//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Star Wars EQG: Episode 1, Harmony of the Force // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Flash shut down the holo-projector, having shown the Jedi what he had wanted them to see. Silence filled the chamber, as the masters let themselves absorb everything they had seen from Springer's memories. Flash then looked over at Twilight and Shining, both staring at him with very different looks. Twilight was giving him a look of pity, clearly feeling sorry for Flash and everything he had gone through. Shining, meanwhile, stared at him with a look Flash couldn't quite read. Finally, Celestia spoke up. "Well, you've certainly been through a lot in your young age." Flash nodded as he stepped into the centre of the room. "I know you have very little reason to let me into the order. All I can do is ask you to give me a chance to prove myself." The masters stared at him with a variety of expressions. Some looked willing to give him this chance. Others did not, whilst the rest looked unsure. "Twilight," Celestia turned to her apprentice, "please take young Sentry and his droid to the Padawan quarters." The other masters looked at her in shock. "Until we decide whether or not to allow him to stay, he will remain in the temple. If we do decide to let him join us, it's best he get to know the other Padawans right away." Twilight nodded and gestured for Flash to follow her, he and Springer leaving the room to the Masters and single Knight. Once they were gone, Luna turned to her sister. "What are you thinking?" "I'm thinking this is a very unusual situation we're in." Celestia turned to Shining. "You saw him in battle. How different was he then from what he saw of him two years ago?" Shining remembered the fight they had with the droids and nodded. "He was highly skilled, through it's clear he's only been taught one form of Lightsaber combat." "I noticed that too," Skybreaker nodded. "Grand was a good Jedi, but his skills were more in The Force than in Lightsaber combat. He only ever mastered the form one style of Shii-Cho. Flash is gonna find himself in trouble if that's the only Lightsaber technique he knows." "The boy might have been trained from birth," a master stated. "But one teacher is not enough to help a youngling grow ready to take the Padawan trials. There's a reason Knights only take apprentices once they've reached a certain age." "But what would you have him do?" Another master asked. "This boy has spent his entire life working to join us. You can see how dedicated he is to the course. Should we really deny him this chance? His strength with the Force cannot be ignored." "And this is Grand Hoof's final request," Luna stated. "He had faith in this boy. To say no to this would almost feel like we're dishonouring him." Celestia let all this sink in and realised they weren't going to make a decision right now. "I suggest we convene for the day and meditate on this decision. Tomorrow, we'll vote on whether we should give this boy a chance to become a Jedi. Is that agreed?" They nodded and the council got up out of their chairs, many of the masters heading out of the room. The only ones that stayed behind were Celestia, Luna and Shining. Celestia turned towards one of the windows and stared out at the city around them, an upset look upon her face. "Those soldiers that attacked Flash were a group I've never seen before." "What do you think they were after?" Shining asked. "Attacking a bunch of standard civilians like that is unheard of. They weren't doing anything wrong, so why did they just open fire like that?" "I don't know," Celestia frowned. "But this happened over two years ago. The fact that there haven't been any sight of them since then is worrying. They're clearly working in secret, waiting for the right moment." "You think they might be planning a large scale attack?" Luna asked. "I don't know," Celestia repeated. "We don't know anything about them. And until we learn something about them, all we can do is guess. And I don't like making guesses." Luna nodded. "If we knew where that moon was, it might help us find something about them. But there's nothing we can use to start investigating." Celestia frowned, getting a feeling that this group of assailants were going to be dangerous in the future. But Luna was right, they had no way of investigating them. "The holo-projector recorded what Springer projected through it. We should send the recording to the archives and have them get the best image they can find of these soldiers. We can then send that image to all the Jedi outposts and tell them to keep an eye out for them." "Very well," Luna nodded as she took the projector and headed out. This just left Shining and Celestia alone. "Is there anything you want of me, Master Celestia?" "Yes," she turned to him. "If the boy is allowed to enter the Order, he will need a master to train him in the ways of the Jedi." Shining's eyes went wide. "You have seen his skills already and have been made aware of his backstory and situation. You would be an excellent teacher for him." "Master Celestia," Shining looked a little unsure how he was supposed to answer her. "With all due respect, I'm not teaching material. Taking on an apprentice was never my plan." "One often meets his destiny or the road he takes to avoid it," Celestia pointed out. "Would taking on an apprentice really be that hard?" Shining frowned. "Besides, most of the job has already been done for you. Grand Hoof taught Flash everything a normal Padawan would need to learn from their teacher. All you would need to do is look out for him whilst he puts what he learned into practise." Shining let that info sink in, "can you give me some time to think about it?" "Of course. I'm not forcing you into anything. If you don't wish to train him, we will try and find another Master to take him. However, Flash is much too old to take part in the tournament. If there are no masters willing to take him, he may not be allowed to become a Padawan." Shining had a feeling she was trying to guilt trip him, but he wouldn't let that get to him. If he did take this teen on, it would have to be because Flash was worthy of him. If he was gonna become a teacher, it was going to be to a Padawan who could become one of the strongest Jedi in the order. Flash, Twilight and Springer continued to make their way through the temple. As they journeyed towards the Padawan sector, Twilight began pointing out parts of the Temple that Flash would need to become familiar with. "Down there are the archives," Twilight pointed. "If there's anything you wanna know about our history, it'll be found in there." "Got it," Flash nodded as they kept walking. As he did, he couldn't help but glance over at her. This, of course, was something Twilight noticed. "If you wanna ask something, ask it." "Sorry," Flash scratched the back of his head. "It's just...you and Master Celestia are the same species, right?" "Yes. We're both equestrians. Why?" "Well...why does she and her sister have wings whilst...you don't." "Oh," Twilight nodded. "I see. Well, equestrians come in multiple different types." She corrected her glasses. "Every equestrian is especially attuned to the force. Not in the same way a Jedi is, but they're still connected to it. And each type of equestrian can use that connection in a different way. My brother and I are Magi Equestrians. We're able to use our horn to channel the force in different ways. Not only can we lift objects easier, we can also shoot lasers or rebuild objects." "Really?" Flash was surprised by this. "Yup. What usually take Jedi years to accomplish, we're able to master by the time we hit double digits." "Huh. Cool. What about the others?" "Avians can fly and walk on clouds. Then there are the terrans, who are able to use the force in order to increase their physical strength." "What about Master Celestia and Luna?" Flash asked, only to then remember the woman he had met earlier. "And that...Cadance woman." "They're Omnies," Twilight stated. "That's a very rare breed of equestrian, who have the powers of all three equestrians in one. It's not really know how Omnies come into existence. Celestia and Luna were born that way and Cadance evolved into one, but how she did it isn't public knowledge." Flash nodded as they continued through the temple, Twilight continuing to show him the many parts of it that he would need to know about. Then, as they turned a corner, something suddenly came flying at them and tackled the purple Equestrian. "TWILIGHT!" Flash leapt back, reaching for his Lightsaber only to remember he didn't have it. "You're back." Twilight let out a chuckle, using the force to pull her attacker off her. "Hello Pinkie." Flash stared at the girl and saw she was some kind of alien he didn't recognise. Her skin was pink and looked like it was made out of silly putty, whist her hair was a bunch of pinkie smoke that looked like it was a giant mass of curls. "Twilight!" He then heard another voice call out, making them look around and see four other individuals heading towards them. Two of these individuals were human, one being a blue skinned girl with rainbow coloured hair, whilst the other was yellow skinned girl with flowing pink hair. Next to them were two alien girls whose species Flash was also unaware of. One was a white skinned girl with purple hair, looking almost human. However, her eyes were strangely cat-like whilst her ears were pointed. Next to her was a tall orange skinned girl, with blonde hair who had a pair of cow horns on the side of her head above a pair of black cow ears. Each of these girls were dressed in a different manor, though most of them had a Lightsaber strapped to their belts. The blue girl had two whilst the horned girl had what appeared to be a bladeless axe on her back. "We heard you had returned," the cat eared girl smiled before they all noticed Flash. "And who's your new friend?" "This is Flash," Twilight replied before turning to Flash. "And these are my fellow Padawans. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack." "Hey," Flash told them. "Nice to meet yah." "You too," Rainbow nodded before seeing Springer. "Hey, cool droid. He yours?" Flash nodded, as the girl named Fluttershy knelt down and started scratching him like he was a real dog. "He's cute," she smiled as Springer seemed a little confused. "Flash will be staying with us for a while," Twilight told everyone. "It's a long story, but he might be joining us as a Jedi Padawan." That took the five by surprise, "I'll explain later." She kept walking and the others followed, eventually arriving at an area of the temple where the Jedi Padawans resided. As they did, they past a window and Flash looked out to see a bunch of young children of multiple races playing in a courtyard. Some were running around, others were moving objects with the force and more were training with what he assumed were practise Lightsabers. Twilight noticed him staring at them and realised what he was thinking. "If you hadn't been trapped on that moon, you probably would have spent your childhood playing down there with the rest of us." "It's fine," Flash assured her. "I'm not going to worry about what might have been. What matters is what has happened and what will happen. That's all I care about." Twilight nodded, knowing that kind of thinking was what being a Jedi was all about. They continued through the area of the temple until they finally arrived at an empty Padawan room. "This is where you'll be staying," she opened up the room and allowed Flash to step inside. The place was pretty spartan, having nothing but a bed, table and chair. Flash stepped inside and Springer followed, the teen sitting down upon the bed and nodding. It wasn't anything great, but compared to the beds Flash had grown up with it was perfect. "Thanks." Twilight nodded as she pointed towards a wall. "There's an electric outlet there. Springer can plug himself in and recharge himself if he needs to." "Great," Springer nodded, "thanks a lot." The girls nodded and left Flash to get some rest. Even though he didn't look it, Twilight could tell he was exhausted. As the door closed, Flash laid down and let everything that had happened finally sink in. "We made it, bud. We're finally at the Jedi Temple." "Yeah," Springer nodded, "but do you think we'll get to stay? Some of those Jedi didn't look too keen on letting you join them." "All we can do is hope. The Force led us to running into Twilight and Shining Armor. It wouldn't have done that if we weren't gonna become part of the Jedi Order." They pair remained there and let the exhaustion of the two days he had been awake finally catch up with him. He let out a yawn, whilst Springer went into sleep mode and plugged himself in to recharge his battery pack. The next day. The council had once again convened to decide whether or not Flash Sentry should be allowed to join the order. As they all sat down, Celestia began the meeting. "Alright. We've had time to think about this. I have also been meditating about it and made my own decision. Now it is time for us to place it in stone." Each of them took out a tablet. There were twelve members on the council and each of them would secretly cast their vote. Flash would need at least seven Masters to acknowledge him if he wanted to become a member of the Order. Each Master cast their vote and located in the decision. Once the last one had made their choice, most placed their tablets down and Celesta nodded to them all. "Okay, time to reveal whether Flash stays or not." Luna pressed a button on her tablet and a hologram appeared in front of them. It was two numbers, one in red and one in blue. If the blue number was higher, Flash could stay. If red was higher...he couldn't. Speaking of Flash, Twilight had gotten him up that morning and the pair had arrived at the Jedi canteen. Droids were currently serving a selection of different foods, the Jedi getting the type of breakfast they liked best. Flash and Twilight joined the line, Flash getting many looks from the Padawans that clearly didn't know him. He couldn't help but feel a little self conscious about that, but did his best to ignore them as he got the food. Having spent most of his life eating food that had been gathered or hunted, then two years eating whatever he could afford on Shikoya, Flash stared at the strange food Twilight had recommended. Apparently, it was something called cereal and some strange white stuff that was apparently milk. "Twilight!" They heard Pinkie's voice and looked over to see the girls Flash had met the previous day. They were sitting a bunch of young kids who appeared to be around ten or eleven. They moved over to them and sat down, the younger kids staring at Flash. "You're that guy that's trying to get into the Order?" One of the girls asked, being an orange skinned human with purple hair. "Yeah," Flash nodded. "Scootaloo," Fluttershy told the girl. "Be nice. He would have already been in the Order if he hadn't been stranded on a moon." The girl named Scootaloo looked embarrassed. "Sorry." "It's fine," he told her. "The name's Flash Sentry." "I'm Scootaloo!" The girl replied before the ones next to her spoke up. "I'm Sweetie Belle," a white skinned cat girl like Rarity stated "And I'm Applebloom," a yellow cowgirl like Applejack called out. The last member of the group was a purple boy, who appeared to be some kind of humanoid lizard. He had a human face, but it was covered in scales. He had green spikes on the top of his head, which appeared to be running down his back and disappeared beneath his clothes before coming out on his tail. "I'm Spike," he introduced himself. Flash nodded as he began to eat his breakfast. He found the milk tasted just like the milk he had grown up with, though the others had given him a funny look when he asked why it wasn't pink. As he ate, he learned that Spike, Scootaloo, Sweetie and Applebloom were all Jedi younglings. None of them had been cleared to take the trails of the Padawan or had their own Lightsabers yet. Flash went on to tell them some of his own story, many sharing their pity when he explained how he got off his birth world. By the time he finished his story, they had all finished their breakfast and were preparing to begin their day. Flash wondered what he was supposed to do, but in that moment Twilight's wrist started beeping. Holding it up, Flash saw some kind of bracelet on her wrist that she pressed a button on. Doing so caused a holographic screen to appear above it with Celestia's face. "Twilight, is Flash with you?" She nodded, "can you please bring him to the master's tower. We've made a decision concerning him." Flash gulped at this and as Twilight hung up, he finally felt his nerves beginning to build. "Don't worry," she told him. "Even if they don't let you join the Order, they won't just abandon you. They'll help you find a place in the universe." "I hope you're right." Flash let Twilight lead him through the temple, the place still a confusing maze to him, eventually leading to the Jedi Council Chambers. "Good luck," Twilight told him before he stepped inside. He really wished he hadn't left Springer in his chambers right now, the teen seeing the twelve Jedi Masters staring at him. "Flash Sentry," Celestia announced. "We have considered your situation and voted one what we should do. And the results were...a dead split." "Huh?" "It was a perfect six vs six," Luna stated. "Half the council wanted you to join and half wanted you to leave." Flash frowned, wondering which ones that was. "Normally, the leader of the council would break the tie. But we had another idea. A test." "A test?" "You're too old to take the trials of the Padawan," Celestia explained. "But we've decided to test you and see if you would pass the trials. There will be three tests and if you can pass all three of them, you will be allowed to enter the Order." "Great," Flash smirked, "when do I get started?" The Masters smiled, either liking his confidence or thinking his arrogance would do him in. "You start right now," Celestia told him. Flash was sitting in a small room, a tablet sitting on the desk in front of him. Flash gulped, seeing the test he was going to have to take. "Is this really necessary?" He asked Celestia, who was the only other person in the room with him. "Of course," she nodded. "One of the most important parts of being a Jedi, is adhering to the Jedi Code. All younglings must prove they can recite it before they are able to move on to the rank of Padawan." She pushed the tablet towards him. "You will be asked a series of questions based on the Jedi Code and will have to answer them with direct quotes from the code itself. If even one word is out of line, that question will count as a fail." "I see," Flash sighed. "I know this seems harsh, but it's the only way to determine if you're capable of joining us. Most younglings start learning this by the time they can walk. I understand if you don't think you can do it." "No," Flash told her. "I'm going to pass this test." Celestia smiled and stepped back, sitting at her own desk as an electronic timer began to count down. "You may begin." Flash instantly started reading the questions and after a few moments, began typing his responses. Celestia watched, wondering just how well he would do if he had never even seen the code before. A few hours later, Luna, Skybreaker and even Shining Armor arrived at the room and found Celestia outside of it staring at the tablet. "What's wrong?" Luna asked. "Did he not do well on the test?" Celestia didn't reply and instead, simply showed them Flash's score. They stared at the tablet and saw it read a seventy nine. "I see," Luna nodded. "He passed. Why do you look so shocked?" "Think about it," Celestia told them. "Most Padawans spend hours studying the Jedi Code. And the only digital record of that code is kept in our archives." Skybreaker was the one that realised what she was shocked about. "He shouldn't have been able to read it." "Exactly. The only way he could know all of the Jedi Codes is if Grand recited it to him. Grand was always a strong believer in the code and could state it without even needing to think. But the fact that this boy was able to remember so much of the code, simply from what Grand told him, is incredible." "Yeah," Shining nodded. "And Grand died two years ago. So either Flash has a photographic memory..." "Or this boy continued to recite the code from memory on his own," Luna gasped. "That's incredible." Celestia nodded. "If Flash had some actual tutelage with the Education Core, I wouldn't be surprised if he was able to get a one hundred percent score the next time he did this test." "Well either way," Skybreaker nodded. "He did pass the test, so I guess we'll be moving on to the next." The others nodded, as Celestia opened the door and asked Flash to come out. When he did, they lead him to an open courtyard. Except it had a bunch of odd shapes littered around the place. "Your next task will be to show us you control over The Force," Celestia told him. "Shining already mentioned how you're able to use it to see without seeing, which in of itself is a rather advanced technique. But this test should give us a better understanding of your control." "Okay," Flash stepped forward, "what do you want me to do?" "It's quite simple," Luna told him. "We want you to lift these blocks with The Force, then place them together to make a perfect cube in the allotted time." Flash spun around, seeing the many different shapes. "Okay," he nodded, "I'll try. Never was a lot of good at puzzles though." He raised his hands and took a deep breath, as Shining and the Masters watched him beginning to focus. "What do you think?" Skybreaker asked the others. "The kid was able to stop laser fire," Shining pointed out. "I don't think this'll be all much harder." And sure enough, one of the blocks were lifted off the ground. The block was almost as big as him and just as heavy. Lifting it wasn't something a novice would be able to do. Then, a second block was lifted into the air. This was followed by a third block, then a fourth. They were amazed by this, though it seemed that was the limit Flash had as he brought them over. But they were curious whether it was a matter of weight or divided focus. Flash stared at the pieces and tried fitting two together. When it didn't work, he pulled them apart and tried one with another piece. This seemed to fit into place and Flash nodded, especially when the pieces clicked together. He put the combined pieces down and lifted another two pieces, using them with the original two. It was a slow process, but bit by bit he managed to place more and more blocks together. He then started combining some of the linked up pieces together, slowly building up the main body. But his time was running out. "Come on," Flash groaned as two of the combined pieces refused to go together. "I know you go together. Come on." The others frowned, seeing Flash was starting to panic and lose his cool. They expected Flash to maybe throw the pieces down in frustration any minute. But instead, Flash stopped and put the pieces down. He then took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Grand clearly helped him learn to control his temper," Skybreaker looked impressed. They watched as Flash then lifted the pieces again, this time spinning them around to take a closer look. "Oh, I get it." He removed one of the three pieces that made up that section and was able to connect it to another second. Then he returned the removed piece and they clicked together perfectly. Flash's time was running out, but he remained calm and kept trying out the different floating pieces until, finally, they snapped together and formed a perfect cube. "YES!" He lowered the cube and Celestia inspected it, wanting to make sure Flash didn't leave out any parts. But it really was all together and she couldn't help but smile. "Well done. You not only had the dexterity with The Force to build this, but when things got tricky you were able to stay calm and look at the situation from a different angle." Flash smiled back, "you've passed this test." "Hahaa!" Flash pumped his fist, only to see Celestia get serious. "However, your final test will likely be the toughest one yet." Flash stood to attention again. "It'll take a little while to set it up, so why don't you take a break and centre yourself. You'll need your energy for this final trial." Flash nodded as the Masters left, leaving Shining to keep an eye on him. The two made their way through the temple until they were once again in the cafeteria, which was beginning to fill up with Jedi looking to refuel themselves after a hard day of training. The pair grabbed something, Flash getting to enjoy his first ever burger whilst Shining had chosen soup. "Don't go eating too many of those," Shining could see Flash was enjoying it. "You really need to put some skin on your bones, but you need to have a proper diet if you wanna be able to do the work of a Jedi." "I know that," Flash assured him. "But you try spending two years eating the cheapest food you can find on a planet that can't grow vegetables and has barely any animals living on it to use for meat." Shining had to admit, he had a point. They ate and as they did, Flash looked around. "Looking for someone?" "I figured Twilight and the others would be here." Shining looked around and realised his sister and her friends weren't there. "Probably doing their Core work." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, not knowing what he meant by that. "They'll probably get something to eat when they have the time. But you need to focus on your upcoming trials. I don't know what Celestia has planned, but she's gonna wanna push you to the limit. If you become a Jedi, you'll be trusted with protecting the lives of many others. If you can't handle a fight, you'll be putting yourself and others in danger." "I know," Flash nodded. "And yeah, I didn't get to do much practising over the last two years. But I'm gonna give this test everything I've got." Shining nodded, as the pair finished their meal. When they did, Shining's bracelet beeped like Twilight's had. "Looks like everything's ready," he read a message sent over the hologram screen. "Hope you're ready." Flash nodded and the pair left the dining room, once again making their way through the temple until they arrived at an area Flash hadn't been too before. "This is the main training area. Once Younglings are promoted to Padawans, we bring them here to train for the dangers of the galaxy." "How?" Flash asked, as they walked through a hallway with several doors on either side of them. "You'll see," Shining smirked as they arrived at their destination. The door in front of them opened and they stepped into a large room, with many strange consoles on the walls. On far end of the room was a large glass wall, with a door leading into another room. Celestia, Luna and Skybreaker were there, but they weren't alone. "What are you girls doing here?" Flash asked Twilight, as she, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie were there. "We're not sure," Twilight replied. "Master Celestia summoned us here." Flash raised an eyebrow and turned to the Jedi Master, who smiled as she stepped forwards. "This is your final test," she gestured to the six girls. "A test of your Lightsaber ability. Because though Jedi are keepers of peace, we are not afraid to fight for it when the need falls upon us." Flash turned to the six, shocked by what she was saying. "You mean I have to fight the six of them?" "Not at the same time," Luna assured him. "You will face each of them individually. How you fair against their different styles of combat will help us determine your overall skill." "Oh," Flash nodded, "cool. I think I can do that." "So we get to fight this guy?" Rainbow asked, the masters nodding. "Awesome! I wanna go first!" "Actually," Celestia smiled, "we've already determined the order you will face him. And Rarity will be the first to challenge him." Rarity nodded. "I understand," she bowed. "I will do my best to make you proud." The masters nodded as Rarity unclipped her Lightsaber and handed it to Luna. When she did, Flash noticed the design of the handle was rather elegant in appearance. It was silver, with a black section in the middle. Not what Flash thought of when he imagined a weapon used by the normally simplistic Jedi. Luna placed the weapon into a slot within the console, then took out Flash's own blade. He watched as the weapon was also placed in a slot, as a door opened up and Celestia gestured for them to enter. Flash followed Rarity into a white room with gridlines, the pairs standing on opposite sides of the room as Flash looked around. "So...what are we supposed to do here?" It was then that the gridlines began to glow before the light filled the entire room, blinding Flash for a moment. When it faded, the pair were in a stone room with wooden benches lining it. "What the..." "This is the temples holodeck training room," Rarity stated. "It allows Jedi to train in many different environments, without needing to worry about getting hurt." "But how are we supposed to fight without our-" Flash stopped as a light suddenly shined in front of him, his Lightsaber appearing out of it when it faded. Rarity's Lightsaber had also appeared and the girl took it, activating it to summon a blue blade. "Also a hologram?" "Yes," Rarity nodded. She then raised her arm and sliced her Lightsaber through it, her hand exploding as she did. "When these holosabers cut off a piece, the room removes that part. You still have it, but can't perceive it." Another flash appeared and her hand returned, the girl grasping her blade with both as she got into a battle stance. Flash smirked, liking this way of training. He took his own sword and activated it, the pair staring each other down as Celestia's voice called out through the loud speaker. "The battle will end when one of you surrenders, is disarmed or incapacitated. Are you both ready?" They nodded and Flash took a battle stance, everyone watching as he took the basic beginners stance. "Oh man," Rainbow smirked. "Rarity's gonna crush this guy." "I wouldn't be so sure," Twilight stated. "Flash is anything but a newb." Celestia nodded and turned back to the two. "Alright...BEGIN!" As soon as she said that, the two ran towards one another. Flash was the first to attack, swinging his blade down to try and overpower Rarity. But Rarity managed to block with her own blade and used it to shift the direction of Flash's, his momentum causing him to stagger to the side as Rarity did some fancy footwork in order to move a safe distance away. Flash quickly regained his balance and turned towards Rarity, who remained in a defensive stance and she began to circle the room and force Flash to follow her movement. "I can see why you chose Rarity to go first," Shining nodded. "Her skill with form two is second to none amongst the Padawans. With Flash only knowing form one, he'll have a hard time against the form that was made to replace it." "Maybe," Skybreaker nodded, "but form one does have its benefits. Especially with Flash's blade." The teen rushed forward and started attacking Rarity, who danced around the room showing incredible footwork. It was almost like a ballerina, Rarity's feet barely touching the ground as she moved. Meanwhile, Flash was keeping up with her. He was fast, able to quickly recover whenever he was thrown off balance. He knew that if he let Rarity get on the offensive, he would be out of this fight. "Shii-Cho was developed before the creation of the Lightsaber," Skybreaker stated as Flash leapt into the air and slashed his sword downwards. Rarity dodged the attack and finally went on the attack, thrusting her sword like it was a fencing saber. Flash leaned back and the sword missed his chest, allowing him to swing his blade up and knocked the Lightsaber away. Rarity was also knocked staggering and Flash used the opening it gave him to attack, Rarity spinning around and barely blocking his strike. But the impact of Flash's strike was felt all throughout her body, forcing her down onto one knee. Flash continued to push Rarity down, their blades locked together and preventing her from escaping. He thought he had her beat, but then she turned her attention towards one of the wooden benches. The next thing Flash knew, the bench was flying towards him. "WOW!" He pulled back and the bench sailed between the pair, Rarity using this opening to jump back to a standing position and attack. But as the blade flew towards Flash's head, the teen held out his hand and the saber hit a wall of force energy and bounced off. Flash then rushed forward and in the blink of an eye, sliced the end of her Lightsaber off. Rarity gasped as her weapon was destroyed, only to then have the tip of Flash's blade pointed directly at her face. "You still wanna go?" Rarity sighed and dropped her ruined weapon, raising her hand defensively. "I give up. You've already won." Flash smirked and deactivated his sword, as Rarity moved towards the door. "You did great," Pinkie told her as she stepped into the control room. "Flash was just..." "Flash was able to think on his feet," Twilight stated. "He didn't know he was allowed to use the force in this fight. But as soon as he did, he quickly incorporated it into the battle." "Yes," Celestia nodded. "I probably should have mentioned that beforehand. My bad." She turned to the girls, "Fluttershy." The girl in question looked very nervous. "Don't worry. Winning or losing has no consequence. We just want to see how well he does against different forms of saber combat." "I understand," she bowed before stepping into the room. Flash was swinging his sword around to stay focused, as she stood opposite him. Her weapon appeared in front of her, Flash noticing it appeared to be made out of wood with metal around the top. She ignited the green saber and took a different stance to Rarity, Flash figuring she would likely fight in a different manner. But just looking at her, Flash wasn't sure how a girl like this was supposed to be a warrior. "Are your ready?" Celestia asked, as Flash took his own stance. "Begin!" Flash shot forward and Fluttershy remained still, Flash wondering if she had frozen in fear. But as he swung his blade down to strike her head, she raised her own to defend. She barely moved her weapon at all, shifting her stance just enough to block Flash but keeping herself steady. He pulled his sword back and struck from a different angle, Fluttershy countering in the same barely moving way. He did this several more times and Fluttershy barely took two steps as she countered. "I see she uses form three," Skybreaker noted. "A very different style to one and two." "Indeed," Celestia nodded. "Soresu focuses on economy of motion. Protecting oneself with the smallest amount of movement to keep one's energy high and their defences up. It is the ultimate expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy." They kept watching, as Flash began expending more and more effort whilst Fluttershy kept her defences raised. Flash slashed at her neck, but Fluttershy blocked and spun on the spot. The momentum Flash expelled pushed him forward, as Fluttershy spun away from him. And as he did, she reached out and jabbed him in the shoulder. "Gyah!" Fluttershy flinched, the act of causing pain clearly not one she enjoyed. "Sorry." Flash turned to her, raising his sword again and charging. Once again, she defended with barely any movement whilst Flash kept pushing himself. "That's it," Twilight told her friend. "Keep him on the attack. Let him tire himself out. Then you can knock him down." The two locked blades and pushed against one another, Fluttershy quickly getting overpowered until she leapt back. Flash frowned as he began to pant, clearly realising he was in trouble. He then seemed to have an idea and rushed forward, looking ready to swipe at her. But as Fluttershy prepared to counter, he suddenly leapt into the air. This surprised the others, as Flash landed behind Fluttershy and slashed at her. The girl barely managed to spin around in time, blocking it but being knocked back due to her footing being off. Flash capitalised on this and thrust his blade towards her, Fluttershy staggering to the side and attempting to once again raise her defence. But Flash leapt to the side and quickly struck her at her, once again barely missing as he jumped up. "Ataru?" Twilight asked, as Flash bounced off the wall and attacked with speed. "I thought he only knew form one?" "He does," Skybreaker nodded. "That's not Ataru. Flash is just using something he realises can get around Fluttershy's defences. Even though he never heard of it, he's beginning to develop into a new form of saber combat." "He is good," Shining realised. As he said that, Flash summoned another bench over to him and used it as a springboard. He leapt at Fluttershy and spun through the air, Fluttershy attempting to block but getting overpowered by the repeated slashes Flash dealt to her. Her saber was forced from her hand and she fell back, hitting the ground as Flash landed and held up his hand. Before Fluttershy could reach for her weapon, it flew into Flash's grasp and he ignited the blade. Seeing she was now defenceless and facing two Lightsabers, Fluttershy raised her hands. "I surrender!" Flash smirked and retracted the blades, throwing the wooden hilt away before offering a hand. Fluttershy took it and looked a little upset, but Flash smiled. "You were great. Forced me to fight in a whole new way." Fluttershy smiled at this, "thank you. You're really good too." She headed out the room, the others there to console her. "You did amazin', sugarcube." Applejack patted her on the shoulder, Fluttershy nodding as Celestia turned to the next one that would be facing Flash. "Pinkie Pie. I think it's time Flash sees how unpredictable life in the Jedi Order can be." Pinkie nodded and skipped into the room with a smile, Flash noticing her and getting into a fighting stance. She laughed, "isn't this fun? Getting to face off against one another and test our skills." "I guess," Flash nodded. "But this is a test for me. I'll enjoy it when I pass." Pinkie smiled as her weapon appeared in front of her. And it was certainly a strange weapon, that was for sure. It appeared to be a normal Lightsaber, but the end had a round cage-like structure surrounding it. When Pinkie grabbed it, she swung it around and something shot out of the end. That something was a long blue blade, almost two and a half times longer then the standard blade. And as it completed extending, the blade suddenly went limp and fell down to form a long noodle-like structure. Pinkie then whipped it around, the laser chord sparking and buzzing as it moved through the air. With a flick, she struck it against the ground and it made a loud crash like lightning. "What the heck?" Flash looked genuinely scared by this device, clearly having never seen anything like it. "What is that thing?" "Lightwhip," Pinkie smiled as she kept swinging it around. She then whipped it upwards and the chord retracted, becoming about as long as a normal Lightsaber but still remained flexible. "Pretty cool, huh?" Flash stared at it in shock, but quickly shook his head and focused himself. "Just another battle." "Are both of you ready?" Celestia asked, the two nodding. "Then begin!" Flash charged whilst Pinkie whipped her weapon around, extending the chord as she tried to hit Flash dead on. Flash leapt to the side and rolled along the ground, as Pinkie started twirling the laser ribbon around her. How she didn't accidently hit herself, Flash had no idea. But he had to attack. He rushed forward and as the whip swung towards him. He blocked with his Lightsaber, but was shocked to see the chord coil around his sword and grip it tightly. "Wow!" He tried to pull it free, but Pinkie flicked her wrist and pulled his Lightsaber from his grasp. Everyone watched as Flash's blade hit the ground and extinguished, leaving him defenceless. Pinkie then started spinning the coil around her, making it impossible for Flash to hit her. She then extended the whip forward and it shot straight for Flash's chest, the teen barely able to flip backwards so it flew above him. And as it extended, Flash completed his back-flip and landed back on his feet. As he did, he summoned his Lightsaber back to him and charged. Pinkie flicked the whip around again and Flash jumped down, sliding along the ground and eventually reaching the strange pink doe girl. He quickly ignited his blade and thrust it towards Pinkie's stomach, but she somehow stretched said stomach out of the way before leaping back. As she landed, she retracted her whip to about a foot before swinging it downwards and extending it. It shot straight down towards Flash, how barely managed to role out of the way in time. This made a loud crashing sound echo through the room, Flash picking himself up as Pinkie retracted her blade before extending it with another whip. Flash saw it coming and knew this was his chance, so raised his Lightsaber hard and let the whip strike it whilst he ducked down. The chord quickly wrapped around the Lightsaber and before Pinkie could try and pull the weapon out of Flash's hand, Flash pulled as hard as he could and Pinkie was pulled flying towards him. Flash hadn't been expecting that, but quickly reacted and leapt up to kick her in the stomach. His foot sank into her body and stretched out the back of her, his eyes going wide at this before he sprang back in the opposite direction. "WOW!" He lost his grip on his Lightsaber as he was flung backwards, eventually crashing into the far wall and sliding down it. He let out a moan and fell to the ground, but Pinkie didn't seem much better and held her stomach. "Oh...I hate it when that happens." Her face turned green and she was looking rather queasy Skybreaker turned to the others. "Let's bring this match to an end before we have to clean up the training hall." They nodded and told Pinkie to leave the room, the girl rushing out as Twilight handed her a waste bin. "Does that still count as a win?" Shining asked, Flash picking himself up and summoning his Lightsaber. "I don't know," Celestia stated as she turned to Rainbow. "You're up." The girl cheered and rushed inside, Flash wait for her as she smirked. Flash raised his blade and wondered if she would have a crazy weapon as well. But he would soon find her weapon looked rather normal. Or should that be, weapons. Two Lightsabers appeared in front of Rainbow, both looking exactly the same as they were silver metal with black leather around the handles and a slightly curved bottom. She grabbed them both and when she ignited them, a pair of blue blades extended. However, these blades were shorter than a normal blade by between a half and a third. Rainbow swung the blades around as fast as she could, Flash barely able to tell where they were they moved with such speed. When she stopped, she held one blade forward and the other in a reversed grip. "You ready to lose?" Flash's response made her smile. "Now we're talking." "Are you ready?" They nodded at Celestia's question, "then begin!" Rainbow shot forward at the B and moved with blinding speed towards him, Flash only blinking and finding her right in his face. She spun around and swung her blades, Flash barely able to raise his weapon in defence. He stood his ground and both blades bounced off him and were pushed away, Rainbow sliding back before leaping into the air. As Flash was rebracing himself from the attack, Rainbow spun around and tried to kick him in the head. He ducked under the strike and Rainbow landed behind him, the girl attacking with one blade that was blocked before attacking with the other. Flash was barely able to keep up with her, blocking one strike and narrowing avoiding another. It was like being struck over and over by waves of wind. Before he could recover from the last hit, he was forced to take another. Flash blocked her double strike and pushed her back with The Force, Rainbow's light body making it easy to shove her away. She managed to land and Flash ran forward, but she began spinning the blades around her at high speed to keep him from getting a clear target. Flash watched the twirling blades of doom, trying to determine when they weren't protecting Rainbow. And when he believed he had it, he thrust his Lightsaber forward and the blade was stopped by Rainbow's cross sabers. "Nice try!" Using all her strength, she forced her swords up and pushed Flash's up with them. She then did a backflip and slammed her feet into Flash's chin, knocking him staggering backwards. But Flash refused to be beaten and as Rainbow began to complete the circle, Flash threw his sword towards the ground. It spun through the air and as Rainbow landed, it reached her and struck her right leg. "AUGH!" She cried, as the laser sword cut through her ankle and cleanly removed the foot. The dismembered limb exploded and Rainbow's stump hit the ground, the girl flinching as she was now unable to stand. Flash quickly got back up and summoned his saber, whilst Rainbow started spinning her blades around to protect herself. But Flash simply ran forwards and leapt over her, the girl unable to properly turn and face him. As such, by the time she managed to hop around, Flash slammed his blade into one of hers and knocked it away. He then struck the other and cut through the hilt, destroying it. Rainbow was now footless and weaponless, Flash pointing his blade at her head. She could summon her first blade, but Flash would cut her in half before it could reach her. "Okay," she raised her arms, "I give." Flash groaned as he fell to the floor, feeling exhausted as Rainbow's foot suddenly rematerialised. "Do you need a break?" Celesta asked him, Flash replying that he just needed a minute. As he did, Rainbow got up and headed for the doorway. She past Applejack as she left, the two nodding at each other as Rainbow huffed. "We'll need to talk to your Master about improving your training," Luna told her. "If taking out your feet is all that's needed to stop you, real opponents will start to target them as well." "Got it," Rainbow sighed before they turned to the room. Flash stood up and had regained his wind, whilst Applejack's bladeless axe appeared before her. "First the whip and now an axe? I thought Jedi were supposed to use Lightsabers?" "Most do," Applejack replied as she hit the button. Doing so caused a green blade to appear on the end of the weapon. A smaller green blade appeared on the other side, Applejack swinging it around like it was the easiest thing in the world. "But some of us have our own thing." Flash nodded and raised his own blade, knowing this might be tricky. "Are you both ready?" Celestia asked, the pair nodded as they took a battle position. "BEGIN!" They charged, Applejack's heavy footsteps causing the ground to shake a little. The girl let out a roar, as she swung the axe down. Flash blocked with his sword, but the impact caused his entire body to shake. When Applejack pulled back, Flash staggered around with little balance as the cowgirl swung the axe around to try and cut into Flash's side. He recovered in time to leap back enough for the blade to miss and when Applejack swung it back in the opposite direction, Flash raised his sword and shoved it into the metal behind the smaller axe blade. He expected the Lightsaber to cut through the metal, but it didn't. "What?" "Nice try!" Applejack pushed him away and when Flash tried to slash his sword down, she raised her weapon's staff and used it to block the attack. "A'h made this out of special metals, that are completely immune to Lightsaber blades." She once again pushed him back and the pair charged at one another, both swinging their blades at one another and locking them into place. Applejack showed greater strength and was able to push Flash's sword to the ground, then spun around to try and kick him in the head. Flash ducked under it and leapt back, the jumped forward for another downwards slash. The cowgirls fell to one knee and blocked the blade with her axe handle, then pushed him back before charging. Flash performed an upwards side swipe as Applejack swung her blade down, the blue Lightsaber stopping the green axe before Flash hocked the blades together. He then spun around and used the momentum and leverage to throw Applejack over his back. "Wow!" She hit the ground rolling and barely managed to get back to her feet, as Flash charged and tried to cut her in half. She quickly scrapped the smaller blade of her axe along the ground. The sparks this caused flew towards Flash and forced him back, allowing Applejack to rush forward and leapt into the air. "RAAAAAH!" She swung the blade down and Flash side-stepped it, the blade hitting the ground as Applejack quickly pulled back. Flash slashed at her as she stepped backwards, but she used her axe to block both slashes. The two then swung their legs at each other, kicking the other's leg, with Flash following it up with a punch Applejack spun to the side in order to avoid. She then thrust the butt of her axe into Flash's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him back with enough force to send him staggering to the ground. "Ahhh!" His Lightsaber went flying out of his hands, as Applejack raised her blade to deal the finishing blow. But Flash grabbed two benches with the Force and brought them between the two, Applejack cutting them in half, which allowed Flash to force Applejack backwards before summoning his Lightsaber. As Applejack bounced off the wall, Flash charged and she raised her axe to defend. But strangely, Flash struck it with the flat of his blade. The reason became clear when Flash suddenly scrapped the sword down the handle of the axe before Applejack to push him away. In doing so, he cut right through Applejack's fingers and she screamed out as her axe fell out of her grasp. She fell to her knees, looking at the stumps that had once been her most dexterous body parts. Flash pointed his blade at her and gave her a serious look, but also looked completely wiped. Applejack sighed, "a'h give." Flash pulled the blade away and Applejack's fingers reappeared, only for the battlefield to then disappear. "What gives? I thought I still had Twilight to face?" "I don't think that's necessary," Celestia told him. "You've proven your skills and are clearly exhausted from five continuous battles. Continuing now would just be cruel." The two stepped into the room, Applejack going to stand beside her friends. Meanwhile, Celestia, Luna and Skybreaker stared him down. "So..." Flash wasn't sure what to say, "what happens now?" Celestia smiled at him. "Flash Sentry, you have passed all three of the tests we set you. Not only do you know the code, despite never officially reading it, but you showed great control over The Force's power, showed restraint when you faced an obstacle and showed your skills with a Lightsaber against many different foes. We see no reason not to grant you the rank of Padawan." Flash's eyes went wide, a smile appearing on his lips. He could hardly believe it. Skybreaker stepped forward, Flash seeing he was holding his Lightsaber. "You might not have originally built this, but I know Grand would want you to have it." He gave Flash a serious expression. "But remember, this is a weapon meant to protect and defend. Never wield it in anger or hatred. Do you swear to this?" "I swear," Flash nodded before being handed his sword. Everyone smiled, but then Luna spoke up. "We still have one issue." They turned to her. "Flash has nobody to call Master." Flash frowned at this, still unsure how he felt about someone taking Grand's place. "If we can't find anyone, Flash cannot truly become a Padawan." Flash sighed, not liking the sound of that. Who would want to take on a Padawan with no real experience? "I'll do it." They all spun around, Shining Armor leaning against the wall. "I'll take him on as my apprentice." "Really?" Flash asked. "You've got a lot of potential," Shining told him. "The Order could use someone like you." Flash smiled, only for Shining to step up and poke him. "But don't expect me to go easy on you. I expect you to become a knight before anyone else your age. Until you're ready for that, you won't be allowed to eat, sleep, or scratch your backside without my say-so. Got it?" Flash gulped, but knew he couldn't let Shining think he was scared. "Bring it on. I'll take anything you throw at me and more. Just watch." Luna turned to her sister. "Are we sure this is a good idea?" Celestia smiled. "I think it'll work out quite well." Flash and Shining stood side by side, Celestia getting a strong feeling that these two would do great things together. And she would come to realise that feeling was right on the mark. Things were stirring in the galaxy and the Jedi would soon find themselves up against foes greater then any the Order had ever faced. It would take every Jedi they had to overcome it. To help keep balance in The Force.