a bow, "the train ran a bit late." She nodded understandingly. "Yes yes, while the snow is[i/] melting, it still slows our travel..." She said solemnly. I cleared my throat. "So, you had something you wished to discuss?" I asked. "Oh, yes." She said, taking her seat. "We would like for you to become our consort." The room went deathly quite. Not even a whisper could be heard. "I'm sorry?" I said quite loudly. She seemed taken aback by my reaction. "Is something wrong with our request?" She asked, seeming genuinely confused. "Well, that's just not what I was expecting at all. I'm sorry, but you just caught me off guard with that." I said, looking a bit flustered. "Oh, I see..." She said, looking a little embarrassed now. An awkward silence ensued for several minutes before I spoke up. "If it's alright with you, your majesties, may I take time to think this over?" I asked. They spoke between themselves for a moment before addressing me. "This is acceptable. I apologize for my sisters tactlessness, she can be... very blunt at times." Luna said with a sheepish smile. "Alright. I'll have an answer for you by the end of the week." I said, turning and leaving the throne room. Now I had a big problem. Two girls was one thing. Now five? Oh man... I was in deep trouble now.
Pondering LifeAuthor's Note Ok, so I know that the way things went in the last chapter were a bit... suggestive. I've been deliberating on actually trying to write an intimate scene, but I don't think it'll happen anytime soon. Stay tuned tho, as it may happen Pondering Life 'What am I going to do now?' I thought to myself as I rode the train back to Ponyville. 'I can't say no, can I? That would probably make things worse...' I had been stressing out over the Princesses request, trying to understand why. I didn't think I was anything special. Just a Jedi from Courascant. There were dozens just like me, maybe even hundreds. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind for the moment. Getting worked up now wouldn't help anyone. Closing my eyes, I began to meditate. Clearing my mind, I felt everything around me. The wind rushing by, the gentle rock of the train. I could feel my own heartbeat slow as I flooded my body with calming energy. "Sir.... you're floating!" A woman's voice said, snapping me out of my meditation trance. I fell a few inches back into my seat. "Wha... huh?" I spluttered, a little confused now. A blue mare was leaning towards me from the other side of the car. "You were floating! How'd you do that?" She asked inquisitivly. "Trade secret," I said with a smile, "if I told you, then everyone would wanna know." In reality I didn't know, but the answer seemed to placate the mare well enough. I was sure that had never happened before, but now I was unsure. This added another mystery to my already full plate. "Karabast, this is a nightmare...." I muttered to myself. The train rolled on for a while longer, and eventually we made it to Ponyville. "Ponyville! This stop is Ponyville!" The conductor called as some stood to leave. I got up as well, following the road into town. The snow was melted from the rooftops, and everything felt fresher. Funny how snow does that, no matter what planet your on. As I made my way through town, I caught a whiff of fresh baked bread coming from a building shaped like a cake. This cause my stomach to growl, so I made my way inside. Inside it was set up like a little café, and behind the counter was a familiar pink mare. "Heya Pinks, got anything good for me today?" I said happily, causing her to jump a bit before she looked at me. "VERI!" She squealed, rushing over to hug me. "How was your trip? Did the Princess have something reeeeaaaally important to talk about? Did she?" Her words seemed to speed up along side her excitement. "Pinks, easy now. Yes, she did have something important to say. But right now isn't the right time for that. I'll tell you and Dashie when you get home. Pinkie promise!" I said calmingly, holding up my Pinkie finger. She took it begrudgingly. "Okay... if it's that important, I can wait." Sge said, understanding on her face. "Now then, about that pastry..." I said, trying g to turn back to why I came inside in the first place. "Oh yeah, sorry!" She giggled, hopping back behind the counter, checking the inventory. "Let's see... we got three new Danish flavors this week!" She said, pulling one of each out for me to see. Pointing to the first, it had a yellow custard on it. "Thats our butterscotch Danish, it's suuuuper yummy!" She smiled cheerily before pointing to the next one. It was filled with a red jelly. "This is our strawberry rhubarb Danish, and this..." She point to the last one, filled with blue custard, "is our cotton candy Danish! This was my idea!" She says proudly. "Well, I feel it's obvious what to pick," I said with a smile, "I'll take the cotton candy one." "You're not gonna regret it!" She says happily, "That'll be five bits!" I smile again and hand over the money, picking up the pastry and taking a nice sized bite out of it. "So? What do you think?" She asks, looking to see my reaction. I chew slowly, my mouth now in a symphony of flavor. Swallowing, I can barely speak. "That.... that...." I stammer. She looks hurt for a second, then I burst out, "That was the best thing I've eaten so far! Wow!" She lit up with the biggest smile. "I'm so happy you like it! I'll make sure to keep them in stock!" She said, nearly crying herself. Little did she know, this would lead to me coming by every day from now on just for this delicious treat. Waving goodbye I headed back out towards home. I had managed to buy an older run-down cottage on the edge of town, and was in the process of fixing it. It wasn't small, but it was not built for the two of us that were living here. Crashed out on my couch was Rainbow Dash, snoring softly. I made sure not to wake her as I went to my room and put my bag down. It had only been two days, but it felt like longer. "Man.... what the heck am I gonna do..." I groaned to myself. I layed there for what felt like hours. Sitting up, I checked the time. It wasn't even noon yet? Man, need to get better with local time. I decided I was going to go for a walk into the Everfree, seeing as I could easily take on any of the beasts I would come across. Clipping my saber to my belt, I headed off not knowing where I would walk to inside. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== "Were we too forward with him?" I asked, turning to look at my sister. "No more than any other pony." Luna replied. "But the look he had... it worries me..." I frowned. "All you can do is have faith he will accept. After all, we are quite the 'catch', as this newer generation says" She said with a wink. This got a small chuckle out of me. "I'm happy to see you're still trying to understand modern society sister. It means a lot to me, and the people." I smiled. She nodded before going back to her salad. I stared out the window, my mind elsewhere. "Oh Verin... I hope I didn't scare you away..." I whispered to myself. ===========○○○●●●○○○========== Trekking through the undergrowth, I was forging deeper into the woods. I had decided to try and find my crash site, or what may be left if it. According to Pinks and Dashie, it looked to be intact, but since they didn't know what it was supposed to look like, the couldn't tell really. But it gave me hope. Not to go home, but to have something that was mine back in my hands. Not to mention my old friend. "Don't worry R3. I'm coming buddy..." I said as I delved deeper into the woods, a familiar peak looming over me.
The Sky's the LimitAuthor's Note So I know the story seems random and all over the place. It's is a bit. I'm still getting in my writing groove, so please be patient with me. If you have any problems or ideas, pop them down in the comments section! The Sky's the Limit It didn't take me long to find the crash site. The ship laid in a small crater, lookin to be fairly intact. "Already looking good...." I said to myself as I climbed down to it. Examining it closer, everything seemed to be in relatively good condition. The engines were still attached, the hull plating was still sealed. The only obvious damage was the hole in the canopy where I had cut it open. Looking to the top, I saw a familiar old friend. "R3... I hope you're still functional..." I said as I climbed up to him. Finding his power switch was harder than normal since he was still connected to the ship, but after blindly feeling around I found it Clicking the switch, nothing immediately happened. Then he began to hum as his dome slid to face me. He chirped angrily at me for a moment, causing me to laugh. "I know, I know... I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I had to wait for the snow to melt a bit." I replied, only for him to beep and chirp some more. "Yes I worried about you. You're my partner R3." I said, rubbing my hands together for warmth. R3 chirped a question at me. "Where are we? Well, that's a bit of a story..." I said as I then proceeded to tell him everything that had happened since I arrived. "... and that's pretty much it." He rotated his dome to look around before looking back to me. "Can you do me a favor Buddy? Run diagnostics, see if we can get this thing airborne. I have a home in a village nearby we can take it to." I asked him as he chirped a rude response back. But he still did as was asked and showed me the results. "Hmmm... blown motivator in the Hyperdrive... a crack in the secondary engine manifold... and of course the canopy..." I muttered aloud. "I should be able to repair most of this with some help from a forge... but at least it can make it to town." I said, hopping into the cockpit. "R3, prime the engines for aerial travel." I said as I brought the main systems online. For having been in a pretty hard crash, the ship was in really good shape. The engines did sputter for a moment before roaring to life, and in no time at all, we were rising above the treetops. "OK, Let's go." I said as I punched it forward. The ship launched ahead at a surprising pace. I was a bit out of practice at flying, and it definitely showed as I clipped the top of a tree. "Oops..." I said as R3 angrily beeped at me. "I know bud, I need to get the hang of this again..." ==========○○○●●●○○○========== I had woken up after I'd heard someone leave the house. Funny... didn't remember anyone coming in. "Mmmmnnn.... probably Pinks...." I said, laying back and crashing again. Only to be woken back up moments later it felt like. The house shook as a loud rumbling could be heard outside. Rushing to see what was going on, I saw a large metal object swing low and touch down by the building. "What the hay is this?" I wondered angrily. Then the top opened, and Verin got out. "Ver? What the hay man! You scared me half to death!" I yelled at him as he climbed down, followed by what looked like a living trash can. "Wha...." I was now at a loss for words. He looked at me happily before realizing how freaked out I looked. "Ahhh, Heya Dashie... I uh, I got my ship back." He said, gesturing towards the craft. When I didn't say anything, he patted his companion. "And this is my trusted friend, R3-C4." The thing made a few beeps at the mention of its name. "Verin... you are one weird pony..." Was all I could say. He walked up to me and smiled awkwardly. "Come on... I have something to tell you. At least, once Pinkies home." He said as we walked back to the house.
Love and an ApprenticeAuthor's Note Ok, so I'm trying to include a lot more Jedi moments in the story. Hopefully you all enjoy! Love and an Apprentice The conversation about Celestias offer went about as I had expected. Pinkie was excited about possibly herding with her friend Twilight, but Rainbow Dash seemed upset that I hadn't said yes up front "Why wouldn't you! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity! Do you know how long it's been since they last had husbands? I wasn't even born yet!" She rated at me. I put my hands up apologetically. "Look, Dashie, where I come from, it's just not as simple as that. For one, the Order typically forbade any form of romantic bonds. Two, I only asked to hold on so I could talk to you about it." I said, remaining as calm as I could. "I didn't want to make a decision I wasn't sure you would be ok with, you see?" She seemed to calm down a bit, but she still grumbled about me being dumb. I sighed, looking at the ceiling. "I guess I have some weddings to plan then..." I said quietly. A knock at the door grabbed all our attention. "Who is it?" I asked, now a bit on edge. "It's me, Twilight. I was told this was the home of Verin?" A familiar voice said. Opening the door, there stood a very familiar purple Alicorn. "Your majesty." I said with a bow. She chuckled a bit before entering. "Twilight!" Pinkie squealed, tackling her friend in a hug. "Heya." Dashie called from the couch. "It's so good to see you Twily!" Pinkie cheered. Twilight smiled and extracted herself from Pinkies hug. "I'm happy to see you guys too. It really feels like it's been too long." She said as she fixed her jacket. "I assume you know why I'm here... right?" She looked at both of them a little uneasy. "Yea, lead hoof over there told us about Celestias offer." Dashie snorted. She nodded slowly. "And what do you think of it?" She asked. "I told him he was an idiot for not saying yes!" She grumbled frustratingly. "I would follow him to the ends of Equis because I...." Her voice faltered as she blushed heavily. "F-forget I said anything..." "You love him Dash. It's ok to say it." Twilight said comfortingly. She sat next to Dash and put an arm around her friend, giving her a gentle squeeze. Pinkie meanwhile was giggling to herself at the scene unfolding in front of us. I was sure I knew what her thoughts were on this, she was like an open book sometimes. I smiled as well, knowing I had at least two girls who truly loved me. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== **A Few Weeks Later, 4 Months till the Wedding** I had learned a few things since I got my ship back. Equestrian Magic was very similar to the Force. In some ways it was better. But a lot was unknown regarding the darker side of Magic. Most knowledge of it was forbidden by the Princesses, simply for how dangerous it could be if in the wrong hands. It felt very similar to how the Order handled knowledge of the Dark Side of the Force. Yet I digress. "Ver, you in there?" Dash asked, waving her hand in front of my face. This snapped me out of a thoughtful trance as I looked at her. "Oh, yea. Sorry. I was thinking about... something." I said with a grin. She frowned at me and crossed her arms. "You know you can talk to me, right?" She said cracking a smile. I nodded, looking at her for a moment. It was so weird honestly. She had been acting so... normal around me. But at the same time, it really showed me how much she trusted me, since I knew she wasn't like this with just anyone. Not even her friends. With a sigh I looked up to the sky. "I've been thinking about taking on an apprentice. To train to be like me." I said, looking over to see her reaction. She raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Can that even work with our species? I mean, we aren't like you." She said confused. I shrugged and looked up again. "Who knows honestly. Your peoples Magic is fairly similar to my Force abilities. I think it's just about how you train yourself." I answered slowly, making sure I didn't confuse her. "I think I get it. Do you think I could learn?" She asked, looking a little hopeful. I thought about it for a while, scratching my chin as I did so. "While you would definitely be too old for the Order as it was, I don't see why I can't train you. But be warned, it will open your soul to the very essence of the galaxy. The good, as well as the bad." I said warningly. She just nodded with a small smile. Normally she would have blown it off as me just trying to scare her. But she seemed to understand the gravity of my words, and the danger it posed should she ignore me. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Training will not be as flashy as you would probably hope it to be. You must be open to change, to embrace the things you can not. And above all..." I said, turning to her, "be patient." At that last word her face fell a bit, but she nodded again. "I will do my best," She said, putting her fists together and giving a short bow, "Master."
A new generationAuthor's Note I know it's another short chapter, but I'm still getting in my writing groove. Please be patient with me. A new generation Training was slow going. Dash, while determined, was struggling with patience. Every time she would fail, she would be so critical of herself. I made sure to reassure her every time that it was alright to fail. "From failure we learn, and then we improve." I had said with a soft smile. She had just grumbled and tried again. This had been the recurring theme for a month now. While not proficient with Magic, she was very gifted in the Force. She was now able to lift small objects, albeit with some effort. Today we were meditating, one of her least favorite things to do. "Ugh... this is so boring.." She complained. "Being a Jedi is not all about combat and Force abilities. You must also remain neutral. Be the very symbol of balance. Once you understand this completely, this will be no issue to you." I replied. "I know... it's just..." She sighed, "I hear all these amazing things about them from your stories. How they can do amazing things, like lifting whole spaceships and being able to heal wounds without medicine and stuff. But... I wonder if I'm even cut out for it..." She was having doubts again, but I wouldn't let her stay that way. I actually had a bit of a surprise for her. "You will be. Especially with our next activity." I smiled, standing and motioning for her to follow me. Grumbling and groaning she stood, following me to Twilights library. This made her look at me funny. "We gonna read a book on Jedi in here? I didn't think there were any." She asked confused. "Nope, I had Twilight build me something for you. For your next step as a Jedi." This made her even more curious as we entered, finding Twilight and Spike working a sort of lab right in the middle of the room. As soon as we entered, Spike waved and walked over. "Sup Verin, you here to pick up that thing you wanted?" I nodded at him, and he walked to a backroom. He came back after a moment, carrying a small wooden box and handed it to me. "Dash, do you accept this gift, accepting your next step, and accept the path of the Jedi?" I asked as she stared at me. She got down on one knee, putting her fist to the floor. "I do." "Then rise Rainbow Dash, Jedi Padawan." I smiled as she rose handing her the box. When she opened it, she gave me a confused look. "What is it?" "That..." I said, picking it up, "is a magic enhanced power cell. Very similar to the one in my lightsaber." Placing it back in its box, I looked up to see her processing what I said. "So... wait. I'm going to have a lightsaber?" I nodded, to which she whooped and cheered before calming herself. "I mean, thank you Master." She bowed. "Although, the next part will be tricky. You will need to find a crystal attuned to your energy. And I do not wish for you to use the shard of the element of Loyalty. It is it's own entity, and I fear it could... blow up." I chuckled weakly. She nodded understandingly, closing the box. "Yea... that wouldn't be good..." Turning to Twilight, I cleared my throat. She looked up for a moment. "Thanks again. I know it wasn't easy to do, but you did wonderfully." I bowed. She just smiled and waved it off. "No no, it was no big deal. It gave me some good insight on how it works." She smirked. "Yes, well... we must be going then." I turned and left the building, Dash right behind me.
A long time ago...Author's Note Ok, so I know Star Wars isn't what you'd think of first when you'd think of an MLP crossover. But I wanted to explore the dynamic between the Force, and their magic, as well as throw a hapless guy into the midst of some excitable gals. It's meant to be all in good fun, so enjoy! A long time ago... Verin Altruan was a Jedi Knight leading a group of clone fighter pilots in the Outer Rim. They had been here for months, slogging away at the Seperatists. The last thing he expected was to get shot in the back. Quicker than ypu could say Bantha, blaster fire rained down around his ship like a torrential inferno. He couldn't understand it. How could his friends, the clones, turn on him? Something wasn't right, and he had to get out of there. "R3, prime the hyperdrive, we're making an emergency jump or else we'll get obliterated here" he said calmly, doing his best to dodge away from being shot His Droid companion acknowledged and together, they made a blind jump into deep space. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== Things were looking pretty grim in Canterlot. A blizzard had been raging for days now, piling snow high up to the rooflines on some homes. All she could do was watch and wait. "I wish it would cease to snow... I miss the sun" She grumbled. Sighing, she looked to her sister. "Do you believe it will end soon? I worry for the people... if they can't leave their homes, they'll eventually starve, or worse" She furrowed her brow, showing just how caring a ruler she was. Her sister just sighed with a slight smile. "I'm sure it will end soon. Have faith and be patient" Princess Luna replied softly, moving to hug her sister. "You must keep faith, for it is all we have at the end of the day" Celestia looked at her sister with a soft smile. Then there was a loud boom heard outside. It was so loud it shook the castle walls, dust drifting down from the ceiling. Startled, they looked around and then outside, where they saw a ball of fire streak through the sky, parting the clouds as it traveled. They watched as whatever it was crashed deep in the Everfree Forest, the ground shaking slightly upon impact. They were silent for a moment, before looking at each other. "What was that?" Celestia wondered. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it can't be good...." Luna replied, looking back out the window. ==========○○○●●●○○○=========== Verin grunted as he finally awoke. He seemed to be in a chased ship, but how had he gotten here? He couldn't remember. He tried to get up, only to find the canopy locked down. He pushed on it, it didn't budge. "Who designed this thing.... ugh... can't get it to open..." he grumbled. Looking round the cockpit, he noticed a metal handle looking object. Upon picking it up, it more resembled a sword hilt, but no blade. There was a button on one end, and upon pressing it, a bright orange blade shot out, straight through the canopy. "OK, this is getting us somewhere..." he said, deigniting the blade and repositioning it. "Here goes..." he said, igniting the blade and carving a hole to climb out from. As soon as he kicked the hole clear he was blasted by a wave of ice-cold winds and snow. Damn, what have i gotten myself into, he thought to himself. He had to find shelter, and as he poked his head out, he could see a cave several meters away. Looking up, he noticed that he almost crashed into the mountain itself. I'm either really lucky, or just good at crashing, he thought. Gathering his light sword he hopped out and made a break for the cave. Once inside he noticed he was not the only being in here. "Hello, nice of you to drop in" said a pink being by a campfire. Beside her was a light blue one, looking like they may want to tackle me at any second. "Where am I?" was all he could muster. The blue one scoffed and turned away, and the pink one addressed me again "You're in a cave in the Everfree Forest. Were you the one who made that large blast?" She asked inquisitivly. He nodded, shaking slightly from the cold. She noticed this and ushered him by the fire. "W-what planet am I on?" He asked, looking more confused than afraid. Sh just looked confused. "Planet? I'm not sure, but my friend Twilight could. I would take you to see her, if it wasn't snowing so hard." She said as we all looked at the entrance. Looking back at them, he noticed how equine their features were. They were humanoid for the most part, but they had hooves where theor feet should be, and tails coming out their backsides. He hadn't seen a species like them before... had he? The more he tried to remember, the foggier it all became. He must have made a face as the blue one finally spoke. "Is he even ok?" She said, slight concern in her voice. "Would you be if you crashed that hard?" The other replied. Before he could hear the response, he slumped over and passed out from exhaustion.
Far, Far AwayIt took three more days for it to finally stop snowing. By then, the Princesses had managed to put together an expedition to the crash site. They were both very nervous about what they may find... "Should we take more guards?" a young purple pong asked. "Young Twilight, this is half of the Royal Guard, how much more do you think we will need?" Celestia asked in reply. Both wore plate armor, as they really weren't too sure what they would find. Only Luna seemed calm, staring at the whisps of smoke still emanating from the base of the mountains. She would turn as the captain of the guard marched up. "We are ready to depart, your majesties." he said, an equally calm look on his face. "Good, the sooner we know what is there, the happier I'll be." Luna replied, frowning slightly. The two other princesses nodded in assent, and the whole troop moved out. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== "You think he's dead?" "Nah, he's still breathing..." Leave me alone...[i/] I thought. My body was now throbbing, the adrenaline from the crash long worn off. I had been asleep for a while, but I wasn't sure how long. One, maybe two rotations? I remembered freeing myself from the ship... and then I walked into a cave I saw.... Ugh, why was my mind fogging up like this? I had escaped from something.... A lot of somethings.... "Look at his face, he must be in a lot of pain..." That voice... one of the beings I found here spoke like that... bubbly, yet soft at times... Man, what was wrong with me? "Wouldn't you be? He did walk away from that crazy crash without a scratch on him!" Ah, that would be the blue one... very dominant... or just tomboyish... Since when did I analyze people like this? "Looks like the snow stopped for a while... we should try and make it back before it starts again." the blue one said. "But what about him Dashie? We can't just leave him here..." the pink one replied. "What, you want me to carry him? I may be strong, but Applejack would be better for that. Not to mention, he's too injured to be moved I think..." they answered. Were they actually caring about me? "Then... you go back to Ponyville and get some help. I'll stay here and watch him." the pink one said. "Pinkie, you think I'm going to leave you alone with him? We don't even know who or what he is! He could be dangerous!" Dash argued. "He's not dangerous. Now go get help, I'm almost out if snacks." Pinkie said defiantly. Dashie yelled in frustration, but did eventually leave, her footsteps getting fainter until I could no longer hear them. Well, looks like she's not all bubbles and glitter... imagine that[i/] I thought. ==========○○○●●●○○○========== "Make me walk alone.... ugh, what is she thinking...." I thought. Pinkie Pie was acting weird. Well, weirder than normal. She almost seemed to like this guy. But why, it made no sense. She just met him. He literally crashed in some crazy contraption! Isn't that like, really weird?[i/] I was gonna drive myself nuts trying to understand what she was thinking, but I had to get help or else she would freeze out there. "C'mon Dash... just a bit farther" I told myself. I would have flown to town, but it was so dang cold I couldn't fly more than a few feet. The sun was getting low in the sky by the time I reached town, and I was sore from walking. "Dash? Dash!" Suddenly I was wrapped in a hug, and I realized it was Fluttershy. "H-hey Fluttershy. I n-need some help" I said, my voice cracking from the cold. Before she could answer, a voice called out from behind us. "So you were up on the mountain?" We both turned to see our friend Twilight as well as Celestia and Luna, along with a small army. I nodded, and Celestia stepped forward. "Then tell me. What happened?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
