Three weeks later
"HA! HA! HA!"
Loud exclamations travelled through the trees of the Everfree Forest. If one were to follow them, they would get louder and louder as they neared where they were originating from. At the source, they would see the sounds were coming from a young dragon who was fighting against a horned being.
Spike advanced on his master, making hard strikes against his practice sword. Maul blocked each strike, but did retreat from the force of the blows. His determined expression did not waver. He made his own strikes, most of them getting blocked, as they had been most of the time in recent days.
Maul made one forceful strike that resulted in both opponents staring each other down as they pushed against each other's weapons. Spike eventually pushed Maul back and swiped at his torso with his claws, surprising the zabrak. The swipe missed, but was followed by more from the practice weapon, forcing Maul to retreat.
Spike rushed his master, continuing his swipes for a few seconds until he saw he couldn't reach. So he came up with an idea. He ceased his strikes and allowed his master to get closer. They exchanged a few blows before Spike gave his master a false opening. His practice sword was struck upward, sending it into the air from his loosened grip.
Maul gave a smirk, then retracted it when his apprentice mimicked it. Spike backflipped into the air, using his tail to catch his practice sword. When he landed, he reared his tail up into a forward curve, the sword pointed at Maul, like the stinger on a scorpion's tail.
Maul barely got out a surprised look before he had to block and deflect rapid strikes from the impromptu stinger, soon having to retreat back once again. Spike wore a smug expression as he made his master back away, observing his occupied actions. He saw a perfect opening.
He made a new swipe at Maul's midsection, catching the zabrak off guard for a brief moment, causing his next few blocks to be rather hasty and rushed. Maul hurriedly retreated to avoid the claw swipes while still haphazardly blocking the scorpion hits.
Maul caught the smug look on his apprentice's face and realized he was leading him to hit a tree. Putting on an annoyed look of determination, Maul began striking the scorpion hits back and dodging the swipes in a more maneuverable fashion.
Spike's smile shrunk slightly but he continued on, until Maul took a sizable step away from him. Suddenly, with a whoosh, a large piece of wood flew in between them as Spike was making another swipe. His claws ended up embedding into the wood, getting stuck, much to his surprise.
Maul smirked this time, causing Spike to knit his brow and start his scorpion hits again. However, he only delivered two before Maul stepped forward rather than backward, the practice sword going past his head and hovering over his shoulder. Maul grabbed Spike's tail right after the missed hit and spun around, swinging Spike away from him and toward a tree. Spike struck the tree vertically with an oof before falling to the ground.
Spike looked up at his smiling master with a look of determination, getting on one knee before breaking his claws out of the wood. He then called on the Force and used his arms to start flinging rocks and chunks of wood at Maul. Maul easily batted away the projectiles with his practice sword, using the Force to deflect more when Spike began to increase the amount and speed.
"Rrrraaaaaarrrrgh!" Spike exclaimed as he charged forward, one arm continuing to fling projectiles while the other held his practice sword at his side. Maul permitted him to get closer as he continued deflecting the projectiles. Once close enough, Spike leapt into the air and flared out his wings, ready to make a downward slash. Maul drew back his own practice sword to strike his apprentice before he could be hit, only to find himself falling backward as his apprentice gave a strong flap of his wings, sending him backward as well.
As he fell, Maul saw that Spike had slipped his tail beneath his eyesight to pull at his leg. He narrowed his eyes as he quickly positioned a hand to rest on the ground, knowing Spike's real attack was coming.
"Ha!" Spike yelled as he brought his practice sword down onto the ground where his master had been. His eyes widened as he caught the slightest hint of Maul sliding beneath his legs. Before he could react accordingly, he found himself being pulled by his tail, sending him to his stomach. He flipped his body and swung his practice sword, only to have it batted out of his hand. Spike then found himself forced onto his back by a metal foot, the tip of his master's practice sword pointed at his face.
The duo stared each other down with narrowed eyes for ten intense seconds.
And then Maul began to chuckle.
"Ha ha ha, well done my apprentice" Maul commended as he took his foot off of Spike and stepped back. Spike stood up and called his practice sword back to him, holding it to his side as he faced his master. "Not many opponents have gotten me to retreat during a duel. You have come along quite well in your training."
"Thank you, master" Spike said as he bowed to Maul.
"I believe it is time for your next advancement."
"What's next for me, master?"
"Well, you've honed your weapon skills so well. At this point, it would be a waste to utilize them without a proper blade."
"Master...do you mean-?"
"Yes, apprentice. It is time for you to construct your own lightsaber." Before he began his training, or even before he underwent his magical change, Spike would've cheered and leapt for joy. But he was a changed dragon now.
"I am honored to have come this far under your tutelage, master, and very grateful to obtain this privelage" Spike said as he bowed once again with one hand covering the other. He kept his cheering inside his mind. "What am I to do first?"
"First, you must obtain a crystal."
"I'm not sure about this, master" Spike said from the back of the speeder as it neared a very familiar place.
"I can assure you the Force has a presence there. You will find what you need." As they reached their destination, Maul pulled back on the speeder's handles, making it stop right on the edge of the gemstone grounds.
"Do I just pick a gem at random?" Spike asked once they dismounted.
"No" Maul replied "You must reach out. And listen."
Spike raised a brow slightly in question. Maul had only told him that he would need a crystal to power his saber, that lightsaber crystals had some connection to the Force, and that there weren't any pure ones on this planet, so they'd have to improvise. He was skeptical of any gems with a connection to the Force, but he obeyed nonetheless and closed his eyes, reaching out with his feelings.
He was suddenly aware of many things. The large amount of gems underground, how deep the deposit really went, the space made of tunnels and caverns beneath, and the beings occupying that space. Said beings sent a ripple as they seemed to somehow feel his presence.
"Do not focus on them. Listen." Spike readjusted his attention back to the gems and did as his master instructed. It was an odd feeling. It was like he could see the gems without actually doing so, and on top of that, he could feel them. Their place in the dirt, their size, shape, and even a sense of their color.
And then he heard it.
"I hear it."
Something he had never heard before, and couldn't describe exactly. The best he could come up with was...
"Singing? Like it's...calling out me."
He almost wasn't conscious of the fact that he had begun to move toward the sound, or that his master was following close behind. As he neared the source, something nudged at his mind. There was something coming towards them. But this was practically drowned out by the increasing volume of the sound.
Spike stopped when the sound did and opened his eyes to stare down at the ground. The singing had stopped, but he could tell its source had not disappeared. To further confirm this, it returned for a split second at the initial volume he'd heard it.
"Here" he said before turning to Maul "It's here." His master simply gestured to the spot. He took the cue and began to dig for the gem. Maul meanwhile shifted his eyes toward a not too far off hole, sensing what his apprentice had: the Diamond Dogs approaching. Maul had learned of the gem digging canines and quickly surmised they'd be no threat at all.
"I got it" Spike said as he finished digging, reaching down to withdraw the gem. It was big enough that his fingers almost didn't go around it. "It looks a bit weird. Like it's dirt color- Wait." Spike brushed away the dirt coating the gem, and his eyes widened at what he discovered. "It's....clear. Transparent. I've never seen a gem like this."
"Perfect. It is precisely what you need. Which is why you must protect it from our visitors."
"Visitors?" The ground began to shake. "Diamond Dogs."
As if on cue, three familiar, large canines emerged from the ground.
"You intrude on our territory and try to take our gems?! We can't allow that" Rover declared.
"No we can't" Fido agreed.
"Yeah. So you better hand over that rare see-through, or we'll have to-" Spot paused as he felt a hint of recognition at seeing Spike. "Uh, boss? I think that's the same dragon from before. Ah!" Spot yelped as he received a slap upside his head.
"Clear the dirt from your eyes, dummy" Rover chastised "That dragon was a small, wingless, weak little whelp. This dragon is bigger, has wings, darker colors, and looks stronger. It can't be the same one."
"Actually, it is" Spike said, his eyes narrowed from the description of his past self. "Long time, no see, guys."
"It is him!" Fido exclaimed "He does look stronger."
"You?! You dare show your face around here again?!" Rover angrily shouted.
"We were simply retrieving a single gem, gentlemen" Maul said in a calm tone "And now that we have it, we can be on our way and out of your hair."
"I don't think so" Rover said menacingly "Like Spot said, that's a rare see-through gem, so we can't let you leave. Unless you give it to us."
"Sorry Rover, but I need this gem, so we are going to leave."
"No you aren't." Rover snapped his fingers, and eight Diamond Dog guards emerged from the ground, surrounding Maul and Spike and pointing their spears at them. "You only have yourself and your....horned monkey friend. No ponies to help you. Not even the screechy, annoying one."
"What did you call her?" Spike said as he took a step forward, his anger giving an aura that the dogs could feel, much to their surprise. Maul could tell there was no avoiding the confrontation, but he also knew it wouldn't be much trouble.
"Uh, boss?" Spot said nervously "You said yourself he looks stronger. And his friend looks kind of tough too."
"He's not that much bigger. And I bet his friend isn't as tough as he looks. Plus there's ten of us. There's no way they can take us on."
"There's eleven of you, you dumb cur" Spike said aggressively making all the dogs gasp "And we could probably take more than-"
"What did you call me?!"
"Only we can use that word!" Fido exclaimed.
"That does it! We were just gonna beat you up and take the gem. But now, we're also gonna make you our gem diggers."
"We are no one's slaves, dogs. And it would do you well not to try and make us so" Maul threatened.
"The horned one thinks he scares us!" Rover exclaimed mockingly. "Let's show him how scared we can make him!"
"I'm certain these dogs aren't nearly as heavy as the rocks, wouldn't you agree, apprentice?" Maul said, keeping his calm demeanor.
"I definitely would, master."
"Then I shall let you deal with this rabble on your own."
"With pleasure" Spike replied as he passed the gem to his tail.
"Enough talking!" Rover shouted angrily "Diamond Dogs, attack!" On cue, all of the hostile canines charged toward the duo, barking viciously.
Spike simply smirked. Once the dogs were all ten feet from reaching them, he threw out his arms with has hands open, and they all froze in place. The sudden lack of movement made the dogs cease their barking and start looking around in confusion.
"What's going on?"
"I can't move!" Spot exclaimed.
"Me neither!" Fido replied.
"What is this?!" Rover demanded angrily.
"I've learned some things since the last time we met, Rover" Spike said with a smug smile.
"You?! But that's impossible! Dragons have no magic like this! Gah!" Rover cried as he and all the others were suddenly lifted into the air.
"This one does." Spike thrust his hands downward, slamming the dogs into the ground. This made them all release pained grunts. The armored ones faired the worst, as their armor impacted against them. Spike repeated the action three more times, leaving all the dogs more pained and dazed. He allowed them mobility since it didn't really matter at this point.
"His magic can't be that strong!" Rover yelled as he flayed about in the air. "Fight it and break loose! Then tear him apa- Arr!" Rover yelped as two armored guards were slammed into either side of him at a flick of Spike's hand.
"You were saying?" Spike asked as he removed the guards, leaving a near unconscious Rover.
"We give up! We give up!" Spot cried in desperation. This brought Rover back to his senses.
"What?! No we don't!"
"Yes we do!" Fido pitched in. "You can keep the see-through. Just let us go!" All the other dogs, save Rover, murmured in desperate agreement.
"All right" Spike said with a shrug, releasing the dogs from his hold. They all fell to the ground with oofs, and curled up as they began to groan from the pain. Rover however still refused to give up, shakily standing as he seethed.
"No! I am leader here! I own these gem fields, and I won't let you take what's ours again!" Rover growled and began running toward Spike with a snarl, only to stop when he felt a sudden lack of air. The Diamond Dog released a choked gasp as he clutched at his throat with both paws.
All the dogs watched in fright and bewilderment as their leader appeared to be choking for no reason. They soon however noticed Maul had his hand stretched out, his fingers appearing to grip something that wasn't there. Their fear intensified immediately after making the connection.
"A leader who does not know when to retreat is a foolish one" Maul said as Rover flailed about on the ground. "And one who does so when facing an enemy much more powerful than themselves is suicidal. Do you want to live?"
"Y....Yesssss" Rover choked out as he nodded furiously.
"Then you will admit defeat and no longer interrupt our leave?"
"Yessss!"
Maul released his hold on Rover's throat, allowing him to gasp desperately for air. Maul made his way back to the speeder, though Spike stayed, looking at his master with a furrowed brow. He had never considering doing that kind of harm to the dogs. He fixed his gaze on them, which upon seeing this, made them all scatter in fear and retreat underground.
Spike was surprised by this, and almost felt a sense of guilt blossom in his mind. But then his eyes briefly flashed a dark green, and memories of what they had done to Rarity and what they planned for his friends resurfaced. And the guilt was extinguished.
He smirked, satisfied in knowing that a mere glance had sent the canines running. He flicked his tail as he began following his master, sending the gem into the air. He caught it in his hand as he started to pick up the pace. He also considered maybe finding a way to practice that choke ability.
***
Having found a Force attuned gem to serve as an impromptu kyber crystal, Maul decided the special furnace for forming synthetics needn't be constructed, even for modification. But there was an issue.
"I have never encountered a gem or crystal attuned to the Force that wasn't a kyber. I'm afraid I can't tell you the specifics on how to implement it into your saber. I can tell you it's much too large, and needs to be cut down in some manner. Think the size of those small diamonds Rarity uses for ear rings."
"I'm not too sure how I'd go about making that happen" Spike replied as he looked at the gem. "Any suggestions?"
Maul couldn't get too good a read on the gem through the Force, but he felt attempting to bleed the gem had a likely chance of not working, and said process might seem suspicious to his apprentice and his friends. It would be sour leaving his mouth, but it may be the safest and only way to work with it. "When making a lightsaber, you must first form a deeper connection with your crystal. An imprinting of sorts, making it attuned to you specifically. Perhaps attempting this bond through meditation can give you the answer."
Spike considered this for a moment. "Well, worth a shot." Spike placed the gem on the floor and sat down cross legged a few feet away. He placed his hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and immersed himself. He focused on the gem, visualized it, and reached out to it. And soon, it happened again. "I hear the singing again. It's faint."
"Listen to it. Focus on it. Decipher what it's telling you."
Spike did as his master instructed, and the singing became louder. Curiously, it didn't seem like a loudness that would drown out other noise. It was like a loud thought. And the thought began to take shape. Within his mind, Spike could faintly see the gem, and there was something in it. It was very small and in the center; he needed to see it more clearly. He delved deeper and deeper, the gem growing in size, though it didn't get much clearer. But despite this, he still caught a better look at what was within. It had color, and it was flickering.
Spike's eyes opened suddenly, and he saw the gem floating at his eye level, above where he'd left it. He realized he had made it levitate without meaning to. He turned his head to get a glimpse of Maul sitting similarly to him from behind.
"It's been some time, my apprentice."
Spike looked around at the castle walls, and realized the sun was actually a bit lower than when he had started. It has been, he thought to himself in surprise.
"Did you discover how it is you should proceed?" Maul asked, making Spike suddenly remember what it was he had seen in the gem.
It was a flame. A small, purple flame.
"Heat. It needs heat."
***
Spike sat cross legged on a floor in a room that he had made some modifications to. He covered the windows with a mesh fiber, and he made an impromptu fireplace with some stone bricks from the castle ruins. Within the fireplace was a small steel pot he had found that he cut a portion of the side out of, converting it into a small oven. The makeshift oven was glowing orange, waves of heat wafting out into the room.
Within the oven floated Spike's gem, which itself was also glowing from the heat, held in the air as Spike kept his hands raised. His eyes were closed as he calmly breathed in and out. He flexed his fingers, causing drops of melted gem to slide off to the floor. The gem slowly shrank as he continued this.
He maintained a connection to the gem like he had earlier, while also focussing on the heat. He was able to tell when it was beginning to cool, prompting him to take a deep breath and release a calm stream of fire into the fireplace. He did this every few minutes. This kept the makeshift oven glowing.
As time passed, Spike could hear the singing of the gem get clearer and clearer. While there were no clear words, he could somehow understand it, telling him to continue, and warning him to do so carefully. Were he to rush this, add too much heat, or put too much pressure, the gem could melt unevenly or crack and be ruined.
He could also perceive the gem in his mind the way he had during his initial connection. In his mind, the melted portions faded away, giving him an idea of its imminent shape. The purple flame was also growing, from a tiny match-like flicker to a ball of fire, as he thought of what he would use the gem for. To construct a weapon that he would use to fight his enemies, to defend himself, but more importantly, to defend those he cared for.
Eventually, the singing was as clear as the sky, and the fire seemed to travel throughout the modified gem. It was ready. Spike lowered his arms while still keeping the gem in the air, flicked a hand, throwing the mesh off the windows, and in a swift motion gave a single, connecting, Force enhanced flap of his wings into the fireplace. The gust of wind pushed out the built up hot air within, sending it out into the room, the force of it helping it exit through the windows.
Spike slowly drew his wings back and pulled the finished gem towards him. He stretched out his hand and ceased the gem's movement when it arrived above his palm. He opened his eyes and beheld the gem. It had changed, and not just in size. It had color. It was now purple, the same purple as the flame he perceived. And it seemed to have a tiny glinting light in the center.
He allowed it to gently settle in his palm after realizing he had been entranced by it for a few minutes. He closed his hand around it and stood, making his way to the door. When he opened it, he found his master waiting on the other side.
"You have your new crystal." Spike opened his hand, allowing his master to see the fruits of his labor. Maul found the color interesting, since kybers that turned purple were attuned to those who affiliated with the light and the dark, and called on the latter to serve the former. He kept this to himself, still keeping the knowledge of the light and dark a secret from his apprentice. "Very good. Now, you will construct the hilt. From these parts." Maul gestured to an open box next to the door containing an assortment of metal pieces.
"I'm guessing there's no instruction manual and that I need to use the Force to construct it" Spike stated after eyeing the box.
"That is correct. You must know your weapon inside and out, piece by piece. And the crystal requires a placement so precise, only the Force could allow you to accomplish it."
Of course it does, Spike thought to himself. Well, I signed up for this. And I'm not turning back now. "I'll see it done, my master." Spike bowed to Maul before using his tail to pull the box towards him. He then gripped it and brought it up to his hands, making sure to keep his crystal secure. He retreated into the room and used his tail to close the door.
Spike soon found himself with the incredibly tedious task of figuring out how to construct the hilt. He sat the same way he had before with his eyes closed, but with his hands on his knees now. A quarter of the pieces he was given floated in front of him as he tried to decipher which parts went together. Not being knowledgable with technology didn't help, even worse so with the pieces being of advanced technology he had never seen. He had to rely entirely on the Force to even get a basic idea of what most of them were. A power cell, insulators, adjusters for length and power, various wires, etc. He was relieved whenever he found something simple like a casing, screws, or accessories like a blade shroud.
Further complications arose with the construction of the different components. He either used a wrong piece for one component, assembled a component incorrectly, or discovered that one couldn't go where it needed because another component had to be constructed around another. This made him frustrated, causing irritated growls to vibrate in his throat. The pieces in his grip shook whenever he did this.
He recalled similar frustration from putting together puzzles of various tiny pieces. He remembered the advice Twilight gave him whenever he struggled with them. Getting angry and throwing the pieces all over wouldn't help things. He had to calm himself and take in the detail of each piece.
Spike took a deep breath and exhaled, slowing his heart beat. He quieted his mind and reached out with a stronger focus, keeping the pieces as still as possible. Like a puzzle, he looked over the ones he was more familiar with, saving them in his mind. He then went over the ones he was less familiar with, and considered how they would go with the familiar parts. From there he considered how they would all be contained within the hilt.
And then it occurred to him; he hadn't thought of how the hilt would look. For some reason it hadn't occurred to him before. He assumed it would be like his master's, but currently he could feel that that most likely wouldn't be the case. He then took inventory of the shapes of the pieces, how they would fit in a hilt, and the parts that would serve as the covering. He found that a hilt like his master's lightsaber was possible, but it would be much more difficult and time consuming. And there would be a higher likelihood of malfunction.
An image began to form in his mind, a hilt that would work. It was only a basic idea, but he could make it out. It was more of a circular hilt, like a tube or pipe. It was like the hilt of their practice swords, or the handle of jousting lance. The latter stuck out the most in his mind. He went over the pieces again with the new shape in mind, and things started to fall in place.
It still took some time, but it felt much simpler. It was as if the pieces knew how they needed to form, join, and be arranged, they just needed to be guided. Any other needed pieces would float out of the box to join their kin. He eventually had the main parts formed, floating apart from each other with a few smaller, inner pieces. There was a space in the general center, surrounded by small pieces that would form a housing of sorts. The space for the crystal.
As if on cue, Spike heard whistling that was somehow high pitched but not bothersome to the ears. His only response was to slightly tilt his head in the direction of the sound. His crystal resided next to the box of parts, its light still glinting. He lifted a hand from his knee just the slightest bit and gestured to the crystal. It lifted off the ground and floated toward the airborn parts as they formed the necessary portion. He placed his hand back on his knee when the crystal settled into its newly formed housing.
The parts began to come together, connecting, rotating when necessary to accommodate each other. They each clicked and whirred as they joined. The metal shell slid over the skeleton and locked in place, while the intricate parts of the emitter did the same. A round, downward facing hand guard was placed on the top, slightly influenced by the recollection of a jousting lance.
And it was done.
***
Maul sat in the in the center of one of the castle's larger rooms. The light of the moon streaming through a few holes in the ceiling was the sole source of illumination. Maul himself was shrouded in the dark, almost imperceptible to most eyes.
As he waited, he took to meditation to help him discover a way to put his apprentice through a trial. With the enhancement of his power, he felt a much stronger and clearer reach than he had before. And through this, he found that there was something far away, hidden in a heavily populated area. What was hidden was something very familiar to him; pain, deep and excruciating. The more he focused on it, the more he was given the feeling that it was where his apprentice needed to go.
Said individual was making his way towards him. He could sense a great deal of relief from him, but also fear. Fear of failure, of not having done a proper job. So he would see if he had succeeded.
"Master."
Maul opened his eyes, which were like haunting light bulbs in the dark, but they hardly affected Spike. The dragon stood not too far from him, holding something in his hand.
"You're finished. May I inspect it?" Spike held out his hand face up and opened it. The lightsaber floated out of its resting place, turning into a vertical position as it neared and stopped in front of Maul. He put it into a slow spin to look it over. "An interesting design. Unique, like most sabers. Well, turn it on, and see if your hard work was not in vain" Maul said as he floated the weapon back.
Spike reached out and grabbed his lightsaber gently. He pulled his hand back and looked at it for a moment. He had no idea what would happen if he had constructed it wrong. He was worried. But he had come to trust in his master and the Force, and that combined trust outweighed his doubt. He gripped it with both hands in front of him, kept it in the center at an angle with the top away from him. And he thumbed the activator.
With a snap-hiss, a white blade with a purple aura shot out of the top. Spike's head reared back the slightest bit when this happened, his eyes widening as he beheld the blade. Having only seen the darksaber, this was almost an entirely new experience for him. He released a quick laugh of a single breath, like a scoff, in amazement at what he was seeing and that he had made it.
He began slowly moving it around, before switching to a single hand hold. He watched the blade and listened to its hum as he waved it about the air. He then made a few quick slashes, and then dropped it to his waiting tail. It caught the hilt and immediately coiled around it, the hand guard preventing it from slipping over and being injured. He put his tail behind him and moved it from side to side, looking over his shoulder to be careful. He then positioned it a certain way and snapped it upward, sending it and the weapon over his head. One of his scorpion strikes. His eyes followed the blade as he retracted his tail and made two more strikes to the left and right.
Spike pulled back his tail and brought it in front of him, minding the blade. He put his lightsaber in front of him, uncoiling his tail from it until the bottom of the hilt, allowing him to take hold of it in his hand again. He looked up at the blade, admiring it for a moment longer. He then thumbed the activator again, and extinguished the blade.
Spike suddenly remembered he was not alone and looked back to Maul, who was now standing with his hands behind his back. He hadn't even noticed him get up. But more apparant that that, was that Maul was smiling. He walked up to the Spike and placed his hand on his shoulder, applying a gentle grip.
"Well done, my apprentice. You have made yourself a weapon worthy of your use."
"I couldn't have done it without your teaching, my master" Spike said in gratitude as he bowed to his master.
"You are too kind. Now get some sleep, you've earned it. And you will need the rest, for tomorrow we will give your lightsaber a test drive" Maul said as he started to depart for his room.
"I look forward to it, my master. Thank you."
As Spike left, Maul's eyes traced his path as if being able to see him through the back of his head. He narrowed his eyes as his mouth formed a malicious smile. And after that, you will face your own test.