//------------------------------//
// Six years 
// Story: The Lost Swordsman 
// by Star Shadow 
//------------------------------//

	“Damn it” growled a deep voice in frustration. “That’s another book that doesn’t have any useful shit.” This stallion was none other than Roronoa Zoro, or Tri-blade as he’s gone by for the last six years. 
During his time here Zoro learned a lot about this world and its history including the tragic banishing of Celestia’s sister that happened over nine hundred and ninety-six years ago, as well as, meeting a large variety of different ponies, most of which were far too eager to befriend their ruler’s first ever actual bodyguard and while it annoyed Zoro at first he couldn’t help but start to become fond of this world’s inhabitants. Of course, this didn’t mean that he’d forgotten about his nakama and where his old world which is why even after six whole years of reading book after book; a task that was far more suited for someone who actually enjoyed doing it like Robin and Twilight, he still didn’t want to give up returning to his world.
“Tri-blade?” called an elegant voice from library’s doorway.
“Celestia what’re you doing here? It’s still too early for you to be awake and walking around” stated Zoro, he’d been here the whole night but despite being tired his senses were still sharp as ever so he still knew what time it was.
Celestia giggled at her bodyguard’s over protective nature. “Relax Tri-blade, I’ve walked the halls just fine for over nine-hundred years before having you around. You don’t have to be on your guard all the time” she told him.
“Force of habit” stated Zoro holding the book that he’d just finished looking through in his mouth so he could put it away. “Back home I always had to stay alert for threats to my crew. Marines, other pirates, bounty hunters, sea kings, even the weather could hurt them and it was my duty as first mate to make sure that didn’t happen.”
“Well as you’ve seen over the past years Equestria is a very peaceful land without any real enemies since they were all defeated long ago by myself and.” Celestia stopped mid-sentence at the heart breaking thought of her sister.
Zoro noticed the alicorn’s distressed gaze and decided to try and change the subject. ‘This damn world is making me too soft-hearted’ thought Zoro with a slight anger. “Well that still doesn’t mean that you should let your guard down. Peace never lasts forever” said Zoro before he yawned loudly.
The green stallion’s yawn broke Celestia out of her daze before she let a rare scowl appear on her face. “Have you been staying up all night again?”
“Yeah, but nothing some naps can’t fix” answered Zoro as he grabbed another book from one of the library’s many shelves only to have it yanked out of his mouth by some magic.
“You need to get a proper rest Tri-blade and I won’t allow you to read another book until you do” stated Celestia with a firm ruler’s tone.
Zoro growled, even he couldn’t get Celestia to back down when she used her authoritative stance and as much as he wanted to try he was way too exhausted for it. “Fine, I’ll get a full sleep tonight” muttered Zoro.
“No, you’re going to get a full rest today. I’m giving you the day off to relax” said Celestia defiantly.
“Not gonna happen” Zoro said back. “You have too many meetings today and I’m not going to let you go unguarded.”
“The palace guards can handle it Tri-blade. You need a day off” argued Celestia.
“You haven’t taken a day off in over a thousand years so I don’t see why I have to!” shouted Zoro
“You’re not immortal” stated Celestia, managing to hold in her frustration at the stallion’s stubbornness.
“I’m not taking the day off besides,” said Zoro, stopping to gaze at a nearby clock. “it’s time for you to raise the sun so it looks like well don’t have any more time to argue.”
Celestia allowed herself a small pout; a few years ago she would never have allowed herself to get so angry or act so childishly around one of her subjects but over these past six years she’s found herself growing fond of her bodyguard a type of fondness that she hasn’t felt around somepony else since her sister’s banishment. Somepony that she can act herself around and not have to hold her royal demeanor all of the time. That’s why when she saw her friend’s cocky smirk at finding a distraction to keep her from trying to convince him to sleep she let herself pout without a care for her royal image. 
After a minute she finally sighed and began to lead Zoro out of the library towards the balcony where she normally performed her celestial duties. Along the way she decided to speak to the swordspony about a topic that’s been bothering her for a while now. “Are you certain that you still wish to return home Tri-blade?” asked the alicorn.
“What kind of question is that?” asked Zoro with a narrowed glance to his companion.
Celestia allowed her gaze to drop down to the floor as the two walked. “Well it’s been six years since you’ve arrived here and we’ve already searched through the royal library without any success.”
“That doesn’t mean I should stop trying. My nakama need me and I have a dream to see through too. I can’t just throw all of that away because a few years have passed” said Zoro with conviction in his voice.
As the duo reached the double glass doors that lead out to Celestia’s sun/moon balcony they stopped. “And would you truly be alright with leaving everypony here behind? The Apples? Ponyville? The Sparkle family? The guards whom you’ve helped to train? Cadance? M-“ Celestia stopped herself short at the last part trying not to seem needy or give him the wrong idea. ‘Of course, would it even be the wrong idea? I would miss him’ she thought to herself as she felt her heart ache, ‘greatly.’ “Just please, for everypony who cares about you, think it over.”
With that Celestia turned and went out onto the balcony to perform her eternal duty with Zoro watching her and thinking hard about what she’d said. ‘I can’t stay here damn it. What about Luffy and the others? No, it’s been too damn long and it’ll probably take even longer to get back. They’ve all probably moved on with their lives by now. I can’t just abandon Kuina though and I still have to return Wado to Koshiro-sensei, but there’s no guarantee that I’ll ever return. Damn it!’ Zoro thought in a hopeless anger before his crew flashed into his head and he sighed sadly. “There no guarantee that I’ll ever see any of them again.”
“Hmm, did you say something Tri-blade?” asked Celestia, looking away from her task for a second to see her bodyguard with a depressed scowl.
“No, don’t worry about it and raise the sun already” said Zoro, trying to hide his pain behind his usual forceful and blunt tone.
When the alicorn ruler turned around and continued with her task Zoro returned to his thoughts. ‘If I stay here though, what will I have to look forward to? There’s no other swordsmen to defeat, no enemies to fight, and no nakama to protect. But there are the Apples, Twilight and her family, everyone in Ponyville and Canterlot that I’ve me, Cadance, and’ Zoro stopped to look at the princess who took this time to finish raising the sun to look back and him. Seeing that he was seemingly coming out of his depression Celestia allowed a gentle smile to grace her lips, unaware that the way the sun was positioned behind her gave her a breath taking glow that only a ruler of eternal beauty such as her could make look so natural.
Even Zoro couldn’t help but find himself entranced by the sight of the alicorn gazing over her shoulder at him with kind eyes, a caring smile, and a seemingly natural and flawless glow. It didn’t last long however as the green stallion quickly regained his senses and tried to look as if he hadn’t been staring at her and didn’t have a blush of embarrassment on his face. ‘And her’ he thought, finally finishing off his longstanding thoughts.’
“Shall we?” asked Celestia when she returned to Zoro’s side. She’d managed to catch his staring at her, despite his attempts to hide it, and couldn’t help but hide a blush of her own at being admired by a stallion of his “special” qualities.
“Whatever, let’s just hurry up and get this boring sh-“ his sentence was stopped midway by Celestia’s glare, “stuff over with.”
As the duo walked away from the balcony towards the throne room to begin another day of repetitive meetings and complaints from the Equestria’s residents a familiar pink alicorn stood peering around a nearby corner. “Love isn’t so cheesy anymore now is it Tri-blade” giggled Cadance.
“Did you seriously just use your magic to set her majesty and Tri-blade up?” asked a stallion’s voice from behind the love alicorn.
Said alicorn yelped before she spun around and saw that it was only her love interest, Shining Armor. Thanks to Tri-blade’s disciplined training of the castle guard Shining has come a long way from being a clumsy new recruit and is actually now the youngest member of the guard to ever become the captain. “You know that my magic can only bring out the love of everypony. If it’s not already there then there is nothing that I can do” explained Cadance.
Shining raised an eyebrow at that. “So what you’re saying is that what just happened was natural?”
“Of course, you know that I’d never just force two ponies together like that” said the alicorn with a smile.
Shining returned the smile and said. “And that’s why I love you.”
“W-what!?” asked Cadance in surprise at what she just heard.
“AH-I-I-I’m mean that’s why I like you” panicked Shining with a massive blush on his face, hoping that he’s be able to cover his slip up.
“Y-yeah of course that’s what you said” stuttered Cadance with an equally large blush. “A-And I like you too Shining.”
An awkward silence passed between the two before Shining spoke. “W-well I have to get to a guard meeting.”
“And Aunt Cely wanted to see me before her first meeting” said Cadance.
Another awkward silence passed between the ponies before the both yelled “BYE!” and ran away in different directions.