Over 27 hours had passed since I had brought the creature back with me, he would whimper every so often in his sleep and toss-n-turn abruptly, making me believe he was having a nightmare... But when I tried to enter the beings mind I was blocked off, like there was a strong mental barrier in place to keep such things from happening... It was rather strange that a creature, of any kind, would have even a weak mental block up... But for one this powerful? This being must have had a tough time keeping its thoughts from prying minds... I sighed and went back to my desk, writing up the nights occurrences, like the crime rate that was steadily rising... and how fewer and fewer ponies were coming to visit me during night court and other such things.

Just last night only fifty ponies had shown for the nightly court, when this time a few months ago there were over two hundred ponies lined up to either have their complaints seen or just to talk with me... The former being irritating and the later being fairly refreshing. But their numbers were steadily decreasing... and I would hear rumors... Just here and there, about a dark figure roaming the night, scaring little foals and bringing nightmares to the subjects I helped look after... And the heart wrenching thing was... I knew they were talking about me...

Almost every night after hearing that I would cry myself to sleep, knowing that my subjects had started to fear me... shunning me for no reason than rumor... And it broke my heart.

I looked over at my sleeping charge and gave him a saddened looking over. "I wish you were awake... I need someone to talk to... I'm losing everything... All the ponies I bled and cried for are turning their backs on me... MY own sister cannot see past her own grace to see that I am hurting... I try to bring up these ailing things, but she just brushed them off with half thought lies and poultry excuses to try to ease my fears... But she does not try to even comfort me anymore..." I sighed and looked back down at my journal, "I just wish there was someone who at least just enjoyed my night, and possibly my company..." I sighed and went over to sleep before it was time to raise the moon for another time.

Pain... That's what I felt, laying on the ground, I felt the deep pain of my wounds trying to heal, unaided by the force or medicine... It is one of the more painful experiences I have ever had. But alas I am not done yet... I could tell, even in my addled state, that I had been moved. To where, I could not tell, but I could feel several blankets of a sort underneath me, keeping me up off what ever ground I found myself taking up. Feeling my mind come back under my own control I knew it was best that I start a healing trance, if I wanted to walk, at all seeing that my back had been broken, in the near or far future.

So, laying there, body broken, I started my healing, pulling as much of the ambient force energy into my body as I could. My leg was almost beyond repair... If I could get to a hospital soon I might be able to fix it... That's if this place has a hospital... and is capable of making something like that for a human anyway. I then went about scanning my body for the remnants of the toxins the damned beast had injected me with, finding only trace amounts left I was stunned.

'What could have removed the toxins... With a stinger that big it should have left a sizable amount of venom in my system!' I thought to myself as I lay there, immobile and defenseless. I was thankful to whom ever it may have been that I was out of the cold and in someplace that, I hoped, had some form of protection against the elements in it. But with the discovery that the toxins had been mostly removed from my system I went to work on purging the rest, making sure to excise the venom out through my pores. Doing just that I could feel the warm liquid death roll down my arms, legs and chest as my body quickly expelled the paralyzing venom.

After a good twenty minutes of excruciating boredom I could feel that all the toxins had finally been expelled from within my body, leaving me with just myself and my wounds for company. I then, finally, after gathering my strength, opened my eyes.
I looked about my place of slumber, fighting off the side affects of using so much healing power on myself for so long. The ceiling of the room was painted a soft shade of midnight blue, with majestic grey clouds that, somehow, rolled effortlessly across the painted sky. there was a glass chandelier placed in the center of the room, tiny white, orange flamed, candles were nestled within its confines, giving off a slight disco ball effect. The walls were the same shade of blue as the ceiling, but they were decorated with pictures of a... Pony? That wore light blue grey armor and had a tiara paced upon its brow. Looking further at the picture I could tell, with all my years being around other furred creatures, that it was a she and that she was of a high status... By the tiara on her brow I could surmise that she was either a VERY high ranking noble, or even a princess...

Granted I have not dealt with many beings of Royalty in my time, I have dealt with many Nobles... They are the MOST annoying bunch of beings to ever grace the galaxy with their presence, some days I wish I could just do away with such people... Make their positions none existent. THOUGH, when I have had the opportunity to deal with any kind of royalty I have found them to be among the kindest beings in the universe... With exception of some very snobbish pricks on Kesh and Coruscant... Damn layabouts, never even took time to be with their subjects!

After appraising the picture further I could see... things... in the picture... Sadness, unrelenting love... rejection, So any things, in just this one painting... The down cast eyes, the way the brush was guided, not pushed, across the canvas... This was a lonely creature, one that had lost many things in the process of gaining many others. That's when I heard a slight snore come from behind me.
Pushing my fatigue down into the depths, I got up, propping myself up on my good arm, while using the force to keep my lower back aligned, I grunted in pain as I scanned around for the source of the noise. And there, almost directly behind me, was a bed. But what caught my attention was not the bed, but what was laying ON the bed. It was the figure from the painting... Save for the armor and other Royal attire she would have been wearing otherwise. She was there, sleeping, partially curled up on the bed with all her covers laying underneath her.

"Pour thing... Wasn't even able to get in bed... Well... I'll just have to fix that... Seeing as she has done this much for a stranger such as I." I closed my eyes and focused on her unconscious form, lifting her up with the force while directing the covers down the bed. I then, gently, laid her down, placing her head on the pillows, and covered her up with her star covered sheets. "Good night... Who ever you are..." I murmured.

"Goo'...Nigh'..." The pony like creature murmured back. I looked at her for a moment, waiting to see if she would awaken soon or not, and being thankful when she just turned over and fell into a deep slumber.

I awoke with a start, feeling my covers over my body slip down and pool around my flanks as I jolted up in bed.

"I FORGOT TO LOWER THE MOON!" I half screamed half murmured as I raced from my bed, jumping over my charge, and making for the large mahogany doors that led from my room. I burst through them and raced off down the short hall to one of the towers. I knew my sister would be there, waiting for me most likely. When I got there I saw that, yes indeed my sister was there, the Sun was now high in the sky... and that my sister was there with a pair of her guards having some tea.

"OH, good afternoon Luna dearest, Would thou be a dear and join us for a little noon tea?" My sister jovially asked, her eyes never leaving mine as she spoke.

"We are quite alright sister dear, we dost not wish for tea, but to make amends for the slight against thee..." I said, my tone laden with remorse. Celestia looked at me with a questioning air, raising her brow at my words.

"What perceived slight could thou be talking of Sister dear, if thou art referring to the lateness of the moon setting or rising, think nothing of it, I knew that thou hast had a rough time adjusting to the night... As thou has sen fit to take over tat part of ruling... We only did thou's work to give thee a slight... break if thou would." Celestia grinned wholeheartedly, leaving no doubt in my mind that she was not upset with me, but it still left a small hole in my heart that she did not ask WHY I was having a hard time... even if I couldn't tell her the whole truth, it would have been solace of a kind if she had.

"Thank thou sister, we were afraid thou would have been angered with us for missing the moon..." I bowed slightly in respect to my sister, her guards bowing in turn to me as well, and I left not uttering another word.

I then trotted back down the stairs and back towards my bedchambers, and the charge I had left behind.

I was slightly shocked, hearing that my savior was late to 'lower the moon' was something I hadn't thought possible... Frankly it should be impossible... But then again weirder things have happened in my own universe, and I don't even know where I am. Taking into account that the intelligent lifeforms on this planet seem to be... horse like... in nature I would assume that I'm in the unknown regions of space... I hope... Well... I guess I'll just have to ask my hostess where exactly I am... when she gets back of course...

"Needing to know things about this planet can become a secondary... Figuring out how to let my hostess know that I'm now awake is the propriety..." I thought allowed as I propped myself up against the large bed behind me. "I will just wait here for her- *BOOM* -Return..." I looked wide eyed at the doors as a blue furred figure strode in, head hung low and ears laid back, soft whimpers escaping from deep within her.

"How can she be so... care free... and still be loved by all of them... I protect them from the dark things in the night... and yet they ignore me at best, despise me at worst..." The blue horse like being whimpered as she strode farther into the room.

"If you protect them, why do they still despise you?" I asked out of impulse, going slightly wide-eyed at my own impulsiveness.

"I do not know... they simply don't understand I would venture... But they love my sister, and all she does is raise the sun and walks among the light..." She came over next to the bed and dropped sideways onto it, making it bounce a little.

"Then walk with her... walk in the light... if that is what you seek..." I spoke, my tone carrying many decades of experience in it.

"I would... But I have given my time over to the night... keeping it safe from the darkness in some ponies hearts..." She sighed as she cried softly int the bed, not even realizing that she was having a conversation with a previously thought unconscious man.

'Ah, So they call themselves "Ponies"... hmm interesting.' I thought to myself before continuing.

"But would it hurt to spend some time with her in the light, given that not all your time is spent out in the dark?" I asked, I was still using the force to force my arms and legs back together. They made small cracking noises as they moved.

"I guess I could do that... But I don't know if it would work..." She sighed and buried her face into the pillow she was resting her head on. Suddenly she sat up, her hair looking like it had fought a rancor and lost, bits sticking out at odd angels and such. "BY THE STARS! YOU"RE AWAKE!" she screamed in glee, jumping off the bed and landing about five feet away from me.

"Yes.. I am... and I would love to thank you for saving my life..."

"Um, Princess... Princess Luna of Equestria, that is our name..." She said nervously, talking in the antiquated form that all royals use when addressing a subject, or someone knew.

"Charmed, Princess." I extended my hand, hopping for a form of acceptance. She then extended a slipper-less hoof, something that I had noticed earlier was that she wore metal slippers... interesting. I took her hoof in my right hand and gently squeezed it and brought it to my lips to place a chaste kiss upon it. Her fur was the most gentle of things, reminding me of the softest of satin's as my lips brushed against it, it raced down past her skin to cover most of her hoof, making for a very odd, but somehow pleasant sight. This brought a faint blush to the ponies cheeks as I gently released her hoof back into her care.

"My name is Darth Corpus... and it is a grand pleasure to meet you, Princess Luna..." I said while giving a slight bow, which was hard to do while having to make sure I didn't paralyze myself.

"I... The... The pleasure is ours as well, Darth Corpus... Um, if we may be so bold... We... would say, that thou has an odd name..." Princess Luna remarks, trying in all her pose to NOT be blunt about my more than odd name.

"Thou art quite bold mine Princess, and, We too, see it as odd. It is a title We had earned more than a hundred years ago... And on more than a few occasions it has brought us great strife and misunderstanding." I said with a warm smile ghosting my lips as my eyes slowly glossed over, looking into the past.

"If it has caused thou great strife... Dear Corpus, why not change it?" She inquired, trying hard to not sound offensive in her questions and statements.

"It is hard to be rid a name known by trillions... Especially when they all know our name..." I sighed, coming back to reality.

"Very well then..." She sighed before perking back up. "Corpus, are thou in pain? When we had flown thee in thou had many lacerations and many other such injuries upon thy body... Is there anything we can do to help..." She asked, her tone being that of a worried mother, though at her mention of flying I had to quirk and eye brow, I will just have to save that question for later.

"If thou has any way of healing broken bones and an internally severed spine... I would be eternally grateful..." I breath out a rough sigh as my left arm finally reset the last bit of bone in my wrist, making a large *POP*ing noise. I scrunched up my face as Princess Luna winced in sympathy for my pain.

"How art thou dealing with such pain so easily?" She asked concern etched onto her patrician features.

"I'm not... I'm using it to fuel my power." I replied with ease, thinking that she might know what I meant, how wrong I was.

"How would pain fuel thine power?" She asked, bewilderment evident in her voice, seeing as I still had my eyes closed.

"My... Religion? We guess, have the doctrine to use that which ails us to our advantage... so such trivial things as pain and fear can be used to fuel our powers." I replied, unsure, as I have never had to explain the Sith to another being that has little to no knowledge of us.

"Oh... Um, What is thou's religion called if we might be so bold?" The Princess asked, still confused, and still trying to get a straight answer out of me.

"Over all? My religion is called 'The Sith'... But we have gone by many names over the millennium's..." I said, trying not to reveal too much before I could explain myself... If I could anyway.

"The Sith? I have never heard of such a thing... Are they good?" She asked, uncertain of my answer.

"No... they are not... Well, most are not... Some are actually considered good... Though only in the eyes of the few that know them." She seemed surprised at my willingness to damn my entire religion.

"If they are bad, then how can I trust you?" She asked, apprehension evident in her voice.

"Because, if I was like most of the other Sith... thou and the rest of this planet... Would be either under my rule or a charred mess..." I stated through labored breaths. "And even in the state We are in right now, We are not weak... And talking in the antiquated is getting hard to do..." The last part I mumbled to myself.

"We hardly believe thou, Darth Corpus... If thou are so strong, how did thou receive such injuries?" She asked, a little arrogance creeping into her voice.

"We was faced with a foe that We have never seen before... one that, in normal combat, we could not pierce... So, We resorted to taking a chance and it worked... though not entirely... We had to resort to electrifying it to death..." I grunted out, I was busy forcing my legs back together.

"When we had come across thou in the forest we only saw a strange wedge shaped object and a large contorted charred thing sitting none to far away from thee... But We know what hast caused thine injury and poisoning. Tis was a Manticore... One of the forests more vile creations of the night, one such creature I have faced several times over..."

"Does it have leathery wings and a insectile tail?" I asked, though I figured it was anyway.

"Yes... How did thou know?"

"Because, that is exactly what we fought in that small clearing. And what is now a charred husk on the forest floor."

"But... That's impossible... That thingcould not have been a Manticore... Tis was too large to be such... Those beasts are just over twice my size... and that thing was easily two fold that..." She said, slightly aghast.

"Well, either way, it died by our hands... and painfully we might add." I sighed as my left arm was coming about on the mend, my body was melding the broken bones together nicely as I poured copious amounts of healing energy into my wounds.

"I... I... We must know something... If we are to help you that is..." She looked down at me with... resignation? I couldn't tell.

"Ask away mine Princess... And We shalt obey." I said, giving off a slight flourish with my hand, making her giggle slightly at my antics in the face of such awkwardness.

"Are thou... allergic, to magic?" SHe asked, making me look at her in a daze.

"Magic?"

"Yes, Magic... All Unicorns and Alicorns, such as us, can use it to preform many things, from healing to... well thou knows..." She looked down at the floor, a sense of guilt consuming her.

"AH, then I must say... I don't know Princess... I would hope it is a negative... Seeing as I might need said magic to heal my back..." I smiled endearingly to her, or at least I hope it was... and she gave me a small smile in return, but much more... depressed.

"Then we will need an area to test my magic on... We do not want to cause unwanted damage should We move something important and you be allergic and react negatively to it."

Very well then... Let me..." I lifted my hand up to my mouth and gripped a small piece of skin in between my teeth and bit down, HARD, "Do this." I was bleeding slightly from the smallish wound I had inflicted on myself.

MY goodness..." Luna gagged slightly at my self goring and turned a little green. "How can thou do that to thy self?! Does that not hurt?!" She practically yelled, concern written all over her face.

"Oh it does, but we need a new little injury to heal, and now we have one, so there." I stuck my tongue out at her childishly, making her grunt and then giggle in frustration, and making me just chuckle at her expense.

"Thou know creature, you are the first being to have ever have a decent talking to with? Most others flee when given the first chance." Luna chuckled slightly as her horn, which I just noticed, which is weird seeing as IT'S ON HER FUCKING FOREHEAD!

"Eh, as if we could our would want to leave the side of the being that saved us... We owe you... we owe you more than what this ENTIRE planet is worth... I owe you our life." I sighed as she went to work on my hand, a midnight blue aura encircling my wounded hand as she started healing it with her magic.

"What dost thou mean by that Corpus?" She asked, curious as to my meaning.

"We owe you a life debt... So, on behalf of the Dark Lord, Darth Corpus, do you, Princess Luna, accept this debt till the end. That he, Corpus, shall stay by thy side until the stars themselves grow dim, the sun goes dark, and the both of thee are dead and long forgotten?" I spoke, in barely anything above a whisper to the midnight blue Alicorn Princess.

"Um... We accept this... Life Debt... Of Darth Corpus... Until the sun grows dark and the stars fade... and the two of us are dead and long forgotten." She repeated back to me, sealing the my fate with hers.

"Then, Princess Luna, we now ask that thou would help heal this beaten and bloody body of ours..." I spoke in a warm tone, a smile stretched across my lips.

"We shall oblige thee, good sir Corpus..." Luna replied with her own smile, not truly knowing what she had just received.