//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Patient Fighter // Story: Star Wars: Terror (Reboot) // by RadioBug15 //------------------------------// I do not own MLP or Star Wars. The boy looked around to the new room that he had entered: a medium-sized room with a large cylindrical stage in the center. He looked up as his instructor guided him and the students around him to the front of the stage. "You are no longer younglings, you are to be an apprentices soon." he said. Every former youngling watched as the Jedi moved to the side of the stage, "One of the most common ways to gain the attention of a Jedi Master or Knight is the sparring arena, also known as the Apprentice Tournaments," the man walked over to a room and pushed out a long rack holding many lightsaber hilts. He picked one up and activated it, "Each year, the Apprentice Tournaments will be held for Initiates to be chosen by a potential master. These events consist of two of any of you entering this stage-," he pointed to the stage, "-And sparring. These duels are not just about sheer combat to show off in front of any future master, these contests will be used to demonstrate poise, discipline, and Force aptitude. Do you understand?" he asked them. "Yes sir," every Initiate in the room said. "Good, luckily for you the Tournaments are going to start next month, so I would suggest practicing for this event." The Jedi teacher then walked back over to the front. "Dismissed," he commanded. As the students took their leave, one remained, the boy. "Sir, will we really be assigned a master if we take part in this Tournament?" he asked skeptically rather than curiously. "There are some exceptions besides using a lightsaber, Kane. But I think you will be assigned a master," the teacher said. Kane nodded at the man's answer, "Thank you, sir," he said as he finally walked away with the rest of the students. Deimos activated his lightsaber and met with full force against the Imperials. The seven soldiers were immediately aware of his presence and opened fire on the injured Sith Lord. The aged man brought up his lightsaber and blocked with a Shien move, sending the blaster bolt back through the attacker's skull, the man was dead before he hit the ground. Deimos then made a fist and focused with the Force on his hands; immediately his hands burst into flames, he brought back his fist and swung, snapping the neck and burning the helmet of another pilot. Deimos turned and fired a chain of lightning at the next Imperial soldier until he crumpled to the ground. The Sith Lord stabbed the next man through the heart and beheaded the other. The next soldier aimed his blaster at the Sith's head and pulled the trigger, but Deimos turned and lifted his hand, before the shot could make it's mark, it ricocheted off his hand and flew into the soldier behind him. Deimos used the Force on the last one's blaster hand, the Imperial watched in horror as the pistol slowly made it's way to the side of his forehead. "Please," he begged. Deimos turned his head to the right slightly in amusement before twitching his finger. The pistol fired into the man's head, who had a last look of horror. The man was dead before he hit the ground. Deimos looked at the undamaged TIE Fighters that lay around him, eager to use one and search for the rest of his crew. He hissed in pain as he remembered the pain in his ankle. Again, he limped over to the ship and ran his hand across one of the wings of a TIE Fighter, feeling the smooth cold texture. He suddenly then heard small steps behind him, he turned to see several creatures behind him. Some of them were a quadrupedal bird with a sword at it's waist, another was something similar to Kybuck, if it walked on four legs instead of two, with a spear on it's back; the only two bipeds were some sort of furred animal with a knife and some kind of primitive blaster that fires solid projectiles not unlike the energy bows by the Dathomirians, and a reptile that could've been the passive version of a Trandoshan, which possessed no weapon besides it's rather menacing claws. The bird made it's way closest to him, making the animal either very brave or very stupid. It cleared it's throat and spoke, much to the Sith Lord's surprise, "Ahem, by the order of the Griffon Emperor himself. I decree that you must surrender yourself for evaluation on Imperial territory." Deimos took note of such words as 'Emperor' and 'Imperial', as well as 'Griffon'. "Why?" he asked, the four creatures flinched by the fact that he could talk. "So you are capable of speech? Impressive..." the four-legged Kybuck said. "Shut yur trap pony! Yur only here fer the mission, not research," the furred biped spat, Deimos noticed that the creature spoke in an accent similar to a Corellian accent. "Diamond Dogs lack the efficiency to plan ahead, of course you would say such a thing," the 'pony' mused. "What did you say!" the 'Diamond Dog' yelled as . "Idiots..." the reptile said before turning to Deimos, "Just come with us, we'll take good care of you." Deimos raised an eyebrow, "You talk to me like I am some sort of animal, now explain why I should accompany you before I stain these sands red with your blood." "Because you fainted during this conversation," the pony said as the horn on his head began to glow. The Sith Lord suddenly felt as if he was in the process of blacking out, he activated his lightsaber and lunged forward before started fainting, managing to hack off the reptile's left arm. He heard the creature scream in agony as Deimos collapsed onto the white sand around him. He was shocked by the fact that such a lowly creature managed to maneuver it's way around his mental defenses that protected him from Force manipulation. This only lead to one conclusion: this was not the Force. As he neared the edge of unconsciousness, he heard their voices speak. "Hey, you okay? I got him," the pony said. "Yeah I'm fine, my arm'll grow back in about two weeks," the reptile said. "So what do you think of big ugly here?" the bird said. "He's smart, skilled in swordsmanship, and he actually managed to hit Onyx, making him both fast and brutal, he'll be perfect," the pony observed. "Then there's the problem with that magic that he used against the other of his kind," the reptile hissed in pain at his severed limb. "Eh, putta blocker spell on him, that'll work," the diamond dog said. "Good thinking Lore. Keep it up and I might take back what I said about diamond dogs," the pony smirked. "You better," Lore growled. "Both of you shut up! Just take this guy to the..." The Sith Lord finally lost consciousness and blacked out before the bird could finish it's sentence. It was the last round of the Apprentice Tournaments, Kane Leumai against Orun Nalus, a cocky human born on Corellia. Kane looked for a new practice lightsaber, since his was destroyed during his last round. He searched through the shelves for a suitable lightsaber until he found what seemed to him was the perfect one. It was in the far back section of the shelves, collecting dust. He picked it up and tested it's weight, the saber hilt had small spikes along the bottom and was colored black, as if it was a hilt for the dreaded Sith. He walked back in front of his opponent and activated the blade. Kane had a look of confusion as the boy backed up slightly. This look continued until he looked at the blade itself. It was red. He was very perplexed as to why the blade was colored this way, he even heard whispers from the some of the Knights themselves. Kane merely shrugged and got into the recognizable form for all apprentices: Shii-Cho. His opponent regained his sense of bravery and got into his fighting stance. Orun struck first and the duel began. Kane immediately blocked with his own blade rolled to the side as the tall initiate struck down, attempting to strike him on the head. He then raised his blade and blocked another strike, attempting to knock the blade out of his rival's hand and lunge for a strike. Orun merely moved back as Kane attempted to swing at him and land a hit. But the Corellian had other ideas, he blocked another one of Kane's strikes and grabbed his hand, he then put hi foot behind his leg and pulled back, making the smaller boy land on his back. Kane grunted as he felt himself land onto the floor. He looked up to see Orun attempt to bring his blade down and stab Kane, but he rolled to the side once again and struck the larger one's ankle, scoring a hit. Kane's rival hissed as he looked down to see a small red mark on his ankle. Orun growled and kicked Kane off to the side, sending him near the edge of the stage. The smaller boy, Kane, grunted as he picked up his lightsaber and aimed before throwing it at his opponent, scoring a hit on Orun's shoulder. "That's it!" Orun shouted as he picked up Kane's blade and ran at him. Kane immediately dove to the side as Orun attempted to hit him. Without weapons, Kane had no choice but to raise his fists and fight with his hands despite his own disadvantage. Orun grinned at Kane's apparent bravery. He ran at Kane and struck with both blades, but Kane ducked and uppercutted the boy. As his opponent landed Kane grabbed both lightsabers out of Orun's hands and struck for the third time, winning the match. Kane watched as Orun got up with a bloody nose, glaring at the younger one who had managed to beat him. "Good match," Kane said, holding out Orun's lightsaber. Orun growled and snatched the lightsaber out his hand and left to go put it back. As the fight had finished, a Pau'an Jedi watched as Kane returned the lightsaber to where it originally was and left. "Maybe," the Jedi Master said to himself, "Just maybe." Deimos opened his eyes as soon as he woke up. He immediately sat upright and looked at his surroundings: stone walls and metal bars keeping him in this small room. "Hey, there's a new guy here!" he heard a voice beside him, he then realized that the voices were coming from the cell next to him. "Another one? Heh, betcha this one won't last an hour in the Pit," another said. "Hey, leave him be, we don't know what this one's like!" one of the prisoners yelled out. Deimos was able regain his senses and stand up. He walked over to the front of the cell to get a better view of everything. Like his cell, the walls were made of solid dark grey stone, poorly constructed but strong enough to prevent escapes. The hallways were curved, which meant that the building must be circular in shape. Moments later, one of those bird creatures walked over to his cell. "My apologies about the spell, we had to do that in the event that you would attack us. We were right of course. But don't worry, we patched up any wounds that you had earlier," it was the same one that he had encountered in the desert. "Who... what are you?" Deimos demanded. "I am a Griffon, those other three were Onyx the dragon from the Dragon Kingdom, Lore the diamond dog from the Diamond Caverns, Oracle the pony from Canterlot, and my name is Thistle from the Griffon Empire," he said. "You said you were an officer of that particular empire," Deimos said. "I lied, I'm actually a fugitive. I just also happen to be one of the leaders of where you are," he said with a mocking tone. "Who you are does not matter. It would be wise to let me go," the Sith warned. "Or what?" Thistle asked. "Or I will decorate the hallways with your entrails and paint the walls with your blood," he threatened. The griffon backed away a little, "Ooh scary, why don't you try that now?" Deimos grinned wickedly and sent out bolts of lightning at him, but they were blocked by the metal bars. "Oh didn't I tell you? These things are enchanted to prevent any harm from any physical or magic damage, or whatever you are using. I am still surprised that you are using magic even with a blocker spell on," Thistle observed. "Your confusion for mistaking the Force for magic amuses me," Deimos continued grinning despite his current condition. "Whatever, it'll be your turn in the Pit in a little while, so get used to your new quarters," Thistle laughed as he walked off. Deimos growled and reached for his lightsabers, which weren't there. "Oh yeah, looking for these?" Thistle held out his claws, which were grasping his lightsabers. "Give those back!" Deimos yelled. "They're pretty fascinating, how do they work?" the griffon asked. "You see that little button on the side?" Deimos said. Thistle turned the sabers around until he found the button. "Yeah." "Hold the hilt to your face and press the button," he growled. Thistle hesitated before smiling, "Oh you almost got me, clever." The griffon then left his line of sight. "Just give up," Deimos heard a new voice. "Excuse me?" he said, searching for whoever said that. "When you enter the Pit, just give up and die," the voice said again, Deimos then found the source of the voice. It was another pony in another cell, a young female by the sound of it's voice. She had dark grey fur with a secondary hair atop it's head and tail, which were dark blue. The female pony was considerably small and frail, her eyes were a deep blue and she was riddled with faint scars across her body. "And why would I do that?" he asked her. "Because there's no use, it's completely meaningless," she continued. "If your going to say that, that's not a very convincing argument for suicide," Deimos mused. "Very funny, forgot to laugh," the pony turned and sighed, "So you're new?" He nodded, "Yes, but not for long. What is this place?" "This is a prison of sorts, but not really a prison, those are only for criminals. I don't really know what to call this place," she said. "That's not a reliable answer," Deimos said, annoyed by her answer. "Well what do you expect?" she asked. "Nevermind, what's your name?" he asked her. "My name is Thea, but they call me other names," she got up and walked closer to the bars. "Like what?" Deimos asked as he sat on the cot behind him. "Filth, whore, freak, take your pick," she said, trying to fight back tears. "And are you any of these?" the Sith Lord asked. "I'm no whore, but I certainly am a freak," she said. "And why?" Deimos asked. Thea blushed heavily and turned away from him, "I-I'd rather not say." "Suit yourself, I am Deimos" he said, getting up as he heard footsteps coming closer to him. Deimos watched as a dozen guards of different species walked over to his cell and unlocked the door. He grinned to himself as they led him to his next location. "Good luck... Deimos," Thea said. I'll let them think they have the ability to control me, but sooner or later I'll prove them wrong, Deimos thought to himself. One other reason for his patience was that he did not know how big this place was or how many guards their were. Sith and Jedi could easily handle non-force-sensitives, but there were certainly exceptions that existed back in the Old Republic and a few today. Bounty Hunters for example or the occasional Stormtrooper that actually managed to make a killshot at a Jedi every now and then. No matter how ridiculous the enemy looks, never underestimate your opponent. The guards eventually led him to a door almost literally covered in locks. The main guard trotted to the door and unlocked each lock and slowly opened the door. Inside was an armory filled with an array of close combat weaponry. "Choose one," the largest guards said. As Deimos walked into the armory, the guards closed the door behind him. He looked around to see each weapon. Maces, whips, swords, staffs, spears, and other weapons that Deimos could not recognize. Eventually he picked up a sword. The blade was a straight, single edged, and as long as his own lightsabers. He felt the weight of the sword in his hands before deciding that it was a suitable weapon. "Is this your weapon of choice?" a voice resonated through the room. Despite the strangeness of the situation, Deimos agreed. "Yes." "Very well," the voice said. There was a bright flash of light, causing Deimos to shield his eyes from the brightness. When he opened his eyes, he saw hundreds, if not thousands of all species native to the planet that he was on: ponies, dragons, griffons, et cetera. in rows and rows of seats in a circular fashion around him. It was at this moment where Deimos realized where he was. I'm in a gladiator arena! he thought. The arena was similar to Geonosis, only less rocky. He then heard the same voice in the armory. "Ladies and gentlemen, mares and stallions, welcome back once again to the Pit. Oh, it seems we have a new arrival, now what is your name?" the voice resonated through the loud cheers of the crowd. Deimos would not give him the privilege of hearing his voice. "Huh, not a talker... well everyone (and ponies), we have ourselves a silent one. What shall we do with him?" the voice yelled. "KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!" the crowd repeated as they cheered the one word that they wanted the Sith Lord to be. "Well, let's appease the crowds shall we, let's start simple, release the Juggernaut!" the announcer yelled. Deimos turned to see a gate lifting up as hulking mound of muscles and feathers walked out of the darkness of his cell. The griffon was massive, with battered feathers and an expression that would be an understatement of the word "rage". He looked at the human, in his talons was a heavy double-edged sword. "You!" he yelled, "I will tear your head off and mount it on this blade!" "That's the spirit! Now, begin!" the announcer yelled. At once, the 'Juggernaut' roared in anger and began to quickly close the gap between him and the smaller human. With eyes of almost pure flame, he watched as the human was just standing there, as if his very appearance did not frighten him. As soon as the Juggernaut reached Deimos, he brought down his sword on the old man, expecting his arms to break as soon as he raises his blade. Instead, Deimos raised his blade, but the blade held it's place as it darkened to that of a shadow. "What!" the hulking monster said. "Sith Alchemy goes a long way," Deimos whispered as he shoved the Juggernaut with the Force. "Magic is not allowed in the Pit!" Juggernaut yelled as he slashed at him again. Deimos merely ducked below the blade, "You people seem to forget-" He raised his hand until it was pointing towards the griffon. "-This is not magic," Deimos immediately let loose a spray of Sith lightning. As soon as the lightning touched the griffon, he roared in pain as he attempted to endure the pain. The Juggernaut slowly but surely began to make his way towards Deimos, his blade raised above his head. The Sith raised an eyebrow, "I'm impressed, there's only a few that can withstand Sith lightning, one of which being my most recent apprentice." The griffon brought his blade down, but Deimos sidestepped and stabbed the giant bird in the ribcage. He hissed in pain as he swung again, missing again. Deimos then struck again, slicing one of the griffon's legs. The griffon yelled in pain as he stabbed at Deimos, but once again, missed. The Sith Lord then finally lunged forward and sliced off the griffon's sword claw and his throat. The Juggernaut tried to scream from the loss of his claw, but blood was already trickling out of the neck wound. He fell to the ground, trying to do anything to save himself from the pain. He looked at Deimos one last time. "Mercy," he tried to say. Deimos walked over to the griffon and plunged the sword into his heart, killing him instantly. "And mercy you shall receive," Deimos said. He looked up to see the crowds, sensing their shock, surprise, and amusement. Deimos gripped his sword and swung it towards the ground, the blood retreated from the blade, cleaning it. As he saw a gate open behind him, guards emerged and surrounded him with spears aimed at his neck. "Back to your cage now, slave," the guard shouted at him. Deimos grinned as he simply dropped his sword and held out his wrists. "Go ahead," he said. The griffon looked at him, then the guards, who then started leading him towards the gate. Kane was alone in his chambers, meditating through the Force. He stared in boredom as he moved several rocks in the center of his palm with the Force. He heard a knock on his door as it slid open, revealing Grand Master Yoda. "Master Yoda!" he immediately stood at attention. "At ease you are, young Leumai. Tell me; troubles you, what does?" Kane sighed, "I'm afraid I might have went a little too far with the duel." Yoda shook his head as he slowly made his way to the boy. "Control his anger, Orun could not. Your fault, it was not," he looked away. "Forgive me for saying this master, but I know you came here not just to ask me about this incident." Yoda looked at him once more, "Intelligent, you are. The light, I sense in you. Inform you, I must; given a master, you have been." Kane was immediately stunned by the news, "How? Who? I mean, who is my new master?" The aged green Jedi chuckled at his innocence, "Your master, Master Aouren Pala is." As soon as he said this, a Pau'an Jedi walked in the room, towering over both Yoda and Kane. "So this is my new padawan. Greetings, I am Aouren Pala," he held out his hand. Kane raised his own hand and shook his, "Hello master, I would be honored to be your apprentice." Master Pala looked content, "Good, good. I will make sure that this young one will learn the ways to becoming a Jedi." "Good. Settled, our matters are. With you, may the Force be, Master Pala," Master Yoda said as he left. "And with you, Master Yoda," he then turned Kane. "Walk with me Kane, I shall show you to your new quarters," his new master said. Kane immediately went over to Master Pala's side and began walking next to him. As Deimos entered his cell, he was greeted by Thea. "Why did you not give up!?!" she yelled. "Last thing I heard you say was good luck," Deimos faced her. "That was sarcasm. By Celestia... do you know what you have done?" she demanded. "No, inform me." "You are one of the only creatures to have beaten Juggernaut, and the first to actually kill him, do you know what you have done?" she asked in an appalled voice. "No, remind me," Deimos said. "With Juggernaut dead, you gained more attention from the crowds. Now they'll be focusing more on you, meaning they'll send you more and more to kill. Is that the kind of life you want to live?" "No, but it will be entertaining before I leave," he grinned maliciously. "You can't, no one has escaped from the Pit. What makes you think that you can escape this place?" she stared at him once more. Deimos looked at her again for the last time before going to his bed. "You don't know the power of the Dark side."