Chapter 156: The Gathering
He who faces himself, finds himself.
Recap: As the Clone War scorches its destructive path across the galaxy, it is the Jedi who bring order to the chaos. Though as the war progresses, the number of Jedi have declined, and new younglings are harder to find. When a youngling is located, they are brought to the Jedi Temple and learn quickly that their true family is now the Jedi Order. The trials are hard. Tests must be passed. But none is as important as The Gathering. It is then that a Jedi's path will truly begin...
Twilight was shown leaning back against a wall. The girl was looking upward as she recalled what Sunset said.
"I'm surprised she didn't tell you. Celestia was never good at keeping secrets. I was her apprentice."
"No... no, that's... impossible."
"Don't believe me. Ask her yourself. See if she tells the truth. Celestia will betray you just as she turned her back on me! When choosing herself or her Padawan, she chose self-interest. She'll sell you out too!"
"Celestia took my soul, and when I kill her, I'll get it back!"
"I will not let you hurt her. I will stand by her side, no matter what!"
"Funny... I thought the same thing once."
Twilight sighed before looking down.
"It can't be real. Sunset's just using her usual Sith tactics. There's no way she could've been Celestia's apprentice. Celestia would have told me." stated the princess as she wasn't sure what to buy from Sunset.
"Don't believe me. Ask her yourself. See if she tells the truth!"
"My Master would never lie to me. She's my mentor; I would never turn my back on her."
"Hey, Sparky!"
"Hey," said Twilight as she noticed her partner approaching her.
"What's with the sour look, princess?" asked the boy.
Twilight sighed while clutching her arm as she walked. Storm followed his partner as the pair entered her quarters. The princess face planted into her pillow; Storm sat on the edge of her bed as he looked at his partner. Nothing was said as the boy waited patiently for what the princess might say.
"Tell me, am I... loyal?"
"Sparky," sighed Storm.
"Am I loyal?" repeated the girl.
Twilight kept her face buried into the pillow. Soon she was lifted off and sitting directly in Storm's lap. The boy held the girl in his arms as the princess didn't look at her partner. The Jedi Knight raised a hand
to stroke her cheek and turned her head to face him. His hand continued upward as it ran through her lavender-scented and colored hair.
"Princess..."
"Jedi Knight..."
The girl buried her head into his chest as Storm placed his chin on the princess. His hand stroked her hair and back while attempting to calm her worries. Twilight heard Storm's heartbeat as its steady rhythm provided a soothing sound for the girl. The princess pulled back to stare at her partner. She then leaned in as she kissed his cheek. The Jedi returned the gesture as he kissed the girl's cheek.
The boy then found himself lying back on the bed with the girl on top of him. The princess stared into his eyes as her hands caressed his forehead; the girl began to lean in as Storm brought his hand up to grab her chin and guide her lips to his. The two started to close their eyes as their mouths were seconds away from connecting; they could feel the hot breath of the other and how their tongues waited to play with the other.
However, before the moment could happen. Storm halted as he recalled his premonitions. The words of Master Yoda echoed in his mind.
"Leave to let go of everything! Including Twilight!"
The boy left the girl hanging as she was searching for his mouth. Just then, a knock came on her door. It got the princess's attention as she sat up and turned to look at the door.
"Yes?" called the girl, as she was nervous about being caught.
"You ready, Twilight?" said Ahsoka as the Padawan awaited her friend for their next mission.
"O-Oh, right. The gathering. Yeah, I'll meet you at the ship in five minutes," the princess said as footsteps receded.
The girl waited for the footsteps to be gone before getting off her partner as she stood up. The princess fixed her hair and straightened her attire as she looked back at her partner. Storm was dusting himself off as Twilight looked at him before approaching the boy and planting a sneaky kiss on his cheek.
"Be safe," stated Storm.
"I will," said the girl before planting another kiss on her partner's cheek and stepping through the door.
Storm waited a few moments to avoid any suspicion of the two being together in the princess' room. He stepped to the door as it opened and peeked his head out to see if anybody was nearby. With the coast clear, he then began to silently and quickly walk. The Jedi Knight managed to get a good enough distance from Twilight's quarters that he slowed his pace and walked normally.
He didn't pay attention in front of him as he bumped into something. Or rather... someone. Storm turned around, and there before him was Luna. The Jedi Master had a stern expression, and her arms were crossed.
"Where were you?" stated Luna as she had asked Storm to show up for some extra training.
"I was... busy," answered the boy.
"Doing what?!" demanded Luna to her apprentice.
"Studying."
Luna grabbed her student's arm and bent over to look into his eyes. The Jedi Master stared into Storm's eyes as she tried to see if he was telling the truth. The woman then let go and stood back up. As he complied, she gestured for Storm to walk before her. The Jedi Master scowled at her son as the scent of Twilight was all over him.
At a nearby hangar, Ahsoka and Twilight were standing by a ship as they were awaiting. Soon a small crowd of younglings with backpacks were running toward them. The group consisted of a human, a female Tholothian, a male Ithorian, a female Rodian, a male Nautolan, and a male Wookie.
"Hurry, younglings," stated Ahsoka as all five kids stood before the teens, "You have proved to be the top of your class. And so now is the time of The Gathering. For a Jedi, there is no greater challenge or honor."
The Wookie gave a response as he made some noise.
"What is The Gathering, Padawan Tano? Jedi Knight Sparkle?" asked the human.
"Petro, Ganodi, Byph, Katooni, Zatt, and Gungi, the time has come for you to build your own lightsabers," said Twilight as she addressed the younglings by their name one by one.
"I knew it."
"That's so wizard."
"Whoa!"
"I knew it."
Safe to say, the kids were more than excited as they could officially get their weapons and begin training to become Jedi.
"Be warned: this is no simple task, and many perils lie ahead of you. Where we are going, there is no place more sacred to the Jedi," said Ahsoka as she got on, and Twilight instructed the kids to follow.
The princess smiled as each of the younglings passed her; the girl had a small glimpse of when she did this as it brought back some... memories. Regardless, Twilight shook those thoughts from her head as she got on board.
"Fire up the engines, you two," said Twilight to R2 and her droid as she sat beside Ashoka.
The droids got everything online; within moments, the ship began to take off and leave Coruscant. The trip through space was steady as the ship arrived at its destination within no time. The place that the teens were bringing the younglings to was the planet by the name of Ilum. On this planet, the hope was that within the Crystal Caves, they would find their kyber crystal which would be used to construct their lightsabers.
The ship entered the planet's atmosphere as they descended. They landed as all around them was snow and ice, and it was coming down hard. The ramp extended as out walked Ahsoka and Twilight in some clothing to stand the brutal weather as the younglings all walked behind them, some even blowing their hands to keep warm.
"Not the most hospitable place," said Katooni as she looked around.
"I think that's the point," stated Petro as he walked past her.
The younglings continued to follow the teens as they trekked through the snow and wind. They soon came to a dead end as Ahsoka and Twilight bent down to sift away the snow from something on the ground.
"It's a dead end," stated Petro as the teens smiled at each other before addressing the kids.
"Younglings, outstretch your hands and focus the Force. Together, and only together, can we enter," stated Ahsoka.
She and Twilight looked at the wall before them as they put their hands out and closed their eyes. The younglings soon followed their example as they put their hands out to focus. The wall began to crumble and rumble as it responded to the Jedi. Soon, a piece of the wall fell, revealing a hidden temple door. The younglings were amazed by what they saw.
"Now hurry. The sun has already risen, and we must begin," said Twilight as she and Ahsoka walked toward the door.
The group entered the temple as they entered a room that had statues. In the center of the room, sitting on a rock, was Master Yoda as he sensed the girls and the younglings enter.
"Master Yoda," said Zatt as he and the other younglings bowed their head to show respect to the Grand Jedi Master with the girls standing by his side.
"The Force made physical, a Jedi is. Comes great responsibility with that, yes?" asked Yoda to the younglings as they nodded their heads. "Protect others, how does a Jedi, hmm?"
The Jedi Master stood up and put his hand out in front of him as his robe opened up, and his lightsaber began to turn on and rotate in a clockwise rotation on its own. The kids were all impressed by just the sheer power that Yoda had.
"Build your own lightsaber, you shall. But first, harvest your crystal, each one of you must."
"See, I told you."
"Yoda, wow."
"No, I told you."
"No, I told you."
The younglings were making chatter among themselves when Yoda spoke again.
"The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is. Focuses the Force from the Jedi, it does."
Yoda then looked up as he put his lightsaber away and his hands out. He waved it about as he opened one of the temple's top openings to allow sunlight to enter. The Grand Jedi Master then began to make the chandelier spin; when it hit, the sunlight made the whole room light up as rays of sunshine went everywhere. A ray hit another crystal as it shot the beam toward the top of a door at an angle. The ice embedded in the door then began to melt as it turned into a waterfall with the water running down the stairs.
"If Jedi you are to become, enter the crystal cave, you must. Trust yourself, trust each other, and succeed, you will," said Yoda as the waterfall behind him disappeared, leaving the door behind.
The girls then escorted the kids up the small flight of stairs before addressing them.
"Once you have found your crystal, do not remain inside. As daylight ends, the door will freeze over again, and you will be trapped." stated the Padawan.
"For how long?" asked Ganodi.
"For one rotation. There will be nothing anyone can do for you," said Twilight.
"How will we know which crystal to pick?" asked Petro.
"Only you can know which one is yours. Now, hurry," stated Ahoksa.
"Good luck. And may the Force be with you," stated the princess giving the younglings some final words as they entered through the door. The top part of the door had ice slowly beginning to reform to indicate how much time they had left.
It hadn't been that long as the frozen waterfall was already beginning to reform and was almost about halfway. During that time, Ahsoka and Twilight waited patiently for the younglings to hopefully return as Master Yoda meditated on his rock.
"Think they'll pass?" asked Ahsoka to her friend as they sat down on some rocks away from the Grand Jedi Master to give him some privacy.
"I know they will. They wouldn't be here if their teachers didn't think they were capable," stated the princess as she removed the hood of her jacket and adjusted her earmuffs.
"So, Twilight, how well did you pass your test?" asked the Padawan to her friend, wanting to know how she did it.
"Heh, funny... when I saw the kids, I was reminded of my trial," said the Jedi Knight as she dwindled her fingers.
"So?" stated Ahsoka.
"Well..." said Twilight as she began to tell her friend about her trial.
A young lavender-haired girl was shown approaching the door as she looked at it. She turned back to see Master Yoda approaching her.
"Find your crystal, a Jedi you will become. Until nightfall, you have."
"Then what?" asked Twilight.
"Trapped, you will be. No escape,"
"N-No escape?!" stated the young Twilight as she looked at the door and then at the top as the ice sheet formed the frozen waterfall.
"Focus on the Force. Guide you, it shall," said Yoda as he walked away.
"Focus..." stated Twilight as she looked at the door.
The young princess took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for what would come. Soon, she gulped before entering the door. Upon entry, the girl was welcomed to the sight of darkness and cold. Barely any light was inside the cave as Twilight tried to watch her step.
"Okay, Twilight, no need to worry. All you need to do is find your crystal and get out. Easy, right?" said the girl to herself as she walked.
Twilight approached a crossroad as she looked at two identical paths. The youngling looked to her left and right, unsure where to find her crystal.
"I guess... this one," said Twilight as she nervously took the left path.
The young girl kept on walking while looking all around the dark cavern.
"Sure is dark, cold, lonely... I wish Mom and Dad were here. Or Shining," stated Twilight as feeling alone was getting to her. The girl had yet to see her family since she left with Celestia to take her to the Jedi Temple to train, and at this very moment, she was missing them more than ever.
"Okay, Twilight. Let's find this crystal," said the girl, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small device. "According to my calculations... taking into account the planetary movements in this system, um... the sun only rises on Ilum every 19 days. No big deal, all I got to do is find the crystal and get back to Master Yoda before I'm trapped and wait that long. No biggie." The young princess tried to ease her worries, but it didn't work.
"Okay, focus. This device I made should work. It picks up any energies that resemble crystals. Now if I make the proper adjustments, this should lead me to one." the girl began to mess with her small device as she looked at the scanner.
The device worked as it gave the girl a signal as she smiled. However, a few moments later, the device began to beep nonstop, showing several flashing signals that confused the young princess.
"What? That's impossible. It says there are crystals everywhere, but... there's nothing here." said Twilight as she looked up to see nothing but ice. "Maybe some more adjustments." The girl began to fiddle with her device as it malfunctioned and went haywire; Twilight yelped and dropped it. It hit the ground as it shut off entirely.
"Okay, looks like relying on technology isn't gonna work," stated the girl as she continued to walk.
The girl continued on her path as she came to a room that had multiple ways. Twilight took it all in as they looked the same.
"Now, which way? I'll never find my crystal," said the young girl, looking to cry but held back. "No, I... I can't do that. I... I have to trust my instincts. Okay, trust."
Twilight closed her eyes as she focused her mind. She then brought an arm up and put it out. It began to react as it pointed in a direction as the girl opened her eyes and looked at the door southeast of her position. The youngling approached it, and looking down at it, there were sharp icicles and smoke accompanied by darkness.
The girl began to walk down cautiously, being aware of her surroundings. Twilight's heart was beating faster as she continued to go deeper into the tunnel. Soon a sound was heard as the girl quickly turned around.
"Hello?! Is someone there?!" called out the girl.
There was nothing but ice and smoke.
"Maybe it's just the wind," responded the girl nervously.
As she kept walking, a shadow was shown as yellow piercing eyes emerged.
Twilight kept walking as she didn't pay attention to her footing, stepping on a piece of ice and losing her balance. The girl fell down as the ice below her began to crack. She didn't have time to sit up and move as the ice cracked, and she fell through. Twilight let out a yell as she fell down and tumbled.
"Ow!" cried out the girl as she felt some pain. "That hurt." Twilight felt like crying but held back again.
She rubbed her side as she looked all around. The girl was now trapped in a cavern made entirely of crystals. While she didn't pay attention to the opening she left behind, looking down into the hole and seeing the princess was the shadow from before growling and disappearing.
Twilight finished dusting herself as she noticed how trapped she was. Little did she know this wouldn't be the last time she would be trapped in a cave full of crystals. The girl approached one of the walls and pounded on it to see if it would break. She then pushed on it with both hands and her shoulder, but it didn't budge.
"It's hopeless," said Twilight as she rested her back against a wall of the trapped space.
The girl could feel her eyes wanting to cry as all she had to do was release. She sniffed but didn't cry as she looked at her hands.
"No. I can't give up," said the girl, turning to the wall she was resting against.
She put her hands on it and began to feel it to find some weak points in the structure. Once she located it, Twilight placed her hand on it and closed her eyes. The girl concentrated her mind to be one with the Force and tapped into her power. The wall before her began to crack as it responded to the Jedi; it then got bigger as the wall broke into pieces. Twilight was ecstatic to see that it worked and that she was no longer trapped. The youngling then got up and began to walk as she continued her search for her crystal. She was unaware of the dark shadow that had found her and began to follow the girl.
Twilight was telling her story when she, Ahsoka, and Yoda noticed something. Petro was coming out the door as the boy had managed to locate his crystal first, just like he had said.
"Looks like I'm the first back with my crystal. That wasn't so hard," scoffed the youngling.
"And the others?" asked Yoda.
"Who knows? I didn't want to gloat since I found mine so quickly," boasted Petro as Yoda made a face.
"Show us," instructed Ahsoka.
The youngling took out the crystal he found and showed it to the Jedi. However, it instantly turned into water as it melted in his hand. That surprised Petro as he didn't know what to make of it.
"A crystal you have found. Water you have brought," chuckled Yoda in his signature laugh.
"But that's impossible. It was my crystal. I was sure of it." stated Petro in disbelief.
"Mmm. So certain were you. Go back, and closer you must look." instructed the Grand Jedi Master.
"But the door is already half closed," said Petro as he looked at the frozen waterfall already forming.
"Then you better hurry," stated Ahsoka.
With that, the youngling began to book it back into the cave to find his crystal.
"So, you were saying?" asked the Padawan.
"Right," said Twilight as she continued her story.
The youngling continued walking down the tunnel. A faint sound was heard. Twilight stopped and put her hand to her ear, listening to the sound as if it were wailing. The girl began investigating the weird, creepy noise as she followed the sound.
The young princess came to a room where all around her was ice. However, the sound she was hearing echoed the loudest as she looked. On the other side of the room, there was something shiny.
"That must be the crystal," said Twilight.
The youngling began to carefully walk toward the shiny thing as she was relieved she found the thing and could get out of here, hopefully, with time to spare. However, a rumbling was heard just as she was about to grab it.
"Who's there?" said Twilight as she turned.
The youngling shifted her eyes back and forth in the room as if to stop what made that scary noise. Soon something caught her attention. A claw appeared as it scrapped against a rock; the young Jedi gasped as the claw made it crack into pieces. Soon another claw appeared before growling was heard. A head popped out as it looked beast-like, but more importantly, its body looked made of shadows. The sharp, jagged, white teeth that hungered for flesh and bone. And it's target, a helpless little girl.
Twilight fell to her bottom as the fear inside the girl reached new heights. Her mouth was left open, and she struggled to breathe. The creature then lunged forward. The girl screamed as she moved forward, barely avoiding the creature's lunge. Twilight got up and then fell before getting back up and running. The creature got the scent of its prey and began to follow the girl rather scary-like, moving at high speeds, only using its claws to crawl forward.
"No! No!" yelled Twilight as she screamed her heart out.
The youngling came to a set of stalagmites and stalactites that formed. Twilight put her hands on them like bars keeping her trapped in some prison. The youngling was panicking as the creature was right on her trail. She noticed the small space between them as she looked to slip through. Twilight got half her body through as she struggled to get the other half in; the creature turned the corner and saw its prey.
The young princess managed to get her other half in and looked to run when she fell as something grabbed her leg. Twilight fell and turned over to the creature, extended one of its claws to grab the girl's leg, and pulled her toward it.
"No! No! Stay back!" yelled Twilight as she began kicking and screaming, hoping someone could rescue her.
However, no one would. The creature snarled as it pulled its prey inch by inch.
"Let me go! Let me go! No!" screamed Twilight as she was pulled and used her other leg to kick the creature's mouth to avoid it eating her.
It managed to stun the creature momentarily as she got up and ran. The creature recovered and bulldozed over the stalagmites and stalactites to continue the hunt. Twilight felt her legs tired from running as she noticed a small hole in a wall on her left. The girl skidded to a halt and turned as the creature did the same. The youngling saw the small opening as she put her hand out as if reaching for it.
The youngling slid into the opening, as did the claw of the shadow creature. The creature pulled its claw back as it got a hold of Twilight's jacket, seemingly its prey having escaped. It howled before leaving to locate its target. Twilight, on the other hand, slid and came out of the small hole as she fell into a pile of snow.
The youngling quickly crawled over to a wall of ice, and she laid back on it. The girl had her hand over her heart as it was beating fast from the danger she had experienced. Twilight, at that moment, broke down.
"I wanna go home!" cried the girl as she bawled her eyes out. "I want my family! Mom, Dad, Shining!" The princess hoped that by saying her family's name, they would be there to comfort her, but that was not to be so. "I'm gonna die here. I want my mommy and daddy!"
Twilight then buried her face to the floor and cried. All the tears she held back, she was letting them out. The youngling was crying her heart out. The constant stream of wails and tears was nonstop as Twilight couldn't take all this anymore. The girl bawled, thinking of the cruel, cold fate she was about to accept. She was gonna die here, all alone, all by herself. No one to save her. No one knew she was here. No one... she was... alone.
As the girl cried, a small thing in front of her appeared. It was fuzzy at first before clearing up as the thing in front of her was a butterfly. But it looked white as the snow and ice around her.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Hey. Are you okay?"
Twilight lifted her head as she saw the small white thing as it seemed to glow. She wiped her eyes and listened to the small thing speaking to her.
"Why are you crying?"
"Because... no one is here. I'm gonna die... all alone. In the dark," sniffed the girl.
"No, you won't."
"What?" stated the youngling as she wiped her tears away and nose.
"You're not alone. I'm here with you."
"Y-Yeah, you are."
"And if I'm here, then you're not lonely. If you have a friend, you're never alone."
"I guess," said Twilight as she sat up and leaned against the cave wall as the small glowing butterfly landed on her shoulder.
"What's your name?"
"Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."
"So, Twilight, why are you here?"
"I'm here... because of my trial. I'm here to find my crystal."
"Crystal?"
"I need my crystal so that I can build my lightsaber. And become a Jedi," stated the youngling.
"Well, if it's a crystal you're looking for. I know where one is. I can take you there."
"Y-You can?" asked the girl.
"Follow me."
The girl noticed the small glowing thing begin to flutter into the air. The youngling got up and began to follow her guide. The princess followed the thing to a small crack in the wall as she easily squeezed through and continued.
The youngling followed the small glowing thing as it led the girl through a room full of sparkling lights. Twilight saw them and gasped before a smile appeared on her face. The girl felt like all those shining lights resembled the night sky stars she used to watch with her father.
"It's so beautiful," stated Twilight as the fear and worry she had experienced earlier almost faded.
"Not everything is scary," said the small glowing thing as it fluttered before her.
The girl laughed as she continued to walk past the lights. The girl kept on walking as the youngling's instincts went off. She stopped as she looked forward. A dark cave was present before something began to crawl out of it. Seconds later, more began to crawl out as soon, multiple little insects emerged as they took to the sky and came at the girl.
"No! Get away! Stop looking at me!" screamed Twilight as she bent down with her hands on her head.
The small insects circled the girl as Twilight covered her eyes, trying not to let them see her.
"Twilight, what's wrong?"
"They're watching me! I can feel them!" said the girl as she hyperventilated. The youngling was about to have a heart attack.
"What?"
"Ladybugs!" stated the youngling.
The critters circling the girl were ladybugs; the spots on their back seemed to have eyes as they looked at the girl. Twilight took one hand off her head to try to shoo them away.
"Stop looking at me! Stop watching!" yelled Twilight as her anxiety was through the roof.
"Looking at you?"
"My brother. He said that their spots were extra eyes watching you wherever you go! So creepy!" whimpered the girl as she tried to get the image of the creatures watching her out of her mind.
While her brother may have said that to her as a way to mess with her, right now, it was a living nightmare for the youngling that was causing her heart to beat way faster than it should have.
"Twilight, calm down."
"How can I calm down when they're watching me? They're always watching me!" stated the girl. "Get off of me! Get off of me!"
"Twilight, it's okay. You're not alone, remember."
"I'm not alone?"
"As long as I'm here, you'll never be alone. It's all in your head. There's nothing there."
"Yes, there is!" yelled the girl as she felt the ladybugs start to bite her skin. "Ahhh!"
"No, there isn't. It's just your mind playing tricks on you. You're safe."
"I'm not. I'm not! Get off of me!"
"You're safe, Twilight. Just take a deep breath."
The youngling began to do as the voice told her while hyperventilating. She took a deep breath.
"Now release slowly and count to three."
The girl let out her breath rather quickly.
"One... two... three..."
"Open your eyes."
The girl opened her eyes, surprised the ladybugs she thought she saw were gone. The youngling was stunned as she stood up, looking for the ladybugs that had been there moments ago. She even looked at her skin as she felt them crawling up her body and biting her, but there was nothing. No marks, no bites.
"See, I told you. It was all in your mind."
Twilight took in the voice of the small glowing butterfly as she looked at her hands. The youngling was thinking about what the voice said about it all being in her mind.
"Come on, the crystal is this way."
The butterfly began to flap away as Twilight continued to follow it. The thought of what happened with the ladybugs still plagued her mind. The girl soon came to a steep wall as she was looking up.
"Up there?" said Twilight, looking at how high the climb was.
"All you gotta do is climb."
"Okay," responded the girl hesitantly.
The youngling approached the base of the wall before taking a deep breath. She then began to climb the structure. The girl took it slowly, scaling the massive wall, following the butterfly. Her muscles were getting tired as she greatly miscalculated how big and tall the wall was. As the princess reached for her next footing, her foot stepped on a piece before it crumbled, and she slipped. It caught Twilight off guard as she let go of her right arm and was now dangling.
The youngling looked down as she saw how high she was. One slip, and she would fall to her death. The girl was screaming as the only thing keeping her from dropping was her left arm, holding on. But even that was starting to fade as she could feel her strength weakening.
"Twilight, come on. You got to pull yourself up."
"I can't!" said the girl as she started to feel her left arm slowly slipping.
"Yes, you can! Come on, reach out!"
"I can't. I'm slipping!" stated the princess as the hold her hand was on began to crack.
It was only moments before the girl fell straight down.
"I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I failed." cried Twilight as she lifted her head and accepted her fate.
"No, you haven't! The only real mistake you can make is giving up!" spoke the butterfly.
Twilight lifted her head to look at the glowing insect. The girl took in what the voice said to her about if she gave in, then she was already admitting failure. And if there was one thing that Twilight didn't want to do, that was to fail. The girl began to swing herself a bit as she got her right arm back up and grabbed onto a ledge.
She managed to grab it in time as her left arm gave out, and she dangled again. Twilight then found a footing as she got her left foot on it and pushed herself up, simultaneously bringing her left arm up to grab another ledge. With now having a stable grip, Twilight began to continue her climb up. The girl now had some determination as she kept on scaling the wall.
"That's it. Just don't look down."
The princess heeded the words of the glowing insect and kept her focus on climbing. She did have a few more slip-ups but quickly recovered as the girl was determined to not fail this test. Eventually, her hand appeared on the top of the cliff as she pulled herself up. Twilight panted as she got to her knees and panted heavily.
"Nice job."
The girl looked to her side to see the butterfly fluttering next to her as a smile appeared. She then looked past it as a glowing light was on the other side. A faint wailing sound that matched the same noise the girl had heard earlier returned. She got to her feet as she saw the glowing light and knew it was a crystal. The youngling began walking to the crystal as it seemed to call out to her. She was so entranced by it that she almost...
"Stop!"
The girl came back to her senses. The glowing insect managed to stop the girl as she looked at where her left leg was. The girl was about to walk off, but there was a massive gap between the girl and where the crystal. Twilight looked down, almost making her fall off before falling backward onto her behind.
"Looks like you're gonna have to jump."
"What?!" screamed Twilight, looking at the small insect that landed on her shoulder. "I... I can't make that jump! It's too big! I'll fall! Maybe there's another way."
"You're running out of time, Twilight! Your only hope is to jump."
"But... but... it's a far jump!" The girl was terrified and not fully convinced she had what it took to make that leap.
"You just got to believe in yourself, Twilight. Believe in yourself, and you can do anything."
"Anything?" said the girl as the butterfly began to flap over to the other side.
"Anything! Just believe!"
"Believe..." said Twilight as she got up and looked at the gap before her.
The girl still felt nervous as she began to pace and mutter.
"Okay, okay. The drop is probably more than 100 feet, which means death is imminent. Okay, so if you die, Twilight, what's gonna happen? I'll never see Mom and Dad again; I'll never see Shining. Okay. Okay. Visualize jumping across."
"Twilight!"
The girl heard the voice as she grunted before taking some steps back and sprinted.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" yelled the girl as she jumped off the cliff and into the air. The girl was falling, her arms about as she looked to be swimming in the air in some effort to make the jump.
The youngling was coming down fast as she hit the edge of the other side. The girl grunted as she began to pull herself up and over the edge. She breathed heavily again as the adrenaline she was experiencing registered in her mind.
"I told you. You just have to believe. Don't be afraid." said the insect congratulating the girl for taking a leap of faith.
Twilight smiled as she got to her feet and approached the crystal. The wailing had died down as the girl and the butterfly looked at the small shining rock embedded in between some icecaps. The youngling put her hand out as she grabbed the crystal in her fingertips and yanked it. The crystal shone bright blueish as Twilight held it up high.
"My crystal," spoke the girl softly as she finally found what she sought.
The wall behind where the crystal was located began to rumble. Soon a passageway began to open as daylight was shown seeping through. There was still time for Twilight to get out. The princess began to walk when another rumble was heard. She turned as the shadow creature from earlier appeared. It roared as it located its prey.
"Come on! This way!" said the butterfly as it instructed Twilight to leave the cave.
Twilight took a step before turning back at the creature.
"No," said the girl.
"What?"
The shadow creature began to crawl forward at high speed as the gap between them was now a solid pathway, allowing the creature an easier way. Twilight kept walking toward the shadow thing as she ignored the pleas from the butterfly telling her to leave. The shadow creature then lunged into the air as it had its claws looking to come down on the girl and tear her to shreds.
Twilight stopped just moments before the creature jumped into the air. The youngling took a deep breath as she gripped the crystal tighter before looking up.
"I'm not afraid," muttered Twilight as the creature descended.
Twilight closed her eyes as she accepted her fate. The girl opened one eye to see what had happened to her and was stunned to find she was alright. She opened her other eye and looked around. The creature that was there before was now gone. The crystal in Twilight's hand began to glow again as the girl looked at it. She opened her hand to see the crystal's light was now different.
"You've done it."
The girl looked up to see the butterfly as its wings flapped in front of her. Soon it began to ascend as the light shining off it turned into particles.
"Wait! I don't know who you are! I have to say thanks!" shouted Twilight as she reached out.
"Don't worry. We'll meet again someday."
"How?" asked the girl.
"You'll know."
The insect then turned into particles as it disappeared.
Master Yoda was shown sitting on a rock as he meditated. He sensed something as someone's feet were shown in front of him. The Grand Jedi Master opened his eyes, and before him was Twilight, the girl had left the cave as she showed him her crystal. The shining rock glowed with a purplish color instead of the original blue it was when she found it.
"Since then, I've always remembered that experience. If it wasn't for that voice guiding me, I don't think I would've ever passed," said Twilight to Ahsoka as she finished telling her tale.
At that moment, the girls turned back and saw some of the younglings exiting as they managed to find their crystals. A second later, the Wookie youngling emerged as he saw the others and made a noise while showing his crystal from the stairs.
"Well done, Gungi. But two still remain," stated Ahsoka as the Wookie turned to the almost frozen solid door.
Yoda closed his eyes as he sensed what was happening in the cave.
"Will they make it, Master?" asked Zatt.
"We should help them," stated Ganodi.
As the Rodian youngling wanted to go in, Yoda put his walking stick out to stop her.
"Left the cave, you have. Help them, you will not," ordered the Grand Jedi Master.
The younglings had no choice but to obey Yoda's orders and wait. Moments later, the door was about to freeze over as sliding under the sheet of ice was Katooni, who managed to escape being trapped in a cave by a thick sheet of ice. The youngling just got out as the waterfall behind her froze solid shut.
"I have my crystal, but Petro is still inside," said Katooni as she informed him of the boy still searching for his crystal after helping to save her.
"Give up on your friend, do not," stated Yoda as he turned to look at the frozen waterfall.
Everybody else did the same as they waited to see what would happen. A few moments later, a scream was heard before parts of the waterfall burst through as the youngling appeared. The other younglings were stunned to see their friend alive before he showed them his crystal as they cheered.
"Petro, you made it!" said Katooni, proud to see her friend was alive.
"How did he break the ice?" asked Ganodi to Master Yoda.
"Only water made solid was the door. Easy to break if you have the will," chuckled Yoda, smiling smugly.
"Okay, now I know where Celestia gets her fun side from," stated Twilight as she could see that some of Yoda's playfulness rubbed off on her teacher while studying under him.
"You... You said we would be trapped," stated Katooni to the small green creature.
"Not by the cave you were but by your mind. Lessons, you have learned," stated Yoda as the youngling surrounded them, and he each addressed the trials they had to go through individually to get their kyber crystal. "Find courage, you did. Hope, patience... Trust, confidence, and selfishness. Yes?"
The girls smiled as they were glad to see the younglings overcome the trials set by their minds to achieve the next step of becoming Jedi.
"Take your crystals back to the temple and keep them safe. Young Jedi," said Yoda as the younglings began to chat and celebrate.
Everyone was getting ready to leave and head back as Twilight contacted her partner. The princess was informing Storm about how it went for the new generation of Jedi.
"Nice to know they all passed," stated Storm.
"Me too. They were able to overcome their fears, and now all that remains is building their lightsaber," responded Twilight.
"As long as they didn't give up. The only real mistake you can make is giving up," stated Storm.
Twilight gasped when she heard that. Her mind flashed back to when she was passing her trial; what Storm said was the same thing the glowing butterfly told her.
"You..."
"What?" said Storm.
"Uh, nothing. I look forward to seeing you when I get back," smiled Twilight.
"I'll be waiting, Sparky."
The transmission ended as Twilight stood there. The girl clutched her heart as she recalled what Storm just said.
"You... you were the one. Thank you," said the girl, as the boy was helping her again.
Author's Note: So this chapter happens as the younglings are finding their kyber crystals. And instead of focusing on them, I decided to focus on Twilight telling the story about her journey in getting her crystal. As you can see, when a Jedi finds their crystal, they must go to the crystal caves where their mind is put to the test. And in the case of Twilight, she had to overcome her personal fears, anxieties, and doubts, all of that for a kid. In a way, it's like taking the first step toward adulthood at a very, very young age. But in the end, thanks to some help, she was able to pass her trial. And see why she has her lightsaber is purple. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts. And here's something to think about, what fears in your mind would you encounter if you took this trial to find your kyber crystal?