Once There Was a Light

The Balancing Point

Anakin clipped his lightsabers to his belt, and it looked like he might be giving into the inevitability of defeat. "I was weak, Ahsoka, and for that, I'm sorry." Anakin's voice played in Ahsoka's head, and she tried to comprehend what he was saying. 

"Anakin?" Her head tilted towards him, following his movements. He was moving towards Palpatine like a Loth cat would stalk its prey. "What are you trying to say?" 

His voice was barely audible, given that he was facing away from her. "Sorry. I'm trying to say sorry for what's about to happen." 

Ahsoka tensed, twirling her lightsabers. She could feel the Force snapping around them, heated and flowing, almost like it was at war with itself. "What are you going to do? Don't you dare sacrifice yourself. You and I are supposed to be together for a long time more," Ahsoka tried. 

There was a roguish smirk on Anakin's face when he looked back at her, the expression causing his slashed scar to crinkle in. It was such a familiar look, the kind that cocky Anakin Skywalker had always worn, even before he was her Master. She found it comforting that she could see it again, no matter what would happen to them now. "I know, Snips." 

And then, before anything else could happen to surprise her, she felt the Force pulling her towards Anakin. As much as she had always felt for him, his presence was never so magnetic. She struggled to stay still, until she realized what he was doing. 

He was kneeling, with both arms outstretched, his hands reaching up and his palms turned out. He seemed to be in the middle of a trance, and his eyes were closed tightly. Palpatine was struggling against whatever he was doing - but she remembered suddenly. 

He was balancing them out, the Light and the Dark brought into balance by the Chosen One, who was the scale. Whatever the Jedi Masters had always said to doubt her Master's authenticity as the real, live Chosen One, there could be little question in Ahsoka's mind now. Mortis was suddenly flashing behind her eyes, and she could see the Daughter and the Son fighting against Anakin's power, trying to use herself and Obi-Wan against him. 

She let herself go then, draining away the powerful grip she was using to keep herself rooted to the floor. She extinguished her lightsabers, placed them on her belt, and gave into the magnetic pull. Instead of flying towards Anakin, as she had imagined, she was in the air, almost flying. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but she had been subjected to Force-chokes before, and it was similar. Nothing hurt, though. In fact, this seemed just right. 

Palpatine tried to claw a hold to the floor of the Senate building, which seemed undisturbed, other than the fierce wind that seemed to whip around its three occupants. The Sith Lord let out a long cry, fierce, angry, and wild, mirroring his soul. For a few moments, he managed to remain on the floor, but then he too gave into the Force's will - or more correctly, Anakin's. His lightsabers deactivated and flew across the room. 

Ahsoka saw him as she had always seen him - he was the living embodiment of the Force. He had both sides, the darkness and the light, and that was how the Force had always been. It could be used for good or bad, though it was inherently neither. Anakin made it human and real, and so much more alive. 

Palpatine was practically screaming now, whether in agony or confusion, Ahsoka didn't know. She could imagine that she was finally realizing what he had missed; Anakin wasn't a conduit for dark power, but a tool used for balance. 

When he started to speak, she listened. 

"I can see it now," he breathed out, his chest heaving. His eyes opened suddenly, and they were bright white, like there was a light glowing through him. "I can see everything, but I'll only be able to see it for a few moments. The Force has let me access the past, the present, and the future."