The Lunar Knight's Willow Leaf

by Moonlit Novel

Post Common Era Chapter Fifteen/War of Stars Chapter Eleven: Cadence and Willow Leaf Have a Talk

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Deadinlight for beta-reading and helping me edit

Post Common Era Chapter Fifteen/War of Stars Chapter Eleven: Cadence and Willow Leaf Have a Talk

Sneaking through the castle was easy, insultingly so, Willow Leaf thought as she crept towards the entrance, while she didn’t use any firearms she was still one of the best thieves to ever live, having been the only thief to have stolen the Elements of Harmony and almost having sold them, no other thief has made it even half as close, and to be a thief you had to know how to defend yourself, some thieves used firearms, true, but Willow Leaf? Oh she was one of the most agile and most determined mares, she learned hoof to hoof combat because she would rather risk leaving a witness alive than to kill someone, but she knew how to do it, and now as the time to prove it. All these thoughts ran through her head as she snuck out of the castle and made her way to the city edge, just as the first shells hit the shield.

“Miss, this is no place for a civilian” said a guard as he attempted to push her away but Willow Leaf just glared at him and with a well place blow knocked him on his rump dazed for a little bit, just long enough for her to sneak farther into the border line and as soon as she was there she saw…

- - -

“FIRE!” said a human in a ceramic plate armor, the bolter shots hit and bounced off of them as they seemed glow a dark eerie light.

“Let these fools fall to Terra!” said a human as he threw a frag grenade at the Crystal Heart’s shield only for it to bounce off and explode causing no damage…

- - -

“Miss, you are not saf—”

“I am Princess Willow Leaf of Equestria! I am probably also the only one that could possibly in in there and take care of those fools without getting shot” snapped Willow Leaf and the guardspony nickered in response before frowning

“You could be Princess Celestia for all I care, you are not going over there, if you really are Princess Willow, I would be a fool to let you through, your husband would have my head!” at that Willow Leaf grumbled but said nothing as she was lead away from the battlefield, but as soon as they took their eyes off her for a second she was gone once more and this time she snuck past the barrier, and kept close to the trees that had since grown close to the Crystal Empire.

“What’s that?” asked a terran soldier and Willow froze as a couple soldiers walked right by her, not noticing her, as soon as their backs were to her she sprung into action taking them out quickly and efficiently. As soon as the two soldiers were down, their helmets rolling away Willow took a deep breath, she knew instinctively that either she killed them now, or they could jeopardise her escape. Taking another deep breath Willow Leaf stood up on her hind legs ready to bring her full weight down on the skulls of the two soldiers when there was a whomp sound and Masao appeared in front of her. Willow Leaf froze, standing on her hind legs, ready to end the lives of the two humans beneath her, Masao just stared at her in shock, as the look in Willow Leaf’s eyes was one of fear, fear that Masao would look at her differently, that he wouldn’t love her, because she was about to kill a human without—

“Don’t do it Willow, don’t stain your hooves, not with their blood” said Masao as he shook himself out of his shock and walked over and held her close, her standing on her hind legs giving her some height…

- - -

“You need to go back”

“No, I don’t, if I go back you’re just going to finish what I started”

“If you finish what you started you will have blood on your hooves, something I know you never had before, it isn’t something that just washes away with a little soap and water!”

“So! You’ve killed! And if you are right so did I in a past life! I want to help! I have the skill to help!”

- - -

The two humans that Willow Leaf had knocked out were currently locked in the dungeon of the Crystal Empire’s castle while Willow Leaf and Masao refused to talk to one another. Masao, because he did not want to say something he would regret, Willow Leaf, because she wanted to prove she could be useful and not just a pretty face…

- - -

“You and your people are foolish, attacking Equestria’s allies like this” said Masao as he slammed the Terran warrior against the wall of the cell with his magic, and held the other by the throat with his hand. “You and yours nearly caused my wife to bloody her hooves on the likes of you, now tell me why I shouldn’t just kill you? Tell me why I shouldn’t go out there and destroy every single one of you?”

“Because, why should you do something you stopped me from doing?” said Willow Leaf as she stepped out of the shadows of the room, not in the cell , but in the room proper.

“You shouldn’t have their lives mar your soul, you are still pure, in this lifetime”

“So what?! If I really am the reincarnation of Sharp Sword then I am not really clean of blood anyway!” said Willow Leaf as she rounded on him before glaring at the Terran soldiers that started to chuckle, “I am not above letting him kill you two, for all intents and purposes I should have killed you in the first place” at that Masao gritted his teeth as his grip tightened on the two enemy soldiers.

“Love, while I would like to work out our issues, at the moment, I have to deal with an immediate threat to the Crystal Empire”

“Fine! But when can we?” asked Willow Leaf her annoyance at being placed on the back burner evident.

“Tonight if you are dead set on talking about it”

- - -

Willow Leaf made her way back to the throne room, with how things were progressing at the border of the shield, she was surprised to see everypony cool and collected, even the civilians that popped in to have some issues dealt with remained calm, and when she got to the throne room she was surprised when Princess Cadence sent everypony in the room besides her out, as she got closer to the princess one could see a frown on her lips.

“You could have died” of all the things Willow Leaf expected, that was not one of them. “I think that is what is the scariest thing that Masao is dealing with. He loves you almost as much as he loves the foals he has all but adopted since you moved into the castle. You know he is the Grand Elder of a bat pony clan? Or Thestrals as they are sometimes called? Masao knows that you are capable, hell he knows you probably could have walked away from killing those two down in the dungeon, but it isn’t something he wants to think about. If you had not seen him, if you had killed them without hesitation, do you think you would be arguing right now?”

“But—”

“No buts, I am more than sure that all he cares about is you being alive, even if you had killed them, he could have forgiven you, not that he would have needed to other than to sooth your soul after you realized what you did. From what I have gathered you never killed anyone before, and while we are at war, we don’t like our ponies to kill anyone, it’s inevitable but still not something we like” said Cadence as she sat on the throne, the pink alicorn sighed and looked far closer to her actual age for a moment. “Do you think it is easy on us? Loving a mortal? Especially mortals who rush off headlong into danger to impress us or prove themselves worthy of us? Do you know I used to be married to Princess Twilight’s brother?” asked Cadence, not trusting herself to speak at the moment, Willow Leaf simply nodded, “Do you know that he nearly died trying to protect me from a foalish mare who thought it best to rid the Crystal Empire of an immortal ruler? Do you know that he died months later when, for all his training, his body, old and tired as it was, decided to quit? Do you know how close I was to letting the Nightmare take over? All so I wouldn’t have to feel the pain of his passing.” At the mention of ‘the Nightmare’ Willow Leaf gave a confused look. “It was Masao who got me out of my funk, for a while I pined after him like a love sick puppy, knowing time would never ravage him. After he turned me down, I thought I would force him to love me with my spell, but all that happened was that he married Luna faster, and disappeared for several years. When he returned I vowed that I would do anything to make him happy, although I didn’t love him like that anymore, I owed him for saving my people and myself, from myself. So what should I do with the wife who thinks she can run off into a warzone without thinking of how her husband will react as soon as he finds out?” ask Cadence at the end of her little history lesson and Willow Leaf frowned at her and moved to speak up. “No. No talking, you will listen. I know you wanted to prove you aren’t worthless, but you should know that Masao never believed you to be worthless, he hates it when you put yourself in danger just to prove yourself worthy, or prove that you are useful. Willow Leaf, Masao loves you and knows you aren’t worthless, so stop trying to risk your life just to please him, you aren’t pleasing him you are hurting him”

“I’m not doing it to please him, I’m doing it for myself, I love Masao, but I have to know that I am not going to be worthless, I’m still young, and I want to be useful, whether to him or to Equestria and her allies”

“You don’t have to you—”

“I know I don’t have to, that’s kind of the point! I want to”

Author's Note:

She wants to be in danger? Well then perhaps that is something that needs to be checked out

RANDOM EXTRA CHAPTER!

Comments

[Deadinlight]

Might have internet soon. Unsure but I do have a job now so yay since I go by the library on the way home

[Moonlit Novel]

6157135 do what you can, and don't push yourself too hard.

[Moonlit Novel]

6129584 wow I never got this alert, well, I can't tell you, mostly because I would ruin the story for others that are reading this, but still...