//------------------------------// // Post Common Era Chapter Twenty-three/War of Stars Chapter Nineteen: Caught With Their Pants Down // Story: The Lunar Knight's Willow Leaf // by Moonlit Novel //------------------------------// Author's Notes: Thanks to Deadinlight for beta-reading and helping me edit Well I got back from Bronycon alright, no one found me, for which I am sad, but I managed to have a great time! Post Common Era Chapter Twenty-three/War of Stars Chapter Nineteen: Caught With Their Pants Down Sunrise was being supported by Shadow Eyes, who was not doing much better, the mares were both battered up pretty good by the time that Masao called the match, the only rule? No killing, at the beginning it looked like that Shadow Eyes would beat Sunrise Lily handedly and in the end she did, but the stubborn mare seemed determined beat Shadow Eyes even when she knew she was out gunned. Masao led the two mares to the infirmary where the two were taken in by the two healers there to take care of their injuries even though they were minor in comparison to what the healers were used to. Still the prince was given a talking to for letting them get injured at all. Rolling his eyes he walked into the room with his student getting a physical. “Prince! You shou—” started a nurse she was about to push him out when he spoke up. “So, how did it feel?” Shadow Eyes grinned as she turned to him, the scratches on her face from where one of Sunrise’s spells exploded evident. “She’s a great opponent! I wouldn’t mind going against her again” Masao nodded taking Shadow Eyes like of combat in stride, after all it wouldn’t look good if the nurse realized that he didn’t know about it in the first place. “I know that feeling, that rush of adrenaline that gives you that high feeling, just don’t get used to it, tomorrow you are going back to theory of spells, some of the spell work you did was sloppy and I know for a fact they were covered before” “Prince Masao, I know she is your student, but if you wouldn’t mind, I need to work on her now” “Ah, yes, of course, I will be outside waiting” said Masao before he walked out of the room, where Sunrise Lily was waiting a frown grew on his lips as he walked over sat next to her, she flinched. “You two nearly tore down the training room” “I’m sorry, and I am sorry that I disrespected your decision to take her as your student, she is… I guess worthy is the word I am looking for…” Masao chuckled at her causing Sunrise to look at him in surprise. “She said she liked sparring against you, and you held your own against a mage that has more combat experience than yourself, you should be proud of that achievement.” said Masao and a small blush grew on her cheeks as she refused to look at him. “I will talk to Celestia, if you show this much of an aptitude towards combat without any combat training, than it would be wise to have you trained before you grow bored with her way of teaching.” “But I—” “I know you will grow bored with her training eventually, you obviously had fun, fighting my apprentice that is, and I would prefer that you two work together, instead of clashing like you had been before now. a fault of both mine and Celestia’s she is training a damned good light mage, and part of being a light mage means having some contempt for the dark magicks in a sense. Myself however, I am teaching a dark mage, and that means a seclusion from the light magicks, but I could see something growing between you two, a friendship that could rival that of the Elements themselves, I can see that between all four of you” said Masao and Sunrise shifted uncomfortably at Masao’s comment. - - - Months passed and soon there was a friendship between the four students of princesses and prince. True to his word, Masao talked to Celestia about training Sunrise in combat, at first the solar princess flat out refused stating that there was no need for such a thing, but as the battles with the Terrans grew closer, something only known to the royals, she eventually gave in. Soon months turned into years and on more than one occasion did Masao walk in on his student in a compromising position with one of the other apprentices, though Shadow Eyes maintained that she was not in a relationship with any of them, Masao knew better, he eventually cornered his student and forced her to admit that she was in a relationship with Sunrise, one that had started not long after their first match something that had Masao chuckling before mentioning that she should end it, especially if it was only a fling. The blind unicorn did her best to glare at Masao, who was unaffected by her and she huffed as she trotted away. Over the course of the years Masao and Willow Leaf grew close once again, there were still moment where being a servant of Khorne got in the way and she nearly lost herself to bloodlust before the Chaos God would just stop out of no where and Willow Leaf soon gained a reputation for being on a hair trigger, no one ever got hurt. It continued like this for a while before Masao growing tired of Khorne’s interruptions interfered with his time with his wives and he demanded that Tzeentch put him in touch with the Blood God. Never before had Khorne been likened to his youngest brother/sister Slaanesh and he grumbled and threatened, but vowed not to bother Willow Leaf again, outside of combat. It was like this for a while until the day that the Terrans actively invaded Canterlot… - - - “Pathetic really” said Shadow Eyes as she ‘looked’ at a terran who had dropped a smoke bomb, a simple filtering spell kept her from gagging, and the smoke did nothing to block her ‘sight,’ “I am blind anyway, so this is nothing, burn!” said the mare and the Terran caught fire in a green flame that burned straight through his armor, the light from the fire showing his position and the other ponies in the area killed him before the flames could… - - - Willow Leaf twist and turned as she ended the life of yet another terran, she never stopped while she was dancing this dance of death, because Khorne told her if she stopped she would die, and Masao would not have her to hold any longer. It was cruel, but true as where ever she had been not moments before a dibit appeared from a sniper shot, she was moving in such a random manner that she was safe from him predicting where she would end up… - - - “Rest now, all will be fine” said Dream Seer as she walked into the hall that over a dozen terrans had occupied, and all at once they fell to the ground asleep. As soon as they were down several guardsponies ran through and disarmed them and handcuffed them behind their backs… - - - “Freeze!” said a terran as pointed his gun at Golden Daisy who looked at him bored. “Really? That is such a simple spell” she said and suddenly the soldier was a block of ice that now blocked the entire hallway and she trotted away to look for her teacher, surely she could give her a harder test… - - - “Heal!” said Sunrise as she healed a downed pegasus who had been shot in the wing, normally such shots were deadly but since she was a class A healer she was able to save him before she turned around and threw a suit of armor down towards the terrans that were firing at her position. “This is getting annoying” - - - The quartet of mares finally made it to the throne room where they saw a burly terran throw the by now Captain Greelo back only for Masao to catch her in a dark purple aura. “You psyker, it’s time for you to die” said the man and Masao rolled his eyes before he stood to his full height and all his magic went wild. Before anyone else could do anything, he threw the man back threw the heavy doors, nearly crushing the students. However before he could do anything else an ice spear, a bolt of lightning, a bolt of dark magic, and a sphere of pure magic all crashed into the terran. “Well, that’s a bit anti-climatic” said Masao as he walked over and checked for a pulse, finding none he nodded before he threw and arm out and black bolts of lightning flew off right between Dream Seer and Golden Daisy and struck a terran that was sneaking up behind them. “I think it’s time to go on the offensive, Shadow Eyes, I want you to—” Masao looked at the mare and saw she was staring at him in shock, she had never seen him in combat, he was calmer than she was feeling, “Calm yourself Shadow, you can break down after we repel the terrans” said Masao and Shadow Eyes took a shaky breath and nodded. “Yes Prince” just then a voice came over the comms, a very familiar voice to Masao. “This is Minder Three, do you require assistance my liege?” “Took you long enough, do you happen to have more troops? They managed to catch us with our pants down” “The UEC has come through this time” “Good, The princesses and I are in the throne room with our students, come get us after everything calms down, you know the signal” - - - UEC troops patrolled the streets as several pegasi flew back into the city, nervously landing they noticed how some of the troops waved at them smiling… “Welcome back, though you are a little late to the party, your royalty is safe” said one of the human females as she smirked motioning them off the landing strip as more pegasi came in for a landing… - - - Shadow Eyes stood looking off into the distance as Masao and Sunrise walked over. “Prince Masao told me that soldier wasn’t the first life you took today” said Sunrise and Shadow flinched as the mare put a hoof on her shoulder and looked at Masao silently asking him something. Catching on to what she meant, Masao excused himself and left the two mares there alone… - - - “I think it was time you came to Earth” said a general and before Masao could respond he continued, “Minder Three was able to get me to send these troops by appealing to my sense of honor, but the council will want a thank you in person, even if they had nothing to do with it” Masao frowned but nodded. “Now don’t worry, even if it costs me my job, I’ll make sure you get back home after you thank the council. It wouldn’t be right for them to go back on their word after all”