The Battle of Canterlot was over and the damage done to a large part of the planet was intense.
Many buildings had been blown to rubble, with others only half standing or having large chunks taken out of them. Those that still stood and were damaged, had been the first focused on with droids beginning to stabilise them.
The streets were littered with rubble, the remains of destroyed droids and several bodies belonging to those that had lost their lives during the fight. The rest of the planet was untouched, but the damage done to that one section would have countless effects on the rest of the planet. it would take a long time before Canterlot was back to how it had been.
Many people wanted to know why this had happened. Why the Sith had attacked and what the Jedi had tried to do to stop them. But the Jedi had their own issues at the moment.
Within the Jedi Temple, Flash and his friends were walking through the main hall.
Said hall had been transformed into a treatment centre, since the Jedi's medical wing wasn't large enough to accommodate the number of Jedi that had been injured during the fight. Currently, Flash was helping wrap a bandage around the arm of a Jedi that had taken a laser show during the fight. Rarity and Thorax were also helping with the bandaging, whilst Rainbow, Applejack and Iron were carrying supplies to where they were needed.
Fluttershy, Cadance and Pinkie were hard at work along with the rest of the Jedi Medics, doing their best to heal as many injuries as possible. But the lot of them were already exhausted, having done a lot of Force Healing to the civilians that had been hurt during the battle.
Many looked like they hadn't slept in days, despite the fact the attack had happened earlier that morning.
Fluttershy held her hands over an injured knight and used all her strength to Force the blood back into his body and close the wound. Once the injury was healed, though leaving a nasty looking scar, Fluttershy stopped her force healing and felt light headed.
She tried to pick herself up, but suddenly felt her legs give out and she fell to the ground.
Luckily, Rainbow was nearby and managed to catch her before it was too late. "I gotcha!" She put Fluttershy's arm around her and helped her over to a bench, putting her down so she could relax. "You okay?"
"Just...tired."
"I hear that," Rainbow nodded. She looked around and the sight of the healers working overtime, made Rainbow worry for them. Using The Force to heal wasn't usually dangerous. But if the healer was exhausted, the process could drain them enough to make them fall into a coma or straight up die. "Don't push yourself."
"But there are others that need me," Fluttershy whispered.
"Rainbow is right." They looked up at First, who was also looking exhausted. "We have limits and we must not push them like this. I understand that you want to keep them from suffering, but overdoing it can do more harm than good in the future. If you kill yourself helping them now, you won't be able to help them next time they need healing."
"I understand," Fluttershy nodded.
"Do not forget. There are other ways to heal someone." Sure enough, a medical droid flew in and started using sprays and injections to help those still injured. "Rest for now. We will need all the strength we can get, if one of them suddenly gets a lot worse."
Fluttershy nodded again, as Rainbow helped her find somewhere to rest. As they left, First looked around at all the people in pain. The sight was truly a horrible thing, one that no healer would ever want to see. But this was something all medics needed to learn to get used to. All he could hope for was that he would never have to see something like this again, after it was over.
In another part of the temple, Celestia and Luna were talking with the remaining masters.
Three of the council members were no longer amongst them, two having been gunned down protecting the public from battle droids, whilst the third had succumbed to the injuries Sombra had inflicted on them. Now they were down to nine, all of which had been injured by the battle that had taken place.
Currently, they were all in a large classroom. None of them felt like being in the council tower at the moment.
Skybreaker was looking back at his robotic wing, which had been damaged in the fight, the remains of the device letting out horrible sounds whenever he tried to move it. He then turned towards the one person there that wasn't a master. Twilight.
"So all this time, Sunset was actually Solara?" She nodded, "and she stole the relic?" She nodded again, Skybreaker letting out a roar of frustration before punching part of the wall. "I can't believe she played us."
"I'm sorry," Twilight looked down in shame. "I thought she was a friend, but she was tricking me the whole time. She said she lost her memory during the pirate attack, but that was probably a lie as well."
"It's not your fault," Celestia told her. "We were all deceived by her. I should have known she was an impostor. But I hoped she really was just a girl that had lost her family." She turned to the others. "We can worry about being tricked later. Right now, we need to focus on what's important right now. Sombra has the relic. That's now two of three possible relics. And if he gets all three, there's no telling what will happen next."
"There has to be some way to stop them from getting it," Luna stated. "Maybe that book will have some answers in it. A clue that tells us where the final relic is located."
"It's possible," Celestia nodded. "But it's a long shot." The others nodded, only for them to then hear a knock at the door. "Come in." The door opened and to everyone's shock, Lightning Blitz stepped into the room.
Many of them frowned, not in the mood for him to blame them for whatever he was griping about. "Hello," he told them. "I was told this was where you were."
"Can we help you?" Luna asked. She didn't want to be rude, whilst also trying to think of a way to make him stop his rant before he started.
"I don't know if Rarity and Ruby told you about our fight in the Destroyer."
"Yes," Celestia nodded. "They told us all about your run in with your father." She sighed. "I am truly sorry. Hearing about what he's done, makes me wish I could go back in time and stop what happened to him."
"You and me both," Lightning stated. "But I'm not here to talk about my father." He reached into his belt and removed something from it. A device of some kind, which he moved over to give to Celestia.
The omni took the device and discovered it was some kind of receiver. "What is this?"
"When we snuck into the Destroyer, I thought it might be the chance we needed to finally locate their base. I was expecting us to actually somehow destroy the ship, but I realised that we could use it if it wasn't destroyed. So I placed a transmitter on it."
"You placed a tracking device in the ship?" Skybreaker asked, with Lightning nodding. "So we can track that Destroyer right now?"
"Not exactly," Lightning sighed. "I didn't have any high power transmitters on me at the time. The transmitter I had was strong, but not strong enough to be picked up whilst the ship was travelling at hyper speed.
"I see," Celestia nodded. "So you were only able to track it until it entered hyperspace?" Lightning nodded. "But am I correct in assuming that once that ship leaves hyperspace, the transmitter will transmit its location to this device?"
Lightning nodded. "But depending on where the ship is, it might take a while before we get the signal. And that's assuming the ship is even sent to their base. I hide the transmitter pretty well, but there's still a chance the Sith will find it."
"Indeed," Celestia agreed. "But this is a great help to us. Thank you." Lightning nodded. "And I truly am sorry about what happened to your father. I understand if you still hate me. But I hope we can continue to work together, to stop the Sith from causing any more harm than they already have."
Lightning just stood there for a moment, then turned to leave. Nobody said anything, as he headed out of the door and left the Jedi to talk about this new development.
Celestia turned to them and held up the receiver. "We need to find a way to increase the power of this device. It might make locating the transmitter easier." The masters nodded, as she turned to Twilight. "Keep working on that book. This way, we'll have two ways to stop them. Get the final key or locate their home."
"Understood," Twilight nodded. "I'll find it. I promise." Celestia nodded, as Twilight headed for the door. The other masters followed, leaving Celestia and Luna alone.
Once they were, Celestia's face fell and she let out a sigh.
"Sister," Luna stepped up to her, "you should be resting. You haven't fully recovered from your battle against Sombra. If you're to lead us to victory against them, you'll need all the strength you can muster."
Celestia said nothing for a moment and moved over to a window. "Maybe I'm not the one to lead us to victory." Luna gave her a shocked look. "If I hadn't been so willing to allow Solara to stay, none of this would have happened."
"Sister," Luna placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. How could you have known she was a Sith?"
"I knew there was something wrong about her," Celestia stated. "Especially after what I learned about her." Luna gave her a curious look, as Celestia looked around to make sure there was nobody around. "What I'm about to tell you cannot be repeated. Understand?" She nodded, though she was obviously worried. She didn't know what Celestia was about to say, but she had a feeling it was gonna be something big.
In another part of the galaxy, Sombra smiled as he sat on the bridge of his Destroyer.
The two relics were floating above his hand, the two almost identical keys looking glorious to the Sith. "Excellent." He turned to Solara, who was once again wearing her masted helmet. "You've done well. More than made up for your earlier failure."
"Thank you, master."
"So, what else did you learn from your time in the Jedi Order? I'm sure you realise now, why their outdated methods of controlling The Force will not survive against us."
"Yes, master. They are too soft on their students. Allowing them to fail in a hopes of learning from it. It is no wonder they are so easy to defeat."
"Yes," Sombra nodded. "They always were too kind. They believe it is a strength, but they will discover it is a weakness when they realise they don't have enough Jedi strong enough to take us down." As he said this, the ship came out of hyperspace and they found themselves back on their planet base.
As this was happening, Chrysalis stepped into the room. She did not look happy. "Master."
"How is Doom doing after that little explosion in the power core?"
"Not well, I'm afraid. We have him in the bacta tank, but the burns he received were quite severe. They'll heal, but will leave an awful lot of scars."
"Well, that'll teach him not to let Jedi or other meddlers onto my ship. How long will he need in the bacta tank before he can fight again?"
"Weeks. Possibly a few months. Like I said, the damage was severe. Fixing it won't be easy." Sombra didn't like the sound of that. "I may need to come up with a way, to get him out of that tank and back on the field much quicker." Chrysalis and Solara wondered what he meant by that. "Solara. You still have work to do. There is still one final relic out there. Find it."
"Yes, master." Sombra held his hand out and the two other relics floated over to her, the young Sith taking them and leaving the Destroyer.
Sombra then spun around and looked back out the window, as he typed several keys in the side of his chair. Moments later, holo screens appeared with Armalum and Tirek's faces. "Master," they both announced as Sombra nodded.
"How are things going on your assigned tasks?"
Tirek was the first to speak. "Master. The troops and ships are ready for another attack. I'm simply working to decide what our next target should be."
"Good," Sombra nodded before turning to Armalum. "And what of the gates construction?"
Armalum nodded. "You'll be happy to know, we managed to find another deposit of stone. And it's high quality. It should be enough to allow us to completely build the arch. And once it's done, all we'll need is the three keys."
"Excellent," Sombra nodded. "Get to work on it and get it done fast." The two nodded before the holo-screens disappeared. He then turned to Chrysalis. "You head back to your hive and check on the next patch of troopers. The droids might be easier to produce, but your warriors still have their uses."
"Yes, master." Chrysalis turned to leave and Sombra stared back at his planetary base. Down there were the many slaves he had captured and forced to do his bidding. So many had collapsed from exhaustion and forced to keep working. Working to help overthrow the republic.
Back on Canterlot, Celestia had just finished telling Luna what she had learned about Solara.
"Your daughter?" The omni asked. "How is such a thing possible?" She turned to Celestia. "You and Sombra. Did you ever..." Celestia's eyes widened, "I mean before he left the order. Were you two ever...intimate?"
Celestia sighed. "No. We were never like that. And don't you think you'd have noticed if I had a child back then? We were always together back when I was training you. And back then, I was too devoted to the old ways of the Order. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to do it. That's one of the reasons Sombra left the Order."
"True," Luna nodded. "But then where did this girl come from? Are you sure there wasn't a mistake?"
"No. I tested the blood sample myself." She sighed, "Solara is my daughter. At least, genetically. How she came to be, I don't know. But I should have confronted the girl the moment I discovered this. If I had, we might have uncovered her secret and stopped her before the attack. But I didn't. I wanted to see the good in her and hoped there would have been an explanation for it."
"An explanation that didn't involve her being a Sith, you mean?" Celestia nodded. "You're right. Maybe you should have confronted her and told us what you'd uncovered. But you made a mistake."
"Three hundred years of life," Celestia stated. "And I'm still allowing my emotions to get the better of me. How can I expect to lead the Jedi, when I'm still making mistakes like this?"
"Sister," Luna leaned against the wall. "I don't think making mistakes is something you can grow out of. Yes. You made a mistake about Solara. But before that, what was the last mistake you made?"
"Blaming Doom for a crime he didn't commit."
"Which was years ago," Luna pointed out. "Most people can't go a week without doing something they'd regret. You going almost two decades between making mistakes is impressive."
"But it seems that when I make those mistakes, they always make someone suffer. Lightning and his family suffered last time. And now, all those people that died, were injured or lost their homes. What's gonna happen the next time I make a mistake? Will the planet blow up?" Luna frowned, unsure how to answer that.
"We can't have you losing your confidence," Luna stated. "If you start doubting yourself now, Sombra's going to win."
Celestia frowned, but nodded. "Maybe. But the next time I find that girl, I'm going to find out her secret."
"That's if she even knows it," Luna pointed out. "There's no telling what her life must have been like, being trained by Sombra of all people."
"True. And a part of me hopes there's a chance she can be saved from Sombra's influence. But if I have to choose between her and the galaxy I swore to protect, I will protect the republic and all those I swore to protect." Luna nodded and the sisters stepped out of the room.
In another part of the temple, Shining Armor was sitting at one of the windows looking out at the city.
His mind was on the battle that had taken place and the fight he and Flash had had against Sombra. His mind kept flashing back to the battle and how powerful Sombra had been. Not just in his saber skills, but also the abilities he had using the Dark Side of the Force. It was a miracle Flash and he had managed to survive as long as he did.
"Shining?" He looked around and spotted Flash, along with Springer, as the pair headed down the hallway to him. "So this is where you were. What are you doing here?"
"Thinking about our fight with Sombra."
Flash nodded as he leaned against the wall. "He was strong. Strong enough to kill a Jedi Master."
"He would have beaten us, had Luna not shown up when she did. And even then, he probably would have been able to beat us in time. His dark power was incredible. Celestia's probably the only one strong enough to beat him."
"But even she wasn't able to." Flash remembered the fight, reliving every attack they made and every counter the other used. It was clear that Sombra was a strong Duelist. But Flash and Shining might have been able to win if Saber skills were the deciding factor. "If he didn't have that weird shadow ability and the lightning, we might have been able to beat him."
"Maybe," Shining nodded. "But you don't get to be master of the Sith without having awesome Force abilities."
Springer heard this and suddenly had an idea. "What if you take those abilities away?" The Jedi turned to him, clearly not getting what he was saying. "We've already come across something that can stop a Jedi from using The Force. What if we use it?" The two slowly realised what he was talking about, the pair staring at one another in shock.
"Springer. You're a genius!" Shining got up and ran down the hall, Flash and Springer hot on his tail.
In the archives, Twilight was once again staring at the book Flash, Shining, Skybreaker and Iron had managed to 'acquire' from the Cabraille Sector.
She no longer needed to look up the translations. She had spent so long looking at the symbols and the words they represented, she could almost read it perfectly. She scanned every page, spending several seconds on each symbol so that she didn't miss anything. But no matter how much she stared at them, she couldn't figure out any clue that might help her find the last key.
She closed the book and sighed, as she placed it down on the table and closed her eyes.
"Sunset." She knew that wasn't her real name. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop herself from attaching that name to the girl that she thought was her friend. "Why? Why did you do this?" Anger began to flare within her heart, as she thought about everything they had done and what Sunset had said about it. "All a lie. I can't believe it was all a lie."
Memories of their time together flowed through her mind. They were both a mixture of happy and sad. Happy because of how much fun she had had with Sunset, and sad at the thought of them being nothing but a trick to make Twilight trust her.
She felt tears begin to leak out of her eyes, the equestrian quickly wiping them away as best she could.
She tried to get her mind off those thoughts, to focus back on the book and find the final relic. But she just couldn't keep those memories out of her head. The pain and heartache she felt at being betrayed.
Twilight knew she needed to stop feeling these things. If she couldn't stop this pain from hurting her, she would slowly grow to hate Sunset. "Hate leads to the Dark Side," she told herself. Despite what Sunset had done to her, she knew hating her would only hurt Twilight. "I have to stop. I have to let these feelings go." But that was easier said than done."
In another part of the temple, Thorax had finished helping the wounded and was going to get more bandages.
The insectoid Padawan was walking down the hallway, a heavy look on his face. And as he passed a window, he looked out of it and up at the sky above the city. The sky that had his mother and brother somewhere in it.
He stared at the image, unaware that time was slowly passing more than he realised. As such, his presence was soon missed by a certain someone and she came out to find him. "Thorax?" Cadance called out, seeing her student staring out the window. "Thorax!" That finally snapped him out of it and he looked over at her. "What's wrong? I sent you for more bandages a while ago."
Thorax sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down. "Sorry. I guess...I got lost in thought."
Cadance nodded, as she moved over to stand beside him and stare out the window. The sun was beginning to set, signalling the end to this most trying of days. But she knew, more difficult days were on their way.
"You're thinking about your mother, aren't you?"
"Yes," Thorax nodded. "I always wondered who my family was and when I learned my race was working with the Sith, I knew I might one day face them on the battlefield. But I never thought my mother would be a Sith General."
"I guess we should have guessed," Cadance stated. "With your Force abilities being so strong, it would make sense your family would be Force sensitive." She looked over at Thorax. "What are you going to do?" He looked up at her. "If you don't want to face your mother and brother again, I understand. You don't have to go on missions involving them."
"No," Thorax shook his head, "I refuse to let them stop me from doing my duty. It's just...I could have been one of them, you know. If I hadn't been separated from my mother and found by the Jedi, I could have been fighting against you guys." He took out his Lightsaber and ignited it, as he imagined the green blade being bright red.
"Thorax," Cadance forced him to turn to her. "It doesn't matter what happened. I refuse to believe you would fall to the Dark Side like them. She may have tried to train you to become a Sith, but I know you'd never be able to accept those teachings. Your heart is much too good."
"You really think that?" Thorax asked, with Cadance nodding.
"Who we are is a mixture of two things. Nature and nurture. Chrysalis might have tried to nurture you as a Sith, but your true nature would have fought against it. And when you eventually met the Jedi, you would have seen the light and joined us."
Thorax smiled at this, then frowned. "Then maybe it would have been better if I had been raised by the Sith. At least, I could have been of use to you when I changed sides."
"No," Cadance shook her head, "I would never want that. You might have changed to the side of good, but you wouldn't be the same person I saw promise in as an apprentice. Like I said, we're made up of nature and nurture. Your nature might be one of good, but your nurture could have changed your overall personality. Instead of being the honest, kind Padawan you are, you might have been gruffer and difficult to make friends with."
"Like Iron Core?"
"More like Iron Core on a really, really bad day." They both laughed at this, as Cadance patted Thorax's head. "The way you are right now is perfect. And I don't think Celestia or any Jedi, would be willing to change you just for an advantage over the Sith."
Thorax smiled. "Thanks, Cadance."
"I'm your teacher," Cadance told him. "It's what I do. Now come on. We've got a lot of injured Jedi that still need help." Thorax nodded and the pair headed off to get the bandages, as Thorax thought about what Cadance said.
If one's true nature could always shine through, did that mean the other changelings might be able to break through the brainwashing they had been given? Was it possible for some of them to turn against the Sith?
In one of the Jedi labs, Shining, Flash and Springer were staring at the small gemstone currently inside a glass jar.
It was the anti-Force gemstone, that Twilight and Trixie had found in the temple holding the second relic key. They stared at it, as ideas formed in their heads about how to use it. "If we have one of these with us whilst we fight Sombra, he wouldn't be able to use any of his Force Abilities against us."
"Maybe," Shining nodded. "But we wouldn't be able to use The Force either. If we lose our Lightsabers, we wouldn't just be able to summon it to our hand. And if something flies towards us, we wouldn't be able to stop it or dodge." Shining stepped back, as he imagined taking it into battle. "I doubt the next time we face Sombra, won't just happen on a whim. We'd need to fight our way to him. And without The Force to help us, that might just be impossible."
Springer also stared at the gem, which glinted as he stared at it. "Have we figured out how it works yet." They shook their heads. "So do we know if there's a way to block the gem's power? Like is there a substance that can shield the gem."
"Shield it?" Flash asked.
"Like, how some radiation is really dangerous. But if you carry it around in a lead box, the radiation can't get out. You think there's something like that out there, that'll let you carry this around wherever you want..."
"And that we can take it out of when we need it," Shining smirked. "Springer, you're two for two." He looked back at the gem. "I don't know if it's possible. But if it is, we'll find it."
"That could take a while," Flash pointed out. "Any idea how we figure it out?"
"We'll start by making small boxes out of multiple different metals," Shining explained. "And we'll seal it inside to see if its effects are cancelled out. You're right about it taking a while. But it'll be worth it, if we're able to carry it around to use when we need it." Flash nodded and the pair started working on fabricating the materials needed.
Back in the archives, Twilight was still suffering from the pain she felt about Sunset's betrayal.
She had quickly realised that working on the book would be impossible, until she got this under control. As such, she left the book on the table and moved over to a quiet corner of the room. There, she sat and began to meditate.
Using everything Celestia had taught her, she tried to let the dark emotions flowing through her mind wash over her and fade away. But it wasn't an easy task. She kept her eyes closed and her heart open, letting these emotions run through her whilst keeping a clear mind. So long as she didn't think about the pain she felt, it wouldn't affect her mind and turn her to the Dark Side.
Whether by coincidence or fate, another Force User was also meditating at that moment.
Solara was in her quarters, the two relic keys on the table in front of her. She removed her helmet and focused on the keys, trying to connect to them and the third one through the Force. But she was finding it harder than she thought, especially since the thoughts of another person were constantly flowing through her mind.
The image of Twilight's betrayed face, kept flashing in the forefront of her mind.
No matter how hard she tried to banish that image, it kept appearing in her mind. And the pain that expression caused, was distracting Solara from her true task. "Stop it," she told herself. "She's a Jedi and you're a Sith. You're enemies. You were enemies when you first met and you were enemies before you lost your memories. She is nothing to you. Nothing but a threat."
She took several deep breaths and tried to banish Twilight's image from her thoughts. And eventually, it seemed to work. She blocked out all other distractions and only focused on the keys currently sitting on the table. The rest of the world faded away, a dark void surrounding her and the relics.
She allowed herself to reach out with The Force, to have it surround the relics and link the two of them together. Once that was done, she tried to make The Force around it reach out into the greater galaxy. To find the link connecting these relics with the last of their kind. But no matter how hard she tried, the connection refused to be forged.
She sighed, trying hard to command the Force to do what she said. But it was resisting her. She tried to fuel her anger, knowing that would make her stronger. Tried to think of everything that ever made her mad. But nothing happened.
"The Force isn't a slave or a machine that'll obey your every command." Solara's eyes widened, as she heard a voice she hoped never to here again.
"Twilight?"
"The Force is your partner. It can be directed and manipulated, even intimidated if one is angry enough. But it's true power doesn't come from being made to do what you want. It's only when the Jedi and the Force are truly in sync, that its greatest power can be awakened."
Solara didn't know why she was hearing this thing, but it actually felt like it made sense.
She stared down at the relics, everything else around her still blacked out, and placed her hands around her. "The Sith have no patience. They believe that anything that takes a while to do is being done wrong. It's only when you let The Force flow naturally, that you can get the kind of results you're hoping for."
Solara took a deep breath and simply allowed The Force to flow naturally. She didn't push it to do what she wanted. She simply let it swirl around the relics, but nothing more. And she remained like that for some time, far longer than a Sith should allow themselves to meditate like this.
And eventually, she felt something new. Some kind of pull on her mind, as if The Force wanted to take her somewhere.
Instinctively, she tried to pull back. "A Sith should not allow The Force to dictate where and what they do." Sombra's words echoed in her mind, but she also knew this was likely what she was hoping for. "If you allow yourself to be ruled by The Force, your control over it will weaken. You are the master. The Force obeys you."
"It's only when you put your complete faith in The Force, that you can truly awaken the power you seek." Twilight's word contradicted Sombra's. Solara tried to figure out which one she should listen to. But in this moment of doubt, she suddenly found herself being pulled by The Force again.
This time, she couldn't fight against it. She tried to open her eyes, but it didn't work. She felt like she was falling down a long tunnel, her mind practically leaving her body as she was dragged who knows where.
And finally, the lock that kept her eyes closed vanished and she could open them. And when she did, she realised she was still in a dark void.
But this wasn't the mental image she had made for herself. This felt different. "What is this?" She looked around and realised there were lights all around her. Lights that Solara realised were actually stars. She was in space.
As she looked around, she noticed something about herself and looked down. Her hands were covered in a strange yellow and orange mist, which she realised was covering her entire body. It was almost like she was made of this mist, which flickered despite there being no wind around her. Was this what it was like, to become part of The Force?
She was moving through the cosmos, the stars around her slowly moving past as she was given this vision. But what kind of vision it was, Solara wasn't sure.
However, after another minute of this, she saw one star ahead of her that was brighter than the others. So bright that she quickly realised it wasn't a star. Instead, as it got closer, she realised it was actually a planet. A glowing blue and green sphere, that she realised must have held the final key.
"This is it," she smirked. "Yes! I've found it. The final key!" The only issue was, she had no idea what planet this was and where in the galaxy it was located. "Come on, give me something that'll help me identify you." She stared closer at the planet and took in its topography.
The planet was just like many other planets in the galaxy. A mix of green covered land and blue water, with a thick layer of white cloud covering it all. The landmass was a collection of islands, all of differing sizes, all looking rather pleasant to look at. But she still had no idea which planet it was.
But then, as she stared at the planet, she suddenly sensed something new.
Slowly, she turned towards the source of the feeling and saw something she hadn't been expecting. A humanoid figure, completely cloaked in a purple version of the mist that made Solara up. Whoever they were, they were around her height and size. And slowly, her form became more clearer and she realised who she was staring at.
"Twilight?"
The purple equestrian stared at her in shock, clearly having just realised who she was as well. "Sunset."
"That's not my name!" The girl cried. "My name is Solara. Never call me that again!"
"Maybe," Twilight stated. "But you will always be Sunset to me." She shook her head. "What am I doing? Talking to a delusion."
Solara frowned, "I'm not a delusion. You're the delusion!" Twilight stared at her. "Be gone. You're just a figment of my imagination."
"No. I don't know why I suddenly came here, but I'm not leaving until I get some answers. Where are we?" Solara frowned, as Twilight turned her attention to the planet. "That planet. It looks familiar." Solara suddenly got worried. If Twilight could recognise the planet, she would know where to find the last key.
Before she could think about how to stop her, the vision they were both in began to change. The two cried out, as they suddenly felt gravity take effect. They had gotten so close to the planet, they were being pulled down towards it. They screamed, as smoke that made them flickering, as they got closer and closer to the surface.
They then realised they weren't going to land on the ground. Instead, they were heading straight towards the water and both tensed up.
But when they finally landed, they didn't feel themselves smash against the surface. Instead, the water didn't even move as they dived under the water. They started sinking like a rock, with the dark and murky location keeping them from seeing anything.
As they dived down, Twilight did her best to take in as much of the scenery as they could. She tried to hold her breath, but quickly realised that was impossible and was forced to breath. But instead of drowning, Twilight felt a gulp of air fill her lungs. "We can breathe?"
"This is a vision," Solara told her. "Of course we can breathe. I just want to know where the heck we are." Twilight frowned at her, only to notice something.
A giant fish, the size of the Shooting Star, swimming around with fish fins and crap like legs. And as Twilight spotted the long antenna on its head, she realised what it was and which planet it was found on. "Naboo." Solara heard this and turned to her.
"What did you say?" Twilight covered her mouth.
"I didn't say anything."
"Yes you did. You said Naboo. That's the planet we're on, isn't it." Twilight flinched, realising Solara now knew where they were. But Twilight was still missing the reason why they were there.
Solara smiled, as she now knew where the final relic key was. But as they sank deeper into the tomb, she realised she had to find a way to cut this vision. If she didn't, Twilight would figure out what was hidden here.
She tried to do whatever she could to stop the vision, but couldn't seem to escape the dream the two were being forced to watch. And eventually, they reached the bottom of the Nabooan ocean and both spotted something at the very bottom of it. A large temple.
Solara realised that had to be where the key was located and as she looked over at Twilight, she saw the wheel turning in the girl's head. And eventually, Twilight turned to her. "That's where the final relic key is, isn't it. The key that you need to open that gate."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie. I know about the evil Sith Lord. The one who discovered a way to live forever, by having his soul trapped in some kind of stasis before he took over another body." Solara frowned, shocked she knew about it. "Sombra wants to bring that Sith Lord back, doesn't he?"
"So what if he does?" Solara smiled. "With that Sith Lord's return, the greatest secrets of the Sith will be ours to wield once again. Imagine all that he can teach us. The galaxy will kneel before us."
Twilight sighed. "I just don't understand. Why do you want to rule the galaxy? What could you possibly find appealing, about controlling all those systems and the people that live there? You'd never get a moment's rest. As soon as you take the galaxy over, there will be some kind of rebellion that tries to stop you."
Solara smirked. "Let the fools try to rebel. With the power we hold, we'll crush them."
"Maybe," Twilight agreed. "Maybe you will win the war that follows. And maybe you'll win the next one. But nobody wins forever. Eventually, someone will find a way to overthrow you. And when you lay, defeated on the ground, you'll look back on your life and realise you wasted it trying to do something that's impossible. Rule by fear."
"Be quiet," Solara didn't want to hear this.
"Don't do this," Twilight told her. "Don't let your soul become corrupt. You still have a chance."
"No, I don't. What do you want me to do? Give myself up to you? Your Jedi Council will kill me the moment they get the chance. I hardly believe that they'd just let me join you in the Jedi. I didn't ask to be a Sith, but now I have no choice."
"Everyone has a choice," Twilight told her. "And I won't let you revive that Sith Ghost."
"Like you can stop me," Solara stated. As she said that, the water around them seemed to get violent. And strangely enough, they were both affected by this. The currents were suddenly pushing them away from one another, making them cry out as they were unable to fight against it.
Twilight tried to keep her eyes on Solara, but lost her in the maelstrom and cried out as her eyes were forced closed. She gasped, as she was thrown about and couldn't hear anything except the water's swirling splashes. And eventually, she felt herself being thrown about and suddenly found herself crashing into something hard.
A gasp escaped her lips, as she opened her eyes and looked around.
She was back in the archives, in the corner she had tried to get the thought of Sunset out of her mind. But instead, she had somehow found herself being pulled into a vision shared by the Sith in question. Now, she was back and armed with the knowledge she needed. However...
"Sunset knows where the key is." She frowned, knowing that going to Naboo would lead to her having to face the girl that had betrayed her. And if she couldn't sway her away from the Dark Side, she might have to kill her.
Her body shook, as she felt conflicted by what she had just seen. Could she do it?
"Twilight?" She looked up and was shocked to see her Master, staring down at her with a look of worry on her face. "Are you okay? I was worried because you hadn't left the archives." Twilight tilted her head, only to then realise how dark the room was.
Looking over to a nearby window, she saw that the sun had set and probably had been for a while. "What time is it?"
"Late," Celestia knelt down, "but that's not important. Are you okay? You look worried."
Twilight was worried and if anyone could help her, Celestia would be the one. "I just had a vision." The omni was surprised to hear this, "it involved Sun-...Solara. She was there. At least, her mind was there."
"Okay," Celestia told her, "calm down and tell me exactly what happened." Twilight nodded and took a deep breath. She then started to explain everything that had gone on. Trying to meditate to get her mind off of Sunset, only to find herself drifting into a trance and awakening in a void.
She then explained everything she had explained in the void. Seeing Solara, arriving on Naboo, going underwater and discovering the Jedi Temple. "I think Solara was trying to locate the last key and somehow, I got sucked into the vision she was having."
"I see," Celestia nodded. "Your mind was focused on her at the same time she was trying to connect to the keys. It must have caused you to be pulled into the vision at the same time. But that's strange."
"Why?"
"As far as I know, a one way connection shouldn't have done that. The only way you should have been pulled in, would be because Solara was also thinking about you." Twilight frowned, unsure what that could mean.
"Why would she be thinking about me?"
Celestia looked down at her. "It's possible your time together had an impact on her. Even if she can't see it, Solara might have been affected by what you two went through together."
"She said it was all a lie," Twilight sighed. "That our time together meant nothing to her."
"She might think that, but her heart may believe something different."
"Master," Twilight gave her a curious look. "You sound like you want her to turn against the Sith."
Celestia sighed. "If I knew it was possible, I would attempt to make all of them turn away from the Dark Side of The Force. But most of them are just too far gone. However, I do not believe Solara is at that point yet. And hopefully, her time here has pushed her further from that point."
Twilight remembered what Solara had told her. "If she did turn against the Dark Side, what would you do?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Solara thinks you and the council would execute her. You wouldn't really do that, would you?"
"Of course not," Celestia stated. "Jedi are the protectors of life. We never start a battle and we never take a life unless it's absolutely necessary. If the Sith all surrendered and allowed us to capture them, I'd happily let them do that. It's only when there's no other way to stop that, that we are forced to kill them."
"So if Solara surrendered, you'd just lock her up?"
"Maybe. It depends on what she's done. However, there are factors that might change how we chose to deal with her."
"What kind of factors?" Celestia frowned, clearly unsure how to explain. She let out a sigh and after a few moments, she began to explain.
"When she first came here, we took a DNA sample to hopefully track down her family. And we found someone whose DNA she shares."
"Really?" Twilight gasped, "who?"
"Me." Twilight's eyes widened. "Somehow, Solara has my DNA. At least...half of her has my DNA. From a genetic standpoint, I'm her mother." Twilight's mind was a jumble. "Yes, I was just as confused."
"How?"
"I wish I knew. But now that I know she's Sombra minion, Luna and I have a theory. Thorax told me that Chrysalis used cloning technology to build the Sith army. He said Sombra was the one who gave her that technology. If that's true, it means he must have had a reason to acquire that technology before. I think you realise what I'm getting at."
"Solara's...a clone?"
"A genetically altered clone," Celestia explained. "One made by fusing my DNA with another. And if I had to guess, the other DNA comes from Sombra himself."
"What?" Twilight couldn't believe that. "Why...why would he do something like that?"
"Sombra and I...before he turned against the Order. We had a history together. One not too different from what Cadance and your brother have." Twilight smiled at the mention of those two. "But they won't be like us forever. Unlike us, those two can develop their relationship into something more. And we couldn't."
"The laws of the Jedi," Twilight remembered the old rules. That Jedi weren't allowed to love one another. Before Celestia had abolished that law, there were many stories of Jedi abandoning the Order because they couldn't keep their feelings for another in check.
"Sombra left because he loved you. And even though you fought against each other, he still loved you."
"Yes. And because I wouldn't accept those feelings, he must have chosen to create a child that would could have never had naturally."
"Solara," Twilight whispered. "Do you think she knows?"
"I don't know. But I don't think so. A part of me wonders what would happen if she discovered the truth. And if she turns away from the Dark Side, we would have to take her upbringing into account. She didn't choose to become a Sith. She was bred to be one. But that doesn't mean she has to follow the path Sombra placed her on. I'm sure that there's a chance we can convince her to leave him."
"I don't know. She seemed pretty convinced that would never happen."
"Even so, we have to try. And it seems that The Force has given us that chance." Twilight gave her a curious look. "You said that she was able to locate the key. The planet it was on."
"Yes," Twilight sighed, "I accidentally told her where it was. She's probably heading to Naboo right now."
"I see," Celestia nodded. "Then we don't have a moment to lose." She turned to head out the archives, Twilight watching her until she glanced back at her student. "Are you coming?"
Twilight nodded and got up, running after her as they headed off. They had very little time and needed to come up with a plan as soon as possible.
The next day.
As soon as the sun rose, Celestia's plan was put into action.
Going over the Jedi that hadn't been hurt in the last battle, she selected the ones she hoped would have the best chance of stopping the attack that was likely about to happen. Sending them a message, she and Twilight were waiting for them in the main hall.
Those Jedi included Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, Tidal Wave, Pinkie, Spitfire and Rainbow. She wanted more, but she couldn't leave the temple undefended. As such, these six Jedi would need to lead the charge as best they could.
They entered the main hall and all waited for Celestia and Twilight to arrive.
"Thank you for coming," she told them. "I know many of you are still recovering from the battle yesterday, but we have to act before it's too late." She placed a hand on her student's shoulder. "Twilight's discovered the location of the final relic key. And we're sure the Sith have discovered it as well. So we have to act fast."
"Where's the key?" Flash asked.
"The planet Naboo. We're lucky it was a republic planet. I've already sent a message to warn them of a possible attack. But hopefully, we can get there first and acquire the key before the Sith."
"What'll happen if they get their hands on the key?" Pinkie asked, as Celestia sighed.
"I don't know. But I know it won't be good. That's why we've got to act, now. Are you all ready?" They nodded, "then we'll leave for Naboo at once. And when we get there, be ready for the fight of your life." With that, she turned towards the exit and headed out.
The others followed, all wondering what they would find on the planet. All the while, Celestia and Twilight prayed that Solara would be willing to hear them out. If she wasn't, it could mean her end.