//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Lightsaber Combat training // Story: Jedi Knight In Equestria // by Thomlight Sparkle 1 //------------------------------// 3 days had passed since Sturider began to train the Crusaders, and the three fillies were already better in the Force, as they could now levitate Rocks easy and balance on one hand like it was no trouble. Soon, Sturider figured it was time to teach the Crusaders Lightsaber Combat. As Sturider sat in his shuttle pondering about what was to come, he then figured something. "Hmmm. I'm gonna need some help for training the Crusaders about Lightsaber combat. Especially teaching them to deflect blaster bolts." he said to himself. He then looked at Rax, still sitting where he was, still broken up. "And I think I know someone who can" Sturider then grabbed some tools from a drawer and then walked over to his droid. "Let's see if I can get you running again old buddy." He said to himself as he began to try and fix the broken-up Astrotech Droid. The sun had risen the next day as out from a tiny treehouse in the Apple orchid 3 fillies walked out, wearing their utility belts with their Lightsabers clipped onto them. Today was a Saturday and that meant the Crusaders didn't have to go to school and they could now go straight to training. "I'm super excited, girls! Today's our first day of Lightsaber combat!" exclaimed Scootaloo as she hopped up and down in excitement. "Yeah, Ah've been waitin' fer' this since our first day of trainin'!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "I wonder what kind of tricks Sturider will teach us this time?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Well, let's get to Sturider so we can find out!" said Scootaloo. As the three took off running for Sturider's shuttle. ---------------- The Crusaders were soon as Sturider's shuttle as they ran up to the door and knocked on the metal side. "Hey, Stu! Ya' in ther'?" asked Apple Bloom. "Yes, young one. I am here," replied Sturider as he walked out of the ship. "I can tell that you 3 are looking forward to this portion of the training." "You bet we are!" shouted Scootaloo as she leaped up and buzzed her wings. "I waited so much for this! We finally get to learn Lightsaber combat!" "I felt the same way when I first came to learning Lightsaber combat," said Sturider. "But in the lines of safety, the first portion of it will not involve our Lightsabers." "Huh? Why not?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Because it's not safe to start Lightsaber training with a regular Lightsaber. Unless you want to lose a limb," explained Sturider as the Crusaders cringed in fear as they held their right hands, imagining losing it. "But we will move to use your Lightsabers but not for combat itself, something else. For now, I will teach the main Lightsaber combat forms. Do you 3 have any foam swords we can use?" "Yeah, we do," replied Apple Bloom. "We keep in the clubhouse so when we wanna play pirates! Ah'll go an' get em!" said, Apple Bloom as she ran off for the Clubhouse. After a few minutes, she came back with 4 foam swords. "Here you are!" "Thank you, Bloom. Now, let's head to the open section for this. And we will be having someone else joining us." said Sturider. "We will?!" exclaimed Scootaloo in shock. "It isn't Diamond and Silver is it?!" "No, it is not those 2," said Struider. "It's someone else," Sturider replied as an electronic sound was heard, and then out from his ship, rolling down the ramp was none other than Sturider's droid R3-X3. "Hey, you fixed your droid!" squealed Sweetie Belle in awe. "Yes, it wasn't easy, but I managed," said Sturider as the droid rolled over to him, as he turned his head to look at the Crusaders and then back at his master. "Rax, meet my new Padawans, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." "And we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" all three fillies said in unison, as Rax bleeped and whistled, causing the Crusaders to arch an eyebrow. "Uh, Stu? I think your droid is still a bit broken," said Sweetie Belle. "Yeah, he can't talk that well," said Scootlaoo, which Rax beeped in offense. "Actually, droids like Rax don't speak English. They only speak in binary. Or to put it simply; clicks, bleeps, and whistles." said Sturider. "How are ya' suppose ta' know what he's sayin'?! He ain't usin' real words!" exclaimed, Apple Bloom. "Well, I've had many years to learn how to communicate with Astromech Droids." explained, Sturider. "But I assure you will soon learn how to talk with Rax." "Okay. But It'll take me a while to get used to listening to sound effects coming out of him," said Scootaloo. "So, are we gonna get to Lightsaber training?" "Yes, we are. Let's get to it." said, Sturider. The Jedi Master, 3 fillies, and droid were now in the middle of the open field just outside the barn. As Sturider stood in one spot with one of the foam swords in his grip as the 3 fillies held their own. "Now, I want you 3 to listen very closely as I teach you this part." said, Sturider. "Yes, Master." said the 3 fillies simultaneously. "There are seven different Lightsaber combat forms. But only those highly trained ones can master all seven. So I will be teaching you 3 certain forms that suit you." said Sturider. "I want you 3 to engage me with your foam swords, so I can determine which forms suit you." "You want us, to engage you?" asked Scootaloo. "As in, attack you?" "Yes, but it's only so I can determine where your strength lies" answered Sturider, as the 3 fillies shrugged and they then engaged Sturider in a brief duel, where he easily disarmed them, as they were left on their flanks. "Well, I must say you 3 fared well," said Sturider as he helped them to their feet. "Anyway, Apple Bloom, from what I noticed you have a lot of energy, and you can keep that energy going for a long period. I will teach you Form IV: Ataru, the Way of the Hawk-Bat. It is an acrobatic combat style, which can be used to defend against incoming projectiles, best suited for open spaces. Its design is based on high-energy attacks and defenses. And you have enough energy to use it." "Sounds good ta' me!" said Apple Bloom. "Sturider then turned to Sweetie Belle. "Sweets, from what I observed from you, you block most of my attacks to insure I don't strike you down. And you look out for your friends and yourself as you try to avoid getting in danger. It is a strong trait in the Jedi Order. You will be taught Form III: Sorensu, the Way of the Mynock. It is a Lightsaber combat form based on defense from other Lightsaber strikes and blaster deflection. And it comes in handy for close-quarter fighting." "Ooh! I like the sound of this combat form!" said Sweetie Belle with a squeal in her voice. "Scootaloo, while you may be a bit aggressive at times, you stand in front in a daring stance. Ready to take on any challenge thrown at you. And you are quite athletic for a young pegasus. I will teach you Form V: Djem So/Shien, The Way of the Krayt Dragon. This combat form, allows a Jedi to deflect blaster fire back at an opponent, turning the Jedi's defense into offensive action. The Djem So variant of Form V is also based on defending with solid blocks and parries, then immediately countering with strong, and overwhelming, counterattacks and ripostes, and is geared toward, and created for the lightsaber to lightsaber combat, but also still reasonably useful for blast deflection. " said Sturider. "Awesome! That sounds like an awesome form to use!" said Scootaloo. "But, there is one other form I shall teach all 3 of you. Form I: Shi-Cho, The Way of the Sarlacc. This is the simplest Lightsaber combat form of them all. All Jedi are required to learn this form when learning Lightsaber combat. While this may not be the strongest form, it comes in handy when all else fails." said, Sturider. "Okay, that makes sense." said, Sweetie Belle. "Say, what Lightsaber combat forms do you use?" asked, Scootaloo. "Well, the forms I use are Form III, Form V, Form II: Makashi, The Way of the Ysalamir Form VII: Jyro/Vapaad, the Way of the Vornskr. In a Jar'Kai style," said Sturider. "Vapaad?" said Scootaloo. "Jar-what now?" added Apple Bloom. "Makashi? What kind of Forms are those?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Jar'Kai is a combat form where you use 2 Lightsabers in combat. Jedi who uses this technique can maintain a strong offense, as the speed of attack that two blades allowed would overwhelm most opponents. A typical maneuver was to continually attack with one blade while relying on the other for defensive coverage, ensuring that the duelist could keep up his guard even as he attacked. However, it was common that both blades be used for offensive purposes, keeping up a continuous wave-front assault. Another advantage of Jar'Kai was that the two blades made it easier to hold off multiple opponents, as one simply had more blades to parry with." said Sturider as he explained the meaning of Jar'Kai. "So, you could say that Jar'Kai is a fancy term for dual-wielding?" asked Scootaloo. "Exactly. Makashi is a graceful combat style, it became a specialist form for duels with opponents belonging to the Sith Order. Its design is based on Lightsaber vs. Lightsaber Combat. Kinda like Fencing in a way. Count Dooku was a master of this form. As for Vapaad or Jyro, as it's commonly called, it is a combat form that is considered the most aggressive and unpredictable form. Its design is based on Pure Attack, No Defense. And most of the time, it is used to channel inner darkness and anger into the duel and accept the fury of the opponent. But only certain Jedi can master this form, as for some you try to master it, they could end up turning to the Darkside. I will not be teaching you this form." said Sturider. "Oh my. I don't think I like the sound of that form" said Sweetie Belle. "Well, I admit I'd like to try this form, but since I don't wanna turn to the Darkside, I will respect your reasoning, Sturider," said Scootaloo. "Thank you, young one. Now, for teaching you 3 Shi-Cho, I will begin with Blaster deflect but since I don't wanna get you hurt with live laser bolts, we shall be using Apples instead," said Sturider. "Now stand 2 feet from me and ignite your sabers. And space yourselves from each other, we don't want you catching each other with your sabers." The 3 then walked back and ignited their Lightsabers holding the blades up. As Rax rolled over next to Sturider as he picked up a few apples. "Okay, Rax will launch these apples at you, and all you have to do and is use your saber to cut them to avoid them hitting you," said Sturider as he then handed one apple to Rax who then spin it and threw it. Which Apple Bloom managed to cut it. Then another apple was launched as Sweetie Belle successfully cut it. But when a third apple was launched, it hit Scootaloo in the abdomen. "Ow!" exclaimed Scootaloo. Then she tried to get the next one, but she swung too soon and missed it as it hit her in the left shoulder, as another one hit her on her right leg. "Darn it! I keep missing them!" she then snapped. "Don't quit, young one. Try looking at it another way," said Sturider. As he handed another apple to Rax. As Scootaloo then thought hard of how to hit this apple, then she decided to imagine it like playing baseball, and she was the batter. So, she then stood in a form imitating a batsman. And this time, when the apple came flying towards her, she managed to score a hit on it! "Yes, I got it!" said Scootaloo in success. "Good job, now we shall practice this again but this time..." started Sturider as he then walked over to them and then put some blindfolds on the Crusaders. "Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct. " "Huh? How do ya' expect us to do that if we can't see a thing?" asked Apple Bloom. "Most of the time, your eyes can deceive you. And they will be many cases where you won't be able to see what's in front of you. So you must focus on using your other senses, and let the Force be your guide." explained, Sturider. "Okay, but I don't think this is gonna work," said Sweetie Belle. "All you have to do is stretch your feelings." said, Sturider as he walked back over to Rax and picked up some more apples, and handed them to his droid. As Rax threw each one, but the Crusaders didn't exactly score as successful hits as they got hit by a few apples but soon they were easily hitting each apple that flew at them. That was until something threw them. Or more appropriately, someone. "Hey losers!" said a familiar voice, which made the Crusaders lose focus as the apples then hit them causing them to trip over their hooves and fall to the ground with a thud. As very rude laughter soon was heard, the Crusaders then removed their blindfolds to find none other than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon standing by with smug looks on their faces. "So this is what you blank flanks are doing, huh?" said Diamond Tiara. "Did you 3 honestly think you could be Jedi?" "Yeah, you can't even avoid being hit with an apple!" Silver Spoon said rudely, as Scootaloo growled in frustration. "Only because you jerks threw us off focus!" snapped Scootaloo as she stood up, staring the 2 rude fillies down. "What are you even doing here?! Don't you 2 have better things to do?!" "Oh, we decided to see what exactly you 3 talent-less fools were doing with Mr. Jedi. And so far, we have never seen such ridiculous stuff before! Especially with how he beat you 3 in a duel!" said Diamond Tiara. "Hey! That wasn't a real duel! That was just Stu testin' us to see which combat forms fit us!" stated Apple Bloom. "Oh please! Those forms he gave you 3 are so lame. I mean, defense, acrobatics, and counteracts? Those are for babies! I bet Diamond and I could easily do that Vapaad form Stu mentioned! And do it way better than him!" said Silver Spoon. "No, you couldn't," said Sturider as he walked over to the arguing party. "Vapaad is the most difficult form to master. Especially for Jedi. The only way who even mastered this form at all was the creator of it, Mace Windu. And several of his apprentices turned to the dark side when they tried to use it. And believe me, if you saw Master Windu's skill, you would be speechless." "Ha! That would be the day!" said Diamond Tiara with a hint of pride. "I bet we can prove we're just as good as you! Just hand us a Lightsaber and let us show you." "No." said, Sturider with a calm, stern voice. "What?! What do you mean: "No"?!" snapped Diamond Tiara. "On the contrary, you do not deserve to even handle a Lightsaber," said Sturider. "What?! But we're better than those 3 blank flanks!" snapped Silver Spoon. " What makes it okay for you to train them and not real ponies like us?!" "Because, you 2 are conceited, selfish, attention seekers. And the way you belittle beings like the Crusaders is not something we do in the Jedi order. Jedi do not use their advantages against others for their own selfish reasons, we use them to keep peace and defend the galaxy. And you 2 are nothing more than spoiled children with pridefulness, selfishness, immaturity, disrespect, and arrogance. And those are traits that we don't allow in the Jedi Order. If you 2 came to the council, no one would allow you to be trained in the Force. And what's more, you physically harm and humiliate the Crusaders constantly, and I do not train beings who are bullies. So if you think you can order me to let you use a Lightsaber or train you in the Force, you thought wrong. And you can't bribe me with money or anything fancy, nor will begging your parents to force me to train you to work either. So, please leave us." said Sturider in a low, stern voice. as the 2 bullies growled in anger. "No one speaks to us like that!" snapped Diamond Tiara. "And don't think we're giving this up! You'll be sorry!" As the 2 then angrily walked away, grumbling to themselves. "That awesome how you told off those 2 Sturider!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "Thank you, young one," said Sturider. "But aren't you concerned those 2 may do something bad to you? Or even Us?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Diamond and Silver tend to get serious when they tell someone they'll be sorry. I mean, the next thing we'll know, they could have the 3 of us hanging from a flagpole by our panties!" "Don't fret, young Sweetie," said Sturider as he laid an assuring hand on her shoulder. "I've had worse threats thrown to me before. But don't let them worry you too much. I assure you, I will not allow such immature things to be done to you." "So you have a plan then?" asked Apple Bloom. " I do. But I'll explain it later. For now, let's focus on more training." said Sturider. "Yes, Master." the Crusaders said in unison as they walked back to their spots and put their blindfolds back on as they ignited their Lightsabers. As Sturider got back to the apple launching. Meanwhile, at a mansion, in a fancy princess-like bedroom, Diamond Tiara and Silver spoon sat on Diamond's bed painting their fingernails as they thought over what Sturider said. "I can't believe he dared to speak to us like that!" snapped Diamond Tiara. "Who does he think he is, talking to ponies like us like that?!' "I don't know. But what really upsets me is the fact that he's training those losers to use that Force and wield Laser swords! That should be us!" said Silver Spoon, nearly causing her glasses to fall from her face. "Well, those blanks flanks are in for it this time!" said Diamond Tiara. "I'll show them!" "So, what are we gonna do this time?" asked Silver Spoon. "Pants them in the lunchroom, hang them by their panties on the monkey bars, or give them atomic mud wedgies?" "No, I got something else in mind," said Diamond Tiara with an evil grin.