Chapter 5
Flash could hardly believe he was letting himself do this.
The newest member of the Jedi Order was currently sat in a room with many other Jedi. Except these Jedi were all between the ages of ten and twelve. Many of them were talking to themselves, or playing a game of some kind, whilst others were practising with training sabers or on their Force control.
Amongst the group were Spike, Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were sitting a short distance away from him. Despite the four having met Flash and learned of his story, they and Flash were still like strangers to one another. In the month since Flash officially joined the order, he hadn't seen them at all.
That was mostly due to Shining Armor, putting him through hell.
From sunup to two hours past sundown, Shining forced him through every kind of exercise imaginable to get him up to speed with the rest of the Padawans his age. Hours upon hours of saber training, helping Flash slowly learn to use something other than form one, an endless number of obstacle course in the holo-chamber, constant studying to teach Flash the Jedi Code and their history. Shining hadn't been joking when he said Flash wouldn't eat, sleep or do anything without his approval. And Flash was loving it
Whilst most people would think Shining's training would be going overboard, Flash knew he had a lot of catching up to do. He had to make up for the years he spent unable to get the proper training he needed.
But now, the boot camp from hell was over and Flash had developed a lot. It was time for him to look into other aspects of Jedi life. Which was why he was currently there.
"The Jedi Cores?" Flash asked as he and Twilight were in the Jedi Archives studying history together.
"Master Grand never mentioned them?" Twilight asked, with Flash shaking his head. He was pretty sure he had never heard anything about that. But as he thought about it, he did remember something being mentioned. But not by Grand.
"Wait, Shining mentioned something about Core. We were having lunch and I looked around, wondering where you and the others were. Shining said you were probably doing your core work."
Twilight nodded, as Springer floated onto the scene from one of the archive servers. Since Flash had joined the Order, Springer had been registered to the Order as well. Alas, since he was a Padawan, Flash wasn't allowed to claim ownership of him.
Shining had agreed to become Springer's owner until Flash was a knight. Once that happened, he would transfer Springer back to him. As such, Springer had been helping out wherever he was needed. The Jedi didn't have many droids, but the ones they did have were treated well and used to maintain systems in the order whenever they weren't assisting Jedi in the field.
Springer floated next to Flash and handed over a new pad, which was filled with new info Flash had to memorise.
"So what exactly are these cores?"
"There are four cores inside the Jedi Order. The Education Core, Medical Core, Agriculture Core and Exploration Core. Each core has a specific purpose and helps the order function. The Education Core focuses on maintaining and updating the archives, for future Jedi to use. Its members are also in charge of teaching the younglings all the basic skills and abilities they'll need, such as reading, writing, doing math and that kind of thing."
"So basically...it's a normal school but run by Jedi."
"Pretty much. The Medical Core is focused on healing, either through the basic methods you find in hospitals or with special techniques using the Force."
"The Force can heal?"
"The Force can do anything. It's just the ability to use The Force to do it is difficult. Anyway, Healers either treat Jedi here at the temple or go out into the field and act as paramedics whenever they're needed. They're an important part of the Order." Flash nodded, understanding that. "The Agricultural Core is for farming and other necessities the Order needs. Where do you think the food you eat comes from?"
"Huh, never thought about it. So they're Jedi Farmers?"
"The core also goes out into the universe, to help planets suffering from famine or other issues that could make growing food difficult. If it wasn't for that core, many worlds would have died by now."
"Wow. And what about the last core?"
"That's the Exploration Core. Or the Jedi Seekers. Their mission is to explore the vast unexplored areas of the galaxy. Seeking out new life and new planets that can be used to establish colonies by the rest of the Republic. It's not easy and they end up facing many unknowns whilst they're out there, but they also discover many amazing things."
"Like what?"
"Like lost Jedi Temples. Former homes of Jedi, that were forced to aimlessly wander the galaxy during a time of great evil. When the Jedi were finally united and established their base on Canterlot, many of the temple locations were lost. But every now and then, the Seekers find one and discover many of their hidden secrets."
"So there's the Jedi Teacher, Healer, Farmers and Seekers? And I have to pick one of these cores?"
"Pretty much," Twilight nodded. "When we're Younglings, we're made to choose which core to join. Some know right away which one they want to be in, whilst others need a little help deciding. Eventually, each Youngling chooses a core and starts studying aspects of it. That way, they'll be ready to join whether they become Padawans or not."
"What do you mean, whether they become Padawans or not?" Twilight frowned at this, looking around as if she was about to say something taboo.
"Not every Youngling becomes a Jedi," she told him. "Most of the time, only one in four Younglings earn the rank of Padawan." Flash was shocked to hear this, whilst Twilight looked upset. "Nobody likes it, but that's just the way it goes. Not every Youngling has what it takes to be a Jedi. Remember those tests you took to join?"
"Yeah?"
"Younglings have to go through something similar. A tournament to show off their skills. If a Jedi Knight sees a Youngling they think has potential, they make them their Padawan. But not every Youngling gets chosen. And if they're not chosen by a certain age...it's decided they're not meant to be Jedi."
"So what, they just get kicked out?"
"Of course not. They're allowed to stay in the Order, but they won't be able to become Jedi. That's why they have the Cores. Most of the work done in the Cores is done by those who couldn't become Jedi. If the Youngling chooses to stay, they spend their lives in the Education, Medical, Agriculture or Exploration Core, doing what they can to help the Order. If they don't wanna join one of them...they're free to leave the Order and make their own way in the world."
"That feels kind of harsh," Flash frowned.
"It's worked that way for hundreds of years," Twilight stated. "And the same is done for Padawans who aren't able to gain the skills needed to be a Knight. And if you're serious about being a Jedi, you need to join one of the cores."
"Alright," Flash nodded. "But how am I supposed to pick one?" Twilight smiled at him, making the Padawan worry.
The door opened and a human woman stepped into the room.
She was middle aged and smiled as she looked over the group, then spotted Flash. "Hello Younglings. I notice we have someone with us that's a little older than the others." Every eye in the room turned to Flash, who let out a nervous chuckle and waved. "That doesn't matter. Today, we'll be visiting the many different cores of the Jedi Order and helping you decide which one you wish to join."
The Younglings all looked really excited about this, as she turned to lead them out of the room. Flash sighed, following at the back of the group.
They made their way through the temple and eventually arrived at the Archives. "Now," the woman said, "I'm sure you're all familiar with this large room." The younglings all nodded, as they saw the many Jedi searching through the multiple servers containing thousands of years of knowledge. "Well each piece of info you use in here, was catalogued by a member of the Education Core. And those of you who choose to join this core, will be responsible for protecting that information and updating it when necessary. Future generations of Jedi will use that knowledge to help them in their missions."
"Boring," Scootaloo whispered with Applebloom and Sweetie giggling. Flash had to admit, the idea of acting like a librarian didn't sit well with him.
"Ah," the woman smiled, "here comes one of our core's best young Jedi." Said you Jedi turned out to be Twilight, the girl walking out of the stacks carrying a tablet she was working on. She looked up and smiled at the Younglings, then at Flash as she stepped up besides the woman.
"Good day, Crescent Glow."
"Good day, lady Sparkle. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to explain the many important tasks done by the members of the Education Core."
"Of course," Twilight nodded. "As you've probably been told, we at the Education Core are the guardians of knowledge the Jedi Order uses. Whenever a Jedi needs information, they come to us. You were all taught how to read and write by the Education Core and when you become Jedi, you'll require our assistance when investigating a situation. Knowledge is power and those who protect knowledge will always been seen as heroes."
Several Younglings looked interested in this, as Twilight pointed towards a nearby table. "Why don't we try and see how well some of you are at researching." They all moved over to the table and found it covered in info pads. "Pick a random pad. Each one has a particular subject. Imagine a Jedi has sent a message asking for everything we know about that subject. Your mission is to retrieve that info as fast as possible."
The Younglings all looked excited by this and each grabbed a pad, Flash deciding to wait until everyone else had one before picking on up himself. Activating it, he found the subject he needed to research.
It was some kind of plant, yellow in colour with black lines running down the petals. He frowned, wondering how he was supposed to locate information on on it. He then noticed something written beneath it and scrolled down. "This plant unleashed a green mist that caused my Padawan to fall ill. He started sprouting yellow spots and his irises turned blue." The other Padawans were reading the clues they had been given, many of them scratching their heads whilst others rushed into action.
Flash looked up and tried to think. "Okay. It's a flower, so maybe it'll be stored under F." He rushed through the maze of servers until he arrived at the one that had a large F on it.
Once there, he found an access terminal and typed in the word 'flower.' However, he got over a million different results.
"Right. More specific." He typed in yellow flower with black lines which narrowed the list down to a few hundred. "Come on." He then typed in that it sprayed green mist, which caused yellow spots and blue eyes. Again, this narrowed it down to a few dozen. "How am I supposed to figure out which one's the one I'm looking for?" He held up his pad and saw the flower, then brought up the first flower on the list and saw the petal shape wasn't the same. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere."
For the next several minutes, he compared the plants with little success. And just as he was about to to reach the last few, Crescent Glow spoke up. "Okay Younglings. Time's up." Flash groaned and turned off the terminal.
Heading over to the group, he found several kids were already there. Spike, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie weren't amongst them, soon coming out of the stacks looking annoyed. Seems they couldn't find what they were looking for either.
Twilight smiled at them. "As you saw, locating the information requested isn't easy." She gestured to the four who had managed it, whilst all the other Younglings had been unsuccessful. "Can you tell us how you found your subject?" She asked a girl, who nodded and showed the others a flower of her own.
Flash wondered if they had all been given plants, but then glanced at Spike's pad and saw it was some kind of alien creature.
"My subject was a red flower with green spots, which shoots out a blue mist that caused a Padawan to start spouting mushrooms. At first, I thought about looking in the F section for flowers. But then I thought, wouldn't something like this be placed in the medical database."
Flash's eyes went wide and he groaned, as she went on to explain the rest of what she did. Twilight smiled at her, "well done." She looked towards the rest of the Younglings. "What we do here might not seem exciting, but it's an important role. We have to get information to the Jedi as soon as possible. Time is always of the essence."
Flash groaned. The idea of someone being in trouble, because he couldn't figure out how to find something in this maze was kind of stress inducing.
The Younglings who had succeeded in finding the info, started showing the other Younglings how they could have found the info they were looking for. As they did, Twilight stepped over to Flash. "So? What do you think?"
"I think this core needs eggheads who find this kind of thing fun," Flash told her. Twilight frowned at this. "And that's definitely not me."
"Fair enough," Twilight nodded. "But this isn't the only Core. I'm sure you'll find one that's suitable for you."
"I hope so," Flash sighed as Rarity suddenly stepped out from the stacks. "Rarity? You're in the Education Core too?"
"Of course," Rarity smiled as she fiddled with the red glasses she was now wearing. "Honestly, it was the only Core I could stand to be in. The Agriculture and Exploration Core requires you to get all muddy. And the Medical Core is...a difficult Core to get into."
"Really?" Flash asked, "why?"
"Welcome to the Medical Core," Cadance smiled as the group arrived at the area that housed the Order's Medical Facility. "Here in the Medical Core, we use The Force in order to protect the lives of many creatures out in the universe."
Flash was still confused about why this core was so difficult to get into.
Cadance led them through a long corridor, which had many glass windows allowing them to look into other rooms. When they did, they saw Jedi of different ages and ranks, attending to injured individuals. Some were simply wrapping up an injury or giving someone an injection. But others were holding their hands over a patient as they glowed green, whilst others were waving theirs over an open wound and causing a strange purple substance to flow out.
"The Medical Jedi spend years honing our skills, to become the best healers in the galaxy. I'm sure many of you fear you can't become Jedi, because you're skills with the Lightsaber aren't as great as they could be. But there are other ways you can be of use to the Order."
They arrived at an empty room and there, they found Pinkie and Fluttershy setting something onto a long table. Flash wasn't surprised to see Fluttershy there, since her demeanour gave her the perfect bedside manner. But Pinkie...
"This is a basic exercise for Medical Jedi to practise with. You're all going to try it to see how well you can use The Force in a Medical Manner." Cadance, Pinkie and Fluttershy held up a glass, which was filled with a strange brown liquid. "As you can see, this glass contains coffee milk." The three then used The Force to make the glasses float. "Now, you're going to use The Force to separate the two components.
Everyone watched, as the liquid inside the glasses began to spin and swirl around. As they did, the brown liquid either grew darker or lighter. Eventually, two completely different liquids were swirling within the glass. One was white whilst the other was dark brown, with the brown liquid eventually sitting atop the white liquid.
Everyone was amazed by this sight, as the three brought the glasses back and Cadance explained. "If your teammates are poisoned, either by a venomous animal or from an enemy attack, you'll be thankful you learned this skill. But it's not an easy task."
Flash gulped, wondering if he was gonna be any better at this than he was at the last challenge.
They all stepped up to the table and stared down at the coffee milk, waiting to be separated. Cadance gave a basic explanation of what to do, but it just went over Flash's head. As such, he placed his hands over the cup and focused on making the liquid spin. Maybe he could find a way to force it apart.
The liquid began to rotate and he wasn't the only one. Everyone began trying to separate the milk and coffee, some appearing to have better luck than others.
Flash then heard a gasp and looked around, seeing Sweetie beginning to separate the milk and the coffee. The others looked around and also saw this, the two liquids quickly splitting apart with the brown one sitting atop the white substance just like the demonstration.
"Yeah!" Pinkie cheered, "you did it!"
"I did it!?" Sweetie whispered. "I actually did it?" The others applauded, making her blush whilst Flash returned to trying to separate his own coffee milk. The others also tried, with a few more managing to extract the two substances. But others were simply spinning the liquid in the glass. One made his milk spin so much, the glass broke and spilled it all over them.
"Well," Cadance laughed, "this skill isn't for everyone." As she said that, someone stepped into the room.
He was a tall gray skinned human with dark gray hair, wearing half-moon glasses and a pair of Lightsabers on his belt. "Ah, the Younglings have arrived." He turned to Cadance, "have any shown signs of being a potential comrade, in our fight against illness in the universe?"
"A few," Cadance nodded. "Everyone, this is Jedi Knight First Aid. One of the best healers to have ever been in the order."
"Greetings," he nodded. "I am happy to see so many young Jedi are interested in the healing arts. It is a difficult road to travel and requires even more hard work and study, than the Education Core. But if you tough it out and keep going, I know you will be able to do it."
Flash wasn't so sure, whilst another Jedi stepped inside. This one was a green skinned human with pink and blue hair and a copper Lightsaber on her belt. She was currently carrying a box full of flowers and plants. "Now, now, First Aid. Don't go trying to force them into a Core they're not comfortable in."
"Hello Heather," First smiled. "And I would never force a Youngling into this Core if they were not up to the challenge. That would only hurt the Core's strength."
The woman named Heather nodded as she put the box down. "Hello Younglings. My name is Heather Bloom. I'm one of the Jedi in charge of Ponyville, a section on Fengari. Can anyone tell me what Fengari is?" A few of them raised an arm and Heather pointed at Applebloom.
"It's the Canterlot moon the Jedi use to farm our food on."
"Exactly. And it's not just our farm. It's also where the Exploration Core do their camping and survival drills. After lunch, you'll be brought up to the moon to see how things work."
"Yes," First nodded, "after lunch. Right now, they are supposed to be focusing on the Medical Core work." Heather laughed as she turned to leave, telling the Younglings she looked forward to seeing them. "Now, where were we?"
For a little while, Cadance and First started teaching the Younglings many basic first aid skills. Even if they didn't join the Medical Core, knowing this stuff would be useful for them.
And whilst Flash did find some of the medical treatments interesting, he realised this wouldn't be the Core for him.
Eventually, lunch came around and the Younglings were sent off to get something to eat, whilst preparations were made to take them to the moon.
In the cafeteria, Flash grabbed a sandwich and a jello cup. As he sat down, he was quickly joined by someone else. "So," his teacher smiled, "how's your day with the Younglings going?"
"Well, I'm definitely not cut out for the Education or Medical Cores."
"Yeah, I couldn't handle those Cores either. Twilight was the brain-box in the family. I've never been one to sit around and do nothing."
"Oh yeah," Flash realised he should have asked this before. "What Core are you apart of?"
"Exploration," Shining stated. "I was with a team of Seekers, who discovered a lost Jedi Temple a few years back." Flash was amazed by this. "Let me tell you, that place was crazy. Those old Jedi knew out to boggle the mind. Almost didn't make it out of there."
Now Flash was curious. "Maybe that's the Core I should be in. I mean...I'm guessing most Knights take on Padawans from their Core...right?"
"Not always," Shining stated. "Sure, most Knights like to take apprentices who have similar interests to them. But that's not always the case. Look at Cadance."
"Is Thorax not in the Medical Core?"
"Nope. Agriculture. A lot of people wondered why Cadance chose him, since he didn't seem to have anything that stuck out. But she took him under her wing and the two have been training pretty well together. It's only been a year, but Thorax has gained a lot of confidence since she started teaching him."
"Huh."
"I think your friend, Pinkie, also has a Master in a different Core. He's a Seeker, like me. You'll probably meet him later. His name's Tidal Wave." Flash let this info sink in, glad to hear the choice of Core didn't affect your selection by a master. "Seriously, you shouldn't let me being a Seeker decide what you want to be. If the Farming Core speaks to you, go for it. And if it turns out you enjoy the life of a Seeker, Great."
Flash nodded and quickly ate his lunch, seeing a lot of the Younglings were already finishing up their meal as they were excited to go off planet. It might have just been to the nearby moon, but it was still the first time many of them would be going into space.
Once Flash finished, he and Shining bid goodbye and he headed off to where they would be meeting Crescent Glow.
Thirty minutes later, he and the rest of the Younglings were being escorted out of the Temple towards the Jedi ship hangers. This time, Flash wouldn't be leaving on the Shooting Star. Instead, it was a simple transport ship that looked like a minibus with rockets.
Leaning against the ship was none other than Rainbow Dash, the multi-haired girl smiling at them as they approached. "Hey pipsqueaks. You all ready to head off into space?" The Younglings cheered, Rainbow smirking. "Thought you would be. Lucky for you, the best Jedi Pilot is here to take you there. Climb in!" They began to get in, Flash being in the back with the kids whilst Rainbow and Crescent were up front.
Once they were strapped in, Rainbow powered the ship up and they lifted off towards the moon.
The Younglings watched the planet drift away, amazed at how incredible it was for them. The ship flew higher and higher, eventually breaking the planet's atmosphere and allowing them to get their first look at space. And boy, were they all impressed.
"Awesome," Spike whispered.
"Yeah," Flash smiled, "it is pretty cool." He couldn't help but wonder how he would have been, had his first time in space been like this instead of escaping a planet being attacked by bug aliens?
They flew through the space between the planet and the moon, which was very much like the moon Flash had grown up on. As they approached, he saw it was one large forest-like plantation. Several large sections were treeless, but instead had farmland and other settlements.
As they flew down towards the moon, fields upon fields of crops could be seen. Streams ran between each of the fields, keeping them well watered and allowing the food to grow healthy. In another area, open meadows were allowing animals to graze and live to grow and breed. One day, Flash might end up eating one of those creatures.
They arrived at the section of rocky concrete that the ship could land on, next to a large building Flash assumed was where the farming plans were made.
Standing beside the landing pad was Heather and Applejack, the two smiling as the Younglings disembarked. They were all amazed by the sight, as Heather stepped forward. "Welcome. I'm sure you're all looking forward to doing some hard work here on Fengari." The Younglings cheered, making her smile.
"Well, we welcome you to Ponyville. It's one of Fengari's most productive settlements. We have every type of crop you can imagine, originally harvested from all over the Republic." She began to walk towards one of the fields, with their guests following behind them. "As members of the Agricultural Core, it's our duty to tend these fields and protect the crops so they can grow feed many people. It's not just the Jedi that use these crops. They are also delivered to planets suffering food shortages."
"What about the animals?" Spike asked, as Heather smiled.
"The animals too. We need to make sure they're as healthy as can be. I'm sure none of you would want to eat something that was once very sick." They all nodded, as they arrived at an empty field. On that field, a red skinned individual the same species as Applejack and Applebloom was looking through a sack of something.
"Big Mac!" Applebloom cheered, making the man look up and smile with a wave.
Flash leaned down to Scootaloo, "do they know each other?"
"He's Applejack and Applebloom's older brother," Scootaloo explained. "He's not a Jedi, but he works the fields and is super strong." Flash nodded as Applejack used The Force to float a bunch of hoes over to them.
"Alright Younglings," Heather told them. "This field is open to be seeded. But first, it needs to be prepared." Applejack raised her hoe and used it to slam into the ground. She then pulled back and upturned the soil. "Each of you needs to dig a line in the soil, removing any roots or weeds you come across. It's hot and sweaty work, but it's important."
"Seriously?" Spike groaned as he Younglings all stood in a line on the field. "Isn't there a droid that could do this so much easier?"
"Of course there is," Applejack smirked. "But where's the fun in that? Besides, you can't expect a machine to do all your work for you. A strong body is one of the biggest requirements for being a Jedi. If you can't even plough a field, how'd ya'h expect to beat someone that's attacking you?"
Spike sighed, as Flash began to dig his hoe into the ground. Everyone watched him get to work, the farmers all seeing from the way he moved he had done something like this before.
"Isn't he the boy that grew up on a distant moon?" Heather asked, as Flash continued to turn up the soil and rip up any root or weed that had been hidden underneath.
"Eyup," Applejack nodded. "Guess we should have known he was used to farming. He probably did it as much as he did his Jedi training." They watched as Flash continued to cut through the earth, creating a perfectly straight trail whilst the others curved and connected to the lines next to them.
Some of the Younglings took to this much easier than the others, Applebloom chief amongst them. After Flash, she was the first to finish her line with Spike close behind. Eventually, the Younglings all completed their plough lines with some looking better than others.
Once that was done, they returned to Heather who handed each of them a sack of seeds. They swung these seeds around and started scattering them into the lines. They had to be careful not to drop the seeds outside the lines, this causing it to be a slow process.
Some of the Younglings started complaining, stating it was too hot or this was too boring. But eventually, they reached the end of their lines and were handed watering cans. Sprinkling the water into the lines, this caused the walls of the ploughed areas to fall upon the seeds and bury them. They had to be careful that just the right amount of soil covered each seed. Too much and it would never bloom.
Heather watched, as the Younglings completed the task. All had done a splendid job, but she could tell several weren't enjoying the task as much as the others.
One of them was doing extraordinarily well. "I hope that Sentry boy decides to join us," she told Applejack. "He's got a real talent for this work." They watched him wipe his brow, as he and the other Younglings all finished their work.
Big Mac had brought a bunch of drinks with him, everyone taking one to rehydrate themselves. As they did, Heather mentioned the other activities they would be doing. The work of the Agriculture Core was never done. From sunup to sundown, they would need to work to their hearts content in order to get the job done.
Some of the Younglings looked excited for that, whilst others looked like they were already ready to collapse from exhaustion.
Back on the planet, Celestia was in a room doing some meditation.
It was rare for her to get time to centre herself. But it was important she did in order to remain in balance, so that she could continue to run the Jedi Order to the best of her ability. She took a deep breath and felt herself let go of everything, allowing her mind to go blank and be one with The Force.
But just as she was feeling at peace, a beep signalled someone was at the door.
She took a deep breath and slowly breathed out, then spoke. "Enter." The door opened and Shining Armor stepped inside, Celestia levitating a round cushion chair like the one she was kneeling on in front of her.
"You wanted to see me," Shining sat down.
"Yes. How goes Young Sentry's training?"
"It's been smooth so far. We've mostly been focusing on improving his saber skills beyond the basic form one. We've also been testing his reflexes in a variety of different environments. Honestly, I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to go on Seeker Missions with me."
"Oh?" Celestia raised an eyebrow, "has he already chose the Expedition Core?"
"No. But if he does, he'll be ready. And honestly, I'm pretty sure he'll choose that one. It just seems like it fits him the most."
"Remember, Shining Armor. Leaping to conclusions can often lead to trouble. You should wait and see what Flash chooses for himself."
"Yes Master," Shining nodded. "But if he does choose the Seekers, I think he has what is needed to go on missions already. Best way for him to learn at this point is through experience."
"Very well." Celestia floated something over to her. "Then it's a good thing I called you here." Shining raised an eyebrow until Celestia handed him the pad over to him, allowing the Jedi Knight to look at the information on it.
"I see," he nodded. "I'll look into it. Will it just be me and Flash?"
"No. I've already appointed Skybreaker to investigate. You and Flash will be supporting him and his Padawan. It'll be a good way to show Flash what a Jedi Mission is all about. You'll be leaving tomorrow." Shining nodded and after giving his thanks, he stood up and headed out the room. "Good Luck, Shining. And you, Flash Sentry. I sense this mission will be an interesting one for you."
Shining Armor was making his way through the Temple, as he read the report on his upcoming mission.
As he turned a corner, he noticed Skybreaker and another Jedi walking towards him. This Jedi was a young man of maybe nineteen or twenty, with gray skin and darker gray hair. He was wearing a black shirt and white pants, with arm bracers and black gloves on his hands. On his back was a long black metal tube.
Skybreaker looked ahead and spotted Shining, nodding as he did so. "Shining Armor. I understand you'll be accompanying us on our next mission."
"That's the plan."
"Good. I sense this mission will require all the help we can get. Speaking of, will your new Padawan be joining us?"
"That depends. Would you rather he stay here?"
"He's already proven he has the skill to keep up. I think this would be a good chance for him, to test his metal in a real situation. However, this is a Seeker Mission. Only those of the Expedition Core can join us. Which Core is he joining?"
"That's to be decided," Shining looked up at the window.
"So he's not a Seeker?" The youngest of the three asked. "Why the heck is he coming if he's not a Seeker?"
"Iron Core," Skybreaker turned to him. "Calm yourself. There's no guarantee he'll be joining us. If he chooses to join another Core, that's his right. Though it will mean it'll just be the three of us."
Iron huffed. "That's fine. We don't need anyone else. We can handle this on our own."
"Don't be foolish," Shining stated. "Even if Flash joins us, that might not be enough. There's no telling what's going to happen. All we can do is prepare as best we can and hope we come out of this in one piece." Skybreaker nodded, whilst Iron frowned.
This was gonna be an interesting mission. That was for sure.
Back on the moon, Heather, Applejack and Big Mac had put the Younglings through their paces when it came to farm work.
Aside from planting crops, they were also feeding the animals, repairing fences and other things that need fixing, collecting the milk, eggs and other items and many other tasks that the Agriculture Core needed to do in order to keep the Jedi and many other worlds fed.
Flash and some youngsters were carrying bags of feed towards the nearby barn, when Flash noticed a greenhouse off in the distance.
As he stared at the building, he felt something. The Force was strong in that greenhouse. Or whatever was in there was strong in it. "What is that place?" His interest in the greenhouse caught the attention of Heather, who was walking by when she saw him staring.
"That's the medical greenhouse."
"Medical greenhouse?"
"You remember those flowers I was carrying, when I interrupted First's lecture?" Flash nodded. "They were special plants, grown through manipulation of The Force. Those plants have incredible healing properties and require great mastery of Force growing techniques. It's not an easy task, helping those flowers grow. That's why we keep them safe in that greenhouse."
"I see."
Heather walked towards the bark and Flash followed. "There are no small roles in the Jedi Order. Our lives aren't all about laser swords and reading minds. Even if something looks boring and difficult, that doesn't make it any less important. The simple fact is, people need food to live. And someone needs to make sure that food isn't dangerous. That's where we come in."
"I understand," Flash nodded as they all reached the barn. There, they placed the equipment away and Heather stepped in front of the group.
"Well done, all of you. I'm sure you all had fun today and I hope you were shown how great the Agriculture Core is. I'll probably be seeing a lot of you in the near future. And if any of you don't pick this Core, feel free to come give us a hand if you're ever feeling in need of doing some honest hard work."
Several of the Younglings looked like that had actually had a good time, a clear indicator that they would choose to return to this work when they became Jedi. But now, it was time to try out the Core many of them had been excited for.
Rainbow had returned and she wasn't alone.
Along with her was another woman, who was older with yellow skin and yellow and orange hair. "Sup squirts!" She smirked as she looked them over, "name's Spitfire. I'm the Jedi Knight that'll be helping you twerps get a taste of the Exploration Core lifestyle. Who's ready to go on an adventure!" They all cheered, with Spitfire beginning to lead the group into the forest.
Walking in a single file line, they made their way through the woods along a dirty path that had clearly been walked through many times. Flash stood at the back of the line, he and Crescent making sure none of the Younglings wandered off.
After a little while, they came across a large building that was a large dome with a glass roof. They stepped inside and were lead through the round building, until they came to an area with a large glass wall. Said wall was surrounding an indoor forest, which looked like the building had simply been built around. The glass roof allowed light to flow in, whilst what appeared to be a stream ran through the terrain.
"This is our Forest Training Dome," Spitfire stated. "If you wanna be a Seeker, you gotta be able to survive in any environment. We've got several other domes with many different biomes, but we're gonna start you off easy and see how well you do at surviving here."
Spitfire led them towards a door and they headed into the forest, which was a lot warmer than the forest outside given there was no wind to cool them down. They made their way through the trees until they came to a large clearing, with several logs for the Younglings to sit upon.
"Alright, time to see how much you kids know about survival. Who here can tell me the best way for a Jedi to make a fire?" Several Younglings raised their hands. "You."
"Two rocks?"
"Not a bad idea, but that takes the right kind of rock. Anyone else?" More hands went up, "you?"
"A stick on a log."
"Again, not a bad idea. But that can take a long time and the last thing you wanna do when you're tired is spend ages spinning a stick around." The Younglings all thought, with Flash remembering how he grew up. He raised his hand and Spitfire smirked. "New kid, shoot."
"Lightsaber." The Younglings all looked at him curiously, whilst Spitfire raised an eyebrow.
"Really. You wanna demonstrate how you'd make a fire with a Lightsaber." She stepped aside and pointed to a nearby fire pit, which already had a log and some sticks within it.
Flash got up and walked over to the pit, taking out his Saber as he did so. He held it over the log and ignited the blade, the Younglings looking amazed at the sight of the broadsaber beam. It hummed as Flash held it over the log, the laser inches from the wood's surface.
Slowly, part of the wood turned black from the heat and started smoking. As soon as it did, Flash extinguished his blade and got down to blow on the wood. Slowly, the smoke was replaced by a small flame. It quickly spread to the rest of the log and everyone was amazed to see how easily Flash had been able to make a fire.
"Impressive," Spitfire nodded. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Grand Hoof," Flash replied. "He used to light the fires this way on cold nights. Way easier than rubbing two sticks together." Spitfire nodded and turned to the Younglings.
"Yup. That's definitely the fastest way to make a fire. This is a pretty common tactic for Jedi Seekers to use. Remember, kids. When you're out in the universe, you need to use every trick available to you. The galaxy can be a harsh place. So when you have an idea to protect yourself, then you'll need to do it. Doesn't matter what that might be."
Rainbow stepped forward. "Mind if I tell them a story?" Spitfire nodded. "It was one of my very first missions. We were investigating a snow planet and one of the scientists we had been sent with got lost out in a blizzard. My friends and I had to go out on snow steeds and by the time I found him, it got so bad there was no way to find our way back to the base. The scientist had been out there so long, he was close to catching hypothermia."
"What did you do?" Scootaloo asked.
"I used my Lightsaber to cut open my snow steed and stuffed the guy inside." The Younglings let out several cries of disgust. "Hey, it was thirty below out there. I think he'd rather smell like Tauntaun innards than get frostbite."
Spitfire nodded. "Being a Seeker might sound fun and exciting, but it comes with risks. We go out into the unknown and seek out danger, wherever it might be. If you can't handle it, you should go join the Education Core or something." She then grabbed two sticks off the ground. "Now, let's get to work on learning how to make a fire."
"But I thought we could use Lightsabers to make fires?" Spike asked.
"That might be the best way, but do any of you have a Lightsaber right now?" They all shook their heads. "Exactly. And even after you get one, you might not be able to use it. What if it gets lost or damaged? Only knowing how to do something one way, is a surefire way to get yourself killed. You kids are gonna be learning a bunch of different skills today."
The Younglings broke into groups and each gathered sticks and rocks to start their fires with. Flash was with Spike, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Currently, Scootaloo was spinning a stick between her hands to drill into the log.
"Come on." No matter how hard she spun it, the log refused to catch fire.
"You need to move your hands downwards," Flash explained. "And go faster." Scootaloo took this info and spun the stick faster, as her hands moved down towards the end. And just as she was about to touch the log, smoke came off the wood.
"Jackpot!" She pulled the stick away and blew on the long, causing a small fire to start whilst the others cheered.
Spitfire saw this and smirked, as Rainbow stepped up next to her. "That kid spent years living in the wild. Guess it makes sense he'd be good at this kind of stuff." Rainbow nodded, as Flash demonstrated how to hit the rocks together in just the right way to start a fire
Once the Younglings had mastered the art of making fire, they moved on to building shelters. Again, Flash's years living on a forest moon certainly came in handy. He was able to help build a small but effective tent that out of trees and leaves, which was just big enough to fit the kids inside.
After that, they collected berries and other foods that could be useful to fill their stomachs. Of course, they weren't allowed to eat anything without showing it to Spitfire. Each of the Younglings ended up finding something that was poisonous. But Flash seemed to have a perfect knowledge of all the dangerous plants and fungi, despite never having been in this particular forest.
He then showed his team how to cook the stuff, using the fire and a flat rock he held over the flames that he used to fry some of them. Others, he cooked by using The Force to lift water out of the stream and held it over the flames. As it boiled in his telekinetic grip, the others threw some of the vegetables into the water and watched them all get cooked without the need for a pan.
Spitfire and Rainbow watched in amazement, neither of them having ever done something like that. If they weren't surrounded by kids expecting them to be masters of these kinds of things, they would both be seeing if they could do that themselves.
And as time went on, Flash showed the two a few more things they didn't know. Like how to set traps in case something wandered into one's campsite.
"Tie it like this, then loop it around here and voila!" The Younglings stared at the branch turned snare trap, all of them amazed by it. "You guys will be able to get it if you try." Everyone nodded and started practising themselves.
As they did, Spitfire stepped over to him. "Kid, you're a natural at this stuff."
"I'm not a natural," Flash replied. "Anyone would be this good if they spent their whole life doing it. Knowing this stuff wasn't a cool thing I was interested in learning. It was something I had to learn in order to survive."
"I get that," Spitfire nodded. "Must have been hard. But it clearly did you some good." Flash nodded, as the sun was beginning to set on the moon. "So, you decided what you're gonna pick. You've seen all the Cores and got a taste of what life's like for each of them. Any one take your fancy?"
Flash let the question sit with him, as the Younglings enjoyed the meal he had showed them how to make. He remembered all those years he had been on his birth moon. All those years he had spent, wondering what else was out there. He always told himself that when he got off the moon, he would make sure he saw the rest of the galaxy. And he knew there was only one way he was ever gonna do that.
"Yeah," he nodded, "I have." He gave his answer and Spitfire smirked, knowing the teen had made the right choice.
The next day.
The transport ship flew down to Canterlot and as it did, the Younglings were all talking about the Core they had had the most fun with. Many were talking about the Education and Expedition Core, whilst the vast majority stated how much fun the Agriculture Core had been for them. Only a select few had found the Medical Core their favourite, which included Sweetie and a few others.
As the ship landed, Flash smiled at all their excitement and also felt excitement himself. He had chosen his Core and now, he just needed to tell his Master.
Speaking of his master. When the doors of the ship opened, Shining Armor was there waiting. Springer was with him, along with Skybreaker and Iron Core. By the bags they were carrying, Flash had a feeling they were heading somewhere.
"Hey," Shining smirked when Flash moved over to him, "have fun?"
"Yeah," Flash nodded. "And I've made a decision." Shining raised an eyebrow. "I wanna be in the Expedition Core. I wanna see what's out in the universe and help those that are in trouble. I don't wanna be stuck on one planet again."
Shining smiled, "I knew you'd pick that one. Which is why I told Celestia we'd take the mission."
"Mission?" Flash asked, only for Shining to throw him a bag.
"You wanted to be a Jedi. This is what being a Jedi means. We're heading to another planet and there's a chance we might get ourselves killed. You think you can handle that." Flash stared at him, then smiled before throwing the bag onto his back.
"Let's do this!" Shining smiled with Skybreaker nodding and Iron Core looking at Flash sceptically. They all headed off towards the Shooting Star, and Younglings cheering for their new friend who was getting to go off on a Jedi Mission. Flash might have no idea what was waiting for him, but he wouldn't let those that believed in him down.
No matter what, he was going to prove himself and complete this task without issue.
There we have it. Flash has joined the Expedition Core and is now a Jedi Seeker. Can we please keep the attack on titan jokes to a minimum in the comments. Anyway, what did you guys think? Do you agree with the core choices I made for all the characters? Let me know, down below.
For those wondering where I got the idea for this whole thing. The Service Cores are actually canon to the series, but not something one would know about if they've only seen the films. I just tweaked how they work a bit.
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To those who are reading my comment, I honestly had no idea about Jedi Cores when Banshee first explains to me… through, I manages to understand his intention.
Yeah, I agrees with Banshee's choice on the characters' core.
Seeker fits Flash well because he's not the greatest guy when it comes to intense knowledges like Twilight and Medical and Agriculture just don't interest him and he picks seeker because he want to explores all things since he spent most of his childhood stuck on a moon.
I hope you enjoys this chapter cause we got next awesome chapter on the next week.
Stay tuned.
Star wars II.
Luke had to go through the same way you know. And it wasn't good but it was survival.
Nice explanation of the different Cores and which character is associated with which one. I knew right away Flash would pick the Expedition Core, but he did pretty good in the Agriculture Core too. Looks like his first mission is coming up, and he and Shining get to work with Skybreaker and Iron Core.
Nice reference to the Tauntaun scene from Empire Strikes Back too. I've seen parodies of it plenty of times but it is a clever way to survive.
11730261
That's actually Star Wars V. Star Wars II is actually Attack of the Clones.
I wonder if Flash and Iron's friendship is going to start similarly to how it started in your main series.