The Force in Harmony (update 1)

>It seems like you've found what you were seeking.
>Your hyperdrive's failsafes had triggered due to passing too close to a gravity well, with nothing visible to show for it.
>A few minutes waiting ruled out the possibility of a cloaked interdictor, as an attack would surely have followed.
>That left you with either a faulty drive, or a cloaking field big enough to cover an entire planet.
>You weren't sure what a planet would be doing out here, there were no stars in the area, and if the cloak covered an entire system, you would have to pass through the field to hit a gravity well, which would allow you to see the source.
>Stepping away from the control panel, you kneel and enter a meditative trance.
>Once your mind is sufficiently clear, you reach out with the Force, searching for life to point you towards the invisible planet.
>It doesn't take long until you sense life.
>A lot of life.
>Was the planet somehow habitable?
>In any event, you knew now which direction the planet was, so you returned to the ship's controls and prepared to approach your destination.
>You stared into nothingness as your ship began to move again, coming ever closer to where you knew the planet was.
>There was no telling what you'd find on the inside of that cloaking field.
>Luckily a cloaking field works both ways, so they'd be just as surprised as you.

>The collision warning sounded as your view was suddenly filled with a field of bright lights, a planet visible beyond them.
>A minefield? Someone really didn't want guests.
>You do your best to avoid the mines, but between the sheer number of them and their highly irregular spacing, impacts are inevitable.
>Whatever those mines were loaded with, it was powerful, the first one completely overloaded your shields, and the second took out your sublight drive.
>Without a drive, your attempts to dodge mines became mostly futile, and further hits rocked your ship.
>Emergency power was keeping your maneuvering thrusters going, but there's only so much they can do on their own.
>Luckily, you seem to be through the mines.
>Unluckily, your ship's computer is reporting a hull breach where your escape pod is supposed to be.
>Ignoring your continued fall into the planet's gravity well for a moment, you look down at the planet itself.
>Despite the apparent lack of a sun, there was undeniably plantlife down there, if the patches of green were any indication.
>No signs of large-scale cities, but you see some patches of light that suggest civilization of some sort.
>As your ship begins its entry into the atmosphere, you take your hands from the controls.
>Thrusters had no hope of slowing your descent enough for the ship to survive, much less yourself.
>With no other recourse, you reach out with the Force, taking hold of your crippled craft and pulling upwards.
>Sweat pours down your face, both from exertion and the growing heat from your fall.
>Your hold on the ship begins to fail, but you're past the threat of incineration.
>Now you just have to survive the crash.

>Taking a moment to ensure you are securely strapped into your chair, you reinforce your hold on the ship, going over the code in your head to maintain your focus.
>There is no emotion, there is peace.
>Looking out the window, you realize you're heading straight for one of those population centers you'd seen from higher up.
>There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
>Straining your already overtaxed body, you pull hard on your ship, aiming for the nearby forest.
>There is no passion, there is serenity.
>With the forest now the only thing you can see, you finally close your eyes.
>There is no death, there is the Force.

********************

>A sudden jolt of uncomfortableness snaps your attention away from the book you were reading.
>It was entirely unlike anything you had ever felt.
>You looked about yourself in confusion, searching for the source, but the only ponies present besides yourself were your nightguard, and they would certainly know better than to needlessly disturb their princess.
>Especially after that incident with Gloomwing.
>Realization dawns as the first jolt is joined by a second, then a third and fourth.
>The stars.
>Your book forgotten, you rush to the nearest balcony, your surprised guards struggling to keep up.
>Once outside, you quickly shoot up into the air, scanning the night sky.
>It was easy to find the stars you sought, their light flickering wildly.
>As more stars shuddered through your being, it became clear what was happening.
>Something was falling, and hitting your stars on the way down.
>You pull the remaining stars away from the object, leaving it a clear path to the ground.
>With no more distractions from the impacts, perhaps you can figure out what to do.
>Stopping the object's fall was obvious, but you would need to be close to have any hope of reining it in, given the size it would need to be to do what it's done to the stars.
>A glow in the sky heralds the object's continued descent.
>"Princess? What's happening?"
"Something falls from beyond the stars. I must see to controlling its fall, fetch my sister."
>Your guards swiftly turn to carry out their order as you begin your flight.
>By the time you were close enough to be able to get some idea of what exactly it was, the bright glow of atmospheric entry was gone, replaced with simple fire and lots of smoke.
>It was was clearly not a product of nature with how it was shaped.
>Its outer surface appeared to be painted, though a lot of it was scorched away from the descent, with visible melting in the places it likely impacted the stars above.
>While it had clearly suffered at the touch of your stars, it was far more intact than you had expected.
>You begin to match course with the object, flying as close as you possibly dare, preparing for the daunting task of attempting to control its fall with your magic.
>Flying beside the object, you look ahead and see Ponyville in the distance, at what was likely to be ground zero if you couldn't stop this.
>Drawing upon your magic, you reach out and begin to exert your control over it, your magic aura expanding from the point closest to you to cover more and more of its surface.
>Worried about the town below, you begin to tug at the object despite not having it fully enveloped with your magic.
>If running into your stars couldn't shatter it, surely non-uniform telekinesis would be f--
>With a horrible screech of overstressed metal, the part you had a hold of suddenly comes loose.
>Free from the full mass of the object, the amount of force you had been applying sends it straight at you, forcing you to dodge away as you struggle to halt its momentum.
>Stupid. Stupid!
>Why did you have to be impatient in a matter this important?
>You resume your dive in an attempt to catch back up to the falling object, but you can already tell its too late, by the time you'd be in position to try again, there simply won't be enough time to stop the fall.
>As you helplessly watch the impending doom of Ponyville, the object suddenly lurches to the side, heading away towards the Everfree Forest.
>Had Celestia arrived so soon?
>Glad as you may be over the town being safe, you didn't much enjoy the thought of your sister fixing one of your mistakes for you.
>With the immediate crisis resolved, you slowed your descent, taking a moment to examine the chunk of metal you'd pulled free.
>You were no smith, but this material was clearly not mere iron or steel.
>A flash of yellow magic announces your sister's arrival next to you.
>"Is the situation under control, Luna?"
>Confusion crosses your face as you turn to address her.
"Was it not you that changed its course?"
>Her reply is delayed as the object reaches the ground, leaving a long furrow behind it as it slowly grinds to a halt.
>"...You'd better start from the beginning."

*****************************

>You were... alive?
>There were far too many aches and pains for you to have become one with the Force.
>Opening your eyes reveals a cockpit half full of dirt and tree, bathed in the dim red of emergency lighting.
>Releasing your safety harness takes some work, mostly because moving makes everything hurt more.
>There were things you needed to do before you could enter a healing trance, your ship was heavily damaged, you had to make sure it wasn't going to explode or start leaking radiation or any number of adverse things.
>None of the computer terminals in the cockpit were functioning, so you made your way back towards the center of the ship, where there was likely less damage.
>Finding one that still worked, you punched in the ship diagnostic command and watched as the results came in.
>Sublight drive: Inoperable
>Hyperdrive: Inoperable
>It continued on for a while, nearly every system reporting the same thing.
>The primary reactor and computers were the only thing still functional, with the crash initiating a reactor shutdown as an automated safety measure.
>A manual reset would see it running again, but there was little point without any functioning systems for it to power.
>Turning the computers off to conserve emergency power, you finally settle into a seated position and enter a healing trance, allowing the Force to accelerate your body's natural healing.

>You emerge from your trance, feeling much better, though a few persistent aches remain from the more severe injuries.
>With the ship well beyond your ability to repair, and the cloaking field around the planet making a distress beacon pointless, it seemed like you were going to be stuck here for a while.
>Your next step was to organize what supplies you had.
>Which turned out to be far less than you'd have liked.
>The field kit you kept by the airlock had got thrown around a bit, but didn't contain anything that wasn't designed to handle being thrown around.
>It only had enough ration packs to last about a week, though.
>The rest of your food supplies, along with other useful items, had been in the cargo hold, which was currently empty, a large hole melted through the ceiling.
>Standing underneath the hole, you look up at the starry night sky.
>...Stars.
>A cloaking field works both ways.
>Others can't see in, you can't see out.
>Those weren't mines you hit, it was an artificial starscape.
>Cloaking field aside, it would take an impressive amount of technological prowess to set up something like that.
>Assuming the locals were friendly, perhaps they'd be able to repair your ship.
>With your meager supplies gathered and a plan in mind, you went to the living area of the ship, set right the parts that the crash had knocked loose, and went to sleep for the night.
>Assuming this place had a day/night cycle, there was no sense trying to explore at night, and you were still weary from your efforts during the crash.
>Your dreams held no insight from the Force, just a strange foreboding feeling, as though you were being watched, though whenever you turned to look, there was nothing.

>Despite your odd dreams, you felt well rested when you awoke, and a check of the hole in the cargo hold indicated that this planet did indeed have a day.
>Putting a lockout on the ship computer in case anyone comes nosing around while you're gone, you shoulder your field kit and leap up through the hole to get outside.
>You've encountered many forests in your travels, some more interesting than others.
>The flora here doesn't look all that special, and you'll probably have to get away from your crash site before any fauna turns up.
>As you survey your surroundings, you notice what looks like ruins not too far away.
>A good place to start, assuming there isn't a cultural taboo regarding them.
>Having some sort of idea of what the locals are like will make first contact easier.
>Finishing your scan of the surrounding area and seeing no other notable landmarks, you jump down from on top of your ship and set out towards the ruins.
>It was a pleasant stroll through the woods, just like many others you've made.
>You caught the occasional glimpse of wildlife, but for the most part you only heard their calls around you.
>About halfway to the ruins, as far as you could guess, you came across a strange grove.
>The trees in this grove were clearly different from the other trees, based on the structure of the trunk.
>They were also completely devoid of leaves.
>Your hair started to stand on end, as though lightning was about to strike.
>Not wanting to take the time to go around the grove, you continued through, watchful for any surprises.
>The surprise turned out to be quite shocking.
>As you passed close to one of the odd trees, it hit you with a small jolt of static electricity, which proceeded to crackle along the tree for a few moments after the fact.
>Unexpected, but not entirely unusual, perhaps the trees leeched metals from the soil to be conductive.
>At the far side of the grove, a bush starts rustling.
>After a few moments, a tiny lizard emerges.
>It was a cute little thing, bipedal, with a pair of horns and a two-tone blue hide.
>Seemingly unafraid, it stood its ground as you continued to walk through the grove towards it.
>Finally, you're standing in front of it, and it still hasn't run off.
>You crouch down to get a better look at it.
>The mutual examination continues for a few moments, then it cocks its head, chirps at you, and suddenly crackles with electricity as it gives you a jolt, this one much stronger than what the tree had done.
>You stagger backwards, more surprised than hurt, and pull your lightsaber off your belt, though you leave it unignited for the moment.
>The lizard simply stares at you some more, but bushes all around the edge of the grove start rustling, and more of the lizards turn up.
>Electricity starts arcing between the lizards that are near each other, and as the lizards start clustering, the trees join in as well.
>It is obvious where this is going, and you want no part in it.
>Preferring to avoid killing whatever these lizards are if you can help it, you sweep the lizard ahead of you off to the side with the Force, and run.
>And with a chorus of chirping, the lizards give chase.