Spike released a pained and annoyed grunt as he once again hit the ground. It was the tenth time that day.
"Get up" Maul said, standing not too far from the dragon, a fighting stick in hand.
Spike gave another grunt as he complied, a sour look on his face. He got his own fighting stick back into the ready position.
A few tense seconds passed before the young dragon once again rushed at his master, taking the first swing. That swing and the five after it were easily blocked, just like their predecessors, before Spike was jabbed in the chest, forcing him to one of his knees.
"Never make the first move against an opponent unless you know you can beat them."
"Would've been nice to know that the first eight times" Spike said as he stood back up, once again taking the ready position.
He decided to change up his tactic, keeping Maul's advice in mind. He instead waited for his master to attack first.
He found it preferable to his earlier method, but still found himself getting knocked down. He did manage to block a decent amount of his master's strikes and deliver some of his own.
He didn't get in any strikes of course, but it was improvement in his book.
It had been two and a half weeks since Spike had agreed to become Maul's apprentice. Those first two had been dedicated to exercise, building up Spike's muscle and burning away his baby fat.
The latter of which was long overdue.
Spike's strength hadn't increased exponentially, but there was significant improvement. He could now bust out five quick push ups rather than struggle with two for five minutes.
Most of his baby fat had burned away, leaving him quite slimmed down with only a small curve that just wouldn't seem to leave.
He assumed it was genetic and would stay with him, since most dragons he saw had rather large bellies.
The dragon used a steadying stance and a hand dug into the ground after his master gave him a forceful kick in the torso.
He shrugged it off but was still peeved at the move as he stood back up.
"Pretty easy to kick someone when they're shorter than you."
"Size should not matter" Maul replied "You must overcome the disadvantages of your limitations and find the advantages in them. Figure out how to use your size.
"Again" he commanded.
Spike released another annoyed sigh as he obeyed, returning to the ready stance.
I'm starting to get envious of Twilight. She gets to do something she enjoys.
Study, study, study.
Lightly bloodshot, violet eyes speedily scanned through the information displayed on the datapad screen. A purple hoof alternated between sliding against the screen in every direction and pressing buttons to scroll through and bring up new information.
The purple alicorn paid no mind to the sound of hoof steps approaching the spot where she had been residing for most of the last two weeks.
Turquoise magic suddenly enveloped the datapad, pressing one of the buttons to shut off the screen.
For a few seconds, Twilight's eyes continued to scan the device as if it were still on before it began to register in her mind that it wasn't. Her eyes froze and her head started to make the tiniest of motions, looking around as if the information were somehow no longer within the device.
The alicorn suddenly had her head gently pulled back, bringing her eyesight to the ceiling. Her eyes continued to dart about, not registering her friendship pupil, or the small bottle held in her magic, in her field of vision.
Starlight squeezed the small bottle, releasing three drops into each of Twilight's eyes, mostly relieving their bloodshot appearance.
Twilight blinked as her head came back down, the hold on it now gone. Her eyes started darting around again, searching for the information.
They suddenly froze back on the datapad when Starlight used her magic to turn it back on, the information Twilight had been going through still there.
"Hm...hm" Twilight lightly laughed with joy as the precious knowledge returned for her to soak in. Her eyes resumed their scanning as Starlight shook her head with a smile as she exited.
Spike had placed Starlight in charge of making sure Twilight didn't go blind while he was training with Maul.
Starlight agreed, which earned her a thankful hug from the dragon that lasted longer than either expected. The memory of the comfort and warmth of the hug reminded her to continue the task.
She didn't mind doing it since it wasn't annoying or tedious. The whole thing became routine for her pretty soon, a simple afterthought.
Starlight shook away the thoughts, realizing she had stopped in the middle of walking. Then she remembered her own curiosity.
Starlight's head slowly leaned in to get a peek at the datapad after walking back into Twilight's room.
Spike stretched his limbs and rubbed portions of his torso, feeling the pain and soreness from the training.
He had followed Maul's advice concerning his size and discovered that there were uses to his limited height. He was able to duck leg sweeps and punches that Maul was more accustomed to directing at a higher level.
He was also able to build off his evasions, going between Maul's legs, sidestepping him, and even get him off balance by pushing an outstretched leg upward.
Maul was still the more experienced fighter however, so Spike still wasn't able to win any of their sessions.
Maul had curiously ended the training earlier for some reason. He only stated that there was something that needed to be addressed.
Spike climbed onto the back of Maul's speeder as the latter seated himself. Even if Maul had a second, Spike was too small to drive it.
It was a little demeaning and uncomfortable due to the limited space, but it was hardly something Spike felt the need to complain about. They only had to speed through the land for a few minutes from the castle to the middle of the Everfree.
The pair came off the speeder after stopping behind the castle, Spike no longer questioning why his master did so. They walked around to the front and entered the castle, stopping in the middle of the main hall.
Maul turned around to address Spike, as he had made them stop.
"You have a connection to the Force, my apprentice, but it is different from any Force Sensitive I've encountered."
"What do you mean?"
"I can sense the Force within you, but you cannot call on it to obey your commands" Maul explained "It is within you, but it must be unlocked for you to utilize it.
"Come with me" Maul instructed, leading his apprentice into a large room.
"Isn't this where Celestia and Luna....had their fight?" Spike asked hesitantly.
"I was not aware" the zabrak lied "I felt an echo of the Force here and found it appropriate for the process."
"What process?"
"Please sit" Maul instructed, ignoring the question, gesturing to one side of a low set stone table that Spike hadn't noticed.
"Wait here" Maul said before departing, his apprentice giving him a questioning look.
Five minutes passed, during which Spike felt an odd sensation in the direction of where his master went. The sensation was off putting, like it was coming from something he maybe shouldn't interact with.
Meanwhile, Maul had left to his room to obtain the necessary materials for the process. He opened his case and reached a hand inside, extracting from it two small vials.
He opened his hand to look at the two vials, both containing a reddish powder within. He finally decided they would be necessary after seeing no progress in his apprentice's Force abilities.
No unintentional levitation, enhancement in physical ability, or even sensing attacks.
He continued to stare at the vials, beginning to recall how he had obtained their contents a few weeks ago.
"I've never encountered an alien before" the immaterial Sombra noted "Especially one with your kind of power. It intrigues me. There's really no need for that. Rise."
Maul did as he was instructed, though it was still within the void of darkness.
"I sensed you as you neared this planet. I called out to you. I thought perhaps whatever power you had in the dark arts could aid in freeing me. From what I can see....this Force you use cannot do so in the way I desire. A shame."
"How do you know of the Force?" Maul asked in surprise.
"I'm combing through your mind. I would've asked for you permission if I cared enough to do so."
Maul had no response, but decided that he liked this stallion's attitude.
"You're training the whelp that aided in my defeat" Sombra noted with surprisingly no malice, hate, or anger.
"I would've expected a different response, considering."
"I'll help you."
"............I beg your pardon?" Maul was taken aback at the former king's words. It took him a moment to register what he was told.
"Why would you so willingly aid me in training one of those who defeated you?"
"You should know quite well why" Sombra stated, using his magic to bring up some of Maul's old memories. Blurred memories of his time on Lotho Minor, when he had lapsed into a shell of his former self.
"You know exactly what it's like to be isolated, immersed in the darkness to keep yourself alive, slowly losing your sanity and powerless to do anything.
"But my situation is worse. I have no physical form to call on my magic. The most I could do was provide myself with protection. And then you came along. But as I said, you can't help me.
"But I'd like to help you. I've been searching for a way out of this damned abyss since my defeat and have found nothing. My consciousness is useless without a body and the power in my horn is going to waste."
Maul noted the increasing anger the defeated ruler's voice. His presence in the void gave him the impression that Sombra was indeed becoming very akin to himself in his past, unstable state.
"But in your hands" Sombra continued "My power can be put to better use. I've seen what you have planned. Your intentions for this........Empire.
"And for the whelp" Sombra said with a hint of malicious schadenfreude "I would gladly surrender my consciousness and grant you access to my power, knowing that it'll be used to further the rule of darkness and influence that cursed dragon, shaking those princesses' little world."
"I must admit, I would've expected you to seek higher aspirations at the cost of your power and sentience" Maul said in a unsure tone.
"I have been stuck in this abyss for at least THREE YEARS, completely alone with nothing but my own thoughts and the maddening fact that I can do nothing. And now I'm speaking to a horned alien, the likes of which I've never seen, who is apparently training one of my defeaters.
"I'm half convinced I've gone mad." the upper half of Sombra's body materialized, his lower half composed of living shadows, and rushed towards Maul's immaterial form and grabbing his tunic, brining him to his rage filled eyes "DO YOU WANT MY HELP OR NOT?!"
Maul beheld the half materialized king with wide eyes, not of fear, but of surprising familiarity. Maul could recognize the mental deterioration brought on by the dark side.
Taking this fallen king's offer would be to grant him a mercy, sparing him from the inevitable insanity. Maul of course had no interest in mercy, but there were benefits to be had from granting it.
"What must I do?"
With a flash that seemed to feel like an impact, Maul found himself out of breath, supporting himself on his hands.
He was back in the physical realm, breathing heavily and released from Sombra's hold.
He looked up to see that the horn was till in the air, one or two bursts of black lightning going over it at random.
And then he heard Sombra's voice.
Crush my horn into a powder. Keep it in the two vials you have with you.
Maul stood, eyeing the floating horn before producing said vials from his belt.
Wait until you feel the time is right.
"To do what?" Maul asked.
Maul snapped out of his memories, realizing he had taken longer than he meant to. He made his way to the hall with the vials and an object he had obtained from the kitchen before hand.
He noticed a slight reaction from his apprentice when he returned.
"What's with the teapot?" Spike asked nodding toward said object.
"There are special remedies of old" Maul said as he levitated the teapot to the table "Made specifically for the purpose of unlocking latent Force abilities."
Maul sat on the opposite end of the table, across from Spike, bringing up a circular, grill-like object from underneath the table. Spike soon realized it was some form of portable burner as Maul placed the teapot on it.
It was apparently already filled with water as Maul switched on the burner and pulled out some tea leaves from under the table to drop in the water. He also placed two small vials on the table, both containing some type of red powder.
"What's that stuff?"
Maul paused in his actions, his eyes shifting up to the dragon.
Consume the powder.
Both of you. I would suggest in the form of tea to mask any unpleasant taste.
Maul gave the horn a questioning look before it explained that the magic couldn't simply be transferred over, as the horn had become a permanent vessel. Attempting a transfer would dispel the magic entirely.
Sombra gave Maul one last warning before instructing him to proceed with crushing the horn. He informed him that his magic was restricted to this world.
Should either Maul or Spike leave Equis, whatever enhancement they received would disappear.
Maul reached out a hand and began applying pressure to the horn, using the other to levitate the open vials under it.
The pulses of black lightning increased as the horn was slowly crushed. They appeared to burn away some of the horn, as by the end, both vials had been filled with a quarter of space remaining.
This was fortunate, as Maul had suspected the entire horn in powder form would overfill the vials.
Maul smiled to himself as he placed the vials in his belt and started the walk back to his speeder. He noted that most of the crystals were now gone, catching a brief glimpse of a few retreating into the ground.
Just as he finally neared his speeder, he sensed the same thing he had before when he had emanated his power to ward off predators.
There were apparently some predators who perceived his output as a challenge.
Maul looked around as green eyes appeared within the foliage, soon revealed to belong to some of the creatures he had learned were quite feared by the equines.
Timberwolves.
He smiled as he removed his darksaber from his belt, keeping it at his side as the wooden canines crept closer.
He thumbed the activator, igniting the blade, prompting the imminent chunks of firewood to attack.
"The main ingredient" Maul said in response to Spike's question.
He then took hold of the vials and emptied their contents into the already steaming concoction.
Spike noted the steam changing to a strangely familiar green color.
It was off putting.
Maul produced two handle-less cups and poured the contents of the teapot into both.
He levitated one over to Spike, who took it in his hand unsurely.
"Drink."
Spike looked up at his master with a questioning face. He looked back down to the cup, still unsure, but shrugged his shoulders and brought it to his lips.
Maul followed the action, keeping an eye on his apprentice as they both started to drink.
They both eventually finished the concoction and placed the cups down on the table.
The taste wasn't bad, so much as odd. Spike smacked his tongue within his mouth, indicating as much.
"Did you use chamomile for th- GAH!"
Spike hunched over with a cry of pain, clutching at his torso. Maul grunted as he clutched at his chest with one hand, using the other to steady himself on the table.
Spike pushed away from the table forcefully, now on his hands and knees. He started to release pained grunts as he started clawing at himself. The pain wasn't the worst he had felt, but it felt as though he were being forced through a change.
Maul appeared to be going through the same thing, clutching at his head as random memories flashed through his mind, Sombra's power coursing through him.
He saw a slightly younger Palpatine looking down on him with a hand to his chin, electrostaffs from training droids rushing to him as they made their strikes, constructing his original saber, using the saber to kill enforcers of Black Sun and the Hutts when he was still an apprentice, stunning Qui-Gon with a strike to the chin, his hand clutching Savage's face, Palpatine's evil smile as he shot lightning at him, the charred remains of the Timberwolves he had slain weeks prior.
The whole thing ended as he felt a small surge that quickly receded. He slowly stood, feeling a new sense of power and somehow aware that nothing was done to his appearance.
He discovered the same could not be said for his apprentice after he turned to see his still prone form.
Spike was now larger, approximately eye level with a normal sized equine. The spines on his head had also grown, and slightly changed shape, almost appearing to end in pointed tips. His tail had grown to about five feet and his feet now had apparent claws, resembling those of a Trandoshan. His entire body color had turned a slightly darker shade.
Maul was about to address his apprentice, when he released a new exclamation of pain and started to claw at his back.
Maul's brows raised as he saw something beginning to grow out of the dragon's back, accompanied by the sound of bones cracking.
Spike reared back on his knees, releasing more exclamations of pain, his back arched as the protrusions continued to grow.
They had the appearance of lengthy arms, until the appendages started growing more protrusions from under them, the bones being followed by skin and scales.
The growths eventually became whole, revealing to Maul that his apprentice was now a creature of flight.
Spike lunged forward, catching himself on his hands and breathing heavily as the new limbs had finally ceased to grow.
"Apprentice."
The dragon remained the way he was, still breathing heavily, taking a moment before he started to respond.
"I....I feel...."
He raised his head to look at his master. His eyes were aglow with the same green Maul had seen in Sombra's eyes, until he blinked, causing the glow to fade away.
"......Stronger."
"Good" Maul replied "Your training will have to be modified, but the results shall be the same."
Maul stepped forward, offering his apprentice a hand. He took it, allowing his master to help him to his feet.
"You've taken your first step into a new world."