Chapter 16: The Initiation
Over by the river stream, Sunset found Kara sitting with her knees on the ground and her legs being used to support her body. It was clear to Sunset that she was meditating, facing the rising sun appearing from the ranges of Mount Everhoof [1]. Sunset felt the ray of Sunlight from the Sun she’s so familiar with shining onto her face. It was a feeling she had not felt in a long time. “ R5, leave us please.” Kara said to her droid without turning her head. She had sensed their presence. The droid complied with her request and left both master and padawan to themselves. “You summoned me here ?” Sunset called out to her. “ Yes. How are your friends doing ?” She asked, still not facing her. “They’re still in shock over what happened but they’re slowly coming to terms with it.” Sunset said. “That’s good to hear,” Kara added, “Find your center.” She invited Sunset to meditate beside her. Sunset took her invitation, sitting on her left side in a similar manner as her. She closed her eyes, clearing her mind of all thoughts and distractions as she places her sole focus towards her connection to the Force. “Tell me, what do you feel ?” Kara coolly asked. Being seated in the middle of the forest, surrounded only by the best nature has to offer, with the morning sunlight shining right into her face and the noise of running water coming from the river stream, Sunset Shimmer could only think of one word to describe the state she was in, “Serenity.”
In response to her answer, Kara chanted a mantra that she would often take comfort in, “Emotion yet peace, ignorance yet knowledge, passion yet serenity, chaos yet harmony, there is no death, there is only the Force.” [2] “ It’s the Jedi Code,” Sunset identified the mantra. Kara opened her eyes, turned to her apprentice beside her and regarded her, “Impressive.Your mastery and connection to the Force is getting stronger, more focused.” “Well, I had a good master.” Sunset said in response to her master’s praise. “You were a good listener.” Kara quipped back in the war of praises between them. Sunset chose to ignore her master’s latest salvo and proceeded to ask Kara the reason she called her here. It surely wasn’t to trade praises to one another, “ Kara why did you call me here ?”. “Because I think you’re ready.” She answered briefly, much to Sunset’s confusion, “Ready for what ?” Kara didn’t answer that, instead she proceeded to pull out a cylindrical shaped object made out of some cool metal from her waist belt. Sunset’s eyes widened as she looked at the lightsaber Kara was holding.”Is that a lightsaber ?” She exclaimed. While she had previously trained with training sabers before, this is the first time she has witnessed a true Jedi lightsaber. “Indeed it is.” Kara said as she activated her saber, igniting a blue coloured saber. “A lightsaber is the only true weapon of a Jedi. I haven’t ignited mine in a long time.” Kara said as she swung her blue aura saber mid air. Sunset could hear the humming noise the lightsaber emitted as it was being swung in mid air. She also knew what it meant for her, “ Does this mean I’m gonna have my own lightsaber ?” She asked excitedly. Sunset Shimmer had always wanted to wield a baser of her own and it appeared that it was coming to be.
Kara extinguished her lightsaber, sending the blue saber back into the cylindrical object before turning her attention over to her padawan, “When I was around your age, there was this ritual called the Gathering. We were taken to this ancient world where each of us would face trials, each trial unique to that individual. When one passes that trial, that person would be entrusted with a Kyber Crystal, one that answers to him and that person would use that crystal his or hers own lightsaber.” Kara explained. “What’s a Kyber Crystal ?” Sunset asked. “A Kyber Crystal is what powers a Jedi lightsaber.” Kara answered her query, “They are a rare find and were considered sacred to the Jedi and many other religions.” She added. “So does this mean I’m getting my own lightsaber?” Sunset queried further, her interest in the subject gaining. Kara chuckled hearing Sunset’s growing enthusiasm. Her enthusiasm reminded her how she was when she obtained her Kyber crystal all those years ago as a youngling, “You have earned it.” She said to her padawan, “However, circumstances have changed. You won’t be able to build your own lightsaber the same way I did for mine. You’ll just have to settle for this instead.” Kara pulled out from her belt a broken in half, heavily burned out structure which appeared to be a lightsaber, one that was in every definition, shattered by a great deal, with the inside mechanics of the saber visible and badly burnt. It seemed like it was pulled out from a bad crash. Its appearance however, didn’t spoil the mood for Sunset Shimmer. For her, while the shattered,wrecked state of her supposed lightsaber did dampen her enthusiasm a little, it wasn’t nothing a little fixing won’t be able to remedy. The real question, however, was who did this lightsaber belong to ?? She found it a bit far fetched that Kara would just conveniently have a spare but ultimately shattered lightsaber. “Whose lightsaber is this ?” She asked as she extended her hand towards the broken saber.
As soon as she touched the saber, that was when she felt it. ‘It started off with a feeling of calmness and tranquility, at all times. The former wielder of the lightsaber was someone who always kept a cool mind even during times of distress. While she was unable to witness the bearer itself, she could feel his personality, a wise and sagacious being who cared very deeply for lifeforms, friend or foe. It then took a different turn, the feelings of war, pain, anguish, suffering and in all of that, the wielder shouldered on, bravely leading a legion of soldiers to which he commanded great respect and admiration from, into the battlefield. Despite war, Sunset felt the foundations of the wielder remained largely unchanged. He was still the kind hearted, wise being he was. As the fighting progressed, The wielder became even more upset and distrubed over the countless beings suffering around him. It even unsettled him more when he himself played a part in the anguish the galaxy was facing. Perhaps the most powerful feeling she felt was a sense of betrayal by the wielder, his final feeling he felt before he was killed by his own men, men who he had deeply cared for and fought side by side together for years. The feeling of treachery was strong and powerful enough to pull Sunset Shimmer out of her trance and back to reality. [4] She immediately pulled her hand off the wretched saber in a state of shock. “Kara, whose lightsaber is this ?” She exclaimed.
“It belonged to my master, Plo Koon.” Kara answered calmly yet her tone was filled with sadness. Even after so much time had passed, mentioning his name still brought pain.This was the first time Kara had mentioned her master, or anything about her past for that matter to Sunset. “What was he like ?” Sunset queried further. Kara thought about what she has to say about her former master. She rekindled memories of her time as a padawan and being trained under him, how he deeply cared for her and offered the wisest advice anyone could offer. “I was assigned to be his padawan in the later stages of the war. He was one of the most compassionate persons I’ve ever known, deeply cared for life forms, even the Clone soldiers he commandeered. He was also able to keep a calm mind even in the toughest of situations.” Kara detailed with her head down. Describing her master turned out to be even more painful to bear. Sunset didn’t need to use the Force to see that her master was in distress. She tried to conceal her facial expression from Sunset but her gloomy tone gave it out. She approached her master closer, hoping to provide some emotional comfort to her and to find out what happened that resulted in her apparent trauma, “What happened to him ?” At first, Kara couldn’t go through with telling more without collapsing to the ground without weeping. Her tear glands were already as full as it is as she held back her tears, trying to appear strong. “Battle’s leave scars, sometimes not ones you can see.” She said in a similar sad tone. Sunset however, wasn’t going to give up, “You can’t keep hiding them forever,” She intoned.
Kara glanced at Sunset, seeing her eyes filled with concern for her master. Recounting what happened that fateful day on Cato Neimoidia was no easy job. It was the day that everything changed for her, how her life just ended with a single snap. Sunset on the other hand, saw the look of nothing but pure grief and sadness in Kara’s eyes. She missed her master dearly and the trauma was eating her from within. Kara looked straight into her eyes for a moment, silent before she sighed, “I suppose you do have a point,” She then continued, “ It was at the end of the Clone Wars, The Separatist leadership was collapsing following the death of their leader, Count Dooku. Things were going well for us, with victory right around the corner. That’s when everything changed, and took us all off guard………..” As Kara narrated, Sunset placed her hand onto her hoping to witness what happened all those years ago…...
Cato Neimoidia
16 Years Ago,
“ Did you find the Jedi starfighters???” Wolffe asked the team of Clones listening to him. “ We found Plo Koon’s ship crashed over at the staging zone. He’s dead, Commander.” “As for the padawan, the Probe Droid found her crashed ship near the seas but the cockpit was empty and there was no sign of her body. ” said the Clone Captain who was in charge of confirming Kara’s death. “It’s possible she could have survived. Another Clone added. “ I want all of you to pull every resource available in finding her if she indeed survived. Kara Antra has been marked for termination by Order 66. Under this directive, any and all Jedi Leadership must be executed for treason against the Republic. So find her, and do it fast. Our orders come from the Supreme Chancellor himself.” Wolffe ordered. All of the clones present replied with a fanatical tone,“Sir ! Yes Sir !” to their Commander’s orders, clearing intending to follow them through. The troopers then disperse in groups bent on finding her. Meanwhile, from the safety of her hiding spot, Kara's heart had sunk in. She had for a brief moment hoped that Wolffe, being the second in command and her master’s most trusted officer, would not turn on the Jedi. But after hearing the briefing that had transpired below, all hopes were lost. Wolffe was like any other trooper now, bent on executing his orders. Kara did not have her questions answered but instead more questions were raised, and this too was echoed by R5, in his language of beeping. Nothing makes sense at all, she thought. One thing was clear, the disturbance she had felt earlier, it was the cries of every other Jedi across the galaxy before they too were coldly executed by their Clone troopers. Her thoughts are then interrupted when she notices some troopers getting in the gunships which lift up from the ground and turns on their searchlights to start an aerial sweep of the city for her. “ That’s not good”, she muttered.
“We need to go now,!” Kara said to her droid as they took cover from searchlights. With no shuttle to get off world, and the Clones actively hunting them, there was little choice ahead of them and Kara had to think fast. R5 had asked her their next step, the droid too knew the longer they were here, the more likely they were to get caught.Kara looked over the staging area where her master’s ship had earlier crashed into,coming up with a plan before turning her attention back to her droid, “Go to the impound lot and find us any type of ship so we can fly out of this planet. I’ll head over to the Staging Area, we’ll meet there.” R5 understood the first part easily but it was the second part that confused him the most. The astromech droid beeped out his concern of heading to the Staging zone with the Clones on the lookout for her. Kara sighed, “I know the risks, but I have to know if Master Plo survived.” As much as she already knew the answer, there was still some hope in her, however dim it may be that her master had survived the crash. She couldn’t take the word of the Clone that her master was dead. How could she trust their word after they turned on the both of them ? Time wasn’t on their side though, as Kara was immediately alerted to the sound of an approaching Gunship with searchlights beaming to the ground. “We’ll go now !” She exclaimed quietly to her droid.
It took a much longer time for Kara to make her way to the Staging Area which was only a straight path from where she was. At every corner, she had to seek cover from the patrolling Clone troopers and gunships hovering above to keep herself hidden and presumed dead. As she hid from the Clones policing the deserted, war torn streets of the bridge city they had just captured earlier, she could not help notice how their behavior had drastically changed. They had somehow lost their sense of personality, their individuality that set them apart from one another despite having exact genetic makeups. It was replaced with a stoic emotionless tone (Kara was unable to make out their expressions thanks to the helmets they wore but it is likely to share the same expression as their voices) as they aggressively hounded up the Neimodian prisoners of war. Even her former unit she served in, the Wolfpack battalion which had partaken in many humanitarian missions in the past were now expressionless and somewhat more aggressive in handling the prisoners of war. As Kara sneaked past them, she had failed to sense any form of hatred or malice revolving around the Clones, strange considering that they had turned on their Jedi leaders not so long ago. It was as if they were nothing more than programmed mindless droids carrying out their jobs. It bewildered her that the Clones were lacking any sort of darkness despite their betrayal. Granted, her senses were not attuned enough, but even her master, an experienced Jedi Master, had failed to sense their malice till it was too late. Kara decided to shrug off the questions she had at the back of her head, her priority for now was to survive and get off this rock.
As Kara made it to the wrecked and partially up in flames staging area, she quickly took cover behind one of the tall pillars. She had noticed two Clone troopers belonging to the 445th Battalion standing beside what appeared to be Master Plo’s crashed ship, with the clones obstructing her view of the cockpit. All Kara could see was her master’s severely damaged starship with a trail of smoke coming from it. Unbeknownst to her presence, the Clones checked out the Jedi Starship conversing amongst themselves, allowing Kara to eavesdrop. “ Plo Koon is dead alright. All we need now is for the padawan’s death to be confirmed.” Spoke the first Clone. “ I heard that Chancellor Palpatine is giving a special address to the Senate soon.” Said the second in changing the subject. “ What do you think it's about ?” Asked the first Clone, who seemed interested. “With General Grievous defeated and the Jedi gone, I guess it’s about the end of the war.” The Second Clone explained. This seemed to have garnered enthusiastic response from his brother, “ It’s hard to believe after three long years of fighting, the war is finally over.”
Kara’s heart sunk into despair upon hearing the Clones repeating what Wolffe had said earlier: that Master Plo is dead. Still, she couldn’t come to terms with it despite seeing her master’s crashed starfighter right with her own two eyes. But first, she needed to get past the Clones between them. It was quite clear at this point that they weren’t planning on moving on from the Crash site. She slightly extended her hand and used the Force to create a distracting noise, one in the form of pushing a couple of crumbled debris parts which succeeded in getting the attention of the troopers. “What was that ?” The first Clone asked, “ We better check it out.” The second Clone signaled his brother to the source where the sound had come from. With the troopers out of the way, Kara finally got a good look at the cockpit, only to find her master’s dead, burnt body lying lifeless on the cockpit seat. She got out from her hiding spot and rushed to her Plo Koon’s dead body, her tear glands about to explode. Kara ran to the side of her fallen master. Upon a closer view, she found his upper oranged coloured forehead badly burnt as a result of the ship exploding and crashing. Some parts of the ship had even pierced through his body as a result of the impact. Any slight hope she had that her master had survived quickly dissipated upon seeing his badly disfigured lifeless body. Even if he had survived, the severe injuries would have killed him. That wasn’t all, his breathing which he almost never took off was shattered, with smaller bits pierced through his now exposed face. Even if he miraculously survived his injuries, breathing without his mask in a Type one atmosphere(which was poisonous to the Kel Dor species) would have certainly killed him. Seeing the deceased body of her master was enough for Kara to completely break down. “Master Plo, master wake up, WAKE UP !!” She wept continuously as she vigorously shook Plo Koon’s dead body. “I’m lost without you.” Kara depressingly resigned to her master’s fate, weeping about her predicament. She was alone, no friends, no family and now, no mentor. She was at rock bottom.
As she weeped, Kara’s comm link on her left hand began to beep. She answered the incoming transmission, “You found a ship R5 ?” R5’s beeped in the affirmative to her question. “Good job buddy,” Kara sniveled, “ trace my coordinates and bring the ship here.” She then ended the transmission. Just then, she found her master’s damaged lightsaber hanging from his belt. The crystal that once powered the saber was broken to two, as such, it lost its once blue luminosity. Kara reached out and grabbed the broken lightsaber, “ I will never forget you, Master Plo.” She said as she pulled out the saber and placed it inside her vest. The damaged saber was now her only remembrance of her master. As she was about to get up and leave for the ship, she heard the sound of a couple of blasters being pointed right to her. “Hands up, Jedi Scum !!” Bellowed the voice of the first Clone. The clones must have returned back to the crash after checking out the ‘distraction’. “Contact Commander Wolfe. Inform him that we have apprehended the padawan.” The clone trooper further intoned to his brother. Kara knew all too well it would all be over if her presence was alerted to the others, especially Wollfe. In a desperate attempt, she tried to plead with the troopers behind her, “ Please troopers, you don’t want to do this.”
“Shut up, traitor !” One of them demanded her. Out of options, Kara knew there was only one way left, and it was one that she had hoped to have avoided. With a heavy heart, her hand reached out to her lightsaber. “I’m so sorry,” She muttered quietly to the troopers as she ignited her saber and swiftly swung back, slicing the Clones, who had little to to react, on their white armored chests, cutting through it and effectively killing them. The Clones fell to the ground, dead and with no outgoing transmission made. Kara extinguished her lightsaber, her heart now flooded with guilt. This was the first time she had killed, not to mention it was the life of those who had fought side by side with. The toll of taking one’s life was too much for the young teen to bear, she collapsed to the ground weeping. There wasn’t much time though, as soon she saw some kind of luxurious looking Neimoidian starship landing not far from her. Just then, her comm link beeped again, with R5 on the other side calling her to get onboard. Wasting no time, Kara quickly boarded the ship and headed to the cockpit. With Kara onboard, R5 immediately pulled up the boarding ramps and piloted the ship away. “Great job, R5,I’ll take it from here,” Kara said to her droid as she took over the controls of the ship. She steered the ship towards space, intending to jump into hyperspace. “Jam their scanners and patch us through to the Jedi frequency.” Kara intoned. R5, plugged into the ship’s computer scrambled its signatured so that it would not be detected by Republic Venator destroyers in orbit. R5 also patched through to the Jedi comm frequencies but was greeted with only static coming from all channels. “There’s nothing on the comms,” Kara remarked before turning to R5, “ Keep trying until you get a response. Till then, I’ll set course for the Jedi Temple.” R5 opined through beeping that it was a bad idea, especially after the massacre that just happened. “I know it's risky but I need answers and if anyone else has survived,” Kara said as she set the course for the only place she could call home. With a course set, she made the jump into hyperspace. [5]
…..“And that’s what happened on that day,” the present Kara finished narrating the events of Order 66. Sunset released her hand from Kara's hand, her eyes filled with sadness and pity for having witnessed her master’s past horror. “I’m sorry, but I saw what happened that day through my geode psychometry powers.” She apologized to Kara for invading her privacy. Kara turned to Sunset, her expression was far from being mad or anything, “I know.” She muttered quietly to her, “ It relieves a bit of the pain from narrating it.” She added. “It must be hard having to see your master killed in front of your own eyes.” Sunset said. While Sunset had her differences with her former mentor, Princess Celestia, she could always count on her for advice and guidance and not to mention there were also her friends she could count on. Kara never had that luxury in perhaps the most pivotal moments of her life, she had no one. Nobody to seek advice for the most of her adolescent life. “You know, despite the many flaws of the Jedi Order, they were the closest I ever had to a family. After that day, I had no one, no friends, no family, nobody.” Kara said. “ At least you still have us. That’s something.” Sunset hoped to placate Kara’s grief. ‘Ironic’ Kara thought to herself. Now the padawan was comforting the master from grief. While a lot of things had changed in the last 16 years, the trauma of having her master being shot down in front of her own two eyes was still hard to come to terms with. Sure, she now has friends who cared about her and vice versa and a cause to fight for, but the bond, the spark she once shared with her master was not there. It wasn’t something that could not be easily replaced.
Kara decided to bury her thoughts(and trauma) of losing her master deep within her and turned her focus instead to Sunset’s lightsaber, “Forget about me, it’s time you build your own lightsaber with this.” She handed her padawan the remains of her master’s former lightsaber. “ But I don’t have a Kyber Crystal.” Sunset pointed out, confused over how she’s supposed to construct a lightsaber without its most essential element. Kara regarded her steadily, “You have everything you need to construct your lightsaber.” “What’s that supposed to mean ?” Sunset blurted out, confused over Kara’s vague statement. “You know what I mean.” Kara pointed out to her. Sunset thought hard on what her master meant. It was only when she looked down to her neck that Sunset realized what she meant. “My geode ?” She asked as she held her magical geode locker that she, like the rest of her friends, were gifted during their time at Camp Everfree. “Indeed,” Kara replied, impressed at the short time it took for her to figure it out. “ Your geode is actually a Kyber Crystal-an ancient one that is.” She elaborated further.
The revelation that Sunset Shimmer had been wearing a kyber crystal, not to mention an ancient one as a locket was too heavy for her to comprehend easily. At least her questions of the strange nature of the geodes have finally been answered after all this while. She had theorized all kinds of assumptions with the most prevalent one being the geodes had been infused with Equestrian Magic or at least originated from Equestria. Of course all her theories were now proven to be completely wrong. “ You’re saying that I’ve been wearing a Kyber crystal the whole time ?” She asked out loud. “Correct. It was always meant to be that you and your friends found the crystals. They wanted you too.” Kara said. Sunset’s eyes widened at this revelation, “ I was meant to ? You’re saying that I was destined to find it ?” Kara regarded Sunset, “The Force works in many mysterious ways, sometimes no in ways that we can comprehend so easily.” “But what about our powers and ponying up ?” Sunset queried further. “Sunset, I must admit that while the purpose as to your friends and their unique powers granted by these geodes eludes me, all I know is that this particular geode calls to you, and it was for this very reason you were meant to have it.” Kara said. Sunset accepted that it was her destiny to have been given her geode for this very moment. However, she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. “How do I build my lightsaber with it ?” She asked. “Just remember everything I taught you.” Kara answered her question cooly, her tone nothing short of serene.
Sunset took out her geode locket and held it in the palm of her hand. Through the Force, she could feel the energy within her geode. It was calling out to her, more importantly, it was somewhat drawn towards the lightsaber that lay in front of her. It was as if her geode somehow had a mind of its own, seeking to be a part of the lightsaber but at the same time, it was calling out to her, it wanted her to wield the saber. Sunset found it hard to explain or put into words the feeling she felt but she decided to go with it anyway. Sunset closed her eyes, clearing her mind of any distracting thoughts as she channeled her focus towards her geode. She used the Force to levitate her geode mid air, bringing it to the same level as her head, her concentration undisturbed and strengthened by the geode. The metal encase of her locket opened up, revealing the bright amarantish glowing Kyber Crystal geode within it. Sunset could sing a sort of faint humming noise that sounded like a voice coming from the geode, as if it was being freed. As the former locket of her slowly descended to the ground, Sunset extended her field of concentration towards the lightsaber parts, lifting them up. Sunset could tell she was doing everything right, it was a feeling she felt.
“ Remember Sunset,” Kara gently reminded her padawan, “clear your mind and concentrate. The design will become clear.” Sunset heard her master’s word but chose not to reply. Doing so would only break her concentration-something Kara knew. Just then, she saw a design in her mind, blurry at first but as her concentration strengthened, so did the image become clearer, revealing an outline of constructing a lightsaber. She could see an image of a lightsaber in her head, and the parts that needed to be fitted to be completed. With a design now clear in her mind, Sunset moved the respective parts of the lightsaber parts in front of her to their places. As she assembled her lightsaber using the Force, Kara sat by and watched her padawan undertake a test that she had once undertaken many years ago under vastly different circumstances. She had hoped for Sunset to have gone through the same trials and rituals she went through as a youngling, but perhaps this is what the Force has willed for her, for her to construct her lightsaber using a crystal that she came to obtain in a different manner than hers. ‘Maybe it was destined to be this way for her,’ Kara thought. Sunset almost completes assembling her lightsaber, but it wasn’t quite complete yet without its soul, the geode which will bring life to it. With the Force guiding her actions, she moved the geode to the inner core of the saber, completing the final touch of her now fully assembled lightsaber. [6]
With the final touch added, Sunset releases her concentration and opened her eyes, finding the assembled and fully restored lightsaber at the palm of her hands, ready to be ignited. “It's..it’s done.” Sunset stummered at the sight of her completed saber. “It’s easy once you clear your mind of distractions,” Kara said before turning her attention to the lightsaber on her palms, “Now for the final step, ignite it.” Kara placed her hand on the lightsaber, showing Sunset Shimmer the button to ignite her saber . Sunset nodded before pulling herself up and extended her hand forward, with the lightsaber firmly held. “This is it,” She muttered before pressing the button. Once pressed, the emitter of the lightsaber opened up, shooting up a yellow coloured plasma blade giving out a humming sound as Sunset swung her new saber left and right, clearly excited about her very own constructed lightsaber. Kara nostalgically watched her padawan’s enthusiastic expression of wielding her own saber, reminiscing of her own enthusiasm during the moment when she built her own lightsaber all those years ago. It was a feeling that every Jedi would remember. “Careful,” She warned Sunset, “You don’t wanna cut your hand off with it.” “I think I can handle myself.” Sunset jokingly shrugged it off.
“So confident you say, ?” Kara said to her as she pulled herself up. Sunset stopped swinging her lightsaber and turned her attention to what her master had to say next, “ Let’s test that shall we ?” Sunset’s eyes widened, “ You want a lightsaber duel ? An actual lightsaber duel ?”, her tone filled with astonishment. “That’s what you always wanted right ? Unless you’re not ready,” Kara shot back at Sunset’s surprised expression with a rhetorical question. Sunset’s expression then turned stern. “I’m ready,” She said with a streak of determination in her voice, the same tone Kara was hoping to hear. She proceeded to pull out her lightsaber that was hanging off her waist belt and ignited her blue bladed lightsaber. As the blue blade shot up, Sunset positioned herself into ready position, her hand firmly gripped on the saber’s handgrip, all set for her master to strike. “The blades will be drawn to each other,” Kara said before making the first strike, striking high. Seeing the incoming strike, Sunset proceeded to block high, causing the two lightsabers, yellow and blue, to intersect. As the blades intersected, Sunset felt a drag coming from her lightsaber as if it was getting heavier. Sunset struggled to maintain her block due the blade dragging her down, even more so when intersecting with Kara’s. “It’s heavier than I thought.” She said as she grappled. “Energy constantly flows through the crystal,”Kara remarked, “ you’re not fighting a simple blade as much as you’re directing a current of power, your thoughts, emotions, they flow through the crystals as well and become part of the lightsaber.”
Kara then relaxed her strike, giving some breathing space to her apprentice. “We’ll try again,” She intoned before proceeding to another strike in the middle. Sunset moved to counteract the strike, blocking the strike and causing the blades to intersect again. This time however, Sunset had a better grasp of the lightsaber and wasn’t struggling to keep its hold. While the lightsaber was still dragging her down, her grip on it was strengthened, giving her the upper hand. “That saber is heavy, old, the crystal, even older. Respect their strength.” Kara said before suddenly abruptly letting go for her strike, causing Sunset to stumble forward for a moment, but she quickly brought herself up, just in time to block another parry from Kara, who unlike last time, was not holding back. There was no telling, no warning, nothing for incoming strikes. Sunset had to keep up with the more often and unpredictable strikes. “The crystal listened to you before, now it's time you listen to it instead.” Kara said as she relaxed the tempo of their parrying, albeit for a short moment before pushing on.
Initially struggling to keep up with the barrage of strikes being thrown at her by Kara Sunset continued to hold on to her strikes, blocking every strike by her master, each time she blocked a charge, her strength and skills with the saber increased, her connection to the crystal was getting deeper, as if her thoughts were becoming attuned to the crystal. The Saber, unlike before, was less heavier, providing her more flexibility to swing the lightsaber and neutralize every strike by Kara. She could feel the Force within her flowing through her veins and reaching the lightsaber she held as her momentum increased. This time, she preserved her energy wisely, not wanting to burn out fast and lose like the last time. “The lightsaber is lighter than before.” She said to her master as they parried. “Good,” Kara replied before continuing, “ You’re connecting to it, it's becoming a part of you. The question is, can you use that to your advantage ?” Sunset Shimmer was determined to prove the affirmative, only not by words but by her actions instead. Counter Blocking a final blow from her, Sunset used her saber to push Kara off from her, creating some distance between the both of them. Seizing the opportunity, Sunset went on the offensive, charging towards her master and unleashing strike after strike. Kara was slightly taken aback by the sudden offensive however, she parried it off expertly. Sunset was careful not to use all of her momentum at one go, it was crucial that she did so, to keep fatigue from setting in. Just then, Kara abruptly dodged to one side just as Sunset realized that she had overextended. Kara quickly took the moment to reassert herself over her padawan but Sunset saw it coming. She had expected it. Kara swung her saber to her padawan’s chest but Sunset quickly countered it before sending the blue lightsaber back to her master. Sunset then took charge, striking Kara, her yellow blade was caught with Kara’s blue lightsaber. Sunset increased her counter and leaned in.
‘ This is the moment,’ Sunset said to herself within. She continued leaning into an already pressured Kara. She knew well that her master wasn’t going to be on the defensive for long. Kara proved Sunset right by extending her arms forward, using her saber to shove Sunset off her charge. She then proceeded to launch a strike of her own. But as she swung her saber upwards, she inadvertently exploded her abdomen, and Sunset seized the moment. She extended her left leg forward in a diagonal manner and kicked off Kara from her charge. It was enough to send her falling to the ground, letting go of her lightsaber in process which fell not far from but far enough to be out of her arm’s reach. The blue bladed lightsaber immediately extinguished itself as soon as it hit the ground. Kara was about to use the Force to pull her lightsaber back to her hand when she found a yellow bladed lightsaber being pointed directly at her by a victorious Sunset Shimmer. [7]
“You have been beaten, master.” Sunset declared with a triumphant, unbeaten look on her face. “It appears I have,” Kara quickly resigned herself to her padawan’s victory in taking her down. Kara didn’t feel defeated. Instead she felt nothing but pride in her padawan. Sunset extinguished her lightsaber and extended her hand forward for Kara to pull herself up, which she did. “I believe a congratulatory wish is in order.” Kara said as she pulled herself back up with the help of Sunset. “Only because of your training, did I succeed, Kara.” Sunset said, in trying to sound modest. “I merely showed you the door. It was up to you whether to open it or not.” Kara metaphorically added. Sunset was about to open her mouth before she was interrupted by a familiar voice calling out from behind, “ Looks like someone’s got her own laser sword at last !” Sunset turned around to find Karl approaching them. “How long have you been watching us ?” Kara queried Karl as he came up to them. “Long enough to see your butt get kicked.” Karl offered a sarcastic answer. “So what do you think of my skills ?” Sunset asked in a boasting manner. Karl turned his attention over to Sunset and regarded her steadily, “ Just be careful not to lose your hand with that thing. It’s hard to find a prosthetic out here.”, [8] He said crudely. Sunset cursed Karl under her breath in frustration. She was well capable of handling herself and wielding the lightsaber in a safe manner. Karl paid no attention to Sunset’s annoyed look and instead turned it over to Kara, “ Before I forget, Gerrera has called you guys over to his Command tent.” “What does he want with us ?” Sunset asked, her interest now shifted to the subject at hand.
“ Why don’t you go and find out ?” Kara said to Sunset, “We’ll be right behind you.” “ If you say so,” Sunset took her master’s word and proceeded to head for the Command tent alone. Kara watched Sunset walk off with pride and satisfaction, at how her padawan matured greatly from the moment she first met her not so long ago. ‘Sunset is on a path to become a great Jedi,’ She said to herself. “I’ve reported back to Rebel Intelligence about our mission.” Karl said to her, unaware of what she was thinking. “ That’s good to know,” Kara replied back without making eye contact, clearly distracted by her own thoughts to Karl. It was quite obvious to him what was bothering her. “ It’s been a while since you took out your lightsaber.” He spoke, attracting her attention at last. “Things have changed.” Kara offered a brief reply, to which Karl responded with, “You mean Sunset Shimmer ?” Kara couldn’t deny that. Sunset reminded her greatly of how she was during her youthful days, full of energy and always optimistic of the future. It was a trait that Kara very much saw in Sunset and unlike her, who had those traits replaced with hopelessness and the grim reality of war, Sunset’s was still going strong. She still kept hope that things could change for the better, even when in the grimmest of all situations. It was like she was a beacon of light in a void of darkness. “I..don’t know how to explain it...but.. she reminds me of how I was when I was younger. I lost my way once, I’m not gonna let the same thing happen to her.” Kara said. “I’m sure you won’t” Karl offered a brief but yet powerful remark back at her.
Karl and Kara eventually caught up to Sunset as they headed to the Command tent situated at the center of the makeshift Partisan base. Guarding the narrow entrance was a blaster rifle armed Aqualish Partisan soldier. The Aqualish trooper, with his enormous blubonic black eyes gazed at them for what seemed like a moment before allowing them to pass into the Command Tent. The tent was filled with at least a dozen other Partisan troopers that have encircled a white coloured Astromech droid while projecting a holographic image of some kind of Dome. Saw was situated at the center of the group, closest to the droid as he seemed to be directing his men’s attention over to the holographic image as part of some kind of planning.Beside him was the female Zabrak soldier from earlier. The trio squeezed their way through the troopers to the front, finding Zeko and R5. The astromech droid noticed their presence and called out to the Ardennian in his usual beeping manner. “Took you guys long enough.” Zeko said to them. “Why, what’s going on here ?” Sunset asked in an unsure tone. “Good Question,” Saw replied to her query before continuing, “I figured you people might wanna hear this.” “Let’s hear it then,” Kara called on Gerrera to explain further. “ My spies have returned from the local settlement after some reconnaissance to see what we’re up against.” Saw said before being interrupted by Sunset, “You mean Canterlot City ?” Saw turned his attention to the bacon coloured haired girl, “If that’s what it’s called,” concurring with her before drawing their attention over to the massive mushroom shaped dome looking holographic image projected by the droid, “This is what we found.”
“Is that what I think it is ?” Karl said, instantly recognising the dome-shaped structure. “It is,” Saw agreed with Karl before continuing, “ It’s an Imperial Administration Complex [9]. It’s located at the eastern fridges of the City, away from the preexisting structures. The Empire established it as soon as they seized the planet.” Sunset’s eyes widened over the ridiculously massive Imperial Complex. It’s literally impossible to construct a feit of that size in the very short time the Empire captured the City. “How did the Imperials construct something as large as that in that short period ?” She asked. “That’s cause it wasn’t,” Gerrera debunked her question, “This type of mobile ready- made facility is often sent to newly occupied systems to establish their headquarters.” “So it looks like the Empire isn’t planning on leaving this place.” Zeko scoffed. “I don’t think it was ever in their itinerary in the first place.” The Zabrak female trooper intoned. Kara turned her attention over to Gerrera, “ So what’s your plan?” You’re gonna blow it up ?” She asked “Not quite. My spies brought back intel about sensitive information regarding the Empire’s plans for this world being kept in this part of the Complex.” The holographic image zoomed in towards a portion of the base one which seemed to be heavily defended, indicated by multiple red dots indicating stormtrooper presence in the area.
“ The Partisans and I intend to stage an infiltration mission to the Complex and get this information. That way we can know the real purpose of the Empire annexing this world.” Saw explained further. “Why do you need us for then ?” Karl pointed out. From the stories he’s heard, Saw’s own band was more than enough to stage a mission of this magnitude without much help, contributing to their experience in guerrilla warfare. “That’s not all, my spies also brought intel about the local inhabitants of the town being detained at this part of the Facility.” Saw pointed out to a different part of the mushroom shaped structure, the holographic image zoomed in further to the particular section, located exactly opposite the site Saw had pointed out earlier for he and his men to infiltrate, with the holographic image showing a large prison being housed inside this section of the Complex. Like the earlier portion, this part of the base was also guarded with at least a pair of AT-ST walkers, Anti-Air cannons, E-Web cannons and multiple stormtroopers. “You’re saying that Canterlot residents are being imprisoned there ?” Sunset blurted out, her face showing concern for her people. While her friends and Flash were safe, everyone else wasn’t and was now incarcerated in some Imperial detention facility. Their predicament was somewhat like the Wookiees.
“That’s right,” Saw said to Sunset, “The City has been completely cleared with the residents being detained for the ‘Imperialisation’ process to begin.” “What do you mean by that ?” Sunset queried further. The term imperialisation unnerved her. “In simple terms, it’s a brainwashing session, to turn them into loyal non-questioning subjects.” The female Zabrak trooper answered on Gerrera’s behalf. Sunset’s worst fears had been confirmed. “We have to save them.” Sunset pleaded. There was no way she was going to allow her own people to be indoctrinated by propaganda. “So you want us to break out the locals ?” Kara asked Saw. She already knew the answer though. It was quite clear of his intentions of revealing it to them. “Correct. After all, you guys seem to have taken an interest in the people here” Saw continued, “Besides, you get to save an entire native population from being indoctrinated by lies and half truths and show them the true colours of the Empire. That’s more people added to our cause.”
“Can’t say I disagree with you.” Zeko saw the point Gererra was trying to make. “There’s still one problem though,” Karl pointed out the heavy defenses surrounding the portion that housed the Detention facility., “ We’re dealing with heavy defenses. AT-ST walkers, E Web and Anti Air cannons, not to mention swarms of stormtroopers. We aren’t capable of breaking through these defenses alone.” Sunset understood Karl’s point. Being a motley crew, there was no way they could go up against the superior fire power of the Empire. “I’m prepared to lend my men led by Captain Bonthra to aid you. They have good experience in dealing with heavy defenses like this.” Saw pointed to the Zabrak female trooper who now had a name. “This way, we can thin out their forces as both teams attack at opposing sides of the complex.” Captain Bonthra concurred with him. “With your team attacking the detention facility, it can serve as a distraction for my team to infiltrate the Command deck and find out what they’re here for.” Saw took over from Captain Bonthra before turning his attention to the Gauntlet crew, “So what do you say ?” “The more the merrier I guess.” Karl intoned in an accepting manner. “If that’s what it takes to free my people, then I’m in.” Sunset gave a more clear and resolute answer. “I suppose we’re in an agreement then,” Saw said before making a suggestion to Sunset,”If you want, you can even bring your local friends.” Sunset didn’t have to think hard and thoroughly for the answer. “NO” She said with resolve and firmly. “I’m not dragging them into this. Their hands are clean.” She added, adamant that her friends should not be pulled into a war.
Sunset Shimmer knew her friends well, with the tip of her fingers. While they have experience in dealing in calamities in the past, they were sure as heck not saboteurs. They had only used the magic gifted to them in defense, never as a weapon to attack. Even Rainbow Dash, who often boasts about her powers and was the first to embrace the ‘heroicness’ of her powers never used them to go on the offensive. Deep down, she was like the others, principled innocent girls with no sort of malice or ill-intent despite their different personalities. Saw was indifferent to Sunset’s outright rejection of his suggestion, “Suit yourself.” He said in his usual hoarse manner before turning his attention to the others, “Everyone else gear up. We leave at sundown.” He ordered the Partisans. With their orders given, the troopers dispersed out from the tent to stock up and ready their weaponry for the upcoming dusk attack, leaving the Gauntlet crew to themselves as they left the tent together with the group. “ That's very noble of you to leave your friends out of this Sunset.” Kara said to her padawan. “They’re not soldiers. It’s not fair for us to force them into one.” Sunset commented about her decision before realizing that she would have to inform them of the mission and knowing them well, it was no easy task. While she had made up her mind not to involve them, the same can’t be said for them, “The tough part is convincing them to let me go solo for this mission.” She added. “I’m sure you find a way kid,” Zeko said before excusing himself, “ Now if you excuse me, I gotta run a diagnostics check on the Gauntlet to make sure she’s battle ready for our mission.” ‘If he only knew how headstrong and stubborn her friends can be in times like this,’ Sunset said to herself.
Later,
“N-O, NO! There is no way we are letting you go off on your own.” Rainbow Dash bellowed out determinedly. Sunset Shimmer had told her friends and Flash Sentry about the late evening attack on the Imperial Complex that Gererra and his Partisans group had planned for. She told them about the prisoners kept there being Canterlot City residents which included their schoolmates and family members, how she had to save them from being indoctrinated with lies and this being too dangerous for them to tag along and asked for them to stay back at the base. “Rainbow Dash is right, whatever mission it is you’re off to, we’re coming with you and that’s FINAL.” Applejack concurred with Rainbow Dash, a rare occurrence for someone with a rational and level headed mind as her. Sunset found it unsurprising and expected to face much resistance from her friends about the mission but she wasn’t going to sway. “I’m not going off on my own Rainbow Dash. It was Saw Gerrera that planned this attack, and we’re just tagging along to save the people of Canterlot.” Sunset tried to reason with her often brash friend. Rainbow however, and by extension the others didn’t seem too convinced. “Who do you mean by ‘we’ ?” Twilight incredulously asked.
“Kara, Karl,Zeko and I as what I meant by.” Sunset said, knowing full when it was going to attract a barrage of brickbats, which it did. “You’re going with the four armed alien guy ? Come on !!” Rainbow increasingly grumbled. “What happened to our motto, all for one and one for all ?” [10] Pinkie Pie pointed out in a less cheerful manner than usual. Sunset and the others looked at her with confused glances. They never had a motto to begin with. “I don’t think that was ever our motto Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said in a calm and composed manner to her hyperactive friend before turning to Sunset, “But she does have a point Sunny darling. We aren’t going to let you off alone on this mission you’ve gotten yourself together.” “We usually do things together no matter how dangerous or crazy it is.” Twilight Sparkle added. “Unless you don’t want to do things together anymore because you have new friends now.” Fluttershy theorized innocently. “No,That’s not the case, Fluttershy,” Sunset outrightly rejected her speculation. She didn’t want them to be looking at it from a different view.
Sunset took a deep breath before beginning another round of reasoning with her friends, “ Please try to understand girls, I’m not abandoning any of you guys to be with Kara and the rest of them. This mission is extremely risky and I can’t forgive myself if anything ever happened to any one of you guys during it. This is a mission that I have to shoulder the risks by myself.” Sunset spoke until she emptied her heart out. “Are you sure about this ?” Flash asked. “I am. You guys are just gonna have to trust me with this.” Sunset intoned. She had already made up her mind on not having them being brought into this Insurgency she’s part of. There was silence amongst the girls as they exchanged glances with each other, apparently coming up with some collective decision amongst them. Rainbow Dash, being most resistant to the mission, sighed heavily, yielding before nodding towards Twilight. With the others supposedly backing her, Twilight stood out and turned to Sunset, “ We trust you Sunset Shimmer. That has never changed and never will. Since you insist on going alone, we won’t hold you back.” Twilight, who spoke on behalf of the girls, relented on their earlier opposition. “Even though it's a horrible idea,” Rainbow scoffed. “I know it's a hard decision but thanks for being understanding.” Sunset acknowledged their reluctance. Even she would be too, if placed in their shoes.
“On one condition however,” Applejack stood out before continuing, “If this mission gets too messy you abandon it and come straight back. Promise us you’ll do that.” She said with her stern voice, with the others rallying behind her. Sunset understood her concerns well and couldn’t blame them. After all, from their perspective, they didn’t want to lose a friend they just got back. “I promise,” Sunset said, hoping to reassure them. Just then, her comm link began to beep. She answered the incoming transmission and spoke, “I’m on my way,” through it to whoever it was that was contacting her (most likely R5) before ending it and turning her attention back to her friends. “I’ll have to go now guys.” She informed them before turning her back and was about to head off when she heard a voice. “Good Luck, Sunset” She heard Pinkie Pie calling out to her from behind, wishing her luck. “Thanks” She said before heading off to the Gauntlet, where her team was waiting. “I sure hope she knows what she's doing.” Flash remarked as they watched Sunset head off. “Me too, Flash Sentry,” Rainbow Dash concurred, “Me too.”
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