All Hail The Dark Lord

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away....
Chapter 2: Arrival Of A Sith Lord
Chapter 3: Warm Greetings
Chapter 4: First Contact Doesn't Go Well
Chapter 5: Vader The Brush Off
Chapter 6: Evil's Impatience
Chapter 7: Qualms Of Darkness
Chapter 8: Fear And Foreboding
Chapter 9: Changing Theories
Chapter 10: A New Dawn
Chapter 11: Conquest In Consideration
Chapter 12: Dark Days To Come

Chapter 1: A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away....

Chapter 2: Arrival Of A Sith Lord

An explosion ripped apart metal, the noise lost in the great expanse of space, save for two individuals. Flames that quickly died due to the lack of oxygen sputtered from side of a ship, its surface beaten and barely holding together. Another ship, as black as the night sky, followed close behind. Volley after volley of red blaster fire shot forth from its cannons, each narrowly avoiding the damaged vessel with the odd laser hitting its mark. Another explosion rocked the ship, causing it to zig-zag off its course.

Atam knew he was going to die. He knew the moment Palpatine took interest in him, and his activities to help the Rebels, and he was at peace with this. He was tired of running and hiding, of living in a galaxy where his order had nearly been wiped out and every day he lived as an outcast.

Piloting in the Unknown Region was a difficult undertaking, made all the more challenging by the fact there was no navigation or map for the hazards that inhabited some systems. Even in such a large expanse, Atam was being pushed into a corner that he wouldn’t escape from. The grizzled Jedi Master couldn’t go on for much longer, and his pursuer knew as well.

Atam could barely function at this point, exhaustion seeping into his very being. Soon, his ship’s controls started to blend together and the darkness of space grew even wider. The old Jedi’s face was drenched in sweat, but his calm expression almost made it seem that he wasn’t on the edge of his death.

Darth Vader, in turn, was emotionless as always. His hoarse breathing and croaking from his respirator constantly pumped oxygen to his ravaged lungs. The numerous lights from the ship's control panel reflected off his polished helmet. Even when both pilots were flying and maneuvering at breakneck speed in the vast expanse of space, a certain tranquility had descended upon their actions, each for a different reason. The predator was hunting his prey, and sooner or later he will go in for the kill.

Over the course of his escape from Vader, Atam had been studying his attacker at all times, looking for any weakness. However, piloting-wise, Vader was one of the most impressive fliers Atam had ever witnessed. He completed maneuvers in practiced ease, along with navigating space like it was a second-hand nature to him. But it was after witnessing a double-barrel roll with a hard bank to the right that Atam finally pieced the puzzle together. Only the best pilot in the galaxy could pull off a move like that.

Atam switched on his communicator, Vader’s ship picking up his transmission right away. “This can end right now, Anakin,” Atam said, ducking his ship hard to the right in a maneuver to dodge blaster fire from Vader’s cannons. “You don’t have to be a slave to your master any longer.”

There was no reply on the other end. Just Vader’s ship switching position to gain better aim over Atam’s ship, his pursuit speed almost doubling in haste.

“Skywalker, please, listen, you don’t have to do this. Look at what the dark side has reduced you to. Something less than human, something evil,” Atam said, leaning down so his mouth was closer to the communicator’s receiver. “Do you not see what the dark side has corrupted you to? How it’s made you slaughter your entire Order? Its twisted your soul in its power and your only chance at redemption is to cast it off.”

Vader’s ship fired, each volley of laser blasts approaching closer and closer to Atam’s ship as the Jedi rolled and banked to avoid the worst Vader could throw at him.

“Anakin, we don’t have to do this!” Atam said, his ship shuddering as laser fire nicked the edge of his thrusters. “You still have a chance! You can still change!”

Atam struggled to increase his speed, but Vader’s ship was a custom job used from the finest parts the Empire could provide, while Atam’s was scraped together from barely functioning junk. Atam closed his eyes, his ship shuddering when another shot from Vader’s blasters was narrowly avoided by inches.

Until the Force spoke to him.

His sensitivity to it snapped him back into the present. Atam had just felt a ripple through the Force, like a shockwave of energy passing through him. He reached out with his Force sense and guided his ship towards the disturbance. Another volley of hastily dodged laser fire indicated that Vader was in hot pursuit.

Atam was susceptible to attacks from Vader’s ship even at lightspeed, and he very nearly lost his neck on several occasions. Despite his continuing miraculous luck in avoiding Vader’s attacks, Atam knew it couldn’t last forever. With skill and precision he managed to dive headlong into a nearby asteroid belt, hoping that his luck would last a bit further.

While the odds of actually navigating and dodging multi-ton boulders in an asteroid field were extremely slim, he didn’t have much of a choice. It would be Atam’s only cover from Vader, along with the fact it led to a straight shot to the disturbance he was searching for.

As he rolled past a large piece of rubble in his path, Atam’s brief reprieve ended when he sensed Vader still tailing him. A cold bead of sweat traveled down his neck as a laser blast obliterated a rock mere feet away and peppered his shields with shrapnel.

With a desperate pull he positioned his ship to avoid another incoming attack by circling around an asteroid. The top of his starship groaned in protest as its surface scraped against the rock, but it didn’t give way. His teeth rattled, but he held strong on the steering stick as his ship finally cleared.

Vader wasn’t far behind as he banked his ship downward on the underbelly of the large asteroid. This caused the Sith’s vessel to slingshot forward using the asteroid’s own gravity once his ship reached the other side in an attempt to close the gap.

Now the chase was drawing to a deadly close as Atam barely managed to dodge another pair of lasers from Vader’s cannons, the superheated projectiles managing to brush his ship’s hull and cause it to shake at the seams.

Atam was near the edge of exhaustion, his breath ragged as his oxygen grew thin, alive through sheer willpower and luck alone. If not for his Force-sensitivity, he would’ve been crushed by the countless spinning rocks hurtling around him. It became almost rhythmic: sense approaching debris here, use it as cover there, continue to dodge laser fire in a desperate dance. A single mistake on his part, even the slightest twitch out of sequence, and it would mean the end. All the while, Vader just continued to stay to with him, effortlessly dodging through the debris in a casual manner. The Dark Lord was toying with him, already confident in his victory.

Finally, with a sigh of relief Atam emerged from the belt with a ship that resembled a scrap heap. Most of the hull was abraded down to bare metal, with large burn marks peppering it. The ship, much like Atam, was on its last leg. Yet despite his ship nearing its final breath, it stubbornly continued onward, defying all odds to survive.

After such a death-defying flight and near escape, Atam almost missed the disturbance he picked up. With the asteroids no longer obscuring his vision, he was finally able to see the what he had sensed before.

It was a planet: mostly blue with greenery, which clearly indicated an ocean and plant life. The disturbance meant there was obviously some form of Force-sensitive life down there. And clearly in a large enough number to elicit that type of large disturbance.

With renewed vigor he sped towards the planet, Vader not too far behind.

As Atam was lost in his thoughts about the possibilities for this planet Force-wise, the right wing of his fighter pilot disintegrated from an excellently-aimed blast from Vader’s cannon.

Vader closed in, waiting for the perfect moment to make the killing shot. He seemed to be ignoring the halo of fire that formed around both their ships as they descended closer to the planet, his attention solely focused on the wreck of a ship in front of him.

Atam gritted his teeth and desperately used his only remaining engine to aim his ship starboard, the left thruster going at full power to escape the gravitational pull of the planet. But it was in vain, for his ship had lost too much propulsion to escape the planet’s pull. All it garnered him was more damage against his shields as Vader blasted away.

With a broken wing, Atam was unable to correctly maneuver his ship, its movements clumsy and wild at best. And with another cannon burst of lasers that hit the back hull of his ship, the heat shield was down. In a few minutes the steadily-increasing heat was going to burn his ship into a crisp. All the Jedi could do was grimace and pull hard at his handle in a last-ditch effort to not be killed.

Atam coughed, smoke filling the cockpit as red warning lights flashed. He finally keyed his communicator, taking in a smoke filled breath as he prepared to meet his end. “You may defeat me here, Sith, but the dark side will never prevail.”

Vader fired his cannons again, successful in taking out Atam’s remaining wing in a large explosion of scrap metal and super-conducted heat. The wingless ship could only drift on a one-way course with the planet below. “Says the old fool about to meet his death,” Vader said, his harsh, metallic voice sending a shiver down Atam’s spine.

A smile formed on Atam’s lips as his worried expression seemed to melt off his face. Not a smile of happiness, but one touched with sadness, yet determination. “I have already accepted my death. Just like so many of my fellow Jedi, which you had so heartlessly killed,” Atam muttered, the ship’s oxygen alarms blaring as he struggled for each breath. “So it is a comfort that I choose how I pass on.”

“Then you chose well,” Vader said, as he pushed through the dense upper atmosphere of the planet to prepare the final shot.

“And it is even a greater comfort that I kill the slayer of my Order,” Atam said weakly, barely heard over the communicator as he flipped the cover off a large, red button. “Maybe in another life, Anakin, we will meet.” Atam pressed the button, eyes closing hard. In less than a second’s wait, he was obliterated in a blazing inferno as the ship exploded in bright flash of light. His final sacrifice to his Order was now completed.

“Hey Twilight, when are the shooting stars going to appear?” Pinkie Pie said for what felt like the hundredth time.

Twilight sighed wearily, rubbing her brow with a hoof. “Like I said before, Pinkie, when Luna raises them,” she said, shivering slightly as she pressed her hooves into the scarf, shielding them from the chilly night air.

Pinkie stared attentively at the sky, her wide eyes reflecting the untold multitude of stars twinkling in the vast expanse of space. The new moon was hanging high overhead, a black circle in the star-filled sky that made them shine brighter than ever, like someone had dropped a bit of black paint on the great canvas of the night sky.

“Remember, Pinkie, a watched pot never boils,” Rarity told her, dressed as extravagantly as ever in a velvet coat with a sparkling white scarf wrapped around her slender neck.

“Then what about the Big Dipper? That counts as a pot, right?” Pinkie said, pointing to the distant constellation. “Actually, can stars even boil if you don’t look at them?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled as Rarity attempted to explain to Pinkie that stars don't do that.

Reflexively, Twilight stretched out her wings, having grown used to their weight and movements in the past few weeks after her princess coronation.

“Hey, looks like someone has finally been hitting the weights,” Rainbow Dash said, chuckling as she poked one Twilight’s outstretched wings.

Immediately, Twilight's wings snapped to her sides, a blush forming on her cheeks. "Y-yeah, just like you said."

Dash nudged her shoulder playfully. “That’s great, Twi! Your new wings were so weak, they wouldn’t have been able to lift a butterfly.” Dash shot her a smug grin, which quickly turned devious as she said, “Hey, remember your first time flying?”

“Dash, please, don’t remind me,” Twilight said, trying her best to hide her blush behind her hoof.

“What? It isn’t every day you see a newly-appointed princess fly off a cliff!” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh, earning a groan from Twilight.

“Twilight, have you remembered to preen and wash your feathers correctly?” Fluttershy said, peering past the head of Rainbow Dash to smile kindly at Twilight.

Twilight returned her smile with a wave of her wing to show off her proper grooming. “Yes, Fluttershy. Your techniques have been a great help.”

Dash rolled her eyes, adjusting the rainbow cap she wore on her head. “Okay, now that we’re done with all this lovey-dovey stuff, are we going to see an awesome shooting star show or what?”

“And there ya go, bein’ overeager again,” Applejack said, chuckling as she joined the group, half of her coat concealed beneath a woolen sweater.

Dash huffed. “Well duh, of course I’m overeager! It’s a shooting star show! That beats out fireworks any day of the week!”

“Not to mention it’ll be done by none other than Luna,” Twilight said, looking over to where Luna was chatting with several ponies. This was her day afterall, the Winter Moon Celebration. The opposite to the Summer Sun Celebration, it was to celebrate the coming of winter on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

The occasion had not been celebrated during Luna's exile, and this year was the first since her return that it was to be held. Ponyville was the natural choice for its venue, having been the site of her return and home to the ponies who had redeemed her.

It was a good chance for Twilight to forget her royal duties for a day and hang out with her friends, and for Luna to better acquaint herself with her subjects. And so far, everypony was enjoying themselves. The festivities were organized by none other than the town’s premiere party pony, Pinkie Pie, who was still having a staring contest with the sky

Luna walked by her subjects and bid them farewell, then made her way to Twilight and her friends, vigor in her step and a beaming smile on her face.

Dash smirked. “You seem awfully happy, Princess.”

“Indeed, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said. “It is just so wonderful to see so many of my subjects enjoying the night as much as myself.”

“So, are we going to see shooting stars now?” Pinkie said, appearing before the princess in the blink of an eye. “Also, are meteors, comets, asteroids and meteorites going to be involved too? Actually, what is the difference between a meteor and meteorite anyways?” Pinkie tapped her chin in thought to the question.

“Meteors are chunks of interplanetary debris that get into the atmosphere, and meteorites are meteors that manage to hit the surface of a planet,” Twilight said, hastily pulling her friend back and smiling awkwardly at Luna. “Heh, sorry Princess. Pinkie can get a bit... carried away sometimes.”

“Not a problem, my dear Twilight,” Luna said. “The show will begin when the moon is at its highest.

Luna concentrated, gathering magic into her horn, its cobalt blue light washing over the entire town center as she prepared for the show. Everypony quickly got prepared for the show, bundling up tighter in their clothing as they all gave their undivided attention to the great big yonder of space.

Suddenly, a single streak appeared in the sky. It flashed out of existence in an instant, but many of the ponies still gasped at the spectacle.

The first streak was then followed by a second, along with a third, until what seemed to be like hundreds of streaks of light lit up the sky. Ponies oohed and aahed, transfixed by the dazzling display of magical ingenuity and light.

Luna was practically gushing, a wide smile prevalent on her face as she clopped her hooves gleefully on the icy ground. That is, until the first explosion in the sky was seen.

At first, the townsponies thought it was part of the show. The red flash of light high in the sky was quite a spectacular performance. Then the two trails of crimson light appearing side by side were cheered for. An interesting shake-up to an already impressive show.

“Ooh, what do you think those two shooting stars are for?” Pinkie said to Rainbow Dash.

Another flash of light flashed across the sky, giving the blackness of space a momentary red hue. “Looks like those two are gonna crash head-on,” Dash said, as the two shooting stars approached one another, closer and closer together, until they were nearly touching.

“Maybe a–” Pinkie never got the chance to finish her sentence because one of the shooting stars suddenly detonated with a blinding flash.

“Princess, was that supposed to happen?” Rarity said, blinking several times to clear her vision.

Luna shook her head, a cold sweat running down her neck. “N-no. That shouldn’t have been possible. I didn’t make those two stars.”

“Then what the heck are they?” Rainbow Dash said, still peering at the sky to get a better look at what happened. “Because that was a total wipeout.”

“I’m not sure,” Luna said, the combined effect of using so much of her magic along with the night’s confusion putting her in a daze.

“Well, whatever they are, there’s only one of ‘em left,” Applejack said. “And it’s comin’ right for us.” There was only one remaining shooting star in the sky, out in the distance near the Everfree Forest, so low to the ground that it appeared to almost touch it.

Which it did ten seconds later, with a thundering boom that shook the town to its very foundations.

Vader had not expected this type of desperation to come from a Jedi. His overconfidence had gotten the better of him, which resulted in him lowering his guard, falling into a last-ditch suicide plot by a crazed zealot of a Jedi. But Vader was still one of the greatest starship pilots the galaxy had ever seen, and with lightning quick reflexes he managed to barrel roll and dodge the blast.

There was still the matter of the shrapnel, flung violently outwards from the exploding starship. The molten pieces of metal overwhelmed Vader’s shields, spattering over the hull as the shields deactivated.

Now the Sith Lord had a badly damaged starship with no shields, and currently descending on a crash course to an unknown planet. Vader prepared for impact, not bothering to curse his bad fortune as the planet’s gravitational pull drew his ship nearer to the surface.

Vader gripped the flight stick tighter, only to growl when it snapped in his robotic grip.

It wasn’t like steering could save him at this point anyway. The explosion had taken out his shields and both his wings, leaving him defenseless to the heat of the atmosphere and having any way of steering his vessel. He’d either die from being cooked in a tiny hull-like oven, or be squished against the surface of the planet going several thousands of miles per hour. Both were intolerable options to Vader.

The Sith did not lose, did not die, and he sure as hell wouldn’t meet his end in such a pathetic way. So he was going to crash-land on the planet in one piece. He’d done harder aerial maneuvers as a child. As a Sith Lord, this would be a walk in the park.

He raised both arms at either of his sides in the cramped hull, his hands wide open and fingers fully extended. He called upon the dark side of the Force, his only salvation in this crisis, which flooded into him in a welcoming embrace.

It came to him as easily as a predator to a fresh kill, fueled by his hatred and anger. Hatred at the Jedi scum that got him into this mess. Anger at being so easily tricked and caught off guard. The dark side raged inside him like a hurricane, raising his already impressive strength to unprecedented levels.

Using the power of the Force, he pulled the outside of the hull inward, closing off the gaps and breaches that were caused by the flying shrapnel. The exterior bent and crumpled, making the cockpit even more cramped.

After a few seconds, Vader had created enough protection to keep the worst of the heat out, but just enough to keep him alive. The high temperature he was experiencing was strong enough to make him grunt in pain, the feeling reminding him of his defeat at the hand of his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This memory filled Vader with such rage that his power increased twofold, the near-death experience filling the Sith Lord with such unbridled hate that those with Force-sensitivity could feel it from miles away.

His broken starship crashed through a cloud bank, resulting in a reduce in heat enough for Vader to look past the flame covering his window. Outside the ground approached at an astounding pace, the impact already upon Vader in a few short seconds.

He jittered and rocked in his seat, holding the craft together with his enraged Force powers. Gravel and dirt sprayed from the sides, and the occasional hard knock and bump would send bits and pieces of the ship flying.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of back-breaking effort his ship came to a rest. Vader released his hold, the starship almost dismantling instantaneously as the wreckage groaned in protest. Surprisingly it still held, the ceiling did not fall inward and the sides of the ship remained intact. His survival was miraculous, a true testament to the power the dark side provided. He’d survived an explosion, made it through re-entry without heat shields, and survived what should have been a fatal crash-landing.

But there was still the fact his starship was in literal pieces now. Vader cleared the smoke filling his cabin with a hand and managed to find the button to activate his communicator. The only sound it produced was the sharp crackle of static, along with sparks and even more smoke.

Sighing, he tried the button that would open the door. Surprise, surprise, it didn’t work either. A Force Push, however, did.

With the door open and lying several yards away, Vader carefully got out of his ship, his gloves sizzling as they touched the surface of his spacecraft. Jumping to the ground, the Sith examined what was left of his vessel.

It definitely wasn’t spaceworthy. Both its wings were missing, its hull looked like a crumpled ball of clay, and it was still on fire. It would need a lot of work. And a lot of time I don’t have, Vader thought, turning away from the wreckage.

His first order of business was to find civilization, if there was any. The second would be to discover if they had the means or technology to fix his ship. Third would be repairing his starship, and hopefully getting the communicator back online to reach the Emperor. He was still out in the Unknown Region of the galaxy, which meant a rescue would take at least a week or two if he was lucky, or months if he wasn’t.

Taking a few steps forward, he looked around at his new surroundings. There was snow beneath his feet, although his landing had turned most of it to slush. The sky was a normal shade of black, with stars and what seemed to be a new moon in the distance.

Suddenly, he sensed a presence in the immediate vicinity. Multiple presences, in fact. Soon enough, he could make out glowing eyes and shadowed figures along the the treeline, and low growls were audible over the crackling fire.

Vader drew his lightsaber; a meter-long beam of red light sprang forth from it and filled the air with a low hum. The saber's light shone on the surrounding area, revealing the shapes of several predators. They were too well-concealed to make out clearly, but Vader could sense they were hungry.

Unfortunately for them, their intended prey was a far deadlier predator.

Chapter 3: Warm Greetings

Vader gripped his lightsaber with two hands, his elbows pressed to his sides with the crimson blade held straight out in front of him. This was his main stance for a defensive position, allowing him to stand his ground and use his wrists to deftly attack with his blade without expending too much energy on his own part. Plus, his two-handed grip improved the strengths of his attacks and made it difficult for any opponent to deflect his strikes.

One of the creatures finally approached close enough to the light from his lightsaber for him to make out. It was about half his height, sticking close to the ground. It was a hybrid of sorts, having a body resembling that of a lion, including the razor-sharp teeth and claws. What differentiated it from its kind was a pair of large, leathery wings, close to that of a bat’s. Another strange add-on was a scorpion tail, the insectoid armor reflecting the light from his blade with the stinger hooked downward in a menacing point.

Compared to the long range of strange aliens and creatures Vader had seen in his time, this one didn’t even impress him that much. An amateur, hashed together genetics project made by a mad scientist was his best guess at its origin. Though it being made through an evolutionary adaptation was another possibility.

The hybrid creature growled, a large plume of white steam spewing out of its mouth. Vader didn’t know whether that was because it had firebreath, or because it was cold out. Kind of hard to tell the latter in a bulky suit of armor.

Vader stood still, his blade held out towards the creature. His breaths came out in the usual hoarseness that his breathing apparatus allowed him. The creature growled once more, its voice a guttural, predatory sound that had been fine-tuned over countless years of evolution to strike fear into its prey. Vader didn’t even flinch.

Like a strike of lightning it lunged, jumping in with a killing blow, both its paws outstretched and claws extended. An easy kill for the predator yet again.

Until its left arm got sliced right from the elbow.

In a single step Vader moved to the right and cut off the hybrid's arm on its way through with its attack. The hybrid didn’t even see it coming, unsure how the hulking figure had been able to move so quickly. Little did it know the power of the Force allowed even the most awe-inspiring of quick reflexes for its user–-even one of such size and weight as Vader. It fell to the ground in a heap, the stub of its arm ending in a smoking and cauterized wound that left the creature in immeasurable pain.

Vader was there to end its misery quickly, a stab to the back of its neck burning the hybrid’s throat to melted meat and killing it instantly when the blade went through its spine. Vader pulled his saber out, observing the smoldering hole. A clean kill, and not much trouble overall. Now for the others to deal with.

One of the presences he sensed in the vicinity had attempted to sneak up behind him, its movements nearly silent as its paws padded across the ground with barely a muffle. For prey of any sort they would’ve been caught off guard. But Vader wasn’t prey. If anything, they were his prey.

With a flick of his wrist he lifted the hybrid up in the air by its throat, his head already turned to stare at its quivering body. All he needed was a visual of his target to apply a Force Choke on them. It attempted to escape whatever entrapment it was stuck in by struggling and shaking, but it was useless against the power of the Force. Vader was infamous for his use for the force choke, and even against non-humanoid creatures it proved effective and deadly.

His arm was fully outstretched, his hand open and slowly closing tighter and tighter. The hybrid was in a frenzy, clawing at its own neck and leaving bloody wounds at its throat. It felt its throat being crushed by an invisible force, as if rope was tightening around it harder and harder. Finally its windpipe collapsed with a crack, Vader’s hand now a fist. The creature fell to the ground, suffocating in a slow and painful process.

This time Vader barely gave it a glance, instead leaving the two bodies and approaching where the other predators laid in wait in the shadows, the Sith’s lightsaber pointed downward at his side. The others were clearly agitated, the smell of the blood of their fallen brethren angering them further. Not that it mattered much to Vader. Their rage only fueled his own dark powers.

The dark side worked to his benefit in that way. His opponent's anger and hate only made him stronger. Though with mindless animals the effect was diminished, he still felt the tide of power the dark side offered him flow through his body, allowing him to perform feats beyond comprehension.

Out of the shadows moved another hybrid, though this one was much larger. And apparently meaner too, for its black coat was riddled with scars and old wounds. One of its eyes was replaced with damaged scar tissue, and it was hard to tell whether it had any ears at all, due to them being mostly chewed off. From the visual examination, Vader concluded that this was obviously the alpha male of the group.

And it was currently charging right at him, probably a half-ton of muscle, teeth and claws. Along with two of its pack mates running alongside it. Vader returned to his two-handed grip stance, staring down the impeding trio of very pissed off animals.

Three-against one. Hardly seems fair. For them, that is.

“Um... did a shooting star just crash into the Everfree Forest?” Rainbow Dash asked, after a tense silence fell on the crowd of ponies for several minutes. They all couldn’t believe their eyes at what just happened. An object fell from the sky from seemingly out of nowhere, and then landed right in the Everfree. Smoke could be seen spewing from where it apparently fell.

“I think so, Dash,” Applejack replied, one of the first ponies to close her jaw. Looking over at Twilight and Luna, she asked, “Hey, do ya’ll know what happened? Was that part of the show?”

“No, not at all,” Luna answered back, shaking her head slowly. “I made sure that my magic made a shooting star show and nothing more. Nothing was supposed to have gone wrong or crash into a forest.”

“Then where did that ‘star’ come from?” Rarity asked, huddling close to Pinkie Pie as a billowing cloud of smoke soon blocked out the stars near the Everfree.

“I... do not know. Whatever it was, it wasn’t my doing,” Luna said.

“So does that mean it could be a meteor?” Pinkie asked, tightening the pink hoodie on her head, part of her mane sticking out of the opening on the front.

“That’s a meteorite you’re thinking of, Pinkie,” Twilight corrected her, peering over at the smoke cloud. Either there was a forest fire in progress due to its crash, or it was expelling that smoke itself. The former seemed unlikely since it was the dead of winter and a fresh layer of snow was added the evening before, making fires difficult. “And maybe it is. Only explanation I can think of.”

“But what about that huge explosion thingy in the sky?” Dash asked, pointing back at the sky to where it happened. “There were two of those things, and now one. How did that happen?”

Applejack shrugged. “One of them kept flashing on and off, then exploded. If I recall correctly,” she said.

“Ooh, ooh, I know what happened!” Pinkie shouted out, waving her hand in the air like she was asking a question in class. “It’s obviously aliens! And one of their ships crashed into the Everfree!”

Several of the townsponies gasped in horror at the implications of an impending alien invasion. Twilight quickly covered Pinkie’s mouth with a hoof and smiled wide at the crowd of ponies. “Heh, heh, heh. Nevermind what Pinkie’s says, folks! Mare’s just trying to be funny as usual!”

“But it could be aliens!” Pinkie said, though Twilight’s hoof covering her mouth made it sound like “Bwh ta cood by ewiens!”

“Pinkie! There’s no need to start a panic in the town. Especially on Luna’s big night!” Twilight whispered harshly to her friend, shooting the crowd another award-winning grin. Looks like those diplomacy skills during her princess training were paying off.

“Everypony just relax here and enjoy the festivities, while I go check out what happened. Probably just some random space junk falling from the sky. Shouldn’t be gone too long.” Twilight turned and ran smack into Luna’s chest, the smaller alicorn falling to the ground.

“I wish to accompany you on your endeavor, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, the princess standing firm and tall, offering a hoof for Twilight.

Twilight blushed slightly, reaching out to be lifted up with Luna’s help. “Princess, are you sure? It will only take a moment for me.”

Luna shook her head. “No, I must be by your side. The night sky is my responsibility, and some unknown force has invaded it. It is my duty to investigate it.”

“And ya can count us all in as well,” Applejack added in, the other Elements of Harmony also nodding their heads in agreement.

“Really everypony, it’s probably just a big chunk of smoldering rock. No need for you guys to get worked up and join me,” Twilight pleaded, not wanting to waste their time with a trip through the Everfree Forest.

“Nonsense. As a newly appointed princess of Equestria, you must learn that your citizenry and friends are your greatest asset,” Luna said, smiling warmly at her. “Plus, company should make the trip all the more shorter and merrier. Wouldn’t want you to be all alone on a joyous night such as this.”

Twilight cast a wide grin at the princess and her friends, touched that they all would rather spend time with her in a dark and menacing forest than at the festival. “Thank you, everyone. You don’t have to do this... but it means a lot that you are.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, the pegasus trotting closer and nuzzling her cheek. “What are friends for?”

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and rolled her eyes while flapping in the air, “Are we going to yap here all night, or get going already?”

“What? Ya eager to get yer brain sucked out by the aliens?” Applejack teased. “Cause then they’re gonna be awfully disappointed.”

“Would the aliens use straws to suck out our brains?” Pinkie wondered, rubbing her forehead to where she thought her brain would be sucked out at. “Also, what type? Bendy or crazy?”

“Pinkie, aliens aren’t going to suck out your brain with a straw,” Twilight sighed, walking off with the princess to the entrance of the Everfree. Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack trailed after the two.

“Nah, they’d probably use their mouths. Like giant mosquitoes,” Dash chuckled, mimicking a slurping noise. “Just suck it right out from your skull and chug it down whole.” She laughed all the way back to join the group of mare ahead.

Pinkie tightened the hoodie around her head, making a small eep sound and glancing left and right before running after her friends.

If there was one condolence about this creature being bigger than the others was that it moved slower at least. Though it compensated plenty, what with the larger claws and more ferocious rage for tearing off flesh. It was only a few meters away and eating up yards with each footfall.

Vader weighed his options, and reached a conclusion. Why wait for them to come for him, when he could just reach them first?

While Vader could move fast using the power of the Force, it only worked in close combat situations, usually improving the movements of his arms or legs. A full on sprint would tire him out much too early if he was going to use the Force for it. Besides, he had learned how to deal with pesky opponents at long distances without moving a foot.

Vader pulled back his saber in one hand behind his back, waiting until he saw the whites of the creature’s eyes. Judging that now was the perfect moment, Vader swung his arm forward while flicking his wrist on the release of his saber. This motion caused the saber to spin in the air as it quickly boomeranged towards the large alpha male.

The Sith found the saber toss a useful technique when dealing with those that were not practitioners of the Force. While one wielding a lightsaber had the possibility to deflect a saber toss or even catch it if they were nimble enough with the Force, without either the target was nearly defenseless. Vader used this ability to its fullest extent for long-ranged attacks, a form of the force pull by manually locking the lightsaber in the “on” position so that it sliced through whatever was in its path.

That something just happened to be the top half of the alpha male’s head, the open upper jaw sliding off the rest of the head. The blade had cut through the creature’s open mouth and spine, leaving the lower jaw still hanging on. The rest of the now useless body dropped to the ground like a rock, a pool of blood soaking the snow where the head once was. Vader didn’t get to see much else, since the other two hybrids were still charging at him.

Vader flicked both his wrists at either of his sides, both creatures stopping dead in their tracks, and currently levitating off the ground. The Sith had both palms held forward, cupped slightly as the creatures squirmed in an invisible grip. Then in a dramatic flourish, Vader squeezed his palms into fists and slapped them together.

Both of the creatures suddenly felt their insides crushed under a great weight. Their ribs cracked, their spines broke, their internal organs squished and squashed like they were being run underfoot. And to make matters worse, they were flung together in an almighty crash that only destroyed their insides more. Vader released his hold of the Force on them, causing the pair to fall atop their leader in a bloody pile.

In a nonchalant manner Vader raised his hand in the air and caught his saber, which had just returned to him. It took precision control to do a saber throw, especially if it’s still on and hurtling back at you. But his focus on it using the Force never broke for a second, so catching it was an easy task for him.

Walking closer to the corpse pile, his boots crunching on freshly fallen snow, Vader held his lightsaber in one hand with his arm held outward, prepared to release a devastating combination of the Force and his saber attacks if need be. But it was unneeded. The alpha male was clearly dead, what with no brain connected to the rest of the body. And the two others had both their bodies destroyed due to his Force Grip. A difficult technique to do simultaneously, Vader only took the chance because they were merely animals. Against Jedi or someone who could use the Force, it would’ve been a far too risky endeavor to attempt.

Actually, upon closer inspection, it looked like one of the hybrids was still alive. Barely at the moment, it still barely clung onto life. It was at the top of the pile, its body and limbs a twisted mess with its ribs poking out visibly on its hide and blood leaking out in large amounts. It was struggling to draw even a breath, and was close on the edges of death.

Vader pulled the creature from the top of the pile using the Force, and without a moment’s hesitation he stabbed it through its chest. A sigh seemed to pass through its broken body, and a few moments later it held still. Vader removed his saber and deactivated it, clipping it back to his belt. He turned his back and left the creatures where they lay.

“Pathetic,” he muttered, angered that he wasted precious minutes he should have spent looking for repairs for his ship. Instead he had to play exterminator and take out some of the local pests.

He still had to deal with the other life forms somewhere near the tree line. He could still sense them, though at a much weaker signal. As he approached them, he could now tell why.

Three cubs–-babies of the hybrids–-were curled up in the snow, shivering. Seems that his ship crashed through where these creatures lived. The adults were protecting their young. And now they were all dead.

Vader left the cubs there, approaching the opening to the tree line so that he may find a way out of this clearing. If starvation didn’t kill them, the cold surely will. He didn’t have to lift a finger here.

Suddenly, the presence of other Force-sensitive life forms caught the Sith’s attention. Maybe six to seven of them in total, and much stronger in the Force than one would imagine on an undeveloped planet. Definitely practitioners. Though if they were of the light or dark side, he still could not tell.

With one hand at his side, hovering above his saber, Vader waited near the entrance to the forest, where they were approaching post haste. Either they could lead him to civilization, or die at the end of his saber. Or both, if he needed to take out a few of their numbers and make the rest follow his command.

“Anypony else realize how creepy the Everfree Forest is at night in the dead of winter?” Fluttershy asked, jumping at every strange and terrifying sound that came from the shadows.

“Do not fear, Fluttershy. Twilight Sparkle and I are here, so nothing will be able to harm us,” Luna assured her, the sapphire glow of her horn lighting their way.

“Yeah. With two princesses here, there’s nothing out there that would mess with us!” Dash added on, flying low to the ground and occasionaly flying above the treetops to make sure they were on the right track to where the crash site was located at.

“So if it is a meteorite, what do we do with it?” Rarity asked.

“I guess call in an excavation team from Canterlot. It could still be burning hot at the moment for all we know, so messing with it would be a bad idea,” Twilight said, peering further into the distance. “And hey, I think I see an opening!”

“Hey Twi, there’s a clearing ahead!” Rainbow Dash called from above the trees, descending back down to her friends. “And a bunch of smoke, too. Must be where the meteorite fell at.”

“Thank goodness it fell in a clearing. At least we know no trees are on fire,” Twilight said, quickening her pace to the opening. The brightness of the snow on the ground could clearly be seen, reflecting the light of fires in the distance.

Pinkie Pie bounced in step with Twilight. “Ooh, Twilight, can I head the peace negotiations with the aliens? Please?”

“Pinkie, like I said before, there are no aliens!” Twilight shouted, running faster to get ahead of the pink mare.

“But if there are, can I be the one to head negotiations? I can throw a party for them! That’d surely make them not want to suck our brains!”

“Fine!” Twilight yelled, turning her head to address Pinkie. “If there are aliens, you’re Equestria’s ambassador and get to talk to them all you want!” Twilight was still running while she was talking to Pinkie, and she didn’t see the branch in the way of her path. With a wet smack she face-planted with the snow covering the ground of the clearing.

“... Ow,” she groaned, lifting her head out of the snow, blowing out her nose to dislodge any remaining snow in her nostrils. Shaking her head, she noticed a shadow fell on her.

“Hey Twilight, I was right!” Pinkie yelled behind her. “This is going to be such an awesome party!”

Twilight looked upward to see what exactly Pinkie was talking about. Outlined in the light of the stars was an imposing figure dressed all in black. It was near seven feet tall, though from her position it seemed like a giant. Blue and red lights blinked on and off on its chest, and the sound of labored mechanical breathing could be heard. Its cape flapped menacingly in the breeze, revealing a large torso and two arms, one currently at its side.

Suddenly a bright red light filled the night, and a meter long blade of crimson was pointed directly at her face.

It pushed the blade closer so that it was inches from Twilight’s forehead, a loud hum filling the air. “Who are you?” the thing asked in an intimidating and raspy voice. “And why does the pink one speak of parties?”

Chapter 4: First Contact Doesn't Go Well

Vader’s saber was still inches away from the face of the... thing. In the red glow of his lightsaber Vader was able to make out it had a horn at least. And wings, for that matter. Along with what seemed to be hooves and a face resembling an equine. Though with much more humanoid features than he would’ve thought possible.

It stared up at him with large eyes. Vader guessed that it perhaps had night vision because of this. It was obvious this thing was sapient in some way. The pink one jumping up and down already shouted something about parties, and addressed this one by a name of some sort he didn’t catch.

The creature stayed silent for several seconds, apparently shocked to the point it could no longer speak. Though the pink thing had plenty to say. At least, Vader was guessing it was pink. His vision had shifted more towards the red end of the spectrum ever since he became a cyborg, so he could still barely make out different colors. “Twilight, what do aliens like at parties? Green goo punch bowls? Eyeball cupcakes? Brain brownies? Ooh, this is going to be so exciting!”

“Twilight, are you okay?” shouted a voice from the forest. A bluish glow contrasting the red light from his saber appeared from the darkness of the forest, illuminating several figures.

“Hey everypony, we found the alien!” the pink one shouted, hopping up and down and pointing towards Vader. “And its spaceship too!”

“Alien? Pinkie, what are you talking ab–-” One of their voices cut off abruptly when the group of five finally reached the clearing. There was a multiple color maned one that he could only describe as a rainbow with wings, another also with wings and a long pink mane, one with a light colored mane with a hat on its head, one with a horn on its forehead much like the one at Vader’s feet, and a tall one with a glowing horn Vader had seen earlier and a pair of wings.

Much like the creatures Vader had seen before, these walked on four limbs, had a strange variety of colors for their coats and hair, along with oddly shaped heads and much too large eyes. Another strange factor was that some of them possessed wings and horns, one of which cast light on the area. If the winged ones could even fly was up to the question, since the wings seemed much too small to support their bodies.

Everyone stood in mute silence, the only sound the crackle of flames from Vader’s ship. Finally tired of the wait, Vader said, “Where am I?”

This seemed to break the one on the ground–-whose name was supposedly Twilight–-out of her daze. “W-what are y-you?” it muttered, its voice clearly feminine. Actually, how was she able to speak his language anyhow? This planet was in the Unknown Region, so an understanding of Galactic Basic was unheard of. Unless they possessed translators, but the only article of clothing they seemed to wear was coats, hats, and scarves. Though they could be using the Force. It was an uncommon skill, but several Jedi had been able to master it to translate and communicate with an unfamiliar tongue.

“I am Darth Vader,” he spoke, the mechanical inhale of breath from his air pump supplying his ravaged lungs with oxygen. “And I will repeat myself once more. Who are you, and where am I?”

Twilight finally managed to get to her feet–-erm, hooves, and quickly slinked back to the main group, the pink thing appropriately named Pinkie the only one who dared stay near him. Vader still held a firm grip on his saber, but saw no need to threaten it with her openly. Chances are they had no idea what a lightsaber was, and keeping her hostage could prove damaging to his chances of repairing his ship in the future. “Darth V-Vader?” she asked, quivering slightly.

“Yes!” he answered back sharply, his saber still pointed at the group. “Now answer my question and stop wasting my time.”

This time the largest of the group, apparently a leader of some sort, answered him. “This is the land of Equestria, right outside the town of Ponyville,” she said in a weak voice, gulping hard and growing bolder. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak to my subjects in that type of tone.”

“You’re in charge around here?” he asked, feeling comfortable enough to lower his lightsaber down by his side, but not turning it off yet. If needed he could raise it and kill them in a couple of quick strikes. Clustered groups always made good for multiple deaths instantaneously.

“Indeed. Along with Princess Twilight Sparkle here,” she replied, pointing a hoof at the purple creature. “I am Princess Luna.”

Great, princesses. Like he already had enough trouble dealing with them in the past. At least he knew what their government was like. A monarchy of sorts. “Where are your king or queen?”

“We have none,” Twilight spoke, finally seeming to be growing used to Vader’s appearance. “Equestria is co-ruled by Princess Celestia and Luna. I was newly appointed as well.”

“An explanation of your political system is of no use to me. All I need to know is who can help me at the moment,” Vader said.

“Well... what do you need help with, Mister Vader?” Twilight asked, a growing sense of curiosity in her eyes.

“I am not a Mister,” Vader growled, his breathing apparatus causing his voice’s synthetic bass tone to drop to frightening levels that caused several of the creatures to flinch in terror. “You will address me as Lord Vader or Darth Vader. Nothing more.”

“Hey buster, what makes you think you can talk to the princesses like that?” the rainbow maned creature asked, flapping her wings to levitate off the ground. Looks like their wings weren’t completely useless after all. Though how she managed to keep afloat without moving forward was still a mystery.

“What makes you think you can talk to a Sith Lord like that?” Vader answered back, fighting back his urge to dismember this infernal creature that dare talked back to him in such a manner. Most would have already been killed at his hand for less. “And I wasn’t addressing you, so be quiet.”

A furious frown appeared on her muzzle as she yelled, “Why you...!” She would’ve zipped right at him if it wasn’t for the hat wearing creature holding her back by using her mouth to grab ahold of her tail.

“Dangit Dash, don’t be goin’ causin’ trouble with aliens!” the blonde maned creature said through the hair of the rainbow maned creature’s tail in her teeth.

“Everypony, just calm down,” Twilight implored, holding up a hoof to catch everyone’s attention. “There’s no need to upset our... um, visitor.”

“Why did you say ‘everypony’?” Vader asked, definitely unfamiliar with that term used in speech before.

“Whoops, sorry about that,” she said, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. “Since we’re ponies, we usually say ‘everypony’ or ‘anypony’ when we talk. Didn’t mean to keep you out of the conversation or not address you by saying that.”

That had to be the most idiotic thing Vader had ever heard of. Why would you include your species’ name in words like that? It was just a play on words that was extremely unfunny and downright stupid. Though Vader wasn’t going to say that out loud, since he wanted to get off this planet and not discuss what accounted to moronic sayings any longer than needed.

Vader sighed–-a sound more difficult to manage than most, due in part to his respirator’s limitations–-and held a hand to the brow of his mask. “Listen, just tell me where the nearest repair shop is so I can get off this blasted planet.”

“Repair shop? What do you need that for?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

Vader pointed back to his smoldering ship with a thumb over his shoulder. “My ship was badly damaged upon entry into your planet. I need it fixed to leave.”

“Ooh, Twilight, can I help repair the spaceship?” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down as if her hooves were made of rubber.

“She does not touch my ship,” Vader replied firmly.

“Well, I’m not sure how advanced Equestria’s technology is compared to yours,” Twilight began, tapping her hoof in thought. “But we should still be able to supply you with materials you may need.”

“Wait, what?” the rainbow maned pegasus–-or, at least that was Vader’s best guess for what her race was called–-asked, flying down to get face to face with Twilight. “Why are we helping this guy in the first place? He could be an invader with an army of aliens to suck out our brains for all we know.”

“Rainbow Dash, please, there’s no reason to start accusing Lord Vader like that,” Twilight said, glaring at her friend with disapproving eyes a mother might give to her child. “We don’t need to make an enemy out of a new visitor to Equestria.”

“I concur with Twilight Sparkle,” Luna added, giving Vader a once over. “So far Vader has not attacked us or tried to ‘suck out our brains’. And since he is in dire need to repair his ship, it is our duty as respectable ponies to assist him in any way possible.”

Things seemed to be working to the Sith’s favor already. He was going to receive the help he needed, and hopefully the damages to his ship weren’t that extensive and their technology wasn’t too limited so that he may get off the planet as soon as possible. If not, he could always try to fix up his communicator to call in rescue from Darth Sidious. Though he wanted to avoid that route at all costs. It would be seen as a weakness to his master if he had to call in a squadron to save himself.

“Hey you guys! The ship isn’t on fire anymore! Hooray!” Pinkie called out from behind the group, apparently having slipped away while no one was looking. She was bouncing her way towards Vader’s starship, too excited to see a real-life spaceship to listen to Vader's orders. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, a loud sploosh sound coming from where she landed; right nearby the pile of dead hybrids.

“... Ewwwwwwwwww! I walked in blood! I walked in blood! Ewewewewewewewewew!” she cried out, back-tailing from the pool of blood that the pile of corpses produce, screaming all the way.

“Blood? Why’s there blood?” Twilight said aloud, running to where Pinkie had stopped at. Twilight too stopped in her tracks, a look of pure horror and disgust on her face. “O-oh dear Celestia... there’s a bunch of dead manticores here!”

The reactions of the rest of the group of ponies were a mix of Twilight’s own face, and soon they all came running towards her to examine the pile. This left Vader all alone at the end of the clearing, the Dark Lord deactivating his lightsaber and clipping it back to his belt. No need to waste its power when not needed, after all.

It seems that these ponies were unaccustomed to seeing a pile of dead predators before, one of which was missing the top part of its head, and the other two looking as if they were flattened by steam rollers and crushed under a large pile of boulders. While they all seemed generally horrified at the sight, the pegasus with the yellow coat actually threw up in the snow nearby, tears springing up in her eyes. Pinkie was still trying to wash the blood off her hooves by sliding around in the snow.

Vader waited patiently by the opening to the forest, willing them to hurry along so he could have a guide back to whatever settlement they came from. Finally, after much gasping and disgusted bodily reactions such as retching, Twilight turned to him with a sickened look on her face. She actually had a green tinge to her cheeks, which surprised Vader. He didn’t see the significance in just a pile of dead animals. It was better that they were dead, rather than alive and tearing them to shreds.

“H-how did this happen?” she asked, swallowing back what would’ve been her dinner.

“They attacked. I fought back,” Vader said, keeping his actions short and sweet. He didn’t need to mention that fact he used the Force for half of the fighting. Better to keep them in the dark about that.

“But... how? One of them had its head cut off, with the wound nearly cauterized. What could have caused that?”

Vader turned his back on her, staring into the darkness of the forest instead. Well, not really darkness, since his helmet’s eye coverings provided ultraviolet and infrared vision, allowing him a clear line of sight even in total darkness. He could already see the outlines of trees in the distance.

“That is not of your concern. They’re dead. That is all you need to know,” he replied, crossing his arms over the panel of his chest as he waited for the rest of the ponies to finally get over the pile of corpses and move on already.

The quivering pegasus, the one who had vomited in the snow after glimpsing the dead, lifted her tear stained face to glare at Vader. She gritted her teeth and a look of pure fury overtook her features. In an instant she was before him, looking pathetically small compared to his great height. But this didn’t seem to intimidate her like before.

“All we need to know?” she yelled, a soft voice that held an edge of steel to it. “You didn’t need to kill those poor manticores like that!”

“Would you rather I have died?” Vader asked, growing annoyed with how this pony was addressing him. It wasn’t everyday he would meet someone not instantly intimidated by his appearance.

“I would rather have it that you didn’t needlessly kill these poor creatures,” she replied back sharply. “How can you be so okay with this type of violence? Those animals had lives, families and friends. And you took that all away!”

Great, he just pissed off an animal’s rights enthusiast. Just what he needed now. “Get out of the way,” he commanded, stepping forward to try and frighten her off.

“How dare you?” The pegasus took a step closer. “Do you think you can just hurt animals and get away with it like that? I better hear an apology right this instant, mister!”

For some strange reason that Vader was not aware of, his eyes were drawn to hers, her gaze locking with his own. Those pupils of hers, they were transfixing. Capturing all his attention and slowly emptying his mind until they remained. His movements were paralyzed on the spot as a strange force overtook him.

He was in the darkness now, and not the dark side that he was used to. This was a more petrifying darkness. No power, no sinister feeling, no touch of something far greater than himself. This was just inky darkness that swallowed him whole. And in that darkness, he saw a light.

Padmé, the Senator from Naboo and his wife. Their love and marriage kept a secret for years because of Jedi law, there was none other like her that he cared more deeply about. His descent into the dark side was mostly for her, to have the power to save her life. He gave up his Order and very state of being just to save her. All for naught, for in his final moments he nearly killed her as the dark side fed off his anger and consumed his very being.

This pony’s glare was the same one Padmé would give him from time to time when he was being uncooperative or thickheaded. Such as not wanting to go on missions for the Republic that would keep him away from her. But she would just give him the stare, a gentle kiss on the cheek, and tell him she’ll be here waiting for him to return.

He hasn’t felt lips on his cheek for so long now...

Vader flinched, the momentary connection between the two broken as he finally came to his senses. For a while he was caught off guard, allowing himself to be controlled by this creature. He, the Dark Lord of the Sith, somehow Mind Tricked by some helpless, insignificant lower life form. A mockery to his profession and power, all by the hand–-no, hoof, of a single pony.

Without a word he walked past her, into the darkness the forest provided as he left her and Twilight behind. He knew if he stayed a moment longer his anger would swell to uncontrollable heights. He already knew these ponies were Force-sensitive in some way. Whether they could sense the dark side was another matter, one he’d rather not get involved in if he could help it.

Though he did get some self-satisfaction when he saw the pegasus flinch when they broke eye contact. He’d keep an eye on her, that’s for sure.

“Lord Vader, where are you going?” Twilight called out, struggling to catch up with the Sith’s much longer leg movements.

“To the nearest center of civilization,” he replied, not bothering to look over his shoulder. His enhanced eyesight made navigating the darkness of the forest a relative ease.

“But you don’t even know where Ponyville is!” she called out, finally reaching his side and huffing and gasping for breath in the frigid night air. Vader just continued with his fast paced walk, his mechanized breath inhaling and exhaling in tune to his steps.

“I sense a large gathering of Force-sensitive beings due south. Is that not where your town is located?” he asked, walking through a patch of brambles in his way like they were nothing.

“Y-yes, but what do you intend to do there?” Twilight said, trying her best to keep pace with him without tripping over every branch and rock in her path. Realizing at the futility of it, she simply set her horn to glow, allowing her at least some vision with her walking. Behind another light followed, probably the group of ponies from before trailing them.

“I intend to repair my ship and get off this planet.” Vader looked downward at the pony, the light of her horn illuminating his face so she could catch every detail of it. His face’s appearance was similar to that of a skull, the eyes appearing bulbous. The cheekbones of the face were generally angular, curving slightly to join the nose at its base. What accounted for the nose and mouth parts of the face were a triangular grill that served as his air filter, further contributing to its skull-like appearance. It couldn’t be natural, couldn’t be anything other than a horrifying covering to something much more sinister beneath its surface. All in all, it was one of the most frightening things Twilight could’ve seen in the near darkness of the Everfree Forest with only her horn to be used as a light. “And if you care at all about the welfare of your friends, it would be wise to make sure that happens.”

Chapter 5: Vader The Brush Off

If there was one thing Vader had learned in the approximately fifteen minutes of being on this planet, it was that these ponies are annoying. On level with Jar Jar Binks, which he had once thought was physically impossible.

Twilight was asking question after question, all having to do with him, of course. He wisely chose to ignore her and not answer a single one. While this would normally make for an awkward silence, but Twilight never gave up, and Vader never said a word.

“So Lord Vader, what does your title of Darth mean?” Twilight asked, hoping this will finally be the time he opens up about himself. Vader merely lifted up a branch in his path, the tree limb, swinging back to smack with Twilight’s face. Giving a disgruntled groan and rubbing at her nose vigorously to dislodge any off chance of a splinter being there, she continued to walk beside him.

“Is it from another language. Does it mean dark? Also, how do you know Equestrian? Do you have a translator of some sort?” Each question fell on deaf ears, for Vader didn’t even give acknowledgement that he was listening.

While she blabbered on about one question and the next, Vader took care to remember certain aspects of what she was saying and save said information for later. “So, how did you crash into Equestria anyhow? Was there a problem with your ship?”

Vader was keeping very much with his earlier attitude and didn’t answer her at all, instead opting to walk through a patch of brambles in his path, leaving Twilight to circle around them and struggle to catch up to his long footfalls.

He sensed a growing tide of frustration emanating from the pony now. Running at a short paced jog, she said, “You know, if you don’t want to talk about anything, you could’ve just said so.”

Ignoring her and not saying a word seemed like a pretty good explanation that he didn’t want to talk to her. But let her think what she wants. As of that moment his only worry was getting out of the forest and going to that town she mentioned. Ponyville, if he recalled right. Was everything about these ponies some bad pun-related garbage?

And of course she couldn’t let it rest at that, because she spoke again. “Vader–-I mean, Lord Vader, I’m only trying to help you,” she said, flashing him her best charismatic smile. Which nearly caused her to trip and fall on her face, ruining its effect. Grumbling to herself, she asked, “Can you at least tell me what your species’ name is?”

Vader spotted the opening to the forest up ahead, a path leading out of the darkness and snaking through some small hills. Without a moment’s hesitation he quickened his pace to get to town faster, and to leave Twilight in the dust.

Growling, she flapped out her wings and took off to catch up with the Dark Lord. “Oh come on! A planet name, star system, anything! What’s your favorite type of food? Interest in music? I just need to hear something!”

Looks like a visitor from another planet was just too good an opportunity for the pony to pass up and leave well enough alone without a barrage of annoying questions. Other than being a leader, Vader guessed she had some ties to science as well. Maybe even a skilled practitioner of the Force, or whatever they call it on this planet.

Twilight’s brief flight was cut short, due mostly to the fact she still wasn’t that good at the entire flying aspect of being a princess, and because she completely overshot her goal of meeting up closer with Vader. Instead, she face-planted with some hard packed snow off the edge of the road, and tumbled to a cold heap. Vader took care to ignore these proceedings and follow the road to where the town lay.

A hoof poked into Twilight’s side, and after some groans and shuffle of her coat she got up and dislodged most of the snow sticking to her person. Rainbow Dash was there, along with the rest of her friends, a looks of unease on their collected faces. Except for Luna, who just stared in the distance at Vader with a puzzled expression.

“Twi, you okay?” Dash asked.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” Twilight assured her, brushing off some snow that had collected on her scarf. “I just wish Vader would be willing to talk more.”

“Yeah, that guy,” Rainbow Dash muttered, turning around to walk back to town, an annoyed look on her face.

“What? What about him?” Twilight asked, joining her friends and the princess on the walk back.

“Well, for one thing, that guy ain’t the friendliest of company,” Applejack began, shivering slightly. “Not to mention the fact what he did to them there manticores.”

Twilight looked away sheepishly. “Listen, I know he isn’t exactly the nicest of individuals. But he’s from outer space. We have no idea how his culture or society works!” Twilight said. “As for the manticores, he was only trying to defend himself. While his actions with that are rather... uh, violent, it isn’t completely wrong in that regard when he was only preserving his own life.”

“I still don’t trust him,” Dash said, looking over her shoulder to Twilight. “And you shouldn’t either.”

“Dash, come on! You just can’t judge him on first appearances!”

“Twilight, he’s an alien for pete’s sake! Haven’t you seen the movies?” Dash asked. “First it starts with one invader to gain our trust. Then bam! Soon we have an entire invasion on our hooves! And guess what happens to us? We either have the chances of working in some mines forever, have our organs removed, or battle each other in gladiator combat for their amusement.”

“... What type of movies have you been seeing, Dash?” Twilight asked, a squeamish look on her face.

“Doesn’t matter,” Dash replied, scowling. “All I know is that he’s evil. I mean, who wears all black like that? Have you even seen his weirdo face? And do I have to remind you he’s wearing a cape? Who wears a cape other than a supervillain?”

“Superheroes?” Pinkie guessed.

“Not helping, Pinkie,” Dash groaned, facehoofing. “All I know is that he’s cliché supervillain evil and shouldn’t be trusted. Remember how he treated Fluttershy? He’s nothing but a bully.”

“Not to mention his fashion sense,” Rarity added in, shuddering. “Black is so last season. And I have to agree with Dash on the cape bit. That is just extremely tacky and overdone. And that cape and costume of his is better suited for a Nightmare Night party.”

“Does that mean he’ll give us candy?” Pinkie asked excitedly. Everypony did a collective facehoof, except of course Fluttershy, who was barely making it by trudging down the road with her hooves dragging across the dirt.

“There was a certain... unease about him,” Luna spoke up, peering over yonder to where the tall bipedal was walking. “I can’t exactly put my hoof on it, but its as if an invisible air hangs around him that sets my nerves on edge. Like a coldness that has no relation to the current winter. Does anypony else feel this?”

There was collective nod from the others, all of them feeling slightly uncomfortable in Vader’s presence. While it was also due to his appearance, the mysterious newcomer leaked out a feeling of discomfort just by being near him. Though it was especially attuned to the magic users of the group.

“He scares me,” Fluttershy sniffled, the pegasus seeming more drawn in and smaller than she normally was. That brief moment of locking her gaze with his own for the Stare was one of the most frightening moments of her life. She felt the effects of the Stare take root as usual, submitting someone else to her will and causing them to listen to her. But Vader broke the connection before it could take full effect, a furious fireball of anger shattering the Stare like a tsunami washing away a house.

In that brief flash of the Stare, she saw something that chilled her to the core. Hate. She had heard the word be used before, and had felt moments in her life when she thought she felt this emotion. But it paled in comparison to the hate growing in Vader’s being. Whatever she could ever accumulate was a pond to his ocean, a vast expanse of burning lava that incinerated all around it.

It was a wonder she hadn’t fainted on the spot. But what she didn’t want to do is look into his eyes. Those bottomless lenses on his face were twin portals to a world Fluttershy never wanted to experience again.

“Okay everypony, we just need to calm down,” Twilight told them, glad that the distant lights of town were finally noticeable in the distance. “All we need to do is help Vader fix his ship, and our problems are solved. Simple as that. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to ask him a bit more on his life and technology. Can’t pass up a real life opportunity to talk to an alien, right?”

“The sooner he gets out of here, the better,” Dash replied, flying over to Vader before he entered the town.

“Ugh, she can be so thick in the skull sometimes,” Applejack muttered, rolling her eyes and catching up with her friend, with Pinkie Pie bouncing along the way.

“Princess, what do you think of Vader?” Twilight asked Luna, wanting to gauge how her response would be.

Luna pursed her lips, mulling over the question for a bit. “Well... he certainly is an interesting individual, isn’t he? A visitor from a new world. But so far from his demeanor he’s only been rude to us.” Luna shrugged. “But that could just be a cultural difference or him wanting to get home as soon as possible. So for the moment I’ll keep a high opinion of him, as I do for any newcomer to my land. But if he harms one of you in any way...”

The princess’s eyes flashed a dark sapphire, taking on a dragon-like appearance for a few moments. “I must stop him. As should you, Twilight Sparkle. This is what being a princess is all about; protecting your ponies.”

Twilight nodded, though with less gusto than she normally would. She stared at Vader, the tall creature waiting by the gates and looking over his shoulder for them to hurry up. Could she really bring herself to fight him. Of course she’d do anything to protect her friends and the ponies of Equestria, but she had no idea what Vader was capable of. Or capable of doing morally, either.

Vader crossed his arms in impatience. He had been overhearing the ponies conversing about him for several minutes now, and he hadn’t been able to garner much about them in that aspect. It seems he made an enemy out of the rainbow mare and the pegasus from before. The one who spoke like a country hick and the unicorn were still undecided about him, and he didn’t even want to know what the pink mare was thinking about. At least both princesses were willing to cooperate and help him get supplies.

Though killing one of them and forcing the other to follow his demands was another option he could use if they were being troublesome.

The town, or rather village from its diminutive size, had a medieval mixed with modern vibe about it. Well, modern by their standards. Compared to what Vader was used to, this was like the Dark Ages to him. A fresh coating of snow covered the buildings and the sides of the road, lamp lights casting a dim area of illumination over everything.

It seemed that a party of some sort was underway. Banners proclaiming “Winter Moon Celebration” hung from rafters while a large area was cleared out for dancing, snacks, and a large populace of ponies to be merry and have a nice time.

Twilight finally reached the Dark Lord’s side, noticing the stares that were being directed at them. Ponies slunk away into the shadows or backed away slowly from the presence of Vader. While the townsponies had seen plenty in their time in Ponyville not to panic and run away from the first odd sight they see, Vader was a seven-foot-tall-and-decked-all-in-black exception. He practically breathed an air of menace around him. It didn’t help that his breathing sounded like the static of a radio.

One or two ponies actually gazed at Vader’s intimidating presence with an air of interest about them, curiosity causing them to inch closer. He took no notice of this, instead holding back his increasing frustration for these ponies to get him his much needed repairs.

“Sorry for the wait, Lord Vader,” Twilight said, arriving at his feet. She looked over at the large crowd of ponies, who had shrunk back and edged closer to the nearest roads exiting the party floor near town hall. “And sorry for everypony’s reaction. They just haven’t seen someone... quite like you before.”

“It matters not,” Vader said, finally speaking up after such a long stretch of silence. “Now, where can I acquire repairs for my ship?”

“Well, there’s a mechanic shop on the other side of town, but its closed for the evening,” Twilight explained. “Though they’ll be open in the morning.”

“They’ll be open now. Lead me to it,” he commanded, a sharp tone in his booming voice.

Twilight gulped. “I-I was thinking maybe it’d be a better idea if we’d wait until morning, Lord Vader. Besides, there are festivities going about. Perhaps you’d like to join in them...?”

Vader resisted the urge to choke her on the spot. Just wrap her throat with a force grip and wring her neck until it was a twisted piece of flesh that could never be used again. Or maybe slice her to bits with his saber. But he quelled these feelings. If he killed everyone that had ever angered him, most of the politicians and leaders of the various planets and star systems of the galaxy would be dead. Vader may be a Sith Lord and apprentice to the Emperor, but that still didn’t give him the leeway to slaughter whoever he pleased. It did give him the right to kill anyone the Emperor wanted or those he deemed unimportant such as soldiers or workers.

Whether he admitted it or not, he needed these ponies alive. They were his best chance of escaping this planet and reuniting with Palpatine. That didn’t mean he couldn’t kill a few and keep the rest alive if he needed to later on. But for the moment, he decided upon trying to keep his emotions in check.

“I will not join in on your festivities,” Vader replied sharply, causing several of the ponies in the crowd to mutter among themselves. “I only want to get the repairs for my ship. If you cannot supply me with that, then you are useless.”

“Hey, don’t talk to Twilight like that!” Rainbow Dash yelled, flying up to get face to face with Vader. “She’s the princess, which means you have to listen to her!”

Vader walked past Dash, like she was nothing more than a bothersome child he didn’t have the time to deal with. He made his way to Luna. “You are the other leader around here. Provide me with repairs at once.”

“I am sorry, but I must look over the celebration in progress,” Luna replied, pointing with a wing at the large crowd of ponies gathered around. “A celebration you interrupted, I might add. Now I must make sure it continues on and everypony here has a good time.”

“That matters nothing to me. I need to leave as soon as possible. It will take a couple of weeks at best to fix my ship,” Vader said. “If you want me gone, I’d suggest getting those repairs for me right at this moment.”

“Hey, Darth Loser, what did I say about ordering the princesses around?” Dash called out, pulling back Vader’s cape with her teeth in a hard tug.

Vader turned around quickly, in turn pulling his cape from Rainbow Dash’s grasp and causing the pegasus to fall on the ground in surprise. “One warning,” Vader said, his voice dropping to a dark tone of malevolence that likes of which nopony here has ever heard of. “Do not touch me again.”

“As if, you bully!” Dash replied, standing on the tips of her hooves to make herself appear more intimidating, and failing miserably at that. “You treat my friends bad, I treat you bad!”

“I do not have the time or patience to bicker with you any longer,” Vader growled, closing his hands into fists as he felt the dark side tug at his soul with promises of power if he killed the pest before him. Not that he needed the dark side of the Force to convince him. While he didn’t enjoy killing like his master does, he saw it as a necessity, and the necessity to kill this nuisance before him in a slow and painful that leaves her body a barely recognizable mess.

“Well, I’m not gonna leave till you stop acting like such a jerk!” she answered back, planting both her hooves in front of him.

That was it it. Vader didn’t need a troublesome local to hold back his plans. He’ll take care of her when the time was right and there weren’t so many witnesses around. He’d be sure of that for the insubordination she has directed his way towards a Sith Lord. Vader was not someone to be tested with, as the numerous corpses he has left in his wake can attest to.

He waved a single gloved hand in front of her face, speaking in a clear voice, “Get out of my way and be quiet.”

Dash blinked in surprise, her pupils dilating for a moment as she repeated what he said in a monotone voice. “I’ll get out of your way and be quiet.” The pegasus stepped to the right, her mouth firmly shut as a peculiar facial expression overtook her features. She looked confused for a moment, but merely sat on her rump and continued to follow his orders.

An old Jedi Mind Trick he learned as a Knight, it was a simple enough technique with the Force to persuade a target to submit to his will as he exerted his influence on them. While the trick was a moral issue with the Jedi, the Sith and other users of the dark side had no problems using the technique to their full advantage to gain power from its use. Usually it worked best for those with no force sensitivity or those with weak-willed minds. Looks like Rainbow Dash fell into the latter category.

Vader left the crowd of ponies and submissive Rainbow Dash, following a road deeper into town. He heard Twilight calling over to him, “Wait, Lord Vader, don’t you want a tour around town?”

Vader brushed her suggestion off in an instant by replying back, “No. I will find those repairs with or without you if I so need it.” Vader’s hand closed into a hard fist as he said in a tone barely above a whisper, “And I will tear down your entire town if I need to.”

Chapter 6: Evil's Impatience

An air of disturbing silence fell over the small town of Ponyville. Most of the ponies were crowded at town hall, leaving the streets empty and the rest of the town deserted. No lights shown in the windows, and the only movement seen was the gentle fall of snowflakes and the occasional gust of cold wind.

Now a new movement arose from the sleepiness of the abandoned streets. A figure dressed in a black so dark it seemed to suck all the light around it like a black hole. Its footfalls crushed the snow beneath its boot as its angry stride seemed to give off an invisible shroud of foreboding and rage in its wake.

And following this strange creature was a much smaller, and generally more cute being. Equine, purple, along with a horn and wings; it was every little girl’s fantasy come true. Plus, the title of princess sweetened that fantasy up a bit too.

“Lord Vader, please, slow down!” Twilight begged, really wishing she had worn something warmer now. It felt like it dropped a few degrees as the night went on. “You don’t even know where the mechanic’s shop is at!”

“Then you’ll show me,” Vader said, turning around to face the alicorn princess. His cape flapped menacingly in the breeze, the light from a nearby lamppost illuminating the shadows of his mask to further amplify the appearance of a skull.

Twilight stopped in her tracks, shuddering slightly at his disturbing visage. “Ugh, is your face even real? You never blink or anything like that.”

“No. Now, enough questions. Lead me to this mechanic’s shop,” he ordered, his patience on thin ice and threatening to break if prolonged any longer.

“It’s down there, near the Ponyville train station,” she said, pointing her hoof in the distance at a lone building near to a set of train tracks. “It’s mainly used for working on the trains that pass through Ponyville, and the occasional spot of help from the locals.”

“What is this planet’s technology level?” he asked, walking quickly to the two story building with a large wrench over the front door. Probably a sign of some sort.

Twilight tilted her head. “Technological level? What do you mean?”

Vader felt like sighing. They didn’t even know about the different technological developments of planets. He already threw out the possibility of this planet being of the Space level; when the civilization had the means to use hyperspace travel, droids, colonize other planets, sophisticated technology and highly efficient industry. All factors at the moment pointed to a “no” on that regard.

He also had serious doubts on this planet being at an Information level either. Whereas here the planet had a global community marked by quick processing and distribution of information due to sophisticated technology, along with the beginnings of droid technology and in-system space travel. At least there was the possibility of this planet having an Atomic level of technology. Then he had a good chance, since they’d have a grasp of space travel and advanced alloys and plastic for his ship’s repairs.

There was always the chance that this planet was at an Industrial level, which meant their main use of technological advancement would be through electrical means and mass production. Vader shuddered to think if this planet was still stuck in the Feudal level of all places. Tools made by simplistic factories with plain manufactured goods. And if it was Stone level, he could kiss his chances at getting off this rock right away.

“Do you have droids?” he asked, testing the waters of their advancement.

“What’s a droid?” she asked, curiosity sparking in her eyes now that he was finally speaking to her.

“What about hyperspace travel?”

“Uh... I don’t know that one either.”

“Blasters?”

Twilight perked up. “Ooh, you mean like a laser gun?”

“Yes,” Vader answered, hopeful for a moment. “Do you have any?”

“Nope. But I read a bunch of science fiction, and I always found them really neat.” She smiled wide. “Actually, if you happen to know how they work or wish to share some of the technical aspects of their design, I’d greatly appreciate it. I know you have to get your ship fixed, but there’s so much I can learn from you.”

Her smile was wasted, for Vader had left her in the dust as he arrived at the mechanic's shop first. Twilight gave an irritable growl, but nonetheless walked to his side at the front door. All the lights were out, and it was clearly evident that nopony was awake inside. The large closed sign also pointed that out.

“The shop is closed. Pretty sure the owner Monkey Wrench is asleep. He was only at the festival at the beginning for a bit, if I recall.” Twilight hesitantly raised her hoof, prepared to knock. “I don’t know if he’d appreciate being woken this late at night. He does have to get up early for work tomorrow.”

Vader didn’t wait for her, already slamming on the door with his fist. A large dent in the wood can clearly be seen after only a few hits.

“What?” a voice shouted from deep in the building. “Who in Celestia’s name is knocking on my front door this time of night?” A few curses and a grunt followed this proclamation, as a pair of hooves could be heard arriving at the door from inside.

“I swear, if it’s another one of you ‘Luna Witnesses’ then just get the hell outta here! I don’t want your book and I don’t care if ‘Luna is the all seeing goddess of magic’. You can just kiss my–-” A dark green coated unicorn stallion with a disheveled mane of gray hair opened the door, his words cut off when he caught sight of Vader.

The Dark Lord inspected the stallion, whose jaw was currently hanging wide open in disbelief. “I need repairs. If you do not provide them, you won’t have an ass to kiss.”

“Well, this party blows,” Dash noted, leaning against a lamppost. She wasn’t that far off, as the entire crowd of ponies that were earlier enjoying the festivities were doing nothing of the sort at the moment.

When Vader had first appeared to them, most of the ponies wanted nothing to do with the tall, imposing alien. Avoidance was at an all time high as many townsponies creeped away and generally tried not to stick too close to the alien.

While the majority were wise to stick to their gut instincts about the Dark Lord, a few still were actually curious about his presence. Wasn’t every day a visitor from outer space–-even an unintentional one–-arrives in Ponyville of all places. Though a new disaster sprung up in the town every once in a while, they always had the fortune of being solved in thirty minutes or less. How this new event will be handled is still unknown.

“Now Dash, be respectful. It’s still Princess Luna’s night,” Applejack reminded her, glaring at the pegasus.

Rainbow merely rolled her eyes, the thin lips of her face forming a disgruntled frown. “Hey, I’m just speaking the truth, Miss Honesty. If it wasn’t for Dork Vader, we’d still have a pretty rad party going on.”

“Maybe if ya tried to help lighten the mood like Pinkie Pie, things could be goin’ better.” The farmer pony pointed to the pink mare, who was currently throwing confetti and blowing on party horns in an attempt to liven the crowd.

Unfortunately for her, not many ponies were listening. The main topic was still the mysterious figure that just arrived. Who was he? Why was he encased in armor? What was up with his breathing? And did he have any tentacles or extra eyes?

“How can anypony lighten the mood once that guy arrives?” Dash said, huffing in annoyance. “Don’t know why we’re even helping him.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Rarity said, feeling comfortable and warm in her coat. Better than Rainbow Dash just wearing a beanie hat and Applejack with her usual stetson and scarf. “How would you feel if you suddenly entered a strange world unlike your own? I’d be greatly appreciative if the locals lended me a hoof. Or hand. Maybe even a claw or tentacle while we’re at it.”

“Okay, okay, I gotcha,” Dash interrupted her. “But he just gives me the creeps. And I know he gives you the creeps too.”

“Just because someone is creepy, doesn’t mean they're necessarily evil,” Rarity began. “It could just be his cultural differences. Maybe his species enjoys wearing all black with capes. Tacky as that may be.”

“Well... what about his weirdo breathing thing?” Dash asked, holding her hoof to her mouth and breathing in and out deeply to try and intimidate Vader’s respirator sounds. “How exactly is that cultural?”

“Ooh, I know!” Pinkie yelled, appearing right above Rainbow’s shoulder, causing the pegasus to shoot off into the air in sudden fright. “It could be because he’s wearing a space helmet.”

“That would explain why his face looks all weird. Could be a mask,” Applejack agreed.

Rainbow Dash growled and landed back to the ground, an embarrassed blush forming on her cheeks. It didn’t help that none of her friends were listening to her. And she made some valid points too! Couldn’t they see that this Vader guy was bad news?

“So we can assume he can’t breathe our air. Big whoop,” Rainbow said, grimacing. “I still think we shouldn’t trust a word he says.”

“Perhaps,” a voice spoke behind Dash. Yet again she nearly took off soaring in the air, but instead she gave a girlish squeal and hightailed it a few paces before she realized it was Princess Luna speaking to her.

“Dangit, will you guys please stop sneaking up on me like that?” Rainbow asked, an even more noticeable blush on her face.

Luna giggled for a moment, trying her best to hide her chuckles behind her hoof. “I apologize, but Rainbow Dash does make a good point.”

“See, even the princess agrees with me that he can’t be trusted!” she yelled triumphantly to her friends.

“Not exactly.”

Rainbow’s enthusiasm dropped as her ears perked downward. “But princess, you yourself said there was something wrong about him! Like an evil air hanging around him!”

“I didn’t use the word evil, Rainbow Dash. Just... unsettling.” Luna shook her head dejectedly and stared off into the massed crowd, the hushed whispers of Vader reaching her ears.

“What’s the difference? You’re the princess. You can just banish him to the moon if you want,” Rainbow said.

Luna sighed. “No, I cannot transport him or anypony else to the moon. Only my sister was able to do that, and only because of the Elements’ help. I will not be banishing based just on a bad hunch.”

“But–-”

“No,” Luna commanded, her tone taking on an icy approach that froze Rainbow’s lips from speaking further. “While your accusations are noted, that’s all they are. We can accuse Vader all we want, but without further evidence or proof I cannot willingly harm him in any way, unless he’s the instigator.”

Rainbow Dash wanted to argue further. But she knew it was worthless trying to argue with a princess, her better. All she could do was keep an eye on him and make sure Vader didn’t do anything villainous while he was staying in Ponyville.

Luna’s expression took on a softer tone as she stared up at the night sky. “But he certainly has me enthralled by his presence here. Often times I would look up at the vastness of space and wonder if there were other worlds like our own. Populated by creatures similar to us. And looks like I was right... sort of.”

“Well, Twi certainly seems interested in him,” Applejack noted, hoping to steer the conversation to a lighter subject.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if she was jotting down notes on every aspect on him as we speak,” Rarity said, chuckling slightly.

“I wonder how the whole ‘get repairs’ thing is going for them?” Pinkie wondered, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I bet they’re having a wonderful time!”

“Please, for the love of Celestia, don’t kill me!” Monkey Wrench begged, laying down on his forelegs and bowing before Vader. His body shivered in pure terror. “I wanna live! Live I say!”

“Mr. Wrench, Lord Vader here isn’t going to kill you,” Twilight explained, facehoofing. “He just needs some help.”

“... Seriously?” the stallion asked, peeking up to stare at the large, black-cad bipedal. “I thought he was gonna eat me or something.”

“No, don’t be silly. Lord Vader doesn’t eat ponies.” Twilight beamed at Vader with a hope-filled smile that what she just said was true.

Vader just continued to breathe, his mechanical breaths creeping Monkey Wrench out to no end. “He don’t speak much, does he?” Wrench asked, backing away slightly.

“I require your assistance,” Vader said, his voice an imposing presence that almost seemed physical. The air itself hummed when he spoke, a wisp of shadow trailing from his mouth and icing over anyone’s heart nearby him. A shiver passed down Monkey Wrench’s spine, but he passed this over at being out in the open without any proper clothing for this type of weather.

“Well... what type of assistance, um... Mister Vader?” Wrench asked, managing to sweat even in the current temperature.

“Lord Vader doesn’t like to be called Mister,” Twilight whispered to him, glancing up at the Dark Lord.

Vader felt sickened. Not only was he actually asking for help from these primitive ingrates, they couldn’t even say his title right half the time. Once again he had to snuff that overwhelming urge to kill these pathetic creatures for wasting his time.

While he was relatively known for killing for human mistakes, Vader used those he murdered as an example of what the Empire expects out of all those under its control. Perfection. If you didn’t do your job right, then you lost the right to live. It made work-related accidents low, but insubordination executions high. Regardless, it all balanced out in the end.

As much as Vader wanted to needlessly slaughter these ponies, he knew he still needed their assistance. No matter how much the dark side willed him, he ignored it. The dark side didn’t control him, he controlled it! He’ll use its power as he pleases, not be used. Besides, he had enough self control not to murder them and instead use them to his full advantage. There was more tact to being a Sith Lord than just being powerful in the dark side. Some manipulation and diplomatic skills were also thrown in there. How else could Palpatine have taken over the galaxy?

“What I need are repairs for my starship. Do you have the necessary materials I require to fix it?” he asked.

“Um, I’ve never repaired a starship before,” Monkey Wrench replied nervously, fearful to what the alien’s reaction be.

“You will not touch my ship,” Vader said, not trusting them to work on a vessel he’ll need to travel through the vacuum of space. Plus, he had no idea how they could even use tools when they had no fingers to hold them. “I just need the materials to repair my own.”

“Oh, gotcha. Yeah, no problem. I have tons of spare parts.”

Vader demanded for a sheet of parchment and a writing utensil, which the unicorn quickly complied to bring. It was primitive to him, but it would have to make do. He scrawled out a list of raw materials and parts that would be the basis of his repairs until he needed more specifics, his robotic arm writing with perfect and clear penmanship to avoid the trouble of having to clarify anything on it. He handed back the parchment and the mechanic looked it over.

Vader turned his back and walked off back to the center of town, calling back to them without bother to look over his shoulder, “Bring the parts and materials to the center of town, near the town square.”

“Um, how exactly will I be paid?” Monkey Wrench asked, definitely not looking forward to lugging around a bunch of very heavy materials at this time of night and weather.

“Don’t worry. I got this all covered,” Twilight assured him. Well, she didn’t exactly have this covered, since she didn’t technically have free range of the funds of the Equestrian treasury. But she was sure Celestia wouldn’t mind this bill for a visitor from another world. Especially if she can compensate it with more information about himself and his technology.

Monkey Wrench shrugged, but complied and got ready to prepare his wagon to transport the materials.

Glad that that part of the task was complete, Twilight ran back to Vader, whose much longer legs were putting him at a distance with her. Reminding herself to mention to him it was rude to leave your host behind in the dust, she finally caught up with him. “So, Lord Vader, what now?”

“I get my ship,” he answered, sticking to the ‘short, sweet and requiring as little communication as possible’ dialogue he was well known for.

“All the way from the Everfree Forest? You’ll need some help with that,” Twilight noted, casting him a friendly smile. “Lucky for you, you have a princess and the Element of Magic right here!”

“No. You will make sure my parts get to the town square accordingly,” he replied, like he was ordering around another stormtrooper at his command.

“B-but, that’s unfair!” she cried out, disappointed she wasn’t going to accompany him and ask more questions. “I’m a princess! Plus, how are you going to move that entire ship by yourself?”

Vader laughed, or gave his best attempt at one. The guttural rasps of his respirator still creeped her out to no end, and his laughter only made it worse. Vader stared down at her, his expression unclear as always from behind his mask. “You underestimate the power of the dark side.”

Chapter 7: Qualms Of Darkness

Vader was starting to regret letting that line about “the power of the dark side” slip by. Now it was all Twilight could talk about. He was extremely tempted to try a mind trick on her to get her to shut up like he did with the pegasus, but he had his doubts.

During his time walking with her, he’d been judging her every movement, every action, and most importantly, trying to get a reading of her power in the Force. All Force-sensitive beings had some handle on the tricky nature of the Force, but some were more adept than others.

Already he could tell the differences between their races. The horned ones seemed to have the greatest amount of sensitivity and direct link to the Force, and an easy way to see when they’re using it was the odd glow that illuminated from their horns. This was obviously their source of power. How strange that most Jedi and Sith use their hands to direct their focus of the Force, while these unicorns used a horn. Vader’s best guess was that the Force directly influenced their evolutionary process, culminating into an additional body part from their forehead.

As for the pegasi, their link to the Force seems to lie in their ability to fly. Their wings were too small and feeble to actually obtain flight normally with the planet’s gravity, but the Force allowed them to propel their bodies through the air. Perhaps a form of force push? Or maybe even using force grip on themselves?

That left the ponies without wings or horns last. A race with only mild force sensitivity at best, and no real finesse of control he could sense. Probably an evolutionary debunk. Most likely they were the lowest of the low for all the races, forced to follow their more powerful higher ups. Though Vader hadn’t seen any chance at that since his arrival, so it could be that things were different on this planet.

But it would have to be the unicorn/pegasus hybrids like Twilight and Luna that he was most interested in. Twilight herself expelled a high possibility of the higher powers of the Force, and was most likely an expert in some of its aspects. Already he could tell that the Force was strong in her. Whether she knew how to properly wield was still up to the question.

Better yet, were they dark side adept, or followers of the light?

“So, is the dark side a religious order you’re part of?” Twilight asked, hoping the closer she got to the answer the more willing he would be to talk.

Vader continued what he had been doing for the past five minutes and ignored her best he could, frustrated that no matter how much he quickened his stride she always followed by his side. What he really wanted to do was strangle her throat until the only words she spoke were in the form of blood. But he kept his inhibitions about him, reliant on his own steady fast thinking and indomitable will to resist those temptations.

“Actually, are you part of any religion at all?” she said, looking away quickly in embarrassment. “Not that you have to talk about it if you’re uncomfortable about it. I’m just curious is all. You know... about your culture.”

He just met her question with another stonewall answer, which was nothing at all.

Slowly Twilight’s anger had been building since she first interacted with Vader. First there was the fact he was needlessly rude to others. Then he had to ignore her completely until she proved useful to her. Did he not know any manners at all? Actually... did aliens even have manners?

Her next question was left unsaid as she realized they had arrived back at town square once more. The large crowd of ponies from before had dwindled slightly in size, but still had enough onlookers nearby to gaze upon the alien visitor. Along with more who snapped a couple of pictures.

Well, this was useful yet annoying insight Vader. If they had cameras, that meant they had some means of mass communications. Perhaps even daily news and a media of some sort.

“Hey, how was the trip?” Pinkie Pie excitedly asked, zipping towards the two at a breakneck speed. Maybe Vader was wrong about the regular ponies being useless. Increased speed seemed to be a trait they had, or at least Pinkie had.

“We convinced the mechanic to supply us with materials,” Twilight explained. “He’ll be bringing them to the square shortly. Lord Vader here will bring his ship back here as well.”

“Ya’ll going back to the Everfree Forest?” Applejack asked. “And at this time of night too?”

“Yeah... I do think the morning would be a better time,” Twilight agreed, glancing up at Vader. “Does that seem better to yo–-”

“No,” he answered back quickly, crossing his arms over his chest module. “I refuse to stay here any longer than I can. Better to get my ship back and repaired as soon as possible.”

“But you can’t possibly be thinking about heading into Everfree Forest this late at night by yourself?” Twilight asked, generally concerned for his safety. It wouldn’t sit well with her if a new visitor from outer space got killed while in her hooves. “There are way too many dangerous animals roaming that forest at night.”

“That is none of your concern,” Vader said, irritably blinking his eyes as more cameras flashed from the crowd. Ponies had gotten more confident so near him, and see him more as a sideshow freak than the Dark Lord of the Sith. A mistake they shall gravely rue.

“It is my concern when you can get hurt,” Twilight said, glaring at the crowd of phototakers. Sooner or later real photographers for big name newspaper and magazine sources will drop by town at this rate. An alien spacecraft landing with a living being still intact was sure to make headlines.

Actually, dealing with the media was going to be a major hassle on her part. Of course they’d want to interview Vader. Scientists everywhere would want to study him and his technology. Not to mention the international community once other nations found out. This was going to be a whole heap of trouble that she’ll most likely be held accountable of, since she did find him in the first place.

He made a sound very similar to a hmph–-though it was hard to tell since it could have been him coughing for all she knew–-and turned his back to the mare. “I do not require your assistance.”

That was the last straw for Twilight. She could take his constant ignoring her, not answering her questions, his rude and often times creepy remarks. But when she was willing to help him out and he flat out refuses and says he doesn’t need her? That was it.

“Listen here, Vader!” Twilight said, dropping his title of Lord since it was really annoying and pretentious to say all the time. “I’m trying to help you out of the goodness of my heart and because you’re a new visitor to Equestria. But how do you act? Like a selfish jerk who thinks he’s so much better than everypony else. Well listen here, buster, I don’t care if you’re from another planet or some type of Darth or Lord or whatever other title you give yourself! You do not treat me or my friends like we’re trash! Understand?”

Vader stood completely still, even his breathing silent as an icy cold wind traveled through the square. He turned back to her, his very appearance sucking out all the light around him. The air grew colder than it already was, all illumination seemingly darkening nearby his body. It was if he was casting a shadow that spread farther and farther and absorbed everything in its presence.

The Dark Lord was smiling behind his mask, though one could not tell. He had felt it. It was but a spark, but it was still there. Anger, hatred, rage, all manifesting into the Force that she possessed. While it wasn’t exactly the dark side, it was something. Something he could certainly use to his advantage when the moment arrived. She had potential, that much he was certain of.

“I do not require your assistance,” Vader said, each of his words laced with the weight of what felt like thousands of tons of ice. Twilight actually cowered slightly, her limbs feeling heavy as her heart thudded faster in her chest. It was like she was being squeezed by his very words, the force behind them so dark and expansive that it was impossible to measure. “Is that understood?”

Another flash from a camera nearby made Vader’s left eye twitch in frustration. Glancing only through his peripheral vision he lifted up his hand, grabbing the errant photographer’s camera with the Force. With a quick motion of his open hand to a fist, the camera was destroyed in a satisfying crunch. The pieces fell to the ground, an immediate circle of empty space forming around it as ponies screamed and avoided the broken camera.

Twilight stood shivering, her legs rooted to the ground as if ice had frozen over her hooves. With a shaky voice she managed to reply, “Y-yes.” She glanced nervously at the wrecked camera. How had he been able to use magic like that. Was this the dark side he was talking about?

He nodded his head, satisfied with her answer. While he didn’t influence the Force on her in any direct way, he had opened up the dark side locked within him. A common trick both Jedi and Sith learned was to hide their powers from others, calling the Force within them. This made it so other Force-sensitive beings could not sense their presence. It was pretty difficult to sneak up or hide when your very power made you a large and visible target with anyone who had a basic understanding of the Force.

But with these ponies, they put no effort into hiding or masking their abilities. Soon enough he will be able to grasp their power and influence over the Force just by being near them. Making this even easier was the fact their horns expunged their use over the Force in a glow. If that wasn’t a more obvious indication one of them was using the Force, then he didn't know what was.

Luna arched one eyebrow from her far off position from the crowd. She had not been expecting Vader to have any latent magical abilities. Though she supposed with aliens you couldn’t be too careful. Underestimating him would be a mistake.

Vader was thinking the same. He had already sensed the presence of the other princess. Stronger than even Twilight. Probably older and wiser as well. Not to mention more... insidious.

It was light, only a linger such as a shadow, but he could feel its presence nonetheless. Trailing her every movement and breath was a double, a shadow of herself that clinged to her body. While unseen to the eye, the Force made it very clear and visible to any wielder. It was the dark side no doubt, though here it was different. Here it was much more personal.

It mixed with her very essence, a cancer like substance that clung to her soul. Unlike Vader who shaped and controlled the dark side for his own treacherous ways, for her it was much more than a tool. It was a part of her, right down to her very being. Small it may be, but there was still the chance to corrupt her later.

“Good. I will return with my ship shortly.” And with that he ended the conversation, the crowd dejected over him threatening them, Twilight flabbergasted at what just happened, and Luna simply watching Vader with an observing eye. Though none would have guessed that Fluttershy of all ponies would be the one to tug at the Sith’s cape.

With a sidewards glare Vader inspected the tiny pegasus mare. So pitifully small and weak. While she had high will, her focus was easily broken and her mind feeble. Trembling beneath his imposing stare, she managed to stutter out, “I-I would like to come a-along, th-that is, if y-you d-don’t mind?”

“Unacceptable,” was Vader’s only answer, not bothering to waste more of his breath with her as he walked forward to depart.

Breathing in and out slowly, she shook her head and stood her ground firmly. “Well... I don’t care! I’m going to make sure you hurt no other animals while in the forest!”

Vader gave no indication about what he thought, or whether he even cared. Narrowing her eyes, Fluttershy frowned but nonetheless levitated off the ground and flew to where the Dark Lord was departing.

Rainbow Dash glared at Vader’s backside, not content to see one of her friends walk through a dark and forbidding forest alone with that guy. “Hey Fluttershy, wait up! I’m tagging along!”

“Just what do ya think yer doin’?” Applejack asked, holding Rainbow back with a foreleg extended in her way. “I know yer just gonna stir up a whole mess of trouble with the alien if yer left alone with him.”

“Well, we just can’t leave him alone with Fluttershy! Who knows what he’ll do!” Dash pointed out, gritting her teeth to her friend and pushing aside her foreleg.

“Oh please, Rainbow Dash. You’re still not going on about not trusting him, are you?” Rarity asked with a roll of her eyes, growing quite tired of Dash’s mistrust of strangers.

“Do you trust him alone with Fluttershy in the Everfree Forest in the middle of the night?” Dash asked her with more venom than she meant backing up her words. “After seeing what he did to those manticores?”

“I, um... well...” Rarity sighed and held a hoof to her temple. “No, I suppose not. He still is a stranger, after all. And a rather bizarre one at that, pardon my manners.”

“Yeah, thought so.” Dash turned back to where Vader walked with Fluttershy on his trail in the distance, intent to catch up with the pair. That is, until Applejack grabbed ahold of her tail in between her teeth.

“Dangit AJ, what’s your deal with biting on my tail?” Rainbow Dash shouted over her shoulder at the blonde haired mare. “Do you like staring at my ass or something?”

“Wh-what? No way!” Applejack replied hastily, blushing up a storm as she spit her friend’s tail out of her mouth. “I just don’t want ya chargin’ headstrong like ya always. Remember with that dragon?”

“Oh come on! He’s way smaller than a dragon!”

Applejack sighed, shaking her head. “Don’t matter, Dash. We may have already screwed up first contact with another species far enough. No need to ruin our chances any longer.”

“I’m not just going to leave him alone with Fluttershy!” Dash replied harshly, stomping her hoof down in a sign of her dedication to her friend.

“I know. That’s why I’m taggin’ along with ya’ll,” Applejack said, the beginnings of a smile on her face.

“Wait, what?” Rainbow Dash asked, her jaw hanging open sligtly as Applejack nonchalantly trotted on by.

“Ya heard me! Somepony’s has to make sure ya don’t make a fool outta yourself and doom this entire planet to an alien invasion,” the mare laughed, making her way towards Vader and Fluttershy.

Rolling her eyes, Dash looked over at Rarity. “Hey Rarity, wanna come with too?”

“Oh, terribly sorry darling, but I do think Twilight here could use my help.” Rarity jerked her head to where the newly appointed alicorn princess was incoherently muttering about ‘magic’ this and ‘dark side’ that, along with ‘no horn, no horn’ thrown in the mix as well. Along with the telltale sign of her hair fritzing out and her left eye twitching, Rainbow Dash knew she didn’t want to stick around long.

“Y-yeah, good idea. Let me just go see if Pinkie Pie wants to join in.”

“Um, Rainbow Dash, that may not be the best of ideas,” Rarity whispered to her friend, glancing over to where Pinkie was currently telling knock-knock jokes to Princess Luna. It seems a thousand years of inactivity had left the princess sorely lacking in the ‘having a sense of humor’ department, and Pinkie was trying her best to help Luna understand the current ages’s jokes. “Pinkie can get a bit... strange at times. Do you really want to agitate Vader further with her company?”

Actually, she made a fair point. While egging on the tall, dressed in all black weirdo wasn’t that big of a deal to Rainbow Dash, if Vader lost his cool because of Pinkie, it’ll be all four of them left alone in the forest with him. And judging by Vader’s earlier attitude and remarks, Dash was guessing he was one who had a bad grasp on their temper.

“Yeah, gotcha. Rarity, just stay here with Twi, make sure that whatever parts Vader wanted get delivered, and we’ll see about getting his ship back here.”

“Sounds like a plan. Good luck,” Rarity said, a hopeful smile on her face to try and uplift the current situation. Nodding to her in thanks, Dash flew off, soaring low in the air to catch up with Vader and her friends.

She landed on the ground beside Applejack and Fluttershy, both of whom were keeping a respectable ten feet of space between them and Vader. The much taller bipedal’s footfalls caused him to go at a pace much quicker than the ponies were experienced with, but the three managed to keep up with him.

“Hey, tall, dark and ugly, how exactly are we going to find your ship?” Rainbow called out to Vader after a few minutes, just as they neared the entrance of the forest. It was an intimidating wall of plant life, trees and shrubs along with a healthy cover of snowfall blocking out the sky once you entered.

“The Force will lead me,” was all he bothered to say back, disappearing quickly as the darkness of the forest enveloped him in an instant. Gulping, Fluttershy followed next, catching the other two off guard how she willingly went before them.

“Well Dash, see ya on the other side,” Applejack said to her friend, boldly going forward into the twilight of the Everfree Forest.

Rainbow Dash stood at the entrance, wishing desperately that she had brought a flashlight along. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, she stared into the imposing darkness and walked forward, not before muttering, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Chapter 8: Fear And Foreboding

The Everfree Forest had a certain tranquility at night. Winter’s white blanket had only partially arrived here, the trees above still retaining leaves on it and fresh snowfall rarely reached the ground

Stars still shone brightly if one managed to catch a glimpse at them past the foliage and snow in the treetops, their weak light the only illumination in the darkness of the forest. Being the dead of night and middle of winter, the temperatures had dropped into the freezing conditions, icicles quickly forming overhead in the branches.

The combination of little to no light, and way too much plantlife to navigate at the insufferable conditions of winter quickly put Rainbow Dash in a sour mood. Plus, the four bumps to her head from running into trees was another important factor.

Dash grumbled under her breath, barely able to make out the steam rising from her mouth from the bitter coldness in the air. “Hey, AJ, you and Fluttershy still back there?” she yelled out over her shoulder, making out the loud noise of both her friends walking behind her, crashing through bushes and plant life much like she did.

“Yeah, we’re on yer tail!” Applejack called out, nudging Fluttershy’s side to make sure she was keeping up. The pegasus eeped softly, shivering in the near darkness and chilled air of the forest.

“Where's Vader?” Fluttershy asked, squinting to catch a glance of their guide. Though he wasn’t really guiding them at the moment. More like they were following him the best they could.

“Up ahead... I think,” Dash muttered, reaching out a hoof and thankfully catching a feel of a stump in her path. She was definitely glad she wasn’t going to trip over another. “I don’t know how he can walk through here without a light.”

“What I’m wonderin’ is how the hay can he walk so quietly?” Applejack added, ducking under a branch as the ponies went single file behind Rainbow Dash. “He’s taller than the princess and must be even heavier. Yet he ain’t makin’ no racket at all.”

“Maybe it’s magic?” Fluttershy guessed.

Dash chuckled under her breath, throwing a sideways glance behind her that was pretty useless since she couldn’t even look at her friend in the darkness. “Oh come on, Fluttershy. Only unicorns and alicorns can use magic. Vader is neither. Whatever he did before with the camera is probably some trick or something.”

“What about dragons? Spike can send letters through fire,” Fluttershy reminded her.

“Don’t forget about Discord either,” Applejack said. “He can bend reality itself and do whatever the heck he wants. If that ain’t magic, then I don’t know what is.”

“Okay, okay, dragons can use magic too,” Dash admitted, rolling her eyes. “And I don’t even want to know how Discord manages to do what he does. But Vader is an alien. Does he even know what magic is?”

“He has some fancy technology from the looks of his ship. Maybe that’s his magic?” Applejack guessed.

“That doesn’t even make any sense!” Dash said, catching a far off shadow briefly illuminated by the light beaming down from the spaces between the foliage overhead. “How can technology be magic?”

“Maybe it’s just different fer him. Fer all we know he can shoot lasers out of his eyes and fly. We don’t know what he can do.”

“He can show us the way to his ship,” Fluttershy said, noticing how Vader was no longer in their vicinity. “Which would be very useful right about now.”

Scowling in the direction Vader was just at, she took to the air and shouted, “Hey jerk, mind waiting for us?” She kept low under the branches, the only hint that Vader was up ahead being the whispering sound of him breathing. No amount of sneakiness on his part could make up for the fact he sounded like a drowning vacuum most of the time.

Dash led her friends through the hazardous trips and turns of the forest from her position overhead. She spotted an opening in the trees, as they finally reached the clearing where they once were at only hours before.

Vader’s boots crunched on the hard-packed snow, which had built up in their absence. The pile of dead manticores was already partially covered by the snowfall, making it easier for the ponies nearby to not gag at the sight.

The ship was still spewing out smoke from the hull, and as Vader inspected it further, he didn’t have much hope in his chances. Both wings were out of commision, which meant no engines for liftoff. The hull was barely hanging on, which meant no air or pressurization for space travel. He didn’t even want to know the conditions of the hyperspace drive. If that was damaged in the slightest, he didn’t have a chance at fixing it with the lack of advanced technologies on the planet.

Rainbow landed in next to the others, trudging her hooves through the snow as Applejack and Fluttershy followed suit.

“Back away,” Vader warned, lifting both his hands slowly upward so that both his arms were spread wide apart.

The trio stopped near the edge of the clearing, Dash furrowing her brow at Vader. “And why should we?” she asked, taking a step forward despite his warning.

“Because if you get in my way and die, that would be inconvenient,” he spoke sharply, not a trace of emotion appearing in his mechanicalized voice.

“Kinda gruesome to mention,” Applejack said, Fluttershy nodding her head in agreement. The timid pegasus was on edge, the close proximity to the Dark Lord, along with the animals he’s brutally slaughtered, making her normally shy attitude upped to new heights.

Vader was ignoring their voices, instead focusing his attention to the task at hand. The Dark Lord was quite adept in the Force, so moving his ship back to the town shouldn’t be too difficult of a labor. The more tedious part would be pushing the ship before him to clear a path through the forest.

Staring intently on the downed wreck of his ship, he reached out with one gloved hand and channeled the Force. While moving an entire spacecraft was not the most difficult task for a Force-wielder, moving it across long distances, and through a forest no less, would be challenging for even the most practiced master.

But Vader emptied these thoughts from his mind, instead only focusing on the ship. Telekinesis was one of the pinnacles of both Jedi and Sith teachings. The size and weight of an object made little difference whether you could move it. Once you didn’t pay attention to the thought of how big or heavy something was, the practitioner can use the Force to move objects regardless of what size they were.

At first nothing was amiss, but then it happened. The massive wreckage groaned, the soot covered metal grinding against itself as the ship straightened out. Ice cracked from where it formed on the hull as snow dislodged from the sides. Ever so slowly the ship started to levitate, inches quickly turning to feet as it was lifted in the air.

Vader smiled behind his mask, his breathing the same and his body relaxed. Most of the weaker Jedi fools wouldn’t have been able to pull this off after what he had just been through. The dark side was truly powerful in him for such easy will over the Force.

While Vader was mentally gloating and preparing for departure, the trio of ponies off to the side all had their collective jaws hanging to the ground. Eyes large, pupils small, and disbelief painting each of their faces.

After a few moments of shocked silence, Applejack was the first to speak. “Hot damn... he ain’t kiddin’ ‘bout the stand back part.”

“He can... can do magic,” Dash mumbled, the words resonating in her mind and sending her head in a tizzle. “Oh man, no wonder Twi was freaking out before.”

“But where’s his horn?” Applejack asked, the craft floating in the air with no colorful magical aura surrounding it. “Ain’t that how magic works?”

“I dunno. Maybe his claw or something?” Dash guessed, still trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. “Dang, that thing must weigh a ton.”

It actually weighed several, but the Dark Lord didn’t bother to mention that. Soon he’ll be able to transport his vessel to the square, hopefully make the necessary and get off this blasted rock.

During the entire spectacle Fluttershy stood off to the side, Vader’s power causing a familiar coldness to enter her heart. Just being close to the black-clad figure sent shivers down her spine. He seemed to dispel an air of such an insidious nature that the temperature dropped several degrees whenever he laid those soulless eyes behind the lenses of his mask on you.

Her eyes quickly moved to the immobile heap of corpses. A pang of regret for not being there sooner to save those poor animals went through her heart. They didn’t deserve to die, and especially in the terrifying way Vader seemed to go about his executions.

Forcing herself to shift her view to avoid anymore horrific scenes, her eyes caught a small dip in the snow near the edge of the clearing. Curiosity and an urge to deal with anything but what Vader was doing caused her to inch closer to the hole in the hard packed snow.

On further inspection, she noticed three small bundles, huddled together underneath a blanket of snow. Glancing back at Applejack and Dash, they were still still staring intently on Vader lifting the ship higher and higher through whatever use of magic he possessed.

Going back to the bundles, she slowly inched herself closer to them, reaching out with a hesitant hoof to poke one. Backing away quickly in case whatever it was burst out of the snow, she poked it once more. Growing bolder, Fluttershy started brushing away the piled on snow.

Once a good deal of the snow was cleared off, she had a better chance to see what the bundle was. To her horror, she discovered the frozen over body of a young manticore cub, the animal’s eyes having a glossy look to them that spoke of death. Seeing the other two bundles, Fluttershy realized these must have been the nest of the cubs for the manticore pack. And without the adults around to keep them warm, they died from the freezing temperatures and snow.

Her breathing quickly flustered, and the second time during that night she felt the overwhelming urge to empty her stomach in the snow. But she gagged and swallowed whatever was about to come up, tears sprung in her eyes as her entire body shook.

Quelling the urge to just lay down in the snow and cry herself to sleep, she slowly turned her head to gaze upon the one responsible for this.

Vader was slowly backing forth with his spacecraft following suit, still rising steadily in the air. Since he was the one who brutally killed the manticores, it was his fault for the cubs’ deaths. They were only baby animals, dying all alone in the snow and cold.

Fluttershy felt a great heat building up in her chest. Her eyes furrowed, a blazing inferno of hate sparking in her pupils. Gritting her teeth hard and flaring out her wings, she felt an overwhelming hate overtake her for the being known as Vader. Never had she ever felt this way for villains such as Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, or even the slavedriver Sombra. But now facing someone who kills animals in such a nonchalant way without a thought to what his actions would entail sent her mind to a rage.

“Hey, Vader!” she screamed, catching both Applejack and Rainbow Dash off guard. Rarely did either pony hear Fluttershy use such a tone of voice, and the times she did use it usually meant some really bad events were about to take place.

Vader didn’t bother turning around to face Fluttershy, going by his usual route of ignoring his hapless pony companions and focusing more on the job at hand. He had already gotten his ship out of the crater in the ground without any further damage, and now he was moving it to higher land to begin the process of transporting it back to town.

Fluttershy was becoming more and more furious with the way he never answered them. Treated them like dirt he could simply walk on. Like he was their better and he could treat them however which he pleases. That ends now.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” Fluttershy practically yelled at the top of her voice, trudging through the snow at what she hoped appeared to be an intimidating walk. “When somepony talks to you, you answer back!”

“I am not a pony,” Vader replied curtly, annoyed to no end by the insufferable pun on words there ponies used.

“I don’t care who you are!” Fluttershy shouted, standing near the tall bipedal with a look of fury etched on her face. “You do not come crashing down in your ship, kill a bunch of innocent animals, treat the rest of us like trash, and expect to get away with it!” Fluttershy was breathing heavily at this point, a bit spent from her large shouting barrage. “Along with the fact some cubs died because of what you did,” she said with a large wave of malice backing her words.

“Those animals attacked me,” Vader spoke, still not bothering to answer her directly. “If you expect me to just sit and die, then you ponies are more incompetent than I imagined. Those cubs died because they were weak. Which is why I didn’t bother to kill them myself.”

An unbelievably tense silence befell the area, all ponies staring at Vader with wide eyes. “Y-you knew the cubs were there?” Fluttershy asked, her lower lips trembling.

He remained silent, that being all the answer Fluttershy needed.

“You... you monster,” she whispered, now fully grasping the evil intent of the Dark Lord. He really didn’t have any morals or emotions for others, even defenseless cubs left out in the snow. Fluttershy felt physically sickened at how someone could be so cold-hearted and cruel.

“Fluttershy...” Dash spoke, edging closer to her friend. Even though Rainbow felt a small bit of satisfaction for being right about Vader’s true nature, she definitely didn’t want her friend so close to him. There was no telling what Vader was capable of, including what he could do with that magic of his.

Fluttershy breathed in and out more rapidly, hyperventilating at this point. Her emotions were like a runaway barreling off the tracks and into a crowded city. Gulping hard to calm her nerves, she stared hard at Vader, and attacked.

Well, it wasn’t so much as attacked, as in her jumping at him yelling at the top of her lungs with a crazy expression on her face.

Without even turning, Vader lifted up his right hand, his other being used to focus the Force on the ship. Flicking his wrist, Fluttershy was violently knocked backward like an invisible hand just slapped her. She was hurled to the ground, the snow managing to lessen the impact of her fall.

“Fluttershy!” both Applejack and Rainbow Dash yelled out simultaneously.

Fluttershy picked herself off the ground, snow clinging to her matted coat. Trembling a little, she wobbled a bit before she came right back at Vader. Both the mares watching were surprised that Fluttershy would go back at someone like Vader who so easily backhanded her away, but she was not backing down.

Sighing in contempt for having another distraction to deal with, Vader set his ship carefully down on the ground. Once Fluttershy was in reasonable distance, he merely pulled off the same trick as before—a Force Push that sent her sprawling back into a hard crash with the ground.

That was enough to snap Applejack out of her dazed state. The farmer would not have her friends being hurt in such a way, ever. Galloping in a charge with Vader in her sights, she yelled, “Ain’t no one gonna mess with my friends!”

Turning around smoothly, Vader didn’t even bother to move his hands. He didn’t bother utilizing any hand motions now, seeing how he was only using his telekinetic grip on much lesser life forms.

Much like Fluttershy, Applejack was pushed backwards, though managed to remain upright by digging her hooves in hard to the snow. Dash wasn’t far behind her, racing at Vader through the air with a rainbow trail following close behind her.

Now was the point that Vader was beyond irked and was just annoyed. Suddenly, a red, faint energy field surrounded him, a barrier of some sort. Which Rainbow simply crashed into headfirst, faceplanting with the ground beneath.

Lifting her head out of the snow, Dash was greeted by with Vader’s boots stepping on the ground not inches away from her face. Staring up at him, she saw him slowly reach for a shiny, cylinder object at his side.

“Stay away from her!” Applejack roared, both her and Fluttershy leaping to the fray to protect their friend. Their actions were futile and quite pathetic at the end, since Vader merely lifted them both up using a Force Grip and slammed their heads together. Not enough to kill, but enough to leave two unconscious ponies. If it came time to end them, then incapacitating them makes the process easier.

Reaching out a hand downward, it almost seemed that Vader was trying to help Dash up. But instead, a tight grip of an invisible nature wrapped itself around her body, lifting her up in he air while squeezing most of the air out of her.

Struggling against his magic—or whatever it was that was holding her—Dash flailed her forelegs and kicked out her back legs in a desperate attempt to be freed. Though it was apparent pretty soon that her actions were all in vain.

Limping in the air, she glared at up Vader. “You think you can get away with something like this?”

“Yes,” he answered back quickly. “With you three dead, I will be left in peace to move my ship back to town. Along with my needed parts, repairs shall commence at once.”

“Oh yeah, well, Twilight will stop you!” Dash assured him, what he just said about her and her friends dying not yet sinking in. “She can out-magic you any day!”

Vader had to hold back a laugh. Magic? Is that what they thought he could do was simply magic? “You fool,” Vader began, increasing the power of his grip on Dash, and getting a satisfactory cough for air from her. “You don’t even realize what you are threatening. If I need to, I will eliminate Twilight and the rest of you insufferable ponies when you are no longer useful. When my ship is repaired, that will be the moment.”

Dash gasped weakly for air, feeling like a rope was tightening around her, threatening to burst open her chest. Looking back at Vader with weak eyes, she whispered, “The princesses... can beat you. You’re nothing... compared to them.”

Just for a moment Vader lessen the Force Grip he was subjecting her, his curiosity peaking at what she just said. “How so?” he asked, having a rare chance to humor himself at the mare’s expense before he killed her.

“Celestia controls the sun. Luna controls the moon.” A wicked smile appeared over Dash’s face, her smirk reminding the Dark Lord much of his past persona. Cocky, over-egotistical with a confidence that proved more harmful than beneficial. “Pretty sure you can’t pull off something like that.”

Dash, of course, was going on pure speculation. If he was able to move a planetary or celestial body, then Equestria was most certainly doomed.

Vader in turn remained silent for several moments, still holding Dash up with a telekinetic grip. Then in a sudden twist of fury he grabbed her by the neck and pulled her in so that she was face to face with his mask.

“Tell me everything,” he demanded, adding a bit of force to his grip to show he meant business.

“Go jump off a cliff,” was Rainbow’s only response. Her loyalty to her friends and the princesses was enough to quell her fear and prevent herself from saying a single helpful word to the Dark Lord. “There’s nothing you can do to make me talk!”

Not that Vader really needed words anyways. There was more than one way to garner information from someone. Those other ways just happened to be against the subject's consent, and would end with the user to steal memories or information in a violent and often times merciless way. Along with the fact that the fact the victim would often times have a psychological breakdown from all the mind meddling.

So Vader was very much looking forward to using the dark side ability of Drain Knowledge on Dash.

Holding a fingertip to Rainbow’s temple, Vader prepared to disrupt the Force to extract the knowledge he needed from her mind. Dash’s eyes went wide as she felt an unknown entity enter her mind. “I find your lack of faith disturbing,” Vader said, digging right into Dash’s mind to rip out the information he needed.

Author's Note

I finally found an excuse to use that line!

Chapter 9: Changing Theories

“Useless,” Vader growled, the Sith’s voice taking on an undertone of dark intent. Raising his arm and opening his palm wide, a sudden burst of pressurized air exploded from his hand, obliterating everything in his path.

Trees ripped asunder from their roots, rocks crumbled to dust, and any plant life being shredded to paste. The Force Push was truly a power to be reckoned with, especially with someone at Darth Vader’s level of power.

Feeling another spike of anger arch through his body, Vader let loose another Force Push. The concussive burst of the telekinetic impulse created by the Force made short work of any obstacle that dared hinder it. This left Vader with a straight path of upturned earth to lead himself out of the forest.

The starship hovered next to him, just inside his field of vision. With one hand he commanded the Force to lift the vehicle while using the other to violently clear the forest ahead.

“It’s just not possible,” Vader muttered to himself much later, not bothering to check over his shoulder. He already knew the trio of ponies were following close behind, or at least as close as they dared.

He was still trying to process the information he had forcibly acquired from the depths of Rainbow Dash’s mind. Drain Knowledge wasn’t a skill he was too experienced in, but one didn’t need much training to foray into an unsuspecting lesser being’s mind.

What he first discovered was the general nonsense one would expect inside one’s thoughts. Something about Wonderbolts, being awesome, twenty percent cooler, ten seconds flat, sonic rainbooms (that would have to be the most asinine thing he’s heard of), and of course, friendship.

It nearly made him gag to wade through such pathetic sentiments these creatures held. They actually believed friendship could save the world. And just by looking through her memories, it seemed it had. Along with the power of love...

If any of the Jedi were still alive, they’d just be eating this up by now.

Other than realizing he was dealing with a pansy-minded world filled with beings who have the violence mentality of a toddler, he was able to acquire crucial information about their leaders. The ones they called Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Along with the most recent entry to royalty, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

From what he had already seen of the two, Twilight seemed to be the weakest link. Sure, her sensitivity to the Force was stronger than most of the other magical users there, specifically the unicorns, but it was far from being a threat. Though he’d be sure to take her into account. There may be some surprises she’ll throw his way.

As for Luna, there was definitely potential there for an enemy. If the stories about her were true, then she was a major roadblock. It was hard to believe she was over a thousand years old.

Yet he still had to keep in mind that whatever Dash was thinking could have been fake. Luna may never have been banished for a thousand years on the moon–or may never have been the ‘monster’ known as Nightmare Moon.

Though her memories of defeating the Nightmare Moon incarnation with the Elements of Harmony seemed to trump that theory.

He glanced back at the trio of ponies slowly following behind. Applejack and Fluttershy were the only ones capable to movement, holding the unconscious Rainbow Dash between themselves.

After digging through Dash’s memories, he was tempted to just kill the three on the spot. They were defenseless, with two already unconscious and one at his mercy–which he lacked sorely in. But practicality beat out his own needs.

If what Dash knew was true, then Celestia could take him on in combat as an equal, and perhaps even better. Making an enemy of her by killing three of her citizens would be unwise. If a being really did have the power to move an entire star, then he was definitely outclassed. This was the thought that he was having trouble believing.

He had seen the planet orbit around the star himself when he was in his starship out in space. It was a typical yellow sun, a medium-sized star among the hundreds of billions in the galaxy. Control of such an object of great mass would require such a complex understanding of the Force, along with a sufficiently high power level.

The only other beings he knew of that had that type of power and precise control over the Force were Sith Lords of old. Such as Darth Bane, who was said to move planets and moons like a child with his toys. His understanding of using the Force alongside gravity were unmatched, making him one of the deadliest Sith in existence.

Close runner up would have to be the Sith Lord Darth Naga Sadow. Being a powerful Sith alchemist, he was trained in many forbidden Sith teachings that augmented his own powers to even higher levels. He was also known for his ability to manipulate solar activity while using the Force, once causing an already unstable star to explode.

But what didn’t make sense was the orbits. If the sun truly did revolve around the planet, did that mean the planet was stationary in space? That would technically be impossible, since the gravitational force of the sun would pull the planet into its own orbit. Unless Celestia used the Force to keep the planet in place while revolving the sun around it. But that was just a tedious and unnecessary process when a much easier solution would be to move the planet around the sun.

While a user of the Force was capable of moving objects of nearly any mass or size, moving a star was nearly impossible. The star’s gravity would be the first hindrance, along with the fact you needed to get close up to the thing in question you want to move. Her disregarding all laws of gravity and moving the star which was thousands of miles away from her position just didn’t make sense.

“Hey, Vader, can ya slow down some?” Applejack called out behind him, struggling to keep Dash upright while taking most of her friend’s weight so Fluttershy could move easier.

That still left those three. And the other three back at the town. The supposed Elements of Harmony. Or at least the bearers, anyways. The actual Elements were jewels of some sort. With a power level of almost unimaginable bound.

Redeeming someone from the dark side, turning a god-like entity into stone, and even transform someone into a much more powerful race. If what he garnered from Dash’s mind was true, then these Elements must have a direct connection to the Force, empowering the user’s Force abilities to much stronger conditions.

This in part was also another reason he kept them alive. Apparently the only ones able to operate the Elements were those six. If he ever wanted a chance to use the Elements to his own advantage in the future, keeping them alive was a priority–above his will to kill every one of them.

This also meant he used mind control to wipe their memories clean of the previous events. Sure, it was a cowardly act to do when killing them could have been much easier, but the benefits of their continued existence outweighed the momentary satisfaction he’ll feel from their deaths. Instead he implanted memories of another manticore attack explaining the ponies' injuries.

As for Rainbow Dash, he tried to keep mind damage to a minimum if he could help it. After ripping through her memories like a tornado, she’ll be on the receiving end of intense and quite painful headaches and sudden memory loss for a couple of weeks. He just forcibly removed the memory of him ever going into her mind in the first place, leaving a large hole she’ll likely dismiss as amnesia from a head wound which he inflicted upon her with his boot–just to keep things believable.

“Shy, ya doin’ fine?” Applejack asked her friend, wincing at the loud crash ahead from yet another Force Push. The shaking of the earth followed soon afterward.

“Y-yeah, I’m good...” Fluttershy muttered, her vision blurring before she shook her head to clear it. “My head just f-feels funny.”

“Well, we both got hit on the noggins pretty hard,” Applejack reminded her, trying vainly to remember the event. Her memory was a bit fuzzy, but she did recall a manticore attacking the pair on their trip to Vader’s ship. Luckily he was there to beat it off before they could be mauled by the predatory cat. How she, Fluttershy, and Dash all received head wounds was still a mystery. All she remembered was waking up sometime later with Vader poking her with the tip of his boot, telling her to start moving.

“I wish he didn’t have to destroy the forest like that,” Fluttershy said, worry over the forest dwelling animals entering her mind. “There must be an easier way for him to move his ship.”

“If there is one, it probably ain’t quick enough. He’s even more impatient than Rainbow Dash.” Applejack glanced sideways at her unconscious friend. “Uh, no offense, of course.”

While they were chatting to one another, Vader was already preparing plans for the time he had to remain on this rock. First, get his ship repaired. Second, find out more about these Elements of Harmony. Third, discover how adept the residents here were with the Force. And fourth, finally confront the leader known as Celestia.

If he could hash out a deal of some sort with the princess, he may be able to see the Elements himself. Such potential they had. If what he has already seen in Dash’s memories were true, if he was able to unlock their power, there was no telling what he could accomplish. Perhaps overthrowing Sidious even.

Though he shouldn’t forget the potential for even greater achievements while here. He already knew that up to one third of the population on the planet were Force-sensitive. Weeding out the unneeded races and the weaker unicorns could acquire him with an entire army of Siths at his disposal. An entire new Age of the Sith Empire could begin on this very planet.

Which just left Princess Celestia to deal with. He’d play the nice guy act for now. No need to alert her or the others of his true intentions. As long as he kept them in the blind while he worked out his plans, his moment of triumph is pretty much set.

While killing all of them could have been a much easier solution, Vader was no fool. Diplomacy may not have been his strong suit, but he knew enough of it to be able to trick them into believing his false intentions. And if so be it, he’ll get rid of anyone that proves more trouble than they’re worth.

After several more Force Pushes and even more of the forest permanently decimated, he finally arrived to the outside edge of town. He felt weakened, exhausted even, though he’d never admit it. From traveling in a cramp starship to crash landing on the planet, along with towing along his entire ship while doing numerous powerful Force Pushes to clear the forest, he desperately needed rest.

But first he needed to get to town. He could not allow any visible example of weakness reveal itself to the denizens of the town. His cybernetic enhancements and will through the dark side of the Force were the only things keeping him going at the moment.

Starting on the tediously long walk back to town, he realized with dread that there were even more onlookers in the crowd that had converged at the town hall center. He could already spot countless pegasi flying through the air, along with eager new faces having already spotted him and several individuals dressed in what he presumed was military wear. Took the army long enough to organize themselves for what everyone must be thinking was an alien invasion.

“Hot dang, there sure are a ton of ponies in Ponyville now,” Applejack said, already spotting from such a far distance the crowd that had built up in the streets. “Wonder how they got here so quick.”

“Maybe news travels fast?” Fluttershy guessed, sweating even in the frigid temperature. Dawn was just around the corner, so hopefully they’ll get much needed warmth from the sun. “I mean, an alien landing is pretty big news.”

“Guess so.” Applejack sighed, hefting Dash into a better position on her side. The sleeping pegasus had barely made any sign of her even being alive, her normal loud snores replaced with just calm breathing.

“Really startin’ to worry ‘bout Dash now. Think she may have a concussion or somethin’ worse?”

Fluttershy thought back to her limited medical training she had, mostly for injuries her animals would sustain. “If she really does have bad head trauma like a concussion, she shouldn’t be sleeping.”

Frowning slightly, Applejack noticed that Vader was moving further and further ahead. “Hey, wait up!” she called, trudging through the mushy snow on the dirt path fast to try and catch up to Vader. “Dash needs help! She shouldn’t be sleepin’ like this!”

“And what do you expect me to do about it?” Vader asked over his shoulder.

“I dunno. Can ya lend a hand and help get her back to town faster?”

A few seconds of silence lapsed after Applejack’s question. Did she really expect him, Darth Vader, to help such a weaker creature? It as such a bad joke he nearly let out a chuckle.

“If she can’t do it herself, then leave her be,” he answered, having no time to deal with such trivial nonsense.

“B-but Mister, um, Vader... sir,” Fluttershy called out. “If Dash doesn’t get help soon, she might not be able to get up...”

Vader stopped in his tracks, sighing audibly. He didn’t have time to bicker with them. Resting his ship on the side of the road beside him, he quickly marched towards the three.

Fluttershy flinched at his sudden approach, nearly dropping Dash while Applejack stared up at him with hopeful eyes. Without giving either a glance and focusing solely on Dash, he leaned down and held his palm out forward.

While there were countless different techniques involving the Force he could have used to awaken her, he opted for the least complex approach. He slapped her. A couple of times, in fact, using his palm and backhand just to make sure it did the trick.

Waking with a start and shifting her eyes furiously left and right, she shouted, “Whoozit? What? Where am I?” Noticing she was currently being held in between her town friends, a furious blush appeared on his cheeks. “Did I get drunk... and... well, you know...?”

“Wh-what?” Applejack said, immediately stepping to the side, causing Rainbow Dash to flop on the ground. “Heck no! Ya were knocked hard on the noggin in the forest!”

Wincing slightly at the intense pain from the bump she just found out about on her head when she landed to the earth, she whispered, “Oh yeah... wait, no, not really. I can’t remember anything.”

She suddenly found herself picked up by the scruff of her neck. Now she was face to face with the intimidating face of Vader, his expression emotionless and creepy as ever. She felt a momentary sense of déjà vu, but that feeling was quickly quelled when he spoke.

“Enough talk. Get to town already.” And with those final words he positioned his body forward, held his arm back, and threw Rainbow Dash in the general direction of the town. He made sure to give her a bit of a bump using a Force Push to make sure she got some extra distance.

“What are ya, crazy?” Applejack shouted, both her and Fluttershy staring at Dash up high in the air as the pegasus desperately tried to unfurl her wings so she wouldn’t crash to the ground. Thankfully Dash wasn’t too out of it, for her wings managed to start flying, and soon enough the pegasus starting soaring across the sky. Albeit in a random flight movement and she zipped back and forth through the air.

“She’s fine now.” Vader levitated his ship off the ground, walking to town back at his usual pace.

Applejack’s face was practically steaming, the mare so furious that for several moments no concise words could be formed from her lips. Fluttershy rested a hoof on her shoulder. “Applejack, we have to get back to town now. We can worry about Dash once we’re back.”

Staring hard at Fluttershy, then casting a rage-filled gaze at the back of Vader’s quickly departing back, she sighed and nodded her head. “Yeah, yer right Shy. Just hope that Dash manages to make it back in one piece.”

“Everypony, look out!” Rainbow Dash shouted, losing altitude fast as she corkscrewed into the crowd of ponies. While many managed to escape her path, quite a few others acted as cushions for her descent–quite painful, complaining cushions, that is.

Picking herself up from one stallion she managed to knock out, Rainbow stood wobbling on her hooves. She could barely take two steps forward without nearly falling on her face. Thankfully, Twilight was there to support her side.

“Rainbow Dash, where have you been? You were only supposed to be gone for an hour at the most, yet it’s nearly dawn! Me and the others have been worried sick about you!” Twilight told her friend, Rarity and Pinkie Pie close by alongside Luna, each gazing at Dash with worried faces. “And where’s Applejack, Fluttershy and Vader?”

“Yeah, yeah, I gotcha,” Dash muttered, Twilight yelling right next to her ear not improving her headache. “AJ and Fluttershy are fine. They’re just following with Vader.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Oh, Vader just threw me.”

“He... he what?” Twilight shouted, her jaw hanging wide open.

Dash nodded. “Yeah. Something about me moving too slow cause I was unconscious.”

“Wait. Hold up.” Twilight breathed in deeply, letting her air out slowly. “First off, why exactly were you unconscious?”

“I got a bump on my head,” Dash answered.

“How, exactly, did that happen?” Twilight deadpanned, resisting the urge to facehoof.

“I dunno. Can’t really remember much,” Dash said, shrugging. “All I remember is that Vader found his ship, was moving it back to town, and then boom, nothing afterwards until he woke me up.”

“Okay. So Vader has his ship... wait, how does he move his ship?” Twilight asked, her interests moving all over the place. “That thing must weigh a ton.”

“He can do magic,” Dash said, racking her muddy memory for anything else. “Like, lift it up... with his hand.”

Twilight wanted to ask more of what Rainbow Dash meant, but she could see her friend was really out of it at the moment. “Okay, thanks Dash. Where are the others right now?”

“Near the edge of the Everfree,” Rainbow remembered, sticking out her tongue to try and figure out a precise location. “Going on the road back to town.”

“Oh good, we still have some time left.”

“Time left for what?” Rainbow asked, not yet caught up as to what happened when she left. Looking back at the crowd, she noticed it was much larger than before. Ponies from out of town must have arrived. Along with guards all the way from Canterlot forming a perimeter around the area.

“My sister shall be arriving shortly,” Luna spoke up, approaching Rainbow Dash. “I have alerted her of Vader’s presence once you and the others departed. Guards have already prepared for her entry here. As you can see, news traveled fast, so many a pony from Canterlot has also made their way to town. Along with the... media,” she sighed disappointedly, noticing all the ponies with cameras held in their hooves.

“Wait, so once Vader’s here, he and Princess Celestia will be chatting?” Dash asked, a sense of dread growing in her chest.

“I expect them to. Vader being a new visitor to our planet,” Luna replied. “My sister is quite eager to meet him, in fact.”

“Oh man,” Dash sighed, scratching the back of her head where her bump was located. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Author's Note

Yeah, couldn't resist using that line again. God, I'm awful.

Chapter 10: A New Dawn

“Princess, is something wrong?”

Celestia blinked, having lost herself once more in her thoughts, and sleep. Being jostled awake at three in the morning for an emergency in Ponyville tends to leave her not in the best of minds. Yawning wide in a very unprincess like manner, she smacked her lips together and struggled to keep her eyes open. “No... well, at least not yet, Captain. It’s just that the current circumstances have left me at a loss.”

The captain nodded, keeping a level gaze at the town their chariot was rapidly approaching in the distance. “Reports say that a mysterious unknown flying object landed in the Everfree Forest, right outside town. It was during your sister’s ceremony when the crash took place.”

“Any word on what exactly the object looked like?” Celestia asked, rubbing the back of her hooves against her closed eyelids.

“Negative,” the captain answered. “The best we could gather was that it was on fire when it was flying through the sky.”

“Usually a good sign it just pushed through the upper atmosphere,” Celestia noted. Sighing, she stretched her neck up to stare at the starry sky. “I swear, if I got pulled from my bed over some meteor...”

“That would be a meteorite... your majesty,” the captain corrected. “And there’s still the other report.”

“Of the space creature, right?” Celestia asked, rubbing her temple with a hoof slightly. “My sister’s message wasn’t very detailed. Do we have any specifics on what this ‘creature’ is?”

“From what we’ve gathered, it is definitely not equine in nature. Bipedal, and very tall. Very similar to a minotaur, in fact,” the captain said. “Except no horns.”

“Anything else important I should know before I meet him… her… it?” Celestia asked, dread dripping from her words.

“It’s a ‘he’, your majesty. And there’s been several reports of him being… rude.”

Celestia’s ear perked up. “Rude?”

The captain shrugged. “He’s been noted as being slightly aggressive. Regards ponies as beneath himself. Even destroyed a civilian’s camera.”

“Okay, not the worst I’ve dealt wi–”

Before another word could leave her lips, a spark of fire that turned to a jet of bright green flames appeared before her, dispensing a scroll before sparking out. Perplexed, she opened up the scroll with her magic to read from its contents.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I just sent this scroll over from Ponyville as an emergency heads-ups to the being known as Vader upon your arrival. Known facts about him are that he killed a pack of wild manticores that were near the site of the crash, with the deaths being those of cauterized wounds. A disturbance seems to follow him, such as the temperature dropping when he speaks and darkness spreading where he moves. Another point to make is that he has some form of magical prowess, with apparent skills in telekinesis. What other magical abilities he possesses are still unknown.

It is unknown if he is a threat at the moment. Other than his attitude, he hasn't harmed me or anypony else in the time he's been here. He simply may have alien customs that seem unusual to our viewpoint. I am positive you will hold your judgement of him until you actually speak and get to know him.

Your ever faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

PS: He wears all black with a creepy cape, so he does appear similar to a clichémovie villain. Just thought that'd be a good warning.

Celestia’s eyes widened. The captain raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as he stared at Celestia intently. "Something wrong, your majesty?"

Folding the letter back up, all traces of exhaustion left her expression. Instead, only a frown creased her lips.

"Captain, I want the chariot to move on the double. Now," she ordered, not bothering to look at him. Instead, her gaze was focused solely on the town in the distance.

And at what could be the newest threat to Equestria for her to face.

"There, Dash, the letter has been sent," Twilight told her friend upon her return, moving to sit next to her.

Rainbow Dash nodded her head thankfully, scooting over on the bench, giving Twilight space to sit. The slight movement made her groan, so she readjusted the ice pack held close to her head.

"Thanks, Twi," she muttered. "Hope it helps the princess out."

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know why. It was a hastily sent warning that I had to wake up Spike for to send. By the way, you're making it up to him for disturbing his bedtime, not me."

"Whatever. As long as Princess Celestia knows what she's dealing with, we have a better chance."

"At what?" Twilight asked, yawning in exasperation at too much excitement in the past few hours and too little sleep.

"Duh! Vader!" Dash yelled, waving her hoof up high and wincing at another spike of pain in her head. "If anyone can take him on, it's the princess!"

"You're still going at it with hating him, aren't you?" Twilight stated, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

Rainbow stared at Twilight with an exasperated expression. "He slapped me, then threw me just because I was too slow. And that's just the beginning of it!"

"It could have been him helping to prevent you from falling asleep when you have a concussion," Twilight suggested.

Dash scowled. "Don't defend him, Twilight. You barely know him! And from what we do know, he's a murdering, good-for-nothing monster that's rude all the time and creeps everyone out!"

"I know, I know." Twilight groaned and laid her head back on the bench, rubbing her brow with a hoof. "It's just... complicated, okay?"

"Complicated?" Dash blurted loudly, catching the attention of some of the nearby crowd. Shrinking under their gaze, Dash held a hoof up to the side of her mouth to whisper, "What's so complicated about some alien freak being a jerk to the rest of us?"

"Because I'm a princess!" Twilight replied back sharply, looking Dash in the eye. “I wish it was simple, but it isn’t! I’m responsible for an entire nation now. Which includes an alien at the moment.”

“So what? Lock him up in jail for all I care.”

Twilight facehoofed, glaring at Dash to the side. “Then what? Have his entire species invade our planet and destroy it? Maybe even enslave us? Or better yet, he’d probably use some advanced technology to incinerate the lot of us to dust? Or better yet, magical powers that turn us inside out? You said it yourself, Dash. We know nothing about this guy and even less about what he is capable of. Do you really want to find out?”

Twilight took in a deep breath and sighed, staring at Dash with a hazed over look. “I’m sorry, Dash, but in a situation like this I can’t jump to conclusions or take sides. I have to remain neutral. As a part of the Equestrian government, my actions affect all the ponies that live here. Which is why I’ll keep my misgivings of Vader to myself and not voice them. If I do that, I could harm all of Equestria with my actions.”

An awkward silence descended upon the pair, disturbed by the muffled sounds from the crowd. In fact, the crowd grew louder, until a loud cheer of approval was voiced by the masses.

“Is the princess here?” Dash asked, peering past the crowd to see what all the excitement was about.

Twilight felt a cold shudder pass through her spine, followed by a strange tingling in her horn. “No... it’s Vader.”

“Hey, Shy.” Applejack nudged her friend, who had momentarily fallen asleep while walking. Blinking her tired eyes awake, Fluttershy yawned as she leaned against her friend. “We’re in Ponyville now.”

“Oh, that’s great,” she muttered, glancing to the side at the familiar buildings that made up the entrance of the town. “Is Vader still here?”

“Yeah, ain’t too hard to miss him,” Applejack said, gesturing towards the tall, imposing dark lord only a few yards in the distance. Upon entering town, he had created a hubbub, though that could also be attested to the large spacecraft floating next to him. She was still surprised it didn’t fall apart on the trip back.

Reporters flocked closer to Vader, only to be held back by a barricade of guard ponies. They lined both sides of the street, made up of unicorns wielding intimidating spears. The lot of them glared at Vader as he strided by, with a few even casting him a fearful gaze.

Vader didn’t care what they thought of him. Whether they feared him, mistrusted him, hated him, it didn’t matter. He felt their emotions through the Force and that was all he had to know. That they were weak, just like all the other creatures on this planet.

He felt the hot ball of hatred in his heart grow stronger the more he sensed their emotions. The excitement of the crowd, the misgivings of Applejack and Fluttershy behind him, and now the anxiousness of two others he identified as Rainbow Dash and Twilight in the distance. It sickened him to his very being to be in the presence of such weak-willed individuals.

The urge to wipe out the entire lot of them was a great desire that was further fed by the compulsion of the dark side. But he beat it down and controlled it. Like Darth Sidious taught him, the dark side does not control a dark lord. The dark lord bent the dark side to his will, the power being his to control and his to command over all others.

Arriving at the center of town hall, Vader set his ship down, the exhaustion already seeping into his body. While his endurance was greater than most others because of his cybernetic enhancements and strength through the Force, after his days on end hunt for that Jedi rebel, he was near the end of his rope.

Panting through the breathalyzer on his mask, he glared at the crowd eagerly snapping photos of him. His hand gripped hard into a fist. Shoving one of those cameras through the user’s skull would be such a fulfilling action right about now.

Unfortunately, his mental image was broken by Twilight trotting hurriedly towards him, bags hanging under her eyes and her mane disheveled. “Vader, Vader, you’re finally here!” she said with as much cheer as she could muster so early in the morning without sleep. “I have exciting news!”

He walked past her without a glance, his attention focused solely on the pile of parts near his ship. It looked like Monkey Wrench made good on his word and delivered the needed repairs for his ship. Vader knew he didn’t have time to waste having small talk with Twilight when he could be fixing his ticket off this planet.

“Did he just blow me over again?” Twilight asked to no one in particular as her jaw hung open.

“Seems like it.”

Twilight glanced to the side to see Applejack. Sighing in relief at the sight of her friend, Twilight wrapped her foreleg around Applejack’s neck, embracing her in a hug. “Oh, Applejack, I’m so glad you and Fluttershy arrived back here safe and sound!” Looking over her shoulder, Twilight asked, “Actually, where is Fluttershy?”

“Probably by the two sleeping beauties over there,” Dash said with a chuckle, joining the pair and pointing to the side of a building nearby. Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie leaned against it and each other, snoring as they stood on all fours. Fluttershy joined them at their hooves, curled up and as unconscious as them.

“Wow, I guess the night has gone on longer than I thought,” Twilight said, a faint smile on her face.

Dash nodded her head, glancing at Vader as he rooted through the parts for his ship. “So, Princess Celestia going to be here soon? I thought she’d be here before Vader.”

“The Princess will be here as soon as she can, Dash,” Twilight answered her with a frown.

Sensing the awkwardness between the two, Applejack coughed and scratched the back of her neck. “So, um, Dash, how was the trip back here? Bumpy?” she said with weak laugh.

Staring at Applejack unamused, Dash said, “Yeah, it was a blast. Especially the crashing part. So sad that you missed that.”

“Listen, I know that you’re pretty frustrated–”

“Frustrated?” Dash cut Applejack off, irritation masking her expression as both corners of her lips descended into a frown. “I’m more than frustrated when a psychopath flings me like a hoofball!”

“Now Dash, calm yer horses,” Applejack said, holding her hooves up defensibly to her peeved off friend. “Vader did save us from that manticore attack. You might wanna be a bit more thankful to him.”

“I don’t remember that. Besides, are you forgetting the entire throwing thing that happened not too long ago?”

Applejack groaned under her breath and looked at Twilight for support. Twilight just shrugged, avoiding eye contact with the two as she instead focused her gaze on the skies, anxious for Celesta’s arrival.

Applejack gritted her teeth and glanced off to the side at where Vader was at, his back–but certainly not his attention–turned to them.

“Listen, just keep your trap shut near the guy… alien, whatever he is,” Applejack whispered to Rainbow, her voice clearly heard by Vader’s cybernetically enhanced hearing. “He ain’t got the best patience or temper. He could blow a gasket, and I just don’t want ya to be in the middle of that. Or the cause of it.”

“Just stop being worried with me already,” Dash said, huffing in annoyance. “You’re like my marefriend or something.”

Applejack’s face went red, and before the flustered mare could reply, Twilight eagerly shouted, “Princess Celestia is here!”

“Finally!” Rainbow Dash flapped higher off the ground, peering to the skies to catch a glance of the princess. “Took her long enough to arrive.”

“Now, Rainbow Dash, don’t complain about the princess. She’s a busy pony,” Twilight reminded her, making out the vague shape of Celestia’s chariot in the dim light of the sky.

“Probably a really angry one as well, seein’ how she just got woken up so early in the mornin’,” Applejack added on.

Dash scratched her head. “Isn’t she a morning pony, seeing how she’s the princess of the sun and all that?”

“Just because my sister raises the sun, doesn’t mean she enjoys waking up to do it,” Luna said behind the trio, smiling as all three looked back in surprise.

“Oh, Princess, we... were… um…” Twilight nervously coughed, smoothing down her frazzled mane. “Discussing."

"We'll be able to discuss further once my sister arrives," Luna said, casting a wary eye on Vader to the side.

The Dark Lord of the Sith continued his shifting through the piles of parts, methodically placing which could be useful and what was scrap. His hopes for a full repair job degraded with each passing second. Most of what was useful could only be applied as touch up repairs, which was hardly helpful for the more serious interior damage to the ship. And if the hyper-drive was damaged along with the engines, he was doomed to remain on the planet for who knows how long.

Though there was still the final option for rescue. There was still the slim chance the communicator on the ship was in working condition. If he was to get a clear enough signal, he could send a distress message right to the Empire.

But then what? Have the Galactic Army trouble itself to save him, like an empty-headed Padawan that didn't have enough sense to not crash land onto an unmapped planet in the Unknown Region. To crawl, begging for help from his master was a greater loss of dignity than he could ever imagine.

And the Emperor would be sure to milk it for all it's worth. Sidious knew how to push him, pull him along his strings like a puppet and manipulate him to his will.

It didn't help that Vader knew he wasn't powerful enough to defeat him… yet. Palpatine always enjoyed to remind him where his place was in his Galactic Empire.

The thought of the Emperor sending a rescue squad for the incompetent dark lord was too hideous a thought for Vader to bear. That would remain a last ditch effort at the best. Only if his ship was beyond repair would he ever consider using the communicator.

In the meantime, he had pressing matters to concern himself with, such as the eldest princess finally arriving. He had sensed her hours before, out in the distance near the castle hanging along the mountainside. Though she was too far away to catch an appropriate judge of her power level, every second with these ponies granted him greater insight to how their version of the Force worked, and just how much power each of them possessed.

"So, think Celestia will throw tall, black and creepy over there in the dungeons?" Rainbow Dash asked Luna, Vader listening in on the conversation all the while.

"That will be up to my sister to decide," Luna answered, staring up to the violet tipped clouds as Celestia's chariot descended from the brightening sky. "But most likely no, if Vader isn't seen as too intimidating or threatening. She is a pony of fair trial, after all."

Before Dash could reply, Vader turned his hand into a fist. She suddenly felt her mind turn blank, words and even regular thought lost to her. This only passed by in a second, but it completely emptied her mind of what she was about to say next.

The tampering with a weaker-willed being's mind left plenty of benefits to work with.

Looking at Dash's hanging mouth and blank face with a raised eyebrow, Twilight returned her attention back to Luna. "I must ask, princess, how were you able to send a message to your sister so soon? I didn't even see you write anything."

Luna winked at Twilight. "Family secret."

"And since you're a princess as well now, you count as family," a mysterious voice whispered in Twilight's mind.

Twilight looked around in confusion, wondering where that voice came from. Applejack nudged Twilight's shoulder and asked," Hey, Twi, what's the matter?"

Locking her gaze back to Luna, who did another sly wink at Twilight, she said, "Um, nothing, Applejack. Just..."

"Say you'll accompany me to welcome Celestia."

"I'll accompany Luna to welcome Celestia," she said automatically, like reading from a script.

Applejack nodded, still unsure at Twilight and Dash’s strangeness, but too exhausted to really think much of it.

Walking away by Luna’s side to the circle of guards awaiting Celestia’s chariot, Twilight whispered to the princess, “What exactly was that?”

“Telepathy,” Luna replied, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “One of the harder skills of magic to master.”

“But doesn’t telepathy just result in random thoughts and mental projections being transmitted over brain waves that often leaves the sender and receiver listening to incoherent mumbling and eventual insanity due to repeated use?” Twilight stated quickly, drawing in a breath after her speech.

Staring at Twilight with wide eyes for a few seconds, Luna shook her head. “Well, um, kind of. Celestia and I know of a way that allows telepathic communication without those negative effects. She was going to teach you the trick eventually, but I think now is as good a time as ever for a practice session.”

“Does this mean I’ll be able to transmit entire thoughts and messages through the power of magic?” Twilight asked excitedly, an ever eager grin sprouting on her face.

“Um… not really,” Luna replied, crushing Twilight’s hopeful smile. Holding a hoof up to calm her down, Luna said, “I mean, at first. The thing about telepathy is that it’s rather… tricky. Really, it’s best used at close range. That makes communing complete thoughts easier. The farther someone is from your location, the harder it is to get a clear message through.”

“So you weren’t able to chat with Celestia long?”

“I sent a simple message awakening my sister and calling urgently for her presence in Ponyville.” Luna chuckled when the chariot landed, Celestia already on the ground before the chariot. “Celestia is a bit empty-headed in the mornings, so I had to send several messages just to wake her up. Not really surprised the guards are all over the place before she’s arrived.”

“Gossiping about me again, eh Luna? Just like old times.”

“Indeed, dear sister,” Luna said, her smile growing wider as Celestia made her way through the circle of guards towards them. The princess wasn’t taking many chances with Vader nearby it seemed, an entire platoon of royal guards accompanying her by her side. “Twilight is just beginning her telepathy lessons, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Though we might raise some suspicion if we stand around thinking to each other.” Celestia walked over to Luna first and hugged her sister with one foreleg wrapped around her back, doing the same for Twilight. “I’m glad to finally have arrived here,” Celestia said to the pair, flashing that royal smile that made thousands swoon in her favor. “I hope that I haven’t missed much.”

“Other than an alien crashing in our backyard, not much,” Twilight laughed, both Celestia and Luna joining in.

Ending her laughter in quiet giggles, Celestia sighed and said, “Well, I’ll just meet this ‘alien’ myself, I suppose. And thanks for the memo, Twilight.” Celestia inspected the crowd of her cheering citizens and the line of guards ponies keeping them in check. “Where is he, by the way?”

“Oh, right there by his spaceship and pile of parts he’s using to repair it,” Twilight said, pointing off to the side of the crowd where Vader was located.

“Oh, right…” Celestia muttered, wondering how she missed that. Making her way over to the ship, she finally caught sight of the creature that had caused her to be pulled away from her comfortable bed.

Standing up from his stooped over position at the parts pile, Vader turned with a sweep of his cape to see the so-called ‘Princess of the Sun.’ Like others of her kind, she resembled an equine creature, though she was much taller. Probably the tallest pony he’d seen so far, with the longest horn and wingspan as well. Much less cartoonish and ridiculous than the smaller versions of her species, she had a brilliant, white coat and a multispectral mane that closely resembled Luna’s in how it flowed in some non-existent breeze.

But what Vader truly noticed about her was the power. The Force resonated through her like a raging river, so strong it threatened to overflow everyone else around her. Impressive just by how awesome amount she possessed, Vader had to admit that she was definitely a worthy opponent.

“So, are you the one known as Lord Vader?” Celestia asked, showing off that immaculate grin of hers to the black-clad figure.

“That’s Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith,” he corrected her, his mechanicalized voice catching her off guard.

“Bit of an ego on this one, huh?” Celestia said to both Twilight and Luna telepathically, the duo laughing under their breaths at the thought comment. “Well then, Dark Lord Vader, on the behalf on the Equestrian ponies and our entire nation, I welcome you to our planet. My name is Princess Celestia, and it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Laying it on thick there for the ‘please don’t invade and enslave us’ speech,” Luna said, her snarky comments hidden under a kind smile.

Celestia still kept her winning smile despite Luna, and reached out with a hoof for that ever important first hoofshake between the leader of a nation and the mysterious space alien that could possibly kill them all.

Vader stared at her without even a glance at her hoof, crossing his arms over the blinking lights chest plate he wore and nodding. “Likewise.”

Still holding her hoof out for several seconds, she set it back on the ground awkwardly, her smile drooping slightly. “Whatever we can provide you with to make your experience on our planet more enjoyable, do not hesitate to ask.”

“I need to get off your planet,” he stated outright, Celestia flinching at the directness of his tone. “For that, I need my ship repaired. I require components to fix my hyper-drive. Do you have them?”

“Um… not exactly.” Celestia peered deeper into his soulless gaze to see what his expression was. The best she could guess was aggravated. Didn’t help that his face seemed to be stuck in a permanent frown. “But we do have the best engineers in all of Equestria located at Canterlot, our capital city. I’d be honored if you’d accompany me there to properly repair your ship.”

“Is it really wise to bring him to Canterlot of all places?” Luna asked, still with that fake smile of hers planted on her face. “Not even mentioning the media swarm, there’s still the fact we’d be bringing an alien to the capital city of Equestria. That’s sure to stir up some trouble.”

“I’d rather keep him close by to watch him. Who knows what he can do when left unattended in Ponyville?” Celestia replied, still awaiting for Vader’s response.

Vader was definitely left with an interesting choice. Should he accompany the princess back to their castle to be kept under lock and key by their watchful eye for the benefit of his ship being quickly repaired? Or remain in Ponyville, with the risk of being hindered by repairs for who knows how long?

His answer would have to wait, because both Luna and Celestia’s eyes opened wide as they felt a familiar magic resonate through their horns. Squinting her eyes and raising a hoof to her brow in annoyance. “Of all the times for this to happen, of course it has to happen now!”

“Tia, do you want me to handle it?” Luna asked aloud, her horn practically buzzing with magical energies being drawn in.

“No, no, I have it handled.” Sighing and arching her neck back to stare up at the brightening sky, Celestia turned to Vader and said, “I am sorry for this interruption, Dark Lord Vader, but I am needed for the coming dawn right now. Please excuse me.”

Vader too felt the Force being drawn to the two like moths to a flame. So strong was the Force being attracted to the pair he was sure that the very earth itself would be compressed by their power and that he would be brought to his knees in awe at their might. Now this was true power he hadn’t felt since Palpatine revealed his full capabilities over the dark side. Not even some of the Jedi Masters from the days before the Purge could ever hope to match them.

Celestia left to stand a few feet away from the three. Twilight stared with excitement at her teacher, Luna still gazed uneasily at Vader, while the Dark Lord himself looked at Celestia with interest.

Drawing in a deep breath, Celestia bowed her head to the east, right where the sky was blossoming from a brilliant violet to quickly turning pink. Closing her eyes, her horn glowed brightly, the intensely vivid gleam of magic causing everyone other than Vader to avert their eyes.

Slowly but surely, the tip of the dawn sun could be seen over the horizon. Celestia’s horn blazed to a brilliance so bright it was almost as if her horn had been set aflame. Her magic built up to astounding levels, to the point it seemed it was almost going to explode if left without release for too long. The sun rose over the horizon, the bright energy seeming to rest on the tip of Celestia’s horn. But in an instant it ended, the magic level dropping drastically as the radiant sight of the sun climbing up higher in the sky could be seen by everyone.

Letting out that breath she took earlier, Celestia stood back up with a straight back and perfect posture as always. In fact, her tired mood from before seemed to have vanished just as the sun peaked over the horizon. Her coat shimmered with a new brilliance, along with her mane’s colors being more rich in color.

Strangely enough, Luna’s appearance took a turn downturn. Her mane’s starry night sky color dimmed with the appearance of the sun’s rays, and the princess's exhaustion seemed to have increased tenfold from the bags under her eyes.

Of course, these were only changes noticeable to a trained eye. Vader saw them in a light much deeper than any physical appearance. For like the night and day, the two couldn’t be more different. Along with the ponies’ beliefs of their precious princesses.

Vader had to hold back a chuckle, a rare glint of humor causing a smile to appear behind his mask. The princesses didn’t control the sun or moon. No, quite the opposite in fact. The sun and moon controlled them instead.

He felt it earlier from Luna as the night progressed, though he wasn’t exactly sure about that. He thought the dip in her power was the result in her weariness. But it turns out it was merely the approach of the dawn as the moon set in the sky. Without the moon hanging overhead, her power was much weaker.

While for Celestia, the sun actually increased her power.

It was astounding at how intricate the ponies’ version of the Force worked. A satellite orbiting a planet and a distant sun controlled how powerful the Force acted for certain individuals. While the ponies believed the sun and moon were theirs to control, the fact of the matter was that the sun and moon directed how much power over the Force they had.

For Princess Celestia and Luna, this connection was much deeper and affecting than any other pony nearby. No wonder they and other magic users presumed they had influence over the sun and moon.

Turning back to Vader, Celestia smiled cheerfully with newfound energy. “Sorry for that everyone. Now, back to business.” Celestia stared up at Vader, face to face, and a bit uneasy at someone actually being taller than herself for once. “Will you accept my offer to stay at Canterlot for the duration of your time in Equestria?”

“Very well,” he answered, still smiling for the first time since he arrived on this planet. “I expect my ship and parts to be at your abode without any further damage.”

“Of course,” Celestia replied, her smiling happily as well. “Well, that wasn’t so bad. Don’t know why you two were so worried about him.”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Luna replied with a roll of her eyes, wishing for a warm bed to sleep the troubles of her night away.

“Very soon,” Vader thought, making sure to keep his thoughts hidden from the two. “Very soon indeed.”

Author's Note

And with this chapter comes the arguments about headcanons and the sun and moon and whatnot. I await them with excitement. Also, whoopy, done with the first arc!

Chapter 11: Conquest In Consideration

The dawn’s faint light shone on the land, exposing the terrain from the blinding darkness of the night. Grasslands could be seen far and wide, peppered with fields of flowers and a forest or two. Rivers snaked across the plains, villages popping up where they lay. It was a near paradise look of civilization, where a species has bonded so perfectly with nature.

Though those thoughts meant nothing to Vader as he looked down at the rest of Equestria. Once he may have been reminiscent at such beauty of wildlife, back when he was a Jedi and blindly cherished all life.

But now, all he could think about the eventual conquest of the planet. There was just too big an opportunity to gain from overtaking the population of this planet: an entire species, a third of whom are Force-sensitive. Never before had there been such a large massing of potential Force users in the galaxy that were so blind to their own potential.

Vader still knew he had to escape the planet as soon as possible. There was too big a threat from any of the princesses to stop him if he did try to conquer them. Along with the fact he knew nearly nothing of their military might. Vader may have been power hungry, but he had enough patience to know when to strike and when to observe his enemies for weakness.

Glancing to his right, Vader glared at Princess of the Sun, Celestia, shining a bright smile down at the landscape much, like the sun she supposedly controlled. Her conversation with Luna through telepathy had ended a few hours ago, and Vader hadn't learned much of anything useful in that time, but at least he was assured that they never detected his mental spying.

Looking up, Vader directed his focus on Celestia's horn. The key to both alicorn and unicorn 'magic,' and where most of their Force power came from. At first Vader was intrigued with this information. Never before had a species had a specific body part to direct their Force powers. But through evolution or some other outside source their horns had developed to control all their Force powers.

Which made Vader wonder if their horn was removed, would the Force leave their body as well?

"So, Vader, how are you enjoying yourself in your time you've been in Equestria?" Celestia asked, casting Vader a sideways glance.

Vader tightened his grip on the railing of the chariot, the wind causing his cape to flap aimlessly in the breeze. "It is adequate."

"Not one for many words, are you?" Celestia said with a slight chuckle.

"I say what is necessary. Nothing more."

Celestia nodded her head. "Then do you mind answering some of my questions? As you can imagine, I am quite curious about Equestria's first extraterrestrial visitor."

Weighing his options, Vader considered denying her request. But, while he would have loved to do so, diplomacy was better than intimidation in these types of situations. Plus, he could benefit from it under his own terms.

"Only if you'll answer some of my own," Vader replied, settling back in the chariot seat next to Celestia.

"It's only fair." Celestia hummed under her breath, racking her mind for an appropriate first question for an alien. "What planet are you originally from?"

"Tatooine,” Vader replied sharply.

“What was your homeworld like?”

“Hot, humid, a desert as long as I could remember.” Vader crossed his arms and turned his head in Celestia’s direction. “Nothing else to say.”

“Ah. So… how was your childhood?”

“None of your business,” Vader replied in his usual deadpan demeanor.

Celestia gulped, Vader’s soulless gaze boring into her. “Oh… I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” A few seconds of silence lapsed by, until Vader broke it by asking, “How did you and your sister acquire your royal lineage over the Equestrians?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Most of the time there is no original royal line,” Vader explained. “There’s always a successor or someone who usurps the original line. What I’m wondering is who did you kill to get your power?”

“K-kill?” Celestia blurted out, jaw hanging open slightly. “I didn’t kill anyone. If anything, I avoid death whenever possible.”

“So there was someone before?” Vader asked again. “Answer the question.”

Celestia sighed, rubbing her brow. “Yes… there was someone before. Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.”

“What type of ridiculous title is that?” Vader already knew well about Discord, from what information he had forcibly gathered from Rainbow Dash when he invaded her mind. But still, had to keep appearances up.

“One he appointed to himself for his… special talent.” Celestia looked back up and shrugged. “The point is that he was crazy, had nearly unlimited power and ruled Equestria under an iron fist… claw… whatever. So me and Luna needed to put him down. But we did not kill him.”

“So you–” Vader nearly let his tongue slip the word ‘banishment’ before he was able to stop himself. While Luna’s thousand years of banishment was easy enough to figure out from Dash’s memories, letting Celestia know about it will be a mistake. A stupid mistake that was much too costly for him to let her know about. “–imprisoned him?”

“In a way, yes,” Celestia said, “A thousand years in stone for the most part. Of course, I never meant for such a long leave of absence for him, but the Elements cannot be controlled. No matter how much you try…”

Vader briefly sensed regret from Celestia. His empathy sensing was atune as ever, even if Celestia’s face was impassive and emotionless.

“But anyways, can you tell me a bit about your title?” Celestia asked, flashing him a small smile. “Mister Dark Lord Darth Vader.”

“Do not address me as ‘Mister,’” Vader snapped at her, causing Celestia to briefly flinch. “I earned my titles, so I take them into high accountability.” Vader let the sting of his words set in. This wouldn’t be the first time he put a holier-than-thou monarch in their place.

Celestia faltered, unsure how to reply. But Vader continued on.

“The ‘Darth’ in my title is given to any member of the Order of the Sith Lords. It can be used to procede one’s Sith name or their birth name.”

“So Vader isn’t your real name?”

“No, it isn’t,” Vader answered, showing slight hesitation in his reply.

Celestia’s ears perked. “Then would it be too much of a bother to–”

“No,” Vader interrupted quickly, raising a gloved hand. “You will be wise to not question further on that topic.”

“Of course. Sorry for intruding,” Celestia said. Though her feeling of misgivings increased. It seemed the dark clad figure was intent to keep his secrets in the shadows as long as possible. “But if you can continue further with what the ‘Dark Lord’ in your name means…”

“Dark Lord of the Sith is the title for one who commands the Order of the Sith Lords,” Vader explained. “There is only one Dark Lord of the Sith at a time, and he who is the Dark Lord rules the Order without question to his ruling.”

“So it is a dictatorship?”

Vader smiled behind his mask. “It is a position of power in that regards, yes. Though you’d have experience in that, wouldn’t you?”

Celestia’s lips turned downward into a frown, her anger rising. No one else–with the very rare exception–had ever spoken to her like that. And the way she would reply to them if they ever did was the reason it was rare. The princess was well known for her benevolence, but not so well known for her temper. So she bit her tongue and asked, “That’s… good to know. So this Order of the Sith Lords is large, am I to be correct?”

“Not very. There is only two.”

“Two? For an entire Order?” Celestia shook her head, trying to grasp the concept. “How does that even work?”

“The Sith Order is known for its infighting and members vying for power through bloodshed. So the Rule of Two was implemented to end this. There would only be two Sith at a time,” Vader said, holding up two fingers. “A Master and an Apprentice. The transfer of power commences when the Apprentice becomes powerful enough to kill their Master. Then the new Master finds a worthy Apprentice to continue the cycle. This assured that the next bearer of the Master would be more powerful than the last.”

A few seconds of silence followed the end of Vader’s speech. The only sound was the whistle of wind and the flapping of the pegasi guards’ wings as they steered their chariot through the open sky.

“That sounds… awful,” Celestia said, breaking the quietude that had descended on the pair. “Would you really kill someone just to gain a position of power?”

“It is more than just a position of power. It is the position of power. The Galactic Empire controls the galaxy, and to rule it is to know what true power is like.” Vader could sense the utter disgust coming off her being. The monarch had a weaker stomach than he thought. “If that means ending another’s life to properly rule the galaxy, then I will do whatever it takes to accomplish that.”

“Th-the entire galaxy?” Celestia muttered, the word feeling heavy on her tongue. “Can someone possibly rule all of that?”

“Someone has, and will continue to do so in the future if he sees fit.” Vader crossed his arms, still with a straight back in his seat with authority being spoken in his very position. “And until the day I acquire that power for myself, I am in second command. My Master is not intent to give up his Empire anytime soon. Or ever.”

Celestia gulped. The importance of her visitor never rang more strongly than it did now. Not just an alien from another world, Vader was apparently someone in a position of power as well. That power being the entire galaxy. The unbelievability of that thought resonated in her mind.

“How can I trust your statements to be true, Vader?” Celestia asked, staring in the eyes of his expressionless gaze the best she could.

“Your lack of faith is disturbing,” Vader answered, slightly shrugging one of his shoulders. “But think what you like. Whether you believe or not, in the end, we will know who is right.”

Time passed quickly, and Celestia was too troubled over her own misgivings about her guest to dare question him further. Their chariot flew through the sky to their destination in a timely fashion. That destination being Canterlot Castle, atop the towering mountain that seemed to touch the sky itself.

Vader was hardly impressed by Canterlot. The city was simplistic in regards to more developed cities around the galaxy. Even the less developed ones were more advanced than this one. No holograms, no giant billboards proclaiming advertisements abound, no skyscrapers thousands of feet high with flying crafts of every design. Even with the city’s bright glamour and charm, it was just another squabble Vader was forced to inhabit.

The chariot sweeped over the towers of the city streets, streaking overhead the winding roads and streets. Already ponies were bustling about in the morning light, staring up with wonder at the speeding chariot. Of course, Vader suspected that news of his arrival had already reached the capital of the nation. The thought of dealing with more pesky reporters filled him with dread, and a compulsion to snap some necks.

The chariot touched down in the courtyard of the castle, where guards were already forming a perimeter around the craft and saluting to their princess. Celestia waved to her loyal guards, a kind smile on her features that beamed down as bright as her sun. Taking a guard’s hoof for support, she descended from the chariot and waited for Vader to disembark.

Vader ignored the guard’s offer for help to get off the chariot, instead jumping off and landing with ease. Turning away from the guard without another word, Vader made his way in a brisk manner to Celestia. “When will my ship be arriving?” he asked.

“It was too heavy to be flown in, so it shall be here soon enough by train,” Celestia answered.

“Soon enough is not adequate,” Vader said, pointing his finger in the distance to where Ponyville was situated. “I expect my ship here in less than three hours. I expect the equipment to repair my ship in the same amount of time. And I expect any engineers and repairmen you can supply to be here in less than that time.” Vader brought his arm back to his side, tilting his head forward to stare down at Celestia. “Is that understood?”

The guards surrounding the duo were positively shocked. They had never encountered someone brave or stupid enough to ever speak to the princess in such a way. Some were flabbergasted, others wanted to arrest the creature that dared to speak so disrespectfully to their princess, while the rest were gripped with fear from the icy intimidation that seemed to surround the black clad figure’s presence.

“Vader,” Celestia began, glancing sideways at the Dark Lord, “they will come in time, like I said. Patience is a virtue. Learn it.”

Vader was stunned. Such a retort would normally result in immediate execution for insubordination. The Dark Lord was best known for his violent temper: so only a suicidal fool or ignorant buffoon would ever speak down to him. But once again, Vader had to be reminded he wasn’t in control here. For all he knew, his fate could be in the hands–erm, hooves, of this princess.

The thought didn’t sit well with him.

“Just alert me when it’s here,” Vader replied, standing in place before the chariot without giving Celestia or the guards a glance.

After a few moments, Celestia looked around at her guards, shrugged, then asked Vader, “Will you be accompanying me into the castle?”

“Why bother when I will leave this place as soon as possible?” Vader said.

“Well… I was hoping to introduce you to some ponies that are very interested in your arrival. Other than Twilight, many scientists and other experts in numerous fields are interested in asking you a couple of questions and studying you.”

“I do not have time to deal with anyone that cannot be of use to me,” Vader said with a wave of his hand to deadpan the statement. “My ship’s repairs are my top priority, nothing more.”

“Fine then. I do you hope you can make it for dinner tonight,” Celestia said. Then came the question whether Vader could even eat their food. Then came another about how exactly he was able to eat. It sounded like he had trouble breathing most of the time, much less chewing food and swallowing.

Before Vader could reply, his attention was cut off by the sudden shadow that was cast on his backside. And by the sudden surprised looks from the guards and Celestia alike, that was enough hints to spell out something was behind him.

Turning around, Vader was confronted by one of the strangest sights he’s ever seen. In all the years he’s transversed the galaxy he’s seen aliens of the weirdest species, fauna both deadly and beautiful, and spatial anomalies that both mystified him and left him astounded. But the creature that stood before him… was definitely a contender in the top ten of crazy stuff he’s seen.

“Greetings, Discord,” Celestia said over Vader’s shoulder, the Dark Lord still enthralled by the creature known as Discord before him. It was like a mad scientist’s experiment gone horribly wrong. The head of a horse stared down at him, with a mismatched pair of eyes gazing intently. It had differentiating horns atop its head, followed by the body of what Vader could only guess to be a bird of prey. Its right arm was that of a lion’s, with the left being a predator bird’s claw. This went down to a left leg of a goat from Vader’s best guess, a right leg of a reptile all leading up to a snake’s tail. For lack of a better word, Vader was stunned. He couldn’t pinpoint the creature to a specific species, and all he can go by is that it was a hybrid of some sort. “What brings you here?” she asked.

“To meet our new guest, of course,” Discord replied, the creature having the ability to speak surprising Vader again. Bending down to get a better look, Vader was confronted with the full disturbing visage of Discord’s face. “A visitor from another world, if I heard right.”

“I think it would be smart if you were to leave us be,” Celestia said with a stern voice. “I don’t have time for you at the moment, and neither does Vader.”

Discord suddenly shifted his attention to Celestia. “Did you just say Vader?”

“Yes.”

“The Darth Vader? Dark Lord of the Sith?”

“Yes…” Celestia answered uneasily, tilting her head to the side. “How do you know this?”

“Oh… my… gosh!” Discord shouted, returning his attention back to Vader. “I’m like, your biggest fan ever!”

This left everyone even more confused than before.

With a snap of his fingers a notepad and pen appeared in Discord’s paw, which he eagerly shoved to Vader’s chest. “Can you please autograph this and make it out to Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony and firm believer that the fifth episode was better than the fourth and sixth.”

“What?” Vader asked, for once lost on what to do. The notepad and pen dropped from his arms, while he just backed away from the over-exuberant hybrid creature. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Oh, never mind, a picture will do.” Discord got close in for a quick snapshot from a camera he suddenly acquired, the draconequus grinning wide with an arm over Vader’s shoulder while the Sith just stared at Discord with his usual blank expression. Checking the camera, Discord fist pumped and said, “Sweet! This is totally gonna get me mad respect at Comic-Con for sure! Lucas can go suck it now!”

“Discord, what are you even talking about?” Celestia asked, still lost to Discord’s ramblings as was everyone else.

“Sorry, gotta fly,” Discord replied, smiling down at the photo of him and his hero. Looking back at Vader, Discord nodded his head. “Good luck. She’s a tough cookie, is all I can say.” Then with a snap of his claws Discord disappeared, leaving a very confused group of ponies and one cybernetic human.

Vader stared at the space Discord once occupied, his thoughts still rattled over the creature’s appearance. Vader hadn’t sensed him with the Force, and he couldn’t get a reading of him at all. Discord was as much as an anomaly as he was confusing.

“That… happens a lot with him,” Celestia tried to explain, an uneasy smile on her face. “I won’t think too much into Discord being… well, Discord.”

“I still expect my ship and supplies here in an orderly fashion,” Vader reminded her, already brushing off Discord’s strange antics. Just another factor of this world he’d have to adjust to.

“Of course,” Celestia replied, taking her leave. More than half the guard force that had been waiting for her followed her, while a few stayed behind. All of them stared intently at Vader, never allowing him to leave their vision.

“You guards are not needed here,” Vader said before she left through a pair of doors.

“Oh, but I do believe they are,” Celesia called back, a victorious smile planted on her face. “I’d just hate the thought of someone coming to attack you. So your protection is one of my top priorities.”

“Like I said, they are not needed,” Vader repeated, quickly growing agitated.

“But I insist,” Celestia said, having a hoof already on the open doorway. “I’m sure you won’t mind the company, right? The royal guards are some of the top trained in all of Equestria; so you couldn’t ask for better defenders.”

But Vader didn’t ask for them. Vader had already seen past Celestia’s facade to see the guards were merely used to keep an eye on him. Like he was some pest Celestia had to make sure didn’t stir up trouble. The thought sent Vader’s blood to a boil.

“Fine then,” Vader replied, objecting no further. The moment would come when he can resolute this situation in a timely fashion.

“Good. I’ll be seeing you later then,” Celestia said, right as the door slammed shut behind her.

“You’d be best to hope that it isn’t over your grave,” Vader said in just under a whisper, the heavy breathing sounds from his respirator masking the sound.

Chapter 12: Dark Days To Come

“Sister, is everything alright?” Luna asked, taking a sip from her tea.

Celestia’s head jerked back so her vision could focus on Luna once more. “Oh, yes, never the better, dear sister.”

“Tia, you had been staring out the window for the past three minutes. Something is troubling you.” Luna set her teacup down, returning her gaze to Celestia. “It wouldn’t happen to be our guest, would it?”

“Sometimes I think that’s the only thing that’s on my mind nowadays,” Celestia admitted with a tinge of a sigh in her voice.

“It has been two weeks, Tia. Of course he would be considered an important threa—I mean, issue for us to deal with. It isn’t every day we get a visitor from another world in our midst. Just remember whatever troubles you have can easily be shared with me.”

Celestia smiled to her sister, refilling both their cups. “Thank you, Luna. Tea time with you is something I always cherished, especially for the bond between us it formed.”

“Indeed,” Luna agreed, a smirk playing on her face as she levitated a cookie up for her eager taste buds to partake in.

“It’s just that… I’m not entirely trustworthy of Vader and his motives,” Celestia admitted.

“Does it have to do with the fact he dresses in all black, has a superiority complex, uses a type of magic we have never recognized before, or how he murdered all those manticores in the clearing?” Luna tapped her chin and hummed under her breath. “I covered the basics, right?”

“Overall, yes,” Celestia sighed. She took another sip of her tea, smiling as the hot, minty flavor of the drink traveled down her throat and warmed her insides. “I just worry about how exactly to treat someone like him.”

“You already know about my suggestion to lock him up in a dungeon,” Luna reminded her.

“Yes, and what benefit would that bring us?” Celestia asked.

Luna sipped her tea, shrugging her shoulders when she was done. “It could bring us the benefit of not having to worry about him being out and about or perhaps escaping if given the opportunity.”

“And what if his people arrive to pick him up? I don’t want blood on my hooves if they think the hospitality treatment we showed him was a cold dungeon cell where he was held against his will.” Celestia bit her lip and held a hoof to her temple. “I cannot even fathom having to deny him a request if he demanded it. So far he has tolerated the guards assigned to him, but even then I think he considers them more as pests than a threat. If he wanted to go out into the city, how can I say no? If I tried to keep him here and lock him up, I can possibly start a war with his race.”

“Then it is a good thing that leaving to visit the city is probably the last thing on his mind. The last time I met him, he hasn’t left the side of his spacecraft. Reports say that he’s working on it day and night without rest.”

“Yes, I heard that too. He seems especially adamant about fixing that ship of his…” Celestia pursed her lips, taking another sip of her tea.

“Tia?” Luna said.

“For some reason, he wants to get off this planet. More than anything, it seems, he wants to leave.” Celestia looked Luna in the eyes, staring deep within them as Luna sensed the growing concern appearing in Celestia’s pupils. “It just has me thinking… why? What’s he so eager to return to, and what is making him want to leave so bad?”

“He considers the lot of us little better than vermin. Maybe he’s too disgusted with us and just wants to escape our presence?” Luna guessed.

Celestia nodded slowly. “That’s one thing I considered. Though I do believe it has something more to do with the organization he a part of.”

“The Sith Order?”

“No, the Galactic one,” Celestia said. “Not only do we know aliens exist now, but apparently they have a government spanning the galaxy.”

“What does that have to do with your worries, Tia?” Luna asked.

Celestia stared dejectedly into the reflection of herself in her tea cup. “If we’re in the same galaxy of this Galactic Empire, then it makes me presume we’re under their jurisdiction. Maybe even their control.”

“But that’s nonsense. We’ve never even heard of this Galactic Empire before Darth Vader arrived. How can they be in control of us if we know nothing about them?”

“That’s just the thing, Luna. We know nothing about them. There’s no telling what they know about us.” Celestia gulped, feeling her throat clog up but she had no thought to drink anymore from her cup. “And if Vader is apparently second in command of them, then I shudder to think who their true leader is.”

“Didn’t you mention to me that Vader actually wants to kill his leader?” Luna asked, remembering Celestia having told her everything Vader had mentioned to her on the trip to Canterlot. “If that isn’t enough of a reason to warrant an arrest for him…”

“If I had to arrest every second in command that wanted to kill their leader, then I wouldn’t have a ambassadors from other countries to deal with,” Celestia said, frowning slightly as she shook her head. “It’s common practice to ascend the throne or any leadership position through bloodshed. Gryphons, diamond dogs, minotaurs, and just about every race on Equis has been doing this for thousands of years. Vader doing such a thing is unsurprising in the least.”

“At least we never had to worry about that,” Luna said, smiling fondly to Celestia.

After a while, Celestia couldn’t help but smile back. “I suppose you’re right, Luna. I guess I’m worrying too much about this.”

“Oh no, sister, you have every right to worry,” Luna assured Celestia with a raised hoof. “But for now, I would keep Vader under your watchful gaze until he makes his next move. His ship will be fixed sometime, and when it is, it’ll be up to him whether he leaves our world or not. If he does, then we just had to deal with a very rude guest for a few weeks and move on with our lives.”

“And if he stays?” Celestia asked.

Luna giggled. “There’s always the dungeon option.”

Soon, Celestia too joined Luna in a laugh, the stress of the past couple of weeks melting away for a moment as the two sisters shared a good chuckle.

Luna’s eyes snapped open wide, her jovial good mood replaced with fear clouding her eyes. “Tia, I think—”

“I just felt it too,” Celestia said, her head snapping forward as she felt a buzzing energy ripple down her horn.

Magic was being used. Powerful magic at that. Magic so great, both the sisters could sense it from a considerable distance away. It was a faint presence now, but there was no mistaking the unbelievable power level backing up magic of that type of might. Something, somewhere, had just used a spell. Neither of them knew exactly what spell was used, but whatever it was, it was strong enough to alert them both of its presence.

“Sister, do you know where that came from?” Luna asked, her horn glowing in a low light of magic.

Celestia’s eyes shone briefly in a light golden radiance before she closed her lids and breathed deeply. “Give me a moment.” She concentrated, horn shimmering in a pale light as she attempted to sense where the source of the magic had occurred. It had washed over the two like a powerful wave, but there was no telling where that surge was exactly in the big ocean of magic that made up the world. Finally, the light dissipated from Celestia’s horn as she sighed. “I couldn’t find it.”

“What could it possibly be? I mean, for something of a magnitude high enough for both of us to know about it… that can’t possibly be good.”

“Whoever did the spell made it clear that they were powerful, but made it unclear where their location was,” Celestia stated, mulling over these facts silently.

After some time, Luna finally spoke up, “What do you think, Tia?”

“What I think is that someone was trying to send a message,” Celestia answered. “Maybe even a warning.”

“But from what?” Luna asked, not liking the cold look appearing in Celestia’s eyes. Usually when her sister’s glare became icy, some serious problems were underfoot, which couldn’t mean anything good for a situation like this.

“Luna, that dungeon consideration is looking more appealing by the second.” Celestia got up from her seat and made her way to the door, calling out in quick succession, “I want Vader over here on the double!”

Vader allowed himself the rarest of opportunities to smile. Not that it could be seen beneath the visor of his helmet, but still, the miniscule movement of face muscles into a grin was an occurrence that nearly never happened for him.

The reason for the brief showing of glee was that his hyperdrive propulsion system was finally complete. His earliest fears of the hyperdrive having been damaged during his crash had worried him deeply. Even if he could get the ship fully operational, traveling at lightspeed alone could take him years to get back to any remote outpost of the Galactic Empire when he was so deep in the Unknown Regions like this. The only other choice would be to call for help using the ship’s onboard communicator, but that was still not operational yet. And even if it was, calling for help from his master was one of the furthest things on Vader’s mind.

While his ship was still being repaired, at least the hyperdrive was intact and in relatively good conditions. Being the expert mechanic of ships that he was earlier in his life, Vader had extensive knowledge on how every spacecraft worked, inside and out. That information naturally applied to hyperdrives as well. While he wasn’t an expert on building one or every aspect of how they worked, he was at least competent enough to know when one would work properly.

Overall, while this momentary victory pleased him, he was still angered at the slow process the rest of the ship was going through for repairs. Both wings had been completely decimated in the crash, and rebuilding them using the pony’s primitive technology was a tedious chore. Not to mention the most expert engineers Celestia had to offer him were incompetent fools that didn’t know a jumpdrive to a thruster.

The inner will to not use Force Choke to strangle an imbecile unicorn that dropped one of the fixed lights to his ship was an astounding measure of his self control. Vader had to admit, the experience on this planet had opened his eyes to his own weaknesses. The control he had over the dark side was waning, his own darker compulsions overturning his instincts of intellect. He knew that if he gave himself up completely to the dark side, allowed every fiber of his will to be overrun by its control, there’d be nothing of himself left. Just a dark shell.

So now was the true test of his power over the dark side to bend it to his will, not its. Though it was harder than he’d like to admit, but he still wouldn’t back down from it.

Sighing, Vader got up from his workbench he had been using to repair the hyperdrive. He had been sitting in the chair for hours on end, and had not gotten any rest in the past couple of days. Not that he needed any, for his cybernetic implants along with the power the dark side provided him made able to go long periods of time without sleep or rest. This meant for the past few weeks Vader had barely gotten a full day’s rest from his mission of escaping the insufferable pony planet.

He could feel the fatigue beginning to affect him. Slower movement, loss of focus, inconsistent thought flow that left him staring mindlessly at a piece of equipment to fix without him even realizing it was there. That slight example of weakness was something he did not tolerate, yet staying on the planet any longer than he needed to was something he tolerated much less.

Looking across at his workshop, he contemplated the equipment fodder he had acquired and lined up against the wall. So far the repairs to his ship were halfway done to completion. The hull was easier to mend than he had thought, and luckily enough the original metal was readily available near the crash site for use of fixing it without having to resort to less reliable metals. The wings had to be completely rebuilt from scratch, but from his own modifications he was sure they could hold up well enough. The engines were proving to be a tougher project to handle, yet he was confident he could get both working by the end of the week. As of right now, he had to choose which barely functional part of the starcraft he’ll repair next.

Looking back to his ship in the center of the workshop, he noticed the bangs and dents that ran down its body as the light from the setting sun reflected off its black paint. The open garage that led to his workshop was usually cluttered by moving unicorn engineers that brought to him parts and metal to rebuild the ship with, yet as the evening approached closer many had gone home. The silence was a blessing from Vader.

The blessing soon turned into a curse as he felt an alarming presence distract his attention. The pull on his mind was so strong he almost tripped over himself as he stepped forward. That power, the strength behind it… it couldn’t be?

The dark side. Pure and evil in essence, a surge of it suddenly knocked into him as he sensed its overwhelming presence invade his mind. It’s potency was unbelievable, so much so it put whatever power he or his master possessed to shame.

It only lasted for a few seconds, but there was no denying what had happened. Someone, somewhere, had just used a vast resource of the Force in the shift of the dark side for their own malicious purposes. Who it was or where they were was still unknown to Vader, but whoever had did it was one of the most powerful dark side wielders Vader had ever sensed before. The only thing Vader knew for certain was that the whoever had just used the Force would have to had been far, far away. If they had been any closer, Vader would have known in a second where they were located. The ponies were still unfamiliar in masking their Force potential, so whoever it was would have to be miles away from vader to not immediately sense their presence.

Standing still for several minutes, Vader held his arms out on either side with his palms flat as he tilted his head back. While sensing the Force at long distances wasn’t exactly Vader’s strong suit, he put his best effort into tracking down the recent dark side’s source.

Soon he was lost in a dark plane, nothing moving or breathing. The only senses here were the Force, in its most vital and pure form. The colors that could be used to describe it were not part of the visible light spectrum for humans, and neither could Vader even imagine a color that could come close to comparing it to. It shifted and flowed like the ocean, encompassing all living creatures of the planet as a bond every single one of them shared that linked them together as one.

Far away, over hills and valley and mountains, was where the source of power Vader had just sensed lay. In a barren wasteland where barely a living creature survived it was activated, brought forth from an unknown source to be used. For what, Vader had no clue, but at least now he knew that this Force-sensitive user was nowhere near him. But an interesting clue did turn up. Other Force-sensitives, much weaker but just as malevolent in nature due to the dark side’s corruption surrounded it. One wielder in particular caught his attention...

“Excuse me,” a voice spoke behind him. He had already sensed her enter his workshop previously, though he had hoped she didn’t have anything to do with him. His concentration was broken, and his best guess was that several minutes had passed since he first began tracking down the source of the dark side user. “Vader, can I—”

“If you remember correctly, Twilight Sparkle, my correct title is Lord Vader,” Vader replied sharply. He turned to her, letting his arms fall to his sides as he imposed over the smaller pony with his mere presence.

Twilight resisted wincing. She had come to visit Vader on multiple occasions ever since he arrived in the castle, though she knew her presence was an annoyance at best. He answered none of her questions about his people, home world, technology, or even any of his likes or dislikes. All that he allowed her to do was remain in his workshop as he fixed his ship, her wide eyes and constant note scribbling whenever he so much as picked up a wrench only irritating him slightly.

“Oh, so sorry, Lord Vader. It’s just that Princess Celestia has requested you to her throne at once.”

“She sent you instead of a guard?” Vader asked, hands on his side.

Twilight nodded, glancing quickly back at the door to his workshop before returning her attention to him. “Yes. She thought that me escorting you to her would be more agreeable.”

It was far from it for Vader. The guards were one thing, just simple minded military men—or rather, stallions—that followed orders without question. But to have an escort be Twilight herself, Celestia’s trusted student and a leader of Equestria in her own right, that was another matter altogether.

A matter he would deal with personally if he so needed to once he met with Celestia.