The Shooting Star finally came out of Hyperspace and as it did, Flash and Springer finally got their first look at the Planet of Canterlot.
He had only ever heard stories of the planet from Grand and others. A colossal cityscape, which covered the globe's entire circumference. It was surrounded by three large forest moons, one of which apparently belonged to the Jedi and was their main source of food and nourishment for the order.
"Amazing," Flash whispered as Shining set in a course for the Jedi Temple. A beeping sound filled the room and Flash looked confused, Twilight noticing this and smiling.
"Security Code. To make sure we are who we say we are." She typed in said code and the beeping turned to a ping before stopping.
"I thought Canterlot was open to anybody?" Flash asked. "Why do you need security codes for a planet that's meant to be home to thousands of different races?"
"It depends on where you intend to land," Shining replied. "Certain areas of the planet are designated for specific roles. Since we're heading into the Jedi area of the planet, we need to show that we are Jedi or have some connection to the Jedi. You never know who might try and take us out."
They flew into the planet's atmosphere and were surrounded by clouds, which blinded them for a moment before finally breaking through it and being surrounded by many tall buildings and towers.
Flash and Springer looked out the windows and down towards the planet's surface. As they did, they saw that only the top layer looked pristine and well maintained. Below those areas, a lower level could be seen that appeared rather glum looking. Stream and smoke were coming out from these levels, Flash frowning as he leaned back.
"You're not gonna send Ryduck and his family down there, are you?"
Shining frowned. "That depends on what they want to do. If they wish to make it out in the universe on their own, they may find the lower levels are the only places they can find work. But if they decide to let the Jedi protect them, they can be given housing in one of the Jedi colonies and planets."
Flash nodded, hoping his friends chose to do that.
They kept flying through the city and eventually arrived at what appeared to be a large pyramid, whose tops had been cut off, with sections sticking out the sides. "Is that the Jedi Temple?"
"Yup," Twilight smiled. "If the council let you in, this'll be where you'll call home." They flew down to an area surrounding the temple that appeared to be a large number of ship hanger, Shining flying over to one of them and pressing some buttons on the console.
The top of the hanger suddenly opened up, as a platform was raised up to replace the roof.
Shining manoeuvred the ship around until they were above the platform, then slowly lowered it down and landed atop it. Once the ship had landed, Shining cut the engines as Twilight and Flash began to tell the rest of their passengers that they had arrived.
"Alright everyone," Twilight told them. "When we disembark, you'll need to let our medical facilities take a look at you. If any of you are injured, they should be able to help. Also, we need to make sure none of you are accidently carrying something that could spread and cause issues to the rest of the planet. Shikoya isn't exactly the most sanitary planet and you might have picked something up that you're not aware of." They all nodded, as Shining lowered the landing bridge.
Twilight lead them all out onto the hanger, where a blue protocol droid was waiting for them.
"G-4-C-E," she told the droid. "Can you take these people to the medical centre and ask the doctors to do a complete medical check up on them.
"Of course," the droid bowed before turning towards Ryduck and the rest of the refuges. "Please, follow me." The droid began to walk away and the large group began to follow, the parents making sure to keep their children close so they couldn't run off.
Flash and Springer climbed off the ship, waving goodbye to his friends as Shining followed them. Once he was off, he closed the ship's docking bridge and they stepped off the top of the hanger, towards a walkway leading in the direction of the temple. As they did, the platform began to descend into the hanger as the roof slid down.
Flash and Springer watched that in amazement, whilst Twilight and Shining moved towards the temple. "Are my friends gonna be okay?"
"They don't appear to be injured," Twilight assured him. "So long as they're not carrying anything dangerous, they'll be perfectly fine. Once the medical checks are over, they can start making a decision about where they want to go." Flash nodded, happy his friends would be able to have a better life. "You should probably focus on what's gonna happen to you."
"Huh?"
Shining looked back at him. "Whether you can enter the Jedi Order will be up to the council. You might have been trained by a Jedi, but that doesn't guarantee you'll have the right to join. You'll want to focus on making yourself look as presentable as possible."
Flash gulped, wondering what might happen if the Jedi refused to let him join. Would he have to leave with Ryduck and the others? To try and find a new life out there in the galaxy?
They arrived at the entrance of the temple and as they did, they spotted two people walking towards them. One was a pink skinned woman the same race as Twilight and Shining, only she had a pair of wings on her back. She was dressed in a light blue top and a black skirt, with a brown cloak over her back.
The other was a black skinned individual shorter then any of them. He had big blue bug eyes and a short curved horn, whilst wearing a green shirt and brown pants, with a cloak of his own over his shoulders.
Shining came to a stop, Flash and Twilight doing the same as the pair reached them. "You're back," the woman smiled. "I'm guessing everything went well."
"You have to ask?" Shining smirked, "this is me we're talking about."
"Exactly," she sighed before noticing Flash and his droid. "Who's this?"
"It's a long story," Shining replied. "Do you think you can help him get cleaned up and into some better clothes? He's probably gonna end up meeting the council and I don't want him looking...like this." He gestured to the teen and Flash frowned, the woman laughing.
"Sure," she nodded. "Thorax. Can you head to the clothing district and get our guest some new clothes? And maybe something to clean the droid off with."
"Yes Master Cadance," Thorax nodded before running off. The woman named Cadance then gestured for Flash to follow her, Flash and Springer giving the other two a look.
"Don't worry," Twilight assured him. "Cadance will look after you. Just don't go wandering off." Flash nodded and followed the equestrian into the temple, Springer heading in with him. As they did, Shining and Twilight entered the temple and headed in a different direction.
They navigated the place with ease, thanks to years of living there. They soon found an elevator and rode it upwards, Twilight looking nervous. "Would you relax. Celestia will be proud of what you did."
"Thanks," Twilight nodded, "but that's not what I'm worried about."
"The kid?" Shining asked, Twilight nodding as Shining took out the holo-drive. "There's no guarantee that he's telling the truth. He might be lying to try and get into the order. It'll be up to the council to decide if he can be trusted." The elevator finally stopped and they stepped out into a corridor, which had a woman sitting behind a desk next to a large set of doors.
She looked up from her work and smiled at them. "I'm sorry, but you'll need to wait until the council finish discussing another matter of great urgency." They nodded, as she typed something on a computer.
The pair sat down and waited. Unfortunately, whatever this matter was took over an hour to resolve. As they waited, Twilight went over everything they did during the mission. She had to make sure she had her reported properly memorised so see wouldn't leave out any details.
Then, finally, the woman they knew as Merigold got a message and smiled. "The council are ready for you now." They nodded and after giving their thanks, headed towards the entrance the council chambers.
As soon as they stepped into the room, Shining and Twilight were greeted to the sight of the Jedi Council. The most powerful Jedi alive and the ones currently leading them into the future.
Many Jedi of different races were amongst them, but two stood out in particular. They were both Equestrians, like Shining and Twilight, only these ones had a pair of wings on their back. There was a tall one with white skin and hair that was pink, blue, green and teal. She was wearing white Jedi robes and held the central seat of the council room.
The other had dark blue, almost black, skin and her hair was two shades of lighter blue. Her Jedi robes black and she sat to the right of the other Equestrian.
As the two stepped into the centre of the room, the taller Equestrian smiled. "Welcome back. I trust your mission was a success."
"Yes Master Celestia," Twilight nodded. "We located the slaves and were able to free them. But..."
"But?" The other Equestrian asked, "were there complications?"
"Not exactly," Twilight replied. "We were assisted by one of the residents of the planet. He managed to sneak into the slave camp and it was only thanks to him and his droid that we were able to escape so easily."
"I see," Celestia nodded. "I sense there's something about this individual you believe we must know about."
Shining chose this moment to step forward and speak up. "His name is Flash Sentry. And he's been trained in the ways of The Force." This statement surprised the council.
"By trained," the other Equestrian stated. "You mean he's strong in the force?"
"No Master Luna," Twilight shook her head. "He's been trained. Like actually trained, by another Jedi. We saw him use The Force with the kind of ability you wouldn't normally see unless someone had instructed him in our ways."
"I see," Celestia hummed. "I don't remember a Flash Sentry ever being part of our order. How old is he?"
"My age," Twilight replied. "Maybe a year or so older. But he doesn't just have skill with The Force. He had his own Lightsaber." Again, the council were shocked by this. Shining took this opportunity to show them the Jedi weapon, which instantly floated out of his hand and over to Celestia's.
As it did, another master caught sight of it and seemed to recognise it. "That's Grand Hoof's Lightsaber!" They all turned to him, as he stood up to take a closer look. This Jedi appeared to be human, in his late sixties, except he had a pair of wings like Celestia and Luna. Only one of them was real, as the other had been replaced by a metal prosthetic. He had purple skin and blue hair, a scar running over the bridge of his nose.
He took the device in his hands and turned it over, examining it. "Skybreaker," Luna spoke, "is that really..."
"There've been some changes, but I can sense Grand Hoof within it." He activated the blade and was surprised to see the flat, sword-like, shape the Lightsaber produced. "A Broadsaber? Grand's Lightsaber wasn't like this."
"Flash said he was trained by Grand Hoof," Twilight stated. "He didn't say much else, but he gave us something to give to the council." She took out the hologram drive and Celestia brought it over to her. "He said his master gave it to him."
Celestia hummed, having a feeling she knew what was on this device. She chose not to play it, instead asking for all the details on the mission. The siblings began to retell everything that happened to them, the council nodding as they spoke and asking an occasional question.
But then they got to the part about Flash and were amazed when they heard how much skill Flash seemed to have, a few gasps escaping their lips when they heard a select few moments explained. Finally, the tale came to an end and they were quite amazed by it.
"You both did amazingly," Celestia told them. "You bring honour to the Jedi Order."
"Thank you Master," Twilight smiled. "So...what's going to happen to Flash?"
"We will review what is on this data drive," Celestia explained. "Then we will wish to speak to him. You said Cadance took him to get cleaned up?" They nodded. "Once he's finished, please bring him here." They nodded and were both excused, the Masters waiting for them to leave before speaking. "Your thoughts."
"This slave trade gang is worrisome," Luna told her. "We will need to increase our efforts to find and dissolve them. This Flash Sentry might be a mystery, but he can't be all we focus on." The other Masters nodded, but they also knew they had to see what was on that hologram drive.
Celestia gave the drive to Luna, who took out a holo-imager and plugged it in. As soon as the lights were off, the device protected the hologram into the centre of the room.
Said hologram was of a man in his late fifties, early sixties, with light gray skin and dark grey hair. He was wearing Jedi robes and he had a scar over his eyes. "Grand Hoof," Skybreaker's eyes went wide as the man spoke.
"If you're watching this, then you must be the Jedi Council. If you're not the council, then please stop watching and try to get this too them. And if you're Flash..." He looked annoyed, "stop being so nosy!" The Jedi laughed at this, those that knew Grand knowing that was exactly him. "Now, I'm sure the only ones watching this now are the council, so I'll begin."
"Please do," Celestia smiled despite the hologram not being able to respond to her.
"I am Jedi Master Grand Hoof, of the Jedi Order. Many who know of me probably think I'm dead. And to make sure we're all up to speed, I'll explain what happened to me." They nodded, glad to finally have some answers. "Years ago, I was chasing down a member of a rogue terrorist faction, who had targeted a transport cruiser hoping to send a message to the people of that planet they were opposed to."
"I remember that," Skybreaker nodded. "Grand chased him onto the cruiser and managed to get on right before it took off. I followed him in our ship and tried to contact the bridge to tell them they had a stowaway on board. But I couldn't get through to them or Grand."
"I managed to capture the terrorist, but he had already attached some kind of device onto the ship. The device sent the hyperdrive into overload and caused it to activate at full power, without any navigation or the proper shielding. Because of that, the ship went into hyperspace and the engines blew out. I'm sure whoever saw it thought the entire ship was destroyed." Skybreaker nodded. That had been what he thought, especially with the debris that had been left.
"So they went into hyperspace without active shields or navigation?" One of the other masters asked, "the ship should have been torn apart."
"The ship was blown out of control. I was thrown into another sector of the ship and it took me several minutes to return and find the device. I managed to destroy it with my Lightsaber and the ship was finally able to come out of hyperspace. But by then, it was heavily damaged and we had no idea where we had gone. The ship's power failed and we could barely had enough oxygen to survive a day. I rushed to the cockpit and found the captain was already searching for someplace to land."
Everyone watched as the hologram suddenly changed to show an image of a planetoid, which was a combo of land and water. Most parts of it were forested, but there were a few desert continents and an ice cap on top of it.
"Anybody recognise it?" Skybreaker asked, the masters all shaking their heads as Grand spoke.
"A forest moon on the outer rim. I don't know much more about it. But it was the only location we could reach that had a breathable atmosphere. We barely managed to reach it before our propulsion gave out. We were forced to make an emergency landing and crashed down in a forested area. Let me tell you. It wasn't a smooth ride and we lost several individuals."
"Don't those cruisers have escape pods?" Luna asked, the others shrugging as Grand reappeared.
"After the crash, we did what we could in order to survive on this planet. We reconfigured the remains of the ship into shelters and created as many emergency beacons as we could. But we later discovered the planet's atmosphere was laced with ion particles, which made getting a signal out difficult. As far as we could tell, we were going to be stuck there for a long time. And that's where Flash comes in."
"Finally," one of the masters stated.
"You see, a couple were travelling on the cruiser to planet that had just discovered some ruins. Their names were Misty Vail and Trail Blazer, a pair of archaeologists studying ancient cultures on distance planets. However, it turns out Misty was pregnant. It was only a few weeks, but she quickly began to show and we realised we were going to have to make this hospitable for her and the child. That child was later named Flash Sentry and he was strong in the force. And I mean really strong. Every time his cried, he caused the entire building he was in to shake."
"A baby could use the force that well?" Celestia was surprised. Mostly, force sensitive babies could only knock off a book or lift a cuddly toy.
"When I learned of his power, I realised this was the will of The Force. I had been marooned on the planet, so that I could teach Flash the ways of The Jedi. And as soon as he was able to understand, I began training him. It wasn't easy, especially with his parents. They were scared I wouldn't allow Flash to be anywhere near them, but I promised to let them stay close to their child. His training went on and I taught him everything I could. I taught him our history as best I could. I trained him in trusting The Force and letting it guide him. And when he was old enough, I trained him to wield a Lightsaber."
Skybreaker looked down at the weapon in hand, seeing how Flash had clearly altered it. He couldn't help but wonder if that was because of need or desire.
Grand Hoof seemed to frown as he noticed something. "This holo-drive doesn't have a lot of space left. I'm afraid this is where I have to cut the story short. If Flash is with you, he can fill you in on anything else. All I can say now is to please consider allowing him into the Jedi Order. I know he might not have been raised there, but he's been working his entire life to one day join and become a Knight. One of his first words was Jedi. If you're watching this, then I'm not there to finish his training myself. So all I can ask if for you to take him in and give him a chance to show you what he can do."
The masters all frowned at this. It was unheard of to take in a Jedi hopeful after a certain age. But those were usually candidates that knew nothing of The Force. If Flash had been trained since childhood...
"I pray this message reaches you safely," Grand bowed. "This may be the last you see of me, but I hope things are well with the Jedi. May the Force be with you." With that, the holo-message ended and the Jedi Masters were left to wonder about this boy.
"What do you think?" Skybreaker asked.
"I'm honestly not sure," one of the masters stated. "If this boy had been raised to be a Jedi, then we should at least give him the chance to prove he has what is needed to be one."
"He might have been trained as a Jedi," another master countered. "But he has not lived the life of a Jedi. He has not gone through the trials of the Padawan and is far too old to take them now. He hasn't even made his own Lightsaber. Rebuilding Grand's doesn't count."
"Maybe," Luna looked indecisive. "But it's not like he's had the chance to do so. Being raised on a forest moon most of his life and then who knows how long on Shikoya. If he's really dedicated his life to the Jedi, it would be wrong of us to simply turn him away." She turned to Celestia, "sister? Your thoughts?"
Celestia took a deep breath and tried to think, eventually nodding. "I would like to meet this boy before actually making a decision. There is still much we do not know." She pressed a button on her chair, "do we have anybody waiting for us?"
Marigold's voice replied. "Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor have returned with someone. They seem to be waiting for you."
"Send the boy in." She closed the line and they turned their attention back towards the door, as they waited for this mysterious Padawan to show himself.
And sure enough, the doors opened and he stepped inside. As he did, they took in his appearance and found he was wearing less ragged versions of his former clothes. Gray Jedi pants and a blue Jedi shirt now accommodated him. He was wearing the same boots and now had a pair of black leather bracers around his arms. His hair was now cleaned and he had styled it to try and look as presentable as possible, though they could tell it was already starting to shift back into its normal pointed up appearance.
He stepped into the centre of the room and stood straight, trying to look as Jedi-like as he thought possible.
"Welcome," Celestia told him. "We are the Jedi Council. And you are Flash Sentry? Am I correct?"
"Yes Master," Flash nodded. "Can I just say, it is an honour to meet you all. I've waited my entire life to stand here and ask for your acceptance."
"I see," Celestia nodded before holding up the holo-drive. "Be thankful your master chose to record this message. Without it, we might not have been so keen on meeting you." Flash sighed at this. "The message told us how Grand got onto the Forest Moon you were born on and how he came to train you. But nothing about what happened to him or how you got to Shikoya."
Flash sighed again. "He made that message five years ago. Three years before I left the moon and found my way to that giant oven." He looked sombre. "He...never made it off that moon."
Skybreaker sighed, Celestia and Luna also looking upset whilst Flash stared down in shame. "What happened to him?" Skybreaker then asked, Flash thinking for a moment. Clearly, he was trying to figure out the best way to explain. Then, he seemed to have an idea.
"Would it be possible for me to bring Springer in?"
"The K-9 droid Twilight told us about?" Celestia asked, "what for?"
"Springer was with me when it happened. He has the memory of it stored in his databanks. He could plug into the holo-projector and show you what happened." The Masters shared a look and all nodded, giving Flash permission.
Springer had been outside, Merigold being given a message to let him, Twilight and Shining into the Chamber.
When they did, Flash quickly got to work plugging him into the holo-projector. They were all pretty impressed with his technical skills. If being a Jedi didn't work out, he could have a promising career as a mechanic. "Alright," Flash plugged in the last cable. "You got the day's recordings, bud?"
"Yup," Springer nodded. "Apologies in advance if I failed to record something you wanted to see. A lot was happening and I was trying to keep from getting blown up." Flash activated the projector and a holographic screen appeared, showing images of what had happened that day.
Flash frowned at the sight of his younger self, using his master's Lightsaber. Watching this caused him to remember that day. Remember it vividly.
Over two years ago.
Flash was in a forest clearing. The same forest clearing he had spent every day in training. He swung the normal blue Lightsaber around, Springer standing to the side of the clearing watching as he practised his saber skills. Flash's gaze was focused on perfecting his katra, repeatedly swinging the blade the same way over and over, until the movement was made reflex.
After the hundredth time doing it, he stopped and deactivated the Lightsaber. He then clipped it to his belt and turned to Springer, whose storage opened to allow him to take a towel out of it. Flash quickly began to wipe his face as they made their way back home.
Along the way, Flash and Springer took a short detour. Eventually, they arrived at a small but sizeable field. In the centre of it was was a large three, which Flash stepped up to. As he approached, he saw the large trunk of the tree had a small collection of words burnt into it.
These words were the names of those who had past on, which thankfully was only a small number of people. Most of them were from the initial crash, but others were those that had gotten sick, injured or were simply too old to go on living.
Those individuals had all been cremated, their ashes buried at the base of the tree before their names were inscribed onto the tree's trunk. This place had become somewhere very few people like to spend time, but also a place of remembrance.
Flash arrived at the trunk and two names stuck out, these two one on top of the other with a heart around them.
Trail Blazer
Misty Vail
Flash placed his hand on these names, sighing as he stood there. He tried to come as often as he could, but knew he shouldn't let himself be so attached. A Jedi could not allow his emotions to get the better of them. He remembered how badly he had reacted when it happened. He couldn't let himself lose control like that again.
He remained there for a few minutes, then turned away and headed back towards the settlement. He took several deep breaths as he did, letting the pain of his loss fade from his heart.
Several minutes later, he finally arrived at the only home he had ever known. The remains of the giant space cruiser, that his parents had come to this planet on. It was mostly stripped bare at this point, used to make other devices needed by those trapped on the planet.
It was also surrounded by many buildings, either metal ones constructed from the hull of the ship or wooden ones made from trees that had been cut down and stripped bare.
Flash saw two children running around the village, the teen sidestepping to avoid them. He smiled as they ran off, remembering when one of them's parents got together. Flash had been at their makeshift wedding.
There had been over a hundred people on the cruiser when it crashed. Many of them were couples already, but many others were single and eventually ready to mingle and Flash found he wasn't the youngest member of this community for very much longer.
He and Springer arrived at one of the buildings, which had a large satellite on it, and moved the animal pelt door to look inside. There, a caphex was sitting at a strange device that looked like it had been made out of several pieces of junk. On it was some kind of radar screen, which kept pinging.
"Hey," he smiled, "find anything?"
"No," the caphex replied, "nothing. Like every other day over the last decade and a half."
"Hey," Flash told him, "we'll find someone. This part of the galaxy can't stay abandoned forever. A ship's gonna pass by sooner or later. And when it does, we need to be ready."
The caphex nodded, but clearly didn't think anything was gonna happen. But it seemed the universe was eager to prove him wrong, as in that moment something appeared on the screen. "Wait," he fiddled with the dials, "what was that?" Flash looked closer as well, as the radar pinged again and an image appeared on the screen. "A ship!"
"YES!" Flash smirked, only for the image to disappear. "What's wrong?"
"It must be on the edge of our range," the caphex stated. "If we can just boost the signal." Flash didn't need to be told anymore, he and Springer climbing behind the device and opening a panel.
"You ready bud?" Springer nodded as they got to work, Flash tweaking with some of the circuits. Whilst Springer connected to it and used some of his own power to boost the signal.
"I got 'em!" The caphex cheered. "Sending the signal now." He began transmitting, praying the hip picked it up.
Many people heard the commotion and began to make their way over, wondering what was happening. "They getting it?" They heard Flash ask, the caphex laughing.
"Signal has been received. They know someone's here and calling for them!" He kept watching the screen and his joy increased. "The ship's coming closer. You can stop the boost now. They're close enough." Flash and Springer got out from behind the device and stepped out of the building.
Seeing everyone, he smiled and spoke up. "A ship's just got our signal. They're coming to help us!" People cheered, as Flash looked around. "Anyone know where Grand is? He'll wanna know about this."
"I think he went out to gather food," someone spoke up. Flash nodded as the caphex continued to track the approaching ship. As he did, he noticed more ship suddenly appearing. Their signals were much weaker then the first's.
"I think they're sending smaller ships to comb the planet for us." Sure enough, the larger ship stayed above the planet whilst the smaller ones got in close. As Flash looked up to the sky, he had a curious thought.
"The signal should lead them straight to us. Why send a bunch of ships to search?" They kept watching the sky and eventually, a ship appeared. It was some kind of two man star-fighter, an older looking model based on what Flash had seen in the ship's databanks.
It flew down towards them and as it did, Flash suddenly got a very bad feeling.
"We need to move, now!" The others didn't seem to understand what Flash was saying, wondering why they would move when they could finally get off the planet. "EVERYONE! TAKE COVER!" They might not understand, but they knew to trust in Flash when he got a bad feeling.
And moments later, they understood why. For as the fighter got closer, parts of it opened up and folded out a pair of blasters. The next thing they all knew, lasers were raining down from the sky.
Screams filled the air, as the lasers caused the settlement to start exploding. Some weren't able to escape the blasts and were either killed instantly, or sent flying and killed when they crashed into something. Those individuals would be the lucky ones.
Flash took out his Master's Lightsaber and when deflected the blasts heading to him. Luckily, the laser's weren't too powerful. He was able to keep himself in one piece as Springer rushed over to him. Flash then held out his hand and one of the destroyed shelters was lifted off the ground, then sent hurtling towards the ship.
It smashed into its wing and caused it to spin out of control, eventually crashing into a tree and exploding. But as the wreck fell to the ground, more ships began to show up.
Springer climbed onto Flash's back and once he was secure, the teenage Jedi rushed after the other surviving members of his settlement. But the ships kept blasting at them and many others were gunned down.
Several ships shot past and flew in the direction they were running, clearly planning to cut them off. "Why are they attacking us?" Springer asked, as they barely managed to avoid getting crushed by a shot down try.
"I don't know!" Flash cried, hating himself at that moment for making the signal reach that ship. Another explosion then forced Flash to back-track a few feet and run in a different direction, leading to them being separated form the others.
They ran as fast as they could and the ships weren't appearing to follow them, Flash taking this chance to stop and catch his breath. He panted, as more explosions and screams filled his ears. He couldn't stand that sound and wanted to cover his ears, but another sound stopped him from doing so.
A twig snapped and he spun around, his eyes going wide seeing a figure in dark blue armor marching towards him.
The armor appeared insectoid in appearance, a pair of mandibles coming off the cheeks that appeared to be for show. They were carrying black laser rifle, which they quickly pointed at Flash. But Flash already had the Lightsaber at the ready and as soon as it fired, he deflected it away and charged forward.
"RAAAAH!" Flash could feel his anger welling up inside of him, the teen deflecting another blast as he got in range. He then cut the end of the blaster off and the attacker staggered back, tripping over a rock and falling to the ground.
Flash pointed his Lightsaber at the armored individual, looking ready to impale it through the chest. He could feel his anger growing stronger, but took a deep breath and pulled the blade back. The figure was surprised. "I'm not a murderer. Not like you!" He turned away from him, the figure picking itself up and pulling a knife out from behind it.
It charged at him, but Flash spun around and cut his arm off.
The figure screamed and Flash pushed him back with The Force, smashing its head into a tree and knocking him out. "I'm not a murderer. Doesn't mean I won't defend myself if needs be." But as he said that, more noise filled the air and signalled the approaching of someone else.
Flash readied his blade and as he did, he found more of those armored individuals stepping out from behind several trees. They were all pointing their blasters at him and Flash realised he couldn't deflect them all. And he couldn't throw this many individuals back.
One of them fired and Flash barely managed to deflect the laser back, as the others opened fire. The teen quickly found himself overwhelmed, as the lasers flew towards him. He deflected as many as he could, but one finally hit him in the leg. "AUGH!" He staggered back and clutched his leg, as another fired at him.
He tried to deflect, but the pain in his leg made him miss and the blast hit the end of his saber's hilt.
"GYAH!" Flash was forced to drop the Lightsaber, the laser vanishing whilst the hilt fell to the ground and smoked. Flash could barely believe what he saw, whilst the others prepared to kill him. Flash closed his eye, preparing to become one with The Force.
But just as they fired, the soldiers suddenly found themselves spinning and pointing their weapons at each other. As such, the lasers flew around the forest and hit the suited figures, their armor doing nothing to protect them as they all fell to the ground.
Flash was surprised by this, but then heard more movement. "Flash!" He spun around and gasped at the sight of his master, Grand Hoof running towards him and frowning. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "we're good." But then he looked down at his master's weapon and picked it up, a look of shame apparent on his face as he saw the damage done. "I'm sorry. Your Lightsaber..."
Grand saw the destroyed weapon and frowned, clearly knowing that surviving this attack wasn't gonna be easy without it. "It's okay. Losing your Lightsaber is practically a Jedi rite of passage. I certainly needed to rebuilt mine a few times. And it doesn't look too bad. Just the emitter and beam containment. Those shouldn't be too hard to fix."
Flash nodded and hissed as he held his leg, the burn he had gotten from the laser blast stinging like heck.
"You sure you can walk with that?" Grand asked. Flash nodded as Springer asked to get down, Flash letting him off his back. Springer quickly scanned his leg and determined it was only a flesh wound, but suggested cleaning it up to avoid infection.
Grand nodded and picked Flash up, carrying him bridal style as Springer floated behind them. He also used The Force to summon two of the blasters, which floated behind them as they made their way to a stream that was used to gather water.
By some miracle, they didn't run into any more soldiers along the way and Flash explained what had happened. "It wasn't you fault," Grand told him as they reached the stream. "Did you know they were gonna attack us?"
"No."
"Then you were right to summon them. This was the risk we all agreed to when we built the transmitter." He used the water to clean Flash's laser wound and ripped some of his cloak in order to bandage it up. "Listen, we need to get off this planet."
"How?"
"Those soldiers didn't just appear. They had to have landed somewhere. And since they won't be using them anymore, we can make our escape with their fighters." Flash nodded and once Grand was finished wrapping his wound, they began to make their way through the forest. Flash could walk, though his leg still strung. But he was a Jedi and could tune out the pain when needed.
They eventually ran into more soldiers, forcing them to take cover behind trees and rocks. The pair nodded, Flash making sure his blaster was ready. They then leapt out and started firing, hitting the villains before they could fire back.
Flash realised this was the first time he had taken a life, but he didn't get the chance to think about it. He was quickly forced to keep running, as more of these armored figures attacked.
They ran and shot and eventually outran the remaining soldiers, as they spotted what they were looking for up ahead.
One of their fighters was just sitting there, completely unguarded and just waiting to be taken. "It'll need an activation code," Grand replied. "Springer, think you can hack into it?"
"I'll try," Springer agreed as they ran up to the ship. Flash carried him up into it and opened the cockpit, placing Springer in the pilot's seat and seeing the other seat behind it. It was gonna be a squeeze for the three of them.
As Springer hacked into the ship, more explosions caught their attention and they looked ahead to see several soldiers were approaching. "Flash! We gotta give Springer time!" Flash nodded and jumped down, the pair beginning to open fire and avoiding the incoming lasers.
But with every shot, their blasters drew closer to running out.
Flash leapt behind a tree and waiting for an opening, then fired whilst Grand used The Force to push several of them back. There seemed to be no end to them, but eventually they stopped coming.
Flash took a deep breath, glad that was finally over. "Springer, how much longer?"
"Almost done. Just need another minute." They nodded and kept an eye out for any more soldier, but it appeared they were all gone. However, Grand could sense someone close by and moving even closer.
It wasn't until the presence was right on top of them, that Grand managed to pick up where they were and spun towards them. But as he did, the figure leapt out of the bushes and pointed a blaster at Flash. "NO!" Grand reacted on reflex and grabbed Flash with The Force, throwing him out of the way. But as he did, the assailant fired and the laser flew past Flash and hit him in the chest. "Augh!"
Flash hit the ground and saw his master receive a deadly strike to the chest.
Time seemed to slow down, as the attacker fired three more times and hit Grand in the chest, arm and stomach. Grand fell to his knees, but raised his own blaster and fired into the attacker's chest. The soldier cried out as he staggered back, Grand firing two more times before his strength gave out.
Flash picked himself up off the ground and saw the two fall to the ground, "NOOOO!" He got up and rushed to his master's side, "Grand Hoof!" He sat him up, but Grand gasped in pain as he did. "Hold on. You...you're gonna be alright. Just stay with me!"
"No," Grand shook his head, "this is it for me. My time in this form has ended. Now, I will become one with The Force!"
"NO!" Flash cried, tears beginning to fill his eyes. "Please don't go!"
"I have no choice," Grand told him. "Now, you have to go. More soldiers will arrive eventually. You have to get off the planet before it's too late." Flash shook his head. "Do you still have the holo-drive I gave you?" Flash nodded, "good. Go the Canterlot and give it to the Council. I'm sure they'll take you in and help you complete your training, with a new master."
"I don't want a new master!" Flash yelled, as Grand smiled.
"Remember the first rule I taught you. Don't be attached to the master, but to the lesson." Sounds began to fill the air. Someone was coming. "You have to leave, now!" Flash stood up and tried to pick his master up, carrying him to the ship. But he was too heavy and Flash's leg still wasn't one hundred percent. "GO!" Grand pushed him away and wheezed as he did so. He fell to the ground and the light was beginning to leave his eyes. "You will be a great Jedi one day." With that, he went still and Flash could only stare at him.
Springer, though sad for the loss, knew they had to leave. "Flash, come on!"
Flash finally nodded and got up, rushing up to the ship and climbing into the cockpit. He moved Springer to the back seat and sat down, as he looked around. "How the heck am I supposed to fly this thing?"
"Just follow my instructions," Springer replied as he plugged into the rear controls. He managed to get the engines going and told Flash which buttons to press, the ship's power booting up as the thrusters began to fire. "Alright, the leaver to your left is currently at ten percent power. Slowly push it forward to increase that power."
Flash grabbed the leaver and slowly did as Springer told him, resulting in the ship taking off. As it did, Springer retracted the legs and the fighter flew higher and higher up. Once it was above the trees, Springer told Flash to grab the joystick between his legs and push it forwards. He did so and the ship suddenly shot forwards, Flash and Springer being pushed into their seats by the speed.
"WOOOOOO!" Flash couldn't help screaming, as the ship shot through the air. Springer began explaining what everything else could do, Flash quickly understanding. But before he could try and do any tricks, more ships suddenly appeared.
"Oh geez," Springer gulped. "I just got a message. They're asking why we've taken off." Flash didn't like that. "I don't think we're gonna be able to trick them."
"So what do we do?"
"We gotta either outrun them or...destroy them." Flash nodded and pushed the joystick forwards, increasing the fighter's speed to its max.
The other ships soon followed behind and began to catch up, looking ready to lock their weapons on him. But Flash quickly spun the ship onto its side and pulled back on the joystick, causing the fighter to pull away and change direction. The other ships followed suit, but this distance allowed Flash to fly over to a bunch of mountains in the distance.
He started swerving around them, Springer needing to use his magnet clamps to keep from being thrown about. "How are you doing this?"
"I have no idea!" Flash cried, as the ships followed him into the mountains and tried to fire on him. But he swerved around one of the peaks and found himself behind the approaching ships. "Guns!" Springer activated them and started firing the lasers, which struck one of the ships and made it explode.
The other ship followed Flash's advantage and flew around a mountain, getting behind him and opening fire.
Flash began swerving around the mountains, using them to avoid the lasers. He then flew straight down towards the ground and the attacker followed suit, the pair picking up speed as the ground got closer and closer.
"Flash?" Springer asked, "pull up!" Flash didn't, as the other ship was waiting for him to do that and leave himself open. "Pull up!" But he remained on target, "PULL UP!" The other ship took his advice and pulled up, but that was what Flash wanted.
The fighter's guns were on the top, which meant the only place to shoot from was when level or below the target. As such, Flash pulled up and also fired, the lasers unloading into the ship above. This caused it to explode, but Flash's fighter barely managed to change direction before hitting the ground.
Once they were back in the air, Flash pushed his ship to its limit to speed up towards the atmosphere. As he did, he looked back at the forest moon he had called his home his entire life. He said goodbye to his parents, to his master and to the many friends he had grown up with.
Realising he never figured out what had happened to the others, he suddenly hated himself even more. This feeling meant that when he left the planet's atmosphere, he barely noticed the great majesty of space.
"Flash!" He blinked and as he did, he realised he couldn't be lost his his own thoughts. He had just flown into the path of a massive black ship, which was staring at him like an angry whale ready to swallow him whole. "We have to get out of here."
"How?"
"This ship has a hyperdrive. But using it will take all our fuel."
"Can it get us to Canterlot?"
"No. But there is another planet that's inhabited in range. We might be able to get more fuel there."
"Do it!"
"Plotting a course!" But as he said that, the larger ship seemed to realise something was wrong and began pointing its guns at them. "LOOK OUT!" Flash pulled the ship away, seconds before the mother-ship fired. He barely managed to avoid getting a wing blown off, as he flew away from the ship.
The mother-ship began to pursue, sending out several more fighters to give chase. "Springer!" Flash cried, as his droid continue to set a course. He zoomed to the left, then to the right, then did a barrel roll to avoid the other fighters.
"Almost...got it!" Springer cried, as they levelled out. "We're ready. Punch it!" Flash grabbed the hyperdrive leaver but as he pushed it, one of the ships fired a laser that was dead on target.
As such, as the ship was pushed into hyperspace, one of its wings was struck. This didn't affect it in hyperspace, but when it came out Flash would have next to no control. They barely managed to make it to the desert planet, but lost control as they flew down into the atmosphere. They crashed into the desert and it was a miracle neither of them were hurt.
They would spend the next week marching through the desert, barely surviving with the limited food and water the fighter's storage had had. Flash had also gather all the spare parts from the fighter that he could carry, eventually using them to repair his master's Lightsaber. Alas, he had had to reconfigure the beam in order to work for the parts he had.
That was how Flash came to be stranded on Shikoya, forced to wait over two years before he met Twilight and Shining and could finally leave. But now, his future seemed uncertain.