//------------------------------//
// 9 - The Sith 
// Story: Star Wars: Equestrian Empire 
// by Octavia_Melody 
//------------------------------//

In Equestria, Nightmare Moon was forcing the palace staff to remold Canterlot into her image. Black and blue banners bearing her image covered up all the windows and a group of artisan ponies began sculpting her face into the hillside.

"Now I am the sole ruler of all of Equestria!" Nightmare Moon announced from atop her new throne, "Soon I shall be ruler of the surrounding lands, and then the world!"

At Nightmare Moon's side were now C-3PO, R2-D2, and Twilight Sparkle. Twilight cleared her throat and spoke up.

"So...Nighmare Moon...err, I mean Princess Nightmare Moon?" Twilight began, "Queen Nightmare Moon?"

"Yes, my most faithful student?" Nightmare Moon replied.

"Is there a way to...say...magically bring ponies back from the dead?" the unicorn asked.

"So you want me to resurrect your parents?" the alicorn inquired.

"Yes...I mean...if you don't mind..." Twilight affirmed.

"Even in my thousands of years of life, I have not found a way to definitively return life to death." Nightmare Moon 
explained, "There were spells, rumors, arcane methods, to be sure, but at best all you can do is reanimate a corpse."

"What about going back in time?" Twilight wondered.

"There is an old spell, performed by Starswirl the Bearded, but it's less than perfect." Nightmare Moon explained, "If done wrong, you might duplicate yourself, destabilize time, or erase yourself from existence."

"I don't care. It's worth the risk." Twilight asserted.

"I don't remember the exact method." Nightmare Moon continued, "I've only tried it once long ago. But with my sister out of the way, you are free to study all the magic you want."

Before Twilight could ponder further, the ponies heard another Imperial shuttle zoom past.

"More spacefaring soldiers?" Nightmare Moon questioned, "What fools these creatures be!"

The corrupted alicorn's horn glowed as the ship landed. The ponies heard some strange shearing sounds and some screams as palace doors burst open. This time, the spacefarer was a tall, fearsome man clad in black armor and a cape. 
His mask was vaguely similar to a skull and in his hand was some kind of weapon. Every breath the man took was a wheezing hiss.

"Another fool clad in armor?!" Nightmare Moon questioned, "And only one this time? Guards! Dispose of him!"

The Canterlot Royal Guard, now mostly loyal to their new queen, combined with her personal guard of bat-winged ponies charged at the man in black armor. The man retrieved his weapon, a sword made of a glowing red beam. The man effortlessly cut down every single guard and even flung one out the window. The last bat-pony standing between the man and Nightmare Moon shivered in fear as the man grabbed his neck and snapped it, casting the lifeless pony aside.

"You murdered my guards." Nightmare Moon questioned.

"I disposed of your useless warriors." the man said, "Give me the droids before I dispose of you as well, equine."

"Who are you?" the alicorn asked.

"It is of no concequence to you." the man said, "Give me the droids, now."

The man, none other than Darth Vader, motioned toward 3PO and R2.

"They are of no use to me, I suppose." Nightmare Moon said.

R2 shuffled defiantly and moved closer to Twilight. Vader effortlessly raised his hand and forced the two droids to float toward him. A squad of stormtroopers soon made their way through the palace and stood behind Vader.

"All too easy..." Vader said, "Alert the Emperor that the droids are now in our possession."

R2 whistled in protest but 3PO made no sound as Vader carted them away. Twilight gasped in realization and stepped forward.

"YOU!!" Twilight yelled, "You're Vader, aren't you?! You killed my mother!"

"I've killed alot of mothers, but I've never encounted equines like you before, except for..." Vader answered.

Twilight charged at Vader with her horn but soon found herself floating in the air, gasping for breath.

"Don't make me destroy you." Vader warned.

"The metal creatures I don't care about, but I need my faithful student alive." Nightmare Moon warned.

"As you wish." Vader said as he flung Twilight aside and she gasped for air.

Vader and the stormtroopers left with the droids and the shuttle soon departed the planet. Twilight faced Nightmare Moon and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Why?" she asked, "Why did you just let him go?"

"One thing at a time, my student." Nightmare Moon said, "First Equestria, then the world, then maybe even the galaxy."