This is the first chapter in my prequal Clone Wars fanfic. God, I feel like Disney. Just with worse planning. And it's not really that the new trilogy was bad, they didn't have a set plan, and The Last Jedi went in a different direction from The Force Awakens. And The Rise of Skywalker, or at least the version we got, didn't tie it all together like I was hoping. Change The Last Jedi, fix up The Rise of Skywalker, and it would be amazing. I am REALLY exited about The Mandalorian season 2! Hope everyone is staying home, staying safe.

Ezra hated memories. Or, at least the ones that he has. A lot of his life, especially for a 6 year old, was horrible. At the age of 2, his parents were killed in a robbery gone wrong. The thefts tried to rob a bank, but were almost caught. A few of the thefts ran into a home without seeing if anyone was in there. Ezra was having his birthday party. Not a big one, for a 2 year old. Just him and his parents. His father was bringing out the cake when they heard the door being pounded on. His father told his mother to get Ezra out of the house. They ran to his room, and his mother made him jump out of the window. It wasn't a big jump, they lived in a one story house. Ezra saw his mother get shot. The next morning, he saw his father dead by the front door, several other bodies laid across the living room. He saw another body with his mother in his bedroom. They were both dead. Ezra was now a street rat.

Ezra would have never survived if it wasn't for the kind 10 year old boy who helped him to steal. Even though the kid was bigger than Ezra and could have easily beaten him up, he didn't. Ezra was grateful, because without his help, he would have never made it through the winters. On the second winter after his parent's death, the weather was below freezing. We are talking negatives. He never would have made it with just his winter coat and thin blanket. It was snowing really hard that day. The now 12 year old kid Ezra thought of as his brother found some cover for them to protect them from the snow. He put all of the blankets they had over Ezra, and then he wrapped himself over the 4 year old. The next morning, Ezra found him dead. He knew that he was dead because no one could've survived the night like that. Ezra mourned and thanked him at the same time. The worst of winter was over, and soon came spring.

It was a few weeks after spring began that Ezra met Mace Windu. Ezra had started to master the art of pickpocketing, so he decided to test it on the robed man. He was able to trick the man into giving him some food and a hug. Ezra noticed a handle on his belt. It was fairly easy to steal, so he thought why not. The worst that would happen is he would throw it away. But it was shiny, so people might pay something. He got a hold of the handle, and made a run for it. But the man caught him 2 seconds later. He noticed his lightsaber was missing, and put 2 and 2 together pretty quickly. Ezra was being held by his collar, and was facing the man.

"If I give you back your pretty handle, will you put me down?" Ezra asks, kind of scared for his life right now.

"Listen kid, let me feel you with the force." Mace said.

"Huh?" Ezra says with a confused look.

The Jedi tries again. "Okay, I am a Jedi. You currently have my lightsaber. Don't point it at your face! Thank you. I am going to feel your mind with the Force. I want you to not resist. Lower your mental shields. Let me into your mind."

"Is this gonna hurt?" Ezra asks.

"It shouldn't." The Jedi calmly answers.

"Shouldn't?" The kid is growing more concerned by the second.

"Just let me feel you." The Jedi reaches out with the Force to feel if the 4 year old has any Force Sensitivity within him. Mace cannot find any. But suddenly, he feels a wave of power through the Force. That kind of hurts HIS head. "You resisted at first." Mace says to the kid.

"I'm in the air! I'm kinda scared right now. Will you put me down please?" The older man complies. "Thank you." Ezra says.

"What is your name kid?" The Jedi asks.

"Ezra Bridger."

"Where are your parents?"

Ezra becomes sad and angry. "They were killed in a robbery. They came into my house, and they killed my parents." Ezra tries not to break into tears.

The man pulls Ezra into a hug. This time, there is no stealing. Just a hug. "Ezra, I want to take you away from this place. I want you to be trained in the ways of the Jedi. Will you come with me to the Jedi Temple?"

"What's the catch?" Ezra asks. "I don't know your name. For all I know, you could have killed a Jedi and took his clothes." Ezra says.

"You are strong with the Force. You will be able to tell if I am lying. My name is Mace Windu." After feeling the kid probe his mind, Ezra says, "Nice to meet you."

Ezra was taken to the temple, and he was accepted into the Order. To say that it was a challenge to teach the young child was an understatement. The boy had a lot of anger and fear. He was angry at the people who killed his parents, and he was angry at the kids who teased him for having memories of living on the streets. He was afraid because he finally had a home, and he didn't want to lose it. But he kept getting in trouble. Not on purpose. He wanted to be able to do the things that seem to come naturally to the other kids. But his emotions get the better of him.

Ezra is in class with the other younglings. They were working on deflecting lasers from the training droids. They were starting on the easiest setting. But Ezra needed a setting easier than easy. He has perfected the art of moving his training saber around, but he hasn't been able to use the Force to sense when or where the next laser will fire. He kept getting stunned. And his anger kept rising. He was able to deflect a few then, but he got stunned again. He heard the other students whisper that he can't do it, or that he should be kicked out. And that was the tipping point.

Master Yoda, who was their teacher, felt the anger rise in Ezra. He tried to calm him down. "Young one." But it was too late.

Ezra suddenly crushed every training droid that was in the room. All of the other students let out a cry of surprise. Even Ezra was afraid of what happened.

He was now on his way to meet with the Council. He was very nervous. Master Windu, the man who found him, was recently elected as a Council Member. And he didn't like the idea of seeing him after an incident. Ezra entered the room, and saw the Masters, including Yoda and Windu.

"Youngling Bridger, know why this meeting has taken place, do you?" Yoda asks.

"Yes Master." Ezra says. "I am here because I have had too many incidents with the Dark Side."

"Yes, unable to control your emotions, you are. Posses a danger to you, and your peers, it does." Yoda says, eyeing the boy with caution.

"I don't want to be a danger Master. I just get so frustrated that I can't do what you or the other teachers want me to do. And then I hear the other younglings tease me about it, and then I give in. I try hard to control my emotions, but the Dark Side just feels second nature to me." Ezra explains. Mace listens to this with deep thought.

"Do, or do not. There is no try." Yoda says. "Young one, aware of your life before you came to the Order, aware we are. Much hardships you have faced. Lost so much, have you." Yoda looks at him with compassion. "But, allow your past to control your present, you do. Clouded, your future is. The other teachers, to control your emotions, teach you, they cannot."

"So, I am to be thrown out?" Ezra says. His fear is coming true. "I am to go back to the streets?"

Sensing Ezra's feelings of betrayal, Mace speaks up. "I have asked the Council for permission to take you on as my Apprentice."

Ezra calms down, but the betrayal is replaced with confusion. "Huh?"

"Ezra, I want you to become my Padawan learner." Mace repeats.

"I thought you had to be older to be chosen as a Padawan." Ezra says.

"You normally would. And normally, you would be younger than 5 years old to join the Order, but that rule has already been broken." Mace says.

"You mean, there was a youngling introduced to the Order after infancy?" Ezra asks.

"Off subject, this meeting is getting." Yoda says. "Agreed to Master Windu's request to train you, the Council has. Teach you how to control the conflict within you, he will."

"But, only if you want me to Ezra." Mace says.

"I do Masters." Ezra says.

Time jump.

The Council said that tomorrow, Ezra would begin his training with Master Windu. Ezra was in the Library, reading a book on reaching out with the Force. Ezra was so wrapped up in the book, he didn't sense someone sneak up behind him.

"Boo!" Ezra fell out of his seat at the sound of the voice. He looked up to see a Togruta laughing her head off. "Sorry Ezra. Didn't mean to scare you that much."

Ezra, who was on the floor, looked up to see his crush, Ahsoka Tano laughing. He got up very awkwardly. Giving her a cocky grin, he says, "I wasn't scared, I just lost my balance."

"While you were sitting?" Ahsoka asks with a grin of her own.

Defeated, Ezra admits, "Okay, I was scared."

"So, how did your meeting with the Council go?" She asks.

"Fine. Not what I thought was gonna happen. I am going to be Master Windu's apprentice starting tomorrow!" Ezra says. He is REALLY exited about it.

"That's awesome Ezzy!" She hugs him. Ezra blushes, and is grateful she can't see it. "Did you here that there is someone who was the oldest to be accepted into the Order?"

"Yeah. I can't believe it." Ezra says. "Something about being the Chosen One?"

"I never heard anything about a Chosen One. Well, I gotta go. See ya Ezra."

"Later Ahsoka."

Here you go. Sorry if it's lame. It's the best intro I could do that would make sense. Let me know what you think. And check out my other stories. I don't have a lot, but I am working on a few others. Have a good day, stay home, and stay safe.