Only The Force

by Darth Atrox

Stranded

Celestia stood amongst several of her closest confidants. Together they stared at the large, metal monstrosity that had disturbed the city of Canterlot in the early hours of the morning. It fell from the sky, glowing from the heat of entry into their atmosphere, and crash-landed just outside the Castle grounds. Luna was the first one on scene. For the sake of discretion, she cast several mind-altering spells in the immediate vicinity to knock out and modify the memories of anypony that may have seen anything.

Celestia wondered briefly if Luna had an inkling as to what exactly was going on, but dismissed the thought immediately. If Luna knew anything, she likely would have told her. Besides, she was very giddy to learn the secrets of the craft.

They moved the steel creation down to the Castle dungeons, where they hoped to study it and possibly discover it's origin.

Then they discovered two passengers inside the thing.

Alien passangers.

In that instant, everypony knew that they had in their possession an alien craft, as well as two aliens.

They were not alone.

As exciting and paradigm shifting as the information was, she couldn't allow this to cloud her judgement. The ship wasn't in the best shape BEFORE it crashed through their atmosphere and into the earth. The ship had battlescars. Whatever these creatures were, they were apparently in a battle.

And now, they were here, on her planet.

She had to gather the Elements.

Luna paced back and forth, too anxious to sit still. Occasionally she would look upon the two identical manila folders that contained the reports of the two alien visitors.

Apparently, they had in their care two different species, not one.

The male was bipedal, measuring in at six-foot-three-inches. He had sparse amounts of body hair, along the arms and legs, the armpits, he had a full head of thick, long black hair. It grew out and spilled down past his shoulders somewhat. He had eyebrows, eyelashes and could apparently grow a beard, which he chose to shave completely. Interestingly enough, he also had hair on his pubic area. His skin was a light pinkish-white color and his eyes were green.

The female, on the other hoof, was completely different.

Like the male, she was bipedal, and shared similar physical properties. Arms, legs, similar skeletal structure, but her outward appearance...

She only measured at five-foot-five-inches. She also had absolutely no hair except for eyebrows and eyelashes. SHe was also bright red. Her eyes were an unremarkable brown. The most intersting thing about her was the twin tentacles that emerged from the back of her head.

Luna was so engrossed in the files she didn't notice Celestia entering with a familiar group of ponies.

"Luna?" Celestia broke the silence of the room. This resulted in frightening the Princess of the Night. She jumped in the air in surprise and gave a startled yelp.

"!" Luna turned to look at the group. Celestia looked upon her sister with slight amusement, while the Elements of Harmony looked at her in confusion. Luna noticed that the Elements seemed to be exhausted, no doubt because Celestia called upon them at 4 in the morning.

"Hello Sister, and greetings to you Twilight Sparkle and friends." She greeted. They all gave halfhearted and mumbled greetings to her. She noticed their eyes to be transfixed on the cold steel table where the male rested. Apparently they were still digesting the information that Celestia had no doubt just shoved down their throats.

"What were you able to find out?" Asked Celestia. Luna opened up the two folders and spread their contents out on the desk for all to see.

"Thier biology seems to be remarkably similar to ours. They have simialr organs, they both are mammals, they share identical reproductive systems to our own... It's remarkable really!" She said excitedly.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Cried Twilight. "How can they be so similar to us!? That would imply that we have a similar point of origin, and I know creatures like these have never been documented in Equestrian history!" She huffed.

"Don't be too sure." Said Luna. "The female is nothing like we have ever encountered, that much is true. But the male...the male perfectly matches the pre-modern descriptions of a Human male." Luna allowed the statement to sink in.

"But...that's impossible! Humans are just an old pony tale, a myth!" Cried Twilight.

"Wait just one second. Aren't humans those creatures that one Lyra Heartstrings seems to be obsessed with?" Questioned Rarity.

"Yes. Lyra seems dead set on proving that Humans do indeed exist. She points out several inconsistencies in pony History that she attributes to humans." Answered Twilight.

"Wait, wait, wait, what are humans exactly!?" Demanded Rainbow Dash.

"Well, legend has it that one day, before even the three pony tribes became modernized, humans came from the sky. They were the reason Ponykind avanced so rapidly. They taught us how to build tools, how to work metal, best methods of agriculture, and even language and bits of their own culture." Twilight explained. "Soon after teaching us, they left, never to return. Some time after that the earth ponies realized their connection to the earth, they became the main suppliers of food for ponies. The Pegasi, who were the fastest and the more liberated race became the warrior class, who mastered metalworking and weapons making. Finally, the unicorns, who supposedley absorbed most of human culture, became the lawmakers and enforcers."

"Hold on there Twi, Ah thought the three tribes were at odds with one another? Now yer saying they were friends?" Questioned Applejack.

"Well, this is just a legend. And the peace didn't last very long. Allegedly, after some centuries of peace, there was a great cataclysm that affected the whole planet. This particular event is considered to be true, because almost every other culture on the planet speaks of a similar event. Some say that the planet lost is gravitational constitution and almost flew out into deep space. This was prevented by the thousands of Unicorns casting a spell simultaneously to bond the planet and star and maintained a magically induced orbit."

"Didn't the Unicorns always have to use the spell?" Asked Pinkie Pie. Twilight shook her head vigorously.

"Ponies didn't always exist, Pinkie. We know that our planet is maintained in an artificial, magically controlled orbit, but every other planet in the solar system is not. In fact, our whole solar system itself maintains its own orbit in the galaxy." She stated. "Anyway, after the cataclysm the Unicorns started to feel they were the superior of the three pony races because of their control of the planet. This caused a strained relationship between them and the Pegasi and Earth Ponies. Afterwords, the Pegasi began to feel superiority to the Earth Ponies who were earth bound, unlike them. At this point, you know the rest of the story." Concluded Twilight.

"You are most knowledgable, Twilight Sparkle. But, I am hesitant to refer to the legends of humanity as myths. This human came to us in a vehicle that no doubt traversed the stars themselves. Perhaps his ancestors, who were space travelers themselves, came upon our ancestors and recognized their intelligence and taught them more sophisticated methods of survival?"

"I'll admit, it seems very possible." She said, looking at the naked human male on the steel table.

"Wait, I thought you said there were to passengers?" Questioned Twilight. At her words, Luna's face fell. She somberly trotted towards the far wall, which contained their own small doors and latches.

"Luna...Don't tell me..." Celestia begged. Luna said nothing and continued her way to the steel wall and approached one particular door and latch. Unlatching and opening the steel door, she used her hoof to pull out a long steel slab from the refridgeration unit. On it was a body.

Slowly, the seven ponies trotted over, and looked upon the lifeless, alien form.

"Her wounds were very grave, and there was nothing we could do." Said Luna sadly. Fluttershy looked up.

"D-did she say anything?" She meekly asked. Luna nodded her head.

"Yes, she did. She said 'Please save my Master.' She used strange magic, and begged us to save him. The only reason he lives, is because of her actions." Luna said.

"Master?" Queried Celestia. She turned and gave a slight glare at the human on the table. "Could he be a slaver?" She asked.

Slavery was an enormous taboo, especially amongst the ponies. Many stray Diamond Dog clans take ponies on as slaves.

"We do not know. He could be." Acquiesced Luna. "BUt at this point, we know nothing."

Silence reigned for several long seconds, no one knowing quite what to do next.

"Are you keeping the human sedated?" Asked Twilight. Luna nodded.

"We've healed him as best we could, and he will make a full recovery. For now, we have kept him under heavy sedation to prevent him from aggravating his wounds and not to expose him to extreme pain." Luna explained. Twilight nodded, a pensive look on her face.

"I think we should get Lyra involved." She stated. Both princesses looked at her. "She is an expert on humans. She has singledhoofedly done the most research on them and would probably know how to best deal with one. We don't really have the time to gather up tons of data and keep the human sedated when we have access to a pony who probably knows the most about him. Also...Lyra has always been slightly ostracized for her belief in humans. If anyone deserves to be here to study and get to know the human, it should be her." She said with finality.

"That is perfectly acceptable." Said Celestia.

The sound of rummaging came to their attention. Looking around, the saw Pinkie Pie with her rump in the air, headfirst into one of two plastic bins. The bins were marked with only 'Male' and 'Female'.

"Those are the belongings of the two creatures, they wore clothes and various tools."

"CLothes?" Questioned Rarity. Luna nodded her head, expecting such a reaction from the off-white unicorn.

"Yes," Using her magic, she levitated several photos over to them. They depicted the two aliens with their clothes on.

The male had on a dark gray, long sleeve tunic, that was worn over another, thinner tunic. He had two similarly colored tabards that came over the shoulders. The tunics and tabards were held in place by what looked like a utility belt with various instruments on it. For his legs, the human wore white pants that covered each leg down to just under the knee. From there down, he had on two shiny black boots. The ensemble was completed with a large, ceremonial type cloak, with an attached hood.

The female looked much different. She had on one black piece of skin-tight fabric that wrapped around her breasts, shoulders and back, which seemed to be designed to accentuate her two protruding breasts. She wore nothing on her midriff, exposing a flast stomach with semi-defined abdominal muscles. From the waist down she wore skintight black pants that were adorned with various tools, and went down into two black boots. She too had on a large midnight black cloak

"If these outfits are anything to go by, then I believe the female may have been the slave of the Human." Everypony looked to her. "While the human seems to be wearing some type of uniform---one that appears to have some religious or ritualistic design, by the way---the female seems to expose more skin. The skintight clothing may also serve as an erotic agent. She could be a sex slave."

The temperature in the room dropped significantly, as several angry eyes turned to the Human male. Luna coughed into her hoof.

"Perhaps we should address that issue after he awakens, and not before?" She tried to calm everypony down.

"Ooh! What are these!" Pinkie cried excitedly. She was playing with two decorated cylinders.

"They appear to be tools of some kind." Provided Rarity. She held up two pictures. "See, that one belongs to the human, while the other belongs to the...other creature."

Pinkie hoofed one of them off to Twilight. Examining the object, she realized it was the males cylinder. It was about ten inches long and one and a quearter inches around. It looked to be made of several segments. She noticed there were grooves carved into the steel, as well as several rubber rings. Was it meant to be gripped? What could this little piece of metal possibly---

SNAP-HISS

Everypony looked over at Pinkie. The metal rod was not too dissimilar for the one Twilight held in her telekinetic grip. It was silver in color and had several rubber grips along the center. It also had one segment that was black and seemed to have some knobs on it. What made it look different was that one end had two 'hoods' covering it on each side.

The look of the cylinder wasn't what surprised them. What surprised them was the glowing energy beam that was emitting from the hooded end of the rod.

The actual beam was about three quarters of an inch around and perfectly round with a rounded tip; it extended from the end of the cylindrical rod for three feet. It was a solid white color. Around the energy blade, however, was a bright pink glow.

Everypony stood, mesmerized by the object in Pinkies hoof. They could all hear the hum of energy, emanating from the beam.

Slowly, Pinkie gave an experimental wave. Nothing really interesting happened, however. The beam remained attached, not falling off, or really doing anything. The only real change was the Doppler Effect making the hum sound quicker.

Undeterred, Pinkie gave a faster, and more violent swing that pushed the beam through the steel autopsy table. It didn't bounce or crash into the table. There wasn't even any resistance. The blade just went right through the steel table, melting the metal.

Seeing the damage she caused, Pinkie used the tip of her hoof to press a button on the rod that drew the beam of energy back into the cylinder with a final hiss.

SSSHHHT

Slowly, Pinkie placed the metal rod back into the plastic box with the female's clothing.

Now everypony looked upon Twilight expectantly. She slowly rotated the rod searching for a button or switch. Finally finding one, she levitated the rod away from everypony, and kept it vertical. She slowly reached out and used the tip of her hoof to press the small button near the top of the rod.

SNAP-HISS

Once again, an identical white beam of energy erupted from the top of the rod, white, round, and with a rounded tip. Only this energy emanated a bright orange aura, rather than a pink one.

Twilight reached out once again and hoofed the button, drawing the energy back in with a hiss.

SSSHHHT

Jedi Master Lucas Darkmatter jolted awake. His body was sore and exhausted, and felt a sense of vertigo. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he tried to take everything in. He controlled his breathing and relaxed, closing his eyes. He felt the Force wrap itself around him in a familiar, comforting matter. Slowly, his memory returned.

The battle, General Grievous, getting injured, he and his Padawan Rahna Keto managing to escape.

The Force filled him in on the rest. They entered hyperspace and traveled directly into the dead zone of the galaxy. It brought him and his apprentice to the planet Griego, where it knew it's inhabitants would care for him.

HE drew in a shuddering breath, and release his grief into the Force. His Padawan...she was one with the Force. There was nothing to be sad about. Instead he should rejoice. His beloved Padawan learner has become one with the almighty Force.

But still...She was only sixteen, nothing but a child. Damn this war.

"Are you alright?" Questioned a feminine voice. He opened his eyes and turned, looking upon a small equine creature. It's coat was an Aquamarine color, while it's mane and tail were two colors, light teal and white. It had large golden eyes, which currently looked upon him with worry and fascination. Right on it's flank was an image of a golden lyre.

Huh.

He sensed nothing but curiosity and excitement from the young female. Using the Force, he learned her name was Lyra Heartstrings. She was a professional musician who doubled as a researcher of all things Human.

"I'm fine, Lyra." He answered. Her eyes widened.

"How did you know my name?" She asked. Lucas shrugged.

"The Force." He said simply. His curt response threw Lyra for a loop. She chose to disregard his answer.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Lucas Darkmatter, Master of the Jedi Order."

"Loo-Kiss? Thats kind of a weird name." She began jotting down information in a blank book. "And what is the Jedi Order?"

"The Jedi Order is a religious organization comprised of Warrior Monks who use our Force-given abilities to ensure justice and equality in the Galaxy."

"Ohh, so you're the good guys?" She simplified.

"Yes, basically."

"And is the Jedi Order full of Humans?"

"The Jedi Order is full of many species. The only requirement to join is that one must be Force Sensitive. But, being totally honest, there are far more Human Force Sensitives than any other species."

"And you are a human, correct?" Lucas nodded.

"Yes, I am a human. Or Homo Sapiens Sapiens, if you prefer."

Lyra stopped her questions and began writing down more in her book. Looking down at himself, Lucas realized he was nude underneath the hospital blankets.

"Lyra?"

"Hmm?"

"May I have my clothes back?"

"Oh, yeah!" She dropped to her stomach and reached under the hospital bed and pulled out a plastic box. Inside it were his clothes, neatly folded. "They were washed and repaired." She said.

Lucas slowly sat up in bed, his sore body making his movements lethargic. He tossed the blanket down towards the foot of the bed and lifted his right leg out, rotated his body, then his left leg followed. He scooted closer the the edge and felt his feet touch the floor. He slowly brought himself up and stood. He stretched and Lyra could hear his bones popping.

He leaned forward and reached into the box and rummaged around a bit before pulling out a pair of black shorts. He put them on, one leg at a time before pulling them upwards. The elastic material fit snugly and covere his thighs, buttocks and groin (much to Lyra's disappointment). Next he pulled out a pair of white pants. These didn't fit him as snugly as the underwear, in fact they seemed to be designed to be used for sportswear.

Once his pants were buttoned he pulled out a pair of gray socks which simply went up to his ankles. Then he pulled out black, shiny boots that went up to just under the knee. When he finished his lower body, he reached in and pulled out his tunics.

The first was a gray long-sleeved tunic that he put on in one swift motion. He buttoned a couple buttons on it to keep it in place before putting on the larger, sturdier tunic. It was a darker gray and it's sleeves widened as they went down the arm. After donning the larger tunic, he draped the two gray tabards over each shoulder. Grabbing his obi, he carefully wrapped it around his tunic and tabards to keep them in place. Finally he grabbed his utility beltand clipped it on, over his obi.

He noticed that his tools were missing, including his lightsaber, but he said nothing. He would be getting it back, he had forseen it.

Looking himself over, making sure there were no wrinkles or imperfections on his clothes, he finally grabbed the large, midnight black, hooded cloak and draped it over himself. Sliding his arms into the sleeves and adjusting it onto his shoulders, he completed his outfit.

"You know Lyra, it isn't very lady-like to have such innappropriate thoughts about a male when he right in the room with you." He said with a hint of humor in his voice.

Lyra blushed and looked at him in surprise.

"You can actually read my mind?" She asked in a shaky voice. Lucas nodded.

"I can." He confirmed. Then he grinned at her. "But I didn't really have to."

"Was I that obvious?" She mumbled.

"Yes. Yes you were."

Lyra said nothing, her face red.

"Whoever tailored these clothes did a wonderful job. It's as though they were never damaged." He complimented.

Finally seeing a perfect segue out of her embarrassment, Lyra quickly agreed.

"Yup! Rarity is one of the best tailors around, and one of Equestria's fastest rising fashionistas." Complimented Lyra.

Through the Force, Lucas felt a surge of pride.

"Thank you, Rarity." He spoke out loud.

"You know she's not in the room, right?" Asked Lyra.

"I know. But she, along with the rest of your group, is watching us right now." Lyra watched the human carefully. In all of her studies, she had never heard of humans possessing magical abilities. But this one seemed to be full of surprises.

Lyra led Lucas into a large dining hall. In the center was a large dining table that was currently occupied by several more ponies.

The Force continued to speak to him. Telling him about the creatures who saved him.

He stepped forward to the large white Alicorn who was closest to him.

"Your highness. It is my honor to be in the presence of Her Royal Highness Celestia." He turned and faced the dark blue Alicorn on the oppsite end of the table. "And Her Royal Highness Luna."

The ponies watched the human carefully. They didn't know how he would react to their leaders. They new he was a warrior---he admitted it himself. But they did not expect the amount of respect he offered.

"It is our honor as well. Please, have a seat." Smiled Celestia. She gestured to a space between two ponies, Lyra and a butter yellow pegasus. 'Fluttershy' He learned.

He gave her a gentle smile and sat in the chair next to her.

Before him was a plate covered by a reflective metal dome.

He noticed that everyone was looking at him expectantly, watching his every move. He slowly reached up and lifted the metal dome revealing...a sandwich?

It was a basic sandwich. He saw lettuce, tomato, cheese, a grilled slice of ham on two toasted slices of white bread. Also on the plate was a butter knife and two small cups of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.

He looked around and noticed everyone was watching him closely. He noticed they were all eating---or were, at least---as well. With a mental shrug he reached down to his plate.

He lifted the top slice of bread and turned it upside down in his hand. With his free hand, he reached down and lifted the butter knife. He slowly scooped a small amount of the mustard and began to spread it on the bread slice. Whe he finished he placed the slice back down on the sandwich, mustard side down, and used both hands to lift it. Looking around, he saw they had yet to take their eyes off of him. He gave them a grin before finally taking a bite of his food.

Everyone around him seemed to let out a breath.

He noticed the tension in the air, like everyone wanted to ask him something. He saw them all take, what they believed to be, discreet glances at eachother.

Before he could address this, however, the cyan pegasus with a multicolored mane and tail addressed him.

"Are you a slaver?" She demanded.

The others seemed horrified at their companion's rashness.

She was a bold one. Her thoughts projected loudly and in an instant he knew all about her. Setting his sandwich down on his plate, he gave them a charming smile.

"No, Rainbow Dash. I am not a slaver." He said.

"We find that a little hard to believe." Stated Celestia, looking at him. "The other creature we discovered with you addressed you as 'Master.' Not only that, but we suspect her tightfitting clothes were meant to inspire lust in any observer, like what a sex slave would be forced to wear for her master's amusement." She accused.

"The 'creature's' name is Rahna Keto." He stated. "And there is a logical explanation."

"We're all ears." Said an off-white unicorn who sat across from him. He felt her anger. He suspected she had been enslaved for a time.

"You all heard me when I explained to Lyra about the Jedi Order, correct?" The ponies nodded their heads. "In the Jedi order, your superiors, or anyone who has attained the rank of Master, is always referred to as 'Master.' Children are brought to the order from infancy, no one over the age of five is accepted into the Order. At this point they are referred to as 'younglings' or 'Jedi Initiates.'" He paused, looking around to make sure everyone was following along. "Usually in their late childhood, early teens a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master will choose a child who he or she belives to be ready to begin an apprenticeship. After becoming a Jedi Apprentice, or 'Padawan Learner' the child is instructed in a more intimate fashion by their master. After years of training, when the Master feels their Padawan is ready, the Padawan is given several Trials by the Jedi Council. If they pass these trials, they are granted the rank of Jedi Knight."

He took a deep breath. Once again he released his grief into the Force.

"Rahna was my Padawan." He said. He felt the Force surround him, and comfort him. "I took her on when she was ten years old. She was intelligent, talented eager to learn." He couldn't hold back the tremble of his lower lip. "She was like my daughter." He said.

He shut his eyes and focused on the pain. With deep breaths, he slowly allowed it to leave his mind. After a few moments, he brought his attention back to the waking world.

The first thing he noticed was pink obscuring his sight. Then he felt a weight on his chest. The pink pony, Pinkie Pie he sensed, had wrapped him in her forelegs in a comforting hug.

"It's okay. We believe you." She comforted. Looking around, he was everyone agreeing with her words. He gently patted the excitable pony on the back, and she slowly released him.

The silence was deafening, as no one quite knew what to say.

"Why did she dress in such a provacative way? Especially if she represented an entire religious order?" Questioned Rarity. It was a valid question, one that she was dying to know the answer to.

"The Jedi don't really have a dress code." He said. "Generally they wear something like my outfit: Pants, boots, tunics, tabards, obi and cloak." He listed. "Different Jedi will wear different colors or different styles, but it's usually something like this." He gestured towards himself. "But what also hapens is that a Jedi will get in touch with their roots and wear something that reflects their heritage. I did say that Jedi are brought into the order in infancy."

"Rahna was a Twi'Lek. Unfortuantely her species are one of the most sought after for sex enslavement. Her entire home culture was warped by the presence of the slave trade." He said. "As such, all clothing that originates from her home planet, Ryloth, tends to be very revealing and erotic. Rahna chose to embrace her heritage and dress in common Ryloth fashion."

The ponies didn't really respond to that. The galaxy suddenly seemed so large, and themselves so insignificant.

"So, what planet are you from, partner?" Questioned Applejack. The ponies looked up, eager to hear an answer.

"I'm from planet Voluptas." He said. "One of the greates vacation planets in the galaxy." He said with a grin.

"And why is that?" Asked Luna.

"It was settled by humans thousands of years ago, and it has some of the most beautiful beaches in the galaxy." He said. "But that isn't what draws the tourists. No one is quite sure why, but the culture that developed on the planet is very free spirited and focuses only on the pleasures of life. It's pretty much a planet full of hedonists. Theres nothing but music, games, alcohol, food and sex. It boasts the most beautiful and handsome humans in the galaxy, and they'll have sex with you at the drop of a hat."

The ponies seemed stunned at his description of his homeworld. The looks varied from incredulous to disgust.

Lucas finished off his sandwich while the ponies seemed to gather their thoughts. He enjoyed their shock, but right now was a time to be serious.

Standing up, he addressed princess Celestia.

"Take me to Rahna's body."

The two princesses and the Elements of Harmony all stood and watched Lucas. Using his strange magic---which he insisted was called The Force---to build a large funeral pyre made of wood. On it, he laid the body of Padawan Rahna Keto, fully dressed in her usual outfit and Jedi Cloak. He himself had brought his hood up over his head, which cast a shadow over his face.

In his hand, he held a burning torch. Slowly, he stepped forward placed it on the wood, which engulfed the rest of pyre in flames.

They watched the body of the young warrior burn.

Lucas watched the fire engulf his Padawan. He felt hundred of emotions and thoughts buzz around in his head before he silenced them, and opened himself to the Force.

When he did, he was bombarded with feelings and information.

"Rise, Darth Vader."

"Execute Order Sixty-Six"

"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them! What do we do?"

A sapphire lightsaber ran throught the bodies of dozens of younglings.

"You were the Chosen One!"

"I hate you!"

The Jedi Order was no more.

Lucas sank to his knees in horror. The shroud of the Dark Side had fallen, and it had destroyed the Jedi.

It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

He could not hear the voices of the ponies as they asked him what was wrong. Their pleas could not make it through to him.

With his hands on the ground, he leaned forward and vomited.

Slowly, he could feel the darkness creeping up on him.

Then nothing.