//------------------------------// // Common Era Chapter Eight/Post Lunar Rebellion Chapter Nine: Sharp Sword Learns the Truth // Story: Return Of The Lunar Knight: A Sharp Sword's Knight // by Moonlit Novel //------------------------------// Author's Notes Thanks to Deadinlight for beta-reading and helping me edit Common Era Chapter Eight/Post Lunar Rebellion Chapter Nine: Sharp Sword Learns the Truth That night Masao did not return to the bedroom, and Sharp Sword was a little worried, this wasn’t like him. Wait… How would she? Not the time. She walked out of the room only to find an Earth Pony waiting for her. without saying a word the Earth pony handed her a rolled up length of parchment and trotted off surprised at the encounter she walked back into her room in a slight daze forgetting about Masao’s absence for a moment. Dear Sharp Sword, I see you are doing well, congratulations are in order, you have have done us a great service in capturing the Day’s Legion agent, rest assured we will be around soon to… Collect her. If you don’t want any deaths I suggest you make sure that the way to and from her cell is clear. If it isn’t I can’t guarantee the life of those “royal guards” that serve that tyrant, Celestia. Long live the Night, Double Edge Sharp Sword swallowed hard, on one hand she could tell Celestia what she had just received, but all in all it did not look good on her having received another message from the Lunar Remnants… - - - Masao was in the training rink, a few unicorns moving the training dummies around while he attacked them he was no where near as fast an unarmored pony who was wielding a saber, an épée, or a foil, but he he was definitely more durable than any unarmored opponent. Still épée and foils were better made to puncture armor than his broadsword, and of course the earliest examples of handheld firearms, Masao was not looking forward to this century, or the next, if they went the same direction of his species. He was in the process of a swing of when Sharp Sword came walking out and sat outside the rink and he stopped his practice. “Oh don’t stop on my account…” she said slightly distracted but still there was a slight air of her love for him and he smiled at her. “Something on your mind, my very sexy mare?” asked Masao a grin growing on his face at the blush that appeared on Sharp Sword’s even as a small smile did so as well. “Well, I see somepony is feeling anxious” Sharp Sword said with a wink as she walked over to him and Masao simply grinned and he knelt down and kissed her on the lips, a kiss which she happily returned before pulling away. “Masao, I got another message from the Lunar Remnants…” she said, the smiles disappearing from both of the two lovebirds’ faces. “What do they want? I thought they were content to leave you be seeing as—They want Velvet Sparkle, don’t they?” asked Masao figuring it out before he finished his sentence. “Yes, and they want a way in and out that will be clear.” said the mare, making Masao frown as he thought of how to deal with this new development. “Hey, Sharp Sword, how do you feel about pulling an all nighter?” - - - Masao stood there in front of the cell door of Velvet Sparkle, fully armored and quiet, and as far as any onlooker was concerned, alone. that was the sight that two pegasi took in surprised that someone was there as Masao turned his head towards them. “Greetings, am I to assume you are part of the Lunar Remnants, or whatever you call yourselves?” asked Masao and the two pegasi gritted their teeth, this had to be the traitor, but their orders were to get the Day’s Legion mare and get out, not to kill the traitor knight. “Oh don’t think that you are getting Lady Sparkle, she is to stand trial in the morning, and I would be foolish to upset Luna’s sister, yeah I could probably take her, but the devastation it would cause, and even then I am not guaranteed a victory. I am nothing compared to Luna, and only Luna would have a reasonable chance at winning, if she kept a leveled head” rambled Masao much to the confusion of the two pegasi, until they were each grabbed in a telekinetic field the color of red, and Sharp Sword stepped into view. “Did you really think I would betray Celestia? After all she has done for me?” asked Sharp Sword a look of anger on her face as the two pegasi started to gag. “Sharp Sword, don’t kill them, Celestia will want to talk to them, and I do believe they have to be alive for that to happen.” said the obviously aloof human, talking as if it didn’t matter to him if they died, other than the inconvenience of upsetting Celestia, which caused the two pegasi to go wide-eyed even as Sharp Sword loosened her grip on their necks. “Fine, love, but only because you asked” said the mare, annoyed at his comment, or rather seemed to be such. - - - The two pegasi were currently locked in a cell, neither of them having said anything useful. Moreover, Masao wanted to get Sharp Sword alone for a little bit, her choking the two ponies had not been part of the plan. so as they were walking the corridors on their way back to their room Masao spoke up. “What was that, Sharp Sword?” asked Masao bluntly causing the unicorn mare to stop walking and seemed to start shaking. “They deserve it. All of them, The Lunar Remnants have killed so many Masao, and all the time they teach their young ones that they are fighting for a just cause! I was raised by them, I know how they think, and everytime I meet a new member of the remnants I cry a little inside. do you know why?” countered the blue mare as she turned to Masao whom stopped in surprise and regarded her carefully. “Why?” he finally asked after several moments finally realizing that she was honestly waiting for an answer. “Because that is one more child that might not be saved, that is one more child that may actually believe every word that Double Edge says. That is one more brother, one more sister, one more mother, one more father, one more daughter, or one more son that thinks they have to kill Celestia, and bring about Eternal night” Masao had no words but he knelt down and pulled the mare into a hug, there were many things he could have said, but now was not the time for words… - - - Celestia frowned at Masao and Sharp Sword, having just heard about what they had done. “So you two decided, on your own, that you would apprehend these two? Not even thinking about asking me for my advice? And don’t say you didn’t have time, you had time to reroute all of my guards away from the area until everything was dealt with!” “To be honest, ‘tia, That was ridiculously easy, all I told them was that you requested that they be else where, your old guard would have at least confirmed the orders before doing anything. In fact I was actually insulted that they didn’t confirm the orders even—” “Don’t turn this around Masao!” said Celestia, though she did make a mental note to get on to her guards about that. “Princess, it was my idea to set the trap, if—” “Sharp Sword, enough.” said Masao suddenly, his voice harsh, and sharp enough to cut steel, causing both Celestia and Sharp Sword to look at him surprised, and hurt in Sharp Sword’s case. “You know as well as I it was my idea and I will not have you throw yourself under the bus to protect me.” Celestia frowned at Masao’s outburst, while Sharp Sword looked devastated… “I…” she started before running off, tears running down her face. Masao sighed, as he hung his head and slumped his shoulders, knowing he had hurt her feelings. “Well congratulations, Masao, you managed to hurt your lover so bad she had to run away!” said Celestia angrily causing Masao to step back from the ferocity of her exclamation before a look of anger crossed his own face. “Mind your own business Celestia! What happens between me and Sharp Sword is none of your business!” said Masao before he stepped closer to the solar princess, a snarl on his face. “I did not butt into the affairs of either you or your sister unless you asked, and I will not have you disrespect my relationship by you butting in!” Celestia was a little nervous, she could feel the darkness in Masao pulsing, but she held his glare with one of her own and even if she was afraid of the outcome of a violent confrontation, she would not back down. If Masao chooses to be a threat to her ponies, she would do everything in her power to stop him. “Are you threatening me, when you should be going after Sharp Sword?” said Celestia sternly making the snarl on Masao’s face twist in shock slightly before he ran out of the throne room at full speed, fear and concern now spreading across his features… - - - Sharp Sword had stopped running through the corridors of the castle, and was now walking through them even as tears continued to fall down her face. “Why? Why would he yell at me like that? Haven’t I been there for him? Haven’t I—? Wait… I haven’t known him all that long… So why does it feel like I have known him forever?” asked Sharp Sword as she stopped a look of fear on her face. “Why does it hurt so much? I have been yelled at by lovers before, so why?” she asked aloud not noticing Masao stop behind her and leaned against the wall before taking a deep breath. “It’s because you are a lot older than you know,” said Masao which made Sharp Sword jump in surprise as she twirled around and glared at him, “well your soul is anyway” he amended as the mare narrowed her eyes at Masao. “Are you here to yell at me some more?” she asked accusingly and Masao flinched slightly. “No, and I probably shouldn’t have been so harsh earlier. I just… Do you know that having someone you are trying to protect throw themselves into trouble to protect you feels like a betrayal? Who am I kidding, of course you do, we just went through that together…” - - - Masao and Sharp Sword sat in their room, Masao answering her questions to the best of his ability, including how he really felt about her, not Evening Star, but Sharp Sword. Masao continued to answer to the best of his ability, even if some answers she didn’t like such as when he mentioned that when he first heard that she was the reincarnation of Evening Star, he jumped at the chance to be with her even more than before. but in the end, they made up. And after that point they continued to hunt down both Day’s Legion and the Lunar Remnants followers, soon the Day’s Legion was gone, no one remained. However, the Lunar Remnants proved to be increasingly stubborn and impossible to remove, much to dismay of both of them. During all of this they managed to repair the damage to their relationship with Celestia, who started to invite them to Twilight’s study sessions, during which time the young filly would badger the couple with questions, and a few of them made the trio of adults blush in surprise, and embarrassment. Shining Armor joined the Royal Guard, and soon hit it off with Twilight’s new babysitter, Cadence, who started babysitting her after the arrest and following sentencing of the young filly’s mother. Still as Masao knew would happen, Twilight still did not see the necessity for friends, and Masao knew it was getting close to the night he was waiting for. The night Luna would return…