“Come on Granny, we’re never gonna be able ta see Zo-Tri-Blade if ya don’t hurry!” hollered Applejack as she guided her elder through the large group of ponies that crowded the hospital’s entrance. After word had spread of the princess’s rescue by the town’s newest pony seemingly everypony in Ponyville along with a few paparazzi ponies swarmed the hospital’s front entrance to hopefully get a glimpse of the two. Luckily for them though Celestia’s guards had managed to reach the establishment right after their ruler had and formed a blockade to keep the crowd out.
When Applejack and Granny Smith finally managed to reach the entrance they found themselves blocked off from entering just like everypony else. “Now why won’t ya let us in?” asked the orange filly.
“Only hospital faculty, injured ponies or family members are allowed in at this time” stated one of the royal guards.
“But we’re Tri-Blade’s friends. He’s been livin’ an’ workin’ at our farm since he got here” explained Applejack sadly at the thought of not being able to see her new friend.
The guard stared unaffected by the filly’s saddened gaze as he started to restate his orders. “I’m sorry but only immediate family members ca-“
“Let them through” ordered a familiar deep voice.
The guard ponies glanced back towards the voice to see their ruler coming out of the hospital beside the dark green stallion who’d saved her and once Celestia nodded in answer to the guards’ silent stares they stood down as instructed, allowing the orange and lime green ponies to pass. Applejack leapt into the air as soon as she reached the pair and wrapped Zoro into a hug before she bonked him on the head with her hoof. “Now just what were you thinkin’ puttin’ yerself in danger like that? I mean, I’m glad that ya saved the princess an everythin’ but ya coulda been killed doin’ it” reprimanded the Apple filly before she remembered whose presence she was in and bowed before the princess. “Ah’m mighty sorry ‘bout that yer highness. Ah shoulda noticed you before started yellin’ at him.”
Celestia giggled at the young filly’s criticizing and apologizing before she said. “It’s quite alright young one. Your concern is understandable and I would do the same if one of my loved ones had done the same.”
Applejack lifted her head up to smile gratefully at the princess only for her oversized stetson to drop over her face again. When she lifted it back up though whatever she was going to say was lost when she saw the look that Zoro had in his eyes, a look of resolve and determination. “So ah guess that the two of you had yer talk then?” asked the filly.
“Yeah and we managed to cut a deal but.” Zoro paused for a moment to; not really looking forward to saddening the orange colored pony. ‘Damn kids’ growled the swordspony mentally before he shook his head slightly and answered. “I’m going to have to live in Canterlot until the Princess can figure out how to solve my problem.”
“Really, how come?” asked Applejack.
- Flashback
Celestia stared at towards the hospital room that; after nearly ten minutes of arguing, finally went silent and waiting with a calm patience for somepony to exit it. Finally the door opened and the earth mare doctor; who’d entered the room right before the shouting started, trotted out with a frustrated red face. “Your friend will be fine your highness but he refuses to wear any restraints what so ever that would restrain his movements. Even though I explained to him numerous times that he wouldn’t have to wear them for very long and well. I’d like to speak freely for a moment if you’d allow me to your highness.”
“Please go right ahead” said Celestia.
"Your friend is outrageously frustrating and beyond any kind of stubbornness I’ve ever seen. I would honestly watch yourself around someone who’s so, disobedient” stated the doctor, growling slightly at the last work.
Celestia couldn’t help but giggle at what the doctor had just told her. “Well he does seem to be a little rough around the edges now doesn’t he? There’s no need for concern however doctor I plan on finding some way to keep a cushion between each other” said the Equestrian ruler as she trotted into Tri-Blade’s room. As some as she entered and shut the door with her magic Celestia’s kind stare turned to a stern one. “Now then, would you mind telling me where you’re from?”
“How do you know I’m not from here?” asked Zoro, not even bothering to open his eyes and look at the princess.
“You use words and terms that are uncommon of anywhere I know of, have demonstrated a masterful amount of skill with a sword of unfamiliar design, have strength beyond any pony I’ve ever met in my thousand plus years of life and your magical essence is different than anything in Equestria” listed off the alicorn before taking a breath and narrowing her gaze. “So who are you and where have you come from? Answer truthfully or I will take it as a threat to my subjects and lock you away into the depths Tartarus myself” threatened Celestia now using her royal voice to hopefully intimidate the stranger enough to make him tell the truth. She truthfully didn’t like using the royal voice but she was willing to take any and all measures to ensure the safety of her little ponies.
She was thoroughly surprised however when Zoro simply opened his non scared eye to stare at the princess with no reaction towards her act what so ever. “Look Princess I’m not here to hurt anyone unless I have to. The only reason I even saved your ass was because your subjects told me that you could help me to get home” stated the swordsman before he chuckled. “By the way, that was a poor as excuse for intimidation. If you really want to scare someone into working with you then you’re to need a lot more than a loud voice. Something like.” Zoro then stepped down off of his hospital bed without even showing any sign of his slight former fatigue and took a crouched stance while glaring back up towards the ruler, pushing out some of his massive killer intent to top his example off.
Celestia’s breath caught in her throat and she took a step backwards into the door from the sight before her. From where she was watching she couldn’t even recognize the green stallion any more as he now seemed to have been replaced by a predator from the darkest depths of the Everfree Forest. From beneath the shadow given off by his in place black bandana that covered his eyes shown a lone eye that was filled with so much feral danger that it sent a sweat of raw fear down the powerful alicorn ruler’s face.
Just as it had formed however the paralyzing demonstration that Zoro had brought disappeared once he stop back up and the shadow disappeared from over his eyes. “If I wanted to hurt your ponies then I would’ve let that rockslide crush you all and then I would’ve cut the survivors to shreds” stated the green stallion.
With the feral creature replaced with the familiar earth pony Celestia was able to breath easily once again. “And I’m extremely grateful for your non-violent approach. I apologize if my rash conclusions have caused you to distrust me.”
“It’s fine, you were only looking to protect your friends. I’ve done the same thing more times than I can remember” said Zoro.
“Well then now that we’re on friendly terms once again I must ask for you to explain your situation to me if I’m to help you” said Celestia as she used her magic to pull a chair up for herself while Zoro plopped back down onto his bed.
“Just don’t ask a bunch of annoying questions” said the swordsman as he began his story telling his story.
To say that Celestia’s mind was sent over the moon enough to be seen by Luna by the end of her accomplice’s story would’ve been a sever understatement. Not only was he a wanted member of an infamous pirate crew, but the world that he lived in and the friends whom he’d lived within it with was beyond anything that she or anyone in Equestria could’ve ever possibly imagined and she would’ve actually listed him off as crazy if it wasn’t for the look of raw truth that lay in his eyes. “W-well that certainly is an interesting story” said Celestia with a still processing mind. “I can’t say that I’m particularly unfamiliar with other dimensions but I’ve never created a portal to one myself and the only pony who has is long since passed.”
“Damn it” growled Zoro. “Well did whoever was able to make the portals leave any books behind or something?”
“Oh Starswirl left many of his notes and various other writings behind. Unfortunately there are a great many of them and it will take a rather long time to look through them all and with my royal duties to attend to it could take several years” stated Celestia.
Zoro gritted his teeth so hard at the news that the alicorn thought that they might break. “God damn it!” yelled Zoro, as he knocked a hole in a nearby wall with a single hoof punch. Celestia was taken aback by this outburst of rage and violence but simply decided to let him vent and pay for any damages later. She didn’t have to wait for long however as Zoro seemed to meditate for a while with his hoof still through the wall and managed to feign a calm after a moment. “It’s not like I have any other choice but what the hell am I supposed to do while I’m waiting for you to get me home?”
“Well that actually brings me to an arrangement I hope you’ll consider. I wish to request that you become my guardian during your time here in Equestria” stated Celestia.
“Why the hell would you need a guardian you have an entire group of guards and aren’t you supposed to be this place’s strongest being or something?” asked Zoro.
“Well as you saw from today’s events even I’m vulnerable to danger ever now and then so I wish for you to become my personal guard until your fated day to leave comes” explained Celestia.
Zoro thought about it for a second. “Well it’s not like I haven’t baby sat before” he thought aloud to himself with a shiver going up his spine once again from his adventure at Water 7.
“Excuse me?” asked Celestia, wanting to see if what she’d heard about this highly intimidating stallion actually babysitting was true.
Zoro choked a bit when he realized that he’d thought aloud and that the princess might’ve heard him. “Nothing” grunted Zoro. “As long as I get a place to stay and some of whatever the hell this world’s money is then I’ll do it.”
“Very well” agreed Celestia. “You may have a room at the castle and a reasonable amount of access to the royal funds.”
“Fine” agreed Zoro as he and Celestia did an awkward; at least it was for Zoro, hoof shake to seal their deal.
“By the way, should I call you Zoro or Tri-Blade?” asked Celestia.
“Just stick to Tri-Blade” answered Zoro. “I’ll stick out less that way.”
- Back to the present
“So you’re gonna be the Princess’s bodyguard!?” asked Applejack excitedly while everypony else who’d heard was slack jawed.
"Yeah, so I’ll be going back to Canterlot with her” answered Zoro.
“Well, you’ll come an’ visit us at least right?” asked the filly with a now slightly down look.
‘Damn sad kids’ thought Zoro before he pushed down on the cowpony’s stetson as he had many times already today. “I’ll come by whenever I’m not busy” stated Zoro.
“Well ya have ta promise me that it’ll be at least once a month” said Applejack, gazing back up with determined eyes.
“I can’t just-“ Zoro started to say before nudge from behind caused him to look back towards Celestia who nodded at him with her usual graceful smile. “Fine” he agreed although he also had another reason for coming back. ‘Those idiots had better come to get me soon. I don’t want to be trapped in this nauseatingly colorful world for longer than I have to.’ “On one condition Applejack” he said suddenly.
“Sure anythin’” said Applejack, happy that she’d still get to see her new friend without having to worry about his busy new schedule getting in the way.
“I need you to keep an eye out for anyon-anypony that seems weird to you” said Zoro.
“An’ what do ya mean by weird?” asked Applejack.
“They’ll probably act just like I did when you first met me” explained Zoro before he remembered one important detail. “Except they’ll be a lot louder and obnoxious about it.”
With that Applejack leapt up to hug the green stallion again. “Ah promise!” yelled the filly despite her being right next to the other pony’s ear.
“Right like that” groaned Zoro as his right ear pulsed from the obnoxiously loud promise. He then turned to the Apple family matriarch after the orange pony released him. “Thanks for letting me stay at your place” he said, not used to thanking people for things.
“Not a problem partner. Feel free ta stay at the farm whenever ya come an’ visit us. We could always use the extra hooves on the fields” said Granny Smith, which caused everypony around to chuckle at the old pony’s reasoning. “Course, just havin’ ya come an’ visit will be nice too.” And with that the newly named Tri-Blade and Princess Celestia headed towards the alicorn’s chariot with the royal guards close behind.