He has faced the impossible...and failed against the impossible. He has had the chance to return to his home, only to sacrifice the chance for the sake of others. He is the prince of a fallen kingdom who has given everything to make up for the past. But now the samurai's journey takes him to a land of peace and friendship, where he has one more chance to make it back to the past. One more chance to undo the future that is Aku.
Written after season four. And yes, Jack will be a pony. In the past crossovers I've kept them as humans and for this one I wanted to try something different.
Bats fluttered across the midnight black sky under the full moon, having far too much fun to feel the chilly wind that whipped through the bare apple trees. They fluttered this way and that way, but most of them congregated around the town of Ponyville, where they hoped one of the costumed ponies would drop one of their many Nightmare Night snacks that only came out around this time of year.
And on this night in particular, nearly every pony within the town of Ponyville was out in costume, each having a ball on the spookiest night of the year. Mummies and werewolves and vampires were just some of the attractions, but then there were the ponies costumed in the strange and bizarre. Some of the strangest costumes resembled insane creatures, such as hydras and timberwolves. And then there was the pony that was dressed as a being he simply called, "Scorpion."
But the thoughts of the strange costumes were far from the minds of a pair of ponies as they walked into the town from the orchard field, a pair of sisters that were late because the little one had spent too long deciding on what she was going to wear. And then there was their dog.
"Dorothy?" Applejack asked as she looked down at her sister, who was wearing a blue and white dress with her mane in pigtails that had a bow on each end. "Yer going as Dorothy? And Winona is Toto?"
"Yeah! She's from this movie that just came out about a pony who goes to see a powerful wizard to return home," Applebloom giggled while Winona raced around her, happily barking her head off as she did so. "It's called...well ah liked it!"
"Ah get that, but out of all the costumes you have..." Applejack tried to start, but Applebloom gave her older sister a look before poking her white kimono with an eyebrow raise.
"Yah want to talk about mah costume, yet here you are walking around with a tablecloth around yer waist. It's going to be embarrassing being seen with ya," Applebloom lamented sadly. "Ah'll never be able to show mah face around here again."
"It's not a tablecloth! It's a...kimono, ah think that's how Twilight pronounced it," Applejack corrected her sister, who was now looking at the fake sword that was attached to a black belt. "Twilight told me about these ponies called samurai, who lived in Japony and served their masters. She found this while ah helped her research their culture and she gave it to me as a gift for helping her. It'd be a shame if ah didn't wear it at least once."
"So why'd ya pick now?" Applebloom asked as "Toto" barked at one of the bats and started to chase it around.
"Are ya kidding? I'd never be caught wearing this on any other night besides tonight," Applejack said with a laugh as she galloped ahead, Applebloom chasing after her sister while whistling for Winona to follow them. The two slowed back to a trot when they entered the town, greeting the large number of ponies that were walking around tents and activities with smiles.
"Ah'm going to go find the girls," Applebloom said as she raced off, before Applejack got the chance to tell her otherwise. AJ rolled her eyes and walked off into the crowd, looking around for five other ponies that she was certain would be at the center of all the partying.
"And there they are," she muttered with a thin smile when she spotted a pink pony in a duck costume downing large amounts of candy next to two other ponies, who tried in vain to keep up with her. Off to the side Applejack spotted wizard Twilight, who was shaking her head at the antics, pilot Dash, who was enjoying the show, and queen Rarity with bumblebee Fluttershy, who were comparing costumes.
"Howdy yall!" Applejack greeted as she raced over to them, all of them turning to greet her before a large cheer went up from the crowd next to them, and Pinkie hoisted a trophy into the air with a laugh. "Ah thought ah might find ya here, but ah didn't expect to see ya'll plumb smack in the middle of a candy eating contest."
"I wouldn't call that much of a competition," Dash smirked as she pointed to the other competitors, who were being carted off with faces that were an ugly shade of green. "What took you so long?...and why are you wearing a tablecloth?"
"It's a kimono!" Twilight corrected before Applejack could open her mouth. "It is a traditional garb worn by ponies who lived in Japony! It is NOT a tablecloth!"
"Looks like one," Dash shrugged as Rarity and Fluttershy joined the group.
"Applejack dear, if you needed a costume, you could have asked me. You didn't need to go grab your tablecloth," Rarity said, getting Twilight to clutch at her mane with frustration. The ponies gave her strange looks while the candy eating champion hopped over to them, a huge smile on her face as she held her trophy aloft.
"Silly fools! Nopony can defeat Pinkie Pie in a candy eating competition!" Pinkie laughed aloud when she came to a stop next to Applejack, looking her costume up and down with a large smile on her face that still had bits of candy stuck in it. "Wow Applejack, that's a really cool Japony outfit you're wearing."
"Finally somepony gets it," Twilight muttered as she shot Rainbow and Rarity a glance. Pinkie shot them her own looks as well, but she had a huge smile on her face as she did so.
"So, we got Twilight Wizard, Captain Rainbow, Queen Rarity, Flutterbee, Pinkie Duck and Samurai Applejack!" Pinkie exclaimed with a large smile as she rattled off her names for each of her friends. "You've all got such cool costumes! But what's the point in wearing costumes if you don't get any candy?! Come on girls, let's go get the candy!" With something that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a battle cry, Pinkie threw herself at the nearest house. Her friends chuckled as they followed after her, leaving only Twilight and Applejack alone.
"Can't believe that this is going to be our last night together for a while," Twilight lamented sadly, getting a shrug from Applejack while she stared up at the moon.
"It can't be helped, Twilight. Ah've got one more shipment of apples to deliver and it's going to take me quite a ways away from Ponyville," Applejack stated with a look of determination. "There's been some sort of problem in the forest where our route usually goes, so ah'm gonna have to move the apples mahself."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Twilight offered with a nervous smile. "I mean, it could be a monster that's blocking the route or a rogue unicorn. Or maybe it's a-"
"Twilight, ah'll be fine. Ah've never failed a delivery before and ah'll make darn sure that this won't be the first time," Applejack said with pride before she motioned for Twilight to follow her, the both of them racing off to catch up with their friends. "And besides, it'll only be for a month at most. Ah'll be back before ya even have the chance to forget about me."
"We'd never forget about you Applejack. Friends always remember friends," Twilight countered as Applejack let out a whoop and raced ahead into the night.
--|=======\
Sand whipped past the man's eyes while he pushed himself even further into the sandstorm, one hand clutching tightly at the cloak that was wrapped around his body while the other kept a firm grip upon the scabbard that rested at his side. The winds ripped at his kimono and tried to tear the straw hat from his head, yet the man kept his head down enough so that the hat would remain. The sand made it impossible for the warrior to see more that four feet in front of him, and the whistling of the wind blocked out all other sound, yet the samurai's senses were still able to pick up more than any other person. And his senses were telling him that he was getting close.
Then, almost as suddenly as the sandstorm had begun when he first entered the desert, the sand stopped blowing and the wind stopped whistling. Finally free of the sand that had stung at his eyes, the samurai lifted his head slightly to see rusted buildings blocking out the elements and numerous beings walking around on metal roads.
Now that he had a moment to breathe, the samurai let go of his cloak and reached into his kimono, drawing out a small piece of paper with a location written in a language that he barely knew. Yet the samurai knew that his journey to find the location was at an end, for as he quickly glanced up at the buildings he saw similar writing on the doors above them. He tucked the paper back away and slowly began to walk into the metal city, grateful that he was wearing sandals on such hot metal.
Yet, the end to his journey was not as close as he believed it to be, because after searching for four hours under the harsh sunlight he found that he was no closer than when he started. He was debating whether to take a moment to rest or not, when he heard a sound he knew all to well coming from a building beside him. He heard the sounds of combat. The samurai turned his head towards the building just in time to see a muscular, three headed beast carry two smaller creatures out of the place and hurl them into the sand.
"And stay out, ya lousy gits!" the center head roared before turning with a snort and walking back inside, while the other two heads made faces. The samurai lifted an eyebrow before following the creature inside, glancing around at the establishment to find that he was in a place he knew all too well. A place that was called a "bar."
"Greetings stranger," the three headed creature said as he slipped behind the counter, pulling out a rag that he used to wipe out a glass. "Sorry you had to see that. We don't like fighting in this bar, ruins the furniture, but some idiots get one too many drinks in them and then think they can take on Aku himself," the bartender said with a laugh as the samurai sat down on one of the empty stools, ignoring the passed out creature next to him. "So, what can I do for ya?"
"I require water please. And information," the samurai said in a soft but refined tone, a tone that the bartender had never heard before.
"Water, eh? Yeah, I got that," the bartender said as he turned around behind him, but the samurai could see through the spaces in his hat that the other two heads were keeping an eye on him. "Water is hard to come by in these parts," the bartender continued when he turned around and placed the glass of water before the samurai, who nodded in appreciation before taking a sip. "But information can be harder still, depending on what kind it is. What do ya need?"
Without a word the samurai reached into his kimono and pulled out the address, which he laid on the counter as he finished his water. All three of the bartenders' heads looked down at the address with surprise before they all looked up at him with narrowed eyes.
"What did ya say your name was again, stranger?" the bartender asked. The samurai took another long sip before he placed the glass down with a small sigh, moving one hand to his waist before answering.
"They call me...Jack." The moment the samurai's name left his lips, he heard every breath in the room stop and felt every eye in the room upon him. As he sat on the stool in front of a room full of strange beings he waited, waited for the first one to try and defeat him, just as he had waited many times before.
"Don't any of you think about it," all three heads of the bartender growled in a very dangerous tone while his six eyes glared around the room. For a long moment the room was dead silent...before the patrons started to drink and talk again, ignoring the samurai for the most part. "You. Come with me."
Without another word between them, Jack followed the bartender behind the counter and through a door into a back room, where the samurai found a being sitting on the floor in front of a strange pool. "I heard that you would be coming, so I had this all set up in advance. He...it...will help you."
"Thank you," Jack said before sitting down on the opposite side of the pool from the being, eyes glancing up and down at the grey robes that covered all of his body. Jack sat patiently, waiting for the being to be the first to start the conversation, but after nearly thirty minutes of waiting Jack found that he could wait no longer.
"Excuse me, but...I am told that you have powers that can help me," Jack asked with some slight hesitation, having been betrayed one too many times to let his guard down. "That you have magical powers that only few others can match...that you can return me to the past."
"Wherever you found this information about me, my dear samurai, it is almost perfect," the being spoke in a weak voice that held a century of age. "I do indeed posses a magic that very few other beings, including the great Aku himself, cannot match."
"Then you are the one I have been searching for," Jack said with enthusiasm, yet the old being held up a cloaked hand to stop the samurai there.
"Yet, your information was wrong in one regard. As powerful as I am, I do not posses the ability to return you to the past," he said sadly with a small shake of his head, deflating the samurai's hopes then and there. The cloaked creature then pulled out the address that Jack had brought with him and studied it for a moment, nodding his head when he finished. "But that does not mean that I do not know of a place that can return you to your time. Yes, these strange symbols. I have not seen this writing in a long time, but I do know where it originates from."
"That is not the address to this place?" Jack asked in surprise. The being muttered something under his breath while he extended his hands above the pool, his murmuring turning into a chant as the waters began to swirl and mirrored the cosmoses above a few moments later.
"No Jack, this is a language of a different world. A different reality. One that very few know about," the being replied before clapping his hands together, causing he pool to glow with a rainbow light as it swirled faster and faster. "But it is a place of magic, of mystery. Of infinite possibilities. Here may lie the answer to your problem...a way for you to return to your time."
"Then I must go there," Jack said with determination as he stood up and glared down into the pool, casting the cloak off of himself with a flick of his arm to reveal his white kimono and sheathed sword. "I thank you for helping me. If I can, I will find a way to repay you."
"Wait samurai, before you go there is more that you must know," the being said with warning as it held out a hand, stopping the samurai from jumping right in. "First is, that this is a land unlike any that you have seen before. They may not be trusting of one who looks like you. If you cannot gain their trust, then you will not be able to find your way home."
"I have dealt with far worse. Earning their trust will be easy," Jack replied without hesitation. The being nodded before he muttered again as he waved his hand.
"There. I have made it so that you will blend in with the beings there now. However, your...new form may take some getting used to," the being explained, getting another nod from Jack. "You should also know that once you are there I will not have the power to bring you back. If you cannot find the way to return home, you will be trapped in that land. But it is required that you learn what it means to be one of them, or else you will not be able to access their magic. But if you fail..."
"Then I shall not fail," Jack said as he glanced down into the pool, seeing thousands of images flash before his eyes. And then the samurai leapt in.
Bird's chirped happily as they flew across the sky, enjoying the sunlight that also streaked through the branches of a heavily treed forest. Yet the animals that normally prowled about in the forest were nowhere to be found, for there was a strange visitor within their midst, a being that had appeared out of thin air itself and collapsed beneath the largest tree.
For many hours, the warrior lay asleep beneath the mighty oak, yet with a flicker of his eyelids his senses began to return to him. First came the tingling of his nerves, then came a pain that roared like an inferno for a brief moment before all returned to normal. Yet, with the senses came a feeling that something was not as it should be.
'W-what has happened? Where am I?" Samurai Jack asked himself as his eyelids flickered once again before he slowly creaked his eyes open, looking around at the forest while the memories of the previous day returned to him. 'That is right. That stranger used his magic to send me here, to send me to this land where supposedly I will be able to find a way home. There is no time to waste. I must...'
Jack's train of thought hurled off the rails when he looked down at his side to make sure that his sword was beside him, yet his eyes immediately fastened on his hand--or now the lack thereof. Jack slowly lifted his limb before his eyes to see that what had once been his hand was now a hoof. Very slowly he looked at the rest of his body, realizing that it wasn't just his hand that had changed. His nose was far longer now and when he looked around behind him, he saw a bit of a tail sticking out from beneath his kimono. Yet when he reached up and felt his head, he found that his hair was the same as it had been.
'Oh, not again. At least this time the mage...or wizard...was courteous enough to warn me in advance,' Jack reflected while he slowly rose to his hooves, staggering around on all fours as he struggled to learn how to move. "Yet, I must wonder if becoming a noble steed will help me to blend in with the creatures that live here. This is going to be a strange adventure."
Once Jack had spent a few minutes learning how to walk, and eventually run, he decided that it was finally time for him to start his quest once again. His first obstacle came faster than he would have believed possible, for when he went to lift the sword that could slay any evil, he found that his hooves would not lift it.
"This may be a problem," he muttered as he stared down at his scabbard, frowning while he sat down before it and reached out with both of his hooves. For ten minutes he tried to grasp the scabbard with his two hooves, but even his nearly unshakable patience quickly turned into frustration when he made no progress. "If Aku could see me now, I have no doubt that this would bring him much joy," Jack fumed as he sighed and stared down again at the scabbard, which had barely moved from where it had rested.
'Getting angry will not get me anywhere. I must relax and try to find a solution to this unforeseen problem.' Jack then turned his eyes up towards the chirping birds, noticing how they were moving branches to their nests by carrying the twigs within their beaks. He glanced back down at his weapon and decided to follow nature's advice.
He moved his now longer face towards the scabbard, gently wrapping his teeth around the sheath before he lifted his weapon into the air. With a slow and patient demeanor he moved the sheath next to his sash, before gently sliding it in with one quick motion.
The samurai let a smile cross his face now that his greatest ally was at his side again, before he turned and truly took in the forest for the first time. At first glance, it seemed like one of many forests that he had traveled through, but his heightened senses told him that there was more within the forest. Something magical...and something sinister.
'But my journey will not begin if I do not take the first step,' Jack decided as he began to walk into the foliage, keeping both eyes and ears out in case anything decided to jump out at him. 'I hope that I will come upon civilization soon. The sooner I know where I am, the easier it shall be for me to locate a way home.'
Despite having a peaceful walk for the first hour or so, Jack's first surprise came when a swarm of creatures came barreling down towards him. Upon seeing such an incredible horde of small, flying beasts he went to reach for his sword, only to knock his own hooves out from beneath him and send himself crashing to the forest floor. He shot up just in time to see one of the beasts had landed in front of him...and discovered that the swarm of monsters was nothing more than a bunch of small, puffball like insects.
"Well, hello there little one," Jack smiled kindly as he held out a hoof, which caused the puffball to buzz its wings and back away from him. "There is no need to be alarmed. I do not mean you any harm." The small creature looked up at him before hopping onto his hoof. Jack smiled as he brought the creature close to his face, looking into its two bulbous, green eyes with kindness in his.
"Excuse me creature, but if you do not mind me asking, I need help to get out of this forest. Do you know the way?" The creature let out a tiny noise before flittering off of his hoof and flying back the way it came. Jack smiled while he began to gallop after it, having trouble keeping it in his sight due to its speed. The creature buzzed right over a large amount of prickly vines and thorn bushes, giving Jack only a few moments until he lost sight of the creature.
"Forgive me forest, but I must get through!" Jack apologized as he prepared to reach for his sword, yet he remembered what had just happened moments before and quickly reached down with his mouth instead. In one swift motion he bit down on the handle and drew the blade in a flash of light, carving clean through the vines and bushes with ease. Yet when he landed on the ground he tripped slightly and the sword was knocked from his grasp, nearly causing him to fall over as the sword skidded away.
"That will take some getting accustomed to," Jack muttered to himself as he grabbed the sword with his teeth once again and sheathed his blade, looking up to find that he had lost track of the small insect within the trees. His brow furrowed when Jack realized that the forest seemed far more dark and menacing than it had when he first woke up within it. His eyes narrowed when dozens of sets of yellow eyes glared out at him from beneath bushes and from behind trees, the shadows preventing him from seeing what awaited him.
"It matters not. No predators will keep me from my quest," Jack decided with courage as he found the less dense part of the forest and walked in that direction. Strange screeches sounded off in the branches above the samurai, while Jack knew that no matter where he went, there were at least five different sets of eyes watching him. Yet, he did not let the thought of being watched deter him and despite numerous branches and vines trying to block his path, the samurai continued to push on.
"Ah, finally," Jack sighed with relief hours later when he at last came across something that could truly aid him: a road. Jack slid down from the top of the tree he had climbed and walked onto the dirt path that was being overrun with weeds, looking down both routes while he debated his second problem. 'This road will lead me somewhere, but I am not sure which direction to head. Perhaps I should gain some height and see if-'
Jack once again lost his train of thought when he heard the sound of hooves galloping towards him, and in an instant the samurai had spun around in the other direction, prepared to do battle. Yet to his surprise, he found that it was not a monster that charged towards him, but instead a grayish stallion in a orange vest and a work hat. The pony spotted Jack and immediately skidded to a stop in front of him, exhaling heavily before lowering his head.
"Greetings, friend," Jack greeted as the pony took in numerous deep breaths, gulping down another breath as he tried to say something only to have to inhale again. "You seem to be afraid of something. Please rest for a moment and then tell me what has you so frightened."
"What has me frightened? What has me running for my coat is a monster...an abomination that just wiped out my entire crew!" the pony yelled at Jack hysterically as he shivered in place, causing the smile to leave Jack's face. "It's bad enough we were the ones brought in to deal with it, but then we get told that there weren't enough guards to support us...I swear if the pay wasn't so good I wouldn't have taken this job, and if I knew what was in there I wouldn't have taken it anyway."
"Please slow down. What attacked your crew? What lies up ahead?" Jack asked the pony in a far more serious tone.
"Some kind of monster. It attacked us with vines as we were trying to move a rockslide and dragged us off. I barely escaped with my life," the pony exhaled with fear. Jack's eyes narrowed before he walked past the pony and towards the direction from where he had appeared, getting the worker to look at Jack as if he were insane.
"Where do you think you are going?!" the pony yelled at him.
"You have a problem. I am going to get rid of it," Jack replied calmly.
"Are you crazy?! We might not be warriors, but we had plenty of unicorns with us and it still overpowered us within seconds! Ya think because you've got a sword that you can beat it?! That thing was barely affected by our spells! How can you fight it without magic?"
Jack slowly turned to look back at the pony, before tapping his sword with his hoof. "It is as you said," Jack began as he turned back down the road and walked away. "I have my sword."
--|=====\
Jack did not need to know where he was going, to know that he was heading in the right direction. The first indicator came when he found an abandoned hard hat laying on the side of the road, yet no pony around to claim it. Jack continued onward down the road until he came to the place which the worker had mentioned, a large pile of works that had covered the road. Jack looked on both sides of the road to see two massive hills that were covered in foliage, telling him why ponies simply didn't go around.
'This is the area where the workers were taken,' Jack mused as he began to look around, glancing first at the rocks before examining some of the mining equipment that had been left behind. 'But that stallion was a horse, just like what I was changed into. Does that mean that the beings that live here are all horses? And if so, does that mean that there are no humans? And what of Aku? Has his vile influences spread to here as well?'
Jack was forced to abandon that thought when his eye spied something that didn't belong. He walked over to the trees near the road and crouched down, frowning when he saw numerous skid marks, almost like something had been dragged into the trees. Jack's eyes narrowed while he walked ahead into the undergrowth, following the skid marks further and further into the trees. While he was not unnerved, he did notice that the birds had stopped singing and that the eyes were gone as well.
'So, horses are not the only ones that fear this beast. I must stay on guard.' The trail eventually came to an end in the thickest part yet of the forest, where the tree branches blocked out the sun and the trunks towered high over the ground. But all Jack had to do was give the place a quick glance before he discovered the beast, spotting a creature covered in vines that was hunched over in the center and chewing on something.
"Greetings creature." The vine creature let out a grunt as it spun around to face Jack, who could only see two beady little eyes looking out at him from beneath the entanglement of vines. "I have been told that you have been attacking innocents and dragging them away? Is this true?" The creature's answer was to belch out a small piece of an orange vest, at which Jack narrowed his eyes as it landed near his hooves.
Without another word, Jack reached down with his mouth and drew forth his sword once again, focusing all of his attention on the creature as he slowly began to circle it. The vine creature did not move from its location, but it continued to spin so that Jack was always within its sights.
'I know little of what it can do, so I must make the first attack!' Jack decided as he charged forward, tilting his head slightly in preparation to swing his sword. Yet with incredible speed the vine creature hurled what looked to be its arms forward, unleashing a tidal wave of vines down upon Jack. The samurai's eyes went wide with fear while he dove to the side, just barely avoiding the vines that impaled themselves into the ground where he had been a moment before.
As Jack was rising back up to his hooves, the creature moved its arms towards him and the vines freed themselves from the earth, taking a moment to adjust their course before they lunged at Jack again. But this time the samurai was ready. In one swift motion, one that was too fast for the vine creature to see, Jack slashed at the vines with unbelievable speed. He landed on the ground with a small sigh, standing up as the vines were sliced into thousands of pieces.
Jack dug the tip of his blade into the ground while he glared at the creature, which had narrowed its beady eyes at the samurai. "I will only say this once creature. Leave this land and these beings alone," Jack ordered. Yet with a shriek the vine creature lunged towards Jack, kicking up piles of dirt while it tore towards him. Jack narrowed his eyes as he grabbed his blade once again and took up a stance, focusing all his attention onto the center of the being. Then there was a flash of movement, the sound of metal striking hard, and then the samurai came to a stop behind the vine creature.
"I am sorry it came to this," Jack said as he sheathed his blade, not turning around when the creature let out a gurgle and collapsed to the ground without another sound. Jack shook his head at it and started to walk away before noticing something that had escaped him during the fight. The creature's vines not only covered its body, they dug into the ground as well.
"Wait a moment," Jack muttered as he saw that even though the creature had lunged at him, the vines that were a part of its body were still dug into the place that it had been sitting, except that they had been extended. The pieces slowly fell into place right before the ground exploded in a shower of dirt and foliage, hurling Jack into a tree trunk and knocking his sword away from him. Rocks and dirt sprayed everywhere while trees were uprooted, only to be added to the dirt pile that was growing larger and larger.
Jack shook his head to try and clear the spots from his vision, yet when they finally vanished he looked upon something that made even the samurai feel fear. Where the smallish vine creature had been standing now stood a gargantuan beast that wasn't just made of vines, but also trees, boulders and other parts of the forest. And the small creature that Jack had just "slain" rested at the top of the beast, glaring down at Jack with its two beady eyes that seemed to be smiling now.
Jack quickly rolled over to his sword and grasped it once again, but as the colossal beast marched towards him he feared that he would need more than his blade to survive this battle. 'But I cannot let my quest end here! I cannot let Aku win!' Jack roared while he drew the blade from its scabbard in a flash of light before glaring up at the colossus.
And to the surprise of the giant, the tiny samurai charged at it.
Jack could feel the pointy stones tear apart the air inches from his face when he dove out of the way, just narrowly avoiding the giant, rocky fist that carved a new hole into the ground where he had been standing. The samurai rolled to his hooves in time to throw himself off of them once again to avoid a column of vines that had made themselves into a sphere, impaling the ground next to him.
The samurai narrowed his eyes up at the giant forest monstrosity as it tore up a tree chunk and took aim at the samurai, who decided that standing still was a bad idea and was now racing around the beast as fast as he could. Yet, he found that despite how quick he had been as a human, he could move with far more impressive speed now that he was a horse.
'Yet that does not make this battle easier,' he pondered while boulders and bits of trees tore apart the places where he had been moments before. Seeing that nothing it was throwing at the samurai was working, the creature reeled back and let loose a mighty bellow that shattered the air around Jack. Jack's cries of pain were engulfed in the creature's roar, and for a moment he had to pause to cover his ears, giving the vine beast its moment to strike.
Jack's eyes went wide when he felt a tendril ensnare his hoof, ripping him off of his hooves and yanking him into the air above the creature. Upon looking up at the creature's head, he found that a massive maw had opened and he was being moved closer to it. Jack quickly reached for his blade and sliced clean through the vine, causing the beast to howl while Jack began to fall towards the still open jaws of the beast.
"I shall not be your dish!" Jack stated before extending his blade and catching one of the rocky teeth with the edge of his sword, allowing the samurai to push himself out of the maw's grasp and roll onto one of the trees that were sticking out of the creature's body. The beast bellowed with fury at the samurai while it lifted one of its arms and slammed the finger-like vines into the trunk, snapping it off of its body and hurling it into the forest.
Jack had seen the attack coming a mile away and had leapt safely to another trunk, temporarily escaping the beast's line of sight. In a swift motion he took aim at a weak spot between the rocks and drove his blade into the slit, a small smile crossing his face when the creature bellowed with fury and pain. Yet, it was when he grabbed hold of the hilt of his sword that he lowered his guard for a moment, allowing vines that shot out of the rocks to wrap around his body.
Jack let out a cry of surprise when the vines pulled both him and the sword off of the creature and slammed him into the ground, causing pain to flood through Jack's veins as the sword was knocked free of his grip. He reached out for it before the vines dragged him back up to the creature's maw, where this time it simply tossed him into the air over its jaw, opening wide as the flailing samurai fell helplessly towards the maw of the creature.
Then it happened in a flash. Jack heard somepony let out a battle cry while he felt something wrap around his waist, which quickly yanked him out of the creature's maw just before the jaws snapped shut. Jack slammed into the ground near the creature's feet, dazed and confused, shaking his head to clear his thoughts before looking up into the green eyes of his savior.
"Are ya alright, sugercube?" he heard a voice with a thick accent ask him while he blinked his eyes, clearing away the pain to allow him to gaze upon the orange face that was staring down at him with concerned green eyes.
"I...I believe that I am fine," Jack replied as he forced himself up to his hooves, glancing down at himself to see that a rope had been lassoed around his waist. The rope end was sitting next to the orange pony that had saved his life. "I am grateful for you saving me, but I need my sword to deal with this creature," Jack quickly said while he looked back towards the beast, which had found the samurai and orange pony and was beginning to advance on them.
"Yer sword's over there, if that's it sticking out of the ground," the pony said as she pointed to a hilt that could be seen sticking out of the ground. With a nod Jack and the other pony raced over to the blade, the both of them just barely managing to avoid the chunk of rock that was hurled at them. He grabbed hold of the blade and pulled it from the dirt while the orange pony began to swing her lasso, each of them staring down the monster that turned to face them.
"You should flee. I cannot guarantee that I can protect you from this beast," Jack managed to say despite the hilt of his sword occupying a large portion of his mouth.
"Aw how sweet, the noble warrior thinks ah need to be protected," she laughed before letting out a cry and rushing forward before Jack could stop her. The vine creature let out a bellow as it tried to crush her underfoot, but with speeds that impressed Jack the orange pony leapt and weaved around every attempt on her life. "Are ya gonna stand there gawking or are ya gonna put that sword to good use?!"
Jack took the hint and raced into battle after the orange pony, who had lassoed one of the creature's hands and was trying to pull it down despite the size difference. The creature roared with fury at the orange pony's attempts to lasso it, so it lifted its other arm back before swinging down at the pony.
But then there was a flash of light, the sound of metal striking stone and the roar of a furious beast as one of its stone fingers crashed into the ground next to the pony, who glanced over at Jack as he landed beside her and cut her lasso.
"Thanks fer the save, but ah had it under control," the pony said with a bit of heat, but Jack's attention was far too focused on the beast to care about her tone.
"This creature's armor is far too strong to try and attack it head on," Jack said to the pony while he glanced at it up and down, trying to find a crack in the armor or a weak point. The pony glanced at the creature as well before looking up at its head, narrowing her eyes when she noticed something.
"That's an odd looking flower on its head, wouldn't ya say?" she asked Jack, who followed her gaze to see that there was indeed a strange flower growing out of the creature's head. He figured that he was only able to see it due to the creature moving the vines away from its head to attack the two of them, yet he wondered why it would keep a flower covered. A plan began to formulate in the samurai's mind, but as he looked over at the pony he was not sure he should ask.
"Whatever ya need me to do, ah'm game," she said with a wicked smile on her face while she nodded at the samurai.
"Very well. I need the beast to be distracted for just a moment, then I shall cut that flower from its head," Jack informed her as he knelt down slightly and clamped his teeth around the hilt of his blade. The orange pony then let out a holler before racing right up to the creature, waving her tail at it before racing to the side as it tried to stomp down on her.
Despite the monstrous being that was trying to crush her, the pony's attention was drawn away by a yell that pierced through all of the sounds of destruction. The pony turned her eyes to the sky to see the pony in the white kimono leaping into the air far higher than any earth pony should have physically been able to, sword held high over his head as he flew towards the creature's head at a perfect arc.
The creature heard the yelling and turned its head towards the samurai just in time to see the sword slash down on the small flower that rested on its head. Jack hurled past the rest of the creature and landed on the ground without a sound, slowly moving the edge of his blade across the scabbard before he sheathed it. He and the orange pony then looked up at the monster as it began to fall apart, sending tons of rock and foliage crashing into the ground. After a few moments, there was nothing left but a pile of rock and trees, allowing the two each to sigh in relief before they turned their attentions towards each other.
"Thank you for your help back there. I would have been slain if you had not arrived," Jack thanked as he bowed his head before the orange pony as a sign of respect. "You have saved my life today. I am eternally indebted to you."
"Uh, ya don't have to go that far. Ya did save me back there as well," the pony said as she rubbed the back of her head before glancing at the strange garb that Jack was wearing, recognizing it all too well. "Uh, ya know that Nightmre Night was a few days ago? Ya shouldn't be wearing yer costume still?"
"What do you mean, 'costume'?" Jack asked her as he glanced down at his outfit, confused by her words.
"Never mind. Ya got a name, stranger, or is yer sword the only strange thing about you?" the pony asked Jack.
"Please forgive me, I have forgotten my manners. They call me Jack. Samurai Jack," Jack replied with a bow, getting a smirk out of the pony as she wondered who "they" were.
"Is that so? Well ain't it a small world, mah name's Applejack," Applejack introduced as she held out her hoof to the samurai, who glanced at it for a second before grasping her hoof with his and shaking it. "Well, a pleasure to meet you mister Jack. That was some pretty fine monster fighting back there if ya don't mind me saying."
"I am grateful, though, that you arrived when you did. But how did you know where the monster was and that I needed help?" Jack asked Applejack.
"Ah learned the location of the monster from a worker ah met on the road, who also told me about this crazy pony wielding a sword that went after it by himself," Applejack said with a laugh as she glanced at Jack's weapon. "But it wasn't until ah got close to the battle to know that ya needed help. But whooee did you put on a show. Ah've never seen an earth pony fly like that before."
"Not flying. Jump good," Jack corrected for her with a smile that got him an eyebrow raise in response.
"Uh-huh. Well then, Samurai Jack, this has been fun and all, but it's best fer me to mosey along," Applejack said as she walked towards the trees, Jack following her to a cart that had been left by the side of the road. Applejack then lifted a brown hat from the back of the cart and placed it on her head, but Jack's eyes remained glued to the hundreds of apples that filled up the back. "Ah need to get these apples here to Stalliongrad and that's still another half a day out."
"Wait a moment, please...I am a foreigner in these lands and I do not know my way around yet. Can I please come with you, at least until I can locate a map or a way to tell where I am?" Jack asked her, the desperation in his voice so strong that Applejack couldn't help but nod with a smile. "Thank you very much, Miss Applejack. Wait please, allow me."
Faster than Applejack could argue the samurai had dashed to the cart and fastened the harness to his back. "Alright, if ya want to pull it then ah won't stop you. But if it gets too heavy to carry just let me know and we'll swap out." Jack nodded as Applejack began to lead the way, walking along beside her while pulling the cart without much effort.
'Yet, she must be incredibly strong to lift such a load by herself,' Jack mused as he felt the weight of the cart while he pulled. Jack had trained with far heavier weights, but he could still feel that the cart weighed a great deal and only one with considerable strength could move it. The two had to take a long detour around the rockslide and Jack had to use his blade to chop away at foliage that had entangled the cart, but eventually the two managed to break free of the forest and find the dirt path once again.
"So, where are ya from Jack?" Applejack asked him once they were back on the main road, with nothing but clear skies and grassy hills ahead of them for miles. "Ah mean, ya said that you are a stranger in this land and from the way yer dressed ah would guess that yer from...Japony maybe?"
"I am far from home and I am desperately trying to find a way back," Jack eventually decided to reveal, figuring that it would be easier to tell her a toned down version of the truth. "Yet it has been a long time and I am...weary." Applejack felt sympathy for the samurai, able to see the weariness in his face--a face that she could tell had seen much hardship.
"Well fortunately for you, yer in luck. Stalliongrad has one of the best spas in all of Equestria," Applejack informed Jack, who perked up slightly at the prospect of rest. Then his stomach let out a loud rumble that caught both him and Applejack off guard, but a moment later Applejack chuckled before reaching into the back of the cart and tossing it to Jack. "Here ya go, one on the house. Can't have ya collapse on me before we get there," AJ chuckled.
"I cannot," Jack argued as he tried to give it back. "Not after you-"
"Just eat it."
Jack relented upon seeing the look in AJ's eyes and glanced down at the apple, wondering how long it had been since he had seen such a normal looking fruit. He gingerly took a bite into it, chewing it once or twice before his taste buds were overwhelmed with flavor. He didn't remember taking the next couple of bites, but when he glanced down at the apple he found that only the core was left.
"Wow, ya ate that so fast it's like ya haven't had an apple before," Applejack noticed, and Jack's face turned slightly reddish as he slipped the core into his kimono, planning to throw it out later.
"It has been a long time since I have had a fruit such as that. You must grow them with love and care," Jack observed, getting a smile and nod from the orange pony.
"Eeyup. Hoof grown and tended to with a mother's affection. Ah don't mean to brag, but ah doubt that you would find better tasting apples anywhere in Equestria," Applejack said with pride, getting Jack to smile at her enthusiasm.
"After having such a delight, I do not believe that I could argue with your statement," Jack politely said, yet when he turned his attention back to the road he could see that Applejack was looking at him with a curious expression.
"So, why are ya so far away from home? And how come ya don't know how to get back?" she asked with a curious glance. Jack kept his mouth shut while he debated how to answer, remembering what the mage had told him about blending in and becoming one of them. Even if he only gave her minor details, she would know that something was different about him. Fortunately Jack's salvation came when Applejack looked up at the sky to see that the sun was setting, getting a frown out of her as she began to look for a place to rest.
"Looks like the sun's setting. We can camp here for the night," Applejack said as she walked off the path to a small patch beneath a single tree, helping Jack to wheel the cart over before unfastening him from it. "And ah know we just met, but there's something about you that seems...nice. Ah figure that ah can trust ya."
"I am grateful for your trust and hospitality," Jack gratefully said with a bow before he walked over to the tree and laid up against it, fast asleep a moment later. Applejack pulled a blanket out from the cart and laid it on the ground before laying down on it herself. Yet as the sun sank beyond the horizon and Luna's reign began, she cast a curious glance at the samurai.
'He's hiding something. Ah can feel it,' she pondered before shrugging her shoulders and placing her head on the ground. 'Ah well, he seems pretty nice. Ah won't force him to tell me all his secrets. But ah am...curious...'
"...And fer generations mah family has been living on that farm, growing apple trees and supplying apples to ponies all across Equestria," Applejack finished with a large smile. Jack smiled as well before glancing up at the warm sun that was casting its rays upon the both of them, mixing perfectly with the cool breeze that danced around them. "Now are ya sure ya don't want me to pull that cart fer ya?"
"I can handle it just fine, but thank you for the offer," Jack politely declined. Applejack shrugged her shoulders in response before casting Jack a quizzical glance, one that was not lost on the samurai.
"So, what about yer family? Aside from the fact that yer lost, ah know practically nothing about you," Applejack pointed out with a raised eyebrow, getting Jack to sweat slightly before he gave her a polite chuckle.
"Oh, there is not much to tell. My life is...one that does not need telling," Jack tried to deflect, but the stare that Applejack gave him showed that she had seen clean through his ruse.
"Jack, when ah found ya, you were fighting a giant rock monster in a kimono with a sword that Twi said hasn't been used in centuries. Ya have quite the story for me, don't ya?" Jack wondered how he would manage to keep his secret without lying to Applejack, who he still felt he owed greatly, but once again providence smiled on him and the samurai spotted the tips of skyscrapers off in the distance.
"Is that the city that you were speaking of yesterday?" Jack asked Applejack, who removed her piercing gaze from Jack and turned towards the buildings.
"Yep, that looks like Stalliongrad alright. We sure got there much quicker than ah thought we would," AJ muttered before shaking her head and walking to Jack, unhooking the cart from him before attaching it to her back. "Ah'm grateful that ya pulled it all this way, but ah'll take it from here. After all, ah am the face of the Apple family brand after all...besides mah granny."
"From your tales, it seems that your family is indeed an interesting one," Jack said with a polite laugh, but his punishment for speaking up was another suspecting gaze from Applejack.
"So, what about yer family Jack? Surely ya have one in that far off place that ya won't tell me about," Applejack tried to pry, but when Jack's face fell slightly she could tell that she had touched upon a sore spot.
"My family...has been gone for a long time," Jack finally admitted, waiting for Applejack to ask another question, yet it never came. When he looked up at her he found the orange pony staring off into the horizon with a look that mirrored his own.
"Ah'm sorry. Ah know how ya feel," she whispered. The rest of the walk into the city was done in silence, with the two only glancing at each other once or twice. But Jack found that he couldn't keep his thoughts on his family for long, for when he entered into the city his eyes were widened by the sheer number of multicolored ponies that walked, ran or flew through the streets.
"I was not aware that so many ponies lived in these cities," Jack said aloud, glancing up at the pegasi flying overhead with wonder. While the cities that he had seen, when he was transported to the future were far more impressive in scale, Jack could feel a kindness and joy floating through the air that he had not felt in what seemed like centuries.
"Yeah, it can be a little jarring at first, especially when ya come from a small town like me," Applejack agreed with a nod before looking over at Jack. "Well Mr. Jack, it was nice to meet ya but ah figure this here be where we part ways. Ah need to drop off this last batch of apples to the market and ya need help finding yer way back home."
"See that building with the golden roof over yonder?" Applejack continued as she pointed down the street, Jack turning to find the large building with the golden roofing almost immediately. "That there is the mayor's office, but it also doubles as a library. So even if the mayor can't help ya, ya can guarantee that there'll at least be a map that ya can use."
"Thank you for all that you have done for me, Applejack," Jack said to her as he bowed his head low, getting AJ to roll her eyes slightly before smiling gently at the samurai. "But I fear that I have not yet repaid my debt. Surely you could use my help for a little longer or-"
"Jack, whatever yer reason is, getting home to ya is important. So important that ya would try to hide why from me," Applejack pointed out and her words caused Jack to rub the back of his head slightly. "Ah can do just fine without ya, but ya need to get going. But who knows? Maybe one day ah'll run into ya again and ya can by me lunch or something. Then yer debt will be repaid."
"Very well. Thank you again," Jack bowed once again. Applejack turned with a wave and walked into the crowd of ponies, Jack watching her go until all he could see through the rainbow of ponies was here hat, and even that quickly vanished amongst the crowd. Jack then turned with a face filled with determination as he marched towards the building, ignoring the strange looks that his garb and weaponry gained him.
He reached the building within moments, a building that he discovered was made of marble and had a large number of ponies in black suits patrolling the perimeter. Jack ignored the suits as best he could, but when he tried to walk up the marble steps towards the entrance, three of the suits rushed in front of him.
"Halt there stranger," one of them demand and Jack obliged them with a smile.
"Hello. I am trying to find either the mayor or the library. Is this where they are located?" Jack asked the three politely, yet all he got in response were cold stares from behind sunglasses.
"And just why do you wish to visit the mayor with such a weapon in your possession?" one of the ponies asked him, getting a confused look from Jack while one of the ponies studied his sword.
"He's obviously here for the mayor. Secure him and relieve him of his weapon," another one of them said, the third nodding before reaching out for Jack's sword. In an instant, Jack had wrapped his hoof around his sword and glared at the suit with a look that made him step back as if struck.
"I do not wish to cause any trouble, but I would ask that you refrain from touching my blade," Jack said calmly, yet with underlying hints of danger in his voice. "If you would please let me explain, I-" The suits whipped out batons that had electricity crackling along them in response to Jack's words and lunged for him, but in a flash of motion Jack drove his hooves into the necks and stomachs of the suits. He then started to walk up towards the building when the suits collapsed behind him without another sound. Yet the samurai's troubles were not over.
"Hey, you there! HALT!" another voice roared out from behind him. Jack turned to see that numerous ponies in armor were flying down from the sky, all of them holding the electric weapons that Jack had seen the suits use. The samurai eyed the ten pegasi in armor carefully as they surrounded him. "Drop your weapon slowly and put your hooves up."
"Please, I do not want trouble. All I wish to do is speak with your mayor," Jack replied honestly, yet his words and actions were lost on the guards when one with a horn raced up beside them. Jack raised an eyebrow as a strange light glowed from the unicorn's horn, and a moment later she gasped with horror while staggering back.
"This pony has a class ten magical item on him! That's up there with the Elements!" she informed the other guards, who immediately backed away from Jack with looks of fear and rage in their eyes. "Take him down now!" Jack narrowed his eyes before turning and sprinting past two of the guards, who leapt at him at the same time and ended up colliding into each other for their efforts. Jack heard a bellow for the guards to catch him while he sprinted into the streets, weaving past ponies and obstacles with a speed that the guards couldn't keep up with on hoof.
'Forgive me noble soldiers, but I cannot let my quest be impeded!' Jack thought as he looked behind him to see that numerous pegasi had taken to the skies and were now tracking him through the crowds. Knowing that he would not be able to shake them on hoof, he dove into a back alley that led to a different road. Along the way, he grabbed any discarded items of clothing that he could find, quickly adding them to his person before he burst out into another street.
Jack then slowed to a dead walk and moved at the same speed as the other ponies, except now he wore a turban and a large coat that covered both his kimono and his sword. A thin smile crossed his lips when he saw the guards land and look around in confusion, yet he felt their eyes glance right over him without so much as a pause.
'Now that I have managed to elude capture, I must find a new location where I can gather information,' Jack pondered while he glanced around at the numerous street signs that were lit up with bright neon lights all around him. He saw numerous ones for insurance, a few for magical solutions and even one for something called horn reading, but it was only when his eyes rested upon a wooden sign that hung over a beaten up door that he had a destination.
"Ah yes. This business has always provided most useful for information in the past," Jack smiled before lifting a hoof to open the door...and jump out of the way a moment later when the door was nearly kicked off its hinges by a large stallion that stalked by Jack.
"Little so and so's, only offering that much money when the job's practically a suicide run?" the stallion grumbled to himself as he stormed past Jack, not noticing the turban wearing pony. "Good luck finding a pony crazy enough to go after that magic talisman. I swear everypony now adays..." The pony continued to talk, but at that point Jack had slipped into the bar and was out of earshot.
The first thing Jack did when he walked into the bar was instinctively glance at the board where the wanted posters were supposed to be, just in case his face was the first one on there. But to his surprise, he found that not only was his face not on the board, but also that there was no bounty board in the room at all. The second surprise came when he closed the door behind him and none of the drinking ponies so much as turned their heads towards him, let alone glared at the samurai.
"A small water please," Jack asked the bartender when he sat down at a stool, ears on high alert as he listened in on each conversation that was going on in the bar. To his left a pony was wailing about how his wife left him, while another across the room was yelling at a newspaper that seemed to have something upsetting. Yet Jack's attention was completely drawn away from all of the other conversations when a certain string of words caught his ear, words that sounded awfully familiar to what the pony who had left was grumbling about.
"Well, that was the last bruiser in here that we tried, and he's just another that said no. For the last time Cloudburst, if you can't find a bodyguard to go with us on this expedition of yours, then I'm quitting too!"
"Look, I know that the mission seems bad, but I have it on good authority that the Wish Master talisman is within that temple! All we need is a pony either brave enough or foolish enough to help us get it back!" a white pony with blue patches on his coat growled, glancing over at Jack with a curious expression that Jack noticed in the reflection of his glass. "Look, a new guy just walked in and he looks tough. Maybe he'll help us?"
"Him? Are you kidding? He looks like he got his outfit out of a dumpster."
"Well it's him or bust. Now be quiet." Jack watched in his glass while the pony stood up and walked over to Jack, waiting until the pony was right behind him before he decided to speak.
"You are trying to locate a magical artifact and you are in need of a strong pony that can protect you in a temple filled with traps," Jack repeated for the pony, who was stopped dead in his tracks as Jack turned his head slightly so that the pony could barely see his face. "I believe that I may be able to help you, if you require my aid?"
"Y-yes, you're completely correct," the pony stammered out with both fear and approval in his eyes. "Please, come with me and talk with the rest of the crew. Then we can talk details." Jack nodded as he rose up and followed the pony back to his table, where a green pony with an electric yellow mane raised an eyebrow at him and his apparel.
"This is Hurricane. She's the archeologist of the two of us. And I'm Cloudburst," the white pony smiled as he extended a hoof to Jack, who shook it with a raised eyebrow at the look he was getting from the mare. "It's a pleasure to meet you...uh..."
"They call me Jack."
"Okay then Jack, so here's the details," Cloudburst began as he unrolled a parchment onto the table. The parchment had a strange object in the center of it with what seemed like a map to a dungeon etched along the outer part of the paper. "In a temple not too far from here is the Wish Master talisman, an item that is said to be able to grant three wishes to anypony that holds it."
"The only problem is that the temple has far more booby traps within it than any other temple that we've ever encountered before," Hurricane muttered as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. "We've already lost one bodyguard to the first few traps and all the others we've tried to hire are driven away either by the danger or the pay, which isn't that great. So why would you show an interest in this job?"
"Because I have a need of a wish," Jack said in a far off tone as he thought back to his land, his people, his family: all of whom were still in the clutches of Aku in the past...and how if he could secure this item, then his quest would finally be at an end. "And I am willing to face any obstacle to get that wish."
"Well, it seems we've got another suicidal fool with us," Hurricane said with a shake of her head, yet Cloudburst only had a huge grin on his face.
"Wonderful! Soon we'll have our hooves on that wish and then the world will see that we're not just second rate history nerds! We'll show them all...that we can unearth history!" he said with a laugh before tossing some gold coins to the bartender with his smile growing to incredible sizes. "Bartender! A round of drinks for all the ponies here! I've got a good feeling that soon we'll have more money than we know what to do with!"
The ponies all around let out a cheer as they each lifted their drinks to Cloudburst, toasting him before they all downed their drinks all at once. The only one who did not join in the festivities was a certain samurai, who was replaying his very first battle with Aku over in his mind, making sure that when he got ahold of his wish that he would know exactly what to do to defeat the monster.
'But what if I fail once again? What if I cannot secure the talisman?' a part of his mind, one that was far too weary from his journey and failures, asked him.
'No. I shall succeed. For too long I have been on this journey to fail again,' Jack roared back with confidence as he clamped his teeth around his glass and downed the rest of his water in one gulp. 'For after I retrieve the talisman, my quest is finally at an end.'
Ancient bricks slowly moved to the side as a passageway thousands of years old was opened once again, allowing three ponies to look into the dust and cobwebs to find that their path inside ran deep down into darkness. Jack raised an eyebrow at the condition of the secret passageway, but Cloudburst didn't waste a moment in grabbing the lantern and racing down into the darkness.
"HA! I knew that there was a secret passageway into the temple, but none of the other guys listened to me!" he laughed with glee while he quickly raced into the darkness, the others only able to keep track of him due to the lantern's light. "Come on, let's go get our wish!"
"That foal is going to get himself killed," Hurricane snarled as she cracked a glow stick in half and used its light to follow after her colleague, leaving Jack alone at the entrance. He shook his head before racing after the pair, using their lights to find his way.
"Will the two of you please slow down?!" Jack called after them while he stumbled down the ancient stairs, snarling at how there were more vines that obstructed his path. Yet, to his relief he found that both sets of lights had stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and without much effort Jack caught up to the lights...to see that both lantern and glow stick had been dropped and the two ponies were being chased by a tiger made of stone.
"GAH! Bodyguard, do something!" Cloudburst called over to Jack while he leapt over a claw strike that severed some of his tail. The stone tiger let out a roar as it lunged at the pair...only to stop in midair when its head was severed from its body. The stone guardian collapsed without another sound as Jack sheathed his sword beside it. "Now that's what I'm talking about! Good job Jack, now we can move in further!"
"Are you kidding me?! You just nearly got your face ripped off and still you're going to race headfirst into danger?!" Hurricane roared at him while she grabbed him by his mane and yanked his head around so he was facing her. "You are going to get both of us killed with your antics and-"
"Silence." Both Hurricane and Cloudburst glanced over at Jack, who was giving both of the ponies a stern stare that made the two break apart. "The two of you were nearly killed and we are just at the entrance. There are still many more tests for us to overcome, and you are arguing like children. Focus or I will make the two of you wait outside while I find the talisman."
The two ponies hung their heads slightly as Jack walked over to the closest door and raised an eyebrow with confusion when he found that it opened at the slightest touch. He motioned for the other two to join him while he slowly stepped into the room, half-drawing his blade in case of any danger. The moment he set his hoof down on stone though, dozens of torches illuminated along the walls across a large room. Jack and the other ponies looked on in shock to see that a large stone bridge extended from one end of the room to the other, with a black pit beneath them.
"Well, this seems pretty straightforward," Cloudburst said as he took a step forward, but before he could take another Hurricane grabbed him by the mane and yanked him back into the doorway.
"Idiot. If the last room had a trap, what in Celestia's name makes you think this one won't?" she scolded with fury. The two started to argue again, not noticing when Jack took the glow stick and hurled it onto the bridge. The second the green light struck the stone, dozens of black tipped arrows spewed from the walls and sliced across the air over the bridge, imbedding themselves deep into the walls on the other side.
"Okay. Arrow traps. Magic countering arrow traps," Cloudburst muttered, getting him a look from Jack. "See those black arrow heads? Those are made of anti-source, a tip of metal that can be used to cancel out anything with magic. I'm guessing those arrows are there to stop any unicorns from getting across."
"I think I see a lever on the other side," Hurricane muttered as she squinted, glancing at the other side of the room. "If I had to wager a guess, it seems that lever is how we shut down the arrows. Any suggestions on how to get over there aside from using Cloudburst as a pony shield?"
"Please. Allow me." Before either of the ponies could react Jack launched himself onto the bridge, eyes like slits as he ducked under the first arrow that shot past his mane. He then kicked off the ground and spun like a top to dodge three more arrows, all the while moving forward while more and more arrows tried to end his journey. Yet, with a precision that had been passed down through the Xiaolin, Jack ducked, dipped and dodged past each arrow, through every gap in their firing pattern, until he touched own on the other side.
The jaw-dropped ponies could only watch as the samurai brushed the slight dust off of his kimono before he pulled down on the lever, causing a metallic sound to echo while plates covered the openings. "I have stopped the arrows. Now let us continue on into the temple." Hurricane and Cloudburst picked their jaws off the floor and walked across the bridge to join the samurai, with a smile crossing Cloudburst's face as he turned towards the mare.
"Doesn't look like a bodyguard huh? Won't last more than five minutes in the temple, HUH?" he smirked at her, earning him a hoof to the face as Hurricane pushed past him.
"Fine. So I was wrong for once. You're still way ahead of me on the scorecard." The two joined Jack in the next room, where they found the samurai sitting in the middle of the floor under a beam of light. One half of the room was painted orange and the other half was midnight blue, with images of two alicorns on the ceiling with colors matching the room.
"I admit that this room has puzzled me," Jack confessed as he glanced from one side to the other before looking at the other door, where ponies in strange armor were carved into the door.
"This...looks like carvings from the ponies that inhabited these temples thousands of years ago," Cloudburst muttered while he walked over to the door, placing a hoof on the carving with awe in his eyes. "And this carving is from one of their most famous battles, where the followers of Celestia and the followers of Nightmare Moon battled for dominance of their land."
"Who are Nightmare Moon and Celestia?" Jack asked with curiosity, but when he saw the looks on the pair's faces he realized that he may have blown his cover. "I am not from these lands, so my knowledge of events that has transpired here is lacking," Jack admitted as he hung his head, hoping that he had managed to correct his mistake.
"Celestia and Luna are the two rulers of this land, but a thousand years ago Luna, who was filled with jealousy and hatred for the praise that was given to her sister, took on a more sinister form to strike her sister down and claim the throne for herself," Cloudburst muttered while he narrowed his eyes at the carvings before glancing up at the images of Celestia and Nightmare Moon. "The ponies that used to live within these temples worshiped the two as deities and battled with each other over which deity was supreme."
"But that only ended in one way," Cloudburst continued as he waved Jack out of the light and stood under the beam himself. "Can I borrow your sword for a moment. And that was," Cloudburst finished as he lifted the sword and cut the beam of light in two, causing each beam to strike each side of the door. "A split in their way of life that could never be repaired."
As he said this, the door slid open revealing the way into another room. "That was, according to what we know about them, when one of their leaders discovered the Wish Master Talisman and used it to finally end the split by wishing the two sides together again...but the wish took his meaning a different way and fused both sides into a monstrous pony that nearly ended Equestria. Ashamed of what he had done, the unnamed pony hid the item away here, never to be found."
"According to your story, it sounds like the Talisman is more of a curse bringer than it is a wish giver," Jack muttered with doubt starting to enter into his mind, having dealt with numerous items like that in the past. "Perhaps he hid it away to keep others from using it, not to hide his shame."
"Well, whatever the reason is, we've finally found it!" Cloudburst laughed with delight as the three entered into the next room, all of their eyes being immediately drawn to a large pedestal in the center of the room with a strange, wooden looking item resting in the center of it. "What do you think Jack? Anything?"
"I...do not see any traps in here," Jack muttered while he glanced around the room. Jack's word was good enough for Cloudburst, who after hearing that raced up to the pedestal and started to look over the item that rested there, leaving Hurricane to sigh in frustration at her colleague's antics.
"I swear that pony can be so dense sometimes. Of course there has to be a trap in here, of some sorts," she said through gritted teeth. "I swear, some days I wish I could just leave his flank behind and move on with my life in a way that didn't involve me having to deal with this idiot."
"And yet you have stayed," Jack pointed out, getting a sigh that was half frustration and half amusement.
"Yeah, well...I kinda owe this idiot a lot. After my own career in history fell through, no other pony would give me the time of day, much less work. Cloudburst was the only one who gave me another chance and while he is...airheaded, he's got a good heart," Hurricane admitted. Jack gave her a small smile before her face set like flint again. "I just wish I could say the same thing about his brain. Come on, I think he's waving us over."
"Have you discovered if the talisman is cursed or not?" Jack asked the pony when the two of them reached the pedestal, but in an act that shocked both Jack and Hurricane, Cloudburst grabbed hold of the talisman and tore it right off the pedestal.
"Are you an...you idiot! That pedestal was probably booby trapped!" Hurricane roared at the pony as he held his prize over his head with a smile. And just like Hurricane said, the moment the artifact left the pedestal the whole temple began to shake. "You idiot! I swear that if this temple doesn't kill you, I will!"
"There is no time for death threats. We must leave now if any of us are to escape alive," Jack ordered, his words immediately getting the ponies into gear and racing towards the exit. Jack kept his eyes on the ceiling in case any part of it decided to crush the group, and twice he had to slice through a large chunk of ceiling to keep the ponies from getting crushed.
"Crap! The way we came in got caved in!" Hurricane roared at the other two when they all came skidding to a stop in front of where they had entered, the boulders that covered the door preventing them from leaving. Hurricane and Cloudburst began to tear away at the stones in vain, yet Jack's eyes were already glancing around the room for a different exit. His eyes narrowed when he spied a collapsed part of the room that seemed to lead somewhere else, and with a call to the other two he raced towards the collapse, a thin smile creasing his face when he spied another room on the other side.
"A second secret entrance?" Cloudburst muttered with surprise when they all fled through the crack in the wall, and found themselves standing at the bottom of a large staircase, one that spiraled into darkness. "This wasn't in any of my research notes. I'll have to-"
"Less talking more climbing!" Jack ordered as he raced up the staircase, slicing through any of the large chunks of rubble that had landed on their only escape. The ponies raced up the stairs while the whole temple shook and stone flew everywhere, with only Jack's keen eye keeping either of the ponies from getting hit by the larger pieces. They climbed higher and higher, with seemingly no end, until rays of sunlight began to shine through onto them. Yet, one of the smaller pieces of debris managed to sneak past the samurai's eye and struck Cloudburst in the side of the head, causing him to stagger before he slipped to the side and fell off the stairs, barley managing to catch himself on a shattered stone.
"Cloudburst!" Hurricane called out as she came skidding to a stop, but in a moment Jack raced past her.
"Head towards the surface! I shall get him!" he ordered her, stopping above where Cloudburst was dangling. "Hold on, I will have you in a moment," Jack promised as he threw himself to his stomach and reached out towards Cloudburst.
"Forget about me! Get the Talisman!" he ordered Jack as he glanced over beside him, where Jack could see the wooden object dangling precariously on the edge of the stairs. For a brief moment Jack looked over at the talisman, knowing that if he grabbed hold of it, he would have his wish. He would be able to return home.
"Please. It's the only way to get Hurricane her job back." Jack snapped out of his thoughts while he glanced down at the dangling pony, who was staring into the darkness below him as stones tumbled past the pair. "I won't deny that I'm not the best partner. I'm idiotic, impulsive, and just dumb in general. But this talisman might be the only chance to get her her reputation back. She's been so kind to me...it's the least I can do. So please...get the talisman."
Jack's face set like steel before he reached down and wrapped his hoof around the pony, pulling him up onto the staircase with a mighty pull. Jack then glanced over at the talisman to see it tip over the edge and fall into the darkness. Cloudburst let out a cry when he tried to dive after it, but Jack pulled him up and tossed the pony onto his back. Then Jack hurled himself up the stairs, running as fast as he could while slicing through every obstacle in his path. The ceiling had nearly completely buried the sunlight, Jack's exit, and left only a single beam left, giving him one last chance to escape.
With one final push, Jack leapt into the light, slipping through the hole in the wall right before the wall collapsed behind the pair of them. Jack kicked up dirt as he skidded to a stop, taking just a moment to glance behind him at the destroyed temple before he crouched down so Cloudburst could get off his back.
"Jack..." Cloudburst whispered slightly before Hurricane tackled him in the flank, tears streaming down her face as she pounded on his side. The two then held each other for a moment, Jack smiling at the pair as he slid his blade along the top of his scabbard before sheathing his blade.
"Jack...why me?" Cloudburst asked again when the samurai began to walk away, stopping Jack and causing him to glance back at the pair. "I told you the reason that I wanted you to get the talisman. And what about your own wish? You told us that you had a wish that you needed to have granted. It was the whole reason that you came with us. So why did you save me...why give up your wish?"
Jack stared at the ponies for a long moment, looking at the confusion on Cloudburst's face before glancing at Hurricane to see the fear and relief in her eyes. Then, as the samurai turned away from the pair, who still had their hooves on each other, he answered.
"Because as much as that wish mattered to all of us, there was something there that mattered to the two of you far more than the wish. So if losing my wish was the only way to save that...then I can accept that loss." Jack then walked away from the pair with his head slightly bowed, already considering where next he would head to find his way home.
With a grunt and a heavy push, Jack freed the raft from the weeds that had entangled it, allowing the small, wooden raft to continue its trip down the large river. He sighed when he sat down on the planks next to the captain of the raft, who was leaning against a cooler and strumming on a small banjo.
"Thank ya kindly for freeing us from those weeds. They can be nasty this time of year," the bluish pony said before plucking away at his instrument. Jack nodded in reply before a small shiver ran through his body and he pulled his attire around him tighter while he glanced at the trees, which were missing some of their leaves.
"This land confuses me. Just two days ago the trees were filled with healthy green leaves and the sunlight was strong. But now it seems as if winter is right around the corner," Jack observed as he held out a hoof and caught an orange leaf within his grasp.
"Heh, ya must have come from Stalliongrad. Yeah, those ponies up there are always the last ones to prepare for winter," Sundance said with a small chuckle when he grew bored of plucking at his strings, and instead began to play a piece for the samurai. "I remember one year they refused to let summer go and it was halfway through winter before Celestia came down to tell them to change to winter. They were none too happy about that."
"The ponies here make the seasons?" Jack muttered to himself as he glanced up at the clouds, his eyes widening when he saw numerous pegasi moving winter clouds around while talking to each other. "That is indeed far from what I know."
"You're not from around here, I can tell," Sundance continued while he glanced over at Jack from under his beat up hat, the samurai nodding in response and getting a chuckle out of the musician. "We haven't had natural weather in Equestria for centuries, at least that's what they taught me in school. Much easier if the ponies do it, and that way there's no chance of a freak storm ruining a town or city. Keeps things much nicer."
"I...suppose that's one benefit of being able to control the weather," Jack agreed as he continued to watch the pegasi flitter around above him, waving in return to one that waved at him. He then turned his ears to the song that the pony was playing, closing his eyes while the music danced in the air around them. The song was as gentle as the river that carried their raft along, yet Jack was aware that the pony had an eye on him the entire time he played.
"So, are ya a changeling or something? Because yer not a pony." Jack snapped out of his enjoyment of the music and turned his shocked eyes towards the pony with alarm, getting a chuckle out of the pony who glanced over his shoulder at Jack with a smile. "Don't be ashamed if ya are, yer not the first changeling I've had on this raft."
"How...how did you...why do you assume this?" Jack asked while doing his best to regain his composure, yet the pony closed his eyes and strummed on his instrument for a minute before glancing up at the sun.
"The way ya held yer blade when ya saved me from that serpent that attacked us. Now ah don't know too much about sword fighting, but even I know that the royal guards hold their weapons with their hooves, not their mouths. Thanks again for dealing with that, by the way."
"You are welcome but...how do ponies hold items with their hooves? That should not be possible," Jack pointed out, but Sundance's response was to hold up his banjo in both of his hooves and play a few bars to prove his point. "So, ponies can hold items in their hooves," Jack muttered before he unsheathed his blade and rested it on the raft at his hooves, glancing down at it with a groan. "How do I...pick it up?"
"Ya just do. Go ahead and practice some, ya have all the time in the world." Jack nodded in thanks before reaching down and placing his hoof on his sword, willing for his hoof to lift the blade. Yet when Jack lifted his hoof, the sword remained resting on the raft. A hint of annoyance flashed through Jack's mind before he let it go with a sigh, placing his hoof down once again and trying once more. Yet again the sword remained on the deck of the ship, causing the annoyance to return in another wave.
'No. I have faced everything that Aku has thrown at me as well as whatever his future held. This will not be what breaks me,' Jack promised while he placed his hoof against the sword hilt once again.
Sundance let out a small sigh as Jack continued to fail at lifting his sword, a small smile growing when he realized that not only was Jack not a pony, but he also couldn't be anything with hooves. Yet, he left the samurai alone for hours as they drifted down the river, content with strumming away on his instrument while Jack continued in vain to lift his weapon.
But when noon rolled around and Sundance unrolled some bread for the two of them, he found that not only had Jack's sword not moved, but now the samurai also wasn't moving either. He raised an eyebrow at the meditating pony while he scooted over next to him, placing the loaf of bread beside him before biting down on his own food.
"Don't feel too bad with yerself. It takes foals a few weeks to learn how to grab things with their hooves," Sundance tried to help, but the samurai remained motionless. Another thirty minutes rolled by before the samurai finally moved, cracking open his eyes to find that the bread had rolled into his lap and crumbs were now on his kimono. "Enjoy yer nap? Or were ya just working on your tan?"
"I was meditating, as a way to prevent the anger from taking hold within me," Jack replied as he placed both hooves around the bread and lifted it, awkwardly taking a few bites before the bread slipped out of his grasp. "I still do not understand how you can hold anything with these two hooves, let alone one."
"Well it takes practice. I can play my banjo just fine, but I doubt that I would be able to wield that sword of yours like you do," Sundance pointed out before laying down on his back and staring up at the sky. "But if it helps ya to get a grip, heh, yer welcome to try my instrument." He tipped his hat over his eyes after he said this, leaving Jack to glance at the instrument with interest. He walked over to the banjo and scooped it into his arms, holding it in a way that mirrored the way Sundance held it.
"This is indeed most curious. How did he manage to play those songs without fingers to hold down the strings?" Jack mused as he started to mimic the way he had seen the pony play the instrument, yet after a few unsuccessful attempts he found that he couldn't even get anything that remotely sounded like music out of the instrument, let alone a song.
"Ya have to feel it." Jack took his eyes away from his efforts to glance over at Sundance, who was still resting with his head covering his eyes. "Don't think, don't try. Just...feel." The samurai nodded even though he wasn't too sure what the pony meant before he closed his eyes and tried again, tuning out his constant failures as he focused on just feeling.
Day turned into an afternoon and the afternoon quickly fell to Luna's rule, yet all the while Jack continued to strum away on the banjo despite how badly he sounded. Yet even with a patience that had endured years of wandering a lost future, Jack could feel his nerves beginning to wear away at him as he continued to fail at making so much as a strum correctly.
'It is no use,' Jack finally admitted while he moved the instrument to the side and stared up at the starry sky, amazed by the billions of lights that illuminated the dark sea of space above him. Then lights began to flicker around him and with a small smile Jack found that hundreds of fireflies began to ascend into the star sky, adding their lights into the sea of stars.
'How much simpler would my life be if I was a firefly. No worry about my destiny or this battle with Aku that has taken nearly everything I have. And I know that I would not be concerned with learning the banjo,' Jack thought with a smirk while he glanced down at the instrument and its owner, neither of which made a sound in the silence of the night.
Jack then turned his attention to his blade, which was still resting in the center of the raft in the same spot where he had placed it. 'And yet I must learn how to wield you once again, despite the years that we have spent in battle together,' Jack continued. 'You will not aid me as you once did. What has changed? Why can I not lift you?'
"Because yer trying to hard to make it happen, instead of letting it happen." Jack quickly spun his head towards Sundance, who, aside from having rolled to his side, looked as if he hadn't said a word. Jack frowned while he turned his attention back towards his blade, which reflected the light of the fireflies, causing it to glow with a soft, golden light.
'If it must come naturally, then I will gain nothing from trying to force my will,' Jack accepted before closing his eyes and taking up his meditative position once more, quickly drifting off into slumber.
--|======\
Darkness swept around the samurai as he raced through the tunnels, his feet striking the pavement hard while he sprinted at full speed away from the darkness that tried to consume him. The samurai came to a dead stop when he ran head first into a dead end, with no way out aside from a little window that rested far out of his reach.
Jack spun around to face the darkness that was barreling down on him, a smile breaking through the darkness as a laugh echoed throughout his mind--a laugh that he knew all too well. The samurai reached down for his blade, but to his horror he found that his sword was not there. With fear beginning to fill his eyes Jack turned back to the shadows, which now consumed everything in his sight except for him.
"Foolish samurai warrior! Did you believe that there was a place where you could escape to that I could not follow!" a voice roared at him with a degrading laugh while the darkness began to swallow him. "Your story will not end until I have finished you once and for all, samurai! That is your destiny!"
Jack fought as best he could while the darkness began to drown him, making him feel as if he were being drowned in an ocean. And then he awoke.
--|======\
Jack's eyes snapped open when he felt the waves crushing him, startled as he looked around to find only water surrounding him. Quickly taking control of the situation he was in, the samurai began to swim up towards where light was shining into the water. He burst through the surface a moment later, taking in a few quick breaths before he looked behind him to have his breath stolen away once again.
"Ah, good morning," Sundance said with well hidden panic in his voice before he was slightly squeezed by the tail of the large serpent that had coiled itself around him. The frilly headed serpent hissed at the pony before turning its gaze towards Jack, who snarled in defiance while he moved his hand down for his sword...only to find that it wasn't there.
The samurai quickly glanced around to see what was left of the raft resting against numerous large boulders, with even larger teeth marks in the side of what remained. With a burst of speed the samurai swam towards the raft, barely avoiding the fangs of the serpent when it tried to bite down on the warrior. A quick look over the raft informed him that his sword was not there, so he took in a quick breath before diving beneath the waves. Under the crystal clear water, he found that most of the items on the raft had sunk down to the bottom of the river, including his sword, with the blade imbedded in the mud at the bottom.
Jack swam to his sword and wrapped his teeth around the hilt, yet even all of his might was not enough to pry it free of the sticky fingers that kept it held at the bottom of the river. Jack let out a gasp and had to resurface, yet when he took in another breath to try again he felt something wrap around his leg. A second later he was pulled into the air by the serpent, who hissed at him before its red fangs lunged for his head. In an instant Jack struck the tail holding him with one of his strongest strikes, loosening the muscles enough for him to slip free and fall back into the water.
"Sundance, are you alright?" Jack asked when he surfaced again, glancing up at the bank to see the pony crawling out of the water and onto land. Jack let out a sigh of relief before turning his full attention back to the scarlet serpent, which was giving its full attention to the samurai as well. Jack then spun and dove into the water, clamping his teeth down on the hilt of his blade once again, yet again he was unable to pull it free.
A sudden strike to his side forced the air out of his lungs while hurling him out of the water. Jack barely managed to gasp in a breath before he struck the rocks near the edge of the bank hard, darkness filling his vision while he slowly slipped down the rocks and back into the water. But in the darkness he heard a laugh, a laugh that had mocked him all throughout his journey. A laugh that made his blood boil and rekindled his focus.
"Come then, creature!" Jack roared as he forced himself back to his hooves, spitting out water while he stood defiant in the shallow end of the river. "I do not need my blade to battle with you!" The serpent roared before it lunged at Jack, who dove out of the way of the attack. He rolled to his hooves just in time to hear a satisfying "CRACK," and when he glanced back at the serpent he discovered that it had gone skull first into the stones.
Yet his moment of victory was short lived, as once again the serpent's tail caught him unaware and slammed into his side, hurling him across the river and into what remained of the raft. Jack gritted his teeth in pain when he felt himself slip into the water once again, forcing his eyes open to see the face of the serpent crashing through the surface of the water to get to him.
The moment before the serpent was upon him, Jack felt his hoof strike something, so without a thought he grabbed hold of whatever it was and swung with all of his might...and slicing a line clean across the serpents face. The sea creature howled with pain as blood began to ooze from its wound, before it dove into the river and swam away downstream as quickly as it could. Jack broke through the surface just in time to see the creature vanish from sight, before he paddled to the riverbank and pulled himself onto dry land.
"That was pretty impressive," Sundance whistled as he held out a hoof to Jack, one that Jack gratefully accepted as he held out his own hoof...only to be amazed by what he saw was within its grasp. "Well, whaddya know? I guess that having your life on the line helped you to grab without thinking."
"Indeed...it does seem that way," Jack agreed as he released his blade, yet this time he was able to pick it up a moment later without thought. "And it seems that I owe you a great deal. If not for you, I would never have learned to hold my blade as I once did. I am in your debt."
"Well you saved me from a sea serpent twice, so I'd consider us even," Sundance said as he walked over to what remained of his boat with a sigh. "I'm going to stay here and try to salvage what I can of my ship. But if you follow the river for about half a day you should come across another town."
"Thank you very much," Jack thanked him as he sheathed his blade with a smile.
"And Jack...if ya ever need a boat down the river again, I hope you look me up," Sundance said with a smile while he pulled his banjo from the river and shook the water out of it, his smile growing larger when he found it still played.
"I will make sure to do that," Jack promised before he turned and walked away, following the flow of the river.
The fingers of the fire flickered into the air, reaching for the night sky as their heat warmed the weary body of the samurai that sat before its light. While the samurai rested by the fire, he ran a whetstone across his blade to keep its magical edge sharpened. The smell of a small rabbit roasting over the flames caused his stomach to rumble, yet he ignored the food to focus on his closest ally.
Yet, as he glanced down at the sword and then to the rock that he was holding with his hoof, he found himself unable to contain the smile that spread across his face. 'Despite not having been here long, I already feel closer than I ever have before,' Jack smiled as he looked at the roasted rabbit with hungry eyes. 'And with no Aku here to pester my every step, I find myself...smiling more.'
Jack then reached out for the rabbit and grabbed hold of the stick that it was on, taking a moment to thank it for its sacrifice before he began to eat. After a few bites he looked up at the stars in all their glory, able to see every one of them with no difficulty. 'I must wonder...is this what my world would have become without Aku? A place of peace, instead of where the stars are too obstructed by the lights of man?'
He cast those thoughts aside while he focused on his food, making sure to savor every bite as he ate. Yet the samurai's peace was shattered when he heard a sound moving in the bushes beyond the ring of trees that surrounded him, putting Jack instantly on alert as he reached down for his sword. With narrowed eyes and sharp ears he awaited for the source of the disturbance to reveal itself, every fiber of his being ready for a fight.
He felt his guard slightly lower when an old mare covered in rags hobbled out of the forest, wrinkles covering her face as she blinked twice because the bright light from the fire struck her. Jack lowered his blade slightly at her appearance, yet he kept a grip on his sword just to be safe. He had been fooled by appearances before.
"Greetings. It is very late in the night to be walking around the woods," Jack pointed out, keeping a wary eye on the old mare who looked afraid to approach him. He noticed that she was keeping her own eye on his sword, so Jack sheathed it and motioned for the pony to sit across from him. "You must be tired from being out so late. Please, sit with me and rest for a while."
"Oh...thank you," she said in an old voice while she hobbled over to Jack, who slightly recoiled when he saw that her face was hideous. Yet he quickly masked his disgust and moved a small bowl beside him to the mare, who glanced inside to see some carrots within. "Oh...I couldn't."
"Please, you must be hungry and I have more than enough," Jack insisted, the mare nodding before she took one of the carrots and ate it. Jack sat up straight, expecting the mare to start talking at any moment, yet for over an hour she remained quiet. During that time, Jack had felt himself nodding off at times, yet before he could completely fall asleep he would be awakened by what sounded like shouting in the woods, and his eyes would snap open again.
Upon hearing it for a third time, he glanced into the darkness of the trees, barely able to make out a faint light in the distance. Yet as the light did not get any closer, he felt no need to chase after it. What did draw his full attention was that every time there was shouting, the mare would glance in the direction with fear upon her face.
"Is something bothering you?" Jack eventually asked, getting the old mare to start when she glanced over at Jack with fearful eyes. "Do not worry, nothing will hurt you here. You have my word."
"You are kind," the mare responded with a sigh while she rested her head on the ground, yet her eyes remained on Jack and the weird way he was sitting. Jack did not push any further into what was bothering the mare, instead finishing his food before he went back to sharpening his sword. For another hour the two remained like this, before the mare finally had to courage to ask Jack a question.
"You see me as ugly, don't you?" she asked Jack point blank, who looked up from sharpening his sword to see that the mare was staring at him with knowing eyes.
"I will admit that your...features did catch me off guard, but no, I do not see you as ugly," Jack disagreed, getting a small look of confusion out of the mare. "I no longer judge those whom I come across by their features. Instead I try to discover the person, or pony, that they are before I decide if they are ugly or beautiful."
"So then...what do you think of me?" the mare asked Jack, who placed his sword down beside him as he gave the mare his full attention.
"I do not know enough about you. All I know is that something is concerning you...and that you lack the mark that the other ponies have." The mare's eyes widened in shock before she glanced down at her blank flank, a small chuckle slipping past her lips while she looked back at the samurai.
"I could say the same for you warrior. You too have the air of a troubled being and you are missing your cutie mark as well," she pointed out in return.
"You are correct about me. I am troubled. And I am looking for magic, a wish...something that will help me to finally be freed of that trouble," Jack admitted before moving his kimono slightly to look at his own blank flank. "But I must thank you for informing me of what those strange symbols were called. They are cutie marks, if what you say is true."
"A pony that doesn't know what a cutie mark is? I'm surprised," the mare muttered.
"There are many strange things in this land that I know little of. Would you mind explaining to me what these marks are and why every pony besides us has them?" Jack asked.
"A cutie mark is what a pony gets when it discovers its special talent or its destiny," the mare began, getting a confused head tilt from Jack and forcing her to further clarify. "The marks you see, such as a guitar, show what that pony is good at. If a pony is good at baseball, then most likely their mark will have to do with baseball. It's a way for them to know for certain what their future is."
"Yet the future is not absolute," Jack retorted with a cold defiance in his voice, something that the mare picked up on almost immediately. Then the samurai remembered what the mage had told him about fitting in, so with a sigh he pushed those feelings away. "How does one go about acquiring a cutie mark? Do I have to complete a task or...?"
"A cutie mark is not something that you can make appear. It only comes to you when you discover what you are good at, what you enjoy and what you would be alright with spending the rest of your life doing," the mare said with a sigh as she stared up at the stars. "At least, that's what I've been told."
"Then, I am confused as to why I do not have my mark. I am an expert warrior trained in many fields who has fought great evils and saved many lives. Wouldn't my mark have something to do with my skills there?" Jack asked the pony, who could only shake her head in response.
"Maybe, but what you must ask yourself is, "Is this me? Does this mark represent the core of who I am"?" The mare then looked at Jack with eyes that did not match what she had said a moment before, slightly worrying the samurai. "Are you the warrior who fights great evils and saves lives? Is that who you are? Or did somepony else make you that; did occurrences force you to become that pony? Who is the pony under the kimono?"
Jack opened his mouth to cast away any doubts about who he was, that he knew the person that he was. But then something flickered in the back of his mind, a thought that he had not allowed himself to think while he was battling with Aku. What would he have been like had Aku not stolen his home from him? Would he still be the wandering samurai who fought evil at every turn? Or would he be different? Would he be some one else?
"It seems that this is a question that you yourself do not know the answer to," the mare said with a sad sigh as Jack's face answered for him. "And until you can learn who you truly are, your flank will be as blank as mine."
"Perhaps I do not know the 'me' that could have been, but I know the 'me' I am now and I am content with that person," Jack said a moment later with acceptance in his voice, getting the mare to nod her head with interest. "But now I must ask you a similar question. Why do you not have the mark upon your side?"
Jack felt tension fill the air when he asked this question, completely aware that the old mare's demeanor had just changed and she now gazed at Jack with uncertain eyes. "I mean you no offense. If you do not wish to tell me, then I shall be content with your silence. I am simply curious.",
The mare stared at Jack with suspicious eyes for a moment longer before she let out a sigh and glanced up at the stars, almost like she was surrendering her fate to them. "I am a blank flank, because I forgot to add a mark to myself when I escaped from the town not to far from here."
Jack's eyes widened in surprise at this sudden revelation of information, yet before his very eyes the mare slowly began to change. The wrinkles faded away and were replaced with black armor, and eyes that seemed far older than Jack were replaced with blue, pupiless eyes. Jack couldn't hide his shock as the once old mare slowly changed into something that looked like a large insect with hooves and silverfish hair, who gazed over at Jack a moment later with scared eyes.
"You are a shape shifter," Jack spat out without thinking, getting a nod from the insect.
"The correct term for one like me is a Changeling, but yes, I am a shape shifter," she admitted to Jack. "And the reason I am out here, is because the village where I have spent the past fifty years of my life, discovered that I am a Changeling. And so they cast me out."
"How could they do that? To have known you for so long only to-"
"The 'me' they knew was a lie, a face I put on in order to blend in...in order to be accepted as one of them," the Changeling cut Jack off with scorn in her voice, as well as pain. "Despite being accepted as one of them for so long, the moment they found out the truth of what I really was...they turned against me."
Unbeknownst to the Changeling, Jack's heart slowly began to fall as she told him her story--the story of a being disguised as a pony that was once accepted, but then turned on by those once called friends. And as Jack looked down at his own hoof, the cold realization that his story was similar to hers dawned on him. He then forced himself to glance back up at the Changeling, who was giving Jack the same blank expression.
"Why reveal this to me? Why show me your true form when you had me fooled?" Jack asked the changeling.
"Because I am tired of running, both from the ponies that chase me and from whom I really am. I only planned to stay here until I had recovered my strength, but after hearing you talk, I felt...like you knew my pain," the Changeling dared to say with hints of hope in her voice. "So if you wish to turn me in, I will not stop you."
"No. You have done nothing wrong aside from not being true to yourself," Jack decided within seconds, smiling when he saw disbelief in the Changeling's eyes. "And I will not condemn you because you wished to be happy. I...have done many things in the pursuit of my own dreams, some of which I am not proud."
"And you are right in another regard. I do know how you feel," Jack nodded before looking around to make sure that there was no one else listening. "Because I am not a pony either. I come from a land far different than this one."
"Then why-?"
"Because to achieve my dream, my wish, I must learn what it means to be a pony. Only then will the magic that I seek be able to return me to my true home." Jack and the Changeling then both turned their heads when they heard the sounds of yelling and screaming coming their way, accompanied by dozens of torches that burned like the sun in the darkness of the night. Jack and the Changeling both rose to their hooves before glancing at each other, Jack bowing to the Changeling to say farewell.
A moment later hundreds of ponies burst from the trees and into the clearing, yet to their disappointment, they found a fire that had recently been extinguished and the bones of a small mammal that had been eaten. Yet despite their numbers, none of the ponies found either of the beings pretending to be ponies, that had vanished into the night.
"Oh Discord, it is just lovely up here. We really should travel more often," Fluttershy giggled before taking a small sip of her hot tea, which comforted her greatly while she glanced out of the magic bubble at the howling snowstorm, that blew across the mountain top on which she and the being of chaos sat atop. Small flowers and insects tickled her hooves, both happy to finally be free of the blizzard. "And the view from up here is just lovely," she added while she glanced down the mountain to the landscape below that looked as if it could be from a painting.
"Well, anything for my closest friend," Discord laughed with a dismissive wave of his hoof, yet from his smile it was clear that he enjoyed the yellow pegasi's praise. "After all, we've been having tea in that cottage for months now, and I figured a change of pace would be beneficial to the both of us." He drank from his teacup as he said this, before changing the tea into snow and sending it back up into the sky.
"But a spell that can turn winter into summer? Twilight would love to know how to do it," Fluttershy pointed out as she looked up at the bubble that kept out the winter and allowed the two to enjoy the comforts of summer atop the mountain. "Why haven't you told her?"
"Fluttershy, my dear, I have been around far longer than any other being in Equestria. If I told Twilight all of my secrets, her already big head would get even larger," Discord chuckled before spying some cakes. "Oh, I don't think I've had this flavor before."
"It's my newest batch. I've used a variety of flavors in this one," Fluttershy giggled before pushing the basket of cakes across the table and towards the draconis. "Go head, try one."
"Simply divine!" Discord delightfully praised after downing one of the yellow cakes. "I swear that your cooking gets better by the day."
"Well, the classes have been going well and I've learned a lot," Fluttershy said before glancing back down the mountain again. "It looks really cold down there. Thankfully we had your magic to get here. I would hate to have to fly up and down this, let alone climb."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous Fluttershy, this is the coldest mountain in Equestria," Discord reminded Fluttershy with a chuckle as he made the dancing teapot swallow a few more cubes of sugar before the spoon began to stir. "The only way up here is by magic. Only a pony that was either foolish or insane would dare to-"
"...Discord!..."
Both Fluttershy and Discord perked up at the faint trace of a voice being carried by the whipping winds, but after tilting their heads to the side and waiting a moment, they both shrugged and continued to drink. That was until they heard the voice again, far clearer than it was before.
"Whatever could that be?" Fluttershy asked Discord, who frowned when he turned and glared down the mountain to wherever the voice was coming from. "It sounds like there's somepony who's here for you. Are you going to go meet them?"
"Of course they would show up during tea time," Discord grumbled before smiling at Fluttershy. "I'll be right back, dear Fluttershy, just going to go see who's calling out for me." When Discord turned, the smile changed into a scowl and with a snap of his fingers he vanished into the snow.
--|======\
The wind tore at his kimono with bony fingers, chilling him to the bone while his garb tried in vain to flutter off into the winds that encircled him. Yet, the samurai stood in the tremendous blizzard with an unbreakable will and a burning desire, which was more than enough to keep him warm in the whipping winds.
"DISCORD!" he bellowed into the snowstorm once again, before scowling slightly as he glanced down at a map that was being hurled around by the winds. 'This is where the wizard informed me the location would be and on this day as well. He must be here.'
'The one called 'Discord'. He may have the answer you seek,' the words of the wizard repeated in his mind. 'He is hard to find now-a-days, but rumor has it that he has been sensed on the top of the coldest mountain in Equestria. Nopony knows why, but his godly magic may be what you need. Take this map and when you reach the top of the mountain, if you can, then call out for him. Discord will never shy away from somepony who calls him out. '
'I pray that he was right, for I do not know how much longer I can stand this cold,' Jack shivered, doing everything in his power to keep the cold from getting to him. The climb up the mountain had been treacherous, and the samurai had no idea how he would get back down, but he preferred to think that he would finally be going home instead of back down. 'But if this god of chaos is able to send me back to my home, then I will endure any hardship...though I do wish that he would show up soon...'
"And just who are you?"
Jack spun on his hooves to come face to face with a being that startled him, a mismatch of animal limbs all attached to a head that had a less-than-happy expression on its face. Jack tried to answer the creature that frowned down at him, but in the cold his teeth began to chatter beyond his control. Discord rolled his eyes as Jack fought to make words before snapping his fingers, creating a second summer bubble around the pony.
"Again. Who are you," Discord growled.
"It is true," Jack whispered when he glanced down at the warm ground beneath his hooves that had been sleet and ice not a moment before. "Your magic truly is beyond that of any other pony in Equestria. You are who I need! You can grant me my wish!"
"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there. You're not making any sense, and that's supposed to be my job," Discord butted in before flicking his glasses open and glancing down at the strange pony. A frown crossed Discord's face while he moved it right in front of Jack's with narrowed eyes. "You are...strange. The magic that's coming off of you isn't like the other ponies. Okay, now you've got my attention. You have thirty seconds to keep it before I leave you here in the cold."
"Ten is all I require. I need a way to return to the past, and I was told that your magic was strong enough to do so. Please, is it true?" Jack quickly asked, getting Discord to place a claw under his chin as he began to think.
"Time travel, huh? I mean, it's been a few centuries since I last did it, but I should be more than able..." Discord muttered to himself, creating a few extra hands so he could count something before he tilted his head upside down and smirked at Jack. "Yeah I can still travel through time. Messing with time causes tremendous amounts of chaos, and as a god of chaos, it's right up my alley."
"Then, you will send me back in time?!" Jack asked with shining eyes, almost able to smell the grass of his home and feel the sun on his skin once again.
"Sorry, but no," Discord said with a shake of his head, shattering all of Jack's hopes then and there. "In case you didn't know, I've been reformed. That means I no longer do things that would cause unspeakable chaos, like sending a pony back in time." Jack's eyes slowly lowered to the grass at his hooves, unable to accept what Discord was saying. "Sorry I couldn't help you, but look at the bright side. At least you get to say that you climbed all the way to-"
Discord stopped talking when he heard the sound of steel being drawn behind him, able to feel the intensity of the samurai's gaze burning into the back of his skull. Very slowly, the draconis turned his head with narrowed eyes to see that Jack had his blade pointed at Discord, eyes burning with the fires of defiance.
"And just what, if I may ask, are you doing?" Discord asked with a cold laugh when he appeared behind Jack, catching the samurai off guard and causing Jack to jump back. "I'm a god of chaos. A being that can warp time and space as I see fit. And you plan on fighting me with a toothpick. Cleary, I'm not the only insane one up here."
"The wizard who told me where to find you, and also told me this: That centuries ago, before the sisters sealed you, you made a boast. That if anypony was to defeat you, that you would grant that pony any wish," Jack reminded Discord before the warrior took up a stance and glared down the god. "I shall best you. And then I shall finally return home."
Discord frowned at Jack's words before he pulled out his autobiography and started to skim through the pages, coming to a stop when he got to the era of which Jack was speaking. "Let's see...tornadoes that only sucked up clean things...ponies that could only talk in rhyme...wait a moment, it's in here? But why would I say something like...oh right, that was when I discovered cider for the first time," Discord remembered with a frown as the memories and the headache came back. He then shrugged and slammed the book shut, tossing it away before glancing back at the samurai again. "Oh very well, but let's make this quick. I'm missing tea time."
With a yell that could be heard over the wind Jack lunged at Discord, sword brought back as he flew towards the god. Discord's response was to raise an eyebrow at the samurai before snapping his fingers and causing a wall to appear before the attacker, smirking when he heard Jack smack into the concrete face first.
Jack grunted in pain as he kicked off the wall and landed outside of the bubble, wiping away a bit of blood from his nose before he lunged at Discord again. And once again, Discord snapped his fingers to construct a wall before the samurai, but to Discord's mild surprise Jack sliced through the obstruction with one mighty swing.
"Not bad, whatever your name is, but you're not in the same league as me," Discord chuckled while he teleported away from Jack's swings, getting the samurai to growl in frustration when he began to glance around for Discord. The he felt a strange magic grab him and a moment later he was being dangled upside down in the air. "In fact, you're not even in the same ballpark. You're also playing a different sport," he continued to taunt as Jack swung his sword at the god to no avail. "Just give up."
"Never! I have come too far to back down now!" Jack roared while he slashed at the magic holding him up with his blade, cleaving through the spell and allowing the samurai to land on his hooves. The moment he touched down again, he hurled himself at Discord, but this time the draconis split in two when Jack tried to cut him. "I shall not let Aku be victorious! I will do whatever I must to return to my home!"
"Look samurai, it's not happening," Discord sighed as Jack continued to slash at him, thinking more about the cakes that Fluttershy had made than the battle at hand. "Here's an idea, if you give up now I promise Fluttershy that you can have some of our tea. I'll even let you sit near...at the edge of the bubble so that-"
Discord, who wasn't paying attention to Jack at that point, never saw the samurai switch his tactics on him and hurl his sword at Discord instead of swinging it. Discord did catch the moment out of the corner of his eye, but considering how swords could barely even tickle him, he wasn't concerned. That was, until the blade sliced right across his face.
With a roar that blasted away the snowstorm and the clouds above them, Discord cried out in pain, seething as he held a hand to his cheek while pain coursed through his face. Jack, sensing his moment of opportunity, grabbed his blade once again and lunged at Discord, but this time the god was angry. With a roar he spat a bolt of chaotic magic right at the samurai...only to watch in disbelief when the warrior sliced clean through his spell.
"That shouldn't be possible," Discord muttered, forgetting about the pain as he teleported out of the way once again. Jack spun around to see Discord floating above him with arms crossed and a strange expression upon his face, almost as if he was seeing Jack for the first time. "Pony. Who are you and why do you have a weapon that can hurt me?"
"They call me 'Jack', and I am looking for a way back to my time," Jack introduced himself before pointing his blade at Discord. "And this sword was forged by the gods to strike down any evil that it touches. With it, I shall slay Aku and fix the future that he ruined."
Discord narrowed his eyes once again while he began to use his magic to scan Jack, the frown growing larger when he felt the bizarre magic that radiated from the pony. After a minute, he then snapped his fingers. But to the surprise of Jack, and somewhat to Discord, nothing happened.
"That's what I thought. You're not from this world, are you?" Discord asked, though from his tone it was clear that he knew. Jack confirmed his suspicions with a nod of his head. "Then I can't help you."
"Why not?!" Jack roared as he prepared to fight once again, but Discord held up both hands to stop him.
"Listen, if you were an Equestrian pony, then I would be able to send you back in time. But you're not from Equestria, meaning my magic has less of an effect on you, and I'm also betting that you don't want to return to Equestria's past, but a different one." Once again Jack nodded and once again Discord frowned. "Sorry Jack, but that's beyond even me. That's not chaos, that's a different kind of reality warping."
"So...my quest...my journey here...it was all in vain?" Jack whispered in defeat, hanging his head with sorrow clutching at his heart. Despite barely knowing the pony, Discord felt a little saddened at his words.
"Not necessarily. Just because I couldn't do it, doesn't mean that there isn't a magical being in this crazy world somewhere that can't get you home." Jack's head shot up as he stared at Discord, his eyes demanding that the god tell him more. Instead, Discord snapped his fingers and Jack's map began to glow, showing him a whole new destination when he pulled it out.
"Go to where I've marked on the map. There's a strange magical disturbance coming from there," Discord informed Jack, who placed the map in his kimono before sheathing his sword. "Maybe that's one of the beings I was talking about. Maybe not. But there's only one way to find out."
"Thank you," Jack said with a bow before he turned and raced off into the snowstorm, not even giving Discord a chance to offer teleporting Jack down the mountain. Discord debated whether or not he should go after the samurai before shrugging and heading back to where Fluttershy was.
'Man, that guy was a weirdo,' Discord thought to himself before he raised a hand and placed it on his face, on the cut that still hadn't healed despite his magical properties. 'But for somepony like that to be wielding a weapon as powerful as the Elements...I need to test its full power. Fortunately, an old "friend" seems to have resurfaced. Alright Jack, show me what that blade of yours can do.'
The wind whispered across the empty city blocks, carrying trash and leaves with it. But it carried no voices. No voices of those who should be enjoying their life, or the grumbles of those who would have been concerned about the gray clouds overhead. But the voices of the ponies, and in turn the city, was silent, leaving barely any sound for the wind to carry.
Yet, the wind did carry a sound amongst the concrete skyscrapers and desolate streets. The wind carried the sound of a single pony's hooves striking the pavement as he walked alone--alone and very much concerned. The straw hat on his head constantly tried to escape and fly freely on the breeze, yet the combined efforts of the strong string that wrapped it to the samurai's neck and the samurai himself kept it in place.
But the hat was furthest from the samurai's thoughts, which were instead consumed with both wonder and worry as to why such a large city would be so silent. For the third time since arriving in the city, he glanced down at his map, certain that he had made some sort of error in where he was supposed to go. Yet once again, he found that the directions (along with the little Discord face saying "You are here") were too precise. He was where Discord wanted him to go.
"But why send me to an empty city?" Jack asked into the emptiness, his ears perking up slightly when he heard his own voice echo through the skyscrapers. Yet as he glanced around into the vacancy that surrounded him, his eyes narrowed on objects and occurrences that made him uneasy.
A cart with apples in it lay off to the side, almost as if it had been dumped there and forgotten. Magazines blew in the wind, yet when the samurai glanced at a newsstand where the papers originated he discovered that the date was hardly more than two days ago. And as he passed a carriage that was left in the center of a large road, he saw that suitcases had been left lying there while some remained within.
"Yet there is no fire, no signs of struggle," Jack mused aloud, slightly shivering at how he could hear his own voice echo in so large a city. "That means that either the ponies that were once here either all left at the same time...or there is something more menacing going on..."
Deciding that he should try to find anypony that might have stayed or have been left behind, Jack walked to one of the buildings and pushed open the front doors.
"Hello?! Is there anyone in here?!" he called, yet once again the only answer came from his own echo. The samurai narrowed his eyes as he left to try another building, deciding on a small one so that any left behind would be able to hear his voice. Yet once again, when he called into the building only the silence answered him.
"This is not natural," he whispered to himself as he wrapped his kimono tight and forced himself to walk further into the city. The emptiness and silence continued for hours while the samurai walked past deserted buildings and locations, his eyes and ears alert the entire time he walked. But his biggest shock came when he walked into a large intersection...to see that an overturned trash can was moving. Jack narrowed his eyes before walking to the can, rolling it to the side with is hoof to see.
"A dog?" Jack asked himself, his voice causing the tiny poodle to look up at him with surprised eyes. The two stared at each other for a moment before the dog let out a happy bark and licked Jack in the face. A smile crossed his lips as he placed a hoof on the dog's head and petted it gently, causing it to sit while it closed its eyes. "I am glad to see that I am not the only one here. But where are the ponies? Do you know?"
The dog let out a fearful whimper before it yipped and raced off into the streets, leaving a frowning Jack to watch it go before he turned his gaze skyward. Now that he knew that there was life within the city, he began to notice the birds that rested on poles and ate food that was left either on tables or the ground. Rats and mice scurried past Jack whenever he walked past alleyways, and more than once he spotted cats sitting lazily on windowsills.
"Yet not a single pony in this large city," Jack observed when he walked into a back alley, chasing after a cat that had a fish in its mouth. He walked past a number of boxes with narrowed eyes as the area around him seemed to get darker and darker. He prepared to draw his blade at any moment before the idea was struck from his mind by a ghastly image. Jack had walked around a corner to see a pony lying against one of the back alley walls, motionless.
"Are you alright?!" Jack cried out while he raced to the pony and placed a hoof on his chest, but his hoof shot back from the cold of the pony as if he had touched ice. Using what little light he had Jack gazed over the pony, immediately drawn to his face. The bearded pony looked to be a worker, but Jack took in little about his mouth or nose since he was far too distracted by his eyes.
"This...is not right," he whispered as he stared into the pony's eyes, which were missing their pupils and completely devoid of life. Jack reached out and placed his hoof on the pony once again, ignoring the pony's frigid skin as he felt an even eerier sensation wash up his arm. "This...feels like evil. Evil that I have not faced in so long." Jack's eyes then flashed over to the pony's flank to discover that the pony had no mark like the others.
Jack bowed his head in a silent prayer for the pony before closing his eyes. Once that was done, the samurai stood up with a fire blazing in his eyes, now knowing that there was a great evil at work in the city. Jack followed the alleyway until it broke back out into a large street, forcing the samurai to think as if he was a being that had just killed. He spotted another alleyway across the road from him, one that wasn't as dark as the previous one but would suffice.
"And here is another," Jack whispered with horror in every word once he had crossed into the other alley, discovering a second body that had been buried beneath some trash in an attempt to hide it. Jack examined the body like he did the other to find that her eyes were blank and so was her flank. Jack's eyes narrowed in rage as he rose up and continued on. Yet, the small trail that he was following came to a dead end when he discovered that the alley led to a brick wall with no way over.
"This cannot be right. I must have missed something," Jack muttered to himself when he turned from the wall and began to look around, his eyes eventually resting on a manhole cover that was slightly moved to the side. His eyes narrowed while he continued down the trail, pushing the cover out of his way before sliding down into the sewers below.
He gagged only once as the smell overpowered him, but with his incredible will he managed to ignore the stench as he forced himself to glance around. The area behind him was solid brick and the way forward was the only way he could go. He pushed on into the smell, trying to avoid looking into the water as best he could, and instead kept his eyes on the concrete in front of him that provided a walkway...only to find something even sicker than the water.
"No..." he whispered when his eyes saw a body lying off to the side in the darkness, a pony body that was far smaller than the other ones that he had come across so far. He raced to its side to find the his suspicions were right, and with tears beginning to sting his eyes the samurai rolled the body over to find himself looking into the blank face of a foal.
Just like the others, the child was missing his cutie mark and both of his eyes were pure white. And as Jack held the foal in his arms with his head hung low, he could feel the icy coldness of the pony seeping through his kimono. For a few minutes, Jack held the foal with tears streaking down his face, before his eyes snapped open with a fury that had led to the destruction of armies.
"I swear that I will find the monster that did this to you. And I swear it shall fall to my blade." After promising the foal, Jack laid him back down and closed the child's eyes, praying for him one last time before standing up with flames burning in his eyes as he marched on. He passed by numerous manholes while he marched through the sewers, but none of them looked as if they had been moved in some time. But there was another reason that Jack continued to march on, one that he was just beginning to notice himself.
'It feels as if there is something...calling to me,' Jack reflected while he walked even further into the sewers, vaguely aware of a strange magic that seemed to be calling out for him, leading him in a certain direction. Jack narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he knew that if he followed the magic then he would find the source of who was doing this.
So as the samurai glanced up at the manhole cover that rested above him, he felt the call becoming more of a demand, as if he was being forced to go towards the magic. He then gripped the ladder tightly and pulled himself back up into the streets, gently moving the metal circle to the side before peeking out. His eyes immediately locked onto a large opera house that rested near the ocean, with all of its lights burning against the dark clouds. Jack then noticed that a single pony was hobbling towards the opera house on a pair of crutches.
"Wait!" he called out to them as he raced out of the sewers and quickly reached its side. Yet his words fell on deaf ears as the pony continued to move on, not stopping until Jack held a hoof to the pony's chest. "I am sorry to stop you, but I must know what..." Jack stopped talking as he gazed into the pony's eyes, finding no thought or reason but only obedience. He moved to the side and the pony continued walking, not even acknowledging that the samurai existed. Jack frowned before following after the pony into the opera house, able to feel in his soul that he had found the lair of whoever was killing the ponies.
He followed the crippled pony into a large reception area where crystal lights hung from the ceiling, casting an array of colors across the room that made it feel as if he was inside of a rainbow. Yet the illusion was quickly shattered when Jack glanced at the ticket booth to see two ponies slumped over, not needing to look into their eyes to know what had become of them.
Yet the biggest shock of all came when the pony he was following pushed open a pair of doors and walked into a large room...where Jack was stunned to see thousands of ponies all standing in rows perfectly next to each other. They were all squeezed into the large room, standing shoulder to shoulder with the same obedient look on their faces that the pony that he was following had on theirs. The pony fell into an empty spot in the line, staring up at the stage with the rest of the crowd.
"It is as if they are all under a spell," Jack whispered to himself while he began to carefully slink through the crowds of ponies, using whatever openings in the rows he could find so he wouldn't disturb them. Yet even when he bumped into a few of them, none of them even blinked, much less noticed the samurai.
But when Jack moved through the crowd he could feel something that constantly beat against his mind, something that was demanding that he too stand in line and await whatever was causing this to show itself. But with his unbreakable will Jack continued to move on, ignoring the constant demand that assaulted his thoughts. A distraction then came in the form of a brown hat that he spotted in the crowd, a hat that he knew all too well.
"Applejack?" he whispered with confusion before forcing his way past the static ponies and towards the one with the brown hat, bursting past a large stallion to see an orange mare with apples on her flank staring up at the stage. "Applejack, it is me. Jack. Can you hear me?" Jack whispered to the pony as he waved a hoof in front of her face, but just like the other ponies she continued to stare up at the stage with no indicator that she had even heard him.
Jack was debating whether he should pick her up and race out of the place or snap her out of it right there, before the lights in the room all went dark, forcing Jack to divert his attention while the ground began to shake beneath him. His eyes were drawn to the stage as a large curtain that had covered the entire platform slowly parted...to reveal a monstrous creature that walked into a single light that flickered back on.
It took all of Jack's self-control to not gasp at the monstrous black and red being that towered over him, not sure whether he should stare at the four black legs that were each taller than he was or instead gawk at the monstrous, nearly humanoid upper half that was ripped with muscles. Eventually Jack decided to stare at the creature's head, where a smirk was plastered onto a head that had two large horns sticking out of the top.
But even as the creature glanced out at all of the ponies that were lined up, Jack felt himself reaching for his blade, knowing that this was who was responsible for the senseless death that he had seen. But with no idea what the creature was nor what could it do, he decided he would wait.
"Quite the turnout." The voice was as ancient as it was powerful and Jack could feel the power in it reverberate in his chest, making him feel slightly uneasy when he saw the centaur begin to look around the room. Fearing that his eyes would give him away, Jack stealthily pulled the pin from his hair and let it tumble into his eyes. He then followed the other ponies and stared up at the stage blankly as the centaur's gaze passed over him. For a quick moment he felt the being's eyes rest on him, before the centaur shrugged and moved on.
"Yes...this shall most certainly be a feast," the centaur chuckled with a nod before he waved a finger towards a pony in the crowd, who immediately walked up onto the stage. Jack narrowed his eyes beneath his hair while the centaur stared down at the pony, smiling slightly at the blank expression on his face. "This obedience spell of that wizard has really done wonders. I could not imagine how difficult this would be if these ponies had started to panic and called in Celestia and her fools. Perhaps I should have waited before sucking out his magic as well."
While Jack was preoccupied trying to blend in with the crowd, he did not notice that the centaur had moved its head close to the pony's and opened his mouth wide. Jack snapped out of his thoughts and spun his head towards the centaur in time to see a blue light escape from the pony's mouth and be absorbed by the centaur, causing the marks on the pony's flank to vanish. Then, the light changed into a far darker light and quickly the very color was being sucked out of the pony...as well as the light in its eyes.
Realizing what was about to happen, Jack reached down for his blade, but before he could draw it the pony fell to the floor without a sound, looking like the other ponies that Jack had discovered on his way here. Through his hair, Jack stared with horror and regret at the motionless being, shutting his eyes with grief before slightly looking away.
"Not bad, but you could hardly be called a meal," the centaur chuckled as he grew slightly, looking at his hands with a nod before his eyes turned back to the crowd. "But in order for me to grow as strong as I need to be, I not only need a pony with great magical strength...but also a great life force as well." Jack then felt the centaur's eyes rest upon him, forcing Jack to stare back at the being from beneath his hair.
'So be it, monster. If you wish to face me, then you shall-'
"Well, look who it is. I haven't seen you since you and your friends sent me back to Tartarus," the centaur said with a laugh before he motioned for the pony to join him on the stage...and to Jack's horror, Applejack then began to move towards the stage. Fearful of losing the element of surprise, Jack made the choice to stay in place and not go after her, but he kept his eye on her the entire time as she walked up on stage.
"Yes...you posses a great power. Why, after absorbing your magic and your life force I will be powerful enough to take on anypony that dares to stand in my way," the centaur laughed while he placed a finger under Applejack's chin and smiled into her eyes, before glancing out at the crowd once more. "But I loathe the taste of apples, so I will need another flavor to go with you...ah yes, you have a great magical power as well. Come."
Jack did everything in his power to not turn around to see the pony that had been chosen, but when the pony began to walk to the stage Jack heard how the hoofsteps were different than those that had come before. They were...softer, lighter and seemed much closer together. But all doubt was cast from Jack's mind when the pony joined the centaur on stage...allowing Jack to see that the pony that had been chosen was a small filly. And then his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Yes, you two shall go down well together," the centaur laughed before opening his maw wide, delight gleaming in his eyes as golden light began to shine off the ponies and be sucked into his mouth. For a brief moment he could taste the power, the power that would have allowed him to strike down Celestia and her pawns and finally give him control over the world.
And then he heard the scream.
"HHHHHYYYYYYIIIIIIAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
The centaur turned just in time to see a pony in a white kimono hurtling through the air towards him with a sword held high, letting out a cry of rage so great that for a moment even the centaur was taken aback. Then the steel flashed and the centaur howled in pain, staggering to the side as he held a hand to his head. He pulled his hand away to see that there was no blood...and then he looked past his hand to see one of his horns lying on the stage beside him.
"Who dares?" he whispered while he turned towards the pony, who was standing between him and the two ponies that a moment ago he had nearly feasted upon, with a blade pointed at the centaur's chest. Steam blew out of the centaur's nose as he began to march towards the samurai, who held his ground while he glared up at the creature with eyes blazing with rage. "Who do you think you are pony, that you believe that you can strike at me and live?"
"They call me Jack. And I am here to put an end to your evil!" Jack roared while he lunged towards the centaur, who laughed as he slammed his hands into the flying samurai. Jack took the punch square in the gut and sailed to the other side of the stage, crashing into numerous props that rested off stage.
"I am Tirek, the future ruler of Equestria and all the world," Tirek introduced as Jack pushed himself back to his hooves, brushing his mane out of his face while he glared daggers at the centaur. "And my power makes me far stronger than any who seek to oppose me. And after I am done with you, I will have the power to make the world bow at the mere mention of my name."
"No. Your evil deeds shall be no more. This day is your last." Jack then sprinted across the stage as Tirek began to unleash blasts of magic towards the samurai, who was fast enough to avoid each blast before he tackled the two ponies in the sides, knocking all three of them off of the stage.
"If you can hear me, Applejack, then stay here. This shall not take long," he said to the pony before leaping back onto the stage, never noticing that she blinked once as her eyes began to focus on the fight.
Tirek roared with rage while he unleashed blast after magical blast after Jack, who even with his years of training barely managed to avoid each life ending blast. Then, a blast came at him that he knew he would not be able to avoid, so he took up a stance a moment before he swung his blade for all he was worth with a yell that could pierce the heavens. It was then Tirek's turn to be astounded while the blade cleaved clean through his magic and dispersed the spell, causing the centaur to warily narrow his eyes for the first time since the fight began.
"That...is not possible," Tirek snarled as Jack slowly raised himself back up and stared at Tirek from the side. "There is only one magical force in all of the world powerful enough to stop my magic like that, and you do not possess it. So how are you able to..."
"Because my blade holds within it all those who believe in me, those who fought against evil to the bitter end," Jack informed Tirek in a near whisper before he pointed his blade right at the centaur's heart. "And it is the bane of all who are evil and seek to harm the innocent. Now prepare to face justice for what you have done."
With another cry to the heavens Jack lunged at Tirek on all fours, gripping the sword in his teeth so he could move at his full speed. Tirek roared while he brought back a fist and swung at Jack, yet the nimble stallion leapt over the punch that shattered the stage before swinging his pure blade into Tirek's side.
"GRRRAAAHHH!!" Tirek roared in pain as he staggered back, clutching at his side and seething with pain while glaring at Jack. Jack narrowed his eyes towards Tirek's wound when he saw the golden light that he had been eating start to seep out, slightly shrinking the centaur. Yet, before they could fight again they both heard murmuring, causing both of them to glance at the crowd to see that some ponies were beginning to shake their heads, starting to break free of the spell.
"So, you cannot control them if you cannot focus," Jack deduced before moving his blade in front of his face, allowing Tirek to see Jack's eyes glaring at him above his reflection in the steel. "Now then Tirek, prepare to return to hell from whence you came."
"This doesn't make sense!" Tirek roared while he sent a blast of magic towards Jack, who flipped out of the way before racing towards Tirek once again. Tirek, who kept his eyes on the sword the entire time Jack charged towards him, did what he never though he would do. He backed away. "Curse you samurai! I did not return from Tartarus to be defeated by a single pony with a magic blade! You shall fall!"
Jack kicked off with his four powerful legs and hurtled across the air at Tirek, who once again threw a fist at the samurai to punch him out of the air. But Jack was a quick learner and right before the fist connected, he pointed his blade right at Tirek, causing the centaur to punch the magic sword. Tirek howled with pain as the blade sliced into his fist, retracting his hand as he snarled at Jack.
"I will kill you!" Tirek roared while he lifted both hands over his head and slammed them down onto Jack, but once again the samurai moved out of the way of the attack. However, this time both of Tirek's fists went through the stage, trapping the centaur there. And as he struggled to free himself, Jack lunged forward in a flash of light. Tirek looked up just in time to see Jack slice down...before roaring in agony while his right arm fell to the stage.
Jack landed behind Tirek as the centaur pulled his now only arm free and held it to his shoulder, which was now seeping a golden light that caused the centaur to shrink considerably, almost to the point where he was hardly taller than Jack.
"You...have not won!" Tirek roared through gritted teeth, yet the cold glare that Jack replied with caused the centaur to back away from the samurai slightly. "All I need to do is absorb the ponies magic once again! And once I am powerful, I will crush you and all who-"
"Your words are empty," Jack cut him off with a snarl, slowly advancing towards Tirek with his blade held between Jack's eyes. "And soon, so shall your seats be as well." Tirek snapped his head towards the crowd to see that a majority of the ponies were fleeing the theater, with Applejack helping to usher the ponies out of the room.
"It is hard to keep a mind control spell going when you cannot even control the battle, is it not?" Jack asked Tirek with a cold fire in his voice.
"But why weren't you affected?" Tirek asked Jack as the centaur took a few steps back, trying to figure out a way to win. "The spell was guaranteed to control the mind of any pony! How are you not affected?!"
"Perhaps it is because I am not a pony," Jack whispered just loud enough so that Tirek could hear, watching as the centaur's eyes slowly shrunk with fear.
"Then what are you?!" Tirek roared.
"I am here to stop you."
Tirek let out a snarl before he turned and raced off stage, with Jack roaring as he chased after the centaur. Tirek sprinted towards a rope that was holding a sandbag in the air, severing the rope as he gripped it tightly. He was pulled into the air as the bag fell, allowing him to quickly reach the catwalk that rested over the stage. He glanced over the side to see that the samurai wasn't there, giving him a moment to smile as he turned...to find that Jack was standing on the other end.
"I only have one question left," Jack whispered while he began to advance towards Tirek, dragging his blade on the catwalk as he stared at the ground below. "Why did you end the lives of those so young? What did you have to gain from hurting those who were only just beginning to experience life?"
"Fool. Foal magic is some of the most powerful in the land, be they unicorn or not," Tirek snarled as a pained smile crossed his face. "But magic was not enough, I needed another force to add to the magic to make me even stronger. And that's where I discovered that if I were to absorb a pony's life force along with their magic, I gained double the power. With foal magic being able to make me so powerful, adding their life force doubled that power! With that kind of power, I would be a god amongst ponies."
"And I will be still," Tirek snarled at Jack, hardly noticing that Jack was staring at the ground while his body trembled with rage, moving his blade beside him as he crouched down slightly. "For once I kill you I will capture those ponies again! I will steal their life and their magic to make myself far beyond even what rainbow power can do! And then I shall be-"
Tirek blinked and then realized that Jack was no longer standing before him. He turned his head to see that Jack was now behind him, crouched down as he held his blade before his eyes that flashed like thunder.
"No Tirek, it is as I said," Jack began as Tirek opened his mouth to say something...only for that thought to die as the centaur's head fell to one side before his body collapsed to the other. Jack then rose up and ran his blade along the top of his scabbard before sheathing it, never once looking back at Tirek. "Your evil ends here."
Jack then leapt off the catwalk and landed on the stage, looking out at the crowd to see that all of the seats were now empty...save for a single orange pony who stood in the front row with visible relief on her face when she saw Jack.
"Thank heavens Jack, yer alive!" Applejack cried out as she raced up on stage and tackled Jack, pulling him into a relieved hug. "When ah saw ya take on Tirek by yerself, ah didn't know what to expect. Ah'm glad to see that yer alive though," AJ sighed before she glanced up at the catwalk. "But what happened to...?"
"I made sure that he would never harm any of you again," Jack said as he then began to walk towards the exit alone.
AJ looked from him to the catwalk, able to see the body that lay motionless up there. For a brief moment she felt disgusted and horrified...before she glanced to the side of the stage to see the body of the pony that Tirek had eaten. Her heart hardened there and with one last glare at Tirek, she turned to chase after Jack, needing to know more about the mysterious samurai.
Vultures circled menacingly under the blazing heat of the sun, stalking what they were certain were two soon-to-be meals that were walking a fine line along a large cliff side. One of the future meals wore a white outfit that was stained with dirt and dust, yet the face of the meal remained strong as he pushed himself close to the cliff face while sliding forward. Behind him an orange pony followed along, nearly able to keep up with the samurai step for step.
One misstep would spell certain doom for the duo, yet each of them placed one hoof in front of the other without fear. In silence they continued to slide along the rocky wall, keeping close while they each avoided looking down as best they could. The samurai misplaced one of his hooves and kicked a rock out from beneath his hoof, forcing him to jump forward slightly as the whole section he was standing on collapsed. The orange pony glanced down at the missing part of rock before, with legs that could kick down apple trees, she propelled herself to the samurai's side with one mighty leap.
"Your strength is most impressive. You would be a great warrior," Jack praised in an impressed tone when she touched down beside him and managed to keep her balance.
"Who's to say ah'm not already a great warrior, sugar cube?" Applejack asked Jack with a smile as she scooted past him and took the lead. "Come on, we should nearly be out of this death trap. And ah know ah'm tired of the buzzards up there thinking that they're gonna have us for their next meal."
Planning his steps carefully to ensure that he did not lose his footing again, Jack followed the mare's steps as he ascended the rocky path to where she had gone. A few moments later, the samurai found himself standing on the top of a large cliff face, overlooking a beautiful orange and red land that seemed to go on endlessly across the horizon.
"Nice view, huh? Ah don't come by this way too often for my deliveries, but ah figured that ya had to see it," AJ informed him with a smile while she stole a glance at Jack, who continued to stare across the landscape as if his eyes couldn't get enough.
The samurai's eyes softened while they drunk in the sheer serenity and peace of the land before him, a land free of fires, pain and the wrath of Aku. He let out a small sigh that gained him a curious glance from Applejack, yet when he turned to look at her, she found that he had a curious glance of his own.
"Thank you for showing me this place, Applejack, but I must ask once again why you came with me," Jack tried to pry once more, yet all Applejack did was wink at him before turning back along a road that Jack could barely make out. "I thought that you had deliveries to make, yet you left your cart and your supplies in the city and instead came with me. Not that I am not grateful for your offer to help me, but I-"
"Jack, tell me something. Do ya know where Stalliongrad is?" she asked him as she stopped and glanced over her shoulder at the samurai, raising an eyebrow with a smirk when he shook his head. "How bout Canterlot? Manehatten? See Jack, even if ya think ya don't need help, ya have no idea where anything is in this land. Ya need a guide who can help ya to find yer way around. Now come on, we're burning daylight and Celestia won't hold up the sun for me...well, maybe if ah asked Twilight to ask her to."
Pillars of stone that jutted out of the ground were the pair's only way to cross, from the cliff they were standing on to a hillside that sloped back down into a valley, so without hint of fear or caution Applejack began to hop from pillar to pillar. Jack followed after her with a curious gaze, wondering why she would be so willing to help a pony who was still a stranger to her.
"Because after that stunt Tirek pulled back there, ah now feel as if ah'm in yer debt," Applejack spoke out as she crossed to the other side and glanced back at Jack while waiting for him to catch up. "If it hadn't been fer ya, mah magic and life would both belong to Tirek. Thanks fer saving all of us, by the way. Ah'm in yer debt."
"No, there is no need for you to say that. I am still indebted to you for saving me from the vine monster that attacked me when...well, back in the forest," Jack tried to argue when he landed next to Applejack. "And there is no need for you to escort me when you have such a busy job to-"
"Well, too late fer that. Ah sold mah cart and all the apples in it to the highest bidder back in that city so ah could help ya," AJ informed Jack with a mischievious wink before motioning for him to follow after her, leaving the stunned samurai to stare at her while she started to walk on ahead.
"There was no need for you to go to that extreme. I would have been fine on my own...I always am."
"Well, what's done is done and ah'm gonna make sure that ah pay off mah debt to ya before ah go home...where Granny Smith will probably yell mah ears off fer selling our cart," Applejack chuckled while sliding down the grassy hill into the valley below, with Jack following her moments later. "However, ah can use the bits that the cart got me to pay fer Applebloom's field trip that's coming up and maybe get Big Mac a new harness."
"Your family...may I hear more about them?" Jack asked, getting Applejack to look back at him with a smile.
"Sure. Ah think ah told ya about mah brother, baby sister and granny," Applejack began she looked off into the distance, her eyes far away from there. "Mah baby sister's precious, but she wants to grow up too fast fer her own good. Mah brother's a hard worker, but ah fear that he's starting to turn into a recluse. And then there's granny, who keeps us all in line whenever we start to fight with one another. Heh, talking about them makes me realize how long ah've been gone."
"It sounds like you have quite the family," Jack smiled a pained smile as he thought back to his father and mother, sorrow slowly filling up his eyes before he pushed it back down. "But what about your father and mother? You have said nothing about them?" Applejack's eyes fell as she looked down, and Jack recognized the sorrow on her face was the sorrow that he had just felt a moment ago, already answering his question before she spoke.
"Mah parents...passed away soon after mah baby sister was born," Applejack softly said with pain. Jack hung his head out of respect for them as Applejack went silent for a moment, allowing the samurai to look around at all of the orange and red trees. Although some leaves were still being held by the trees' fingers, the many that had fallen crunched beneath their hooves as they walked in silence, with a gentle wind that carried with it the scent of autumn. "But what about yer family?" Applejack asked as she snapped out of her thoughts and smiled back at Jack. "Ya haven't said anything about them? Or ya home. What are they like?"
"I used to have a happy family and home, what feels like a lifetime ago," Jack quietly answered as he stared off into the distance, his words causing Applejack's face to fall slightly. "But now my quest is a lonely one and my home is wherever I rest for the night."
"Jack...ah'm so sorry. What happened to yer home and family?" Applejack asked with sympathy, but to her surprise Jack began to shake with a fury that she could feel burning within him.
"Aku."
It was Applejack's turn to try and worm information out of Jack, but no matter how hard she pried Jack refused to say anymore about Aku. "You have never heard of him, and it is best that you never do," was all he would say on the matter. So for hours to two walked together in silence, each of them enjoying the stillness of the day aside from the crunching of leaves beneath their hooves. But every once in a while, Applejack would look over at Jack to see that his eyes were far away. Yet she could also see anger in them, a just anger the likes of which she had never seen before.
"So...about what happened in the city back there...do ya have any idea who ya...well...killed?" Applejack eventually asked Jack, trying to start a conversation with him once again. Jack shook his head and the anger eased out of his eyes before he glanced at Applejack, his face showing her that he did not. "That was Tirek. He's...one of the scariest monsters that we've ever fought."
"If he is able to steal the lives and magic of others, then you had every right to be afraid of him," Jack said with a nod before looking ahead. "But there is no need to be afraid any more. He cannot hurt any of you now."
"Er, yeah. Thanks fer that. But ah was wondering...how did ya manage to defeat him?" Applejack asked Jack. "The only way we were able to defeat him when we last fought was because we unlocked a magic so powerful that even he couldn't stand up to it. You beat him...with a sword." Jack frowned at her words before he reached down and drew his blade, allowing the light to shine down its edge as Applejack gazed at it.
"It may look like just a sword to you, but this blade holds within it the magic to slay any evil," Jack informed her as he flipped it around and offered the hilt to her. Applejack hesitantly took the hilt a moment later and held it in her grasp as she looked it over. "It was forged by my ancestors and infused with the justice and will within myself. No matter what evil or malevolent force that I face, with this blade I cannot be beaten. No matter how powerful Tirek was, he was no match for this blade."
"It's...an incredible blade, that much is fer certain," Applejack muttered as she felt the burning magical might of the blade, able to feel the pureness and righteous of the sword, thanks to her rainbow abilities. She then offered the blade back to Jack, who took the sword and sheathed it once more. "But why are ya carrying a blade like that? Does it have something to do with this Aku fella?"
The moment she mentioned Aku again, Jack fell silent and refused to speak any further. So with no other choice, she let out a sigh and walked along silently with Jack, occasionally casting glances at him to see that he had the same look of rage on his face that she had seen when he slayed Tirek.
'No doubt about it, this Aku is responsible fer Jack's family and home. But the only question ah have is, why haven't we heard of this evil creature?' she asked herself as she stared on ahead. 'And then there's Jack's sword. Only the Rainbow Power was able to harm Tirek, but his sword was able to cut through the darned centaur and cut him down fer good. How the heck has Celestia or Luna not heard of a weapon like that?'
"Who lives there?" Applejack had been so lost in her own questions that when Jack suddenly spoke to her she visibly had to shake herself out of her thoughts. She looked to where Jack was pointing to see a small hut that rested at the edge of a pond, with a number of strange assortments surrounding the house.
"That's where Ratpack the trader lives. He has all sorts of items, maps and other things in that pigpen," Applejack told Jack with hints of disgust in her voice. "He's a sleazy pony that's always trying to acquire new things, but if ya want something he's probably got it."
"I wish to see him," Jack informed AJ before walking in the direction of the house, Applejack following after him with a shake of her head. Jack had to sift through a large pile of trash in order to reach the pony's front door, but upon reaching it he knocked against it with his hoof three times. On the third knock the door swung back to reveal a brown pony that was covered in grime with a messy mane.
"Visitors! Come in, come in," he welcomed while kicking some stuff to the side so that the two could enter. Applejack visibly gagged when she followed Jack into the hut to see trash, trash and more trash completely filling up the hut, yet Jack didn't seem to mind as he followed Ratpack to a table, the only place in the hut that wasn't covered in trash.
"Do not bother speaking, for I know why you are here," he said with a giggle as he rubbed his hooves together. "You seek something from me, something that nopony else has. That is why any come to see me."
"You are correct. I am here because I seek something that is hard to find. I seek a way." Both Ratpack and Applejack raised their eyebrows at Jack's request, neither of them certain what to make of it. "Be it a wish on the stars or a portal through time, all I need is a way back. That is all I need."
Ratpack frowned at Jack's request before he turned and dove into the trash heap behind him, leaving Applejack and Jack to both share a look before he burst back out a moment later, holding a scroll in his hooves that was filthy.
"Yes, this may aid you," Ratpack said as he rolled up the scroll and placed it at Jack's hooves. "In here is the location of a ferocious titan that is said to guard a piece of the stars itself. This star piece is rumored to be able to grant whoever touches it a single wish, but the titan has yet to be felled despite the numerous ponies that have tried. This map is the last of its kind, with all others burned."
"Thank you for this," Jack said as he reached out for the scroll, but in a flash Ratpack snatched the scroll from Jack and held it out of arms reach. "What is the meaning of this?"
"The meaning of this is that I am a business pony, and I do not offer my services or items for free," he smiled while holding out his other hoof to Jack. "If you want this map, it will cost you fifty bits." Jack bit his lip as he reached into his kimono, reemerging with a ball, some coins and a paperclip. He then looked up at Applejack with a pleading desperation in his eyes, getting a sigh out of the mare as she flipped off her hat and reached into it for her bits.
With one final twirl of the strand, Jack finished the brim of his straw hat. With a smile of contentment he then placed the hat on his head, letting out a small sigh when the shade fell on his face and blocked the rays of the burning sun. He then gazed through the slits in the straw brim to observe the few ponies that were walking through the small town, all of whom had their eyes on him.
Jack was used to the stares, since in his world both his outfit and wanted status made him the center of attention, but he was still getting accustomed to the friendly waves and happy smiles that were sent his way, instead of bullets and knives. He nodded politely to a small foal that ran past him before he heard the door behind him open, and he turned to see Applejack emerge with a scowl on her face.
"I take it that you did not find what you were seeking?" Jack asked the mare, who grunted once before motioning for Jack to follow her.
"The nerve of someponies! Ask them a simple question and suddenly they get ah'll up in yer face," she growled with a snort, Jack raising an eyebrow at her as she continued her rant. "And that foal wonders why his shop's so empty! If yer gonna be a jerk to everypony that ya meet ya shouldn't be surprised if nopony likes ya."
"I am sorry to hear that talks did not go well. I have dealt with numerous frustrating individuals before," Jack tried to sympathize, but all AJ did was snort in response before glancing at the horizon to see that the sun was starting to set.
"We'll have to find a place to stay fer the night. Hopefully there'll be a pony here that's far nicer than that one," AJ steamed. Jack figured it would be wisest to let her stay angry, so he remained silent while the two began to walk down the streets of the small town while seeking out a place to rest. Yet, the both of them were confused when they found that, not only was there no hotel or place for guests to stay, but also that with the setting of the sun, ponies started to lock their doors and usher in young foals with looks of fear on their faces.
"So, ya noticed it too?" AJ asked Jack when she saw his eyes narrow. "There's something wrong going on here. Let's see if we can find a pony that'll tell us what that 'wrong' is." With nearly all of the other buildings locked and barred, the only place that remained available to them was the local bar, which also seemed to be on the verge of closing when the two showed up.
"I may not know much about these drinking establishments, but I do know that they seem to always be open long into the night," Jack observed as a slightly obese pony exited the bar and closed the door behind him, glancing around nervously as the shadows grew longer.
"Yer darn right. It's strange. Pardon me, but can we talk to ya fer a second?" Applejack asked the bartender, who nodded rapidly before glancing up at the setting sun. "Can ya please tell us why everypony here seems so plumb terrified of the night? Nightmare Moon's no longer a problem, in case ya haven't heard."
"It's not Princess Luna that we're afraid of, it's something else," he whispered with fear in every word, motioning for the two to get closer. "It's a monster. A giant, clawed creature that shows up in our village every night. It steals our food, and its howls keep us awake long after it has left. It appeared ever since the discovery of the Pony Totem, which is the pride of our village. So every night, we hide in our houses and pray that it doesn't come for us. Now if you will move, I need to get home quickly, and if you were smart you'd both do the same!"
He scurried off after saying his piece, leaving Applejack and the samurai to watch as he ran down the street. Once he was out of sight, the two glanced up at the setting sun before the pair of them shared a look that was reflected in each other's eyes.
"I see that our thoughts are traveling down a similar path," Jack stated while he began to walk towards the town center, drawing forth from his garb whatever food he had with him. "If there is a monster attacking this town, then I must do something to stop it."
"Ya mean us, right?" AJ added, getting a concerned look from Jack. "Oh no ya don't. Ah'm not letting ya face this clawed creature all by yerself. Ya might have a magic sword, but yer body ain't as magical, right?" Jack was forced to nod, getting a smile out of AJ. "Besides, dealing with monsters is a weekly occurrence back where ah'm from. So don't ya fret none, ah'll be perfectly fine."
"Very well, but I ask that you leave most of the fighting to me," Jack instructed while he placed the food in the center of the square before diving into the shadows for cover, never seeing the eyebrow raise that AJ gave him in response to his orders. She dumped whatever food she had next to Jack's as well before joining the samurai in the shadows.
"Ya know what's funny? Ah didn't even know that there was a village here," Applejack whispered to Jack, who was far too focused on the trap to answer her. "Caught me completely off guard when we saw these buildings, honestly. Wonder why it didn't show up on the map of pony towns and cities?"
Their talk died off there, as the two fell silent in anticipation, neither of them daring to move let alone speak while the hours slowly began to tick by. The breeze of the night air whistled a hollow tune around them as the chill of the night clawed at their bodies, yet the thrill of the fight to come kept their spirits warm.
Then, around midnight, they heard the sounds of claws striking the road, immediately putting the pair on guard. The two crouched down deeper into the shadows as a large, hairy figure slunk out of a dark street. Even with little light, both Jack's eyes were able to see the glistening of its fangs and the size of the beast. With a shuffle, the beast suddenly dashed over to the pile of food, digging into it without even bothering to look around. Jack tapped AJ on the shoulder with a nod before he walked out of the shadows and into the pale light of the moon.
"Halt there, creature," Jack demanded loudly. The creature stopped eating as it spun around with a snarl towards the samurai, who was now able to see the long, razor like claws that extended from each hand. "I will only ask you once to leave these ponies and their food alone. Or I shall be forced to remove you myself."
The fanged creature let out a low snarl as it began to back away from Jack, keeping its black eyes on him while it reached down for the food. Jack remained unmoved, feeling no need to act as long as the creature moved closer to the exit of the town. But then the creature's eyes turned from the samurai and focused on Applejack, causing its eyes to light up before it let out a howl and sprinted towards her in a blur.
Before it could reach her, there was the sound of steel and a flash of light, causing the beast to come to a stop as Jack's bade sliced through the air in front of the creature's nose. It leapt back with a yelp as Jack seemed to appear before it, holding his blade in front of his eyes and reflecting the pale moon back at the creature.
"Leave me alone!" the creature roared before lunging at Jack, who held his blade in front of him while he prepared to strike. The beast howled as it slashed at the samurai with its claws, yet the fury of the animal was nothing compared to his blade's steel and the attack was deflected with little effort. Jack then took a swipe at the monster, yet with reflexes that could match the samurai's the creature leapt out of Jack's sword range.
"You are nimble, creature, but it will not save you," Jack promised as he lunged forward and began to rapidly slash at the creature with a precision and skill that few could match. Yet to Jack's frustration, his blows were each either deflected or dodged by the creature, which leapt back away from the samurai and latched itself to the roof of a building.
"Having some issues there partner?" Applejack asked Jack when she finally managed to catch up to the samurai, the both of them staring down the creature as it leapt from rooftop to rooftop.
"It is far quicker than I believed. It managed to deflect or evade each of my blows," Jack said with some slight annoyance. AJ lowered her head for a second before it shot back up with a smirk on her face.
"Keep it distracted. And try to get it to stand still fer even a second."
Jack wanted to ask her what her plan was, but at that moment the creature let out another howl and lunged towards the samurai with claws glistening. Jack brought up his blade to deflect the blow and the two collided in a flash of moonlight, the beast trying to push against Jack's blade to overpower him.
"I wish that it did not have to come to this, creature, but I will not allow you to harm the ponies any further," Jack promised the creature, getting the beast to snarl as it pushed even harder against his sword.
"I have done nothing to them aside from take some food! They are the ones who took everything from me!" Jack's eyebrows raised in confusion at the creature's words, but before either of them could speak further a lasso sailed through the air and wrapped itself around the creature's neck.
"YEEEHHHAAAWWW!!" AJ whooped with glee while she yanked on her rope hard, choking the beast as it staggered away from Jack while clawing at its throat. "Now Jack, before it cuts the rope!" With a yell Jack took aim at one of the beasts arms, slicing with his blade for all he was worth. The blade flashed in the moonlight and the sound of steel striking flesh echoed across the town...
Yet the blade didn't even scratch the creature.
Both Jack and Applejack looked on in complete shock before Jack slashed at the creature's arm once again, only for his blade to fail to knick the creature. Jack staggered back a bit with a puzzled expression on his face before the creature reached up and slashed the lasso off of its neck, leaving it free to lunge at Jack with claws extended.
"Oh, no ya don't!" AJ roared right before she placed both of her hind hooves into the creature's jaw, snapping its head to the side as the force sent it straight into the dirt. The second the creature was down, AJ wrapped what remained of her lasso around the arms and legs of the beast, preventing it from moving any further. "Whooee! Whaddya think Jack? Would I have taken first in the rodeo fer that?"
Jack narrowed his eyes down at the creature as it began to struggle, pondering something as the lights in the houses came on and slowly ponies began to creep into the streets to see what had happened. Most of them gasped in fear when they saw the wriggling beast on the ground, but after seeing that it was tied up they all began to get closer.
"Well I'll be. You actually caught it," a pony with a button saying 'mayor' on it said with an impressed tone while he walked up to the creature, with the creature's eyes flashing in anger as the pony approached it. "Now we can be rid of you and you can no longer steal from us or our land."
"Your land?!" the creature howled with rage, getting the ponies to back away as it struggled against its bonds. "This used to be a place for me and my people, where we lived within these very homes! But then one day I come home and I find all of you living here, with no trace of my pack! What did you do with them?!"
"We did nothing, you beast. Ponies have lived here as far as we can remember," the mayor snapped back before flashing both Jacks grateful smiles. "I don't know how we can possibly thank both of you for what you did. If there is anything I can do, please let me know."
"Ah think a place to sleep is all ah want. What about you, Jack?" AJ asked Jack while he continued to stare down at the creature, but his eyes were narrowed as he seemed lost in his thoughts. "Anything ya want before we move this pain in the flank somewhere else?"
"Can you bring me the totem that I have heard about? I wish to see it." The mayor nodded before ordering one of the ponies to grab the totem, which they returned with a minute later. Both Jack and AJ looked at the pony-shaped object that was a strange black and green color with interest, yet Jack's eyes seemed far more dangerous than AJ's.
"Anything else, brave heroes?" the mayor asked as he took the totem back.
"All I ask," Jack began as he slowly drew his blade again, getting him looks of confusion before his blade flashed...and the ropes holding the creature fell to the ground. "Is that you trust me." The ponies all gasped in fear as the beast slowly rose back up, snarling at the ponies as it glared at all of them. But before either side could act, Jack stepped up to the creature before bowing.
"Forgive me creature, I have been unjust with you. When I heard the ponies' story, I thought you a monster, but now I see that there is more to this." Jack then turned to the mayor with a stern look on his face. "You said that ponies have lived here as long as you could remember, but how far back is that exactly?"
"Um, let's see. We remember the fall festival we had last year and the find of our life before that, but then...it gets a little hazy," the mayor admitted.
"I see. And I take it that was around the time that your pack vanished?" Jack asked as he turned towards the beast, who nodded slowly to confirm Jack's suspicions.
"Jack, what's going on? What are ya trying to say?" AJ interjected, but Jack's answer was to lift his sword again and take aim at the mayor.
"What I am trying to say, my friend," Jack began before his blade flashed once again and the totem was severed in half. "Is that I have found the true culprit." An unholy shriek erupted from the totem, causing the mayor to drop it to the ground as it continued to wail. Darkness began to seep from the two halves before Jack's blade flashed twice more, shattering the two pieces to end the wailing. The moment the darkness faded away a blast of light erupted from the pieces, covering the land. AJ and Jack were both forced to shield their eyes as the light enveloped them, but when it faded, one Jack's eyes opened wide while the other Jack nodded.
"W-what happened?" AJ asked as she looked at the "ponies" around here...to find that all of them now resembled the same creature that Jack and she had just fought. All of the creatures looked down at themselves before they all began to smile, letting out howls to the moon.
"They have been restored. This is my pack," the beast that Jack and AJ had done battle with said as he rose to his feet, glancing down at Jack before bowing to the samurai. "Thank you, warrior. You have restored my family to me. I am eternally indebted to you."
"There is no need to thank me. I should have been far more understanding than I was," Jack said with a bow of his own before sheathing his blade and turning towards the village exit. "Come, Applejack. I suspect that this place shall be far too noisy for us to sleep here tonight."
"How did ya know?" AJ asked Jack once the two of them had left the village, with only the night sky to listen to their words.
"I will admit that I was in the wrong to begin with, and that I believed the beast to be every bit as fearsome as they said," Jack admitted with a shameful shake of his head. "Yet the creature's words confirmed my suspicions that there was more going on than I believed. That, alone with the strange totem that had been found, further fueled my thoughts, and when they brought it before me I could feel the evil coming from it. So with one strike of my blade I put my thoughts to the test and I was correct. The reason the creature's pack had vanished, and why the ponies didn't remember there ever being other creatures...was due to a black magic that had infected all but one of them."
"That's...some pretty quick thinking," AJ admitted when she thought back to everything that had happened, able to follow Jack's line of thinking. But then a question shot to the front of her mind and she had to ask, "But you said that yer suspicions were confirmed when the creature spoke, but ya never told me when ya began to suspect."
"That is easy, Applejack," Jack said as he drew his blade and allowed AJ to glance at it. "It was when my blade failed to harm the creature." And with that "reveal" Jack continued on his way, leaving AJ to stare at him with confusion, while wondering how a sword that could kill Tirek could fail to harm a simply beast.
Feathers hurtled past the samurai's face while the wind tried to rip him off of the massive bird's back, forcing him to clutch to his hilt even tighter since his blade was the only anchor he had to the creature. A mighty shriek erupted from the crimson bird's beak before it tucked its wings in and dove straight down towards the ground, the wind tearing at the samurai as tears were ripped away from his eyes.
The bird's wings shot out and it leveled itself right before the two collided with the ground, avoiding certain death for the both of them. Jack had just enough time to let out a sigh before his eyes widened--when he realized that the both of them were heading right for a cliff. The bird spun around and positioned its back right towards the cliff, forcing Jack to brace himself before he was crushed between bird and rock.
The avian abomination squawked with pain as the impact drove the magic sword even deeper into its back, and it flapped its four wings in pain while it pulled itself free of the stones, revealing the crushed samurai who was firmly embedded in the cliff. Jack let out a weak moan before the rocks gave way, and he broke free of his stone prison only to fall twenty feet and land flat on his face.
"I...was not aware that there were more of them," Jack muttered when three blurry crimson birds began to rocket towards him. He shook his head slightly once to clear his vision before his eyes narrowed, and he pushed himself to a vertical base, reaching down towards his scabbard only to realize that his sword wasn't there. He only had a moment to register that fact before he was forced to dive out of the way of six nasty talons that dug up the dirt where he had been standing. Jack rolled to his hooves to discover that one of his sleeves was completely shredded, making him sigh before he reached over and tore the sleeve off with his teeth.
Jack's eyes narrowed as the bird circled back around for another attack, yet when it turned to face him Jack was already on the move. He leapt up onto the rocks and began to pull himself up the cliff face, eyes focused on the weak part of the rocks that had been knocked loose by his own body.
Another shriek informed him of his foe's next attack, and with a leap of faith Jack hurled himself to the side just in time to avoid being killed as the bird slammed into the cliff side, though he wasn't fast enough to avoid the talons that raked his back. He cried out in pain as agony stung at his back, but with a snarl he forced himself to keep climbing, ignoring the fact that the bird was pulling itself free and had the samurai completely in its sights.
With one final pull, Jack reached the part of the cliff face that was striving for and he spun around to see that the bird was airborne once again, all seven of its eyes locked onto the samurai as it hurtled towards him. Jack flattened himself against the wall with his nerves steeled, every muscle tensed as he prepared himself to move. The bird let out a loud squawk while it flattened its wings and dove straight for him, but with a quick smirk the samurai knew that it had fallen into his trap.
With one push of his four legs, Jack hurled himself out of the way of the bird, tucking and rolling before he struck the ground just in time to hear the loud crack that came from the bird striking the cliff at full speed. Jack turned around to see the bird tumble down the wall and slam into the ground, letting out one last groan before it slumped over.
"You shall bother those villagers no more," Jack panted when he walked over to the bird and found his blade still wedged in the creature's back. He grabbed hold of his blade and grunted while he started to free his weapon, pulling it halfway out before the birds eyes snapped open and it screeched while flapping its wings. Jack yelped when he was yanked into the sky once again, but the sudden jolt of movement freed his weapon and coincidentally removed the only hold Jack had on the bird, over a hundred feet in the air.
Yet, Jack had only just begun to tumble before the creature's talons wrapped around his midsection and took off with the samurai, shrieking with fury as it slammed him into rocks, dirt and whatever else it could use to hurt the samurai. All the while Jack desperately tried to stab at the creature, but it either ignored or didn't feel the sting of his blade as it barreled towards another cliff. The bird stuck out its talons with Jack still firmly grasped within as it hurtled towards the wall, letting the samurai know that there was no escape.
That was until a lasso seemed to appear out of nowhere and wrap itself around the beak of the bird, causing it to squawk in confusion before a mighty tug pulled it off course and just narrowly helped Jack avoid his death. Jack turned his head with a frown to see that indeed the owner of the rope was an orange mare that had failed to heed his advice, and who had become another target of the bird as a result.
The bird screeched as it dove down towards Applejack with its beak aimed straight at her, but Jack found his blade again and sliced down on one of the talons holding him, to sever it from the bird. The beast shrieked with pain as its talons opened and dumped Jack onto the ground next to AJ, who raced to his side and helped him up to his hooves.
"Are ya okay? This overgrown turkey sure seems to be giving ya trouble," AJ muttered as both she and Jack focused on the avian again, watching as it circled around with murder flashing in its seven eyes.
"Why have you joined this battle?" Jack asked her with some scorn, but before he could answer the bird dive-bombed the ground where they were standing. The two dove to the side as dirt and debris were kicked up from the impact, yet as the bird flailed in an attempt to get back up one of its wings struck Applejack and hurled her into a stone. She grunted once as she slid down the stone face, shaking her head to clear the stars as the avian lunged for her.
But since the bird was completely focused in attempting to put an end to one its assailants, it left itself completely open from behind. And the creature had the misfortune of turning its back on the far more dangerous of the two. AJ snarled while she braced herself for the attack, but a cry of battle erupted behind the bird followed by the sounds of steel striking flesh. When she blinked, she found Jack crouched down in front of her with his blade angled downward, and both of his eyes closed.
The bird let out a weak squawk before feathers flew everywhere and it collapsed to the dirt, finally giving Jack the chance to take in a breath before he stood up straight and sheathed his blade.
"Thanks fer the save there, but uh...was that the only way that you could stop it?" she asked Jack nervously while she gingerly walked over to the bird, only for her eyes to widen when she saw that it was still breathing. "Y-yah didn't kill it? But ah thought..."
"My blade was created to slay evil. I will not use it for other purposes unless I am left with no alternative," Jack informed her as he walked beside her, to glance down at the weakly moving bird. "Though while I did not slay this beast, I did clip its wings. It will no longer be able to terrorize the skies as it once did. Come, we must keep moving."
--|====\
The fire flickered gingerly in the darkness of the night, giving off a warm glow that helped the earth pony to feel slightly at ease under the sea of stars that shined above her. Yet despite the comfort of the fire and the beauty of the stars overhead, the night was anything but peaceful as she sat across from an upset samurai. He hid his emotions well and said nothing that would indicate his feelings, but AJ knew that he was fuming.
"Jack, please tell me what's wrong," AJ asked for the third time in under thirty minutes, having tried time and time again to discover what had upset the samurai. "If I did something to offend ya when ah helped ya earlier, let me know so ah can apologize."
"It is not what you did; it is what you failed to do," Jack said in a perfectly calm voice, yet AJ could hear an underlying tone of both worry and annoyance. "That bird had killed ten ponies before we stopped it, and I asked you to stay out of the fight so that you would not be one of those number. Yet you ignored my request and-"
"Saved yer life," AJ butted in, fuming that the reason Jack was upset at her was because she hadn't listened. "Ah was watching that battle the entire time Jack, and ya weren't doing too well against that bird. If it hadn't been for me, ya would be a pancake right now! So instead of being upset with me, how about a thanks and then we can put this behind us?"
"You do not understand! That battle was one you should not have been a part of! What if I had failed to protect you or the bird managed to slay you before it could be stopped!" Jack said with a raised voice, taking the earth pony aback as Jack realized that he had raised his voice. He let out a sigh before performing a motion with his arms to calm himself down. "I did not mean to shout. I am just...afraid for you, joining me in my quest."
"What do ya mean?" AJ asked in a still annoyed voice, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
"My quest has been a long and tiresome one and I have lost many along the way," Jack admitted with a sigh that made him seem years older in the light of the fire than he actually was. "That is why I prefer to travel alone, so that I do not endanger others. Especially a pony such as yourself, who has family and loved ones waiting for them back home. And with your parents both gone, I could not risk your family losing you as well."
Applejack said nothing for a few minutes after Jack explained his actions, but her face fell into a sympathetic frown as she understood why Jack had wanted her to stay away from the conflict. But the fire within her reignited and with a shake of her head she stared at Jack with a stern stare.
"Jack...ah appreciate yer concern, ah really do, but ah've taken on my fair share of dangerous, even world-ending threats, and ah've always come out on top thanks to my friends and skill," AJ informed Jack before giving him a kind smile. "Besides, if the only reason ah were to go home was because ah left another pony to die, ah would never be able to face them again. Ah'm here to help ya Jack, just as you helped me. But what about yerself? Ya talk about not wanting to put me in danger because of my friends and family, but if you were to die surely yer friends would miss ya?"
"I...hardly have any friends," Jack admitted as he lowered his head slightly, shadows from the flames enveloping his face. "In my land, I am wanted and any who get close to me may be hurt because of that relation. So my quest must be a lonely one. It is safer for all that way."
AJ's face fell as sorrow filled up her heart at Jack's words, able to see on his face how the years of loneliness and his journey had taken its toll on him. Then a thought came to her that made her smile, causing her to stand up and walk over to the samurai who looked at her with surprise.
"Well, from today on ya won't be as lonely on yer quest anymore. Because ah'm gonna be yer partner until ah can help ya get that wish of yers," Applejack informed him before she spat in her hoof and held it out to Jack, who glanced at her hoof before shaking his head.
"I cannot allow that Applejack, it is far too dangerous to-"
"Ah'm not asking to be yer partner Jack, ah'm telling ya. Ya not only saved my life, but ya helped a lot of ponies when ya stopped Tirek. It's my turn to help ya. An Apple always repays their debts."
Jack frowned as he tried to think of a way to convince her to leave him and return to her home, but then a thought crossed his mind that he had not considered before. 'There is no Aku in this land, no evil force that will constantly be after me,' he realized with a slight widening of his eyes. 'Perhaps...this time I can protect those who are willing to stand with me. And I am so tired of being alone...'
Jack continued to stare at her hoof for a long minute before he made one of the hardest decisions of his life. He lifted his hoof and spat into it as well before shaking hooves with Applejack. "Very well Applejack, as it seems I cannot change your mind. I will be your partner until I get my wish. But after that, I ask that you return to your family and forget about me."
"Ah don't think that ah'll ever be able to forget about ya, Jack, even if ah wanted to," AJ said with a chuckle before she walked over to her side of the fire and laid down, winking at Jack before lowering her head. "After all, it's not everyday a pony meets a cute samurai wielding a magic sword that can cut down any evil...goodnight Jack."
Jack watched Applejack until she started to snore, finally letting out a yawn of his own as he gazed up at the stars. A small smile crossed his face before he slowly lowered his head to the ground as well, letting out another yawn before closing his eyes.
--|======\
Darkness swirled around the samurai as he swung in every direction with his blade, screaming silently while the dark tendrils tried to tear him apart. A surge of darkness exploded behind him and hurled the samurai through the air before he slammed into the ground. Pain flooded through his mind as he shot to his hooves with a roar, holding his blade with fury as he gazed upon the face of the darkness.
"JACK!"
Laughter tore at his ears as he gazed into the toothy grin of the demon that had plagued him for so long, snarling as the evil force laughed at him with a smile.
"Foolish samurai. Do you believe that you are free from me here?" Jack yelled with wrath as he lunged at Aku, but a swift blow to his gut hurled him backwards. Jack spat as he rose back up, reaching out for his blade. But a tendril of darkness kicked his blade away from him before he felt another tendril wrap around him, forcing him to the ground as he struggled in vain.
"JACK!"
"You will never be free from me samurai. You will never be free from the curse that has been placed upon your shoulders," Aku laughed with glee as he lifted his hand back, smiling down at the struggling samurai who fought against his bonds with all of his strength. "So long as you live, you shall never be free of me or my evil. That is your destiny, samurai. To carry around the failure of your father. The knowledge that your people and all those you care about are gone. That you FAILED all those who depended on you!"
Jack roared with fury right before Aku slammed his hand down onto the samurai, turning everything to black as Jack faded to the sounds of the demon's laughter.
--|=====\
Jack's eyes snapped open as the vision faded, leaving him panting heavily as cold sweat clung to his brow. Yet as his vision focused once again, he found that he was lying face down in the dirt, with a lasso wrapped around him. He blinked twice before looking through his messed up mane at the face of Applejack, who was breathing just as heavily as he was.
"Applejack? What happened?" he asked her as he squinted his eyes into the darkness, able to see his sword lying in the dirt in the starlight away from him, in the same place the tendril had kicked it.
"Ya were having a nightmare. Scratch that, it looked like you were possessed," Applejack explained to Jack as she reached down and undid his bonds, helping him to his hooves. "Ya were screaming in yer sleep and swinging that sword of yours in every direction. It was a miracle that ah managed to tie ya up without getting a few new scratches."
"Please...forgive me. I did not mean to cause you alarm," Jack apologized weakly as he bowed to Applejack. "I have been having nightmares as of late. I am glad that I did not hurt you, but perhaps it would be best if I sleep away from you." Jack bowed once again before he picked up his sword, walking away from the campfire and behind a large rock, where he curled up on the ground with rage shaking his body.
'Why? Why does Aku plague me wherever I go? When will I finally be free of his evil?'
Applejack continued to stare over at where Jack had laid down long after the samurai had fallen asleep, ashamed with herself for being unable to tell Jack the whole truth. For when she had tied up Jack his eyes had been open, allowing her to see the fear and rage that was within them--a fear and rage she had never seen in any other being before. But what truly had all of her attention was the only word Jack had spoken during his frenzy. A single name.
'That was no nightmare, Jack. Ah've had nightmares and they've never caused me to do anything like that. What ya had...was horrifying to watch,' Applejack thought to herself as she walked over to the other side of the stone, lying down away from Jack in a way that allowed her to keep an eye on him. 'Whatever this Aku did to you and yer family, it scared you in a way that makes me tremble to think about. Ah hope that ah can help ya find yer wish. Because ya seem like ya really need it.'
Flower petals fluttered as the wind gently whipped around two ponies who walked down a dirt path, both of them enamored with the scent that the wafting breeze brought with it. The only source of the smell was the small town that was up ahead, yet from the large amount of lights and laughter it was clear to the two that they had happened upon it at a merry time.
"Smells like caramel apples and a whole lot of other sweet treats," AJ said with a long sniff, a smile creeping across her face as she made out more of the sweets. "Seems like there might be a festival or something going on. Must be native to this village, because ah'm fairly certain that Nightmare Night is the last festival before Winter Wrap Up."
"That is when you and the other ponies...help create winter for the year, correct?" Jack hesitantly asked her, having found out about how the seasons changed a few days back. To say that it confused him would be an understatement.
"Eeyup. Don't ya have something like that back where yer from?" AJ asked Jack before one of her eyebrows rose in a curious way. "Y'know, ya still haven't told me where yer from. Ah mentioned Japony, but that name seemed to amuse you more than anything."
"The place that I am from has long since been lost to me. But one day I will find a way to return to it," Jack answered cryptically, getting a huff from AJ before she turned her attention away from Jack's past and to the lights and sounds of the town before them.
The two walked into the small town through a pair of large arches that had magical lights flickering all around them, with more of the lights floating above the streets in a rainbow of colors. The lights gave life to the bleak and cloudy sky, while ponies ran around holding sparklers and other items to help illuminate the night.
"Well ah'll be, this here is quite the party," Applejack muttered aloud as she tilted her hat back, catching the eye of a pony in an apron who trotted over to the strangers with a smile on her face.
"Hello there, strangers, you must have been drawn in by the fun everypony here is having," she said with a slight giggle before reaching into her attire to pull out two leaflets, which she then hoofed to both Jacks. "We always get a few guests that show up for our little Illumination Festival, so we have a few of those on hoof. In them you'll find what activities are going on and where to find them. Hope the two of you have fun!"
"Illumination Festival, huh? Can't say ah've ever heard of that one," Applejack shrugged as she flipped open the leaflet and skimmed through the pages before coming to a stop on a page that interested her. "Well now, they have a bobbing for apples contest here? Guess ah've got to show them why ah'm the champion in Ponyville for six years running? What's the matter Jack, they don't have festivals where yer from?" AJ asked when she saw the look on Jack's face as he glanced down at the paper.
"No, it is not that. It is just..." His mind faded away back to a time long ago, recalling a young boy as he raced through streets that were filled with paper lanterns. The child's sandals kicked up Sakura petals as he ran, a smile wide on his face while a dragon-shaped kite fluttered behind him. All around him were people laughing, talking or simply enjoying the night as fireworks exploded into patterns in the night sky above him. Jack remembered it all, the joy, the feeling of happiness that he thought would last forever...and how the feelings seemed so dull now.
"...it has been a long time since I have been to one," Jack finally finished before placing those memories in a safe place before he glanced down at the leaflet again with interest. "There will be music played from an assortment of instruments. I would like to hear that."
"Well, you go on ahead and have fun. Ah have some apples to bob fer," Applejack smirked with confidence, tipping her hat to Jack before walking into the crowd and vanishing. Jack looked down once again to discover the location of the musicians before he too began to move through the crowd, glancing around at all of the smiling faces and excitement that seemed to fill the air around him.
He heard the musicians before he saw them, allowing him to use his ears instead of his eyes to navigate to where they were located. He found them surrounded by a crowd in a small plaza, playing a quick and happy tune that seemed to dance through the spectators' hearts as they listened.
Jack rested next to a pair of older ponies before closing his eyes and allowing the music to seep into him, feeling the beats and strums of their instruments ease his tension and stress...while also resurfacing memories of when his father's servants used to play music for him.
He recalled sitting next to his father at their table as three women played their stringed instruments, creating a calm atmosphere for the boy and his father as they drank tea together. Then, at the young boy's command, they would play a faster and more playful tune, one that got the boy to start dancing around with a large smile on his face.
Jack was pulled from the memory when he heard the sound of clapping hooves, and he opened his eyes to see the ponies that had been performing taking a bow. Jack applauded along with the audience before standing up once more and continuing his walk, curious to see what other attractions awaited him.
Stands filled with sweets and other delectables greeted him after he turned a corner, while a pony in colorful attire with white makeup on his face juggled several balls for the numerous foals that had crowded around. After passing by the clown, he found that some of the foals had decided to imitate him and were kicking a rubber ball back and forth between one another.
A thin smile creased Jack's face as he reached into his kimono, his hoof touching his own ball that he had as a child. When his father had been away on business and his mother had been busy with the home, the ball had been his only friend, helping him to pass the hours of loneliness.
He once again left his thoughts when he felt something bounce into his hoof, discovering when he looked down that the children's ball had rolled over to him. He picked it up and looked over at the foals, who had all eyes on him as they waited for him to toss it back.
The smile on the samurai's face widened before he tossed the ball above him and bounced it off of his head, sending it sailing back to the foals who caught it with wide eyes. Smiles of their own crossed their faces before one of the four foals tossed the ball up and kicked it to Jack, who leapt up slightly to catch the ball with the back of his elbow and sent it back to them.
The foals constantly tried to think of different ways to make Jack drop the ball, and thereby declare themselves the winners, yet to their amazement no trick they tried on the samurai worked. Despite teaming up, using what little magic they could, and even throwing multiple balls into the mix, Jack returned each of balls to the foals without letting any touch the ground.
The game came to an end when one of the parents called out for their foal, causing the foals to scramble as they tried to quickly gather their toys together. Jack aided them in collecting their items before bowing to the four, who each bowed in return before they ran into the crowd and vanished. Jack then continued on his way, though he did not refuse a free ice cream that was offered to him.
"Have your portrait drawn?" Jack stopped and glanced over at the pony that had spoken to him, while the pony looked at the samurai with a paintbrush held up. Jack then glanced at a blank canvas that rested before the pony with several drawn pictures resting around him. "Want me to do a portrait of you?"
"I am sorry, but I do not have any money to pay you for your talent," Jack tried to politely decline, but the pony laughed before moving a seat towards Jack with his magic.
"For a pony dressed like you and carrying such a weapon, this one's on me," the pony laughed as Jack sat down, squinting at the samurai before nodding and pulling out a pen. He then began to swipe at the page before him, nodding to himself occasionally before making numerous and rapid pen strokes.
Jack sat straight the entire time, not wanting to ruin the pony's work by moving. He recalled a time when he had been forced to sit still for hours when his father and mother wished to have a family portrait drawn. He remembered at the time wanting nothing more for the artist to finish so he could have fun. Now he wished that he had savored that time with his family more.
"And it is done!" the pony laughed before spinning the canvas around so Jack could see. The samurai's eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw the impeccable job that the pony had done capturing his jaw and face so well...but when the samurai looked into his drawing's eyes he was surprised by how they looked. "Yeah, interesting bit isn't it? I tried multiple times to do something else, but no matter how hard I looked at you all I could feel was this sadness that emanated from you. Have to admit though, gives your image some character. You want it?"
"No...keep it," Jack said with a shake of his head. "Consider it my way of repaying you for your incredible work." The pony nodded as Jack rose, not looking back as he moved on ahead to the next attraction.
"Hey pal...I don't know what's bothering you, but you can't spend your entire life sad. You've got to find something that makes you...feel alive." Jack nodded politely before moving on, stifling a small yawn. An explosion roared overhead and Jack looked up to see a flower made of light shining in the sky, before another firework exploded next to it to create a pegasi.
Jack had been so focused on the fireworks that he didn't notice the paper animal until it soared by his face, making him jump a bit before he realized that a number of cut out animals were flying around the area. The source of the flying paper beasts was a table off to the side that had six foals sitting around it with one mare, each of the foals cutting out animals from paper before the mare would use her magic to make them fly.
A paper tiger landed in his mane and got stuck, getting a giggle from the mare before she waved the samurai over to the table. "I'm so sorry about that, it's hard controlling all of these pieces of paper at once," the pink mare said as she helped remove the tiger from Jack's mane, giving Jack time to glance at the table to see that there was still a large quantity of paper.
"Please, there is no need to apologize. It was an accident," Jack said as she got the tiger out of his hair. "I see that you still have numerous amounts of paper left. Would you mind if I try my hand...er, hoof at making something?"
"Sure, go right ahead." Jack sat down in one of the free spaces and took a good chunk of paper for himself, yet instead of grabbing one of the animal stencils he began to fold his paper and twist it in certain ways. The foals ignored him at first, but as time went on they began to grow more and more interested in what he was working on. Eventually the samurai let out a sigh as he sat up straight, smiling down at his work.
"Wow! That's the coolest paper dragon that I've ever seen!"
"How did you make it?"
"What even is it?"
"It is a style called 'origami'. It was quite popular in my home," Jack said with a smile before he pushed the dragon over towards the foals, who gathered around it with wide eyes so they could examine every inch of it. While they were focused on the dragon, Jack quickly folded more paper into an assortment of different animals. A crane, an owl and other animals quickly appeared next to the dragon, getting both the foals and the mare to gasp in awe at their design.
"These are incredible. Would you mind showing me how to make them?" the mare asked Jack after turning over the dragon in her hooves. Jack nodded before showing her how to hold and where to fold the paper, slowly working through each step so that she could keep up. While they focused on the creation, the foals took their new animals and began to race them around the plaza, gaining the attention of other ponies who then began to gather around Jack as he created more.
Jack let out a sigh when he finally put his last piece down, since there was no more paper to create more. It was multiple frogs sitting on numerous lily pads while beautiful flowers floated in the air around them. As Jack moved the pieces of art closer to the edge of table, he couldn't help but smile as foals from all over began to grab at his creation, each of them wanting at least one. After a while the crowd began to fade, leaving Jack with the still playing foals and the mare that had written down how he had folded most of his creations.
"Thank you for showing me your incredible...origami, it was amazing to see," the mare whispered with a huge smile as she began to corral the little foals, most of whom were having trouble keeping their eyes open. "I'm a teacher here and these techniques of yours will be really popular with the foals. Thank you for showing them to me."
"Please, your words are too kind," Jack said with a smile as he bowed, before rising from the table and walking away as the last foal was rounded up.
"Have you considered being an arts and crafts teacher?" the mare asked Jack, stopping the samurai before he glanced back at the mare. "You can do incredible things with just a few sheets of paper and you seem to be really popular with foals. You just seem like a pony that should be teaching others. It's just a thought though."
Jack bowed to her one last time before walking off into the much thinner crowd, with the full moon directly overhead telling him that most of the foals had most likely been whisked off to bed. He let out a small yawn himself, hoping to find Applejack so that they could prepare for the continuation of their journey the next day.
But his thoughts kept going back to his crafting origami animals with the foals, and how immersed they had been with his work. How they had been impressed not with his sword or the way that he had cut down an evil, but that something he had created had been what impressed them.
Yet he knew that his duty was still to defeat Aku, to free his world and future of the evil that he had failed to stop. That was his sole mission and reason for living. That as nice as what the mare said about him, it was his sacred duty to slay that great evil. But after Aku was finally defeated and peace had been restored to the world...?
"There ya are," AJ said from behind Jack, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Ah've been looking everywhere fer ya. Come on, ah've found us a place to stay fer what remains of the night, so let's get some shut eye before tomorrow."
"Very well," Jack said, but Applejack raised an eyebrow when she saw something on Jack's face.
"Well that's quite the smile that you've got," AJ pointed out, making Jack look into a pond to see that indeed, a happy smile was upon his face. "Haven't seen one of those on you yet. Something good happen to ya while you were exploring?"
"No..." Jack eventually answered as he walked by AJ, the smile still on his face. "Just considering something somepony said about me."
The unforgiving rays of the sun beat down upon the inhospitable desert, lowering the already slim chances any life had of surviving in the blazing heat. Yet despite the burning rays of the sun and the fiery coal-like sand that burned at their hooves, two ponies walked through the blazing heat without slowing down. The hats that the both of them wore offered some protection from the star, but the samurai in his white kimono was fairing better than his partner. Heat he was used to.
What he wasn't used to was being so utterly confused.
"Alright then...is it that bush?" he asked Applejack with certainty as the pair passed by a withered bush with only a few green leaves.
"Sorry Jack, but that isn't it," she responded with a sly wink that made Jack's brow furrow.
"Very well...then how about that cactus that is resting on the dunes?" Jack asked once more as he nodded in the direction of the only cactus that could be seen for miles. He glanced at AJ with hopes that he was right, but with another smile she shook her head and deflated his hopes. "Then your eyesight must be far beyond mine, because I cannot see any other green all around us."
"Does that mean that the great Samurai Jack is giving up?" AJ asked with a smirk, getting a look from Jack. "Ah'll admit, Jack, that you've lasted longer than any other pony ah've played this with, but all fall to me eventually. It just took longer than usual with you."
"I am not giving up. There is nothing else green in all of this desert!" Jack pointed out with some heat while he motioned to everything around them and the emptiness that surrounded them. "I cannot possibly see what you would have seen that is green!"
"Does that mean you give up?" she asked him one last time with a coy smile, making Jack choose between his pride and finding out what she had seen.
"Yes...but only so I may learn of what it is you see," Jack finally gave in, ignoring the hoof pump that AJ did before she lifted a hoof and pointed at her eyes.
"See these two beauties right here? These were the green that ah see."
"But that is not in the rules!" Jack spoke up with hints of annoyance in his tone. "The rules clearly state that the object you have selected must be within your sight when you choose it! You cannot see your own eyes since they are a part of your face!" Yet all Jack's anger did was get a chuckle out of Applejack before she pointed down to his scabbard.
"Ah've been looking at mah eyes fer about thirty minutes now," she said with victory in her voice when Jack looked down to discover that his sword wasn't fully sheathed in his scabbard, meaning that a little of his ancient, and reflective, blade was sticking out. "Ever since ya cut down those skeleton warriors we met awhile back, as a matter of fact. Now will ya finally admit that ah win?"
Jack opened his mouth to argue, before sighing in defeat while he hung his head with a wry smile. "Very well Applejack, I concede this victory to you. You are truly far more clever and observant than I believed."
"See, that wasn't so hard," she playfully retorted before letting out a tired sigh and wiping her forehead on the back of her hoof. "Ah'm just glad ah managed to stump ya with that trick. If not, we would have had to go on to the advance rules, and then things would have gotten really intense."
"This game has advanced rules?" Jack asked with disbelief before he felt a breeze whip past him, a breeze that chilled him to his very core. Jack shivered as the sudden chill seemed to emerge from nowhere, yet a quick glance at Applejack showed that he was not the only one who felt that chill. "It seems that we have finally arrived at our destination. Applejack, the map."
AJ reached under her hat and drew forth the map that they had bought from Ratpack, hoofing it to Jack before he snapped it open and looked at their location. "Yes, it seems that we are finally here. If this map and the pony are to be believed, there should be a way into these secret chambers somewhere around...here."
As Jack said this, he drew forth his blade and walked over to a spot where the sand was a slightly darker color than the rest of the sea of desert. He took aim for the center of the sand with his blade before striking down with one skilled motion, embedding his weapon in the center of the sand. The moment the magical blade struck the dark sand the ground trembled with fury, while at the same time causing the sand around them to begin to spin like a whirlpool. AJ looked around with panic as she drew forth her lasso and began to look for an anchor point, yet Jack simply sheathed his blade and closed his eyes, knowing that they were on the right path.
The sand consumed the two ponies in a matter of seconds, tossing them around in its grainy maw while they were dragged further and further into the desert's jaws. Yet, just when it seemed the spiraling sand would crush the both of them, they both felt their hooves hit solid ground. Jack slowly opened his eyes upon landing and smiled while his eyes took in their new location.
The two ponies were now standing on a large, stone bridge in the center of a massive cavern, where at its end rested a large, open temple. Even though the temple was some distance away, Jack could see the divine glow from the piece of the heavens that rested atop a large staircase...as well as the massive, stone creature that sat on the ground at the bottom of the case.
"We have arrived," Jack informed Applejack, who had been too busy kissing the sweet ground to take in what was across the bridge.
"So, that's the titan that we have to fight? Doesn't look so tough," she said with a confident chuckle, yet when she glanced at Jack she found that his face was set with a determination that she had only seen upon his features once before.
"It is finally within my reach," he whispered to himself, Applejack not sure if he was talking to her or not. Then he drew forth his blade and muttered a few words that she could not hear, before the samurai began to walk towards the titan. "My quest is at an end."
"So...what's our game plan to take this guy down?" AJ asked Jack as the two marched across the bridge, but her face fell slightly when Jack shook his head in response.
"I will face him alone. I do not wish for you to aid me in this battle," Jack stated, but he shot her a look to cut her off before she could argue. "Remember what Ratpack told us. Only whoever can defeat the titan can have their wish granted. If you aid me in this battle, then it is possible that the star may not grant my wish. And I must have my wish granted at any cost."
"But what if he's too much fer ya to handle alone? What if he kills ya?" AJ asked with concern, but the concern turned to horror as Jack looked at her with eyes she had never seen before.
"At any cost," he repeated before holding out a hoof to stop her at the ruined temple's entrance, giving her one last look to make sure she understood before taking a step into the temple. The moment his hoof touched down on the other side a blue light emanated from the titan, causing its whole body to shake as sapphire blue eyes came to life and the creature slowly raised up onto its two feet.
"Who dares waken me from my slumber?" Its ancient and powerful voice reverberated throughout the temple as it turned its eyes down onto the samurai, who gazed back up at the stone guardian with no fear in his eyes.
"Noble guardian, I have heard that there is a piece of the heavens here, a star that will grant whoever defeats you a single wish," Jack began as he bowed to the creature with respect. "Yet, I ask that I do not have to fight you. I wish to peacefully receive my wish without having to come to blows."
"Your respect and desire for a peaceful solution has been noted samurai, but the rules are clear," the titan responded with a shake of his head before he clenched his fists, his eyes changing to a crimson red at the same time. "If you desire the wish, then you must go through me to get it."
"Then so be it." In a flash Jack drew forth his blade and lunged at the stone titan, latching onto its leg before leaping up onto the titan. Yet just as Jack was reaching its chest, the titan clapped its hands together and created a shockwave that blasted Jack off of his body. Jack crashed into the solid stone at the titan's feet, where he grimaced with pain before looking up to see a giant foot over his head. With one quick push Jack managed to roll as the foot crashed into the stone, yet the shockwave generated by the impact hurled Jack into a stone pillar.
"JACK! Get out of there!" AJ yelled from the sidelines while Jack had to roll once again to avoid a mighty fist that turned the stone pillar into dust. Jack ignored her words as he leapt into the air with incredible height, managing to reach the titan's head with a single leap. He slashed down with all of his might as he passed by the titan's head, sparks flying from his blade as his sword cut into the titan's body.
"That...is most interesting," the titan muttered as it held a hand to where the blade had cut it, looking down at where Jack landed while his eyes focused on his sword. "It seems that you possess a magic that is far superior to any that tried to claim this wish before. You may finally be the warrior that is worthy of the heavens. But that also means that I will no longer hold back."
Jack's eyes went wide as the stones around him began to float into the air, floating up to the titan's chest before they began to circle him in a ring pattern. Then the titan pointed at the samurai and the stones hurtled towards him like bullets from a gun. Jack sliced through the first stone and managed to deflect the second one, yet the speed of the stones was too great and the third caught him in the chest. He felt the air leave his lungs as he was hurled across the ground, his chest roaring in pain as he clutched at it with both hooves.
'Yet if I am using both of my hooves, then...my sword!' Jack realized before suppressing the pain, glancing up to see that his blade was resting on the ground next to the bridge where Applejack stood. He forced himself to his hooves and hurled himself towards his weapon, yet his path was blocked when the titan's mighty foot slammed down in front of the samurai.
Jack looked up just in time to see the titan's fist come down and slam into him, driving the samurai into the stone floor with enough impact to shake the chamber. The titan pulled back his fist to see the pony imbedded firmly within the stone, clothes ripped and blood on his face as Jack struggled to remain awake.
"You fought well. I will remember this battle samurai," the titan said with a respectful nod before cocking his fist back all the way, preparing to end the battle. But before he could deliver the final blow, he felt something slash at his foot, something that caused him to stagger slightly. He then glanced down again to see an orange pony that was pulling Jack out of the stone, with his magic blade held in her mouth.
"Applejack...what are you doing?" Jack weakly asked as AJ wrapped one of his hooves around her shoulder and started to move him away from the battle. "This is...my battle...I asked you not to interfere."
"It's like ah said before, Jack. Ah'm not the kind of pony to stand back and watch as one of her friends is about to be killed," Applejack replied with a ferocity that Jack had never heard in her voice. "And it's clear that this guy's too much fer ya alone. That's why we need to work together!"
"Her words have wisdom in them, Jack," the titan agreed as he lifted both of his hands over his head. "For the only way the two of you stand a chance to defeat me is if you combine your skills!" He then slammed his fists into the ground as he said this, creating a shockwave that cracked the stone temple and hurled the two ponies across the floor. AJ hit first and the pain from her landing forced her to release Jack's sword, which skidded over to him as he landed on his hooves.
Jack cast a worried glance at Applejack, who was struggling to push herself back up, but with a shake of his head he accepted that she had entered the battle now. He would have to protect her while fighting the titan. With a cry of power Jack lunged into the air, sword raised high. The titan caught the attack and swung one of his fists towards the samurai, yet right before his fist connected the samurai swung down with all of his power...carving clean through the titan's fist.
The titan staggered back in surprise as his fist split in two, with one piece falling to the floor while the other fell off to the side and into the water far below. Yet he barely had any time to register his injury before the samurai was lunging at him again. This time the titan grabbed hold of a stalagmite and prepared to crush the entire samurai with his attack...before he looked up to find his weapon was being restricted by a rope.
"Sorry pal, but there's two of us now!" AJ snarled through gritted teeth as she pulled against the titan's colossal strength for all she was worth. If she had been forced to hold the titan back for more than a few seconds, she would have quickly been overpowered by the elder creation. Yet a few seconds was all the samurai needed.
"HHHHIIIIIYYYYYYIIIIIAAAHHHH!!!" Jack roared with fury as his sword flashed once more, cleaving through the titan's shoulder and separating his left arm from his entire body. The titan staggered back as his arm crashed to the floor of the temple, before tipping over the edge and falling into the river below. The titan collapsed to his knees as he looked from his missing hand to his missing arm, then down to the samurai who pointed his sword at his face.
"You are beaten. Surrender. There is no need for this to end in bloodshed," Jack demanded, but the titan shook his head once more.
"The ancient rules are absolute. This only ends with the end of one of us." Jack narrowed his eyes at the titan, yet Applejack, who was off to the side, was the only one able to notice that the half of the titan's fist that had remained in the temple was slightly rising into the air...and taking aim at the samurai.
"JACK!"
Jack turned his head just in time to see an orange blur tackle him out of the way and to the ground, where he glanced up at AJ with confusion...right before a large chunk of fist slammed into her and drove her into one of the walls with a sickening crunch.
"NO!" Jack cried out as the fist slumped to the side, revealing the broken mare who also slumped to the ground in a lifeless fashion. Jack's eyes were filled with horror as he gazed down at her, staring at the motionless corpse that had been a pony that believed him, that had trusted him to win. Just like his people. And now he had failed her as well.
"It is as I said. Only with the end of one of us. Now strike me down...before I strike down you."
With a scream that was a mix of both wrath and pain, Jack turned and unleashed all of his fury into one swing that decapitated the stone titan. The moment the deed was done, Jack stood with a cold fury as his breath shook his body, not even glancing at the titan's head as it slammed into the ground next to him. But as the rage changed into self-control, he turned his head towards the motionless mare with guilt gripping at him. He walked over to AJ and placed a hoof to her neck, eyes filled with pain when he felt no pulse. With regret constricting his heart, Jack gritted his teeth while he bowed his head to her...before he felt something behind him.
'Congratulations warrior, you have managed to best the titan,' a radiant light said to him when he turned to face it. 'And as it was written, I shall grant you any wish that your heart desires. Just speak it to me and it shall be done.'
For a brief moment Jack saw his family and his home, long before Aku had destroyed it, flash before his eyes. Once again he had his chance, his chance to return to his past and undo the future that ended in Aku. But as he glanced down at the lifeless Applejack and thought of how she had given her life for his, how she had a family awaiting her back at her home, he knew that there was only one wish that he could make...no matter how desperately he wished that he could make the other.
"I wish that a healthy Applejack would live again."
With a start the emerald eyes of the mare snapped open, her breath catching in her throat while both consciousness and the image of the giant boulder crushing her returned at the same time. Applejack sat up straight while holding a hoof to her chest, pushing against her heart to keep it from bursting out while she glanced around the moonlit night with fear.
"You have finally awoken. I am glad to see that you are alright." As AJ's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness and the burning flames before her, she spied the samurai sitting across from her with tired eyes and a shredded kimono. She then looked down at her own body to see that she was perfectly fine...despite knowing that when she lost consciousness, she had been crushed between a rock and a hard place.
"Jack...what's going on? Why are we sitting in a grass field?" she asked Jack while looking at her hooves, never seeing the crippling sorrow that flooded Jack's eyes as he glanced down in disgust. "Last thing ah remember was fighting that titan...and then he hurled that rock at ya...and ah pushed you out of the way..."
"I am so sorry." The bitterness and pain in Jack's voice silenced AJ's words on the spot, and when she turned her gaze to the samurai she found him hanging his head and his teeth gritted with fury. "It is my fault that you were injured...killed, in the battle with the titan. Had I managed to best him sooner, or fallen to him sooner, you would not have been harmed. I apologize for failing you."
"Jack...it's alright. Ah chose to enter the fight and ah was ready fer what might have-"
"It is not alright! I am supposed to be able to face an evil, to protect innocents such as yourself from harm!" Jack roared with a fury that made the flames flicker away from him, yet AJ could hear pain in his voice. "Yet once again, in the face of such a monster, I failed to protect those who depended on me. And had it not been for the titan's mercy, you would have been lost to your family...I thank you for all that you have done for me, but I must ask that you leave me to journey on by myself. It is safer for you that way."
Despite the pleading in the samurai's voice, Applejack was no longer listening to his words. Instead, she was listening to the self-loathing and guilt that was consuming the samurai's every word--a guilt for something over which he had no power. A guilt that Applejack remembered hearing in her own voice after her parents had died so long ago.
"Jack."
Jack slowly lifted his head to gaze up at Applejack, who had a stern yet also caring look on her face as she stared the samurai down. "Ah know that ya feel responsible for what happened to me, but ah entered that fight because ah couldn't stand by and watch mah friend die while I stood by. From what ah know of ya, you sacrifice so much fer others, yet yer not used to anypony helping you. And ah'm guessing that's why ya need yer wish granted so badly...was because somepony else out there needs yer help?"
Jack nodded only once to show that she was correct before he closed his eyes and lowered his head again, sympathy spreading across Applejack's face before she walked over beside the samurai and sat down. She placed a hoof on his shoulder and looked at him, trying to get him to open up a little in some way.
"By the way...ya said that if ya put the titan down sooner ya would have been able to save me," she began, getting another small nod from Jack. "That's means ya beat him. But if ya did so, then that means that ya would have had a chance to get yer wish granted. So-"
"When the piece of heaven asked for my wish, I used it to bring you back from the dead," Jack admitted to Applejack, who only softened her eyes when she heard the despair in his voice.
"Ah...guessed as much when ah saw that ah was perfectly unharmed, but ah have to ask...why?"
"Because if I allowed my friend to die while I stood by and did nothing, when I had the chance to save her, I would never be able to face my family again," Jack mirrored AJ's own words, confusing the pony slightly.
"But...ah thought...that this Aku killed yer family and friends?" The look that Jack had upon his face when he lifted his head would be burned into Applejack's mind for as long as she could remember. In a brief moment, between the light of the fire and the bright moon, Jack's features seemed to age thousands of years, as if that were his true age. But then he turned his head towards her, and she found that while his face looked young again, his eyes seemed ancient.
"Then, perhaps it is time that I told you of my greatest failure...and of my quest," Jack accepted with a sigh before he moved his body towards Applejack and crossed his legs, looking her dead in the eyes as he began to speak.
"I am...was the prince of a powerful nation that, under the rule of my father, experienced bounty and wealth a thousand times greater than that of any other nation I knew of. I grew up with a loving mother and a brave and noble father. For the early years of my life, I lived in peace and happiness, with not a care in the world."
"But then one day, an eclipse spread across the land. An eclipse, that was able to free from his prison my father's most hated and feared enemy. Aku." At the mention of the demon's name, Applejack felt the air around her chill a bit and the fire seemed to die down slightly, allowing the shadows to creep in. "Aku is the shape shifting master of darkness, a being that wanted nothing more than absolute control over all of the world. But first he came to my home...for my father was the one who imprisoned him before."
"His plan was perfect. He caught my family and nation when we were experiencing peace, so none of us were ready for his return. He went straight for my father, capturing him before he could defeat the monster once again. He then laid waste to my village...to my home." Jack stopped for a moment as tears welled up in his eyes, eyes that still remembered the burning city that was forever seared into his mind.
"With no one else to turn to and Aku victorious, my mother sent me off while she held onto the only weapon in all of the world that could vanquish that evil. The sword." Jack unsheathed his blade slightly as he said this, and the light that reflected from the blade illuminated the darkening atmosphere, causing the shadows to retreat and allowing the light to burn stronger once again. "I was only allowed to return once I was strong enough to slay the monster, so for years I had to imagine the horror that Aku was unleashing upon my people."
"The next part of my life was spent training. I learned how to fight from not only the greatest warriors that had ever lived, but also from philosophers, pacifists and leaders. And from them I learned everything that I would need to defeat the evil...and at the same time turned my body into one that would be able to withstand Aku's evil. Then, when I was ready, I found my mother and she granted me the blade that would slay Aku. I was ready."
"Finally, I returned to my home...to find it as well as the rest of the nation completely enslaved by Aku," Jack whispered, unable to raise his voice as the sorrow choked at his throat. "My once proud and smiling people...enslaved. My father...reduced practically to nothing by the work Aku had him do, to punish him for his defiance before. But when they saw me again, when they saw that the prince who was once a boy returned a warrior, there was hope in their eyes. Hope that I would defeat Aku and free them."
"Jack..." Applejack whispered with terror in her own eyes. Terror for what she knew would happen next.
"I then found the monster, resting on his laurels within his tower. I challenged him to battle, brandished my blade...and battle we did." Sparks flew everywhere as Jack's blade deflected a claw strike from Aku, getting the demon to howl with pain as the sacred blade cut at his hand. Jack then let out a cry of fury as he lunged up at the monster, slicing through his darkness and causing him to collapse to the floor with Jack's blade held high. The final strike within his reach.
"I managed to defeat Aku, managed to overpower him despite his darkness and mastery of shape shifting. But...in a moment of weakness, where I listened to his words instead of slaying him then and there, he played one last trick on me." Jack's face constricted with a wrath Applejack had never seen on the face of a pony before, his whole body trembling before the failure extinguished the rage. "He tore open a portal to the future and flung me into it, casting me away from my home and into a distant time."
"But without anyone there in the past to stop him, there was only one future that could occur. When I was free of the portal's grasp, I found myself in the far off future...a future that was in the clutches of Aku." Jack hung his head once again, wallowing in his failure. AJ's eyes teared up before she rested her head on Jack's shoulder, able to feel the pain burning within him.
"I had failed. My moment of stillness cost me not only the chance to slay Aku, but it also caused me to fail all of those who believed in me," Jack seethed with guilt as he started to shake once again. "They all believed in me. Not one of them doubted that I would save them and that soon they would be free from the clutches of Aku. I cannot begin to image the heart crushing despair that they felt when Aku returned from the battle instead of me. I failed my people...and the future of the world, when I failed to slay Aku."
"W-what happened when you found yerself stuck in the future?" AJ managed to blurt out, trying in desperation to get Jack from thinking about his own failures and instead continue his story.
"Once I discovered where...rather when I was, I swore that I would find a way to take me back to the past, to return to...before Aku managed to hurl me into his future. I swore that I would go back and right the wrongs that the monster had done and finally free my people and the future of his clutches!" Jack said with a burning passion as his eyes blazed. Applejack's own eyes widened in amazement when it looked like, for a moment, the Jack she knew had returned. But then his face fell and his shoulders slumped and once again he lowered his head.
"But for so long I have been on this quest, always getting so close to my goals...only to have my dream ripped away from me again and again," Jack quietly whispered, the wear and tear of his journey in every word. "Each failure takes a toll on me, and with so many failures...I begin to wonder if I can ever return to my home, to undo the evil of Aku."
"But then I heard of a mage who would have the power to send me to a place where magic and wishes were aplenty, a land that could finally grant me my only desire," Jack admitted as he motioned a hoof to the area around them. "I sought out this mage and he sent me here, altering my appearance so that I would fit in more. But despite the best of hopes when I arrived, I have found what I found back in my world. Failure. Is that my destiny? To continue to fail no matter how hard I strive? Is my quest for naught?"
Jack fell silent for the longest time after telling his tale, staring into the fire as images of his life flashed before his eyes, each one a failure to some degree. But his eyes never glanced over at Applejack, who had tears streaming down her face as well, when she finally understood the pain and suffering of the samurai.
"B-but ya had the chance. Back there in the temple," Applejack managed to stammer out, yet her words did not draw Jack's eyes. "Ya defeated the titan. Ya could have wished to go back in time, to return to yer world! Yer quest means saving yer people and undoing a horrible future, so why didn't ya-?"
"It is as I...and also you, said. If I am to sacrifice the life of an innocent in order to achieve my desires, then I am just as evil as Aku...worse actually. Aku is pure evil. He has no good in him. But I do. And I would not let your family mourn your death so that I could save mine. Not as long as I had the power to prevent it."
Applejack had no idea how she was supposed to feel at that point, with all of the emotions conflicting within her. She felt sympathy for Jack; she both pitied and respected him at the same time for his sacrifice, while also wanting to cry with him for the agony that was tearing him apart. As she tried to regain control over her own emotions, she focused instead on saying one more thing.
"This story of yers...dear Faust this story of yers, also confirms that yer not a pony. Because if ya were, ah would have heard of this," she stammered out through her own tears, ignoring the fact that Jack's eyes remained glued to the fire.
"You are correct. I am a human from another reality. As I stated, a mage changed me into this form so that I would...fit better," Jack muttered with pain. "But it has done me no good. Aku still rules and I am no closer to stopping him than I was when I started. It seems that this journey shall end like all the others...in failure. Perhaps I am avoiding the truth. Perhaps Aku...has already won."
"So that means, as we speak, there's another world out there that's in the clutches of an evil pony who tore apart yer whole life to get it?" Jack slowly raised his head as Applejack said this. Not at what she was saying, but at the tone of her words. He glanced over at her to find that she was shaking with rage, a fury in her eyes that Jack had only seen in his. Applejack then let out an angry sigh before pushing her hat forward, yet she seemed to look even angrier like that.
"Jack...ah'm sorry." Jack raised an eyebrow at her words as AJ looked down at him, true guilt in her eyes. "When ah first met ya, ah wasn't sure if ah could trust ya or not. Ya didn't seem like a normal pony and ya sure didn't talk like one. Then when ah found out that ya were seeking a wish that could grant ya anything, ah...suspected that ya might be like one of the other crazies that tried to use magic to take over the world."
"And in all honesty, while I was grateful for ya stopping Tirek, ah was also afraid of ya. Afraid of yer weapon," Applejack admitted. "As far as we knew, there was only one weapon in all of Equestria that could stop him, then ya show up with yer sword and cut him in two, with no effort. After that ah decided to follow ya, to see what yer true intentions were. And...ah've come to realize that yer one the most selfless, kind and noble ponies that ah've ever met. That yer intentions are pure and that ya want the wish nothing more than to help those ya care fer."
Applejack then faced Jack and held out a hoof to him, a fire burning in her eyes that mirrored the one that Jack had held within his moments ago. "So enough of chasing these maybes or possibles. We're done with all those. Ah'm gonna take ya straight to the most powerful magic users in all of Equestria...no, in all of the world. And if they can't help ya, then ah'm damn sure they know somepony who can. What do ya say Jack? Does that samurai who fought across time to save his home have enough strength to try one more time?"
Jack looked up at her hoof, still feeling the crushing weight and agony of all of his constant failures upon his back. But then he remembered the hope in his peoples' eyes, eyes that held no doubt that he would win. And then he remembered the faces of all those who believed in him in the future, a future that was ruled by the ultimate evil. Yet they still chose to believe. Believe in him. And with that thought, that they refused to give up even after being under Aku's foot for so long, Jack found the strength to grab her hoof.
"Your words ring true, Applejack. I cannot give up. Not until either I fall or Aku does," Jack said with the strength in his voice that Applejack had come to respect. She pulled him to his hooves in one pull, neither of them noticing that the fire was burning far brighter than it had before. "So where can we find these beings of ultimate magic? On top of the tallest mountain? In the darkest of caves? Space?"
"No Jack, we're going someplace where the excitement never dies and magic is in the air," Applejack said with a large smile as she pushed her hat back. "We're going to Ponyville."
Water poured down into puddles that could be mistaken for small lakes, soaking the streets and pounding on anything that was unfortunate to be outside on that day. Visibility was almost completely inhibited due to the torrential downpour, while the air chilled due to the sun being obstructed by the black clouds that blocked the light out of the sky.
Yet, over the sound of the droplets striking the cobblestone path could be heard the sounds of two sets of hooves, both splashing through the puddles and pressing onward in the rainstorm as best they could. They were both soaked to the bone and their hats offered no protection from the elements, which clawed through one's clothing from the piercing wind while completely bombarding each pony with rain. And each hoof that stepped into the rapidly increasing puddles caused muddy water to splash onto them as well, further souring their mood.
The faces on Jack and AJ mirrored the dark clouds, black and devoid of any emotion. And with each flash of lightning that tore the dark curtain apart momentarily, they were allowed to see just how far from their destination they were. But for a brief moment, a small ray of hope shone through the darkness and rain that consumed everything, a hope in the form of a small structure that just entered the edge of their view.
"Finally! Someplace that can get us out of this rain!" Applejack yelled over the squall, yet her voice seemed to offend the storm as it beat down harder on the pair a moment later.
"If we are lucky, that is!" Jack yelled back, his eyes practically closed from how hard he was squinting. "But whatever that structure is, we should move to it quickly!" Pushing against the wind and rain the pair pressed on, driven by the thought of shelter from the rain and a place to warm their hooves. With one final push the pair finally managed to arrive at the structure...only for their hopes to be extinguished by the torrent when they found a bridge waiting for them instead of a building.
"Son of a...of all the...that's just our luck!" AJ roared with fury as she stomped her hooves into the stone, her words being cut off in some places by the wind and rain.
"Remain positive, friend. A bridge means that we are not too far from civilization!" Jack called to her, his words helping her to forget her anger and instead focus on pushing on. "Come, we cannot be too much further! Let us push on one more time!"
With hope renewed, the two forced themselves against the wall of wind and rain once more, staggering across the bridge as the forces of nature attacked them from every direction. Step by step they pushed on, struggling to keep their balance on the slick stones. Yet as the pair wandered to the middle of the bridge, both of them were stunned to find a figure sitting in the middle of the storm.
The pony was covered in black armor that completely obstructed his features, yet both of his eyes glowed with an unnatural green color as his head lifted at their approach. With the rain blocking out all other sounds, the pony rose silently to his hooves with more green light shining from within his armor. His emerald eyes quickly glanced over Applejack, but when the eyes rested upon Jack they immediately narrowed, taking in both him...and the blade that hung at his waist.
"Excuse me noble warrior, but you are obstructing our path!" Jack roared over the howl of the storm, eyes narrowing even further when he found that the pony never removed his eyes from the samurai's sword. "Please move aside so that we can continue! We wish to cross this bridge and find shelter from the-"
The pounding noise of the rain was momentarily overshadowed by the sound of two blades colliding with each other, causing a flash of sparks that illuminated the dark bridge before the elements extinguished their light. The sound of steel echoed across the bridge once more as their blades collided, Jack and the armored pony pressing their faces close to each other so that they could glare into the other's eyes.
"Who are you?! And why do you attack me?!" Jack demanded, glancing down at the pony's blade to find that it was not steel that pushed against his blade...but instead it was a blade of solid magic that crackled with power.
"My name does not matter, but you can call me Dark Horse," the pony replied in a metallic voice as he pushed against Jack, the samurai's hooves sliding across the wet surface of the bridge. "And I am here for you, samurai...or rather, your sword." With a strain of effort Jack pushed the pony back while skidding back himself, slowly positioning himself into a stance as Dark Horse took up a different stance.
"Why do you want my sword?! It does not belong to you!" Jack roared at the pony, whose eyes seemed to burn even brighter as his attention focused entirely on the blade.
"I have seen many weapons in my life! Spears, swords, spells and items the likes of which had never been seen before. But never have I seen a sword of such power, one that could cleave through monsters, could deflect the greatest of spells...and could kill Tirek himself," Dark Horse said as he spun his own magical blade in the rain before reaching behind him and drawing forth a second sword that was double-edged and stained with a crimson. "I aim to make it mine."
"If you wish for my blade, then you shall have to take it from my dead body," Jack said as he lowered his blade directly in front of him, standing up on his hind legs and taking up the stance he had done many times before. Dark Horse let out a sinister laugh that could be heard over the pounding of the rain, a laugh that sent chills up Applejack's spine while Jack's eyes simply narrowed.
"That's the idea, Jack."
In a blur of motion the two warriors lunged at each other, sparks flying as their blades collided in a flash. Both Jack and the pony landed on opposite sides of each other, yet each turned on a dime and slashed through the rain at the other. Their blades sliced through the rain drops and created another flash as their blades struck, momentarily illuminating the bridge.
And the light caused by the clashing of their blades was the only way Applejack was able to tell where they were from the sidelines, struggling to keep up with the flashes of light at the sound of sword striking sword. She glanced from flash to flash in a vain hope that she would be able to enter the battle, but she could hardly see in the downpour, let alone keep up with the two swordponies that seemed to be moving across the entire bridge as they battled.
'Ah can't see anything in this rain...and even if ah could get in on the fight, ah would probably be in the way,' Applejack admitted to herself as the flashes of light seemed to increase in frequency. 'But you've fought tougher, Jack, and ah know that you'll win this one as well.'
But as Applejack was believing in Jack's victory, Jack himself was struggling to keep up with the pony. The dark armor that he wore made him hard to see in the pitch black rain, and his green eyes constantly seemed to be everywhere, preventing Jack from locating him before his next attack came. And even as Jack constantly deflected the magical blade with perfect precision, the other blade was hidden in the rain and forced Jack to split his attention two ways as he fought off the dual onslaught.
'I cannot keep fighting on the defensive. If I do, then I will surely be the one to fall first!' Jack realized as he deflected the magical blade before leaping back to avoid the slash by the crimson sword that seemed to materialize out of the rain. Yet as Jack skidded back, a small smile crept across his face and he advanced forward with a plan. 'Yet each one of his hidden attacks has constantly been aimed at my head. If the pattern holds true...'
Jack deflected an overhead slice from the magical blade of the Dark Horse once more, before bringing his blade straight down with a cry that silenced the rain for a moment. The sound of metal being shattered tore through the storm, and Dark Horse staggered back as his blade was shattered into thousands of pieces, leaving him holding a broken handle.
Not wanting to lose his advantage, Jack let out another cry as he slashed rapidly at Dark Horse, who began to back away while he parried each strike. Yet Jack could feel that each blow was getting closer and closer to finding its mark, so with one last, powerful strike he swung his blade directly into the magical beam...and cleaved through that as well. Dark Horse collapsed to one knee as the force of Jack's blow coursed through him, and when he lifted his head slightly he found Jack's blade pointed at his throat.
"It is over! You have been beaten!" Jack declared, yet the pounding of the rain masked the small chuckle with which Dark Horse responded. In an instant Dark Horse lunged at Jack once again, his magical blade returning to life as a brilliant blue blade erupted from the hilt. Jack's eyes widened in surprise before he brought his sword up to intercept the strike, but the moment his blade collided with the blade of his foe he felt electricity course through his body.
"Over Jack? I haven't even begun to fight," Dark Horse laughed as he swung at Jack, who retained enough of his senses to leap back from the blue blade instead of trying to block again. Jack felt the blade tear through the front of his kimono, telling him just how close Dark Horse had been to besting the samurai.
"You have no honor! Bringing such a weapon into an honorable dual!" Jack roared in fury at the pony, but once again Dark Horse let out a laugh that chilled the samurai.
"Jack, when I first faced the unicorn that brandished this blade, I battled him with the crimson one that you just broke," Dark Horse informed Jack before lunging forward again, slicing through the rain with his sword that crackled like thunder. "He had the better weapon, that much was clear. But in the end my skill surpassed his, so even with the weaker weapon I was able to slay him and claim his blade as my own. And I slayed that fool with his own sword!"
Jack leapt back from another sword strike that sliced through his sleeve before he felt his back hit stone. He glanced behind him for a brief moment to see that he had been pushed to the edge of the bridge, with the raging rapids fueled by the storm cascading beneath him. He brought his attention back to the fight just in time to avoid a strike to his skull, that instead cleaved the stone.
"And your blade is clearly superior to mine Jack, but once again it shall be my skill that grants me this victory!" Dark Horse finished before thrusting at Jack. Jack dove out of the way once more, rolling to his hooves with his eyes flashing like the lightning in the sky above.
"You have disgraced the weapons of those you have claimed them from! I will make sure that you never do so to another again!" Jack promised as he slashed at the pony, gritting his teeth when his blade struck the electrical sword that intercepted his blow. But Jack pushed through the pain as he spun into the air and struck from above, slamming his blade into the magical one that resisted his strike. Yet with each blow Jack could feel himself pushing the pony back further and further, until the two were on the opposite edge of the bridge and the Dark Horse found himself with his back to the rapids.
"So many have said, Jack! And many have said some things about you," Dark Horse whispered with an unseen smile before he leapt into the air, twirling his body in a way that Jack had never seen before. But knowing that the battle would come down to this final strike, Jack followed him into the sky and performed a spin of his own that mirrored and surpassed the Dark Horse's...until he felt something in his back crack.
Jack cried out as pain flooded through his back, messing up his attack and allowing Dark Horse to drive his blade into Jack's shoulder. The samurai was then driven into the bridge, pinned to the stone by the blade while electricity coursed through his body. The Dark Horse stared into Jack's eyes as the electricity tore at Jack's nerves, but with one last act of unrelenting strength, Jack managed to get his hooves under the pony and kick him off of him. But Jack could do little else as he pushed himself back to his hooves, leaning against the bridge's railing as agony coursed up his spine.
"What...dark magic...did you do to me?" Jack wheezed out as he struggled to simply remain vertical, allowing Dark Horse to laugh as he sauntered right up to the samurai.
"Me? I did nothing to you Jack! You did this to yourself," Dark Horse triumphantly said, smiling beneath his helmet when he saw the confusion on his foe's face. "I heard another rumor about you, along with the stories about your blade. A rumor that you weren't actually a pony, but another creature disguised as one. And if that was true, then no matter how great your skills were, your new body would diminish them."
"Then...you planned for...?"
"Yes, Jack. I knew that you were probably the better fighter as well as wielding the better weapon. But I knew that if I could trick you into doing a move that you were so used to doing, that perhaps the pony body would not be able to move the way you wanted it to. And it seems that I was right." Dark Horse then reached down and picked Jack's sword off of the stone, holding it before him as he glanced over its blade. His green eyes then turned to Jack, who gritted his teeth in pain as he tried to prepare for the next strike.
"So this battle is over now, Jack. And I shall finish you the same way I did all those who fell before me," Dark Horse promised as he brought Jack's sword back, taking aim for the final strike. "With your own weapon." Just as Dark Horse unleashed the final strike, the rain cleared for just a moment, a moment that allowed Applejack to watch as the blade that Jack had wielded to vanquish evil...slashed across his chest and sent him hurtling over the edge of the bridge.
"JACK!" she screamed as Jack's motionless body fell into the rapids below, where his body was quickly swallowed by the raging river. And all the while Dark Horse watched with a smile on his face, one that widened when he saw the samurai's hoof sink beneath the water.
"Farewell, Samurai Jack. You weren't that bad...for a pretender."
Jack hurled himself to the side as black tendrils impaled themselves into the floor at his feet, Jack panting heavily as he sprang to his sandals while glaring at the black demon that towered far above him. The Master of Darkness had a smile on his face that clearly showed that he believed himself to be victorious.
"Come now samurai, do not make this too easy for me!" Aku laughed as he clapped his hands together, causing black spikes of solid darkness to erupt from the ground. Jack cried out while the spikes sliced at his legs, forcing him to dive to the side to escape the pointy doom.
"You were foolish to face me, Aku! Because now I can-" Jack began as he reached down for his blade, but with cold horror that gripped at his heart he realized that his most trusted ally was no longer with him.
"What is the matter samurai? Have you lost your sword?!" Aku laughed as he threw his head back, Jack's eyes shaking before he shook his head and took up a stance against Aku. "What is this? The fool believes that he can best me without his sword? That is very brave of you samurai...and makes it all the easier to devour you!"
As Aku said this, he reeled back while extended his maw far beyond what any man could do. Aku then swung his head straight down towards the samurai, whose eyes widened right before he was devoured by the monster and was consumed by his evil and darkness, not able to see a light.
--|======\
A weak groan escaped from the samurai's lips when his eyes fluttered open, slowly taking in the hay roof that covered his head. He blinked weakly before a rain drop descended and splashed onto his nose, getting the samurai to slowly push himself up. But when he placed pressure on his right arm, agony flooded his senses and he quickly recalled the place where Dark Horse had impaled him. Yet the pain had only just begun to fade before Jack placed a hoof at his side, only to confirm that his blade was indeed gone.
"Then it is true. I have lost my friend," Jack whispered to himself, able to hear the pounding of the rain outside that seemed as relentless as ever. Jack sighed softly before he heard the faintest sounds of snoring, and when he glanced beside the bed he had been resting upon he discovered Applejack, who was fast asleep with her hat still on top of her head and black bags under her eyes.
Despite the situation in which he found himself, Jack couldn't help but smile slightly at her before he forced himself off the bed and to his hooves with a grunt. He forced down the pain in his shoulder and in his back, which reminded him of how he ended up in this state, before he began to stagger towards the shack's exit. From the cool breeze he could feel, he knew that his outfit had been shredded again, adding to the list of things he needed to fix.
"But my sword comes first." Jack stepped out of the shack to find that the shack was in the center of a large jungle, with the large leaves overhead preventing the rain from striking down on the area near the shack. Only a few droplets managed to sneak past the foliage's net, but the absence of rain was the last of the samurai's concerns since his attention was fully glued to the zebra that rested upon a staff ten feet off the ground...on her head.
A few memories came back to Jack as he watched the zebra balance, reminding him of his days training with the Xiaolin monks before he waged war with Aku. Yet he had never been asked to balance on his head when he trained with them. Curious to see how the zebra was managing, he slowly approached the staff. He glanced up at the zebra when he got close, but to his confusion he found that her eyes were closed and she seemed to be balancing...on her mane.
"It is because of myself I have complete mastery. That is how I can balance so effortlessly." Jack took a few quick steps back when the zebra opened her eyes and looked up at Jack, a knowing smile crossing her face before she moved a hoof down to the staff and lifted herself upon a single limb. She then twisted and moved her body in a way so that she sat right side up, before slowly descending the staff with only her hooves, Jack was amazed that she could move so effortlessly and that the staff never swayed during the actions.
"Forgive me for staring, but I have rarely seen one who can move with such fluidity and grace as you do," Jack humbly apologized as he bowed. "I should introduce myself. I am called-"
"Yes, the samurai who wishes to get back. The samurai that they call, Jack," Zecora finished for him, her smile increasing slightly when Jack's eyes widened at her words. "Oh yes, I have heard of the name Jack. It seems to be the one all the travelers now bring back. The samurai who helps all with no desire for fame. The samurai who finally brought an end to Tirek's dark reign."
"Yes...I am indeed, Jack," Jack confirmed, yet as he caught a glimpse into the zebra's eyes he caught signs of mischief, mystique and...knowledge. The zebra then smiled and started to walk to a small pool of water that had been created by the rain, placing her staff in one end before sitting down.
"I am called Zecora, my famous guest. That is what you wanted to know, yes?" Zecora stated with another large smile as she turned to Jack, seeming to read the samurai's mind every time he wished to ask a question.
"Yes, that was one of my questions, Zecora," Jack quietly said with a nod before glancing down at himself once more. "But how did I come to this place? Where is this place anyhow?"
"I am not the one who carried you here. That would be Applejack, who is such a dear," Zecora answered. "She pulled you from the river that wished to claim your life, yet in the process almost extinguished her own light." Jack felt a twinge of guilt about learning that Applejack had almost died for him again, but with a shake of his head he banished such thoughts. "It was fortunate that she then ran into me, for you would not last much longer, you see. I took you into the place where I spent some moons, helping to heal you and repair your wounds."
"I see. Then I am indebted to you," Jack said with another bow that got an eyebrow raise out of Zecora. "It seems that I owe you my life." Yet to Jack's confusion, Zecora let out a sigh of frustration before tapping the edge of her staff, causing it to fly out of the water and spray the both of them.
"Were you not listening to a word I said? If not for Applejack, then you would already be dead!" Zecora repeated as the staff came twirling back down towards Jack, but even though he was injured the samurai still caught the weapon with little effort. A thin smile seemed to crease Zecora's lips before she motioned for Jack to return her staff to her, which he did so. "She pulled you from rapids that should have killed you dead! So turn around and go indebt yourself to her instead!"
"I will...do that. Yet I still do owe you for tending to my wounds," Jack politely said with another bow, getting another sigh out of Zecora, yet her smile didn't leave her face this time. "And I must also ask that you tell me which way we came from. There is something that I must do."
"If you wish to retrieve your sword, then you had better pray to your lord. With your current skills you will lose twice, but this time the cost will be your life," Zecora warned the samurai, whose face darkened slightly at her words. "And then you will break poor Applejack's soul, while I dump your body in a hole."
"I can best him. My skills as a warrior are unmatched," Jack stated with absolute certainty, yet Zecora merely chuckled at his words before driving her staff into the mud. She then turned to Jack and stood up on her hind legs, making Jack raise an eyebrow at her actions.
"Your skills may be far above the rest, but let me put you to a little test. If you can strike me once I shall let you be free. But if you fail you will listen to me," Zecora wagered. Jack barely needed a second to think about his answer before agreeing to her terms, rising onto his back hooves as well and mirroring Zecora.
The two silently stared at each other for a brief moment before Jack made the first move, covering the distance between the two in a flash as one of his hooves aimed strike for her face. Yet with a simple flick of her wrist Zecora deflected the strike and struck Jack in the hind leg, causing him to growl when his leg gave out from under him. He skidded into the mud, kicking the numbness out of his leg while wondering what the zebra had done.
"You fight as if you are in your previous form. Yet your previous strength is no longer your norm," Zecora informed Jack, who was starting to become numb to the fact that everypony seemed to know that he was human. "That throws off your strikes and skills, making it easy to tell when you go in for the kill."
"So, the reason that I was bested was because I had simply not become fully accustomed to my form yet," Jack caught on, yet when he glanced down at his hooves the zebra kicked his legs out from beneath him and drove a hoof into his neck that made his entire body tingle.
"This victory belongs to me. But there is more to this than your body." Jack raised an eyebrow in confusion before the zebra helped pull him to his hooves. "The issue with your form I can mend like your skin, yet this battle I speak of comes from within. There is a darkness that pulls at your heart, a pain and suffering that seeks to tear you apart."
"If this darkness is within me, then what can I do to vanquish it?" Jack asked with no trace of fear, but Zecora held up a hoof with a shake of her head.
"Everypony's darkness is dealt with in a different way. The solution to your pain is something I cannot say." Jack frowned at her answer before both he and Zecora heard the sounds of hooves running towards them and they both turned to see Applejack racing towards the pair, relief in her eyes when she saw Jack standing on his own.
"Oh thank Faust, when ah saw ya were gone ah was certain that ya had gone off after Dark Horse all on yer lonesome," AJ visibly sighed with relief before wiping under her tired eyes. "Ah'm glad to see that yer not as wounded as ah thought. Ah...after ah pulled ya from the river ah was so afraid that..."
"Applejack has stayed at your side for four sleepless nights, watching over you as you battled your fight," Zecora informed Jack, who bowed towards Applejack with gratitude in his eyes. "But here is a fact that I find weird. Applejack said that you had been slashed, yet that wound does not appear."
"Yer right," Applejack said after a quick yawn as she glanced at Jack's chest, not able to see where his blade had slashed across his chest. "Ah know for certain that yer blade struck you, but there's not a scratch on ya from where it struck. How did that...?"
"There will be time to explain that later. But right now I must ask that you train me," Jack pleaded as he turned back towards Zecora and bowed to her, getting her to raise an eyebrow at his request. "It is clear that you are a great warrior that has far surpassed me. If you can show me how to properly move, then perhaps I will be able to best the Dark Horse."
Zecora raised an eyebrow at Jack before letting out a small chuckle as she pressed her hoof against a few of his joints. "Do not sell yourself so short. From what little I saw you will not take much work. Your skills are already far beyond mine, you are only held back by body and mind. So I will teach you how to move and soon your skill will you prove."
For the rest of the day Zecora had Jack throwing punches while standing on his back hooves, yet she had also tied a sharp rock to his back that dug into his skin if he threw a punch that was out of place. AJ watched from the side with worried eyes as Jack constantly gritted in pain every few punches, but after a few hours Jack had nearly perfected how to punch.
"He learns quite fast. This shall truly be a blast."
She then had Jack balance hot tea on each of his limbs, yet the difference in this training from similar training that he had received was that he was keeping his legs bent backwards in a way only his new body could bend. Every time that he spilled even the slightest drop Jack was forced to bend all the way back down a repeat the task. The sun had set on him by the time he had begun to get the hang of his legs being able to bend the way they were, but as Zecora headed off to bed she informed him that he was to stay that way through the night.
"Don't worry Jack, ah'll be here with ya every step of the way," Applejack offered him, but with the tiniest shake of his head Jack refused her offer.
"You have already done so much for me and you stayed up for nights making sure that I was fine. Go rest, Applejack. This task is one that I must complete alone." Despite his words Applejack watched Jack as he remained perfectly motionless for the first few hours, but eventually the sleep deprivation got to her and she snoozed softly off to the side as Jack remained in place.
"I am impressed. You have passed the second test," Zecore said with a smile the following morning when she found Jack in the same position that she had left him the previous night. He bowed to her once she had removed the tea from his arms and legs, before turning towards Jack with a smile on her face. "Now I can see that your life of training has allowed you to learn fast. So instead of the smaller touches, this task shall be your last. All you have to do now is simply best me. Now doesn't that sound easy?"
Yet to Jack's amazement, Zecora proved to be a far stronger opponent than he believed possible for a zebra that said his skills were greater than his. The sun had just began to rise over the horizon when they engaged in their first battle, where Jack was quickly bested. Undeterred, he rose up and challenged her once again, only for the same result to be repeated just as fast. Their battles continued until noon, where the exhausted samurai was forced to take a moment to rest and tend to his bruises.
"How are ya doing?" AJ asked Jack while offering him apple juice and tarts that she had made with some of Zecora's groceries.
"She is an unbelievable foe. Every time I believe I have caught her in skill or speed, she seems to leap to another level above me," Jack replied as he graciously accepted Applejack's offering, clearing the plate and glass quickly. "But I am learning, even if it is only how to move. Let us see what the rest of the day has to offer."
The sun set and rose as the two continued to battle, and despite Jack starting to learn how to move faster and get a better feel for his body, Zecora constantly beat him with little effort. It was when the sun set for the third time that Zecora finally held up a hoof during one of their sessions, causing the depleted Jack to stop an attack mid-swing.
"It seems that you still do not see. Jack, you could best me easily," Zecora admitted to Jack, who was too tired to even raise an eyebrow. "Yet you still believe yourself to be as you once were. But here is a thought that your mind shall stir. There is now another side of you, a pony side. Why is it that, that is the side that you continue to deny? Embrace all of who you are and you will be able to reach even the stars."
Zecora resumed the battle after saying that, yet this time Jack finally allowed himself to fully embrace the four legged equine that he had become. 'With this new form I have been given a new strength as well,' Jack silently thought as he closed his eyes, allowing his mind to feel out his body for the first time. 'Perhaps it is time I stopped relying on my old strength...and started fighting with the new one. I thank the heavens for granting me this body to deal with this new threat. Now I shall put its full power to the test.'
Then Jack lunged forward, reaching Zecora within an instant. Zecora raised her hooves to defend herself...before blinking and finding herself flat on her back, staring up at the smiling samurai. Applejack let out a gasp before following it up with a whoop, racing over to Jack as he offered a hoof to Zecora. A smile crossed her own face before Jack helped her back up, both bowing to each other before Zecora then waved Jack away.
"Your have finally passed the last test. So what are you still doing here, you pest. Get out of my sight and stop being a sore...but the next time we meet, you better have your sword." Zecora then clapped her hooves together and created a cloud of smoke that blinded both Jacks, yet the samurai had a smile on his face when the smoke cleared and they found that she had vanished.
"Thank you for teaching me your way. Now there is a certain pony that I must make pay."
--|=======\
Even though there was no rain that pounded away on the stone bridge, the dark clouds that rumbled overhead made the dark pony know that that could change at any moment. Yet the rain was the least of the pony's concerns. What concerned him was that a pony in a shredded kimono, that he had supposedly killed, was now walking onto the bridge with his orange friend at his side.
Jack came to a stop a slight distance away from the Dark Horse, simply staring at him for a moment before nodding to Applejack. She nodded in reply before walking across the bridge, not giving the Dark Horse so much as a glance when she passed by him.
The moment she was off the bridge, Dark Horse lunged forward while drawing forth Jack's blade, smiling under his helmet at the thought of getting to kill the samurai a second time. Yet when the pony reached Jack, the samurai moved in a blur of motion, one hoof catching the hilt of his sword while the other struck the Dark Horse in the elbow. He cried out as the blow forced him to release Jack's sword and he staggered back with a snarl as Jack slowly moved his recovered sword in front of his face.
Dark Horse drew his magic blade before roaring with fury, lunging at Jack with the weapon held high. Jack returned the favor by leaping into the air with him, both warriors slashing at each other at the same time. They both hit the bridge simultaneously, neither one of them moving for a few seconds...before Jack slowly stood up and slid his blade across the top of his scabbard.
He then sheathed his blade before walking towards the end of the bridge where Applejack was waiting for him, never turning around to see Dark Horse slowly collapse to the very bridge where he had claimed so many, joining those that he had claimed. Yet as Jack felt the weight pulling slightly against his side again, he couldn't help but smile down at his blade.
"...Well that's just unfair! Are ya seriously telling me that after ya solved the danged creature's riddle and it ate ya, it turned out to just be a sea serpent and not magic?!" AJ yelled with a rage that Jack mirrored himself after he had discovered the truth. The sudden outburst of the mare disturbed the wildlife in the grassy hills that the two passed through, telling stories to one another while they each basked in the golden light.
"That is remarkably close to the reaction that I had when I discovered the truth, except that I was more sad at first," Jack noticed. "And sadly I was not the first to discover the lie the hard way. There were many souls within the twin-headed beast's stomach that had fallen for their tale."
"So what did ya do after ya found out?" AJ sighed once she had calmed down enough.
"I escaped and helped the others to do so as well," Jack said with a small shrug. "Yet, while I had the strength to carry on my quest, most of the others within had been broken by the experience and simply returned to their homes, if they still had them. I cannot say I blame them. To had come so far and to solve the twins' riddle only to be eaten...it would crush the spirits of many."
"Ugh, ah still can't believe ya have to go through all of these struggles to go back in time and attempt to defeat Aku once again," Applejack said with a shake of her head. "Saving your family from Aku's wrath really must be your everything, if ya can constantly put up with trash like that."
"I am not just going back in time to save my home," Jack clarified for Applejack, getting him an eyebrow raise. "I am also doing this to save everyone in the past, present and future from the wrath of Aku. No one should have to live under his tyranny." Jack then glanced over at the orange mare to see that she had a strange look on her face, one that was both impressed and a bit full of pity.
"Yer a better pony than me, Jack. Ah'd fight Aku to save mah family and friends like yer doing, but ah don't know if ah'd want to save a future like the one ya wound up in," she admitted before increasing her stride and walking ahead of Jack. "Most of the creatures ya come across seem to be real jerks, and those are the ones that ain't trying to kill ya. The future of yer world doesn't seem like it's worth this painful journey of yers."
"It is not all bad. I have made numerous close friends that I would trust with my life," Jack continued on with a smile as he recalled his allies that had fought with him. "There is the Scotsman, for one. He may be loud and a bit crass, but he has the heart of a warrior and saved my life from a terrible fate on more than one occasion. He is a good soul."
"Okay, there's one worth saving. Now can ya name any others?" Applejack teased with a smile, forcing Jack to place a hoof to his chin as he recalled who else he had encountered.
"Well...there is also you." Applejack looked back at Jack after hearing his words, surprised to see that the samurai was smiling at her. "You helped me battle the vine creature despite not even knowing me. You then escorted me to a place where I could find a magic source that would have been able to take me home. And recently you saved my life when that dark warrior bested me on the bridge. You are a good friend, Applejack, and I am indebted to you."
"Oh, don't start with that again," Applejack sighed with frustration at Jack's debt talk, but her face did get slightly warmer when he bowed to her with a smile. "Besides, ah still think ah'm far more indebted to ya. But unless ya want me to bring out the list of things ya saved me for, ah suggest we just leave it at even."
"As you wish Applejack, I do not wish to cause conflict between the two of us," Jack resigned before lifting his nose to the air and inhaling a few times, an unmistakable scent on the tip of his nose that made him flash back to the days of his youth.
"Ah see that yer starting to smell them as well. Yep, we're getting pretty close to mah apple orchard," Applejack smiled as she followed Jack and sniffed the air as well. "And it seems like we'll be getting a good crop this year if the smell of those beauties is any indication."
"You continue to amaze me. You are able to tell the condition of your apples simply by smelling them?"
"Well, yeah. Ah've trained mahself to be able to tell how good mah apples are with each of mah senses. Kinda like the way ya seem to know yer blade even if ya aren't holding it," Applejack pointed out, getting Jack to look at his blade before looking back up at AJ. The pony was standing at the top of a hill with a large smile on her face, staring down at something below.
Jack joined her on the hilltop to find the pony looking down at a small town that was nestled comfortably amongst the hills, with buildings that gleamed brightly in the sunlight. Even from their distance, Jack could see numerous ponies walking, flying or using magic to move about their home. A smile crept across his face as memories of his own city came back to his mind, never noticing that Applejack was also smiling at his reaction.
"Ah figured ya think along those lines," she muttered to herself before pushing her hat back and resuming their rapidly ending journey. "Come on Jack, if we continue on now we're sure to make it before noon. And ah know ah'm itching to get back to work as soon as ah can."
Applejack had taken a few steps before she realized that Jack had yet to move, and when she glanced back at him she found him staring far off into the distance, thinking thoughts that even the Ambassador of Honesty couldn't read.
"You are...right, in some degree," Jack finally admitted after minutes of silence, perking the orange mare up. "My world...can be cold, merciless, and some days seem as if all the good that was once held in it is gone. That I am fighting for a world that no longer exists." Jack slowly moved over beside Applejack, softly staring down at the small town that rested before them.
"But here...I am reminded of my home, how my world used to be," Jack continued softly. "Where kindness, honor and laughter ruled the world instead of fear and evil. I have seen much evil during my journeys in your world, but I have also seen forgiveness, kindness and love. Emotions that my future has been devoid of for so long. But here, I finally feel like...I know where I am. It is strange I know, but..."
"Ah, yer just being silly, Jack. Of course that future of yers may seem bleak and evil, at least according to your stories, but yer forgetting that there is love and noble sacrifice in yer world," Applejack laughed with a smile, but when Jack's face remained confused she rolled her eyes before poking him in the chest. "You. Yer the most noble and selfless pony...no, being ah've ever met. To have such a tragic tale as yers and yet to never place yer own desires before others...but yer never resentful of yer actions or reminding everypony of what ya did. Yer just a kind pony, with no hidden agenda or desires. Ya just like to help."
"Of course. What kind of person would I be if I did not aid those who needed help, even complete strangers?" Jack asked AJ, whose eyes softened as she smiled at him.
"There it is. That...kind aura," she pointed out with a small chuckle. "And that's probably what ah'm gonna miss most when ya finally do return to yer past...how ya always can seem to turn a bad situation into something good. Ah feel like ya have a lot ya could teach the ponies of mah world...that kindness of yers. That's what ah like the most about ya. Of course, it doesn't hurt that that mage that sent ya here made ya cute as well," she teased with a wink before racing ahead with a laugh, getting Jack to chuckle at her words before he stared off into the distance again.
Applejack's words were what plagued his thoughts, her talk about him being able to teach the ponies of this world...just as the mare he had met had spoken along similar lines. And as Jack glanced down at his kimono, at the spot where he knew his flank was blank, he began to wonder if that may be his talent. His ability to teach those morals that his future had long since lost.
"Perhaps that is what my talent is?" Jack found himself asking. "Perhaps I am meant to teach those of what I have endured...so that evil like Aku's will never be able to surface once again." Jack's thoughts were interrupted when Applejack let out a whistle and waved Jack over to her. With wide eyes Jack found Applejack standing in front of a small arch that had the words, "Welcome to Ponyville" written on the wood.
"We've finally made it, Samurai Jack!" she exclaimed with a holler. "As the sign says, welcome to Ponyville, Jack. The town where the impossible happens."
"And the impossible happening is just what I require."
--|=====\
Flames billowed from the writhing pits below as thousands of souls cried out for something to end their suffering, but their cries fell upon ears that enjoyed every wail. Steeples of darkness towered, jutted and spiraled into a structure that drove fear into the hearts of all who glanced upon its majesty, leaving no head raised for any who dared to look up to demonic structure.
For within the tower that was far larger than any of the advanced buildings around it, was the master of evil, the ruler of the world that had stood unopposed for thousands of years. The demon that no one dared to even whisper of, for fear that he might be listening. For the tower was home of the shape-shifting master of darkness.
Aku.
The solid black demon that was constructed nearly entirely of shadows stood motionless in his main chamber, his sinister eyes narrowed as they glared into a mirror that was supposed to be able to reveal all to him. His burning eyebrows, one of his few features that was not formed in the darkness, had been narrowed for weeks as he awaited any sign, like one of his armies being destroyed or a country he owned being freed.
"Yet, all that had happened these past few weeks has been nothing," the great demon lord spoke aloud with a frown as he turned towards a creature that had entered into his throne room, bowing at the demon's base. "Well?! Have you discovered where the samurai is?!"
"N-no, oh great Aku. We have been following his trail, but after crossing a desert he seems to have completely vanished," the being stammered while keeping his eyes glued to the ground. Aku narrowed his own eyes before twin blasts of fire erupted from them, burning the creature into ash within a matter of moments.
"Hmm, this is indeed troublesome," Aku muttered as he scratched at his beard, pondering what could have happened to his timeless foe. "He is far too skilled to have fallen to any except for me, and we both know that he will not rest until either he has slain me or I him." The demon then turned back to the mirror, which remained blank despite Aku's multiple attempts to worm information from it.
"But he never remains quiet for this long. A small injustice, a pitiful fool that needs help: sooner or later I hear word of the samurai. But this quiet is...unsettling." Aku then sensed motion in his room and with a demonic howl he spun, prepared fully to battle the samurai to the death. But to both his relief and disappointment, he found that it was not Jack that he was menacing over...but another.
"Who are you and why do you dare to come before the great Aku?" Aku asked the visitor as he regained his regal form.
"Because, your majesty, I have heard word that you have offered a large reward for any who can tell you the location of the samurai known as Jack." Aku could see little of the being's body, for nearly everything was covered in gray robes. But he could also sense a magical power coming from the being, that, while not great enough to worry Aku, did make him narrow his eyes.
"Do you mean to tell me that you know something that the great Aku does not?!" Aku bellowed with fury as he glared down at the robed man, who bowed humbly as Aku simmered down. "Speak. And if your words are pleasing to me, then you will not only leave with your life, but riches untold."
"Your excellency, the reason you cannot find Jack is because he is no longer on your world," the mage explained, getting the great demon to narrow his eyes. "I know this because I sent him to another reality, a reality where I told him there would be a magic to return him to his past. But in truth, that world has not had that magic in centuries. He is essentially trapped there with no way to return to either this world or his past. He has been dealt with."
"FOOL!" Aku roared the moment that mage finished speaking, getting the old man to cower slightly as Aku's burning gaze fixed on him. "As long as the samurai still draws breath, he will find a way not only to return to me, but possibly to also return to the past as well, despite what you think." Aku's eyes then narrowed slightly as an idea came to him and a wicked smile began to creep across his face.
"But I may be able to make the most of this most fortuitous situation. This world that you have sent him to, do they pose any threat to me?"
"No, my lord. They are capable of magic, but nothing like the blade that can hurt you," the mage informed Aku, whose smile grew even wider at the news of not only where Jack was...but a possible new world that he could make his.
"Then prepare your magic once more. For I wish to send a...gift to this world."
Birds sang merrily as they tweeted by overhead; little bunnies hopped along the roads with flowers, carrots and other items held in their teeth; and ponies conversed with each other all the while smiling. Yet even as peaceful as the day was, the ponies of Ponyville could not help but turn to look at the strange pony who walked through their streets next to Applejack...or rather, stare at his blade.
Jack's eyes narrowed with just a hint as he heard the conversations slowly turn into whispers, all of which he knew were about him. He resisted the urge to grab hold of his blade and instead chose to let his anxiety go with a simple exhale, before facing forward and shutting out the whispers.
"Don't worry none, ponies here love to gossip about whatever new thing ends up in our town," Applejack enlightened Jack as she waved to the townsponies, all of whom waved back to her. "Ya should have seen it when we were all getting to know Zecora for the first time. Ah think nearly all of us were scared stiff just because of a few rumors."
"I have found it is best to not judge one based on your eyes or ears, but instead what you learn about them," Jack wisely answered as he glanced around and took in the strange buildings. His eyes were immediately drawn to the massive, crystal like castle that towered over the rest of the small buildings, but some of the other ones caught his eye as well.
One looked like it was made entirely of sweets, and the scent of treats that wafted through the air further supported his theory. Another--but much fancier--building entered his gaze as they walked near it, causing him to tilt his head when the pair got close enough to hear crying echoing from within.
"What is the matter? Is the pony there in danger?" Jack asked with concern while his hoof went to his blade, but AJ placed a hoof to Jack's chest with a roll of her eyes.
"Trust me, the only thing that pony is in danger of, is missing her couch when she has one of her "episodes". Gosh darn it Rarity, ah'm back in town for barely five minutes and already yer bawling yer eyes out!" Applejack hollered at the building. The moment she called out, the crying stopped and the door was practically ripped from its hinges as a white mare with mascara running down her face emerged, tears still in her eyes while she raced to her friend.
"Oh, Applejack!" the pony that Jack assumed was Rarity sobbed as she tried to hug the mare, but AJ sidestepped her and the mare grabbed at thin air. "It's just terrible!"
"What's the matter this time? Lose an eyelash?" AJ asked with a bored expression on her face, but if the mare caught onto the sarcasm, she didn't show it.
"It's just terrible! One of my clients, quite possibly one of the riches stallions I've ever met, came by during his visit to Ponyville to sample my clothing line. But when he looked at them, he called them...he called them...decent!" Tears practically filled Rarity's eyes before she let out another wail and threw herself at AJ, who sighed while Rarity began to sob into her shoulder while Jack looked on in confusion.
"Um, is she always like this?" Jack asked.
"Eeyup. Jack, this is Rarity. Rarity, this is-" Rarity spun on a dime and stuck her face practically into Jack, while her eyes that had been filled with tears a moment ago now hungrily looked at his features. Jack was frozen by the mare's eyes as she began to examine the rest of his body, raising an eyebrow at his garb before both eyebrows raised at the muscle beneath his kimono.
"Very muscular, air of royalty about him...cute face," Rarity murmured to herself before she batted her eyelashes at Jack while bowing slightly. "How very nice to meet you, Mr. Jack. I am Rarity, the fashionista of this town."
"Er, it is nice to meet you?" Jack slowly replied as he bowed as well, but when both raised their heads, once again Jack found that Rarity was looking deep into his eyes.
"My, what a very chiseled jaw you have," Rarity murmured as she started to get closer, but before she could say anymore an orange hoof wrapped itself around her face and pushed her back.
"Forgive mah friend here, she can be invasive at times," AJ apologized for Rarity, who slipped past the mare and quickly began to examine Jack's kimono.
"What a most interesting attire, darling. I dare say that it's woven in a way that I have never seen before," Rarity guessed with an expert's opinion. "May I ask who your tailor is and where they are located?"
"My mother taught me how to make my kimono, but I am the one who made this one." Rarity smiled over at AJ with impressed eyes while Applejack tried to motion for Rarity to give Jack some space.
"I must say for a pony that does not use any tools, this is remarkably well done," Rarity nodded before glancing at Jack's forelegs, amazed once again by the lean muscles she could see in the sleeves. "But I can see that sewing is not your only talent. You must do some serious labor to get muscles as lean and fit as those..."
"Well yes, I have journeyed for a long time, so I suppose that it...is only..." Jack drifted off as Rarity moved closer to him, batting her eyelashes once again as she giggled slightly at the confused look on his face. "Er, is there something that is the matter?"
"Oh, nothing is the matter, darling. I was just wondering if you would like to get some tea with me," Rarity asked with a flirtatious grin while whipping her mane back, posing slightly with a smile. "I would simply love to hear all about your adventures and how-GAH!" Rarity yelped as Applejack began to push Rarity away with a broom, a less than amused expression on the orange pony's face as she pushed her friend back.
"Leave him alone, Rarity, he's here to see Twilight, not you," Applejack informed Rarity, who turned her head away from AJ before waving at Jack again.
"Well don't be a stranger, Jack. I would love to get to know you--okay, I'm going!" Rarity finished as Applejack started to chase her with the broom again.
"Ah'm sorry that was yer first experience in Ponyville," Applejack apologized while she returned the broom to the shopkeep from whom she had borrowed it, shaking her head as both she and Jack caught Rarity blowing a kiss towards Jack from her front porch. "Rarity has a good heart, but once she sets her mind on something...ugh."
"Are...all of your friends as...interesting as her?" Jack asked with some trepidation in his voice.
"Relax Jack, yer here to see Princess Twilight. Ah'll introduce ya to my other friends if we meet them along the way, but mah number one concern is getting ya to her and seeing if she can help ya get back to the past," Applejack said with unbreakable determination in her voice, but then a smile broke out across her face as she glanced off far into the distance. "Of course, ah'm gonna show ya mah farm before ya go. No way ah'm letting ya miss that."
"From all the stories you have told me, I would disappointed if I did not visit it and your family," Jack politely laughed before turning forward once more...to look right into two bright blue eyes that were mere inches away from him. Jack let out a cry of shock as his blade slashed at the pony before him, but all the blade cut was air as the pony simply...appeared at Jack's side.
"That's a strange way to greet a new pony. Is that how you greet ponies in your land? Will I have to slash at you with a sword?" Jack's breathing slowly returned to normal as he sheathed his blade, narrowed eyes glued to the pink pony that was humming to herself while she bounced around him.
"Pinkie, sit still fer a minute and ah'll introduce the two of ya," Applejack ordered, but the pink pony continued to bounce around while humming. "Ugh, Pinkie Pie, this is Jack, a friend of mine. Jack, this is Pinkie Pie. She might be my cousin. We're not entirely sure."
"Well, a friend of Applejack's is a friend of mine! Howdy there, friend!" Pinkie smiled with pure delight as she extended a hoof to Jack. Jack raised an eyebrow at her actions, but he read no malice in her eyes so with a smile of his own he shook her hoof.
"I am honored to meet you. And if Applejack is your friend, er, family, then I am certain that we shall get along as well," Jack politely responded, only to find that Pinkie had already circled around Jack three times and seemed to be far more intrusive than Rarity.
"Ooohh! This is a cool dress! Where did you get it?" Jack opened his mouth to answer, but Pinkie had already moved onto the next question. "What about your flank? How come you don't have a cutie mark?"
"How do you-?"
"What kind of sword is that? It looks sharp! Can you cut through my sister's rock cake with that?"
"Alright, that's enough of twenty questions," Applejack decided as she placed a hoof over her friend's mouth, yet the pony refused to stop talking despite her mouth being blocked. "Again ah'm so sorry about this, she just loves to make friends with new ponies."
"Well, there is nothing wrong with being friendly. It is quite a nice change of pace from where I am from," Jack smiled with an understanding nod to Applejack, who smiled gratefully in return before she let go of Pinkie's mouth.
"Ah'd love to stay longer and talk Pinkie, but Jack and I are heading to Twilight to see if she can help us with a problem," Applejack explained to Pinkie, whose attention was grabbed by a butterfly that she began to chase around. "So...ah'll see ya later, ah guess?" AJ waved slightly as she and Jack began to take off.
"Okay. I've got to plan Jack's welcome to Ponyville party anyway! I just hope that it doesn't interfere with the party I have planned for Shining Armor." Applejack stopped dead in her tracks before turning to look back at Pinkie, who was giggling at the insect on her nose.
"Shining Armor's here? What fer?"
"Oh didn't ya hear? Shining and Cadence were both sent here when word got out that Tirek had escaped!" Pinkie informed the both of them, who shared concerned glances before AJ asked her cousin to elaborate. "Yep, the moment he got out, Celestia and Luna brought the two of them here for when Tirek tried to make his move to take Canterlot. Twilight told me they figured that they'd need all the magic they could get since nopony could find you."
Once again, Applejack flashed Jack a grateful smile and Jack simply nodded politely in response. "But then a new rumor reached us, one that a pony had managed to defeat Tirek once and for all. You should have seen Twilight's face when she discovered this, her jaw went straight to the floor! Ever since then she's dedicated all of her time to finding this pony and the magic he used to beat Tirek. She said that she would not rest until she had the source of that pony's power in her hooves."
"Does...does Twilight know who this pony is?" Applejack asked Pinkie for Jack.
"Nope. Nopony seems to know his name. But when asking around numerous stories popped up about him and one thing they all had in common was that he helped ponies out while carrying a blade with him. Just like the one...Jack has." Pinkie narrowed her eyes as she slowly moved her head to look at Jack, whose face remained emotionless despite the nervousness that was building in his chest. Then a smile crossed Pinkie's face and she giggled once again. "Funny huh? Welp, see the two of you later!"
Both Jacks wore the same look of concern on their faces as the pink pony danced away, and Applejack cast a worried glance towards the crystal castle, which was much closer to the two of them than they originally had noticed.
"Perhaps it would be best if ah go in first, try to tell Twilight about ya before she comes at ya with guns a blazing," Applejack offered for Jack with a nervous chuckle. "Ah mean, Twilight means well, but she's done some crazy things in her efforts to better understand magic."
"Thank you for the offer, but I will meet with her personally," Jack decided with concrete resolution. "If I do not meet her in person, er, pony, then she may be less inclined to believe in my words and that my goals are just. After all, even you admitted that you did not trust me at first, due to my weapon and strange way of...acting."
"And ah know now ah was wrong," Applejack said with a sigh before tipping her hat up. "Alright Jack, ah'll take ya to Twilight. Let's just hope ya don't have to demonstrate that blade's power against her. That would be an awkward first meeting."
"I have had stranger." The two then began their march towards the castle, with Jack holding his head high while Applejack tried to think of what she would tell Twilight before the mare tried to do anything to Jack. But every once in awhile Jack would catch AJ glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, telling him that something is the matter. "If you have something to say to me Applejack, please do not hesitate to ask me. I will not lie."
"Well, it's that...Pinkie said that ya didn't have a cutie mark. Was she telling the truth?" Jack nodded as he reached back and lifted the rear of his kimono, not noticing Applejack avert her eyes while her face turned slightly red. But when she did dare a glance she found that her family's words were true and there was no mark upon Jack.
"The mage that sent me here failed to add that to my body, if that was something he could add," Jack explained as he lowered his garb once again. "But when I met a changeling here, she explained that a cutie mark was a symbol of a pony's talent in a visible form. A mark they get when they discover who they are."
"That's pretty much right. See mine?" AJ asked as Jack glanced at the apples on Applejack's flank. "Those appeared when ah returned to mah farm and discovered that ah was meant to work with apples. It showed me who I am."
"So it revealed your destiny," Jack muttered to himself before both AJ and Jack walked into a large shadow, getting the both of them to look up to find that they had arrived at the castle. Applejack gulped lightly before she cast a glance at Jack, who nodded firmly with conviction in his eyes. Applejack nodded as well before she walked up to the twin massive doors before taking in one last breath.
Tension began to wear off after the fifth time Applejack knocked her hoof against the crystal doors, both she and Jack sharing a glance. The next time, Jack lifted his hoof to knock against the doors for her.
"Ah think she might not be home," Applejack finally suggested, when even Jack's knock proved no better than Applejack's. "Normally, she's here by the fourth knock. Well, ah guess we can postpone you getting to see her until she returns...which gives me a little time to figure out how to introduce you. Sorry that you'll have to wait to see if her magic can help you."
"I have been traveling for a long time and have had my 'journey's end' stolen from me many times," Jack reminded Applejack with a calm expression on his face. "I can wait a little longer."
"That's some patience ya got," AJ said with a smile before catching a rainbow blur zip by overhead, heading in the direction of her apple orchard. "And there goes one of the most impatient ponies that ah've ever met. Come on Jack, with Twilight out of town that gives me a chance to show ya mah home. Yer gonna love mah family."
"If they are anything like you, then they should be most interesting," Jack agreed, getting Applejack to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Ya saying ah'm interesting?"
"In the good way, of course," Jack said calmly and without disrespect, but his eyes flashed with mischief for just a moment.
"Of course," Applejack smirked back before she began to head into town with Jack following close behind. The pair walked through a different part of the town on their way to Applejack's home, allowing Jack to spy the charred remains of a building that was still being cleared out.
"What happened to that building?" Jack asked AJ, surprised to see wrath flashing in her eyes as she glanced over at the burned area.
"That used to be Twilight's library--before Tirek blew it up." Jack's eyes narrowed at the monster's name while AJ seethed a bit. "Yeah, that darned centaur attacked us not too long ago. Stole all of the magic in Equestria and used it to become super powerful. Twilight fought against him, but her house was one of the many casualties of that battle."
"It is similar to Aku. All of those who have evil hearts desire only power," Jack nodded.
"Yeah, but he wasn't the first to try and take over our world. Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra...ya know Jack, our world might have ended up like yers if we didn't have our friendship to fight against the evil here," Applejack muttered before an idea popped into her head, and she glanced back at Jack, who read in her eyes that she had realized something. "Hey Jack, whenever ya fought against Aku, did ya have any help?"
"No. Only I with my magical blade can possibly hope to slay the demon," Jack clarified for her, but he knew that she would not ask unless there was more. "What are you trying to say?"
"That perhaps, that's the reason you've had so much trouble," AJ began, Jack listening to her words carefully. "Because whenever our world's been in danger, the only way we've been able to save it time after time was because we had our friendship. If we tried to fight them by ourselves, we would be beaten. But with the greatest magic we have, friendship, we've been able to prevail."
"Are you suggesting...that the reason I have yet to best the demon is because I have been fighting him alone?" Jack asked, a frown spreading across his face when AJ nodded. "It...is an interesting idea to be sure, but I cannot ask another to battle against Aku with me. Only my blade has the magic within it to hurt the monster, and therefore I am the only one who can best him. It is how it must be."
"Are ya sure about that?" Jack cast his gaze to AJ, who had an expression upon her face that he couldn't entirely read. "Because the power of our Elements, and now our Rainbow power, has been known to best quite a few evil beings as well. Yer forgetting, Jack, that yer in Equestria now. Perhaps yer blade was the only magic in yer world that could hurt Aku, but here there's a lot of magic."
Jack pondered over Applejack's words, knowing that there was truth in them. He had never tried to use another magic against Aku before, and while he did not believe any weapon aside from his sword to be able to harm the demon, he silently admitted that the possibility of another force that could defeat Aku...
"Hey Jack, look up." Placing those thoughts within the confines of his mind, the samurai lifted his eyes, which immediately widened at the lush green trees that held thousands of ripe, red fruit within their leaves. And as far as the samurai looked, all he could see were apple trees, each one as bright and full of life as the next.
As Jack took in the sheer volume of trees that surrounded him on every side, he found his thoughts returning to when he was a boy, back to when there were trees like this in his village. Visions of him racing through the orchard, swinging from branch to branch and eating apples under the trees.
"Uh Jack? Ya spaced out there for a second." Applejack's words brought him back to the present, and with a small shake of his head he returned those memories to the part of his mind that kept his cherished days safe.
"Forgive me, I was...ah, I believe that I see your home."
As Jack said this, a red barn with a smaller house beside it had just come into view over one of the hills. A small smile crossed Jack's face and his pace quickened slightly, but AJ held out a hoof to stop him before she glared up at a tree.
"Get down here, Rainbow! Ya know what ah've told ya about using mah trees fer yer naps!" she hollered up at one of the trees, which Jack was only now noticing seemed to be snoring. A grunt could be heard followed by the shifting of leaves, and a few moments later a pony's head stuck out from the branches, a rainbow mane flowing behind her as she squinted at the pair.
"Oh hey, AJ. You're back much later than you said you'd be," Rainbow said with a yawn while she blinked twice, her glazed eyes looking from Applejack to the samurai, who stared up at her with a curious expression. "So who's the stallion? He your coltfriend or something?"
"I am called Jack," Jack introduced himself, while Applejack glared daggers at the rainbow pony. "You are another of Applejack's friends, are you not?"
"What, you've never heard of me?" Rainbow Dash asked with an almost insulted tone in her voice. "Jeez, you must have been living under a rock to not have heard of the greatest flier in Equestria."
"I am sorry. I meant no disrespect," Jack said as he bowed, getting Dash to raise an eyebrow with confusion before sighing and resting against the branch she was sitting on once more.
"It's cool, just stop bowing. Now can the two of you go away, I'm trying to get some shut eye."
"Listen here, ya..." Applejack began with a harsh tone, but then she quickly glanced over at Jack. She growled to herself before letting out her anger in one sigh before waiving for Jack to follow her. "Come on Jack, ah want to introduce ya to my family before nightfall so we best get moving. Ah'll have words with ya later," she then promised Rainbow Dash, who was already sound asleep once more.
"Ah swear, that mare..." Applejack thundered to herself under her breath, not noticing that Jack had moved a little bit further away from her. As the two reached the front gates to the farm, Applejack finally managed to repress her frustration and her smile had returned to her face as the scent of home filled her nose. "Take it in, Jack. Isn't it just the greatest farm that you've ever set your eyes upon?"
"It is incredible, I cannot deny that," Jack muttered as he realized that the apple tree went on far further than he at first believed. "You must have quite the number of ponies that work for you in order to maintain this farm."
"Nope. Mah brother and ah tend to the full farm ourselves," Applejack laughed, not noticing the look of sheer surprise that flashed across Jack's face at her words. "Well, we hope that Applebloom will be able to help us as well, but right now she's a little to...scatterbrained to really help out with the hard stuff."
"How can all this be done by two ponies...?" Jack murmured to himself, barely hearing what AJ had said. The orange mare then practically raced up to her door and tore it open, a huge grin on her face as she called out,
"Howdy everypony! Ah'm home!" Even outside Jack could hear the sounds of hooves followed by cries of delight. Through the open front door, Jack could see flashes of a small, yellow pony tackling AJ while laughing, the two holding each other tight before the little filly called into the house,
"Granny Smith, Applejack's finally home!" she called out with delight before her gaze turned to the front yard, where she finally noticed the samurai standing there. "And you were right! She brought home a stallion!"
"She what?!" another, much older voice rang throughout the house.
"It's not like that, Granny!"
Jack chuckled slightly as an older, green mare appeared in the door way as well and glanced him over before turning back to AJ, the two arguing with each other while Applejack's face continued to turn a darker shade of red. While the two of them bickered, the yellow filly waved for him to join them before racing off into the house. Jack smiled as he took a few steps towards the house...before spinning around with one hoof on his hilt.
His eyes narrowed while he gazed into the trees, hills and eventually into the far off forest, scanning every shadow that was within his sight. Despite there being nothing that he could see, Jack knew that for a brief moment he had felt eyes upon him...eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Come on Jack, get in here before Granny can think of a reason to keep you out!" the flustered voice of Applejack called out to him, breaking through his thoughts and causing the samurai to slowly let go of his blade.
'Perhaps...I have simply been on edge for too long,' Jack decided before turning and walking into the house, where the sounds of three voices all trying to speak all at once graced his ears.
--|======\
While Jack had in the past had far more awkward and dangerous dinners, he had never before experienced being stared at by an old green mare, that refused to take her eyes off of him for even a second the entire time he had been in her home. Even though Applejack had invited Jack to dinner, he was always aware that Granny Smith had her sharp, but not unfriendly, eyes on him. That was until AJ had started telling her story of why she was home so late.
Yet, Jack was far too preoccupied with his first home cooked meal in many moons to care about the glare of the mare or the retelling of a tale he knew. Every dish that rested on the checkered tablecloth before him was apple based, but the samurai could care less as he ate dish after dish, each one more delectable than the last. He had finished his fifth piece of pie around the same time Applejack got to the part of the story where the two finally reached Ponyville.
"...And then the two of us finally managed to make it back to Ponyville, where ah promised to take Jack to the princess as soon as she get back," Applejack wrapped up, leaving all jaws slacked and eyes widened as her tale came to a close.
"Wow...ah can't believe that ya went through all of that during yer delivery run. No wonder your were late coming home," Applebloom gawked with wide eyes as Applejack came to the end of her and Jack's adventures, though Jack noticed she had left out the part about Tirek and his past. "Fighting monsters, stopping evil swordponies...nearly dying..."
"Weren't ya listening to a word ah said? Ah did die Applebloom," Applejack reminded her sister in a very gentle voice before flicking her head at Jack. "But Jack used his wish he got from defeating the titan to bring me back to life. It's thanks to him ah made it home at all."
"That is so, but you saved my life on more than one account," Jack brought up once again, getting a groan from AJ as she rolled her eyes and rested her chin on her hoof.
"Don't start this again Jack, it's too late in the day," Applejack cut the samurai off before he could start, glancing out at the setting sun. Jack bowed to her words and left his story at that, but he was aware that the filly and the red stallion that sat across from him had yet to remove their eyes from him.
"Thank you for the meal. I shall find some way of repaying you," Jack said with a bow to Granny Smith as he rose up. "But night will soon be upon us and I need to find shelter for the night."
"Hold it right there," Granny's sharp voice said as Jack turned to the door, stopping the samurai in his tracks. "The Apples have never turned away a pony that was hungry, and we never let a pony sleep out in the cold while we've had shelter. Ya can sleep in the barn fer the night if that's alright with ya."
"Thank you for your kindness and hospitality," Jack thanked them with another bow. Applejack stood up and led Jack to the barn, opening the doors for him before showing him around inside.
"There may not be much here, but ya can sleep on the hay. It's quite comfortable," Applejack said as she motioned to the hay. "Did ya get enough to eat? We always have more."
"Thank you, but I do not wish to impose myself," Jack said as he tried to bow, but AJ wrapped a hoof around him and pulled him back up straight.
"Yer not imposing yerself Jack and yer not a burden," Applejack reminded him with a half smirk. "Yer a friend of mine and mah family, so yer welcome to stay as long as ya need. And as the only pony here who knows of yer quest, ya can be damn sure that ah'm not gonna let ya fight evil on an empty stomach. So, are ya still hungry?"
"No, but thank you for your generous offer," Jack finally decided. Applejack nodded before letting Jack go and heading towards the exit, glancing off at the moon that was slowly starting to rise on the horizon.
"Alright, but if ya need anything don't be afraid to holler," Applejack informed him as she slowly began to close the barn door behind her. "Also, we get up at the crack of dawn, so don't be surprised if we're all up before you."
"If there is anything I have learned while journeying with you, it is that there is nothing that you can do that will surprise me." Applejack raised an eyebrow at the samurai, not sure if he was being honest or sarcastic. She eventually just decided to smile and wave to him before closing the door.
Jack then rested his head against the soft hay and began to think of his eventual meeting with Twilight. It was clear that the princess did not trust his weapon, but he was certain once she knew of his tale that she would aid him in returning to his home. If she was as kind and strong as Applejack had described her, then he had no cause to be nervous.
"Is what Applejack said true? Did ya really give up yer wish to save her?"
Jack's eyes shot towards the door from where the voice had come, instantly recognizing it.
"Well? Did ya?"
"Yes. I did," Jack finally responded.
"Why?"
"Because she is my friend. And I would not use my wish for my sake if I could use it to save her," Jack clarified for the speaker. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before the voice finally spoke up again.
"And the rumors about Tirek returning...and mind controlling a whole city...you were the one that freed the ponies from him, weren't ya?" the voice asked, getting Jack to narrow his eyes slightly. "You were the one who saved Applejack then as well?"
"You knew she was there?"
"In the paper it said that an Element of Harmony was there, so it could have only been her. But tell me the truth, was Tirek going to kill her as well?"
"Yes, he was."
"But you...killed him before he could hurt her?"
"I have already lost many I care for to evil. I would not allow Applejack nor any other to fall to evil as well. Not as long as I draw breath." The two once again went silent before Jack could hear the sounds of hooves walking away from the farm. He assumed that their conversation was over and was just about to close his eyes when the speaker spoke one last time.
"Thank you."
A small smile crossed the samurai's face as he heard the hoof steps grow fainter and fainter, finally allowing Jack to close his eyes and rest his head. He realized that it had been a long time since he had been thanked in such an honest way, and he could not help but wear a smile as he drifted off into dreams...dreams of darkness, agony and the laugh of the greatest evil he knew.
Jack's consciousness slowly began to return to him as sleep's hold steadily lost its grip, granting him the ability to slightly hear what was going on around him. He let out a soft moan before rolling over slightly in the hay, almost certain that he heard voices speaking around him.
"Do we have to do this? I mean, there has to be other tools we can try."
"There isn't. Ah've tried every other pair of scissors, clippers and even knives ah could find. We need something really sharp and this'll do the trick."
His eyelids flickered slightly as the faint voices began to reach his mind. He debated opening his eyes for a moment, to see if there truly were voices in the room with him, but then the weariness overcame him and with a small yawn he rested his head once again and began to drift off.
"Well I don't feel right just taking it. At least let me ask first. Excuse me, Mr. Jack?" a sweet and melodious voice whispered into his ear, bringing forth images of the girl he had met a lifetime ago. "Would you mind if we...borrowed yer sword for a moment?"
"Borrowed?" Jack sleepily asked in return as his eyelids fluttered slightly. For a brief moment he considered opening them once again, but the fatigue of his journey and from the nightmares the night before kept him down once more. "No, I suppose that I do not mind...letting you...see it...for a moment..."
With a start Jack sat up straight, his mind returning to him in a flash of realization. The fatigue melted away as the samurai's eyes glanced around the empty barn that was warmly illuminated by the still rising sun, but a glance down at his side showed that his sword was gone once more. His eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the three voices that he had heard speaking to him while he drifted, knowing who one of them belonged to.
He rose to his hooves and glanced down at the dirt floor, able to make out three sets of hoofprints that had been in there before him. One of them had been pacing, the other stood by the door and the third had been the one that got close to him. Yet all of the prints were much smaller than his, indicating only one thing.
'It seems that Applebloom and two other foals have taken my blade,' he realized before sprinting through the barn doors and out into the dew filled air of the farm. On any other day he would have drunken in the golden beauty that reminded him of home, but the samurai's eyes remained glued to the ground as he followed the hoofprints. His eyebrows raised slightly when he discovered how far the three managed to get so quickly, but soon the tracks changed from hoofprints to another set of tracks.
"They must have gotten on something with wheels to make tracks like these," Jack murmured as he placed a hoof in the now straight line tracks that appeared where the hoof ones ended. He took off at full sprint after the tracks, certain that he would find the three in town. Yet to the samurai's surprise, the tracks veered off from the town and instead seemed to head off to a small cottage that rested on the edge of the town.
"What could those three have need of my blade for?" Jack asked while continuing his sprint, managing to reach the cottage just as the sun finally freed itself of the horizon and emerged as a full circle in the sky. A smile crossed Jack's face when he arrived at the cottage to immediately spy a scooter and wagon resting outside of the building, but his smile turned to another frown when he approached the means for transportation and discovered the three's hoofprints once more.
His eyes slowly narrowed when he found their tracks headed into the dark and sinister looking forest that rested near the edge of the cottage. He did not know what kind of forest that it was, but he knew that it was not where three foals belonged. Without a moment's hesitation the samurai raced into the forest after them, eyes narrowing further still when he found that the thick foliage blocked out the rising sun, despite day just beginning.
The foals' tracks were easy enough to follow at first, but with the copious amounts of rocks, leaves, and other foliage that blocked his path, Jack soon found that their trail had vanished completely. He knelt down next to the last indication of their trail that he had seen, glancing around to try and figure where they would have gone.
Deep snarls that emerged from the undergrowth informed him that he had far worse troubles than trying to find the foals and as the samurai rose up, he found six wolf-like creatures encircling him. His eyes narrowed as the creatures emerged from the shadows and slowly began to stalk around him, allowing Jack to realize that their entire bodies were covered in wood.
"I would advise that you all go home," Jack calmly spoke to the creatures, which almost seemed to snicker at his words as they drew ever closer. "Shattering wood was one of the very first tasks that I was assigned when I trained. And that was when I was a boy. You do not want this fight."
With a roar one of the wolves lunged at him, the samurai sidestepping just as its jaws bit down on where his arm had been a moment before. The samurai then drove his elbow down into the wolf's head, shattering the wood that made up a part of its skull with one, precise blow.
The creature yelped with pain as it staggered away from Jack just in time for another to hurl itself through the air towards the samurai. Jack rolled onto his back as he lifted all four of his limbs into the air, catching the wolf on its belly before kicking off with all of his might. The wolf hurtled through the air behind him and crashed into a three trunk, where its body cracked from the force of the blow.
Jack rolled to his hooves just in time to leap back from a pair of claws that slashed at his stomach, a scowl crossing his face as the claws tore through the front of his kimono. The wolf almost seemed to smile at the shredded garb, before a kick to its skull that cracked its jaw to the side knocked the smile off of its face.
He ducked under a lunge by the fourth wolf before leaping over the attack of the fifth, yet he stuck out his rear hoof to catch the sixth wolf in the face with a blow that knocked it flat. Yet as Jack glanced off into the forest, he couldn't help but worry about the safety of the foals.
"This battle is over," Jack informed the wolves as he landed on his hooves, eyes calm while he glared down the three remaining beasts. One of them let out a roar and prepared to charge him...before Jack's eyes snapped open wide and glared at the beasts with a power and fury that they immediately understood they could not match.
Jack watched as the three remaining beasts scurried off, before glancing at the bested ones that were slowly piecing themselves back together. Figuring that he had wasted enough time, the samurai turned and sprinted into the forest once more.
Every sense of his waited for some sign from the foals, some way that he could find them before they were in danger. Then he heard the faint scream, a scream that was only given off by one who was in danger--a cry that Jack had heard so many times before. Adding fuel to his already unbelievable speed the samurai raced towards the cry, bursting through the foliage to find Applebloom and two other fillies pinned up against a rock by some sort of creature made of darkness.
In a brief moment, Jack took in where the three were before glancing to the side to see his sword resting on the ground, having been removed from its scabbard that was leaning against a tree. He raced to the sword just as the black creature opened its maw and lunged towards the fillies, who all screamed as they closed their eyes.
Then there was a flash of light and the sound of metal cutting through bone, followed only by silence. The three fillies slowly cracked their eyes open to see the face of Jack looking down at them with a curious expression...and the motionless body of the creature laying on the ground behind him. For a minute, they just continued to stare up at him in shock and awe, before the samurai finally spoke.
"The three of you are in trouble."
--|======\
The darkest of caves, the most vicious of monsters and even the master of evil himself paled in comparison to the orange mare that glared down at the three fillies before her, lightning flashing in her eyes as the ground itself almost seemed to shake beneath her hooves. The three fillies that Jack had rescued from the forest didn't dare to lift their heads, and even the samurai himself, despite not being the target of the fury, stayed as far away from Applejack as he could.
"So let me get this straight," Applejack began in a whisper, yet the three fillies jumped almost as if thunder had erupted next to them, "Not only do you steal from our guest and a good friend of mine, but you three go into the Everfree Forest, with a weapon you don't know how to handle, to free an entangled creature that you know nothing about? THIS is the story that ah'm waking up to on a beautiful day like today?"
"Well, technically Jack did say that we could borrow it," the pony called Sweetie Belle dared to say, but with a small yelp she went quiet as Applejack glared down at her with all of her fury. Jack wanted to speak up and tell Applejack that technically she was right, but in the state Applejack was in he wasn't sure if she would turn that fury upon him or not. He decided he would tell her once she had calmed down.
"You didn't even see this creature! It's like nothing we've ever seen!" Scootaloo tried to reason, but a glare from Applejack cut her off then and there.
"Are we grounded?" Applebloom dared to ask, getting a sinister chuckle from Applejack.
"No, a grounding would be far too nice in comparison to what you three did," AJ whispered before glancing over at the farm house and smiling. "This is yer punishment from me. The three of ya are gonna go in there and tell Granny Smith what ya did so she can scold ya. And ah'll know if ya don't."
"But...but every time Granny Smith scolds us she goes on fer hours, then she fergets about what she was talking about and starts over!" Applebloom tried to plead with her sister, but Applejack's eyes made it clear that there was no chance of escape for the three. She then pointed a hoof towards the building and with heads hanging low, the three dragged their hooves towards their boredom.
"Well, I am glad that they are alright at least," Jack said with a half-laugh as Applejack watched them go, his laugh silenced as Applejack slowly turned to face him. For a brief moment he believed that he would have to fight Applejack for his survival, before in a flash of speed that Jack barely saw the orange mare pulled him into a bear hug. Jack's eyes widened for a brief moment before he gently placed a hoof on her back, the two staying like that for a moment before AJ released him with relief in her eyes.
"Ah'm in yer debt now. No if, ands or buts about it," she said in a whisper that was choked up with gratitude. "Saving mah life is one thing, but saving the life of my sister and her friends...ah'm never gonna be able to repay ya fer what ya did."
"Please, there is no need for..." Jack tried to politely decline, but one look at Applejack's face showed that she wasn't going to let this go any time soon. "Sigh...I suppose I can think of something you can do for me if you so desire to pay me back. But honestly, I am happy enough to see that no pony was hurt."
"Oh, no pony was hurt yet," Applejack seethed as the rage came back, not noticing Jack take a step away from her. "Ah can't believe those three! How many freaking times must ah tell them to not go into the forest?! And not only that, they take yer magical sword with them and try to use it to cut free Faust knows what that got trapped in there?! Ah swear, the bricks ah used to build the well are brighter than mah sister and her friends sometimes!"
"While I agree that what they did was wrong, it seems that they did so in order to help a trapped creature, so their intentions were just," Jack added in defense of the fillies, surprised to see that his words gained him a grateful look from the mare.
"That's real sweet of ya, trying to defend them. But they're in trouble and that's that. Besides, what if they cut themselves with yer blade?" Applejack asked, glancing down at the sword and missing the smile that crossed Jack's face. "Would our magic even be able to counteract the magic in yer blade?"
"Applejack, those three were more in danger from you than they were from this blade," Jack said, his smile widening slightly at the confusion on AJ's face. He then unsheathed his blade and pointed it at her, getting her eyes to widen slightly. "Do you trust me?"
"Uh..." Applejack muttered before Jack flipped the blade around and offered her the hilt, her confusion increasing as she took the blade.
"Please. Stab at me." Applejack looked at Jack as if he was crazy, but the pure honesty and trust in his eyes made her sigh before she gingerly poke him in the chest with the sword...only for her eyes to widen when it came to a dead stop. She poked him slightly harder, then straight up stabbed at him, but each time the blade refused to move any further the moment it touched him.
"Do you see what I mean?" Jack said as he took his blade back, before poking Applejack with the tip of his sword. She bit her lip as she expected pain, but the blade failed to even cut through her coat as it rubbed against her without causing any damage. "The blade is enchanted with the magic of all that is just and pure. It will slay any evil without fail...yet it is completely harmless to any that are innocent and good."
"So...ya think mah sister and her friends would be safe with it?" Applejack asked in awe as she glanced at the ancient blade, wondering what else it could do.
"Well, I would not say safe, but the blade should not be able to harm them," Jack confirmed as he sheathed his blade. "This is why the sword did not harm me on the bridge, nor the beast creature that we fought in the village...or you just now. Because you have a pure and just heart, making you one of the most noble beings that I have met."
"Oh, thanks..." Applejack replied with gratitude--and a slightly reddening face--as Jack turned towards the sunrise with a small smile upon his face.
"Now let us go. On your journey you told me much of this place, and I wish to see as much as I can before I return to my time," Jack said as he began to move towards Ponyville. 'And hopefully, my journey will come to an end soon...I just wish that saying goodbye wasn't getting harder and harder.'
The wind whipped through the branches of the trees, yet its whistle was drowned out by the laughing of three fillies who raced along a pathway. The three best friends each had a saddle bag on their backs, filled with books, quills and other materials that were needed for class. In their excited state they did their best to ignore the samurai that followed after them from not too far away, making sure that they arrived at their school without taking any "detours".
"It is useless to try and escape me. The three of you should accept your punishment that your sisters bestowed upon you," Jack scolded them when he saw one of them start to sneak off to the side. Their faces flashed with guilt for only a second before they went back to their conversations.
"Ah know Jack, but it's just that this grounding's so much longer than any of our other ones," Applebloom whined slightly as she hung her head. Jack felt his stern face break down slightly, not wishing to see such looks on such young ponies. He had seen far too many faces like hers.
"Well, your grounding will come to an end eventually. How long are you ground for?" Jack asked, trying to be positive.
"Till the end of time."
"Oh."
"Yeah, Applejack was really mad at us," Sweetie chimed in with a small whistle. "I don't think I've ever seen her that mad. Even Rarity and Rainbow Dash seemed afraid of her when she scolded us. I know that we were wrong for "borrowing" your sword, but she didn't need to go off on us like that. We could always get you another one."
Jack frowned at Sweetie Belle's words, confirming his thoughts that Applejack hadn't told her family about his quest or why his sword was so important to him. He decided that he would speak with her later to see if she would be alright with them knowing. Young as they were, Jack knew that the fillies would understand the importance of his quest.
"Personally, I think the reason she got so mad at us was because it was Jack that we were messing with," Scootaloo said with a coy smile, one that grabbed the attention of both her friends...and the samurai.
"What are ya implying?" AB probed with narrowed eyes.
"Haven't you two seen it? How when she was scolding us she always mentioned Jack, not the sword. Then there's the way she always seems to be staring at him, not to mention he saved her life more than once. And he's pretty handsome to boot," Scootaloo presented with a smile that had gone from coy to wicked. "I'm telling you AB, your sister has a crush on the samurai. Now the question is, is that feeling mutual?"
Jack felt all three sets of eyes whip over in his direction, yet to their amusement the samurai suddenly became very fascinated in the clouds that were floating overhead. He had been staring at the sky with such intensity that he had barely noticed that the three fillies had come to a stop until he had almost run them over. With a start he looked down at the three, finding all of them to be staring up at him with the same smile.
"What?" he asked.
"So, what is it Jack? Do ya like my sister?" Applebloom asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course I like her. She is a noble comrade that I-"
"Nice try Jack, but you know what we're asking," Scootaloo cut him off, getting a sigh out of the samurai as he turned his attention back to the clouds. Yet his mind was thousands of years in the past.
"I...do not think about finding love. Not anymore," Jack finally admitted to the three, turning their smug smiles into looks of confusion. "My quest, the whole reason I am here, is everything to me and I must focus on it with all of my might. I do not have the luxury to think of a happy ending for myself...or the pain I would cause that person if I were to fall in battle. So to answer your question...no, I do not...cannot love your sister. But I do respect and admire her greatly," Jack added with a smile as he walked past the three. "For dealing with the three of you must take far more patience than I could ever muster."
The three watched as the samurai walked by them before they formed a huddle, each of them giving each other the same look. "Okay, he's obviously lying," Applebloom said, the other two nodding in agreement with her. "Ah'm mean, nopony could get to know mah sister without falling fer her."
"So what do we do then?" Sweetie asked. "The last time we thought we knew two ponies were supposed to be together we destroyed the town."
"What's the worse that could happen to us? We're already grounded to the end of time," Scootaloo pointed out. "I say we do our best! And even if we mess up, we can get back at your sister a bit for overreacting."
"What are you three planning? We are almost at your school!" Jack found it eerie just how quickly the three separated with the same smile on each of their faces, glaring at them with unsure eyes as they walked by him. He then glared at the area behind them to make sure there was no evil force before he followed after them.
The school house came into view after another few minutes of walking, causing a smile to creep across Jack's face as he saw the charming red building into which numerous foals were all walking. From the golden bell to the horseshoe over the front door, everything about the small schoolhouse pleased Jack.
The three fillies let out a group laugh before they raced ahead, waving to a mare with flowers on her flank before rushing inside. The mare yelled at them not to run in the school before she let out a sigh and looked back at the school yard...and right at Jack.
"Greetings," Jack politely addressed the mare as he bowed to her. She was left somewhat speechless at the pony carrying a sword. When Jack saw where her eyes were glancing, he realized that he needed to explain. "Do not worry, I mean no harm. I am here because Applejack instructed me to make sure that Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom stay out of trouble.
"Oh, they're in trouble again, are they?" the mare asked with an understanding expression before she entered the schoolhouse, Jack following right behind her. "No surprise there. Got to admit though, normally she sends her brother or one of her friends to look after them, not a stranger. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Cheerilee. And you are...?"
"They call me Jack. And I too am a friend of Applejack's, just not one from around here," Jack explained. Cheerilee gave a nod of understanding before she walked up to the front of the classroom and glanced at all of the foals that were talking with one another, completely oblivious to her presence.
"Alright class, let's get started on...class?" Cheerilee asked before letting out a groan, her voice barely audible over the sounds of so many voices. "Class, we need to start...oh for crying out loud-" A loud snapping sound nearly made the entire class jump out of their seats, yet the sound was effective in silencing all of the talking. All startled eyes, including Cheerilee's, looked over at Jack, who had clapped his hooves together with a frown upon his face.
"I am ashamed of all of you. Where I come from, teachers and scholars are treated with respect, and when they talk, people-er, ponies listen," Jack scolded the class with a stern gaze that seemed to look at everypony at once. "Your teacher does not have to pass on her knowledge to all of you, but she chose to do so because she wishes for you to learn and grow as ponies. Yet you ignore her words as if what she is saying is irrelevant. Please, show some respect."
To the utter bafflement of Cheerilee, after Jack's words all of the students seemed to calm down and faced towards her with apologetic faces, with even the more troublemaking students facing in her direction. She cast bewildered eyes over at the samurai, who smiled at her before bowing and motioning for her to continue.
"Er...thank you, Jack," Cheerilee stammered before pulling down on a screen and sending it back up into the ceiling, revealing that she had drawn images onto the chalkboard of different ponies. "Today students, we will be learning more about the magic of Equestria and how different beings use their magic. Now we all know about the three main pony races, Earth, Pegasi, and Unicorn, but how many of you know about the legendary fourth?"
Jack glanced at the class to see that all of them wore looks of confusion, save for a very tiny colt in the back who had an eyepatch over one eye and a parrot on his shoulder. He was the only one in the class who raised his hoof, meaning that he was the only one that Cheerilee called upon.
"The seahorses, right?" he blurted out the moment she looked in his general direction.
"Very good Pipsqueak. Indeed, the fourth group of ponies is the seahorses," Cheerilee praised as she turned back to the board, leaving Jack to ponder what parents would be cruel enough to name their child Pipsqueak. "The seahorses, at least according to legend, use their magic to breathe and move through the water as easily as a Pegasus flies through the sky."
"So why are they only a legend? Don't we know whether or not they're real?" Sweetie asked.
"Because all we know about them comes from the ancient text. We are not sure whether they exist or not anymore," Cheeilee explained before picking up the chalk and drawing another creature on the board, but this time she drew a dragon with aquatic looks fins and a more serpentlike face. "But we do know that this dragon here exists. He is called Tidalion. The dragon of the seas."
She stopped speaking for a moment to allow the class to awe at the dragon before she cracked open the book before her to the page on the serpent. "Tidalion is one of the four great dragons and is the serpent of the seas. It is said that his power is great enough to stop tidal waves and his breath can blow away a typhoon." The foals all shared nervous glances at each other at the description of his power, something that was not lost on their teacher.
"Do not worry little foals, Tidalion isn't a cruel or evil dragon. In fact, he's generally very wise and understanding," Cheerilee explained to them. "In fact, he has a similar role to Celestia and Luna in the way that he controls the ocean. Much like how they raise and lower the sun and moon, Tidalion is responsible for controlling the flow of the ocean and making sure that the waters always remain in motion. It is believed that the seahorses saw him as their ruler, but he hasn't said anything about them to confirm whether or not they are or were real."
"Ah'm just glad that he's a nice dragon," Applebloom said with a sigh of relief.
"Yes, but the other three aren't as nice. In fact," Cheerilee began as she drew another image on the board, one of a spiky dragon with razor like feathers along his neck and back. "Tundrous, the dragon that controls the earth, is one of the most ruthless and powerful of the dragons. He is one you do not want to mess with."
"I thought Earth ponies controlled the sky?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes, in Equestria, where Tundrous cares little about us," Cheerilee explained as she turned back to her students. "See, as cruel and evil as he is, Tundrous lives only to do battle. He doesn't care about the earth ponies that move on his land because he doesn't see them as challenges that are worth his time."
"I bet if he knew about mah sister he would think different," AB muttered, but Cheerilee shook her head at the filly's words.
"It's for the best that he doesn't, for when he believes that he has found a foe worthy of his attention, he will hunt them down. The fact that he hasn't shown up in Equestria in over five hundred years shows that he doesn't see any of us as a threat," Cheerilee further explained.
"Why would anypony want to fight a jerk like him anyway?" a foal with massive glasses and a frazzled red mane asked. "He seems like a bully."
"Well many creatures have actually challenged him, because of his special power. See, he has the ability to level mountains, make life grow where their is only ruin, and even turn back the sands of time," Cheerilee explained. "And he has stated that any who can best him in battle will be able to ask a-"
"This information? Are you certain it is accurate?" Cheerilee nearly jumped out of her skin for the second time that day as Jack seemed to appear next to her from out of nowhere. "This dragon that can turn back time, do you know where his is and how one can get to him?"
"Er, according to what we know he lives deep in the planet's core, but there are numerous chasms across the land that should lead to where he sleeps," Cheerilee explained as Jack moved his face in closer, his face barely inches away from hers. "In fact, there's one that is rumored to be located near Stalliongrad, but the princesses...where are you going?" Cheerilee asked as Jack spun and headed for the door.
"To find this dragon and challenge him," Jack replied with utter confidence, getting a gasp from every single foal in the room.
"B-b-but that's suicide! Nopony has ever been able to stand a chance against him!" Cheerilee called out as Jack began to walk away once more. "Even Celestia and Luna were barely able to beat him back! You shouldn't even think of fighting him!"
"I am not planning on fighting him," Jack began, getting a sigh of relief from Cheerilee before Jack looked back at her with hardened eyes. Eyes that for a moment made him seem far older than he was. "I am planning on beating him." His words caused nearly every jaw in the room to drop as Jack turned his gaze to Applebloom. "If your sister asks why I am not with you, tell her that I plan to finally end my quest. She will know what I mean."
Jack then turned and raced out of the building, full on sprinting into town as he headed towards the train station. He did not know where Stalliongrad was, but he figured that the conductor of the train might and if not, he would know a pony that would.
But the samurai came to a dead stop in the center of town when his eyes rested upon a sight that confused him greatly. A purple pony was standing across from him, both of her eyes narrowed as they fixated upon his blade. Yet this pony was not unicorn or pegasi, but a mixture of the two. Yet as Jack glanced up at the tiara on her head, he began to recognize her from Applejack's descriptions.
"You...are who they call Twilight Sparkle, are you not?" Jack asked the pony, who nodded very slowly yet her eyes never left the blade. "You are one of Applejack's friends. I am-"
"The warrior that freed the wolf beings that were trapped in dark magic. The pony who bested a temple titan and made a wish on the stars. A pony...that cut down Tirek with a single blow," Twilight said in a voice that conveyed no emotion, making Jack's mane stand on end slightly as his hoof inched closer to his blade. "The pony they call Jack."
"Indeed I am. Are you...requiring something of me?" Jack asked with a friendly smile, but as the mare changed her gaze from his sword to his own eyes, Jack realized that things were about to go south quickly.
"I do want something from you Jack. I want that sword."
Jack's eyes narrowed slightly as his hoof slowly moved towards his blade, not liking the look in the princess' eyes as she glared at him. "Why do you want my sword?" Jack put forth.
"Because that blade did what should be impossible. It stopped...no, KILLED Tirek," Twilight said with a very low tone, her eyes resting upon the scabbard. "Even the Rainbow Power was incapable of that. A weapon like that...can't be left out in the world. Who knows what could happen if somepony evil got their hooves on it? I'm going to take it to Canterlot, where we'll keep it with the other dangerous, magical artifacts."
"This sword belongs to me. I was the one chosen to wield it," Jack informed her when she took a step towards him, his words making her eyes narrow slightly. "And I swear that I shall use this blade to slay any evil that I come across. You need not worry about it falling into the wrong hands."
"Its magic is strong enough to kill Tirek, powerful enough to slice Discord and only Faust knows what else," Twilight said with a shake of her head. "Please, I'm asking you to give it to me so that we can keep Equestria safe. If only you could wield it, I would be less inclined to take it, but seeing as anypony can hold that blade...please, give it to me so nopony else can get their hooves on it."
"Twilight, I understand that you are only doing this because you see the blade as dangerous and a possible threat. All you wish is to keep those you care about safe," Jack said with understanding that made Twilight's eyes light up for a second before Jack's face hardened as he shook his head as well. "But I will not hand over my blade to you. It is all that stands between a great evil and total domination. I cannot risk losing it."
"Jack, as Princess of Friendship, I order that you give the blade to me," Twilight demanded, trying to use her status to make the samurai obey.
"And as prince...no, king of my fallen nation, I tell you that I will not give you my blade," Jack coldly replied before turning his back to Twilight as he started to walk away. "I am through talking with you. It seems you are not quite as Applejack described you. I wish you a good day."
Twilight scowled as she tried to think of something else to say, but it was clear that the samurai wasn't going to listen to her. Not sure what else to do, and afraid of leaving such a weapon loose in the world, her horn began to glow as her magic wrapped itself around his scabbard. Jack's eyes flashed down towards his sheath just in time to see Twilight's magic yank it over to her, causing the samurai to spin around with a snarl.
"I'm truly sorry Jack, but this weapon is far too dangerous to be left in your hooves," Twilight apologized as she looked at the scabbard beside her...to find that the blade was not in it. Her eyes went wide as her head spun towards Jack, who wore a smug smile as he pulled his blade out from behind his back. "Jack, I'll ask you one last time..."
"Do you really want my sword that badly?" Jack asked Twilight, who nodded her head. Then Jack's eyes narrowed into slits as he brought the sword down in front of his eyes, reflecting the purple mare in the shine of his sword. "Then come and get it."
"Jack, I'm not going to-" Twilight began before the samurai leapt back, baffling Twilight as he cleared a four story building and began to race along the rooftops. She growled before taking to the sky, following after the samurai as he leapt from roof to roof with speeds she had never seen in a regular Earth pony. "Fine, I didn't want it to come to this but a simple sleeping spell should stop this foolishness."
Twilight's horn glowed once more as she fired a bolt of magic towards the samurai, but a smile crossed his face as he spun and swung with his sword, slicing the spell clean in two and causing it to fizzle out. Twilight's jaw dropped as the samurai smiled up at her before leaping down into the space between two buildings. With another growl Twilight followed after him, but when she reached the alley he had leapt into she found that he was already in the streets, sprinting at full speeds through a heavy crowd.
"Out of my way please!" Twilight yelled as she raced after him, yet it only took her a few seconds to realize that he was far faster on land than she was, even with the crowd swarming the both of them. Taking to the sky once more Twilight followed after the samurai, who kept his focus on the train station that he could see off in the distance. He then glanced over his shoulder at Twilight, who was closing in on him from the sky.
"Very well Twilight, I will show you the power of my sword," Jack whispered to himself before breaking free of the crowd in a burst of speed, turning around as he skidded to a stop to face the princess, who landed in front of him.
"Finally decided to stop running huh? Does that mean you're giving up and you'll finally hand the blade over to me?" Twilight asked Jack. But to her surprise the samurai's eyes flashed like thunder as he held his blade beside him, taking up a stance the likes of which Twilight had never seen. "J-Jack, what are you doing?"
"You wish to see the power of the blade I wield? Then I shall show it to you." Twilight's eyes widened in horror as Jack lunged at her with a scream that pierced the heavens, the samurai practically a blur as his sword flashed in the light. Twilight didn't have time to react as she heard the sound of the blade striking her before Jack came to a stop behind her, letting out a small sigh as he stood up and looked back at her. "Do you see now? This blade is not a threat to you or any that you protect."
Twilight began to hold her hooves to her body, certain that the blade had struck her, yet there was no sign of an injury anywhere on her body. "But...but I felt the blade strike me! I heard it strike me!" she argued, but Jack gave her a stern glare that silenced her.
"Yes, my blade did strike you. But you are an innocent with a noble heart that only seeks to help and protect those you care for," Jack reminded her as he showed her the ancient blade. "This blade was crafted to destroy those who are evil or who seek to harm those who are innocent. It is powerful enough to strike down an evil being such as Tirek, but its blade will not even scratch those who are good of heart. That is why it did not cut you."
"It...can't?" Twilight muttered as she placed her hoof one last time where the blade had struck her, amazed that her coat wasn't even damaged in the slightest. She then glanced up at Jack as he recovered his scabbard and sheathed his blade, avoiding Twilight's gaze. "You know, you could have just told me that the blade only slayed evil and then we could have-"
"You did not believe me when I said I would only use the blade to slay evil. You did not listen to what I had to say about it, despite me knowing far more about my sword than you. You made it clear that talking would just waste my breath," Jack chastised her with a look that made Twilight stare down at the ground. "A ruler must know when to listen in the face of danger as well as know when to act. If you are truly a princess of Equestria, then you have much to learn. Now if you will excuse me, I must-"
"Wise words indeed, samurai. It is clear that you have learned much on your journeys." Jack's head snapped up as he heard the voice, stunned when he saw two more of the pegasi/unicorn hybrids floating down towards him. One of them had a white coat as pure as the snow and a mane that flowed with a beauty that Jack had not seen before. The other was a midnight blue and her mane reminded Jack of the constellations in the night sky. Yet they barely had the chance to land before his blade was out again and his eyes were narrowed, preparing for their attack.
"There is no need to worry samurai, we mean you no harm," the midnight blue one said as she walked forward, looking into Jack's eyes for a second before both her eyes widened in shock. She said nothing about what she had seen though as she stepped back, allowing for the taller of the two to speak.
"Please forgive us for being concerned, but your weapon...is not something we have seen before," the white one said with a small bow. "After hearing all it could do, some of us," she said with a quick glance at Twilight, who hung her head slightly. "Overreacted. I pray that this does not cause you to hate us." Jack stared at the two for a moment before he bowed his head to them.
"You were simply concerned for your ponies. It is in the past," he finished with a smile before extending a hoof. "They call me Jack."
"I am Princess Celestia. Ruler of the sun," Celestia responded with a smile as she shook Jack's hoof before looking at the weapon that hung at his side. "Quite the curious blade. Able to slay any evil yet it is completely harmless to the innocent. What do you make of that sister?"
"All I know is that I would not like to feel its bite, given my history," Luna said with a shamefaced grin as she shook Jack's hoof as well. "I am Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night. It is an honor to finally meet the legendary samurai." Jack nodded in return before turning his gaze upon Twilight, who was staring at the ground instead of the samurai. Jack then walked over to the princess, who stared at the ground even harder, before he smiled and extended his hoof to her, causing her to glance up in surprise.
"As I said Twilight, it is in the past. I am called Jack." Twilight slowly smiled as she shook his hoof. "And do not worry, Applejack informed me that you can be a bit...difficult."
"Oh she did, did she?" Twilight asked with a smirk and a small nod.
"So you have met Applejack already, Jack?" Celestia asked.
"Indeed. She has saved my life on more than one occasion and provided aid for me when I arrived in this strange place," Jack recalled with a smile. "I am deeply indebted to her."
"She's always been kind, even to strangers," Luna nodded, yet Jack was aware that she seemed to be glancing at his blade. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just...wondering something," Luna admitted when she realized that she had been staring, "about that blade and its ability...to tell who is innocent and who is not."
"That reminds me, you are responsible for finally putting an end to Tirek, are you not?" Celestia asked Jack, who nodded in reply. "I see. That means that you are also the one who saved all of the ponies from being...consumed by him."
"Indeed. I cannot believe that Tirek would go so far as to absorb the life force of ponies as well as their magic," Luna spat with anger. "Even the foals of that city would not have escaped his hunger. Samurai Jack, my sister and I believe that we both owe you a thanks, an apology and much more. If there is anything we can do for you, all you need to do is ask."
Jack 's first instinct was to tell them that there was no need to thank him, that the deed was thanks enough, but then he remembered why he had been running to the train station in the first place. Why he was willing to fight one of Applejack's friends to reach his destination.
"Can you get me to where Tundrous lies?" Surprise and shock rippled across the faces of the three princesses, not surprising Jack in the least. He remembered Cheerilee's reaction.
"Jack...I assume that if you know of that name, you know what he is capable of," Celestia said with a dead seriousness, yet when Jack nodded there was only resolve in his eyes.
"Yes. He can grant my wish." From the look on Jack's face, all three of the princesses knew that there was no changing his mind, but Celestia still tried.
"Jack, whatever this wish of yours is I am certain that we can-"
"No. Even Discord was not able to do what I required and his power exceeds yours," Jack said with certainty, remembering what he had learned about the god. "Only a being stronger than him could possibly grant my wish, and according to these tales Tundrous is one of those beings! I must see him!"
"Jack, if you want him to grant you his wish, you'd have to best him in battle," Luna reminded Jack, who didn't even flinch at her words. "And it is as you said, his power is greater than Discord's. It is a power that we cannot hope to best even as a pair," she continued while motioning to her sister. "And if you were to battle him-"
"I will prevail. Because not only is he powerful, he also has a black heart," Jack stated, motioning to his blade. "I can best him. I have bested far greater than him." From the look Celestia, Luna and Twilight shared, Jack knew that they would not grant his request. But even though it ashamed him, he decided to cement his cause.
"You said that you would repay me in any way you could for saving the lives of those ponies from Tirek. This is how you may repay me." His words broke through their indecision and with a sigh of regret, Celestia nodded at the samurai.
"Very well Jack, we will take you to where you may find Tundrous," Celestia agreed, though her tone sounded reluctant. "But not today. You are new in this town, are you not? You're timing could not be better, for a festival happens tomorrow and everypony is looking forward to it. You can stay for just one day more, can you not?"
In reality Jack wanted to get to Tundrous as soon as he could, but he figured that with his request he had already overstepped. So with a smile and a nod he agreed to Celestia's request.
"Excellent! Tomorrow I'll have Twilight and Applejack be your guides for the Firefly Fesitval!" she said with a smile. Jack nodded before turning and walking off, never seeing Celestia's face fall before she motioned Twilight over. "Keep a close eye on Jack tomorrow. I know that we have all heard tales of his bravery, but Tundrous is another tale. For a pony that would willingly take him on, even with a magic blade, is either the bravest pony who ever lived...or suicidal."
All across Ponyville ponies awaited the setting of the sun, gathering up into huge crowds to have fun and play games while awaiting the night. No pony stayed indoors, for festivals thrown by the princesses were ones not to be missed. Yet one pony in particular was not enjoying the festivities, and that was because she was far too busy chewing out the god of chaos.
"Hey, the problem got dealt with, didn't it?" Discord asked in his defense as Twilight glared up at him with eyes burning hotter than any inferno.
"Dealt with?! You knew that Tirek was back and you didn't even tell Fluttershy!" Twilight bellowed with such force that it seemed like all of Ponyville shook under her wrath.
"Suspected," Discord corrected for her as he glanced at his nails, doing his best to ignore Twilight while also infuriating her even further. "Besides, I sent somepony to deal with the problem and he dealt with it. By the way, thanks for not dying on me when you fought Tirek, Jack or else this conversation would probably be a lot worse."
"You are...welcome?" Jack replied.
"Hey, Jack. Just a quick warning," Discord whispered to Jack as he pulled the samurai in close. "If you are going to seek out another god like me to grant your wish, be careful. Not all of them are as kind as me. Most can actually be pretty cruel. Might be best to find your wish another way."
"Um, thank you for the advice?" Jack said as Discord teleported away, thinking over the being's words before turning back to Fluttershy and the tea that she had made for him. He reached down and lifted the small cup, moving it to his lips and taking in a small sip. A smile spread across his face as the warm liquid helped to sooth his soul, allowing him to fully enjoy the drink despite the war going on behind him between the god and the princess. "This brew of yours is most delicious. If you would not mind, would you teach me how to make it?"
"Oh, of course I can," Fluttershy softly replied with a kind smile. "It's always nice to meet another pony that enjoys drinking my tea."
"But I enjoy it, Fluttershy!" Discord reminded her, only for a bellow from Twilight to silence him.
"Thank you for your kindness. You are exactly the way Applejack described you," Jack said as he took another sip, glancing up at the orange sky to see the sun starting to set over the mountains. "Kind to all and able to make friends with just about anyone. These are qualities I do not see enough of nowadays," he complimented as he rested the cup on the picnic cloth beneath him, giving her a bow before turning his head at the sound of hooves.
"You can all relax everypony, the party has arrived!" Rainbow Dash said with a laugh as she zipped by Jack and Fluttershy, overturning the tea set as she did so. Jack cast the pegasi a nasty glance before he smiled at Applejack and Rarity, who were approaching with the three fillies that had borrowed his blade.
"Greetings my friends. How goes being grounded till the end of time?" he asked the three fillies with a laugh, which turned to a kind smile when they all sighed and collapsed into the grass.
"Ah never want to see another dirty dish again," Applebloom complained.
"I want to move out," Sweetie groaned.
"Eh, I've had worse," Scootaloo shrugged.
"They've been fine darling, just having to work with a little less free time than they're used to," Rarity explained as she slid right up beside Jack, resting her head on his shoulder while staring up at him. "But enough about that, how have you been? Enjoying the sights? Found anypony...special yet?" Whether or not Jack had, Rarity would never know, because an orange hoof wrapped around her face and yanked her back before Applejack sat down where Rarity had been sitting.
"Sorry about that," she apologized while Rarity huffed and brushed the dirt off of her hooves.
"There is no need to apologize. Your friends are most interesting," Jack observed as Pinkie came bounding up, seemingly pulling an entire buffet of sweets from a doggy bag that she had hanging off her mane. The sight of food drew everypony to her, even Twilight who had nearly lost her voice yelling at Discord. Yet when Applejack cast a glance up at the samurai, she saw that his eyes were not entirely there and a slight frown was crossing his face.
"Is something the matter Jack?" she whispered.
"I may have finally found a way to return to my past," he whispered in reply, Applejack's eyes going wide. The pair waited until Rarity stood up and left them alone, which she did with a wink, before Jack continued speaking. "Tomorrow, Celestia and Luna will be taking me to a place that may be able to return me to the past. And if I triumph, then I shall finally be able to put an end to Aku's reign."
"That's great, Jack," she said with a smile before a shadow cast itself over her face and she glanced down at the ground. "Hey Jack, ah have a question. When ya return to yer past, ya plan to slay Aku once and fer all, don't ya?"
"That is indeed my quest, my purpose," Jack confirmed with a nod, yet his words did not erase the shadows from AJ's face. "There is more, isn't there?"
"It's just...if ya slay Aku in the past, that means he would vanish from yer future," Applejack began, getting a nod from Jack. "But if he's not in the future, that means that ya would never have had to journey through the future to find yer way back to the past. Which means that he would never had...uh...look, what ah'm trying to say is when ya slay Aku, yer gonna change the past. But if ya change the past...what happens to you?"
Jack couldn't even begin to fathom a response, but he had an idea of what would happen to him. He did not let Applejack see as he gripped his sword, his hoof trembling slightly as he did so. Yet a quick glance at the mare showed him that he was not going to be let off the hook until he gave her an answer, and from the concern in her eyes he knew that the answer would upset her.
"Look everypony! Here they come!" Jack was saved from answering by Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing around as she stared up at the now dark blue sky. Thousands of lights were slowly floating down towards the two, each of them flashing a rainbow of different colors, yet each light was soft and warm.
Jack and AJ both stood up as the small insects descended upon the town and upon all of the ponies, floating around slowly while they allowed their beauty to be gazed upon by all. Jack held out a hoof and let one of the small insects land upon him, smiling at the bug as it smiled up at him. It flashed a lush green color before flapping its tiny wings and taking to the sky once more to join its comrades.
"They're incredible, aren't they?" Twilight whispered as a plethora of the lightning bugs were drawn to her glowing horn, each of them beginning to copy the color of her magic and bathing Twilight in a violent light. The others smiled as well when the fireflies that were drawn to them began to copy the colors of their coats, especially Pinkie, who was covered by so many she was practically a ball of pink light.
"Argh, why are so many coming after me?!" Dash asked as dozens of the fireflies surrounded her, each of them changing into every color of the rainbow in order to match her mane. Fluttershy stood off to the side speaking to one, while Rarity tried to get a particularly friendly one out of her mane, where it seemed to be making a nest.
"Aw, they're cute little fellers, aren't they?" Applejack asked as she stared at the ones that glowed orange and danced around her. But when she shifted her eyes over to Jack, she found that the fireflies that gathered around him were all a bright orange or burning red. The samurai wore a smile on his face as he gazed at the bugs, their colors reminding him of the lanterns that used to hang in his home.
"It is believed that these little guys can look into a pony and see who they really are, then they create colors to match the pony they see," Twilight explained as she created little bubbles for the fireflies to rest on, their lights illuminating the bubbles and increasing their brilliance even further. "Purple is for intelligence naturally, while colors in the orange to red range represent courage. That's why you got all of them AJ."
"Ah'm not surprised in the least," AJ smirked, noticing that Jack had just as many orange ones floating around him as she did. But then her eyes widened as she glanced around the clearing, unable to find three fillies who had been there a moment ago.
"They went this way," Jack informed AJ as he pointed at the ground, knowing why she had begun to freak out. AJ looked down to see little hoof prints running off, getting a snort out of her before she pushed her hat slightly over her eyes.
"Ah swear those three have the hardest time listening to me. Grounded means they can't go off on their own," she snarled before charging off in the direction of their hoofprints, Jack following closely behind her after a quick explanation to the others. "Don't worry Jack, ah can follow their prints almost as well as ya can."
The pair raced through the green hills that were illuminated by the light of the moon and the glow of the fireflies, making even the tiny tracks of the fillies easy to see. They followed the trail until the prints came to a stop at the top of a large hill surrounded by flowers, where AJ looked around every which way, yet was unable to pick up the trail again.
"Darn it, where did they get to?" Applejack asked as Jack walked up beside her, barely able to make out the rest of the tracks. Yet to his confusion it did not look as if the fillies had gone somewhere else, but instead were-
"NOW!"
Applejack jumped as Jack's hoof clasped his sword, but the moment of tension faded away as the pair's eyes widened at the sight of hundreds of fireflies all beginning to rise from the flowers. Lights that matched the stars in the heavens began to swirl around the pair, creating an entire galaxy around the Jacks as they watched in awe. At first the fireflies remained different colors, but as they got closer and closer they began to change into brilliant reds, burning oranges and flashing yellows.
"W-where did all these guys come from?" Applejack asked as Jack cast a quick glance at the flowers that surrounded the hilltop, just able to make out three sets of eyes that stared up at them from the flowers. Jack waved them away before he smiled up at the insects, going crosseyed as one landed on the tip of his nose. When the firefly left his nose and flew off Jack sat down in the grass, simply content to watch the bugs dance their dance in the area around him.
"Ah hahaha! Ah guess they really like me." Jack cast his gaze over to Applejack and was nearly stunned by the image of the mare before him. She was covered in the fireflies that each glowed with a soft orange light, making the mare practically radiant like a goddess under all of the lights. Jack then found his eyes being drawn to her face, where her infectious laugh escaped her lips and her green eyes shown brighter than the stars.
'Can this indeed be...Applejack?' he asked himself as he gazed upon his partner as if he had never truly seen her before. AJ caught Jack's glance and gave him a curious expression, before she looked down at herself and blushed slightly.
"Uh Jack...yer staring." Jack shook himself free of the spell and quickly turned his eyes towards the ground, trying to keep his cheeks from burning up as Applejack giggled slightly at the look on his face. She then slowly moved closer to him, sitting beside the samurai as she stared up at the sea of fireflies that floated around them. She then glanced at Jack before summoning all of her courage...and resting her head against him.
Jack's face went even redder as he cast a quick glance at AJ, able to see spots of red on her face as well despite her orange coat. For a brief moment Jack didn't know how to respond, before he let out a small sigh and gently leaned into her as well. The pair remained like that as they watched the fireflies, both of them enjoying the other's company as they gazed up at the reds and oranges that--
'FOOL!'
Jack let out a cry as the fireflies began to shift colors, changing from the warm yellows and oranges to blood red, deadly green and the darkest of blacks. Both he and AJ then watched as the fireflies then began to fly around in fear, vanishing into the night sky until only the stars above provided light for the two.
"J-Jack?" Applejack asked as she sat up straight, looking around with confusion. "What happened? Why did they all...?" Applejack stopped talking as she glanced up at Jack, who had a face that looked as if it was carved out of stone. He then stood up and slowly walked away, never looking back despite hearing whispers in the flowers. "Jack, what happened?"
"I was reminded why I am here...and that I cannot allow myself to be distracted from my destiny," he whispered in a pained reply before shaking his head and continuing to walk away. 'I must bring my quest to an end soon. One way...or another. I do not know how much longer I can stand this...solitude.' AJ watched him go with sadness in her eyes and pain starting to fill up her heart, before she glanced beside her to see her sister and her friends sitting beside her.
"What happened? Ah thought fer sure that would work?" Applebloom asked.
"Maybe the bugs got spooked?" Sweetie asked, before Applejack cleared her throat and all three turned their fear-filled eyes towards the raging mare.
"Um...we're grounded again, aren't we?"
"For eternity."
--|====\
That night the samurai had a dream. For the first time in so long, a dream instead of a nightmare. In his dream he imagined that he was with his mother and father again, and they were praising him for how well he had fought against the forces of Aku. They laughed and talked and simply enjoyed one another's presence as they sat around the small table, with Jack wearing a smile that he had not worn in so long.
And for the first time in years, Jack finally felt complete. He felt like he was truly home and that the missing piece of him was finally filled. And as the vision began to fade while the grasp of slumber slowly lost its grip on him, he realized how much he had missed the feeling of being a part of his family.
And how he would do anything to be with them once more.
Jack stared down from the airship's deck into the black chasm below him. The sound of the wind bursting free of the darkness almost seemed to call to him. Celestia had used her airship to bring Jack to the location of the patient dragon...of the creature that could finally return him home.
"Jack...are you sure you wish to do this?" Celestia asked the samurai from the ship's wheel, yet any further questions were silenced by the look of pure determination Jack flashed back at her. So, with a sigh the princess began to lower that airship down into the depths of the chasm, which quickly turned into utter blackness as the darkness of the deep enveloped them.
"Do not worry yourselves, my eye can see far better in the dark than any other pony alive," the voice of Luna said from within the blackness. "Sister, you need to steer more to the left!" The ship changed course in accordance with Luna's directions, yet Luna was not the only one able to see in the near pitch black darkness. Jack's eyes were indeed blind, but his other senses were at their peak. His ears allowed him to pinpoint each drip of water, each creak of the old stones and a faint, but very heavy, breathing off in the distance.
He was also able to pick up on the heartbeat that was pounding like a hammer behind him, causing him to turn to where Applejack stood on the deck. He need not be able to see her face to know that she wore a look of absolute concern upon her features, but Jack did his best to cast the image out of his mind.
In near total silence, with only the voice of Luna calling out where to go, the group floated through the underground caverns, each of them lost in thought. But when a small light began to peek through the darkness, both Jack and the ponies knew that they were closing in on their destination. Now that they could see, Jack had to work even harder to avoid the look Applejack gave him, instead choosing to focus on the battle that was about to unfold.
The darkness slowly melted into a golden light as the ship ripped free from the claws of darkness, emerging into a massive cavern that glowed like the brightest of gold. The reason for the light was not due to the sun nor the light from torches, but the massive, golden dragon that rested in the center of the room upon a massive island that hovered over a dark pit below. His scales were what cast the golden hue, but it was the fire within him that made the scales shine.
Yet what everypony noticed immediately was the size of the monstrosity, his sleeping form covering nearly half of the island that floated above the nothingness. And the island was far bigger than the airship was. Undaunted, the samurai began to walk towards the edge of the airship as it descended towards the island, ignoring the warning of Celestia to turn back.
"Finally. My quest is at an end," he sighed as the airship touched down next to the island, but when he tried to take a step off a hoof wrapped itself around his arm and held him back. Jack glanced behind him with emotionless eyes into the eyes of Applejack, eyes that burned with defiance but were also clouded with fear.
"Jack...ah can't let ya do this! Ah've heard the stories of what this monster is capable of! Please, don't do this," she begged the samurai, but Jack's face remained unchanged by her words. "We can find another way! There has to be another portal...or a magician...something other than this!"
"I thank you for your concern for me Applejack, but this is where my destiny has led me," he informed her with an emotionless tone as he gently freed his arm from her grasp, yet when he glanced back at her with his eyes she shivered at the icy stare. "And I will battle this dragon, for he has what I need to return home."
"But Jack..."
"Applejack." His sharp tone caused her to visibly reel back, her reaction telling Jack that his voice had been too sharp. He bowed to her in apology before continuing. "I understand that you only have my best interest at heart, but...today I join my family. At any cost." Applejack's eyes slowly shrunk as Jack walked away, her heart beginning to burn at the tone of...finality...in the samurai's voice.
As Jack approached the giant dragon, he quickly sent up a prayer to his ancestors to aid him in the battle, before drawing forth his blade. The sound of the sword scraping against the scabbard caused the golden dragon's eyes to snap open, and with a bellow of power he roared towards where Jack was. Yet the samurai remained unmoved while he glared up at the creature, who smacked his lips before narrowing his watery eyes at the samurai.
"Who are you?" he asked in an ancient tone that made the island beneath the pair quake. Before Jack could answer, the dragon took in the sword he was holding before glancing past Jack towards the airship, a toothy smile spreading when he recognized the ponies on board. "Ah Celestia and Luna. How long has it been since the two of you challenged me? Are you here to do so again?"
"No. We have...brought another who seeks to challenge you," Celestia replied in a whisper. The dragon raised an eyebrow before glancing down at Jack, who glared up at the dragon with determination in his eyes as he readied his blade.
"No thank you," the dragon muttered while he closed his eyes and curled up again, making Jack's eyes go wide as AJ let out a sigh behind him. "You're not worth my time. You don't have any magical power, you're not particularly strong, and your toothpick won't so much as scratch my scales. Go home before I get hungry." Jack's face narrowed and his eyes darkened, making the other ponies glance at him with worry.
"I have not come here to be turned away. I will find an end to my quest this day," he promised as he took up a stance, getting a smirk out of the dragon.
"You'll find death."
"I am ready to take that risk." The dragon smirked at Jack's response before deciding to show him a sample of his power. Tundrous raised a claw over the samurai and swung it down slowly, giving the fool enough time to get out of the way. He expected the samurai to either dodge or go splat. What he didn't expect was to feel the bite of the samurai's sword cut through his scales.
"GRAH!" Tundrous cried out more with surprise than actual pain, glancing down at his claw which was bleeding slightly before turning a now curious gaze to Jack, who had a smirk of his own on his face. "Very interesting. That blade of yours has quite the edge, doesn't it?"
"You will see soon enough," Jack promised. The fight in the samurai's voice made Tundrous laugh, the dragon then shaking his head as he slowly rose to his feet and stretched out his limbs. Jack narrowed his eyes while the monster towered over him, Tundrous' eyes burning with the fires of the fight.
"Very well samurai, a battle you shall have. But before we begin, let me ask this now. What is it you seek from me if you win?" Tundrous asked Jack, who tilted his head slightly at the dragon's choice of wording. "I ask now because all of my past foes were a little too dead to answer after the battle. So what be it you want?"
"WHEN I win, I ask that you return me to my world...and to my past," Jack demanded, not seeing the look Celestia and Luna gave each other.
"So you're not even a pony then?" Tundrous smirked as excitement shivered up his body. "Today is going to be a good day after all. Very well...Jack, was it? If you manage to best me, I shall grant your wish. Now let us...begin."
WHAM!
The two princesses gasped as Tundrous' claw slammed into where Jack was standing, pulverizing the island and breaking off small chunks of it that fell into the darkness. Applejack held her hooves to her mouth with tears beginning to form in her eyes, before all four of them heard a scream, turning all four eyes skyward to see Jack hurling down at the dragon with sword held high.
Tundrous snapped his arm back as Jack sliced at the air where the dragon's limb had been a second ago, not wasting a second before he lunged forward again with sword held at his side. With little room to maneuver due to his size, all Tundrous could do was move his arm between the samurai and him. He gritted his teeth when he felt the blade slice through his scales and draw blood, but the grit turned to a smile as he flapped his wings and blew the samurai nearly off of the island with one, mighty flap.
"GWAHAHAHA! How long has it been since I last felt pain?!" he bellowed with excitement as Jack rolled up to his hooves and narrowed his eyes. "You are worth the challenge, Samurai Jack. That sword of yours might just be able to kill me if you get the right chance." Then Tundrous' smile became far more menacing as his eyes flashed like lightning. "So that means I cannot hold back my fighting spirit!"
With speed nopony would associate with a dragon of that size, Tundrous slashed at Jack with blazing agility. The samurai barely had time to leap into the air as the claws raked across the stone where he had been a second before. Yet the moment he leapt into the air the second fist of Tundrous slammed into Jack, who roared with pain while he was sent hurtling back into the stone he had just left.
"JACK!" Applejack cried out as she took a step forward, but the samurai held out a hoof to stop her before he slowly pushed himself back up.
"This...is my battle. My destiny," he wheezed as he turned his head back towards Tundrous, ripping of the shredded part of his kimono before narrowing his eyes.
"Good, you managed to survive my blow. Already you are far superior to most that I have battled," Tundrous smiled with enjoyment.
"So when I fell you, what will you think of me then?" Tundrous bellowed with laughter at Jack's words before slamming his fist into the stone island, the shockwave blasting Jack off of his hooves. The moment the samurai was off balance, Tundrous swung his jaws down with fangs gleaming like swords. Jack rolled just in time to get back to his hooves and his sword flashed in the golden light, slicing two of the blade like fangs free of the dragon's maw.
Tundrous growled as he moved his head back and held a hand to his jaw, giving Jack a brief opening to lung forward and stab his blade into the leg of the dragon. Tundrous snarled with pain as he swatted at Jack, who kicked off of the leg and onto the hand that tried to crush him. With a path that led to Tundrous' head, Jack kicked off the dragon's thumb and hurtled through the air right towards Tundrous' face.
"This ends now!" he roared as he prepared to swing...before a blast of air exhaled from Tundrous' mouth stopped the samurai dead in the air. With all of his momentum gone, Jack could do nothing while Tundrous' hand swung through the air and drove itself into the samurai's body, hurling him back into the stone island and shattering the area where he crashed down.
All three of the ponies watched with horrified faces as Tundrous brought back another fist and slammed it into Jack once more, shattering the stone further and imbedding the samurai within the rocks. He then clasped both fists together before slamming them both into Jack once more, drawing his fists back to see that the shredded samurai lay motionless at the bottom of the stone.
"This battle is over," Tundrous declared before turning his gaze to the horrified and furious faces of the ponies that glared up at him. "Do not be angry with me. Jack knew the risk of battle when he chose to engage me and he paid the-"
All eyes were drawn to the crater when all four heard the sounds of stone shifting. All eyes widened as the broken samurai slowly began to pull himself out of the stone. None could speak when Jack grabbed his blade and used it as a crutch to push himself to his hooves. All were able to see his gritted teeth under his fallen black mane.
The heavily panting samurai then lifted his blade and pointed it at the dragon, his practically faded eyes burning with the faint embers of fight from beneath his mane. All stared at him with disbelief before Tundrous began to laugh, a toothy grin crossing his face as he nodded at the samurai.
"You truly are the greatest fighter that I have had the pleasure to do battle with," he praised the samurai, who seemed far too gone to even register the words. "For the incredible, albeit short, battle you have given me, I allow you to leave with your life. You may not leave with your wish, but you leave knowing that you have earned my respect. Train well warrior, and may we do battle once more." Tundrous began to turn away from Jack, before the samurai's voice stopped him and the ponies dead.
"No." Tundrous turned back to look at Jack as the ponies gazed upon him with horror, yet Jack's face was one of wrath as he painfully dragged himself forward. "This battle...is not yet over...not as long...as I draw breath. You wish to claim...yourself victorious? Then you shall...when I...no longer draw breath. I will have my wish...or you will have my life!" He lifted his sword over his head as he said this before glaring up at the dragon, his eyes daring Tundrous to make a move. For a brief moment Tundrous stared down at him with slight confusion, before a smile spread across his face.
"Truly, you are a warrior to the end. I have never seen such a display of courage in nearly six thousands years! You are the greatest warrior I have battled. And for that I shall grant you," Tundrous said as he lifted both of his fists over his head while Jack crouched down slightly and held his sword tight. "A warriors death!"
Yet just as the dragon was beginning to swing his fists down towards the samurai, two hooves slammed themselves into the back of Jack's head. The samurai barely had a moment to register what had happened before he fell to the ground unconscious, where Applejack wrapped her hooves around him and hurled the both of them out of the way. Tundrous managed to cease his attack right before it struck the ground, but as he drew his arms back he glared at the orange mare with fire in his eyes.
"Why do you interfere? Do you wish to taste death as well?" he whispered to Applejack in a low growl, that made both of the princesses' manes stand on end. Yet with shaking knees, Applejack managed to look back into the eyes of Tundrous with enough courage to speak.
"This battle is over. Ya won. So ah'm taking Jack home," she stammered out, getting Tundrous to narrow his eyes.
"This battle is not over. Not until the samurai-"
"But ya said yerself the battle was over. And ya also said that as a reward for being the greatest challenge ya have had, he could go with his life," she reminded Tundrous, whose eyes narrowed with fury at her words. "So unless ya want yerself to be labeled a liar who doesn't keep his word..."
With a scowl Tundrous waved Applejack away, the orange mare barely taking a moment to drag the unconscious samurai to the airship. The moment he was back onboard with the princesses, Applejack began to apply bandages while gently moving Jack's bangs to the side. The princesses nodded to one another as the ship began to rise, but just when it seemed they were free Tundrous glared at Applejack with cold eyes.
"He will not forgive you for this," he informed her, his words like ice that froze the orange mare's heart when she turned towards the dragon. "That warrior wished to die honorably in battle. I could see it in his eyes. What you have taken from him...is something he will never forgive you for."
The airship slowly began to leave the island after Tundrous said this, leaving the dragon to curl back up and begin to slumber once more. As the darkness began to overtake the ship, Applejack looked down at the sleeping face of Jack with concern tearing at her heart. She knew that it was the right thing to save him; she knew that she couldn't let him die.
Just as she also knew that he would hate her for her actions.
Pain bounced around the samurai's skull like his brain was in a windstorm, making Jack grit his teeth as he slowly opened his eyes. Regret flashed through his mind when the bright light caused the blazing pain to intensify ten fold, and with another growl the samurai shut his eyes. His body felt like he had been trampled beneath an avalanche, while the back of his head might as well have been split in two from the way it was aching.
'Ugh, this pain is unlike any I have felt before. But yet...I recall battling with Tundrous...and then I was nearly beaten. I prepared myself for his final blow, but then...' The memory struck him like a kick from a pair of hooves, getting the samurai to sit up in a flash while he remembered what had happened. After regretting the motion and taking a moment to suppress the pain, Jack glanced around to find himself laying on a bed in a wooden room. While he didn't remember much, he didn't need his memory to know where the room was. The apples on everything gave it away.
The samurai forced himself to get up before he took up his sword that was lying at the side of his bed, drawing forth the blade and glancing into his reflection to see that his face was convulsed into a look of rage. He did not know who he was angry at more, Applejack for kicking him in the back of the head...or himself for failing once again.
A quick trek around the house revealed that none of the Apples were home, save for Granny Smith who was asleep in her rocking chair. With narrowed eyes the samurai walked out of the house into the brightness of the day, shielding his eyes from the sun with a groan before glancing around to see if he could find Applejack.
His ears perked up when he heard the sound of voices not too far from where he was, turning his attention back to the barn. His ears shifted forward as he locked onto the voice, and he tapped his hoof against the door three times when he reached the barn, eyes narrowing while the voices shushed themselves.
"Excuse me Applebloom, but I am searching for your sister," Jack explained himself when he entered the barn and found the CMC sitting on bales of hay. Applebloom looked at Jack with concern on her face while the other two simply waved at him. "Do you know where she is and if so, can you direct me to her location?" Applebloom bit her lower lip as she glanced away for a second, but then she lowered her head before speaking.
"She went to the biggest apple tree we have. It's nearly impossible to miss," she explained before motioning in its direction. Jack nodded before he turned to leave, but then Applebloom cleared her throat to make Jack turn around. "Jack...don't be too hard on her. She's lost a lot in her life, much more than most. She just didn't...want to lose you either."
Jack said nothing in reply before he left the barn behind, glancing in the direction that Applebloom had pointed to see a large tree off in the distance. The tree towered over the rest of the apple trees, giving Jack a destination in which to head.
The sun had reached the peak of its ark as the samurai began his walk towards the tree, his face calm despite the typhoon of emotions that roared within his mind. He was not sure what he was going to say to Applejack when he saw her...he wasn't even sure what he could say.
When he reached the tree he found the orange mare underneath the shadow of the giant tree, gently placing fertilizer at its roots before sighing and picking up a watering can. Jack opened his mouth to call her name, but then he closed it again before clearing his throat. AJ practically jumped into the air before she spun around to face Jack, her eyes clearly filled with worry while Jack's remained blank.
"So...yer finally awake," she managed to say after nearly a minute of the two just looking at each other. "You've been asleep for nearly a week, but to be honest, after the beating you took...ah thought it would be longer." Jack remained silent and the small smile on AJ's face fell. "Yer mad at me, ah can tell. So go ahead, scream, yell...or just say something. Get it out."
"Why did you interfere?" Jack asked her in practically a whisper, getting a small sigh from Applejack while the samurai's eyes narrowed. "Tundrous was my chance to return to the past, to finally undo the future that Aku had wrought! But, because of your actions I am once again no closer to getting to my home than I was when I got here!" Applejack didn't flinch at the samurai's harsh tone, but her own anger flashed up in her eyes before she walked right up to Jack.
"Don't try and spin it that way. Ah'm truly sorry that ah had to kick you in the back of the head, but don't act like ya stood a chance," she shot back with a calm tone, yet her eyes raged with a fury that rivaled the samurai's. "He was going to kill ya. Ya lost to Tundrous and he was going to kill ya. Ah saved yer life."
"The battle was not yet over! I could still have-"
"No, ya couldn't! Don't ya even remember what you were like at the end of that fight?! Yer body was broken! Ya were barely able to stand, let alone fight!" she snarled back in reply, getting the samurai to widen his eyes in shock at her tone. "But it didn't have to be that way! Tundrous let you go! But ya still tried to fight him, despite just how easily he beat you! Why?!"
"It was my choice to make. As long as there is a chance to prevail, I shall never back down!" Jack informed Applejack with a stern tone, but as the orange mare narrowed her eyes, Jack's face fell slightly.
"That's got to be the stupidest thing ah've ever heard! Yer smarter than that, Jack! Ya knew full well that ya couldn't beat him at that point! To keep battling after that whooping, why, ya'd have to be..." Then Applejack's eyes widened slowly as she stumbled onto the truth--horror filling up her eyes while she gazed at Jack, who turned his head away from her. "No...tell me, ya didn't want to die? That ya kept fighting so that he would kill ya. Please Jack..."
But Applejack's question was answered when the samurai slowly turned away from her, gazing up at the sky which was slowly being filled with clouds. Little droplets of rain began to fall onto the samurai's face as he remembered his dream...and how empty his heart felt now.
"I entered that battle fully expecting to win, Applejack. I did not fight Tundrous with any plans to die at his hands," Jack clarified for AJ before his face fell slightly. "But if I were to die during the battle and finally join my family once again...then it would be a fate that I would not be opposed to. To die in battle is an honorable way to go."
"Ah can't believe ya," Applejack whispered with horror at Jack's words. "Ya...were fine with dying?...You IDIOT!" Jack spun around with confusion at her sudden outrage before ducking under an orange hoof, leaping back as he grabbed at his blade, clearing going to need it with the look of sheer fury AJ wore. "Do you really think your family would be happy with ya if ya died before ya could free the land from Aku?! Ya still need to save yer world from Aku, to banish the monster back into the darkness once again! How can ya allow yerself to think of dying?!"
"You are the one who knows NOTHING!" Jack roared back with a wrath that made Applejack back away. "For so long I believed my quest to be decreed by the gods themselves, that no matter what happened to me I was destined to prevail! But time and time again I have failed, while chance after chance has escaped from my grasp! For so many years I believed that it was part of my journey, that I was still destined to prevail...but now I wonder if I am cursed, that my journey is nothing more than a sick game played on me by Aku!"
"Jack, ya truly can't-"
"How can I not?! So many times I have failed to stop the monster, sometimes by mere coincidence, but that monster always seems to be able to best me whenever he needs to!" Jack roared, but Applejack started to realize that he was not longer focused on her and just seemed to be screaming. "Yet all I need to do is best him once, ONCE, and my world would be saved! Yet I am incapable of doing even that!"
Jack then unsheathed his sword and glared into the reflection that he saw, not seeing a proud warrior that would save his home...but instead that of a failure, who could not even save himself. With another scream of powerlessness he drove the blade into the ground, before collapsing to his knees afterwards. AJ stared down at him with horrified silence as Jack remained motionless for a few minutes, his body shaking with rage as he breathed heavily.
"I am so tired," he finally whispered in an ancient voice, one that revealed how out of time he was. "So tired of this quest, of always coming so close and yet having victory stolen from me at the last moment. And I am tired of being alone. Of being forced to wander a world I no longer know while fighting for my life, all on my own. Aku has truly taken everything from me. He has taken my strength, my home, my family...a chance at happiness. Maybe...Aku truly won all those years ago and I have been too blind to see it."
Applejack couldn't believe the words coming out of Jack's mouth, yet this time the samurai truly did seem beaten. But what made it even worse, was that Jack's blade was slowly starting to lose its shine; that the divine light that shone within it was starting to fade.
"You asked me a long time ago, Applejack if I had the strength to try one last time? Tundrous was my last attempt...and just like all the others, I have failed," Jack whispered in a defeated tone, his voice so weary that even AJ felt tired just hearing his words. "I no longer have the strength to continue fighting this endless battle. Aku's evil is eternal, whereas I am just a fool wielding a his fathers blade. Father forgive me, for I have failed you."
Jack closed his eyes after saying his piece, expecting to hear the disappointed voice of his father strike him down from the heavens. Yet while the samurai was expecting pain in some form, instead he felt Applejack's arms wrap around him and pull him into the tightest hug he had ever been a part of.
"Ah don't believe that," she whispered to him, Jack's face still crestfallen as he dared a glance at Applejack. "Because ah've seen ya face worse. Like when that psycho with the sword on the bridge nearly killed you and stole your blade. Or when ya battled Tirek despite him being one of the strongest magical beings in the land. And that's because that's who you are, Jack." Applejack pulled herself free of the hug as she said this and moved her face directly in front of Jack's, a small smile creasing her face while her eyes shone with belief.
"Ya may get beaten down, crushed by the weight of yer responsibility, and nearly give up on yerself, but then ya get back up. And that's why yer the only one who has ever stood a chance against Aku. Because no matter what the world throws at ya, ya get back up. Ya keep fighting. Who you are, is a pony that won't stop until evil is vanquished and those who were crushed in the grip of that evil are free."
"And ah want ya to look into that blade of yers, Jack and answer mah question. Do ya see a pony that would have gotten as far as he did if he gave up when things seem hopeless? Or do ya see the warrior I see, the warrior whose soul is forged stronger than the blade he wields? The warrior that the great, evil Aku fears?"
She released Jack after saying this and backed away from him, allowing him to lift his blade and stare into his reflection. For a moment he saw the broken warrior, the man that had so many chances to save his home and yet had either failed or sacrificed them for others. And as the pain of that failure gripped at his heart, he closed his eyes with a shake of his head in regret.
"Failure shall be the hardest load to free yourself of by far. Especially since you have made it a part of who you are." Jack and AJ swiveled their heads around to spy Zecora sitting behind Jack, eyes closed as she nodded her head with understanding. "With so little to build yourself upon, there is no surprise that this is how you're drawn."
"Zecora...what are ya trying to say?" Applejack asked the zebra, who sighed slightly before standing up and grabbing the samurai by the ear, and she then began to drag him along.
"Taking the time to explain would be too much of a pain. You two shall come with me, and then you will see." With Jack being dragged along by the zebra, Applejack chose to follow after her, curious to hear the reasoning for her words.
'Ah just hope whatever it is...it can convince Jack that he's not a failure. That he is a noble warrior...and maybe...that he doesn't have to go back.'
Jack did not fear the strange sounds that came from within the Everfree Forest, but he did question the zebra's reasoning for bringing the both of them into it. Zecora had released him and allowed him to walk for himself, which he did without so much as a glance at the orange mare that walked beside him.
'I have no right to be angry with her. She is correct in saying that she did save my life,' Jack knew with a small sigh before he slightly shook his head. 'But that does not make what I said any less true. I am so weary of this journey...which, for the first time, I have no idea where it will take me. I hope that Zecora can provide the answers to her riddles, as I am far too tired to play games.'
The answer to Jack's questions was revealed when Zecora came to a stop in front of a hollowed out hole in the ground, one that meant nothing to Jack but caused Applejack's eyes to widen when she recognized the location. "The mirror hole? But ah thought that Princess Twilight sealed it up ages ago?"
"That is indeed where we be. But as for why, you must wait and see," was all Zecora gave as an answer before she motioned for the both of them to follow her down inside of the cavern. Jack did so with Applejack right behind him, following the zebra into a small chamber with a pool of water in the center of it.
"This pool here has the power to multiply any pony that enters it and mutters some magical words," Applejack whispered to Jack despite him not asking. "Ah figured that ya would want to know." Jack nodded in reply before stopping at the base of the ramp, watching as Zecora sat on the edge of the pool and removed a small vial from around her neck.
"Please tell me, why have you brought me here? What did you mean by your words earlier?" Jack asked the zebra, who gave Jack a look of sympathy before she pulled the top off of the vial and let loose a single drop of red liquid into the water. Both Jack and Applejack's eyes widened as the crystal clear water quickly became a murky red, unnerving the both of them as it started to bubble.
"Because I had hoped that your darkness inside, you would be able to purge without need of a guide," Zecora replied as the water began to swirl behind her, almost as if it was planning to launch itself out onto the land. Jack stepped in front of Applejack with his eyes narrowed, but said nothing before the zebra continued. "But now it is clear that I must cut you no slack. Or soon there will be no samurai called Jack."
"What are you implying, Zecora?" Jack asked Zecora once more, who turned to the water and began to mutter incantations into the pool of bubbling liquid. Feeling uneasy about what the zebra was doing, Jack gently pushed his sword from its sheath as a hint.
"I am saying that who you are is your own worst bane. Your own nobleness...is the cause of your pain," Zecora continued as she stabbed her hoof into the water and all at once the bubbling ceased, returning it to its calm and crystal state in which it had rested when they entered. "That the reason you fail is because you must complete your quest--without thought of another or desire for rest."
"That is not true! I have never once abandoned another when they have needed me!"
"Zecora, none of what yer saying is making any sense," Applejack intervened, but instead of reply Zecora looked down into the pool with a small shake of her head.
"If you wish to know what my words hold, then glance into the pool and be bold." Jack narrowed his eyes with concern for what she was saying, yet he could not fight back his curiosity as he stepped forward towards the pool. With a hoof on his sword he glanced down into the water, only to see his own reflection. He raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what trick Zecora had played on him, before the pool became a pitch black and a laugh echoed throughout the chamber.
"It cannot be," Jack whispered in a horrified tone as he backed away from the pool's rim as a black claw grabbed hold of its edge, slowly dragging a giant form out of the waters. Jack snarled while he drew forth his blade and prepared to face the being of darkness, yet when the beast lifted its head his eyes widened when he saw a face that had never dreamed he would see. "Father?"
"Indeed, son. It is I," his father replied in the strong and powerful voice that Jack remembered him having, yet the darkness around the samurai lord shifted into a black suit of armor. And at the top of the armor sat a helmet that cackled with a voice that Jack knew even better than his father's. "And it is I, samurai! Aku!"
"Aku!" Jack cried as the dark clad being drew forth a blade of darkness and swung at the samurai, who leapt out of the way of the strike which cleaved the ground he had been standing on in two. "Father, I do not know how you are here, but Aku has taken possession of you! You must fight him!"
"Fool! Even now, you understand nothing!" Aku cackled as he lunged forward with blade outstretched. Jack lifted his own blade and parried the strike, yet when he swung at the demon Aku leapt back with a sinister smile. One of Aku's arms then doubled in length and lunged towards Jack, whose reactions were too slow and he took a left hook to the side of his head. Jack was sent sprawling by the blow and dropped his blade when he fell onto the stone, gritting his teeth as he fought to get back up.
"Fight my son! Do not let the evil win!" the Samurai Lord said from within the armor of darkness, his words forcing Jack back to his hooves with a cry. Jack grabbed his blade and lunged at Aku, sword held high as he screamed with all of his fury. Yet when he brought the blade down upon the demon's sword, to Jack's horror, the blade did not break.
"That...cannot be," Jack whispered before Aku slammed his left fist into Jack's head again, hurling him across the room and into the wall. Jack slowly slid down it with a groan of pain, eyes watering as he forced himself to stand back up.
"Rise my son! You spent your whole life training to defeat this evil! Do not let him destroy all that we love!" With his father's voice pushing him onward, Jack rose with another cry as he lunged back at the dark samurai. He swung with wild and fierce power, unleashing all of his strength so that he could cleave the evil in two. Yet once again, to his absolute terror, the dark armor was barely even scratched by the ancient blade designed to destroy evil.
"Do you still not see, fool? You are just as blind now as you were all those years ago," Aku taunted before driving his blade across Jack's chest. Jack cried out in pain as he staggered back, dropping his sword while he clutched at the wound upon his chest. He glanced up just in time to take a boot to the face that hurled him across the ground. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the pool, glancing down to see only darkness and pain reflected back at him.
"How...are you so powerful? Why can my blade not pierce through your darkness?" Jack asked while panting heavily, shakily getting back up with a snarl at the demon armor.
"Can you still not see, samurai? Does the truth still not pass through your eyes?" Zecora asked the samurai from the sidelines, using her own strength to prevent Applejack from rushing to Jack's side. "This is what you cannot comprehend. This is why your journey has no end. Aku is the force that you believe is your greatest bane...and to honor your father you rise again and again. Yet despite your courage and your heart, this quest of yours will tear you apart."
Jack shook his head at her words, unable to find the meaning in them. "Do not listen to her, my son! She is trying to distract you from your destiny! Fight on! For what I taught you!" the voice of his father called out again, once again causing Jack to race back into battle with the shadow armor. Aku let out a laugh as he swung at the samurai with his blade of darkness, yet Jack slid underneath the strike and took hold of his blade once more.
"That is right samurai, throw yourself against me once more. Fight me with all of your strength and courage. But only one of us is mortal...and therefore only one of us will eventually break." Jack screamed at Aku as he hurled himself at the dark monster, slashing with all of his might while his blade clashed with the blade of darkness. Sparks flew across the room, setting even the cold stone ablaze as all of Jack's hatred and fury were poured into his strikes. yet despite all of his power and resolve, the blade of Aku refused to break.
"Can he still not see the fact? That the being he faces is Jack?" Zecora asked herself as the battle raged on. Applejack stood on the sidelines, eyes filled with fear as Jack continued his battle against the dark samurai. The creature slammed the butt of his sword into the face of Jack, drawing blood as the samurai staggered backwards. Yet when his father demanded that he continued to fight, Jack screamed and hurled himself back into the battle.
"Zecora...what do ya mean by the fact that he's fighting himself?" Applejack asked the zebra, who shook her head with a pained expression.
"What you see now are the two most driving factors in Jack's life--his honor to his father and the being that caused his strife. Yet the pressure that he places on himself is more than he alone can bear...but it is also a burden that he refuses to share," Zecora explained gravely. "So each failure takes its toll, carves another chunk out of his soul. For he believes that when he fails, he fails not just to go back, but also fails the man who helped create the one called Jack."
"Yet he refuses to tease the thought of not fighting alone, for the death of so many he feels he must atone," Zecora continued as Jack hurled himself at the beast, only to be beaten back again. "For Jack has seen far too many die...he will not allow another at his side. Alone he believes he must get back...and that line of thinking will kill Jack."
"What do ya mean?" Applejack asked Zecora in a near whisper. Before the zebra could answer, Jack came flying by the both of them and slammed into the stony wall. Applejack let out a cry before rushing to his side, helping the bleeding samurai back to his hooves as he struggled to take in breath. "Jack, yer hurt. Please, rest while Zecora and I-"
"No, this is my demon," Jack replied weakly as he threw himself back into the battle, leaving Zecora to shake her head at what he had said.
"It is as I said. He'd rather die than see another dead," Zecora spoke as she walked up to Applejack, who watched the battle continue with pain on her face. "He believes Aku's victory to be his sin, fueling him with an incredible desire to win. Yet Aku is a foe that cannot be bested by a single man. Yet Jack has not accepted that...if he can."
Applejack snapped her attention away from Zecora's words as Aku slammed Jack into the ground, where he coughed up blood before Aku slammed one of his boots into the chest of Jack. "Get up my son! You cannot die here! All of our nation and our people depend on you!" the Samurai Lord's voice bellowed down at Jack, who coughed weakly as he struggled to push the boot off of him.
"He bears his father's destiny and the weight of his whole nation upon his back. But alone with that weight, how could one do anything but crack?" Zecora asked herself as she shook her head and popped open her vial once more. Yet she glanced over at Applejack and read the look in her eyes. "You would do well to leave this alone. You know better than any that Jack will fight this demon alone."
"Alone? Zecora, haven't ya been listening to what ya have been saying?!" Applejack screamed at Zecora, taking the zebra aback as the mare's eyes flashed with a fury that she had not seen before. "All of his life Jack has been fighting this evil alone, fighting with the weight of his family and his world upon his back. Jack is the strongest pony--both morally and mentally--that I know, but as ya said even he would break under all that pressure after a while. But he won't fight it alone any longer! Not while ah'm still breathing!"
Never seeing the thin smile that spread across the zebra's lips, Applejack hurled herself into the battle and drove herself head first into the dark samurai. Aku let out a cry of surprise as he staggered back from the blow, giving Applejack time to grab Jack and drag him away from the creature.
"Applejack?" Jack whispered weakly as he gazed up into the emerald eyes of Applejack, who smiled down softly at him before giving her most menacing glare to the dark samurai.
"Don't you worry no more, Jack. Just rest here and leave this to me," she scowled as she pawed the ground with her hoof, glaring into the eyes of Aku and the Samurai Lord that resided within the darkness.
"Fool! Do you truly believe that you can defeat the great and powerful Aku?!" Aku cried out as he twirled his blade.
"Out of the way, you foolish horse! Only my son can slay Aku, so-"
"Shut it. The both of you." Despite being a being of pure darkness and a lord, both Aku and Jack's father silenced immediately at her words. She then glared into both of their eyes as she called upon a power within her, a power that she had not had to use in so long. Her body then began to glow like the orange rays of the sun, red and pink streaks running down her mane and tail while numerous apples formed around her hooves. And in the face of such light the creature let out a snarl and staggered backwards, unable to stand before her rainbow power.
"Ah honestly don't know which of ya ah hate more right now," she whispered in a tone that was dripping with venom, her emerald eyes burning like a fire as she stared down the creature of darkness before gazing at the Samurai Lord. "Ya did what no parent should ever do. Ya forced yer own failings upon yer son, subjected him to a life of misery and loneliness because you couldn't finish Aku."
"But then there's you. The demon that stole Jack's home, his family and any chance he had at being happy. The demon that torments him no matter where he goes, forcing him to stay away from those he cares about so that they can be safe...forcing Jack down the path of loneliness," Applejack trembled with rage, which only caused her power to burn brighter and shake the whole cavern that they were in. "Thinking it over, ah hate you far more than ah ever believed ah could hate."
"But that doesn't excuse either of ya. Fer thinking that ya can do this to Jack, to force him to keep on fighting because of what ya did or failed to do. Yer failed destiny is not his responsibility, samurai. And Aku? Ya would just be better off dead, if ah'm honest," Applejack scowled before pawing the ground and glaring at the pair. "So what are ya both waiting for? Try and get to Jack like ya have been. Try to break him under your pressure. But this time ya might find it a touch bit harder."
"What...is she doing?" Jack weakly asked Zecora as Applejack let out a whinny and charged the dark samurai, who swung at her with his blade. Applejack ducked out of the way and drove both hooves into his gut, sending the dark samurai backwards across the ground.
"She could not let you bear the burden of this pain alone any longer, and she has chosen to instead fight your demon for you...despite it being far stronger." Jack looked back at the battle to see that even with her stronger form, Applejack still could not harm the creature just as he had been unable to do, and was forced to dodge its attacks while Aku mocked her.
"How...do I stop it? My blade does not harm it and it is far stronger than me," Jack begged the zebra, who sighed before helping him to stand back up. "She cannot best it and neither can I...so how can we hope to win?"
"That creature is your father's destiny, and that creature will not let you be. For so long have you fought, all by yourself...but Jack, there is no shame...in needing some help." Jack stared at her with eyes that slowly had realization dawning in them, allowing Zecora to smile slightly before continuing. "Even the greatest of warriors and strongest of heroes, could not always by themselves defeat their foes. But by fighting with those they trusted and loved...did they finally find a way to rise above." For the first time Jack understood what the zebra was saying. He nodded to her to show that he understood before he limped back into the battle, turning the creature's eyes away from Applejack and to him.
"Son! You have returned! Now hurry, slay this evil and free our people!"
"Yes, fool! Fight me, so that I may finally cut you down once and for all!"
"No." Both Aku and the Samurai Lord seemed confused by Jack's answer, yet as he glared at the both of them there was only strength in his eyes. "I see now that you are neither Aku nor my father, but instead the physical manifestation of my destiny, the weight that I have carried with me for so long. And for so long I believed that I would be able to best you, Aku, by myself. As I believed I was destined to."
"But now...I finally see the truth. That this destiny...that slaying you, is far too much for me to bear alone. That if I continue down this path, I will fail as my father did. That I alone...cannot defeat Aku." Then Jack cast his gaze to Applejack, a smile of guilt crossing his face as he extended a hoof to her. "And because of my blindness, I tried to drive away those that wished to share my burden, wished to aid me in the fight against my evil. Yet, fortunately for me, the friends that I made are as stubborn as me."
"I know I have no right to ask of your aid, but...if you wish, will you fight with me?" Applejack's response was a wink at Jack before she let out a whinny and lunged at Aku, who spun around and lifted his blade to intercept her. Yet with all of his remaining strength, Jack leapt into the air with blade drawn. Aku howled with rage as the samurai's sword slice through his shadows, yet when he turned to face Jack a blast of rainbow struck him from behind as well.
"Of course ah'll fight with ya, Jack. Even if ya didn't want me to," Applejack said as she joined the samurai's side. He smiled gratefully at her as the both of them grabbed the hilt of Jack's weapon, thrusting it forward at the shadow samurai with all of their might. Aku brought his own blade down to intercept he blow...only for his sword to be cleaved right in two.
"How...?" was all Aku got the chance to ask before the magic sword pierced through the shadowy demon. With one last scream of rage, Aku vanished back into the darkness of Jack's mind, leaving only his father to gaze down at the mare and the samurai.
"Son..." he began before turning away in shame, choosing to look at Applejack instead. "Take care of my son."
"Don't worry. Ah will."
"And Jack..."
"Do not worry. I shall not fail you. For this time, I do not fight alone."
The Samurai Lord faded away into nothingness after Jack spoke, leaving the samurai to let out a sigh before he started to fall over. Yet an orange hoof caught him and when he lifted his eyes he saw Applejack, normal once more, smiling down at him softly.
"Ya alright?" she asked him as he leaned against her, allowing the mare to pick up his sword and offer it to him.
"Yes...for the first time in a long time," Jack replied slowly as he sheathed his blade, glancing around the cavern to see Zecora smiling at him before vanishing in a flash of light.
"Come on, let's get ya home," Applejack said as she helped Jack towards the exit of the cavern.
"Applejack...I am sorry for what I said to you," Jack apologized with deep regret once the two of them were free of the forest. "I should not have said what I did. I am grateful that you cared enough about me to defy Tundrous to save my life. Now I see...that I should not measure my life simply by my failures or my destiny. That I should accept the aid of others in aiding me with this burden. Perhaps there is more to me...than just my destiny."
"And all it took ya to finally realize that was two hooves to the back of the head," Applejack joked before smiling at Jack. "And ah forgive ya, Jack. With everything that ya have gone through and all the weight that ya tried to carry by yerself...but don't ya worry about that shouldering that weight alone, because I'll be right here beside ya the entire way to help. Aku may have driven everypony else out of yer life, but he won't get rid of me. That's mah promise to ya."
"I truly do not deserve you," Jack whispered with a smile under his breath before sighing and leaning against the mare as the exhaustion took over his body. But then he heard Zecora speak to him once more, though it was in a different tone than before.
"Here is the advice that I have saved for last. There are things more important than returning to the past."
Applejack had to fight the desire to scowl with all of her might, leaving her face in a long frown while her eardrums were assaulted with the sounds of a dozen fillies all talking at once. Even the beauty of the day couldn't help Applejack's mood as she felt a spitball catch her in the back of her mane, yet when she turned with a glare every foal pointed to a different one.
'Ah swear Cheerilee better make this up to me,' Applejack thought while turning back around. 'Just because she's dating mah brother doesn't mean that ah'll do things like this fer free. Especially since one of these little varmints keeps hitting me with spitballs!'
"Uh, sis? Are ya sure ya can do this?" Applebloom whispered to AJ from the side. Applejack nodded with confidence before a third spitball shwacked her in the side of her head, the mare barely containing her rage as she glanced back at the foals. "Mah class can be kinda rowdy and even Cheerilee has issues with us. Ah could help ya if ya wanted, but that would require..."
"Still grounded till the end of time," Applejack clarified before whistling to the class as they reached the town center. "Alright ya little...ah mean, class. Cheerilee left me with instructions to take ya on a tour of the City Hall, where ah worked fer a time. So please stick together and...why are there already two of ya missing?"
Applejack snarled with irritation as she began to glance around the almost deserted square for the missing two foals, yet to her surprise the escapees were being dragged back over to her by a warrior in a white kimono. He slid the two pouting foals off of his back and onto the dirt at Applejack's hooves, bowing to her before turning away without a word.
"Jack?" Applejack asked before the samurai could escape, stopping his flight as he swiveled his head slightly to glance at the mare.
"Yes?" he asked in a very different voice than what he normally used, and one that made the mare hide behind her hat slightly.
"W-well it's just that ah haven't seen ya in a few days and ah just...wanted to make sure that you were alright," she said with a small chuckle, but Jack's eyes remained devoid of any mirth while he silently stared back. After a long, awkward moment, Applejack cleared her throat and gained the attention of the class once more. "Alright class, can any of ya tell me when this building was built?"
"Why? Don't you know?" a foal smirked from the back, earning him a look from the teacher before she glanced around for any student that was raising their hoof--of which there were none.
"Ugh...it was built when Ponyville was first founded, back when mah Granny Smith first came to this area," Applejack began to reminisce, not noticing that two foals were trying to sneak out of class once more. But the moment they turned to leave they found themselves glaring into the eyes of Jack, which instantly spun them back around and in line.
"Now all of ya follow me, ah have something ah want to show ya," Applejack teased with a smile as she led the group inside of the large building, which, upon entering, the group found that it was nearly completely empty. "The mayor owes me a favor, so ah had her empty the building so that we could get a full tour. But before we do any of that, one of the assistants have set up a movie fer ya all in the break room."
"Finally, something that isn't boring," a voice from the back called out before another spitball flew towards the mare's head. Yet a flash of steel decimated the wad of spit, causing all eyes to shrink while they turned their eyes towards Jack. The samurai sheathed his sword with a gaze over the class before motioning for Applejack to continue.
"Er...thanks. The movie will be about how Ponyville has risen up over the years from nothing more than a simple dot on a map to one of the greatest towns in all of Equestria," AJ explained before ushering the students towards the break room, waving at them before turning to Jack with concerned eyes. "Alright, we've got a moment to talk. Jack, what's been going one with ya? Ya haven't been at home, yer constantly away from town, and ya don't talk to me anymore. Please, tell me what's the matter."
Jack wished to remain silent, to not burden another with his issues, but when he saw the pleading in the mare's green eyes he could not resist. "For the first time in my life, Applejack, I feel lost," Jack finally admitted as he glanced towards the pictures on the wall, each showing a different mayor of Ponyville for as long as it had been around. "I have always had my quest, my knowledge that no matter what, I must slay Aku. And to do that I would need to return to the past. But now...my faith has been shaken."
"By what Zecora said?"
"Somewhat, but mostly by my most recent failings. If my ancestors are with me, then why have I not succeeded? Are they not guiding me to where I need to be? To a place where I can return to my home and slay the beast before he unleashes his evil?" Jack asked, though it was clear to Applejack he was talking to himself more than he was to her. "And if they are not leading me back...then why here? Why bring me to Equestria?"
"Jack...ah can't begin to know the answers to any of these questions. Ah don't know why yer ancestors led ya here," Applejack admitted before smiling up at Jack and gently placing a hoof on his face. "But what ah do know is that ah'm grateful they did. If not fer ya, a lot of bad things would have happened in Equestria."
"Thank you for the kind words Applejack, but I need answers," Jack sighed as he shook his head.
"Um...Jack? Ya never did...answer mah question." Jack raised an eyebrow at AJ as she said this, reading fear in her eyes as he did so. "What happens if ya alter the past? Wouldn't that mean that there was no Aku in the future...meaning that there'd be no you that traveled back in time?"
"I do not know myself, Applejack. There is a lot that I do not seem to know anymore," Jack admitted with a small shake of his head before the both of them heard the sounds of complaining foals. "You should see what ails those children. Whatever it is, I wish you luck."
Applejack sighed with concern as she turned from the samurai and walked into the break room, finding that the assistant had been tied up in a chair while the foals ran around screaming at the top of their lungs. Papers were scattered across the room, chairs had been overturned and one of the wastebaskets had a fire burning in it. Applejack tried using her words to calm them, yet when the rebellion continued she found it was much easier to gain their attention by driving her hoof through a wall.
"Now that ah have yer attention, what in tarnation's is going on?!" she asked with a raised voice.
"The movie that you promised isn't working! That means everything is boring again!" a foal cried out, but a death glare from the apple pony stopped any more rioting before it had the chance to begin. AJ then sighed as she freed the pony from the chair, glancing around at all of the expectant eyes of the foals with no idea what to do. It didn't help when the foals began to chant for a movie, Applejack's face falling as she looked into each of their demanding eyes before flashing her sister and her friends a look for joining in.
"Look, ah know that ya want a movie, but just give me a minute and ah'll see what..."
Applejack stopped talking as the lights slowly dimmed in the room, turning the demanding chants of the foals into murmurs of interest. A flash of light then shone from behind a large sheet of paper, along with two shadows of what looked to be...
"People?" Applejack muttered as she and the other foals gathered around, watching with keen interest as the shadows began to move around. The shadows, one a man and one a woman, danced happily with one another, constantly linking hands as they spun around and around.
Then a faint music began to play, a soft tune that matched up perfectly as the two continued to dance. AJ chanced a glance at the foals that were watching, awed to find them completely mesmerized by the images. Then the music took a darker turn as a shadow of a massive, winged beast landed before the two. The man placed himself between the pair as he drew forth his blade, but with what seemed to be a laugh the beast swatted him to the side. The man's shadow vanished from the images as the wing beast grabbed hold of the lady and took off with her, dropping her off at the top of a massive tower.
Then all of the shadows vanished except for the one of the man, who slowly walked back into the light. His head was hung low and his body was slumped over, getting the foals eyes to soften at his pain as he glanced up at where his love had been taken. He slowly lifted his broken sword with despair, falling to his knees as he tossed his blade down and shook his tiny fists at the sky.
A bolt of lightning then crashed down before the tiny figure, who walked over to the point of impact. He knelt down before drawing out a blade that was in the shape of a thunderbolt, holding it high as the blade caused more lightning shadows to strike around the warrior. With the new weapon in hand, the scene shifted from the man on foot to the man on horseback, racing across the land with the blade still held high to find his love.
The tower shot up from beneath the paper, casting the massive structure with the winged monster still at the top. The creature laughed as the warrior approached the tower with his blade, pointing it towards the creature before the two began to do battle.
To the amazement of Applejack, the foals were completely into the show that began to have sound effects as the two clashed. She could hear the striking of steel, the roars of the monster as the blade cut at its skin, and the yelling of the warrior. The warrior struck the beast dead in the chest and caused it to fall to the ground, where he lifted the sword over his head as he prepared to finish it.
Yet to the crowd's shock, the creature began to bow at the warrior's feet, apparently begging for its life. For a brief moment the warrior considered sparing the creature, which was the moment that the winged beast chose to strike. Its tail knocked the warrior off of his feet and sent his blade flying away, leaving him defenseless as the beast closed upon him.
Yet to the delight of the screaming foals, a piece of the tower came falling down from above and shattered upon the creature's skull. The beast staggered back as the warrior rose to his feet, tossing his arms into the air when his love ran up to him with the sword in her arms. The two then gripped the blade together as they drove it into the heart of the beast. The shadow of the winged beast flailed around in agony before it fell of the paper, leaving the two to embrace once more before they began to dance again as the light faded.
The foals applauded before they rose up and began to leave the room, the return of the lights telling them that the show was over. Applejack told them to wait by the door before she walked over behind the paper, finding the samurai who was picking up a large amount of origami pieces that resembled the shadows that she had watched.
"Thanks fer yer help back there. Ah thought they were going to burn down the town with the way there were acting," Applejack smiled down at Jack, who simply nodded in return as he picked up the final piece and tucked it away in his kimono. "So what kinda story did ya tell there? It seemed like one that hit close to home fer ya."
"It was a shadow play that I used to watch as a child," Jack explained as he recalled the performances from long ago. "There were actual actors who told an entire story just with their actions and with faint music playing in the background. Some spoke, but I found the silent ones to be the best. This was my favorite tale, the tale of the thunder warrior. I assumed that it would amuse the foals as much as it amused me."
"Well, yer gamble paid off," Applejack said with a smile before looking around the room. "Mayor Mare is gonna kill me, though, fer having this happen to her office. Can't imagine she'll ever let me back in here again."
"Do not worry Applejack, I will explain things to her if she gets too angry," Jack promised before he felt a strange tingling in his flank. He flashed his eyes back to his rear and slightly lifted his kimono, his eyes narrowing in confusion while AJ shielded hers. "Strange...for a brief moment I felt a sensation on my flank. Almost as if...something was appearing."
"Maybe that's yer talent that Zecora was talking about! Maybe yer cutie mark is working with foals," Applejack suggested, getting a look from Jack as he dropped his garb. "Think about it, back when we were traveling ya got along with those foals when ya showed them yer origami!"
"Perhaps you are right," Jack muttered under his breath before a pony caught his eye, a pony that was a midnight blue. "Princess Luna? What brings you here?" Jack asked her as he bowed.
"You do, samurai. My sister and I have news that you may like to hear," she said with a smile. "We have found somepony that may be able to return you to the past." Both Jacks' eyes went wide before they glanced at each other, Jack's face surprised while AJ wore a smile on hers, one that Jack wondered if it were entirely true.
"Isn't that great, Jack?! Just let me round up the foals outside and we can be on our way."
"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."
The stallion's brain screamed at him to take a break, to rest the muscles that had become a burning source of pain, but Jack hardly paid them any mind as he clawed up the side of the mountain. All of his focus, his intensity and his strength went into reaching the top as quickly as he could, before his nightmare arrived in Equestria. Below, Applejack tried to keep up with him as best as she could, but she knew full well that Jack was too far driven to allow her to catch up.
"JACK! Will you just calm down fer a minute and talk?!" She screamed up at the samurai as cold winds rippled past the both of them, but if Jack heard her he gave no indication since he continued to pull himself up the mountain. AJ grumbled under her breath as she placed a shaky hoof on the next, icy step, pulling herself a little higher before shivering a bit. She then glanced back up at Jack, who hardly seemed slowed by the snow or cold.
"I cannot wait! I must keep pushing forward," Jack seethed with agony when he heard Applejack call out to him again, forcing himself to ignore both her and the searing pain that coursed through his muscles as he forced himself higher and higher. Occasionally he glanced back at the landscape far beneath him, every time expecting to see it either on fire or in the clutches of the dark evil himself.
Jack then turned his gaze towards the top of the mountain once more, eyes narrowing as he spied what looked to be a ruined pillar near the top. The thought of finally reaching the summit fueled his fatigued body, allowing him to climb with renewed strength...at least until he finally placed a hoof at the peak. With the last drop of his strength he dragged himself onto the top, before collapsing into a pile of pony that panted heavily.
"No time...to rest. Must...find...Libra," he gasped as he forced himself back to his shaky hooves, half-dragging his body forward. Multiple ruined pillars decorated the land around him, and as he stared at the ground he found ancient stone that had once made a floor for what must have been a temple. His suspicions were confirmed when he lifted his head once more and found a massive throne resting amidst the wind and snow, its gargantuan size indicating that it had been constructed for a being of great proportions.
"This must be the place. LIBRA! If you are truly here, then reveal yourself!" Jack roared into the wind and snow, glancing around with building fear and anger at the silence that replied. He was just about to scream out the name once more before a blinding flash of light went off, causing the samurai to shield his eyes for a moment as the light died down. When he could see again, he felt his eyes widen at the creature that rested before him on the throne.
While similar to the image that Luna had shown him, the deity Libra was slightly different than he had been led to believe. This Libra did indeed have arms, but in each had rested half of a scale. Libra's body also seemed to be transparent, since Jack could see the back of the throne clear through the deity's body. Yet, the face was what Jack was drawn to the most, because Libra's face seemed to be molded from solid gold and wore a permanent expression of interest upon his features. That expression then glanced down at Jack, who found himself too stunned for words despite his rage a few moments before.
"Greetings, the one they call 'Jack'. It seems that you are indeed just as surprising as Luna described you," Libra began, bowing slightly to the samurai, who bowed in reply as Luna's words of caution flashed across his mind. "There is no need to answer. I know why you have sought me out. You require something that only I can grant. You require a way to return to your past."
"Yes...yes I do!" Jack smiled with hope, hope that he would finally return to his time and slay the evil that was Aku. "Please, you have already been informed of my quest and why I must get back. So I humbly ask that you please cast this magic soon, before Aku has the chance to do to this land what he has done to mine. Please, I beg of you."
Jack hurled himself onto the ground in the deepest bow he could perform, leaving Libra's face unchanged but a small chuckle could be heard coming from the deity. Raising an arm with a crystal scale within its grasp, Libra's eyes glowed slightly as he constructed a portal. A portal that, when Jack raised his head, made his eyes tear up when he saw what was within it.
"Mother. Father," he whispered as tears streaked down his cheeks, while his watering eyes gazed upon his family. His parents glowed with health and happiness, the kind of happiness that he had only remembered seeing in them before Aku attacked. The samurai slowly rose to his hooves and staggered towards the portal, reaching out for it with a hoof before Libra lifted the portal. "What are you doing?! Please, allow me to return to my time!"
"If you can balance the scales," Libra said in a voice that was as emotionless as his golden face, making Jack raise an eyebrow in confusion as Libra moved forward the other scale. "What I am doing requires a great amount of magic. In return for this, I require a magic that is able to equal the power that I am giving up. Place an item like that on the scale and you shall return to your home."
"But...but I do not possess an item with that kind of magical ability," Jack stammered out as he started to look through his kimono, but after a moment Libra allowed light to shine from his eyes and rest upon an item that hung at Jack's waist. "My sword?" Jack asked in a whisper as he glanced down with horror at the blade. "But my sword is all in this or any other land that can slay Aku for good! Without it, my quest into the past would be pointless!"
"That may be samurai, but it is the only item that you possess that can balance the scales," Libra informed him before his eyes flashed once more and the portal into Jack's past began to shrink. Jack's eyes widened in horror before he drew his blade in desperation and glared up at the deity. "Do not bother, samurai. With a thought I could be gone and then Aku will take this land. So sheath your sword and let us continue."
With pained fury Jack withdrew his blade, glaring up at Libra while the portal continued to shrink. Libra then once more moved the empty scale down in front of the samurai, who gazed down at it with conflict as he pondered what other way he could return without sacrificing his sword.
"Ugh....whew, nothing like...climbing a mountain to really...see how much exercise ya really need. Oh mah stars." Both Jack and Libra turned around to see Applejack finally reach the mountaintop, collapsing much like Jack did as she panted heavily. After a moment of respite she managed to push herself back up, where she spied Jack and pulled herself over to him with an annoyed expression. "Thanks fer waiting up partner, ah nearly fell off the mountain back there. But did ya care? No, it's all-"
"Applejack, I understand that you are angry, but now is not the time for rage," Jack said to stem her rage. "Libra requires a magical item from me that-"
"Yes. She will do." AJ and Jack stopped fighting and both glanced up at the deity, who had extended the scale towards Jack once more. "This pony, Applejack is it not? She posses the magic within her that can balance the scales. She can be used in place of your sword."
"Wait a moment, what's going on here?" Applejack asked with a confused expression, which turned into an expression of internal conflict when Jack explained what the deity was asking. "So...if ah trade away mah magic...mah Element...then Jack will be able to return to the past?"
"No, that is not what I'm asking. I am asking for your life." This time it was Jack who became furious while AJ gazed up at Libra with disbelief. "The magic within you is indeed a perfect balance, but to take it from you would also come at the cost of your life. But if you do not find that satisfactory, then we can always go back to my original idea. The sword."
"Never!" Jack roared without a moment's thought, drawing forth his blade once more as he leapt in-between Applejack and Libra. His eyes thundered with fury that only one other being garnered from him, a look that made the gold on Libra's face darken as he drew back the scale. "I will slay you before I allow you to have her life! I will find something else!"
"And what else could you possibly find?" Libra asked with his tone still emotionless, but Jack could feel the faintest traces of anger within his words. "You do not have time to go back down the mountain and find another source of magic. You have already wasted enough of my time and I am already pondering what you will have to give me to balance the waste."
"And I say that you will feel the sting of my sword before you lay a hand on her! I'd rather face all of Aku's army than sacrifice Applejack to you!" Jack roared in reply as his sword flashed, but to the surprise of both the samurai and the mare, Libra looked past them at the land below.
"Careful what you wish for." The moment the words escaped the mouth of Libra, the air tore open and a black fissure spread across the sky. Jack and Applejack watched in horror as the fissure blotted out the sun, causing darkness to spread across the land. Then, by the thousands, the black insects like the one Jack had slain earlier began to rain from the sky, spreading across all of the land as they scattered by land and sky.
As the black armies began to spread across the land, fires began to erupt wherever they went. From the mountaintop the pair of ponies were able to watch as the army of insects consumed a village nearest to the fissure, turning what was a happy and peaceful town into a burning pile of rubble within a matter of minutes.
"So what say you now samurai?" Libra asked Jack once more, who had to force himself to tear his gaze away from the land below to look back up at the face of Libra. "Aku's forces have begun to invade. Already lives have been lost to him. And to undo what has already begun, you only have two options. Give me your sword...or give me the mare's life."
"Send me back!" Jack bellowed as he lunged towards Libra, sword flashing in the light as it swung towards the face of the deity. Yet with a flick of a scale Libra caused Jack to rocket into the ground, where he cried out in pain as he felt his body crumple.
"Remember what I said, Jack. I do not need to even bother with you right now," Libra replied with a cold tone as he waved a scale at Jack, the portal back to the past having nearly closed. "The sword or the mare. Those are the only two options available to you right now. So you must make a choice."
With agony wrenching his heart, Jack rose to his knees and held the sword in his hooves that was gifted to him from his family, remembering all they had sacrificed so that they could bestow it on him. He knew that it represented his destiny and was his only way to slay Aku...and it was his oldest friend, the one that had stood beside him through every battle and heartbreak.
But then he cast his gaze to Applejack, to the mare that had accepted him and helped him through Equestria despite him having done nothing to earn that loyalty. Images of her saving his life, offering him food and shelter...and simply being there for him in his darkest moments then swirled in his mind, along with ones of her accepting him into her family, of fighting alongside him no matter the obstacles...and being someone he could lean on. All the memories cascaded down into Jack's mind, reminding him of what it had been like to be loved by others so long ago...and why her smile caused his heart to burn with a fire that he had believed to have long since gone out. And he remembered he was willing to sacrifice everything to save her...even his closest friend.
With a sigh of acceptance Jack placed the sword back into its scabbard and slowly began to walk forward, not looking into Applejack's eyes as he walked by her. And because he did not glance, he did not see the expression that she wore on her face. One that would have chilled him to his core.
"Ah'll do it."
With sickening horror shredding his heart, Jack turned back to face the orange mare who stared ahead with acceptance blazing in her eyes. Even Libra tilted his head forward to indicate surprise, motioning for her to continue speaking.
"Jack...ah know that ya want to offer yer sword. Ah know that ya would rather do that then allow me to give up mah life," Applejack began, before an unholy laugh began to echo across the entire land of Equestria. Jack, AJ and even Libra (to an extent) shivered as the laugh chilled them all, and with fear-filled eyes the two ponies glanced towards the fissure, where a black shadow was beginning to make its way through. The shadow then began to grow until it towered over all of the land, casting a shadow that covered nearly all of Equestria as his green face smiled with delight.
"Aku..." Jack whispered with fear as the demon began to laugh, shooting laser-like beams from his eyes while he began to unleash hell upon the landscape. With the arrival of his greatest foe, Jack glanced down at his blade with fear filling up his soul. If he did not have the blade, could he ever hope to slay a demon like that?
"Hahaha! So this is the land that the samurai has fled to!" Aku said with a cackle as he gazed around, his eyes immediately locking onto the samurai that stood atop the mountain. With a blaze of speed Aku appeared before the samurai, towering over him while smiling with delight. "So samurai, you thought you could escape my gaze on another world, did you? But you should know by now that it is futile to escape Aku!"
"I have not come here to hide from you, monster! I have come to slay you!" Jack then lunged at Aku with a bellow, getting the master of darkness to move to the side as Jack slashed the air where he had been a moment before. Aku cackled as he began to shrink down to a smaller size, yet still remaining large enough to tower over him.
"No samurai, today is the day that you are finally slain once and for all!" Aku decreed before turning a gaze towards the orange mare behind him. "Ah, I see that you have another with you. I cannot wait to inflict the pain of a thousand suns upon them once I am finished with you." Jack answered with a howl of fury as he dove in-between the pair, his eyes flashing with a wrath that Aku had never seen within his oldest foe...and it made him smile.
"I see...you care for this one, do you not? As I have taken the rest of your family from you...I suppose that I must take her as well!" Jack bellowed as he lunged forward, yet before his blade could strike Aku, he was blindsided by a blur of motion that knocked him to the ground. He snarled while springing to his hooves, turning with a glare to see numerous black robots had surrounded the pair of them.
"Deal with him, my minions. I wish to see what makes this beast of burden so special to the samurai." Jack screamed as he cleaved through the first couple of Aku's minions, yet the others quickly bolted out of the samurai's way as he swung at them. Seeing his chance Jack lunged toward Aku, yet before he could reach chains burst forth from the robots and ensnared the samurai. He was dragged back down as Aku and Applejack faced off, the mare glaring at the demon while all Aku did was smile.
"So, you are what has kept the samurai here. I look forward to tearing you away from him!" Aku said before lunging towards the mare with claws extended. Yet a flash of rainbow light erupted from the mare and forced the demon back for a moment, allowing him to gaze upon her rainbow form.
"Ah'm glad yer here, Aku. Because now ah can tear ya apart with mah own hooves!" Applejack then bellowed before lunging for the demon, driving into his chest with all of her rainbow power. Yet to her surprise, she passed clean through the Master of Darkness without leaving a scratch. She wondered what had happened before a tendril of darkness struck her in the back and sent her hurtling into the mountain top once more.
"Did the fool not tell you? Only the sword can truly harm me!" Aku said with a laugh before lifting his fist over the mare. He then drove his closed fist onto the mare, yet in a flash of light and steel a blade sliced through Aku's hand. The demon cried out in pain as he clutched at his fist, glaring down at the samurai who skidded to a stop next to the mare.
"No Aku! Today your darkness ends! Today is your last!" Jack promised, yet all his words did was cause Aku to begin to laugh.
"End, samurai? No, today is only the beginning!" Aku said as he moved to the side, allowing both Jacks to see the devastation that was being wrought upon the land. Off in the distance they could see the princesses and the other members of harmony battling with Aku's forces, but for everyone they slayed, dozens more fell from the sky. "For today I add this land and all of its riches to my empire. And it will be the day that you die!"
Aku unleashed hundreds of tendrils upon the samurai all at once, who moved like lightning in order to deflect all the attacks. Yet one of the attacks slip past his guard...only to race by him and head straight for Applejack. The mare had only a moment to brace herself before the tendril impaled itself...upon the samurai.
"Jack..." she whispered with horror as Jack cried out in pain, slashing at the tendril to free himself before he collapsed to his knees. She raced to his side and tried to help him up as more tendrils lunged for the pair, but at that moment blasts of lunar and solar magic struck Aku from behind.
"Aku! Today is the day you answer for what you have done!" Luna roared as she and her sister unleashed their magic upon the monster. Aku laughed before he turned to look down at the samurai, a smile creeping across his face.
"I would love nothing more than to kill you here, samurai. But you are crafty. You are powerful. And even though you are wounded, I am in a stranger land and that edge may be enough for you to best me if we battle. Perhaps it would be wiser...if I conquered this world first, then dealt with you. After all," Aku began as he smiled down at Jack. "What would be sweeter than taking TWO worlds from you?" Aku turned towards the princesses and began to attack them, leaving Applejack to try and tend to Jack's wound as best she could.
"Prepare yourself Aku, for today you face the sun and moon," Celestia said with a snarl, but to her and Luna's surprise, all Aku did was smile in response.
"Yes, both of you posses great magic. Magic that may indeed be able to do battle with me," the demon laughed before he was swarmed by thousands of his insect droids. As the two princesses watched in horror, the robotic bugs formed into an armor that completely covered the demon, leaving only his eyes and his toothy smile to peek out from beneath. "But did you think I would arrive in this land without preparing myself to face your magic? The sword may be the one weapon that I cannot protect myself from, but all other forms of magic can be bested. Now come fools, and fall to me as well!"
Applejack watched with wide eyes as the princesses began to do battle with the armored monster, before gazing down at the wounded samurai who panted with pain.
"You know there is only one answer." Applejack gazed up at Libra, who extended one of the scales towards her. "Give me your magic and your life. If you do so, Jack will be returned to the past, returned to the very day that he failed. He will even be in his old body, so you do not need to worry about him being wounded. It is the only way." Applejack then gazed from the god to the demon, who had both Luna and Celestia in his clutches as he cackled to the heavens. Blasts of light then struck Aku, who turned to see the rest of the mane six had arrived in their Rainbow forms as well.
"No...Applejack...I will not...trade your life...to save mine," Jack begged of her. "I will...find another way...another way to stop Aku and save your world! Please...do not leave me alone."
"He cannot beat Aku here. He is wounded and tired. Besides, he has burdened this pain for so long, Applejack. But if you give me yourself, his burden will finally end," Libra promised. Applejack gazed between the two for a moment before she sighed in acceptance before helping Jack to his hooves once more.
"Jack...please let me do this for ya," Applejack pleaded with the samurai, who remained defiant despite the pain that tore apart his body. "After all yah've done...all it will take for yer quest to be at an end is mah life. Everything ya ever wanted-"
"No...I will not...lose you!" Jack spat weakly before glaring up at Libra. "Libra...then use your magic to slay Aku...and take my life in exchange!"
"Sorry Jack, but my power cannot slay Aku. Only your sword can," Libra said to Jack. "Besides, your life is worth far more than his will ever be. It would tip the scales."
"Then destroy his armies and allow me to deal with him!"
"Again Jack, what you ask is impossible. There is nothing you can give me that would balance the scales." Jack wracked his brain as he tried to think of another way, ignoring the battle that raged on above them as the other members of harmony battled with Aku. Yet the lack of blood made it hard for him to think, to even tease an idea of what to do.
"Then...if I give you my sword..."
"No, Jack. Ya need yer sword to stop Aku. It can stop him. Ah can't," Applejack told him, turning Jack's gaze towards her once more. "Jack...please."
"I have lost everyone else that I care for. I cannot lose you as well," he begged her weakly before the sounds of fighting made them look up, seeing that the rainbow powers weren't faring much better than the princesses. "I would rather die."
"Jack...ah know ya will understand," Applejack whispered softly to Jack before leaning over and kissing him lightly on the cheek. "After all, yah've risked yer life so many times fer those ya care about. What kind of pony would ah be if ah didn't sacrifice mah life fer the one ah loved? Please... you need to save all who suffer from Aku. Let me bear this burden."
With nothing left to say, the samurai was forced to watch as Applejack approached the deity. His eyes burned with agonizing pain as he saw the scale lower once more, watched as Applejack took in one last breath before taking a step forward...before closing his eyes as the scale began to suck the very life out of her. The portal began to grow once more as Applejack began to fade, leaving Jack helpless. He wished that there was an alternative, that he could offer something else up in her place.
But he knew. He knew that his sword was all that could slay Aku, so he could not give it up. He knew that if he were to fight Aku here in his wounded state, the demon would quickly overpower him with his massive army and dark magic. And he knew that the only way to save Equestria and be rid of Aku...was to return to the past. So with soul crushing agony bearing down upon him, he could only stare down at the ground with tears waterfalling from his face as Applejack allowed herself to die for him...so that he could return home. So that his wish...
As Jack shut his eyes he could feel the shadow of Aku consuming him in darkness, just as he felt the destiny of his father fall upon his shoulders once more. As agony clenched at his heart, he tried to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. By returning to the past...and losing one...he would be saving so many-
'There are things more important than returning to the past.'
"LIBRA!" Jack roared with fury, making the deity and Applejack both jump in surprise as a flash of light streaked by the pair...and sliced the scale Applejack was on to pieces. Applejack barely had time to yelp in surprise before she felt Jack catch her, holding her close as he held his sword in one hoof while glaring up at Libra with all the remaining strength he could muster. The deity looked from his shattered scale to the samurai, tilting his head slightly as he created a new one.
"We have been over this Jack," Libra said in an annoyed tone as he glanced down at the samurai, but when he gazed into the samurai's eyes he was able to look into Jack's soul...and what he saw made even the deity back away with shock. For Jack's soul blazed with the will of the warrior, the strength of the hero that could overcome any obstacle...and the desire of a man who would sacrifice all for the sake of others.
"Yes, we have discussed the wish that you put before me. But that is not my true wish. My true wish...is that I never came to Equestria!" Jack roared, getting a gasp from Applejack as Libra narrowed his eyes from behind his mask. They then widened slightly when he glanced into the samurai's mind and found that Jack's wish had not changed, but instead had been his true wish.
"That is your true wish?" Libra asked with pure confusion as he lifted his scale, watching as they began to balance each other out. "You have my curiosity samurai. Now I wish to know why."
"Jack...why? What about yer wish to get home?" Applejack asked the samurai, who stared ahead a long moment before gazing down at her.
"I cannot give Libra my sword. I will need it to slay Aku. But...I cannot give him you either. You...mean far too much to me. You helped me with my burden, you showed me your home and accepted me into it. But most of all...you helped me to truly smile once more," Jack admitted before glaring back up at the god, whose scales were precariously balanced. "So you deserve to be happy, deserve to live in a land free of Aku's tyranny. Deserve to live out your life with your family. Even if I am not there to be with you."
"What...are ya saying?"
"I'm saying that if my wish is granted and I never came to Equestria...then that would mean that Aku would have never come to Equestria either," Jack stated more for Libra than Applejack, glaring up at the god as he spoke. "Would that not balance everything out, Libra?"
Applejack felt her heart sink to levels she did not know it could as Jack spoke those words, freeing herself from his arm as the samurai glared up at the deity. She tried to muster something to say to Jack, but found that her voice had abandoned her.
"That...is curious. Yes, for if you never came to Equestria, then Aku would have never had any reason to come to Equestria either," Libra began to mutter, adding up everything in his head. "He would not remember Equestria and neither would you. Also, that would mean that you would not have wasted my time with this...yes..."
"I see samurai. You are going for a reset to all that has happened," Libra realized with the mask having a smile spread across its face. "That would indeed balance everything out...or rather, make it so nothing needed balancing in the first place. But I hope you realize that if I am to grant this wish...then everything that you have done here would be undone. Your adventures, the evil you slayed...meeting Applejack. And they will not remember you either. And no magic in either world can erase what my power will do. Are you certain this what you want? Do you not wish to return to the past?"
"I know well what this means. And while I wish to return to my time...my time has long since past. I am more concerned now with the present! So to protect Equestria...to protect her...this is my wish!" Jack decreed with no doubt or hesitation, making Libra raise his eyebrows beneath his mask as he heard these words.
"Jack..." Applejack whispered, getting Jack to turn his attention from the deity to the mare who gazed at him with despair in her eyes. "Ya can't...ya can't do this. This could be yer only chance to finally return to the past...to stop Aku...but instead ya want to...why?"
"Because it is as a zebra once said. Some things are more important than returning to the past. My family, my home...they are already gone. And for all the wishing in the world...perhaps it is time I learn I cannot relive the past," Jack admitted with a tearful smile as he walked over to Applejack, the pain in his chest far outweighed by the pain in his heart. "But you and your land shall not fall to the evil of Aku. And yes, this wish may come at the cost of my memories, of the feeling of happiness and joy that I felt while I was here...but it will not come at the cost of your life. For that cost is too high a price. And to avoid that cost, I would sacrifice everything I cherish. Because no matter what hardships the world casts on me, I will never sacrifice others for my own goals. I will protect all I care about, all that need me, no matter the pain. That is who the samurai they call Jack is."
The moment these words left his lips, a blinding flash of light began to shine from his flank. Both Jack and Applejack glanced back as an image appeared, one that made Applejack tear up and made Jack nod with understanding. For the mark on his flank was a shield in the shape of heart, one that was cracked, dented, and had been pierced by multiple weapons. But the shield still held strong and the heart still bled for those in need, telling Jack all he needed to know.
"Very well Jack, I have mused over it and your wish is fair. So I shall grant your last request," Libra decided as he slammed his two scales together, creating a wave of energy that caused all of Equestria to freeze. Then Equestria started to fade away, starting with Aku before moving to his army. Then the ponies and the burning land began to fade as well, until all that was left was Jack, Applejack and Libra.
"Jack!" Applejack called out to him before glancing down at herself, finding that she was starting to fade as well. "Jack, ya can't do this! Ya can't!"
A small smile crossed Jack's face as he walked forward up to what remained of Applejack, gently placing a hoof on her cheek with a kind smile. "It is the only way Applejack. The only way I could think of to save you and the rest of your home. Do not worry for me, for I am used to having ways home taken from me at the last moment. I thank you for trying to share my pain, for being there to aid me with my burden. I...it means so much to me. Yet this time...I will be able to bear this burden alone. By the thought of what I sacrifice it for. Because this way, I can protect you. And what kind of man would I be, if I did not sacrifice my everything for the one I love?"
Applejack's eyes slowly widened at Jack's words, tears streaking down her face as she shook her head at Jack with a sorrowful smile. "Of course...ya pick now of all times to finally admit that to me. Jack...ah..." Jack closed his eyes as Applejack faded away, leaving him alone with Libra in the whiteness of nothing.
"I am resetting their world, just as I will now do to yours," Libra said as he turned to face Jack, who continued to keep his eyes closed. "But I will admit Jack, that I have never met a being like you. One that is willing to go so far for the sake of others, one that will sacrifice all...even his one happiness. A shield that bleeds for others. It suits you."
"I am next," Jack said with understanding, before a question formed in his mind. "But what about Tirek? Would he not be-?"
"You're arrival here is what caused Applejack to be captured by him. Without you here, she will return home, her friends and she will hear of his deeds and they will defeat him once more."
"I see. Thank you," Jack said softly, not seeing Libra nod before the deity vanished as well. Jack then sat down and crossed his legs, resting his wrists on his knees as he waited for his knowledge of the events that happened to vanish as well, while doing everything he could to stay calm.
'I am proud of you, my son.' Jack's eyes almost opened at the sound of his father's voice, but instead of opening his eyes he kept them shut and allowed the voice to continue. 'You are so kind, so noble and so strong. I am honored to have a son like you.'
"Thank you, Father. I am honored to be your son," Jack replied into the nothingness, keeping his eyes closed as he felt his body begin to fade away.
'But I am also so sorry. Sorry for what my quest has caused you to experience,' the Samurai Lord said with regret and agony in his voice. 'For you have suffered so much because of the task I placed upon you. You have lost friends, endured hardships far greater than any should endure...and just now, were forced to give up the one you loved. I...am so sorry.'
"Do not be, Father," Jack replied with kindness in his tone as he realized he could no longer feel his body. "For while you may have placed this quest upon my shoulders, I am grateful for the journey that I have traveled. Though the constant loss and pain is hard to endure at times, helping those that need me...and meeting all those that I call friends...and love...has made it all worth it. I would not trade those memories for anything...except to save them."
'You are indeed a great man, my son. Far greater than I ever was,' the voice of the Samurai Lord softly said before it began to fade as well, leaving Jack in silence once more. As he sat, he recalled the happiest times of his life: Being held by his mother; being praised by his father...and sitting next to the mare that smelt of apples while watching the fireflies as they flew overhead. He knew that he would not remember the last one, so he chose to focus on that one the most. But even as those memories began to fade, along with what remained of him, he knew that she would be safe. That her home would not have to endure the same pain that his had. That she would be happy.
Bats fluttered across the midnight black sky under the full moon, having far too much fun to feel the chilly wind that whipped through the bare apple trees. They fluttered this way and that way, but most of them conjugated around the town of Ponyville, where they hoped one of the costumed ponies would drop one of their many Nightmare Night snacks that only came out around this time of year.
And on this night in particular, nearly every pony within the town of Ponyville was out in costume, each having a ball on the spookiest night of the year. Mummies and werewolves and vampires were just some of the attractions, but then there were the ponies in the strange and bizarre. Some of the strangest costumes resembled insane creatures, such as hydras and timberwolves. And then there was the pony that was dressed as a being he simply called, "Scorpion."
But the thoughts of the strange costumes were far from the thoughts of a pair of ponies as they walked into the town from the orchard field, a pair of sisters that were late because the little one had spent too long deciding on what she was going to wear. And then there was their dog.
"Dorothy?" Applejack asked as she looked down at her sister, who was wearing a blue and white dress with her mane in pigtails that had a bow on each end. "Yer going as Dorothy? And Winona is Toto?"
"Yeah! She's from this movie that just came out about a pony who goes to see a powerful wizard to return home," Applebloom giggled as Winona raced around her, happily barking her head off as she did so. "It's called...well ah liked it!"
"Ah get that, but out of all the costumes you have..." Applejack tried to say, but Applebloom gave her older sister a look before poking her white kimono with an eyebrow raise.
"Yah want to talk about mah costume, yet here you are walking around with a tablecloth around yer waist. It's going to be embarrassing being seen with ya," Applebloom lamented sadly. "Ah'll never be able to show mah face around here again."
"It's not a tablecloth! It's a...kimono, ah think that's how Twilight pronounced it," Applejack corrected her sister, who was now looking at the fake sword that was attached to a black belt. "Twilight told me about these ponies called samurai, who lived in Japony and served their masters. She found this while ah helped her research their culture and she gave it to me as a gift for helping her. It'd be a shame if ah didn't wear it at least once."
"So why'd ya pick now?" Applebloom asked as "Toto" barked at one of the bats and started to chase it around.
"Are ya kidding? I'd never be caught wearing this on any other night besides tonight," Applejack said with a laugh as she galloped ahead, Applebloom chasing after her sister while whistling for Winona to follow them. The two slowed back to a trot as they entered into the town, greeting the large number of ponies that were walking around tents and activities with smiles.
"Ah'm going to go find the girls," Applebloom said as she raced off before Applejack got the chance to tell her otherwise. AJ rolled her eyes before walking off into the crowd, looking around for five other ponies that she was certain would be at the center of all the partying.
"And there they are," she muttered with a thin smile as she spotted a pink pony in a duck costume downing large amounts of candy, next to two other ponies who tried in vain to keep up with her. Off to the side Applejack spotted wizard Twilight, who was shaking her head at the antics, as well as pilot Dash, who was enjoying the show, and queen Rarity with bumblebee Fluttershy, who were comparing costumes.
"Howdy yall!" Applejack greeted as she raced over to them, all of them turning to greet her before a large cheer went up from the crowd next to them, and Pinkie hoisted a trophy into the air with a laugh. "Ah thought ah might find ya here, but ah didn't expect to see y'all plumb smack in the middle of a candy eating contest."
"I wouldn't call that much of a competition," Dash smirked as she pointed to the other competitors, who were being carted off with faces colored an ugly green. "What took you so long?...and why are you wearing a tablecloth?"
"It's a kimono!" Twilight corrected before Applejack could open her mouth. "It is a traditional garb worn by ponies who lived in Japony! It is NOT a tablecloth!"
"Looks like one," Dash shrugged as Rarity and Fluttershy joined the group.
"Applejack dear, if you needed a costume, you could have asked me. You didn't need to go grab your tablecloth," Rarity said, getting Twilight to clutch at her mane with frustration. The ponies gave her strange looks as the candy eating champion hopped over to them, a huge smile on her face as she held her trophy aloft.
"Silly fools! Nopony can defeat Pinkie Pie in a candy eating competition!" Pinkie laughed aloud as she came to a stop next to Applejack, looking up and down her costume with a large smile on her face that still had bits of candy stuck in it. "Wow Applejack, that's a really cool Japony outfit you're wearing."
"Finally, somepony gets it," Twilight muttered as she shot Rainbow and Rarity a glance. Pinkie shot them her own look as well, but she had a huge smile on her face as she did so.
"So we got Twilight Wizard, Captain Rainbow, Queen Rarity, Flutterbee, Pinkie Duck and Samurai Applejack!" Pinkie exclaimed with a large smile as she rattled off her names for each of her friends. "You've all got such cool costumes! But what's the point in wearing costumes if you don't...Applejack, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Huh?" Applejack asked as she lifted a hoof to her face, shocked to find that there were tears streaking down the side of her cheeks. "Ah...ah don't know. Must be something in mah eye," she said with a quick chuckle as she wiped the tears away, smiling at the group a moment later. "Uhh...why don't you girls go on ahead. Ah'll catch up with y'all in a moment."
Her friends all looked at her with concern before they slowly walked away from Applejack, who moved off to the side and leaned up against a building with a hoof to her heart. 'W-what is wrong with me? Why does mah heart hurt like this?' she asked herself as sorrow and agony flooded through her heart, tears starting to stream from her eyes again as she felt that something was missing...and that she would never get it back. 'Ah haven't felt like this since ma and pa...no, get ahold of yerself girl. Ya have to focus. Ya have to be strong.'
Applejack shook her head and forced the sorrow out of her heart, wiping away the tears once again with a surge of will. She then took in a few deep breaths before letting out a small sigh, lifting her head and racing off after her friends, not going to let whatever had just happened ruin her Nightmare Night.
--|=======\
Sand whipped past the man's eyes as he pushed himself even further into the sandstorm, one hand clutching tightly at the cloak that was wrapped around his body while the other kept a firm grip upon the scabbard that rested at his side. The winds ripped at his kimono and tried to tear the straw hat from his head, yet the man kept his head down enough so that the hat would remain. The sand made it impossible for the warrior to see more that four feet in front of him and the whistling of the wind blocked out all other sound, yet the samurai's senses were still able to pick up more than any other person. And his senses were telling him that he was getting close.
Then, almost as suddenly as the sandstorm had begun when he first entered the desert, the sand stopped blowing and the wind stopped whistling. Finally free of the sand that had stung at his eyes, the samurai lifted his head slightly to see rusted buildings blocking out the elements and numerous beings walking around on metal roads.
Now that he had a moment to breathe, the samurai let go of his cloak and reached into his kimono, drawing out a small piece of paper with a location written in a language that he barely knew. Yet the samurai knew that his journey to find the location was at an end, for as he quickly glanced up at the buildings, he saw similar writing on the doors above them. He tucked the paper back away and slowly began to walk into the metal city, grateful that he was wearing sandals on such hot metal.
Yet the ending to his journey was not as quick as he believed it to be, because after searching for four hours under the harsh sunlight, he found that he was no closer than when he started. He was debating whether to take a moment to rest or not when he heard a sound he knew all too well coming from a building beside him. He heard the sounds of combat. The samurai turned his head towards the building just in time to see a muscular, three-headed beast carry two smaller creatures out of the place and hurl them into the sand.
"And stay out, ya lousy gits!" the center head roared before turning with a snort and walking back inside while the other two heads made faces. The samurai lifted an eyebrow before following the creature inside, glancing around at the establishment to find that he was in a place he knew all too well. A place that was called a "bar."
"Greetings, stranger," the three-headed creature said as he slipped behind the counter, pulling out a rag that he used to wipe out a glass. "Sorry you had to see that. We don't like fighting in this bar, ruins the furniture, but some idiots get one too many drinks in them and then think they can take on Aku himself," the bartender said with a laugh as the samurai sat down on one of the empty stools, ignoring the passed out creature next to him. "So, what can I do for ya?"
"I require water, please. And information," the samurai said in a soft but refined tone, a tone that the bartender had never heard before.
"Water, eh? Yeah, I got that," the bartender said as he turned around behind him, but the samurai could see through the spaces in his hat that the other two heads were keeping an eye on him. "Water is hard to come by in these parts," the bartender continued as he turned around and placed the glass of water before the samurai, who nodded in appreciation before taking a sip. "But information can be harder still, depending on what kind it is. What do ya need?"
Without a word the samurai reached into his kimono and pulled out the address, which he laid on the counter as he finished his water. All three of the bartender's heads looked down at the address with surprise before they all looked up at him with narrowed eyes.
"What did ya say your name was again, stranger?" the bartender asked. The samurai took placed the glass down with a small sigh, moving one hand to his waist before answering.
"They call me...Jack." The moment the samurai's name left his lips, he heard every breath in the room stop and felt every eye in the room upon him. As he sat on the stool in front of a room full of strange beings, he waited--waited for the first one to try and defeat him, just as he had waited many times before.
"Don't any of you think about it," all three heads of the bartender growled in a very dangerous tone as his six eyes glared around the room. For a long moment the room was dead silent...before the patrons started to drink and talk again, ignoring the samurai for the most part. "You. Come with me."
Without another word between them, Jack followed the bartender behind the counter and through a door into a backroom, where the samurai found a being sitting on the floor in front of a strange pool. "I heard that you would be coming, so I had this all set up in advance. He...it...will help you."
"Thank you," Jack said before sitting down on the opposite side of the pool from the being, eyes glancing up and down at the being that sat before him. It was sitting with both of its arms and legs crossed, and its head was bowed slightly so that Jack couldn't see under its hood. But the more Jack looked at the being's hood, and by extension its jacket, he realized that he had never seen such a silver color before--or such strange patterns.
"Excuse me, but I have been told that you can help me?" Jack asked the being, who sat there for a moment before he lifted his silver hood to look at Jack. Jack spotted a pair of silver eyes underneath of the hood, as well as a smirk upon a silver face that seemed to know far more than it let on.
"Ah yes, I know of you. Samurai Jack. Gotta get back, back to the past," the silver being said with a chuckle as he uncrossed his arms, allowing Jack to see that his arms underneath were made of silver as well. "Yes, you are here because you seek a way to go back in time, back to an age before Aku. Before this future."
"Yes, yes that is exactly what I want! Can you help me!" Jack asked with excitement in his voice, but the silver being held up a hand to silence the samurai.
"Yes...return to the past. Return to your home. To those who love you," the silver being said before he snapped his fingers and caused the pool before the both of them to change. Jack looked down into the water to see a strange land filled with a rainbow of different colors, with ponies laughing and talking with one another.
"Don't remember it? Didn't expect you to," the silver being said with a chuckle before a soft banging sound could be heard coming from the closet behind him. "Oh, don't worry. I'll deal with you in a minute," the being muttered so that Jack couldn't hear before turning back to the samurai. "Jack, let me get hypothetical here for a moment. What if I were to tell you that there is a place for you. A home that you can return to. A place that accepts you already."
"Yes, I know of it. And that is why I must-"
"Shut up and let me finish," the silver being cut him off with a cold stare. "Now then...ah, right. A place of love and happiness. Everything you ever wanted...everything you've longed for."
"But...if such a place exists, then how do I not already know of it? Why am I not there?" the samurai asked, gaining him a sad look from the being.
"Because you're a hero Jack, one of the most selfless beings that ever lived. You were willing to give up that happiness to save their world, to be forgotten and to forget the joy that you brought them," the silver being said before he turned both of his palms towards the sky and created two spheres. One red. One blue. "But in all honesty that ending blows. And I don't like it. That's why I'm going to offer you a choice. You can pick the red sphere and stay here. Stay in this land with Aku and try to find a way to return home here...which you will eventually find."
"Or I can take the blue one and go to this...love that is gone," Jack finished, getting a laugh out of the silver being.
"Oh, you may not remember it Jack, but that doesn't mean it's gone," the silver being laughed before reaching out and waving his hand once. "Look deep inside of you. Don't you feel that something is...missing? Like there's something gone that you feel you can't get back?"
Jack opened his mouth to answer, but before he could do so he felt...sorrow. Sorrow that something was indeed missing. Jack closed his eyes as he felt there was something that he couldn't recall, but that was so important to him. And then he felt the warm sun, the cool breeze and the smell of...apples. Jack opened his eyes once again with the hint of tears welling up in his eyes before he looked at the silver being, who had a large smile on his face.
"If you take the blue orb you will go to a place you can't remember, yet you miss so dearly," the silver being said as he floated over before Jack and held out both his hands, showing Jack both spheres before floating away. "You have no idea what's there, what challenges you'll face or even if you'll find a way to defeat Aku. But you feel it calling to you. So what's it going to be?"
So the silver being floated back, crossing his arms as Jack looked between the two spheres. For a moment the being remained silent, but then he smirked as one of his many voices spoke to him.
'Care for a wager? For I bet he picks the red one. His mission means too much to him.'
"Sure, if you feel like losing. He'll pick blue. That's the kind of guy he is"
And as the being watched, Jack looked back and forth between the two spheres, knowing that his mission to defeat Aku meant everything. But then he remembered a laugh, a laugh that made him feel happy. A laugh that reminded him of a place that had made him feel like he could defeat any foe. A laugh that he needed to protect. The samurai stared down at the two spheres, torn between his mission...and his heart.
Applejack hummed to herself as she walked down the clear path, surprised to see that the leaves in the trees were still a bright green when it was so close to winter. She shrugged and figured that it wasn't her place to question, so instead she adjusted the harness of her cart and continued to trudge along. She did enjoy hearing the birds sing and the warmth of the sun on her coat, causing a content smile to cross her face.
But the smile quickly faded when she saw a figure resting on the side of the road, a pony that had a straw hat over his eyes that prevented Applejack from seeing his face. But she was still able to see the white kimono that covered his body, one that reminded her of the one that she had worn not too long ago. Then her eyes shifted to the blade that hung at his waist, making her curious as to who used a sword in this day and age. But there was something familiar about the pony, she just couldn't place her hoof on it.
She opened her mouth to say something to the stranger before he stood up and walked slowly over to her, a warm and inviting smile on his face as he approached. He lifted his hat slightly so she could see into his eyes, seeing a kindness within them that she had only seen within her own family. For a minute the two just looked at each other, before the samurai bowed to her.
"Hello. They call me Jack. And you are Applejack, are you not?" the samurai called Jack asked her.
"Uh, yes ah ah'm. What can ah do fer ya?" she asked him with a nervous laugh as he lifted his head back up and smiled at her, before he extended his hoof to her.
"You may not know it, but you and your friends have done much for me. You have helped me through many of my troubles and helped me to find peace within myself," the samurai explained, his words making Applejack wonder if she had met him before. "All I ask in return is that I be allowed to shake your hoof."
"Well, yer welcome fer all that stuff...ah guess," Applejack said as she extended her hoof and grabbed hold of the samurai's...only for a flash of silver to erupt in her mind as memories surged through her. She gasped as memories she knew she didn't have--but felt too real to be false--flashed across her mind, from meeting the samurai to the battle they fought together, as well as him being accepted into her family,how the two had grown close to each other and finally the sacrifice he had made to save her land from Aku. The visions ended as abruptly as they began, leaving AJ to collapse to her hooves with tears streaming down her face as she looked up at the samurai, truly seeing him for the first time.
"Jack...it's you," she whispered, Jack nodding in response. She then let out a laugh before hurling herself at Jack, shattering her harness while also tackling the samurai to the ground as she pressed her lips against his. The two stayed like that for a moment before AJ began to laugh again, tears streaming down both of their faces as they stared into each others eyes. "But how? Yer wish. Ah thought...that Libra...how are ya here?"
"By doing what led me to this world in the first place. I followed my heart," Jack explained to her. "But I could never truly forget about you, even with time rewound and my memories erased. After all, its not everyday a samurai meets an orange pony in a cowboy hat who wrestles a vine monster." AJ's eyes watered at his words and she pulled him close once again, sobbing slightly to herself as Jack wrapped his arms around her tight. The two remained like that until they lost track of time, yet eventually AJ raised her head and looked at Jack with wide eyes.
"Wait a moment, if my memories are right, then that means everything we did was undone," she realized, getting Jack to nod. "That means there's a whole lot of ponies that need our help across Equestria. Tirek, the wolf ponies...even that vine monster that lives here. And then eventually Aku..."
"It seems like it will be quite the journey. Is my partner willing to come with me one more time?" AJ's eyes answered for her and she got off of Jack while offering a hoof to him, helping him up as the two smiled at each other. They then both turned towards the forest with smiles on their faces before rushing off into their adventure, both ready to relive the past.
\\ // //; ;\\
"Called it. Pay up," the hooded figure with the silver coat said with a fist pump as he watched the two ponies run off, smirking as a sigh echoed throughout his skull.
'And here I thought I knew heroes better than you.'
"Just goes to show, you still know nothing about people. Jack follows his heart. Always has and always will."
'But are you sure this is the right decision? The events that were undone could just as easily happen again.'
"Nah, I've put a few things in place to prevent Aku from finding this place again. Besides, Jack remembers everything that happened, so he'll be prepared this time. Who knows? Maybe he'll combine the sword's magic with the Rainbow Power and finally defeat Aku once and for all."
'Stop being an optimist Ryan, it's scaring me. But it was kind of you to give them another chance together, especially since you defied a god to do so.'
"Who cares if he's a god? Seriously, trying to make Jack pick between his only chance at beating Aku and his love. Who does that? Libra can go f*** himself...seriously, you're still censoring me?"
'It is one of the perks of being merged with you.'
"I swear, if I wasn't already dead, you would be...you feel that?"
'I did. He's conducting again.'
"Well let's hope this time we can catch his sorry ass," the silver figured snarled before looking down at Jack one last time with a genuine smile crossing his face. "Enjoy your happiness here, Jack. God knows that you've earned a happy ending." Then the figure snapped his fingers and vanished in a flash of silver, leaving the two ponies to rewrite a story that already had an end.
