//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Conquest In Consideration // Story: All Hail The Dark Lord // by RainbowBob //------------------------------// 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.