Officially the 501st never fought a single battle far beyond the outer-rim. Unofficially, we've lost so many troops on one battle - Lord Vader himself ordered the retreat back to the heart of the Empire. We didn't knew at first what we bargained for the moment we set foot on that blasted planet - the fighting began well. However, soon we faced weaponry and resistance the likes of which none of us have ever seen before or since.
Fighting the separatist droids would've been a refreshing change back then. Most of us were probably just thinking how we were going to survive against a thousand force-users.
From the journal of CT-3987 - 501st Legion, Deluge Company
A blue planet is seen from the cockpit of the Star Destroyer.
"We have reached destination, Lord Vader"
Lord Vader felt an overwhelming torrent of life flow through him, as if he was being submerged in an ocean. It almost lulls him into a trance. "The Force is strong in this entire planet"
"Sir? Your orders?"
He mildly snaps out of his confusion and turns towards the officer "The Jedi are here! Initiate full-scale Invasion"
"Yes, Lord Vader"
Vader watch fleets of TIE fighters slowly swarm towards the planet, almost filling the entire view. He turns away, retreating deep into the heart of the ship.
High above the kingdom, Cloudsdale rests easy. There is a race. Eight ponies are lined up together. A stadium of audience cheers them on. They are ready to begin. The announcer counts down. There is a deep rumbling sound coming from above. The audience turned their attention to the sky, TIE fighters loomed in from above, passing through the clouds, passing through Cloudsdale. The ponies panic. Several more starfighters zoom past them. A starfighter collides head-on with the stadium and explodes. The ponies fly away from the site. There is more panic. More Starfighters drops in.
There is radio chatter among the fighters.
"This is CT-3-9-8-7, Inbound"
"ST-10-4-0, Inbound"
"ST-1-1-3-7, Inbound"
"CT-3-1-9-8, Inbound"
There is chatter in Canterlot. Ponies are enjoying tea at an herbal cafe. A young couple hold hooves. A mare holds a parasol that goes with her dress. There is a deep rumbling sound coming from above. A lot of the ponies look up to check.
"Engaging"
The starfighters attacked the herbal cafe with lasers. The cafe explodes from within. The ponies scream. More fighters attack Canterlot with lasers. There are explosions. The ponies run for their lives.
In Las Pegasus there is anarchy. The buildings go up in flames. The empire's starfighters wreak more havoc upon the city. The Applewood sign topples to the ground.
Manehattan quakes to the ground. The buildings explode and fall onto one another. Hard concrete from the debris falls onto any pony unlucky to be underneath. Smoke covers the ground. The ponies cry in horror.
In an Imperial Dropship Transport, Lord Vader looks upon the handiwork of the 501st. The planet is under a full-scale invasion of his command. The dropship lands on the white tiles of Canterlot. Stormtroopers dismount to attack the fleeing ponies with their E-11 blaster rifle. Darth Vader steps down from ship. Amid the screaming and rifles going off he tries to feel the tug of the force towards the Jedi. It overwhelms him, dulling his senses.
"The Force is VERY strong here..." he breathes in and out. He never felt this much concentration of the Force in all his life
Suddenly there is a strong surge of energy from afar firing at the starfighters. Darth Vader looks closely. It didn't look like anti-aircraft fire. There is another surge of energy. Darth Vader boards the ship again.
Vader points at its direction "Take us over there!"
"Yes sir!"
The ship lifts off. Another surge of energy firing the fleet. The ship gains speed towards it. Darth Vader tried to get a close look at it. He makes something out - something with large wings, until the figure lights up and shoots a laser straight through the ship. Smoke is everywhere, the ship is losing altitude. Darth Vader crashes below.
There is radio chatter.
A starfighter has the figure locked-on "We got a bogey. Engaging" the figure fires back. The TIE fighter explodes
The sound of lasers and blaster fire continue. The figure continues fighting the Imperial fleet. Darth Vader uses the Force to remove debris keeping him trapped in the torn dropship. He looks up and sees same figure from before, a large white winged pony still firing lasers from its horns. Darth Vader uses the force to lift the remnant of the dropship he was in and fling it back to the figure. It strikes. The figure careens down towards the ground. The ground shatters on its landing.
Darth Vader approaches. He breathes. The figure stands up on its four legs. He continues approaching
Vader speaks, his voice full of authority "WHERE ARE THE JEDI?"
The creature stares him with total disdain. It speaks to him. "Who are you?" its voice is like a woman's
"I am Lord Vader of the Sith" He stops in his tracks "and you will tell me where you have been keeping the Jedi"
"There is no Jedi here, Lord Vader"
"You LIE. I feel the presence of thousands of Jedi"
"I don't know what you are talking about"
Vader retracts his lightsaber. "You will tell me..." he lunges and swings, but the figure leaps before he hits.
It hovers in the air. Its horn glows. Large, sharp scraps of metal flies towards him. He uses the force to throw aside the scraps. He speaks.
"You are a Jedi?"
"And you can use magic?"
There is blaster fire incoming towards the figure. It turns towards a group of Stormtroopers opening fire. Its horn glows. The stormtroopers levitate and is flung aside. Darth Vader uses this opportunity to levitate the scraps of metal and throw it towards the creature. It evades them by one swoop-arc. It immediately felt something was tugging the insides of its neck. It tries to breath. It can't. It sets down to floor.
Vader has used the Force to choke the nerves of its neck. Breaking the tendons connecting its head to its body. He grips tighter, visualizing the snapping of each blood vessel. Its horn glows again. Debris from the dropship levitates toward and knocks Vader off-balance. He loses his grip on the creature. It flies towards the other direction.
"There is no escape"
Darth Vader uses the force to become lighter than air, he levitates and zooms past under its direction.
The creature notices Vader catching up. It flies towards the stratosphere, evading the starfighters. It somersaults, and comes swooping down with tremendous velocity. Suddenly, it created three rainbow colored sonic-booms expanding on the sky, the figure swept down so hard the ground exploded creating a crater the size of a small asteroid.
There is static.
"This-- ST---4--w--"
The rainbow colored sonic boom acted like an EMP and caused every starfighter within a mile radius to shut down. Hordes of TIE fighters are crashing towards the ground. There are explosions everywhere.
Inside the crater, Darth Vader has his lightsaber grinding against the Creature's glowing horn pointed straight between the eyes of his helmet. There are small sparks on his armor, some wires have come loose from the impact. He struggles to keep the saber up
"The Force... Is immensely strong in you" Vader struggles to push towards her
It resists. "How... are you still alive?"
"You don't know the power of the dark side..."
Vader kicks it back. He uses the Force to throw his light saber while he jumps from below the crater. The figure takes wing and lands before him. Vader's breath has become labored. It speaks to him
"You are breathing hard. You are weak"
Vader wheezes through his mask. It still speaks to him.
"You attack my home"
Vader struggles to breathe.
"Destroy our cities"
Vader continues to gasp for air.
"Invade my kingdom"
Vader breathes.
"Under my protection"
Vader breathes. He straightens his stance.
"And now you have lost. What have you got to explain yourself?"
Vader speaks "You have no chance against the full might of the Empire. If I die here-"
Something sharp has pierced through the figure
"Your entire planet will be destroyed"
The figure has a look of horror in its face. It looks down towards its heart where Lord Vader's lightsaber was sticking out of.
"Now you will feel the power of the Dark Side"
Vader raised his hands and conjured pure lighting from his fingertips towards the creature. It screams in an otherworldly level of pain. It collapses. Vader determined to use up all the power around him. The creature crawls, begging at his mercy. The power of pure lightning unrelentingly coursed through his veins.
He stops.
The creature lay lifeless on the ground, his lightsaber still notched within.
He tries to breathe.
He cannot breathe.
He gasps.
Vader looks at his life support system's readout. It is near failing. He will die.
He tries to move his legs. He cannot.
He tries to move down his arms. He cannot. His fingers, still pointing at the creature.
He tries to breathe again. He exhales
He can hear footsteps coming from every direction. He sees ponies of all kinds walking towards him from every angle. Ponies with horns, ponies with wings, ponies without both. He tries to turn his head. It can't. The ponies are closing in. Hatred from their eyes boring themselves to his core.
The tall creature stood up, his lightsaber still lodged within. Its horn glows. The lightsaber pulls itself out from the creature. it drops to the ground. The creature's wound immediately closed.
The creature sneered at him "Lord Vader. Your Invasion has failed"
There was radio chatter
"We're being attacked! Commence Evasi--"
"The en------are flying strai--"
"--oo---st! They're g----g t--"
TIE Fighters were exploding in mid-air. Ponies flying as fast as a bullet have been ramming them all down from the airspace and coming out mostly unscathed. Pilots who were able to eject were rammed into the ground.
There was radio chatter
"Squad fall back! There are too many J---!"
"We need reinforcements around -----"
"They're flanking us we n-------"
Stormtroopers were being mowed down by ponies using their magic. Some are teleporting everywhere, some are levitating Stormtroopers into the other's line of fire, and some were setting troopers aflame with magic. There were much Troopers screaming in pain.
"We have to fall back, we're outnumbered!"
"Squad! Retreat back to the dropships!"
"Move! Move! We have to go fast!"
Darth Vader lowers his hands. He breathes. The creature speaks to him.
"I am letting you live so you may tell your empire to never set foot here in Equestria ever again"
Darth Vader tries to breathe. His life support is system is losing power to its bare minimum.
"If I ever see one of your ships again, we will destroy it with extreme prejudice"
Vader looks at the ponies around him. The contempt in their eyes as clear as day.
"I am Princess Celestia, and I hereby banish you from all of Equestria"
Shortly after the battle began we were already scraping for aid and rescuing our injured. We fought with beings that could bend the world around them and then throw its pointed edge careening towards us like playthings of the young. Cut-off from our commander for most of the battle didn't do much in giving us an edge either. We later found Lord Vader alone standing next to a large crater on the ground. All he said that day was "Our mission is done" and that was fine by us.
We went to that planet with 8,000 men... we left with only 3000. We never stood a chance.
I remember everyone being silent after the battle - suddenly we were familiar faces that didn't know each other again. The battle took so much from us - most of us that day were the last man left of his platoon. So when the Empire's decision came to swipe the whole operation under the rug, most of us didn't know whether to be mad or relieved about the decision.
Then again we were just soldiers, we just followed orders.
From the journal of CT-3987 - 501st Legion, Deluge Company
NOT CREATED BY
GEORGE LUCAS
Author's Note
I made this story because I was having writer's block on my other story. This took 9 hours straight to write, and half an hour to make the cover. Pretty sad now that I mention it...
Hope you enjoyed reading.
