Deadline
"Libra?" Jack and Applejack both asked Princess Luna with stunned looks on their faces, getting a nod from the Princess of the Night before she took a sip of her tea. Jack quickly bowed politely to the waiter that placed his tea on the table before him, glancing around at the small restaurant before picking up his drink and taking a sip as well.
"Yes, Libra. The deity of fairness and balance," Luna further explained as she conjured and image of the mighty being with her horn, making both Jack and AJ's jaws go agape when they rested eyes on the mighty being. The deity was a bluish color with golden outlines across its body, with two scales in place of where its hands should be. Yet, the face that looked as if it was carved out of stone drew their eyes, a face that did not favor or dislike.
"This here being's a deity? Then why is this mah first time hearing of him?" Applejack asked Princess Luna when she ceased her spell, casting glances at the ponies that had been staring at her images.
"That is because Libra himself prefers that as few as possible know of his existence," Luna admitted in a near whisper while she glanced around at the other ponies. "He believes, and rightly so, that if ponies knew of his wish granting power, he would be badgered day and night. He prefers to sit in silence and contemplate the meaning of reality in peace, rather than being bothered every ten seconds."
"Then why reveal his existence to me? In fact, why bother helping me at all?" Jack whispered in reply with a sad face. "I have already asked my favor of you, in a way that I am ashamed to admit was in a less-than-courteous way. You did not need to do this for me." The waiter returned to interrupt the conversation, placing a slice of chocolate cake before the Princess and then leaving with a bow.
"Actually Jack, my sister and I believe that we do," Luna replied after a moment of silence, giving her enough time to finish her drink and the cake. "You have done far more than we first believed, especially after hearing Applejack's accounts of your journey together. And also...we know of your plight." Jack cast a quick glance at AJ as she said this, but the orange pony shook her head with a shrug.
"You do?" Jack asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Yes, Jack. See, I have the power to enter dreams, so after you arrived in Ponyville, I have been looking into your dreams," Luna admitted before turning her sad gaze upon the samurai. "And I know of what became of your land, your people...and of the monster that took all of it away from you. So when I informed my sister of what I discovered...we believe that helping you to slay this evil would be right...to finally help you defeat Aku."
Jack's eyes widened for a moment before he rose out of his seat and bowed to the princess, gaining him the look of every pony in the establishment. "I am eternally in your debt. I do not deserve this kindness from you, not after the shameful way that I have behaved."
"You must be the kindest human...pony on the planet, if you are ashamed of the polite way you acted even when upset," Luna said with a wink at Jack, whose eyes had widened when she mentioned his true form. "But I believe that is enough talk about you. Instead, walk with me while I talk more about Libra--if you would be so kind."
Jack nodded to Luna before walking ahead of the princess, who stood up with a slight stretch and sigh. Her wing then wrapped around AJ's shoulder and pulled her in close, close enough so that Jack couldn't hear her next words. "I have also peeked into your dreams as well, Applejack. And I would reveal your feelings soon, for I believe Jack will not be here much longer."
It was Applejack's turn for her eyes to go wide and she stared at Luna with her mouth slightly agape, leaving Luna to wink once more before walking up to the samurai waiting on the outside of the restaurant. "Now there are a few things that you should know about Libra. The first is, that he will only speak with creatures that he either respects or deems interesting enough to meet in pony."
"And my tale is what you used to convince him to agree to see me?" Jack asked, getting a nod from Luna in reply.
"Yes, but even so he is "busy" and will only meet with you at a certain time and place," Luna continued, in a tone that worried the samurai to some degree. "He wants to meet with you atop that mountain." Both Applejack and Jack squinted their eyes as they gazed off to where Luna was pointing, seeing a particularly large mountain off in the distance.
"I assume that he also wishes for me to climb that mountain by myself?" Jack asked with a sigh, but this time Luna tilted her head slightly.
"Well, he did say that he wanted you to climb the mountain to meet him, something about it only being fair that you waste some of your time to even out his waste of time, but he didn't say anything about being alone. So if you want to bring somepony along with you, then I suppose that he wouldn't be opposed," Luna figured with a shrug.
"So where are we going now?" Applejack asked as the pair continued on their walk, only knowing of a few places the princess would visit from the direction they were heading.
"We are heading to Fluttershy's. She said that she found a fascinating new insect and she wanted to show it to me," Luna replied.
"What else should I know about Libra? I do not wish to offend him on accident when we speak," Jack asked with interest, his eyes flashing with a determination that AJ had not seen in some time.
"Well, he's all about balance and fairness. He pays you a compliment, he'll want one in reply. He insults you, it's best that you insult him back. Catching onto the pattern?" Luna asked, smirking when Jack raised an eyebrow in confusion and shook his head. "Don't worry, I've dealt with him for centuries and I still have trouble talking with him. Just try to keep the small talk to a minimum and you should be fine."
"What about when I ask for my wish?" Jack hesitantly began, Luna able to see the worry beginning to creep into his thoughts. "If he is one that believes in balance for all things, would he not ask something in return from me?" Luna opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again after a second as she pondered her answer.
"I am not sure. Perhaps it would be best if you bring some things with you, just in case," she suggested as she continued to ponder.
"Ah've got some apples ya can borrow," Applejack offered, gaining her a grateful smile from Jack. The two lifted their heads as Fluttershy's cottage came into view, able to spy the other ponies crowded around the back of the building. "Wonder what kind of insect would cause so much fuss? They're all just bugs after all."
"Well, Fluttershy said that she never saw an insect like this, so it might be something new," Luna suggested as the group joined up with the other ponies. "Hello my friends, I hear that there is something new that Fluttershy wishes to show me?"
"Indeed there is, Princess. I found this beetle just wandering around the forest and brought it back to my cottage," Fluttershy said with a huge smile after the ponies had greeted her as she pointed to the beetle in question. Both Luna and Applejack wore surprised looks as they looked over the beetle, which was a pitch black with blue eyes and a row of sharp teeth near its head. Its limbs had scythes on the end, and every few seconds it slightly opened its mouth.
"That is...quite the strange creature," Luna admitted as the beetle turned to face her, its eyes seeming to scan her as she tilted her head in reply.
"Strange? Princess Luna, this is the very first of its kind!" Twilight responded with pure delight when she tried to get close, yet the creature raised its arms slightly as she approached and she backed off slightly. "It's nearly all mechanical, yet for some reason it seems to move as if it is alive. If I'm correct in my assumption, then this is a brand new species that we've got on our hooves."
"It's strange, that much is certain," Applejack said with a look.
"Don't be that way, darling. You know that we shouldn't judge by appearances," Rarity chastised before giving the blue eyes that turned towards her a look. "It could be perfectly nice for all we know."
"Well, I can't wait to learn all about it. What about you, Jack?" The silence that greeted the question caused all eyes to turn towards the samurai, who had yet to speak a word. The moment the ponies laid eyes on him, they were all able to tell something was amiss from the pale color of Jack's face, to the fact that his whole body shook.
"Jack? What's the matter? Why are you-"
Then Jack let out a scream, a scream that was so full of fury, wrath, but most of all, fear, that it made the other ponies cover their ears with cries of their own. With a speed that none but the beetle could keep up with, Jack lunged forward while drawing his blade in a burst of light, swinging with an ungodly fury towards the beetle. The machine lifted a scythe to defend itself, but the magical sword cleaved clean through the weapon and shattered it to pieces.
"JACK! What are you-?!" Fluttershy tried to reason, but another bellow of fury drowned her out as Jack swung with such speed and power that his blade was practically invisible. Each of the beetle's arms were sliced off at speeds that it could barely comprehend, leaving it disarmed in a matter of seconds as black oil began to leak from its wounds.
"Jack! Calm yourself or-!" Luna tried to order, but Jack was far too gone to listen to words. With another scream of emotion he plunged the sword into the chest of the beetle, which sparked as it glanced down at its injury and up at the burning eyes of the samurai. Jack then bellowed as he carved the blade straight up through the upper parts of the insect, slicing it clean in two with one swift motion.
The ponies watched on in horror as the sparking insect began to split in two, before, with a fury of slashes, the samurai sliced the beetle into thousands of little pieces that caused black oil to pour onto his body. As the pieces fell to the ground the samurai remained standing, panting heavily while the black oil seeped into his kimono. None of the ponies knew what to say and none dared to approach him, for the look in his eyes made them unsure if he would attack them next.
But then, to the surprise of ponies who did not believe they could be surprised any further, Jack let out a small cry as he fell to his knees, eyes shaking with fear while the adrenaline caused his body to continue to shiver. Applejack raced to his side, gently wiping away the oil that was dripping from his face as he stared forward with horror in his eyes.
"Jack..." she whispered softly, finally gaining Jack's attention as he slowly turned his head towards her. His eyes shrunk as if he was realizing something for the first time, something that made the horror turn to absolute terror before he grabbed hold of AJ and held her tight. "J-Jack? What's-?"
"I am so sorry." Only Applejack caught the devastation in Jack's voice, the cold, soul shattering devastation that she had heard only once before from him. And it made her very scared.
"What are you sorry for?" Luna asked the samurai, who refused to release his grip on Applejack as he glanced up at Luna with his terrified eyes.
"Is Libra up on that mountain now? Can I see him immediately?" Jack asked with such desperation in his voice that all Luna could do in reply was nod slightly. Jack then shakily let go of Applejack as he rose to his hooves, his body still shaking as he picked up his blade and sheathed it. "Then I must go now...have my wish granted before everything...I must go."
"Jack...yer scaring me," Applejack whispered, getting Jack to turn to face her with despair and guilt flashing in his eyes.
"And that is the last thing that I ever wished to do to you, Applejack, but now is a time to be afraid. Because I am a fool," Jack admitted through gritted teeth as he hung his head low in shame. "It did not even cross my mind for a moment, but now I realize what a mistake I have made. If I was able to travel from my world to Equestria, then it is possible that another would be able to do so...and that machine has made it clear that he knows how."
"Wait, your world?" Twilight asked, but AJ stepped up with cold realization starting to wash over her.
"Jack...by him...you can't mean..."
"Indeed I do, Applejack. Ponies...please forgive me...for if I cannot have my wish granted quickly...then I have brought doom to all of you," Jack bitterly admitted with pain and guilt in his heart. "For the only way he could know of this land is if he followed me here. And if that is the case, prepare yourselves. For Aku is coming."
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Well it looks like things have officially hit the fan.
Sorry Applejack Looks like you have gone from low on time to out of time in 3 seconds flat.
Great chapter and a good way to mark the beginning of the end.
My heart beat picked up at the mention of the beetle
well now everything has gone to the crapper
I can not wait until Aku finds out that Equestria is far more dangerous then he was sold on.
Jack has killed so many robots that he freaks out and uses Zandatsu on a tiny beetlebot.
And...here we go.
I think Pinkie needs to arrange a Welcoming Party.
Maybe Discord can lay on the Scotch Punch?
6725108
Considering he was almost killed by an entire army of those buggers the first day he was in Aku's world and is also aware of both the implications of the bot being their and their potential for destruction, his actions were pretty justified.
That is all.
Hi Game of Thrones reference. Bye Game of Thrones reference.
The future will be Aku.
I think there's a few missing scenes between the end of last chapter and the start of this one.
And so the end times are coming. Soon enough the ponies shall have to deal with Aku and his horrific singing.
As obviously the hammiest of evil is going to sing as he fucks shit up when ponyland's musical nature gets to him. Maybe he'll sing `It's the End of the World as We Know It` as he blows up Canterlot.
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This has got me thinking about how a beetle bot works.
The moment I saw the beetle, I was all 'Oh crap...'
I gonna leave it here.
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Aku vs. The Magic of Friendship.
My body is ready.
Well, poop.
Looks like we know what that "gift" Aku meant.
It seems to me that getting into a panic is out-of-character for Jack. I know, robots in Equestria are scary, but considering his unshakable ability to remain calm during deadly situations, it seems to me he wouldn't have a panic attack so easily. That's not to say he'd be entirely calm either, but if nothing else, he'd probably swing his sword once or twice (causing the robot to explode), before saying in a deceptively calm tone that Aku will be coming. Also, the robot would probably detect Jack, and pull out it's ridiculous over-the-top array of weapons. From there, it would only be a question of who strikes first: the robot or Jack.
7003533
I would agree if we were still in the beginning of this story but it feels pretty right at this point after that near despair event horizon that he just started to walk away from
7003533 While getting into panic mode is not like Jack, he is kinda scared for this world, that doesn't know the evil of Aku. He is not afraid for himself, or his failure. He is afraid that he will fail to protect this peaceful world.
Why not ask Libra to help fight against Aku? Or lure Aku to Libra so he won't have a choice
Uh oh...