The Shogun Six

by Warwolf

Gunblader

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or any characters belonging to Hasbro or any other companies listed herein. All original characters mentioned here are my own creations. I do this solely for entertainment purposes and in no way make any profit from it.

  "I tell you, Dusk, if you've got one major flaw it's that you need to learn to keep your nose out of books more often." Flash said to Dusk in good humor as they traversed the roadway. Magic grip or not, Flash tended to worry for his friend's apparently over-studious nature. In the four months since they had begun traveling together, Dusk had spent as much time as possible immersed in one book or another. Sadly, none of them seemed to be any use in locating what they needed to complete Dusk's quest and only a handful seemed to be of any use in showing Flash any tricks as an artificer that he didn't already know thanks to his father's instruction. Dusk it seemed, felt more at home amongst books than with most living beings. Flash put it down to his lack of upbringing as an orphan until the Shogun had taken him in.

            "Well, you never know when a new spell or long-forgotten knowledge of the martial arts will come in handy." Dusk replied. They had this discussion seemingly every few weeks or so. Dusk knew Flash meant well, but he still wasn't entirely comfortable outside the Imperial City. He felt a bit less guilty about sticking himself in the closest book on hand at any given opportunity by the fact that his reason was at least truthful. They were still young, just colts really, and as such there was a lot they could still stand to learn. Quick study or not, Dusk Shine was nopony's fool and he knew that he didn't know everything. He was still trying to figure out how the anthromorphic form had come to exist. He had searched through various books and in any historical archive he could access with his digital handheld connection to the Hyperweb. But the most he seemed to be able to do was place it as happening sometime after the Great Merger. The time when the Human race had come to their world an interdimensional fusion between the reality they knew and one in which had rested a world called Earth. The result of which had resulted in a world whose size was double that of the world known as Jupiter. But that was millennia ago. Though now he came to think of it, there were known human mystics, among others, who studied various fields of science and technology. A great deal of which had been adopted by the Shogunate of Equestria. Maybe the humans were partially responsible for this odd evolutionary change?

"Well, there's the next town." Flash said, pointing a hoof at the town in question and breaking Dusk's trail of thought. The town was actually just that. A town. Decently sized and certainly modern, but not a city that had long outgrown the title of town but had stuck with it out of nostalgia. They approached the town limits and made their way to the closest eatery. While they were well stocked for at least another week or so's worth of food, eating food that didn't require their own cooking would be a welcome change of pace. They hoped to restock and maybe catch the next train out of town. The previous town hadn't been located along the railways and as such had no train station. Dusk had decided about three weeks ago that he wanted to check out the ancient ruins where the Elements of Bushido had once been said to reside. But that was a long ways off. As luck would have it though, there was an archaeological survey going on in that general area. While he was still reluctant to use his connections to the Shogun to further his quest if he didn't have to, he was fully prepared to do so in this case.

"New ta town, huh?"

The two looked up after having sat down at a table to wait to order and saw a pony in anthro form. He was orange and had green eyes. His mane and tail were jet black and he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He was also wearing a stetson cowboy hat. And interestingly enough, he was about their age, give or take a few months, by Dusk's best estimate.
   
"Yeah, pretty much." Dusk answered the orange pony, who nodded. The indigo unicorn couldn't help his curiosity though. "Any reason you're in anthro form?"
   
"Makes it easier to take orders down and deliver'em." The orange pony replied, and Dusk noticed he had a southern drawl. It wasn't uncommon to hear that accent in the Imperial City, but this was the first time he'd ever talked to anypony with the accent. "Plus Ah felt like it. Problem with that?"

 "Hell no." Dusk returned with a smirk, echoed by Flash and countered with a grin from the orange pony.

"Well, Ah'm Ash Jade. Anything you boys lookin' ta sample while you're at the best diner in Ponyville?" The orange pony asked. Dusk raised an incredulous eyebrow, but managed to keep himself from laughing. Flash picked up his menu and scanned it quickly.
   
"I think I'm in the mood for the carrot salad with a side of beef. Medium rare, please." The artificer said after a few moment's thought, handing it to Ash, who wrote the order down and accepted the menu.
   
"You got it, brah. How 'bout you?" he asked, turning to Dusk, who was perusing his own menu. Meat had become a great deal of the foodstuffs made available when humanity had come to Equestria and brought with them several examples of non-sentient livestock which was designed to fit with the omnivorous diet of the bipedal 'aliens'. Though it had caused a great stir in the first century or two after their arrival, even ponies ate the non-sentient breeds brought from Earth these days. Dusk had a hard time picturing the fully plant-based diet of what came to be called the pre-fusion era.
   
 "Cheeseburger, hold the pickles, large fries and a side of bacon." he said, and handed the menu to Ash, who nodded after writing it down and taking the menu.
   
"Give it about twenty minutes or so. You guys need a guide around town or anythin'?" Ash inquired. The two unicorns looked at one another, and then after a moment, Dusk turned to Ash and nodded.
   
"Sure, why not?"
   
Ash smiled at that.
   
"Cool. Always try to help out the newbies in town. My shift ends in about an other half hour or so after yer food'll be brought out. Meetcha boys outside?" he asked, and the two unicorns nodded again. He turned and went to the back to drop off their orders, and the two Unicorns were left to themselves again.
   
"Guess it's true what they say about Ponyville. Still goes by the old-fashioned ideals it was founded on." Flash remarked. Dusk give him a confused look, and the silver-white unicorn chuckled. "I'm sorry, I should have mentioned I'd heard of this place before. My grandfather used to live in Ponyville. He always told me it was one of the friendliest towns you could ever hope to find yourself in. It's not a perfect utopia or anything, but it has one of the lowest crime rates of any city in Equestria and most of the old families here still get a lot of respect. At one point, according to my grandfather, Ponyville was a trade hub. I have some pictures from him on my datapad of Ponyville from his day if you want to look at them later."
   
Eventually their food arrived and the two ate and chatted a bit about what Flash knew of Ponyville. At about the midway point of their meal, there was a bit of commotion near a stage set at the far end of the place, and they like nearly everyone else in the place, turned to it, where the proprietor was making his way up. Behind him was all the elements needed for a band to play. From guitar to drums and various brass instruments.
   
"Evenin', fillies and gentlecolts. As most of you know, it's time for a little home grown musical accompaniment. So," the owner of the establishment said as several ponies began to make their way up to the stage. "without further adieu, I give you the musical stylings of Ash Jade!"
   
Ash was a unique artist. He was largely an instrumentalist as well as a singer, as he went through three or four songs as everyone ate. A few songs grabbed Dusk's attention. Mostly for the fact that they were pretty cool sounding, but one grabbed him as distinctly Japanese, and very old at that. Possibly well predating the pre-Fusion era from Earth's side of the historical divide.
   
Eventually, after his performance ended, the orange-pelted coat took a bow, and hopped off the stage. About twenty odd minutes later, the two unicorns met up with the Earth pony outside, and he gave them a tip of his stetson in greeting.
   
"Y'all ready for that tour?" he asked with a smirk. Receiving two nods in return, Ash Jade began leading them through Ponyville. It was, as Flash had said, a nice town of a decent size, and as luck would have it, it did happen to be a stop on the bullet train network.
   
"So, Ash, what were the names of those two songs again?" Dusk asked. "The ones in the fourth and fifth set. I didn't catch the names while I was eating because there was a good bit of applause making it a bit hard to hear between each one."
   
"Peace in Our Life and Treasure Sniper, respectively." Ash replied. "They happen ta be favorites of mine. Ah cain't say too much about the original artists since they're long dead 'n all, but their music was great."
   
Though neither unicorn had heard either song before, they couldn't deny the songs had been good. They had also heard Ash's rendition of Beautiful Day, a song by an ancient Earth band called U2. Their discussion turned from music to the various places within Ponyville. Ash also filled them in on the town's history. Begun as a mining town some three hundred years ago by the Jade family of which Ash was a member, the town had been lucky enough to flourish due to the high concentration of precious stones and metals located in the mine shafts which were part of the town and its outlaying suburbs. Eventually, it became part of the rail lines, and the town soon grew to its current size. Although it was nowhere near being a major tourist center, its history as part of Equestria's outward expansion meant it was still visited several times a year by histories if nothing else, as well as by ponies going to and from other destinations. The envoys to and from the Griffon and Dragon Kingdoms had once made stops in Ponyville as part of their itinerary, as was still true of many of the human governments, and all three nations did so for much the same reason as the historians would often visit; the town's historical significance.
   
Dusk, fascinated by this, had begun getting all this down in his datapad, and uploading it to his personal storage space. The information he was getting from Ash wasn't anything he'd heard about before and there was a chance he might be able to add to the store of knowledge of Equestrian history. He made a mental note to read up on Ponyville over the Hyperweb when they got on their next train.

  
Ash, once he was done helping them restock, offered to put them up for the night since the first train due to the archaeological dig wouldn't be until near the end of the next day. Seeing no reason to decline, the two unicorns accepted the offer and were soon led to the home of the Jade family, just outside Ponyville but not yet past the town limits. It was settled on a large tract of land which the Jade family mined from to the present day, and which, Ash had proudly said, had yet to run dry of any gems or metals. The Jade family mine was going to be a healthy business for another century and a half at least, by his estimation, before they might see any signs of trouble on the horizon.
   
They were also introduced to Grampa Jade, as Ash called him. His name was actually Strike Jade, and he was far more spry than his age would suggest he should be. Despite his advanced age, he moved as easily as the three colts and had all the gentility one would expect from a family that still held hospitality to others as a cherished family value. Ash next introduced them to Cut Jade, his elder sister. Already in her early teens, Cut was cut, no pun intended, from much the same cloth as her grandfather and brother. Dusk and Flash liked her almost at once with her easy-going nature. Despite being miner-folk, the Jade family seemed to all be very well read, even if their accents didn't necessarily reflect that.
   
After meeting Cut Jade, they were introduced to Shatter Jade, Ash's younger brother. Still just a baby, Shatter was the last child born to the proud parents Break Jade and his wife Dust Jade. Sadly, both had been lost a few years ago in a mining accident that had resulted from a bad reaction in some of the gems to the magic the Earth Ponies had put into them when they tried to dig them out. They and six other miners had lost their lives. But their children lived on, and the mines still ran thanks to the help of friends and family of the co-workers who had also worked the mines. Shatter didn't say much. He was barely six months old, after all, but he was cheery and playful, wanting to touch everything new he came across, and it was all the two unicorns could do to keep their weapons out of his hooves so he wouldn't accidentally harm himself. Not that this stopped him from yanking on their manes and tails. Only a combination of their training in the martial arts and the fact that they knew he didn't know any better stopped either one from outright yelling at or scolding the young foal for doing what was only natural. They didn't begrudge the child his natural curiosity, but as they weren't much older than he was, it did test the limits of their patience. Strike Jade luckily got him in his crib quick enough, and he settled down shortly after the rather lengthy introduction had been made.
   
Ash had changed back to full pony form not long after the introductions and went out to go check on a few things around the property, check in with some of the miners, and a few other things before the colt would be willing to consider his work done for the day. Ash's Warrior Mark, as it turned out, was three shattered pieces of Jade in perfectly rounded spheres. Dusk wondered what that meant. His own mark established the fact that magic itself was what he excelled at as a combat skill, while the diamonds that marked  Flash's flank indicated not only his ability to locate things which would be of use to himself or others, which he often exercised of gems, but his ability to create things from that which often seemed worthless.
   
The unicorns decided to lend what help they could around the house, not wanting to freeload when they had been offered lodgings for the night out of nothing but kindness from ponies they had only just met. Ash was more than happy for the assistance, and with the help of Dusk and Flash finished his chores with three hours to spare. This left the rest of the afternoon free. As was the custom for the two unicorns, they decided to spend some time sparring to keep their skills in both physical and mystic combat sharp. Ash had watched from the sidelines, though he looked very interested in the exhibition. Cut Jade, who had come to watch the display as well, remarked that she hadn't known anyone that young to be allowed to travel alone, even if they were traveling together.
   
It was getting on to literal dusk when the two unicorns called an end to their sparring. They had invited Ash to join in during some of their hand to hand exercises, and found themselves regretting it. Ash was frighteningly strong for his age. Dusk wasn't too far off in the strength department from AJ, as he had told them to feel free to call him, but Ash was still in a league beyond. The group was settling down to dinner when a knock came at the front door, prompting everypony to look to and fro at one another, aside from Shatter Jade, who was just enjoying life, wondering who would be outside at this hour.
   
Strike Jade got up from the table and opened the door. And frowned, seeing ponies he'd rather not. One was a  noble. Not quite a Daimyo, but not a simple town official or administrator. He was a dark magenta color and had a white mane and tail. He was dressed in finery befitting his noble status, but his face was almost constantly drawn in a sneer. The other pony was dirty brown and had a blonde mane and tail.
   
"You boys don't know when to stop, do ya?" the old stallion said in disgust. "Ah told you before, Ah'll tell you again. Answer's no."
   
"You know that isn't the answer I want, Jade." came the oily voice of the noble. Dusk Shine knew that voice, too. Knew it personally. He got to his hooves, and shifted to Anthromorphic form, making his way towards the door, much to the surprise of the others at the table.
   
"It's the answer yer gettin', Baron." Jade said. "Now git off mah property before I call the law down on ya."
   
"I don't think so, Jade. See, I get what I want one way or another. And I want your mine."
   
"Too bad you can't always get what you want Baron." Dusk interjected with venom in his tone, arriving at the doorway and taking both stallions by surprise. "I don't know what you're doing harassing these nice folks, but I think you might want to step the hell off. Wouldn't want the Shogun knowing you're up to your old trick again, now would you?"
   
The Baron scowled. He knew Dusk from the Imperial palace. He had never been the most amiable sort, believing wealth gave one the one to do whatever one wanted. Only the Shogun and the higher ranking nobles or Samurai could do more, and the idea of the Shogun taking in an orphan and all...the fact was that nobody at the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Court could miss the fact that the Shogun and Dusk acted like family. Dusk was known to be the Shogun's official ward, and many wondered how long before the alicorn simply adopted him, making him Crown Prince. He was practically the heir to the throne as it was. He was also a Samurai, and from all recent accounts, one who answered only to the Shogun, by royal decree.
   
"You have no right getting involved here, boy." The Baron snapped. "This is a business matter."
   
"Really? Because it looks to me like you're trying to strongarm a family out of their home-grown business for the sake of lining your own fucking pockets." Dusk retorted brusquely. "A matter I believe the Shogun has reprimanded you for in the past, if memory serves. Or have you forgotten the last time you stepped out of line?"
   
The stallion and colt stared one another down. The Baron had little doubt that Dusk would point the Shogun at him if he kept openly trying to force Strike Jade to sell. He didn't know how the little orphan bastard even knew the Jade family, but it was clear he was flexing his political connections here. Gesturing to his second, the two ponies turned to leave. But the Baron couldn't resist one last dig.
   
"Careful, boy." The Baron glared as he spoke. "Never know what kind of trouble can come in a mine, or to those who wander aimlessly. Accidents happen." And with that, he and his companion were off. Strike shut the door with a bit more force than necessary. Dusk turned to head back to the table, before the elderly stallion stopped him by changing to anthro form himself and putting a hand on one of the colt's shoulders.
   
"How's it you know that sack of crap, Dusk?" the old miner asked.
   
"I lived at the Imperial Palace since I was the Shogun's direct apprentice. I met him more often than I like to count during the days when I was studying the martial arts, magic, and politics, and the latter meant I had to spend time at the Imperial Court." Dusk explained as he led the way back to the table, and settled down in his seat. "The Baron had the bad habit of thinking he was more than he was from the moment I met him. Has a real thing against anyone he considers below him, too. The Shogun's had to censure him a couple times already. He tried to strong-arm someone else the same way he was trying to do with you. They were closer to the capital though and went right to their city officials, who in turn put the Shogun's offices on the case. The situation got the Shogun's personal attention, though I'm not sure how or why, and he really let the guy have it with both barrels."
   
This drew chuckles from the Jades and Flash. They spent much of the early evening trading stories form across their lives, and by the time everyone turned in,  They'd all had a few good natured laughs at each other's expense.

The Jades, much like Dusk and Flash, had a tendency to rise with the sun. So the two unicorns ended up meeting up with the Jades aside from Shatter, who was still in his crib, and the two traveling colts insisted on helping Ash with his early morning chores as a way to repay him for putting them up at his home. Strike Jade found their refusal to hear no for an answer amusing and endearing so he allowed it, but he cautioned them to follow Ash's instructions. Like them, Ash had been training in the martial arts from a young age, but he also had training in long range combat via projectiles and firearms. More importantly for the morning ahead though, he also knew how to work with things often to be found around a home that boasted its own mine.
   
Ash wasn't so stubborn he would turn down help from his new friends, though he did insist on doing the major stuff himself since it was stuff that required specific work when it came to the devices in question, but he was more than willing to discuss what each piece of equipment did. Not that he was doing anything major himself by comparison. Strike and Cut, along with the other miners did the truly important stuff that Ash wasn't going to be ready to do for at least another few years assuming he stayed on at the family business. Ash had a bit of wanderlust in him, and he was more than willing to admit to it to his friends since he saw no reason to lie about it. He didn't think he would want to stay away forever, but he did want to experience a bit more of the world before settling down to a life he wasn't sure was necessarily for him until he had a chance to explore his options.
   
It was getting around ten in the morning when they heard it. A massive explosion and rumbling following soon after. Ash was on the move almost immediately.
   
"What's up?" Dusk asked, as he and Flash sprinted after Ash, keeping close to the cowpony colt.
   
"That weren't no normal event!" Ash called back. "Somethin's wrong, and Ah aim t'find out what!"
   
"We're right behind you." Flash said, and the three quickly made it to the entrance of a mine shaft which looked to have been blown outward and then collapsed back in on itself, giving off massive amounts of dust into the air. Several other miners and Strike and Cut Jade themselves were closing in on the shaft as well. A few miners had managed to apparently escape the cave-in and were being looked after by some of the mining staff who were versed in medical aid while one pony whipped out a cellphone and made a call to the Ponyville hospital and then another to the police to let them know what was going on.
   
"The fuck happened?" Strike snapped. "There shouldn't be any explosives bein' used anywhere near these mines!"
   
"No time to worry about it, boss. Not all of us made it out!" One of the miners, a pegasus with an orange coat and freckles, managed to say between coughs.
   
The miners, Jades, and the two unicorns spent the next few hours digging their way through the crumbling rock and trying to shore up the supports that were still present but threatening to break. Medical teams from Ponyville along with the police and other first responders also pitched in. Dusk and Flash quickly learned that the sheer and somewhat freakish strength Ash had displayed appeared to be a family trait. Dusk and Flash were certainly no slouches either, and soon enough they were able to clear away much of the rubble. What met their eyes however was enough to turn the stomachs of the younger ponies despite their training.
   
Several ponies had survived the cave-in, by the grace of the Shogun himself it seemed. Some with minor injuries in a few cases, and broken limbs in the case of several others. The wounds would heal and broken bones would mend with time though, and they were glad for that. It was the ones who hadn't been so fortunate and were either crushed under the rock or caught by the full force of what appeared to be a very brief but brutal explosion, leaving them charred almost to the bone in some cases that disturbed them. It would take DNA testing to identify some of these. While the Jades and their fellow miners were tending to the wounded and the dead, Dusk moved deeper into the mine, using his horn to light up the interior since most of the lights had been destroyed in the blast.
   
"You shouldn't be here, young colt." Dusk heard from behind him and turned to see am earth pony in anthro form and dressed in a police uniform not far behind, making his way over with a few others. "This is police business."
   
"I'm Dusk Shine. Apprentice to the Shogun, and currently on a quest for him. The Jades were nice enough to put me and my friend Flash up for the night out of the kindness of their hearts. Considering I have a suspicion about what happened here, I'm making it my business." The indigo unicorn replied firmly, raising up his digital device, which showed his identification and official standing to the stallion, who looked surprised.
   
The stallion had a hard time believing that this colt, perhaps not even in the double digits yet, was not just the Shogun's apprentice, let alone on a quest for him. He had heard that the Shogun had taken an apprentice, but had assumed the pony in question to be older. He looked over the credentials the colt was showing on the digital uplink, and frowned. It was legit, so far as he could tell. He would have to double check with the office later to be sure that Dusk wasn't some fool colt playing at being a Samurai— such an impersonation was a crime and would carry severe punishment, as one did not forge the identification marks on that screen without being given at least a ten year prison sentence, but for the moment he would have to let it go.
   
"I'm the Ponyville police chief. Name's Proper Procedure." The officer said after a few moments. "How do you know the Jades?"
   
"Met them yesterday through Ash. His family's been nothing but kind to my friend Flash and I. I'm not about to just sit on my haunches when the Baron is up to stunts like this."
   
Proper looked surprised. This colt had only known the Jades for a day and he was willing to get involved like this? The Shogun must have raised this child better than he would have guessed, if this was indeed his ward.
   
"The Baron? What makes you think he has anything to do with this?" The chief asked as Dusk continued in further, with himself and a few of his other officers following behind the young Samurai.
   
"The pompous windbag was here last night, trying to strongarm Ash's grandfather Strike Jade into selling the mine to him. When he didn't get the answer he wanted, he walked off saying we should watch out because 'accidents happen'. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together to see he's a prime suspect in this." Dusk called back as he began a light magical scan.
   
"That's a pretty loaded accusation." The police-pony pointed out as they moved deeper in.
   
"I know." Dusk answered with a nod. "It's why I want proof to back it up. If it turns out this was a genuine accident or something, that's one thing. But if this was deliberate, I want to be able to back that up with cold hard fact."

The kid's got his priorities straight at least. If he weren't Samurai, he might make for a good cop in a couple of years. Proper thought to himself. They made their way deeper into the mine. Dusk leading the way and the other officers behind him.  Dusk found his vision starting to react oddly to the area. It was as though he was seeing light and energy around him. This wasn't new to him as it had happened before, but the Shogun hadn't told him exactly what caused it. He had taught him a bit how to handle it. Sadly, all he knew about having what the Shogun called 'Powermaster' eyes was what little he'd been able to muddle through. It was a rare condition, however largely benign and helpful. But there were times when it overpowered him. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as normal. In fact, his eyes soon came upon something unexplained, and his magic scan also pinged on it.
   
"You found something?" Proper asked, picking up on the fact that Dusk was suddenly very intent on a specific section of the mine's interior.
   
"Maybe. And I stress maybe." Dusk replied. He shuffled through some of the rubble with his hands, picking up and checking various rocks and gems. "I'm picking up some kind of residual magic. But I'm not sure I can place it. It doesn't feel like anything I've seen before."
   
"I thought unicorns could pick out magic based on the three pony species and any others who use magic?" One of the other officers, a pegasus, asked.
   
"That's part of the problem. This magic, whatever it is, doesn't feel like pony magic."
   
"So who then? Human? Griffon? Dragon?" Proper asked.
   
"If it were dragon magic we'd never have to wonder how this happened. We'd have still been able to see whoever was involved, even if it was one of the smaller species. Magic of this type for a dragon so far as I know would require the caster to be in incredibly close range if they happen to be draconic. Downside to their spells. The more fine-tuned the spell has to be, the closer the caster needs to be. They're great for long range, but they suck eggs up close and personal." The indigo unicorn snorted. "Besides, dragons aren't likely to do this kind of thing. We may be in the midst of a cold war with the them, but I don't see how they would find any reason to attack an old mine that has no tactical advantage to them. I'd sooner believe a mouse did this than a dragon."
   
"So that rules out the armorhides." One of the other officers who'd come with them said. "What about other magic users? I mean, the Griffons aren't exactly known for giving a damn why they do anything if it hurts ponykind."
   
"I wouldn't put it past the Griffons. But this doesn't have the same taste as the magic they tend to use. Could be someone else they've taught to use their particular type though." Dusk said, trying to force his strange new way of seeing to give him something he could use. It wasn't easy though. He didn't know what he was looking for, so his 'Powermaster' eyes were about as useful as a second set of ears right now.
   
"Well, if you can't tell us what it is, why not tell us what it isn't." Proper Procedure inquired.
   
"It's not pony, dragon, or griffon in origin. That leaves three possibilities: human, paranormal, or divine/demonic." Dusk said after a few moments more.  "Given the tentative peace we have with the humans, I'd rule them out for the time being."
   
"So that leaves the last two. I'd say that also rules out the Baron." Proper said. Dusk shook his head.
   
"Not necessarily. The Baron may be a pompous ass, but he does have, if memory serves, several tomes of ancient magic. If he was able to find and bind a creature from outside our realm, he could then have ordered it to do this. It would be hard to prove, and he might be counting on that." Dusk frowned. "That's part of the problem though. The Baron is a pompous ass. I don't think he's smart enough to know the risks in such a summoning and how to avoid them."
   
"Risks?"
   
Dusk shook his head. "You don't wanna know unless you plan on summoning anything. Which I highly recommend against even considering unless you're facing extremely dire circumstances."
   
The officers gave each other glances that told the Shogun's ward that his comment had unnerved them. Good. he thought. They'll be less likely to try it now.

Dusk spent another thirty minutes examining the area. He couldn't figure out anything more about who had been responsible for the magical signature left behind, but it quickly became apparent to him that this was indeed the magic that had caused the explosion and near-collapse of the parts of the mine closer to the exit to the surface. When they emerged from the mine it was around three in the afternoon. They quickly filled in the Jades on what Dusk had found. Medical teams were still helping to remove the injured and dead.
   
"I'll call you if I find anything new, chief." Dusk assured Proper Procedure, and the two shook hands. "I hope you'll do likewise."
   
"Of course. I take it you'll be staying in the area until the situation is cleared up?"
   
"Damn right we will." Flash said with a snort as though it were obvious, and Dusk gave a curt nod as well.
   
"There's no question we're staying. The Jades are good people, and I don't think either myself or Flash would ever be able to live with ourselves if we left now." Dusk added, and this time it was Flash who nodded.
   
"Mighty kind of you, boys. But Ah thought you two wanted to git on to some research dig or sumthin'?" Strike said as he wiped his hands off with a rag.
   
"The dig will just have to wait." Dusk said with a smile to the old stallion. "Friends come first. You and your family took in two complete strangers and showed us nothing but kindness. That means a lot in this day and age. We're sticking around until the matter is resolved."
   
"Well in that case, Ah guess that means we'll have to keep those extra place settings at the table for meals till then." Ash said with a grin, dusting off his stetson.
   
"Huh? Oh...no you don't need to do that. We can find a place in town. We couldn't think of imposing on your hospitality again, not what with all this having happened." Flash said, but The Jades just gave the two unicorns a knowing look.
   
"T'aint no imposition, boys. Yer takin' the time to help us when ya could be doin' whatever it is you were on yer way ta when all this kerfuffle went and screwed things up. Least we can do is put you up till things're settled. Besides, ain't the day gonna come when the Jades'll turn friends out if we can help it. Besides, how often do Ah get to meet up and hang out with fine upstandin' Samurai like yerselves?" Cut Jade said with a smile and a wink. The two unicorns blushed, but laughed along with Strike and Ash.
   
"No use arguin' fellers. Mah sis's speakin' fer the whole family here. An' we won't take no fer an answer." Ash added when Dusk opened his mouth again to object. The indigo unicorn closed his mouth and gave a helpless shrug.
   
"Okay, okay." Flash chuckled as he watched his Katana wielding friend give in. "I suppose we should help finish the evacuation of the injured from the mine as best we can, and decide our next move afterwards."
   
So deciding, the group set back to work, helping the survivors out. It was sunset before the Jades, Dusk, and Flash retired to the house. Having nothing left they could do, and with emergency vehicles still present and moving to and from Ponyville to continue the survey and location of anyone that might have been missed, the group settled down to a much more somber meal than the one they'd shared the previous day. Dusk, prior to dinner, had started writing an email to the Shogun.

Your Majesty,

I apologize for sending this letter so late in the day. However things have developed here that require that Flash and I take time out from our quest to aid a new friend. Actually, a family of new friends. Yesterday, Flash and I arrived in a town called Ponyville. I don't know if the name means anything to you. But when we got into town we made the acquaintance of a colt roughly our own age named Ash Jade working in an eatery. Ash agreed to put us up for the night with his family, who are just as easy-going and friendly as he is. Despite being total strangers, they took us into their home with no qualms, simply because Ash put forth the invitation. I used to think 'old town' hospitality was something you only saw in various fiction across the media spectrum, so imagine my surprise when I met a family that lived that unique set of core values!
The Jade family owns their own mine, one that is currently in the sights of a less than savory figure from Court: The Baron. He appeared at the Jade home last night, trying to strongarm Strike Jade, the patriarch of the Jade family and owner of the mine into selling. I don't think I need to tell you that Jade gave him a firm 'no'. I think it also goes without saying that the Baron quickly worked my last nerve by refusing to let it go at that and step off graciously and I was more than willing to get involved. I apologize for letting him get to me, but you know how I feel about his attitude, and our last few encounters prior to this run in left a bad taste in my mouth, so I was more than happy to stand up on behalf of the Jades. It also seems that he hasn't forgotten the way you shut down his last attempt at bullying people into letting him have his way at the expense of their livelihoods, which is probably why he's this far out from the Imperial Capital to begin with. He must have figured that nopony would think to call on the Imperial Court to help this far out because of the fact that Ponyville is fairly out of the way by most standards. I don't think anyone else from the gentry OR the nobility besides the Baron are anywhere within fifty miles of this town right now.
         Flash and I would have continued our journey this morning, but a sudden attack on the Jade family's mine has caused us to put that off for the moment. I realize how important it is for me to figure out which of the Elements of Bushido I represent, and to find the other Incarnates of the remaining Elements , but I cannot.... will not.... leave my new friends in the lurch like this. I suspect the Baron's handiwork in this. Or at least I did at first, but something tells me there's another angle to this. There was magic used in this attack. Magic of a type I can't quite place at the moment.  If the Baron is responsible, then I hope he hasn't done something even dumber than usual for him. If he's been idiotic enough to SUMMON something to try to make it harder to pin this on him, and isn't prepared to handle the potential dangers involved with such an act, it could lead to grave consequences beyond just the damage done to the mine and the loss of life already sustained in this attack.
           I'll keep you informed on events as they happen. I hope I haven't disappointed you too badly by putting the search on hold, but this is important too.

Dinner was eventually served and the group ate while making light conversation, mostly responding to Strike and Cut's recent updates from the mine, which were being sent to them every few minutes via cell phone texts. It seemed the majority of the roster of workers for that day had been accounted for, with the search continuing so to try and uncover anyone else who might still be trapped in the tunnels. Strike and Cut, tried from the day's exertions, called it a night early.  Ash also stepped out, citing that he had one or two last things to do before he considered his day done. Dusk and Flash were left to themselves for the time being, and the silver-white unicorn turned to his compatriot.
   
"What do you think we should do next, Dusk? I'm not exactly an expert on criminal investigations."
   
"Neither am I." Dusk admitted. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. The Baron is our top suspect right now. And if he is involved, it means he probably has a residence somewhere near town."
   
"Too bad we don't know where it is, or we could at least get an overview of the place so we could try to plan a way to get in and find something that might incriminate him." Flash sighed with a nod.
   
"Ah think Ah can help ya there, brah."
   
The two Unicorns almost leapt our of their skins, before turning to see Ash had returned, and wearing a belt that had a pair of holsters attached to it. Holsters that looked like none that they'd ever seen before. They tapered to sharp points. As if sensing their confusion, Ash pulled one of the weapons free.
   
It was neither gun nor sword. Instead it was some kind of fusion of the two. Flash was the first to recognize what they were seeing and his eyes went wide.
   
"My word, AJ. Are those what I think they are?" The artificer asked in astonishment.
   
"Eeeyup. Gunblades. Been in the family for damn near a hundred years now. Grampa Jade taught me how ta use'em, an' I reckon y'all can use all the edge you can get if'n you plan ta try to get anywhere near the innards of the Baron's house." Ash replied.
   
"You don't need to do that, Ash." Dusk said, though he was touched by the stetson-wearing colt's offer of support. "I mean, that's going pretty far out of your way, isn't it?"
   
"No more'n you two've done, Dusk. This here's a matter that only really affects mah kin an' mahself, but you an' Flash are stickin' yer necks out fer ponies ya hardly know. We got a bit of a tradition in the Jade clan." Ash said. "We look out for our friends. You two've already gone way outta yer way to help. An' that says a lot for two Samurai on the move that they'd take time out to help ponies who were complete strangers just the day before. Ah'll be damned if Ah do any less when you two're gettin' ready to possibly walk right inta who knows what. You two're mah friends, an' the day'll never come when a Jade turns tail on his buddies. One thing you can be sure'a. Us Jades don't tell many lies. When we say somethin' you can usually take it to the bank. An' Ah say Ah'm gonna do what Ah can to help you two on this. This ain't even what yer on the road fer, but yer stickin' around anyway, right? It's only fair Ah help since when it gets down to it, you don't owe us anything and yet yer still plannin' this whole investigation o' yers. Ah tell ya, the two'a you might not be blood, but Ah'd be proud to call you honorary Jades on account of the way you stick up fer others and fer the right thing. Reckon Grampa and Cut would say the same if'n they were still awake."
   
The two unicorns looked at each other, and then back to Ash as he holstered the free Gunblade and sat down at the table with them. Then Dusk grinned and offered a hand, which Ash took, even as Flash laid a hand on top of theirs.
   
"Well Ash, if that's the case, let me say it would be an honor to have you watching our backs." Dusk said.
   
"Quite the eloquent speech, Ash. You could have a wonderful career as a motivational speaker." Flash added with a chuckle. "I have to admit, it was very inspiring."
   
"Honesty's usually the key to getting out what you want to say, fellers." Ash replied, as the three broke their collective 'handshake'. "So lemme grab a map from th' other room an' we can get started on plannin'. Sound good, Dusk?"
   
Dusk nodded. 

Somewhere else in the multiverse....

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and sat up, ears perked and alert, eyes wide. With barely a moment's hesitation to make sure she hadn't accidentally woken Spike, the purple unicorn leapt out of bed, and pulled out her journals from a closet. It was her third week at the palace since Princess Celestia had taken her on as her protegé, and she had been having strange dreams about a colt that she'd never heard of before. Confused, she decided to do what she did best: research it. But since all she had to go on was her own dreams, she committed herself to putting everything she could remember onto paper when she woke from her dreams. Since she was so often up before the infant dragon she'd hatched, she had ample time to do so.
   
She found it frustrating though. She could remember details about numerous figures in her dreams except for the name and most of the physical appearance of the colt who featured so prominently in them. She only remembered flashes of him. Bronze streaks in a dark blue mane...and the greenest eyes she'd ever seen. A cutie mark that, except for the colors, was an exact match for her own. Only the ponies in her dreams didn't call them cutie marks. They called them Warrior Marks. There were a lot of words she didn't understand being thrown around in the dreams. Samurai. Shogun. Bushido. Katana. More recently the term naginata had joined the list. None of them made sense. This dream had given her a new word to add to her growing vocabulary; Gunblade.
   
She hadn't been able to find them in any of the books in bookcases she had in her dorm at the school. Not wanting the princess to think she might be losing her mind or something, she'd kept it all to herself. Writing down anything and everything as best she could remember it. She even had managed to draw up the pony that in her dreams was called the Shogun, or a reasonable approximation of him at least. In some ways he reminded her of Princess Celestia. Tall and regal, with a noble bearing, the armor-clad stallion also seemed capable of great kindness as well.
   
Her latest dream featured a third colt. She had been surprised when the silver-white unicorn colt— Flash, she thought she remembered his name as being— had joined the indigo unicorn colt. But the two had become friends, and she wondered how that was possible. The indigo one seemed more like her. Bookish and studying whenever he could. Sure he also seemed pretty vicious with that katana he had— the first time he had used it in actual combat had frightened her out of her dream because she had never seen anypony cut into the flesh of another like that on purpose— but he seemed generally nice on the whole otherwise. By the time she had fallen asleep again, the two unicorn colts were in the midst of dinner with Flash's parents when her dreams found them again.
   
The strange thing about her dreams was that each of the colts she had seen seemed to be represented by strange songs, which she would hear at times. The one with the Katanas, the one she wanted to remember more clearly and felt frustrated for not being able to, was often preceded in her dreams before she saw him by a song that spoke of eventual triumph over adversity through great struggle, while the silver-white colt, Flash, was represented by one that spoke of his somewhat bombastic personality. This third colt was different. The music that seemed to be attributed to him was...strangely calm by comparison to the other two. But then, that almost seemed to fit the general personality he seemed to exhibit.
   
Ash Jade. Twilight thought as she began to write down the new colt's name, description and everything she could remember about the dream. He seems...almost like the ponies I see in real life.
   
These ponies were so strange. The Royal Guard were trained to fight, sure. But everyday ponies living in a world where a culture existed that developed around martial skills? It just seemed too weird.
   
She wrote for another hour or two. The sun wasn't quite up yet and she was starting to feel sleepy again. With her work finished however, she could afford a few more hours sleep before it was time to begin her classes with the Princess. She wondered what she might see next time she dreamed of the strange colt with the bronze streaks in his hair....and also wondered what he dreamt of when he slept....

Author's Note: And thus ends yet another chapter of The Shogun Six! Damn. 8,694 words, just for the chapter's story content alone. This is so far the longest chapter in the story yet. And included for the first time, the personal theme songs for the Six themselves. These have been planned from the beginning, so expect at least three more. I don't know if future chapters will be this long. This one kinda got away from me, and like with Flash, AJ's introduction to the team will see it's conclusion in the upcoming chapter. I invite readers to take a shot at predicting who the next member of the team to be introduced will be via Private Message. Whoever guesses the next member to join the six gets a shout-out in the author's notes next time around, but the character himself won't be revealed until the following chapter, so even if you win, keep it under your hat. ^.~

Now the piece that I'm sure many were caught off guard by: Twilight appears! I hope this was a nice surprise for everyone. And let me clarify here. The Six are NOT just something she made up in her dreams, before anyone suggests that. They are very real. She's basically seeing parts of their lives at different parts of her own life. She will be in and out of this story, and she won't necessarily be seeing everything that happens. For example, her first sight of Dusk in combat is in Chapter 2, but the next time she sees Dusk is about the mid-point of chapter three when Dusk and Flash are eating with Flare Burst and High Aspirations. Meaning she misses a decent chunk of some of that chapter, and also cannot see the things Dusk may dream about. (Which is probably a blessing, all things considered, am I right?) She won't see the story all the way through as a filly, by the by. Her dreams aren't going to be done linearly. Twilight's appearance is something I also had planned from the beginning, and this is going to be important to the saga as a whole. How? Wait and see. I have some curveballs to throw your way as we go.

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. There's more to come, folks. Far more to come!