> The Samurai's End
>  by Onomonopia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> His Happiest Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack adjusted the bow tie on his tuxedo, glancing down at the suit with a small smile. He had always ben against the idea of wearing these things, especially since his run in with those gang members who had tried to trick him into helping them steal a rare jewel. If he had it his way, he would have worn the same wedding outfit his father had worn, passed on to him from father to son. But seeing as that suit had long since been destroyed, and this tuxedo was a gift from Rarity, he did not mind wearing it.

For the fifth time in just as many minutes, Jack turned and looked over the crowd of ponies that had gathered for today, who were all chattering with one another from their seats. Twilight and the other Ambassadors, the princesses of Equestria and some of the folk from Ponyville made up the right hoof side of the seats. The left hoof side belonged to Applejack’s family, all one hundred and thirty members of them, who had swarmed in from all across Equestria to be here for her. 

His eyes rested on Granny Smith, Applebloom and Big Macintosh in the front seats, each of their faces telling Jack how they were feeling. Granny Smith beamed with pride as she talked, smiling the widest Jack had ever seen her. Applebloom bounced with excitement, constantly waving to her friends on the other side of the seats. Jack figured Granny had forced her to sit with them. And then there was Big Mac, who was trying, and failing, to keep his tears in. Yet the joy in all of their faces was as clear as the sun overhead. Their joy, in turn, brought Jack joy.

Beside Jack Spike grumbled and started to yank on his own bow tie, getting Jack to smile at the dragon. Spike was Jack’s best man for the wedding, simply because he had asked Jack to be. That and the only other person that Jack would trust to be his best man was on Jack’s world. On Earth. Spike was a fine replacement.

Jack glanced over at the other side of the alter, where Applejack’s single bridesmaid stood. She had introduced herself as Rara to Jack and was Applejack’s oldest friend. A smile crossed Jack’s face as he remembered how Rara had been chosen. The other five Ambassadors had gotten into quite the competition to decide who would get to be Applejack’s number one bridesmaid. It had gotten so bad that Applejack had decided to just allow Rara to be there. The others were confined to their seats. 

Yet in the back of Jack’s mind, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry. He had been in this place before. Not on an altar, but in the mindset that things were going to work out, that his suffering was finally at an end and that he would have the peace and happiness that he had longed for. He would have the family that he so desperately wanted. And then Aku would ruin it all. Hence the reason, despite everypony else’s protests, he still wore his sword, even at his wedding.

“Nervous?” Rara asked Jack, reading the look on Jack’s face.

“Yes,” Jack admitted.

“Don’t be. Everything is going to be fine,” Rara smiled. “I’ve known Applejack a long time and I’ve never seen her this happy or excited before. She’s always been one to forgo love and romance in favor of helping her family and others. For all of us to be here today to celebrate her wedding shows just how much you mean to her. Just do me a favor and make her happy.”

“That is all I wish to do,” Jack replied.

The two ceased talking as Celestia rose from her seat and walked up to the altar, nodding to Rara before smiling at Jack. The princess of the sun took her space on the head of the altar, where she would officiate the wedding. For a moment she stood regal and poised, before a smile crossed her face and she glanced at Jack with excited eyes.

“I am so excited Jack. This will be the five hundredth wedding I’ve officiated and the first since Shining Armor’s. I am so excited!” Celestia squeed.

“And not a changeling to be seen. Glad to see this wedding is off to a better start,” Spike chimed in. Celestia cast him a look and Spike stuck his tongue out at her, getting Celestia to chuckle.

“Yes, we have taken a great deal more precautions for this wedding. Spells to check for shapeshifters and mind control. Competent guards on every corner and Discord making sure that things that might cause chaos don’t. I am not letting another wedding get ruined on my watch.”

“I appreciate your efforts and am grateful to you,” Jack said with a bow. 

“And I am still grateful about your warnings of Aku,” Celestia replied. At the mere mention of the demon’s name, a chill blew through the area and caused all to shiver. All except Jack. “To think there is such a force of evil and destruction out there that we had no clue about. If not for your warning about him, I would have never considered to put a magical barrier around our reality. It may have drained us four alicorns for weeks, but now our world is safe should Aku try to invade it. I do not wish to think what that would look like.”

“It would not be anything good,” Jack said in a knowing tone. None of them remembered. None of them remembered when Jack first appeared in Equestria, when a wizard who worked for Aku brought him there so he would be trapped. He met Applejack, saved a great deal of ponies and almost found peace, until Aku appeared to take it from him once more. Only by making a deal with Libra, the god of balance, to undo all that had happened since his arrival, could Jack save those who lived here. To save the one he loved. Had it not been for the silver man, Jack would have continued to wander Earth, with no memory of what he had lost. He wondered what had become of the silver man? He would thank him the next time they met.

“There she is,” Rara whispered. Jack shook himself free of his thoughts and gazed toward the end of the aisle, only for his eyes to widen in amazement when he gazed upon the orange mare. Jack had seen caverns of crystals, seas of gold and silver, and even the very stars swirl around him. All of it paled in comparison to the beauty of the mare that was walking down the aisle towards him. Her blond hair was pulled back into an intricately woven ponytail. Her dress was of the most perfect white, silently moving with Applejack as if it were apart of her. And then there were her eyes, which, despite the veil on her face, burned with pride and happiness with such an intense, green blaze that Jack knew if he looked to long into them he would be consumed.

Jack was happy to see that she had decided to wear the wedding dress. When they had been planning their wedding, Applejack had insisted on wearing a wedding kimono, so that she could truly be a part of Jack’s culture and life. While he hadn’t been against the idea, he didn’t want her to forgo her Equestrian traditions purely for him. The two had discussed which they would do for a while, until Granny Smith found and restored the wedding dress Applejack’s mother had worn. After a tear-filled look through her parents wedding album, Applejack never mentioned the kimono again and Jack was perfectly fine with that. Both of their parents were gone, but with Applejack’s dress and his sword, he felt like they were with them there in spirit.

Applejack walked down the aisle by herself, another of her decisions, before she climbed the stairs and stood up beside the altar. She smiled nervously at Jack, while her eyes looked everywhere except where he was. Jack on the other hoof, couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He felt that every second he looked away from her was like a second without air or water. Without her, he would slowly die.

“Ya…ya look amazing,” she said nervously. “Um, how…how do ah look?”

“All of the gods in the heavens pale in comparison to your beauty, for they know even with their might, they could never compare,” Jack whispered awe struck. “The moon would weep with envy and the sun would turn it’s back on the world, knowing that its shining light is nothing but a pale candle next to you. You outshine both, and that is simply your internal beauty. Shall I go on to describe how I feel about your attire?”

“No, please stop with the fancy poetry, you know ah can’t stand it,” Applejack said with a small giggle. Jack smiled at the laugh, glad to see that his words had done what he had wanted them to. Applejack couldn’t stand it when he used poetry or fancy descriptions of her. Those words often made her role her eyes and smirk at him. But from the way she now smiled and held her head a little higher, Jack could tell his words had taken a bit of the edge off. Her nerves weren’t as bad as before. But even though he didn’t say it, he had meant every word.

“For what It’s worth Applejack, I am a little envious of how beautiful you look,” Celestia said with a wink to Applejack. The mare smirked at the princess in response, but both Celestia and Jack noticed her face redden a little. Celestia cleared her throat and Jack felt everyponies eyes rest upon him and Applejack.

“Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two souls,” Celestia began, her voice booming across the entire town square with ease. “Two souls that are as integral and welcome in this community as the air we breathe or the sun on our faces. Applejack and Samurai Jack. The both of you-“

“Ah do,” Applejack said, cutting Celestia off. Celestia blinked twice before she shook her head.

“Applejack, we’re not at that part yet. I’ve still got, like, five pages worth of speech to read before we get to the vows.”

“Don’t care. Ah do. Ah had to wait for him to propose, fer the wedding planners to get their flanks in gear and then there was that whole stupid return of Chrysalis that pushed everything back ah month. Ah. Do,” Applejack said with conviction.

“Applejack, this is not how things work. I’ve got to get through this speech and the talks about what it means to be-“

“I do as well,” Jack cut in. Celestia whipped her head around to look at Jack, who gave her a devious smile in reply. Celestia then shook her head and stared up at the sky.

“I swear, the both of you deserve each other. Fine, screw the traditions,” Celestia said as she threw the index cards she had been reading off of over her shoulder. “Applejack, do you take Jack in yada yada yada? You do? Good. Jack, how bout you? You as well. Great. Well then, if there is anyone that objects to this union, speak now or forever-DISCORD, I SEE YOU WITH THAT AIR HORN! YOU SET THAT THING OFF AND YOU’LL SPEND THE NEXT THOUSAND YEARS IN THE SUN…ahem, as there are no objects, you may now-“

Celestia never even had the chance to finish before Applejack threw herself forward and pulled Jack into the tightest hug she could manage, pressing her lips against his while tears streamed from her eyes. Jack closed his eyes and lost himself in the kiss as well, a small part of him unable to believe this was real. He was married to Applejack. The mare he loved. And all of it had happened with nothing going wrong. Amazing.

“Oh for Faust sake you two, you couldn’t wait just a couple more seconds?” Celestia asked, but her tone was filled with joy. Jack could just barely make out the thunderous applause coming from the crowd, complete with congratulations and the sounds of Big Mac bawling. Eventually, but still too soon, Applejack and Jack ended the kiss, but both refused to let go of the other. The two stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before they both smiled and leaned their foreheads against each other.

“We’re…we’re married. Ah can’t believe it. It feels like a dream that finally came true,” Applejack whispered, the tears still pouring.

“Indeed it does. I am in your care,” Jack replied. For a moment the two stood there, both just drinking in what this meant and how their lives had changed. Then Applejack looked at Jack once more and he could already tell she what she was going to say.

“Welp, now we got to plan our honeymoon. And ah’ve got the perfect place in mind,” Applejack began.

“Applejack, my dear, there are so many wonderful places in Equestria that we could go to. Are you sure-?” Jack began, but Applejack held a hoof to his mouth to shush him.

“Come on, Jack. You know there’s only one place ah want to go and one thing ah want to do to celebrate,” Applejack said, before a dangerous smile crossed her face. “Ah want to kill Aku.”
> Aku
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lone tower sat in the middle of an arid land, a tower that would instill fear into the heart of any that gazed upon it. The black walls oozed with evil, the spikes atop were adorned with the victims of the inhabitant’s wrath, and all across the land dreaded to even whisper the name of the demon that lived within. Aku, the shapeshifting master of darkness. And for any that were even remotely close to this tower, they say you could hear the ringing of evil bells that signaled your end.

Yet inside the tower that was bathed in never ending flame and spikes, the only sound that could be heard was the ringing of Aku’s phone, which had been going off for about five minutes now. The shapeshifting master of darkness stalked out of one of his rooms, peeling the cucumbers off of his eyes while loathing the person that made him take time out of his spa day.

“I swear some people just do not know how to be patient anymore. Hello, this is the tower of eternal suffering, Aku speaking,” Aku said as he picked the phone off of the receiver and held it to his…the side of his head. “What’s that? You’re looking for someone and wish to know if I have seen them? Fool, this is Aku, the shapeshifting…Ivana? What kind of name is Ivana.”

“Blahblahblah.”

“So you’re looking for a lady named Ivana? Well that is no help, do you know how many Ivana’s are in this universe?” Aku asked. “Give me a last name and maybe I will have heard of her. All you know is her last initial is P? Ivana P, eh. I do not recall any person coming to my tower with the name of…wait a moment. Ivana P. I wanna pee. THIS IS A PRANK CALL!”

Click.

“Insolent fool! First you prank call the mighty Aku, and then you dare to hang up on him!” Aku roared with a fury to shake his tower. “Whoever you are, mysterious caller, I will find you and send you into an eternal suffering! As soon as I finish my spa day. I swear, people have gotten so rude in this day and age.”

Aku had just began to walk back to the room he had come from before a massive rainbow barrier cut him off from his room. A gasp of amazement escaped the demon’s lips as he spun around, finding the rainbow barrier everywhere and blocking off all of his exits. Could it be? Had the samurai somehow gotten in here undetected? He sensed a powerful magic and looked up to see six young women floating above him, each of them glowing with magical power. One looked like a cowboy and the other had confetti in her hair, but the others were mostly plain. But they were not who he had been expecting, so with a smile Aku calmed himself and regained his composure.

“Ah, an attempt on my life. It has been a while since anyone aside from that samurai has tried to slay the great Aku,” Aku informed them. He then stretched his body until he stood above the ladies, gazing down at them with burning eyes. “You six poses a strange magic. Not one that can harm me, but a strange and powerful magic nonetheless. I must admit, it is nice to have would be assassins that are trying something new.”

“Aku. The monster that has enslaved the entire world,” the lady with purple hair and a librarian’s outfit stated. “We have heard of you and your evil.”

“I should hope so. If I enslaved an entire world and nobody heard of me, it would be disappointing. What’s the point in taking over a world if you don’t get a little recognition for it,” Aku asked with a laugh. “So let me guess. You are here to slay me to save the world, for the good of all mankind or perhaps to avenge someone that I have taken from you?”

“You’re a monster of evil and darkness that cares nothing for the lives of others! Of course we’re here to stop you!” the rainbow haired lady yelled, but before she could move towards Aku the cowboy held out an army to stop her.

“Yeah, we’d love nothing more than to stop ya ourselves. But we know our powers don’t work on ya,” the cowgirl admitted. “There’s only one thing in the world that can harm ya and none of us wield it.”

“How intriguing. You know that your powers cannot stop me, but yet you come here to face me all the same,” Aku repeated, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Either you are the greatest fools in this world or you have a trick up your sleeves. Why are you here?”

“Well, to stop ya, of course, but ah also wanted to see this world for mah honeymoon,” the cowgirl admitted with a shrug. “After all, it’s such a lovely planet and ah probably won’t get to see it a second time. So ah figured we’d swing by, help kill you and then spend some time looking around.”

“Aw, how sweet, you came here for your honeymoon? Well, let it never be said that Aku cannot be nice when he feels like it,” Aku laughed. “There are so many places for you to see. The never-ending fires of suffering. The pit of eternal agony. The spiked cavern that never stops poking you. Which of those would you like to see first?”

“Hmm, they all sound so interesting. Let me ask mah spouse. What do you think…Jack?”

Aku knew it was impossible for him to go pale, yet he was certain his body had gone completely white as he turned around. There, standing behind him with sword in his hand and smile on his face was Jack. His eternal enemy. 

“Samurai Jack!” Aku roared before hurling a fist towards Jack. The samurai’s blade flashed and Aku roared in pain, his shadow fist having been cut to ribbons.

“Aku. It has been quite some time,” Jack said as he walked towards the demon. “You look well, for a demon that is on his last day.”

“Come now samurai, we have done this song and dance before,” Aku replied, but Jack could hear a nervous edge in his voice. “You say how you’ll slay me, I promise to kill you, we fight, you sometimes win, I fly away and we do it all again tomorrow. The only difference this time is that you brought along six hostages for me to use against you!”

Aku whipped around and lashed out towards the cowgirl, knowing she was Jack’s weakness. Yet as his hand approached her a smaller rainbow barrier formed around her, disintegrating his hand and causing Aku to yelp with surprise.

“You are slipping Aku. Did you truly believe I would bring my wife and her friends here unless I was certain that they would be able to handle you?” Jack asked. Aku glared down at Jack before he shifted into a massive monster and hurled himself at the rainbow barrier. He stuck it with all of his might, but the barrier held perfectly. He then shrunk to the size of a bug and started to look for any crack, but there was no way out. Once he was done looking Aku returned to his regular, giant form and gazed down and Jack, who had patently waited the whole time for him to finish.

“So this is truly it, then?” Aku asked. “You have finally trapped me and forced my hand. Very well, samurai. You and me. One last time. To the death.”

“As you say, Aku,” Jack replied.

Aku snarled before his body shifted into a giant scorpion and he scuttled across the ground towards Jack, claws pinching and stinger raised high. Jack slid a foot back and held out his blade before him, a look of calm on his face. Aku snapped at Jack with his pincers, but the samurai’s blade swatted them away, staggering Aku. The demon snarled before h whipped his tail down at Jack, trying to pierce through his chest. Jack’s blade flashed once more and Aku howled in pain as his tail dropped to the floor. 

Aku’s form shifted once again, this time to a colossal beast with four arms. Aku bellowed as his swung all four arms in rapid succession at Jack, hoping to pummel the samurai to death. Yet with speed and precision that Aku could not match, Jack either deflected or dodged the strikes, the calm look in his face never leaving him. One of Aku’s strikes went wide and in a single leap Jack leapt onto Aku’s arm. The samurai dashed up the limb and aimed his blade for Aku’s head. The demon barely had time to shapeshift into a smaller form, just avoiding the lethal edge of Jack’s blade.

Hundreds of tentacles erupted out of Aku and with a desperate roar he started to fling his limbs at Jack. A sea of darkness surrounded Jack as the number of tentacles blocked him from sight, yet the sound of his blade striking Aku’s limbs told everyone that he had yet to fall. After having hundreds of his limbs sliced off, Aku ceased his attack with a cry of pain, revealing the samurai who had yet to so much as change expression.

“How? You were not this skilled the last time we battled,” Aku snarled. “You have changed, samurai. Something has changed you.”

“Correct. I have no more doubts in me. I no longer have the burden that my father unintentionally placed upon my soul to hold me back. I know I will prevail,” Jack replied, before a thin smile crossed his face. “And of course, I have to look good in front of my wife.”

A noise caught Jack’s attention and he turned to see a tentacle erupt from the ground. The limb stabbed itself at Jack’s heart and he began to lift his blade to deflect it, only to smile with a blast of rainbow magic disintegrated the limb.

“Nice try, jackass, but none of yer sneak attack or trick are gonna work here,” the cowgirl called down to Aku. “Ah might be staying out of this fight because Jack asked me to, but don’t think fer a moment ah won’t rain magic hellfire down upon ya if ya try to cheat in any way. Ah have no qualms about kicking yer ass across this planet myself.”

“Isn’t she wonderful?” Jack asked Aku, who was breathing heavily and was now barely taller than Jack. “And to think, I wouldn’t have met her had you not sent me into the future all of those years ago. In fact there are many people who I would have not had the honor of knowing if not for you.”

“What are you trying to say?” Aku asked Jack.

“You took my home from me. Took my family and history from me. Banished me to a future that I could never have foreseen and tormented me on a daily basis,” Jack said, before smiling up at the cowgirl. “But because of that I learned who I really am. I learned that even a future under your evil still has good people. But most of all, because of you, I met her. The pony…person, who healed me. And for that, I thank you, Aku.”

In a blur Jack lunged at Aku, who lifted his hands to defend himself. Yet when Aku blinked he found the samurai no longer standing before him. Aku turned around to see Jack behind him, sword sheathed and eyes closed. Aku smirked and prepared to strike him down…until his vision was split in half.

“But it is time I moved past you,” Jack finished.

Aku let out a howl of agony before his body was diced into dozens of parts, with his limbs and body fading away into nothingness. Only a part of his head remained, from which he grew wings and started to flap away. Yet he had barely started to move before one last sword strike cleaved his head in two, absorbing his darkness into the sword. Jack then let out a yell before he plunged his blade into the ground, blasting apart Aku’s darkness for the last time. 

For a moment Jack stood there, sword in the ground, just waiting. Waiting for the sound of Aku’s mocking laughter, of how he had failed and Aku would escape for another day. But there was only silence. Silence and the feeling of a weight leaving his chest that he thought he would never feel.

“Ya did it!”

Jack opened his eyes just in time to be tackled by Applejack, who let out a whoop before she pressed her lips against Jack’s. Jack wrapped his arms around Applejack and returned the kiss, unable to hold back the smile on his face as he did so. AJ eventually broke the kiss and rested her head on Jack’s chest, beaming up at him with a smile of pride on her face.

“Ya did it. It’s over.”

“You know…I think you’re right,” Jack said as the others landed around him. “I truly believe that Aku is gone.”

“He is Jack. My magic can detect no traces of his evil. You did it. You won,” Twilight beamed.

“Not bad Jack, that was a pretty impressive fight,” Rainbow smirked. “Of course, I probably could have finished him quicker, but you might have put on a better show. Maybe.”

“I’m just glad that we finally get to leave this awful planet,” Rarity said with a gag. “The air smell retched and the darkness has seeped into the land. This is a miserable place and I do not know how you managed to live here, Jack.”

Applejack punched Rarity in the arm to get her to stop talking. Hard. As Rarity tried to see if her arm could still move, Fluttershy looked up at Jack with wide eyes.

“Seeing you like this, you do look like a prince,” Fluttershy said.

“Indeed, compared to all of the other humans Twilight has shown me, you look way more…handsome,” Rarity said. AJ punched her in the other arm this time.

“Thank you my friends, for having my back during that battle,” Jack said with as much of a bow as he could pull off with AJ still holding him. “I have no doubt Aku had some tricks to escape, but with you there he was unable to. My demon is finally gone.”

“Does that mean we can go home? Because I want to throw you the greatest party Equestria has ever seen!” Pinkie exclaimed. Jack opened his mouth to reply, before he looked around at the castle and all of the evil that it still represented. For a moment a frown crossed his face. Then an idea came to him and a smile crossed his face, knowing how he could change this world for the better.

“Jack?” AJ asked. “Ya okay?”

“Of course, my beloved. There is just one last thing I have to do before we go home.”
> N.W.O
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orange and red leaves swirled around Applejack as she stood next to Jack in a small field. Her husband was adding the finishing touches to four gravestones that he had spent most of the week carving out of the best stone Pinkie’s family could find. Four tombstones. One for Jack’s father. One for his mother. One for all the lives that had been lost under Aku’s tyranny. And one for himself. The old him.

Jack wore a somber look on his face as he carved his parents names into the stone. Applejack wanted to say something to comfort him, but she knew what he needed right now was silence. To finally let go of everything that he had been carrying for so long. But he shouldn’t and wouldn’t do it alone. She would always be by his side. So she stood silently, head slightly bowed in respect as Jack finished carving their names.

When he finished he rose and stood beside her, head bowed and eyes closed. She was amazed he wasn’t crying. Even now, years after her own parents had passed, she still teared up whenever she visited her parent’s graves. Maybe he had run out of tears to cry years ago. Or maybe he was trying to look strong for her. She wished he wouldn’t do that. She wished he could trust her enough to be open with her completely. Perhaps in time he would. With Aku finally gone, maybe he would finally be able to not be the savior of the world he had been for decades, but just Jack. Her Jack.

“Thank you for being here,” Jack whispered at last. “I…do not know if I could have gotten through all this on my own. With all those years spent chasing Aku and trying to find a way back, I never…gave them a proper burial. I suppose I still haven’t.”

“They’d understand, Jack. And it’s lovely anyway,” Applejack consoled Jack. She leaned her head against his shoulder and looked at the gravestones. The ones for Jack’s parents had his families symbol carved into the stone, as well as numerous other small details that AJ was sure only they would understand. Their names were written in a language that she couldn’t understand, but still understood. It was Jack’s native language. The language of his people.

“Ah can’t tell what yer parents names are, to tell ya the truth,” AJ admitted. She then gazed over at Jack’s tombstone, which had the same writing for his name. His true name. “And…is that yer actual name there? The one that was given to ya by yer parents?”

“Hai. That is the language of what was once my people. And that name is who I used to be,” Jack said with a small nod. “But both are gone and in the past now. But perhaps I can teach you the language and these names later. Perhaps I should teach what I know to others.”

“Ah…Jack, speaking of the past…are ya sure that ya don’t…want to go back? To stop Aku in the past and save yer people?” Applejack asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. Fear that if he went to the past, it would erase him as the timeline was changed. Fear that it would erase them both.

“No. I have no desire to go back,” Jack admitted with a smile. “For too long I was fixated on the past, on trying to fix something that was long gone. But the past can never truly be reclaimed. Time moves forward, like a river. It twists, it turns, but it never goes back. And while I truly would love to see my family once more…if it meant undoing the good I have done in the future, the now, it is not worth the trade. I have made many friends. I have helped so many people. I found you. These are things that I would never want to change. Aku is dead. My people are avenged. And time moves forward, as it always has.”

Applejack smiled softly at Jack before pulling herself in closer, enjoying his presence as the leaves swirled around them. She had no idea how much time passed as they stood together, but after a bit a thought came to her.

“Um, Jack. Ah know that ya don’t want to go back, but what about the future of yer planet?” AJ asked. “Ah mean, Aku was evil and everything, but by killing him ya left the world without a ruler. There’s going to be chaos and anarchy fer a long time, perhaps even longer than Aku’s reign. Do ya want to go back to Earth and maybe fix things up?”

“Do not worry, my beloved. I have already thought of that and placed someone on Aku’s throne,” Jack said with a bit of a grin. “Someone wise, patient and perfect for ruling the world. Everything will be fine. Trust me.”

“Jack, yer having a hard time stopping yerself from laughing.”

“I do not know what you’re talking about.”

==|=======/

A solitary spaceship of silver color landed in front of the steps to the black tower. A ramp lowered from the ship and two, small aliens with black cloaks that covered their entire features walked out. Behind them floated a massive table filled with all sorts of priceless artifacts and riches. Necessary for when dealing with the shapeshifting master of darkness.

The two walked past the massive women guarding the main entrance and entered into the throne room, where they spied the throne where the ruler should sit. It was turned around so it’s back was to them, but both could feel the dark presences of the ruler upon his throne. Knowingly, they both got to their knees before speaking.

“Oh great Aku, we come from a planet where a black hole is consuming our world,” one spoke. “We have heard that you will allow extra terrestrial life to establish a home for themselves on your world if the offering pleases you. That is why we have brought the finest treasures that our world has ever produced. They are all for you, if you can find it within your heart to allow what is left of our species to take up residence on your world. Please, spare our people.”

The two stayed bowing for a minute, but after there was no reply, they both looked up to see that the throne had yet to move. “Um, great Aku, have you heard us? Is our offering not enough to please you? Aku.”

“AKU?! Dontcha read the papers anymore, ya pansy pushing, lily livered, brownnosing space weenies? Aku is deader that a table full of haggis at mah family reunion! There’s a new ruler now!”

The person on the throne whipped around to face the two alien and they both gasped in shock at what they saw. Sitting on Aku’s throne was a massive man with red hair that was in a ponytail. His facial hair was the same color red. He wore a kilt that constantly flashed them, had a machine gun for one leg and had a smile on his face that told them he was either crazy or insane. 

“Remember me?” the man asked.

“But…but…” one of the aliens began.

“Speak up you stuttering ninny, mah hearing ain’t as good as it used to be!” the Scotsman roared at them. “Something about too much yelling causing me to go deaf. BUT AH DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT! Everything is nice and quiet now that Aku’s deader than a man’s chances of getting with me daughters! BWAHAHA!”

“Aku? Dead? But that’s impossible, he’s the greatest and most evil-“

“Are ya calling me a liar?! Ah’ll come down there and kick ya wee little ass so hard that yer great grandchildren will be born with mah bootprint on their rears!” The Scotsman bellowed. “I’ll beat ya into such a mess that everytime somebody hears yer name it will cause them to vomit in disgust of just the mere thought of what happened to ya.”

“Please great lord…um…”

“Lord Scotsman! The Great Scotsman. Please don’t rip out mah innards and use them to make yer haggis Scotsman!” the Scotsman…excuse me, the Great Scotsman corrected. “Ah’m the one running the planet now and ah think of done a bang up job of it. So if it would please ya tiny specks of space dust, a little respect goes a long way!”

“Great Scotsman, we are sorry if our words and confusion has insulted you in any regard,” the second alien spoke at last. “We did not know that Aku had been slain, but after being in your presence, it is clear that only a warrior as mighty as yerself-“

“Quit yer brownnosing, ya backside of a mud covered sheep! Ya theink that just because ya use fancy words and talk in an eloquent manner, that yer gonna impress me? Bah! Ah’ve seen drunken maidens in a bar fight use better language than that! Now mah wife, she’s a wordsmith, able to put together any sentence and make it seem like a prayer! She could calm the seas with her words or even get gods to do her bidding just with a few words from her mouth. Some people hear her speak and never speak again, knowing that they will never be able to measure up to her incredible voice and poetic narratives. The both of ya sound like the wails of the cat we use to beat our rugs! Ah have half a mind to see if the pair of ya work better than me cat!”

“Please Lord Scotsman! All we want is to live on this planet in peace!” the first alien begged.

“Well why didn’t ya just say so, laddie! Haha, of course yer welcome here!” the Scotsman laughed. “We’re always looking fer new people to come and enjoy our culture! Ever since the fall of Aku, we’ve spent a year renovating the planet, making sure that we wipe out every last trace of his evil. You should see the chamber we found filled with daughters raised to kill fer him. Eugh, gave me nightmares fer a week. Especially those strange mothers who ah had to run through just to save those little lasses. But now ah’m raising those girls with mah daughters, all two hundred and thirty of them! Haha, they’ll be proper Scottish lasses soon enough!”

“T-thank you, Lord Scotsman,” the aliens said in unison as they bowed. “We cannot thank you enough! Please, take our treasure and most valuable artifacts in payment for your compassion. There is enough wealth here to-“

“Bah, what would I want with that useless pile of junk? Ya want to pay me back, buy a round at the pub the next time yer in!” the Scotsman laughed. “Now just follow one of mah wee daughters to the sign in desk and we’ll have ya all sorted faster than you can roll a stone!”

The Scotsman clapped his hands as he said this and one of the eight foot tall women from outside entered into the room. Both aliens, averaging at three feet, looked up at her with shock and amazement, not sure if she would help them or eat them.

“Come with me,” she said at last, turning to leave.

“Oi! What do ya think yer wearing?!” the Scotsma roared at his daughter. “That outfit barely covers ya! What do ya think yer trying to say, standing out there showing off all that flesh?”

“But papa, I like this outfit,” his daughter replied.

“Like it? It makes ya look like yer papa can’t afford a proper attire that covers his daughters! Like yer old man has gone so senile that he makes his daughter dress like they’re for sale! Ah won’t have it! My lovely little angles will not be eye candy for the sheep brained masses that walk around! Now go put on something heavier! It’s cold this time of year!” the Scotsman ordered. His daughter sighed and walked out of the room, getting the Scotsman to sigh as he leaned on his arm.

“Kids. Ya try to raise them right and next thing ya know they’re wearing outfits like that and talking about how they want to see cute boys. Spend twenty years teaching them how to throw giant rocks and slay the most vicious of beasts and still…”

“I’m…sorry? But once more, thank you for your hospitality and letting us stay on Earth.”

“Earth? EARTH? Bwahahaha, ya really don’t know anything, do ya? This ain’t Earth no more!”

“This is SCOTLAND!”
> Perfect
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a single strike of his ax, Jack chopped the log of wood clean in two. He kicked the now split pieces of log into the pile he had made, before he let out a small sigh. A few more pieces and he would be done, finally able to go in from the cold. A shiver passed through Jack as he glanced around Sweet Apple Acres, amazed at how different it looked under two feet of snow.

A biting wind blew through the farm and snapped Jack back to his job. He grabbed another log and took careful aim at it, before splitting it like it’s brethren in a single strike. He had no time to delay. The other members of the Apple family had already completed their jobs for the day and were inside warming up. Jack had taken a little longer to complete his, mostly because he had wanted to take his time and enjoy life, as Aku was finally gone.

But with the sun setting and the wind starting to pick up, Jack stepped up his pace a bit. The thought of a warm fire and an equally warm Applejack fueled him on, allowing him to ignore the biting cold as he chopped log after log. He fell into a rhythm, striking again and again without thought, until finally there were no more logs for him to split. He stacked the wood onto the piles before finishing his task by driving the head of the ax into a stump. With that done, the shivering samurai turned for home.

“Need a little something to warm ya up?” Applejack asked. Jacks eyes widened at her appearance, as he hadn’t heard her approach, Yet the sight of his wife sent a wave of warmth through his body. She was wearing her winter attire, complete with a red scarf and a red, puffy vest that was designed to keep heat in. An outfit Rarity had called ugly, yet Jack found that when his wife wore it, it looked amazing. His eyes were drawn immediately to her smiling face, before he spied the hot chocolate in her hooves. That’s when he felt himself fall for her all over again.

“Yes, thank you,” Jack answered with a small bow. He received the cup and drank it rapidly, not caring about how the heat burned his throat and mouth. He had felt worse. When his drink was finished, he sighed in content and smiled at Applejack, who had raised both her eyebrows at his display.

“Ya know that we usually let that cool a bit before we chug it?” AJ asked. Jack smiled in reply and Applejack rolled her eyes, but smiled as well. The two headed back to their home, with Applejack pressing her body up against Jack to warm him up. He drank in her presence and pushed himself closer to her, the two enjoying each other as they walked home. The stars shone in the cold sky overhead, the snow crunched softly under their hooves and there was a sense of peace and calm that Jack hadn’t felt since…he was a child.

“I see that Applebloom is excited about something,” Jack noted, able to see AB’s silhouette bouncing around past the windows.

“She just wants to hear the next part of yer adventure,” Applejack shrugged. “All of em done. Yer tales about yer world, the battles ya fought and the people ya helped are the highlights of their day sometimes. Not to mention ah’m looking forward to it as well. Ah need to know what happens to the princess and prince after Aku got ahold of them.”

“Well, that is easy. The pair of them were brought back to Aku’s tower…”

“Nope! No no no! No spoilers! Big Mac would kill me if I heard the story before him,” Applejack cut him off. Jack chuckled slightly at her and she gently elbowed him in the side. “Oh yeah, Big Mac was wondering if we would like to go on a double date with him and his marefriend. There’s this expo about dolls and figures he wants to take her to, but is too nervous to go with just her. He’s wondering if we would want to come along and back him up.”

“Do you wish to go?”

“Sure. Sounds like fun. Ah get to spend more time with ya and we get to watch Big Mac try to impress his marefriend over his doll obsession. What could go wrong?” AJ said with a smirk.

“Going to watch your brother squirm. I see now why you are not the Ambassador of kindness,” Jack teased in reply. “But I would like to go as well. I have not had the chance to meet Big Mac’s marefriend yet and this will be a good opportunity to do so.”

“She’s great. Kind, smart and funny. You’ll like her,” AJ said, before bumping closer to Jack, resting her head on his shoulder and looking up at him. “Of course, not as much as ya like me, right?”

“Do not worry. There is no pony or person that will or can replace you as my number one,” Jack replied, kissing her on the forehead. AJ giggled in response. The door to the house was kicked open with a bang, causing both Applejack and Jack to jump.

“What is taking you two so long?!” Applebloom roared at the both of them. “You can be all lovey dovey later! Ah want to hear how it ends!” Jack and AJ shared a smile with each other before they headed inside.

Applebloom raced ahead of them and plopped down on the couch next to her brother, the both of them giving Jack the same impatient look. Granny smith sat on her rocking chair, flashing Jack a happy smile when he walked in with Applejack. He smiled back, glad to have brought some joy to the old mare, even if it was unintentional. Ever since he and Applejack had revealed their relationship to her family, Granny Smith seemed to smile more. Perhaps seeing her granddaughter so happy made her happy. It was just a guess. He never felt the need to ask.

Applejack sat down on a seat, prompting Winnoa to jump into her lap, and Jack walked up infront of the four, taking a moment to gaze upon them with a soft smile on his face. They were all his family now. They had accepted him, welcomed him and even allowed him to be a part of them. And in doing so they had brought him a greater happiness than he ever believed he would have. It was a debt that he would never be able to repay. But still, he would try.

Jack continued his story where he had left off, with the prince and princess captured and being interrogated by Aku. He told the Apples of how he infiltrated the tower, hoping to finally get his chance to slay the demon. Yet when he saw that Aku had condemned the pair to be slaves, he followed after them instead, sacrificing his chance at the demon so that he could save them. Something he had done many times. 

Give up his chance to get back to save others. The story of his life in the future. No matter where he went or who he fought, there were always those in need of saving. And it would always come at Jacks expense. Sometimes, on his blackest days, he would wonder if he had made the right choice. That if he let someone die to go back to the past, the future would be changed and the person who died would most likely never exist in the first place. Which was right? A question he had wrestled with many times.

Yet as he got to the part where he freed the two from their chains, he glanced over at Applejack to see her beaming up at him with pride and love in her eyes. That was all he needed to know that he had made the right choice. Everytime.

His story continued on. From returning the pair to their crashed ship, to the armor of death beetles Aku had sent after them, Jack told it all with vivid detail and suspense on every word. Despite how long ago it was, he was able to recall each moment, each block and strike, with crystal clear detail. He wondered why?

When he reached the part where he was being shredded by the numbers of the beetles, he added a bit more despair to the tale, making it seem like he wouldn’t make it out alive. Applejack smirked at him, knowing what he was trying to do, but the other Apples were hooked on his every word. They winced at each, they held their breath at each near death experience and when he prince and princesses finally burst forth from their ship to aid Jack, the three of them cheered.

“…and then they headed out to the stars, and I continued my search for a way to defeat Aku,” Jack finished, bowing as he did so. The Apples all applauded for his story, until Granny told them it was getting late and it was time for bed. Applebloom hopped off the couch and raced past Jack, thanking him for his tale, while Big Mac just nodded as he walked by. While the stallion helped granny out of her chair, AJ nudged Jack with her shoulder. She motioned for him to join her and the pair walked up the stairs together.

“Sometimes ah hate listening to yer stories,” Applejack whispered. “To have to hear about all that pain and suffering ya went through by yerself…it hurts me. Ah know it all worked out in the end and Aku’s finally been beaten, but still…”

“There is no need to be so upset, my dear,” Jack comforted her. “True, there is a great deal of pain and suffering in my tales, but we both know of this story of pain ends. It ends with Aku beaten and us married. And if this ending was only to be achieved my all the suffering I had to endure, then I would endure it a thousand times over just to see you smile once more. You are worth every moment of suffer and pain I endured. You are worth even more.”

“Ah told ya Jack, yer romantic speeches like that don’t work on me,” Applejack said, but Jack noticed her wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. Applejack and Jack headed into their room…their room…Jack still had trouble believing those words were true. Applejack took off her hat, coat and scarf and draped them all over the back of a chair, before shivering slightly at a chill.

“Whoo, seems like there’s a cold draft in here. We’re gonna have to look fer that crack tomorrow,” AJ noted. “Also, ah’ll be heading to Twilights castle to make sure that there’s no friendship problems in the land that need mah help. Then there’s the trees on the south end of the farm that have gone missing…looks like it’s gonna be another busy day tomorrow. Anything important ya like to add?”

“You are wonderful,” Jack said. Applejack’s eyes widened at him before her cheeks went crimson and she looked everywhere except where Jack was.

“W-what are ya going on about? Ah asked if there was anything important that ya needed to say, not something like that.”

“It is important. It is true. And you need to hear it more often,” Jack replied. Applejack stammered out something he could understand before she started to tinker with something at her desk. Jack smiled at her before he took off his kimono and folded it up, placing it on a small night table. He then placed his sword atop the kimono, always wishing for it to be nearby. Just to be safe.

Jack crawled into bed and draped the covers over himself, shivering for a second in the cold before calming himself down. After a few minutes AJ joined him in bed, clicking off the lamp and leaving the both of them in darkness.

“Whoo, it’s cold in here. Jack, let me use yer warmth.”

Jack smiled slightly as AJ pulled herself close to Jack, tucking herself into his arms before she gently placed her head into his chest. She did this often. Said it was too cold. Or that she was going to fall out of bed. Some excuse for them to spend the night close together. Jack didn’t know why she needed to make an excuse. He wanted to spend every night like this. With his orange mare who often got flustered or embarrassed because of him held close in his arms, free of thoughts about his duty or Aku. This was his life now. She was his life now. And his life was perfect.

And as Jack closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to take him, he found himself dreaming. Not of Aku and his kingdom burning to the ground. For the first time in the longest of times, he found the demon gone from his dreams. Instead he dreamed of teaching a class of foals, about training the Royal Guard on fighting and word techniques. And about an orange mare who snored in her sleep, despite her insistence that she didn’t. Jack dreamt about his life. And he was happy.
> Longing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Stay together everypony! If any of ya wander off, yer parents will be the first to hear about it!”

Applejack’s warning was lost on the class of foals, all of who were too busy talking to one another or exploring every little thing they came across to listen to the orange mare. A snarl crossed Applejack’s face at the sight of such blatant disregard for her words, but Jack placed a hoof on her shoulder and smiled. AJ let out a sigh and smiled back, before waving the class on.

“Come now everypony, we are almost there,” Jack told the class. While he didn’t yell like Applejack, there was a serious nature to his tone that instant got his class to listen to him. Mr. Jack, as he was called, was the Arts and Crafts teacher that nopony at the school messed with. They all knew what he had done before he had become their teacher. And because of that, he was considered the coolest and most respected teacher there.

A large, grassy field filled with flowers was their destination, and as Jack and the others climbed the hill to get to it, Jack could already tell this field trip was going to work out perfectly. Swarms of butterflies danced in the air around them, filling the sky with reds, blues, and a plethora of colors, making them look like a living rainbow.

From the oohs and ahhs of the class, he knew that he had made the right decision bringing them out here. A lot of teachers preferred to teach from their classrooms. Jack was not one of them. He had been brought up in the fields of his home, in the forests near his castle and from the battle filled streets of the future. That is how he had been raised, and, aside from the last bit, was how he believed these foals should be taught. Hoof on experience.

“Here we are, class,” Jack called out to them, taking a quick moment to count all of the students. Once he was certain none of them had wandered off, he motioned to the butterflies. “Today’s assignment if for each of you to sketch and color any of these butterflies. I care not which ones you use, so long as you do your best. And do not try to copy off of another student. I am always watching.”

“Yeah, watching Applejack!”

The students burst out into a roar of laughter, getting a small smile to cross Jack’s face. Applejack tried to reign in the laughing students, but at that point they grabbed their friends and spread out with on another, paper and pen clutched in their hooves as they chased after the butterflies.

“Remember! A full sketch! If you can find one standing still, that is your best bet!” Jack called after them, but they weren’t listening to him at that point. “Well, that should keep them busy for a while. Shall we?” he asked Applejack.

Applejack flashed him a smile in reply before she pulled out a blanket, which she laid down on the grass. She laid down and stretched out her legs while Jack sat beside her, taking off his sword and laying it down to his side. At first the schoolboard had not been on board with the idea of a teacher carrying around a sword, but after proving to them how it couldn’t hurt innocent (mostly by taking a stab at each of the board) they had decided to allow Jack to bring it with him. That and the fact that a beast called Sombra had attacked during the meeting and Jack had cut him down with his blade. They needed little convincing after that.

“Blue Belle, focus on your drawings! Mary Gold, origami class is next week! Rock Hopper! Put that squirrel down this instant or I shall have words with your parents!” Jack called out.

“You got a wild class this year, didn’t ya?” Applejack asked.

“They are all good foals. They are just young and prone to their impulses,” Jack replied. He picked up a pebble and tossed it at one of the students, knocking the rock out of his hoof that he was about to throw. “All they need is a bit of guidance and to be let out of their classroom every once in a while. Hence my feelings on the need for field trips like this.”

“Well whatever ya doing, it sure is working. Ah’ve never seen a teacher so beloved as you since Cheerilee,” Applejack stated. “And ever since she moved away, they’ve been looking for somepony like her to fill the void. Good thing ya came along when ya did, huh?”

“I am very grateful everything worked out the way it did,” Jack replied. Between marrying Applejack, finding such a wonderful job at the school (though he suspected Twilight might have pulled a few strings) and finally being rid of Aku, Jack couldn’t ask for anything else. “Speaking of school, Applebloom will be going into, what did you call it, high school soon. Is she nervous about that at all?”

“Ah little bit, but she’s trying not to show it,” Applejack said. “Scootaloo will be going with her, but Sweetie has moved on to Canterlot college. It’s gonna be hard fer her not having one of her best friends there. But she’ll make new friends and ah bet they’ll stay in touch. She doesn’t live that far.”

“Yes, life continues to move forward. All we can do is move with it,” Jack nodded. A lesson he had to learn the hard way. He had spent so long being obsessed with returning to the past, that it had taken him a long time to realize that the past could not be returned to. That it was called the past for a reason. It was something to be reflected upon, to draw knowledge from and, sometimes, to look upon fondly. But not to live in. For those who live in the past never realize what they have in the present. He wrapped an arm around Applejack as he thought this and she leaned into him.

“Mr. Jack!”

Jack looked up to see a group of his foals running towards him, papers clutched in their hooves and smiles on their faces. “Mr. Jack, we’ve finished out butterfly drawings! Can we go play now?”

“Allow me to see them, please,” Jack asked. The foals acquiesced and Jack took a look at their drawings. The drawings looked like most drawings foals their age would do, but Jack picked up on a few details such as the right number of legs, some details on the wings and one of them was even colored properly. He returned the papers to the foals with a smile and a nod, getting excited yells out of the foals before they ran off to play.

“That was quick. Are ya sure they did a good job? Ya should have let me taken a look,” Applejack suggested.

“There was effort put in. That is all I want for today’s exercise,” Jack clarified. “Too many times students get the work done just to get it done. I am trying to teach them to put their best into what they do, even if it may not be something you enjoy. After all, I spent years in the future doing plenty of things I didn’t enjoy and I believe I turned out alright.”

Another student walked up to Jack and this one Jack wasn’t surprised to see so early. “Brushstroke, I am surprised that it took you this long to finish. Did you have trouble with the drawing, or was your work not up to your standards?” Jack asked.

“I couldn’t get one of the stupid bugs to stand still,” Brushstroke grumbled. “But even with that setback, I believe I did a satisfactory job. Here you are, sir.” Jack took his drawing and examined it, nodding his head. The butterfly was drawn to near perfection, with the right coloring, shading and detail. Of course, Jack didn’t expect anything less from a foal whose cutie mark was a paint brush. Applejack leaned over to take a look and she nodded in approval as well.

“Excellent work as always. You are finished, if you wish to be,” Jack said. “Or, if you wish to test your skills further, try to draw this swarm not with detail, but with emotion. Try to draw what you feel when looking at the swarm.”

Brushstroke glanced at the butterflies dancing overhead and a smirk crossed his face. He took back his drawing, flipped it around to the back and walked back over to the swarm. “That foal has some real talent for this. I always enjoy working with.”

“Seems a little stuck up to me,” AJ noticed.

“He takes pride in his work and holds himself to a higher standard. That is not always a bad thing,” Jack explained. 

“Hmm. Well hopefully these next couple of foals take a little bit longer. Ah’m not ready to go back just yet,” Applejack said, leaning her head against Jack’s shoulder. Unfortunately for AJ, a couple of minutes after she did this, a foal with large glasses and braided hair walked up to Jack, a somber expression on her face.

“Lily, what seems to be the matter?” Jack asked the foal.

“It’s…it’s the butterflies, Mr. Jack. Ah’m having trouble drawing them,” she stammered out. “Ah can’t see to well even with my glasses and with them moving everywhere it’s nearly impossible to drawn them. Ah’ve tried to get closer to them, but they move everytime ah do. Ah don’t know what ah should do.”

“I see. Allow me to help. Excuse me dear,” Jack said as he got up. AJ grunted in displeasure, but moved her head so Jack could rise. Jack lead Lily into the heart of the swarm, with Applejack following behind them. Jack sat down, motioned for Lily to do the same, before he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

“Butterflies are interesting creatures. They seem to know the hearts of those they pass by,” Jack began. “So if your heart is in worry or confusion, they will tend to avoid you. But if you can calm your heart and make it at peace…” As he said this a butterfly flew over to him and landed on a hoof he outstretched. “Then they will take an interest in you. Now it is your turn.”

The filly nodded nervously before she closed her eyes, taking in a couple of hurried breaths. “There is no race. No need to be nervous. Simply breath and empty all of your concerns. Be calm.” Lily let out a sigh and began to breathe softer, her body visibly relaxing. Jack smiled at her before he glanced up, his smile growing even wider.

“Lily, open your eyes,” Jack said after a few moments. Lily did so, only to look down at herself to realize she was covered in butterflies. She let out an excited yelp and most of the butterflies took off at the noise, but a couple of them continued to rest on her. Lily laughed excited before she started to dance around with the butterflies, who were starting to circle around her once more, amused by her merriment.

“See? They are drawn to you,” Jack said, but Lily didn’t hear him. She was too busy laughing. Applejack let out a sigh next to Jack and he glanced down at his wife, finding her watching the scene with a look on her face that he had never seen before. It was a look of happiness, content…but also longing.

“Applejack my dear, are you alright?” Jack asked. AJ turned to look up at Jack, taking him aback slightly with the strange look she had in her eyes. Her smile grew even wider and she pressed herself close to Jack, let out another sigh as she did so.

“Ah’m perfectly fine, Jack. Perfectly fine.”
> Possibility
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack's blade flashed twice and the beings made of shadow perished with a scream. He twirled around and slashed once more, cutting down another shadow being that had tried to attack him from behind. A few more slashed finished off the remainder of the shadow beings that had surrounded him, allowing him a moment to see how the rest of the battle in Mareiland was going.

Some fool calling themselves the master of darkness had descended upon the town and began to rain dark monsters from the sky, prompting the Ambassadors and Jack to be called in to help. Most of the ponies had been evacuated safely, as Jack had been the one covering their escape. Off in the distance he could see six rainbow beings flying through the sky, raining down their power upon a being of darkness that towered over the town. From the roars of the beast and how each blast of rainbow magic seemed to shrink it further, Jack assumed the battle would not last much longer.  He knew nothing about this shadow master, only that he wanted world domination and that he would be defeated soon enough.

"Thanks for your help, Jack." Jack glanced behind him to see that a guard was walking towards him. "Our magic had no effect on that thing. Only the Ambassadors Rainbow Power and your sword seem to be able to harm it. Good thing you were here while the Ambassadors dealt with the monster or else a lot less of us would have made it out alive."

"I am happy to be of help," Jack replied. The guard stood next to Jack as the samurai watched the shadow master be struck again and again with rainbow might.

"Um, are you going to get in there and help them?" the guard asked. "I mean, since your sword can harm the shadows as well, not to mention that you're married to one of the Ambassadors, i though you would be..."

"They are doing fine without me. Not to mention the last time I took a victory away from Applejack she did not speak to me for a few days," Jack smirked. "Ever since she learned about Aku and how I had to face him alone, she seems determined to defeat as many evils as she can for me."

"And you let her?"

"She is as stubborn as the day is long. A trait I love her for, but one that can also be problematic at times," Jack admitted with a smile. "But, I will admit I do find it touching that she would willingly fight ever force of evil she comes across just so I do not have to. There are not many others where I come from who would take on the forces of the end for me."

"The other world. Do you miss it?" the guard asked. Jack gave him a questioning look and the guard motioned his head towards the battle. "They'll be wrapping that up in a minute, so I figure we should do something to pass the time."

"Oh very well. No, I do not miss my world," Jack admitted. His words seemed to surprise the guard. "There are certain aspects that I will miss about my home. The people i have helped, the many wonders and sights to behold...incredibly, the sound of bagpipes. But here is where I belong now. I have slain Aku. That was what I promised my father. I have a new promise now and that requires me to be here."

"Huh. It just seems...a little weird to me. That you'd fight so hard for your world and then, once you've saved it, you leave. I guess I just don't understand why you would do that."

"Part of the reason is that my home is gone on that world, lost to the past. The other reason is a certain orange mare that seems to have all but finished this foe," Jack replied.

The master of shadows let out a shriek as another wave of Rainbow Power bombarded him, reducing him to a size that was barely taller than a pony. The rainbow ponies landed next to him with Twilight stepping forward to confront the shrunken villain. She was doing her Twilight speech, the speech she gave to every villain once they were beaten. They worked about seventy-five percent of the time. Jack was tempted to wager with the guard if it would work this time or not when he caught something. For a brief moment, he could have sworn that the master looked over at him.

"Well he didn't last that long. You know, it's been a long time since we've had a real villain threaten the world, like Tirek," the guard noted. "You remember Tirek, right? Oh wait, you're the guy that killed him, so I guess if anypony would remember him it would be-"

In a blur of motion the master of shadows was upon the both of them, started to say something along the lines of how if he held Applejack's love, she wouldn't dare to fight back against him. The master of shadows was fast. Jack's sword was faster. In a single slash his blade rang out and sliced the master from head to toe vertically. The master didn't even have time to scream before the blade dissipated him. The guard blinked twice while his brain processed what had just happened. He pieced it together just as Jack finished sheathing his blade.

"He came at us, huh?" the guard asked.

"Yes."

"He planned to use us as hostages?"

"I think he planned to use me as a hostage, based on what little I heard him say before I cut him down," Jack corrected.

"And you killed him...?"

"With a single strike, yes. Like you said, they do not make villains like they used to."

"JACK!"

Jack turned in time to be tackled by an orange mare, who squeezed him tightly to the point that he couldn't breathe. "Thank the heavens yer alright! When ah saw him fly over here ah thought...ah thought..."

"Do not worry my beloved. I am fine," Jack managed to wheeze out. Applejack's friends landed behind her as she finally let go of Jack, who took a moment to regain his composure. The guard nodded to Jack and walked off, knowing that their conversation was over. "And do not worry about the master of shadows. He will never bother us again."

"You destroyed him? With your blade?" Twilight asked. "That's amazing, considering that the princesses said that only the Elements of Harmony or the Rainbow Power would be able to defeat him. Yet once again, it seems like your sword is for more than just killing Aku. It seems to be the bane of all evil, regardless of what world it is from."

"Yes, it was created by the gods of my world to slay all evil, but specifically Aku," Jack agreed slowly. "Perhaps that is why it is able to harm those that the princesses believed to only be slain by your power. It is not a bad thing to have multiple ways of defeating forces of evil on hoof at any given time."

"A weapon that can only harm those that are evil and yet is completely harmless to those that are good. Imagine what our world would be like if we could make more than one," Twilight muttered. "All of our guards armed with weapons that could only harm evil. If could usher in a new era of peace."

Jack nodded in reply, but he wasn't sure if he liked the look Twilight was giving his weapon. Applejack stepped between the two before smiling up at Jack, calming his nerves once more. "Ah'm just glad that ah didn't have to save ya from one of these yahoos again. Ah don't think mah heart could take it."

"I need rescuing from a force of evil one time and yet you are going to hold it over me for the rest of my life. Are you sure that you are not a great evil in disguise?" Jack teased.

"Please, if ah am a force of evil, ya should counter yerself lucky. Since yer married to me, ya will be spared from mah wrath when ah take over all of reality," AJ said with a wink before she looked back at her friends. "Maybe ah'll spare the rest of ya, if ya stay on my good side."

"I'm shaking in my boots," Rainbow mocked. "And ugh, do the two of you have to be so cuddly all the time? I'm embarrassed for the both of you."

"One day when yer married Rainbow, you'll understand what it's like," AJ replied.

"Please, I'm never getting married. I'm going to be like the wind until the day I die. Free, unburdened and going wherever the heck I want," Rainbow Dash smirked.

"You know, I've never actually thought of the idea of marriage before," Fluttershy muttered. "I never paid it much thought before, being so busy and all, but after seeing how happy Jack and Applejack are, maybe...I'll give it some thought."

"Are you kidding me? Marriage is nothing more than a trap. Sorry AJ, but I wasn't fast enough to warn you," Dash smirked.

"Well I think-" Rarity began.

"Rarity, please, don't start. We all know how you feel about marriage and how desperately you have been looking for somepony for the past...what, two years now?" Rainbow smirked. "Accept your going to be  crazy old cat mare and move on."

"Never! If Applejack can find a prince charming, then so can I! I don't care how long I have to wait! I will find them and make them mine!" Rarity cackled with a bit of an eye twitch.

"I'm with Fluttershy and Rarity, to an extent. I too would like to find somepony," Twilight added, before her face fell. "Unfortunately, as an alicorn, I'm going to be living a very long time. Much longer than any other pony or even other species. If I could find somepony that could live...well, live longer than most, I would consider it."

"That your only caveat for finding somepony? If they live to be an old pony? You sure have low standards," Rainbow smirked, before looking at Pinkie. "Pinkie, buddy, you've got to have my back on this."

"Oh come on, Rainbow Dash. What's better than going through life yourself? Going through life with sompony you love!" Pinkie smiled. "I'm fine being with myself for now, but if somepony came along that made me even super happier, then why would I say no?"

"So I stand alone on this matter. I always knew you would all betray me eventually, but I never thought it would be over this matter," Rainbow said, eyeing her friends cautiously. "You will all leave eventually for another, somepony closer to you than even your friends. All except me. For I shall stay alone."

"Don't think like that, Rainbow Dash, you don't have to be alone," Fluttershy replied. "You could always get a bunch of cats."

The group had a good laugh at Fluttershy's words and even Rainbow managed to break a smile. Applejack snuggled up close to Jack as the group began to head for the train station, having saved the day once more. AJ let out a content sigh before casting a quick glance at Jack, yet when he looked down at her she looked away with a giggle.

"Is something the matter, by beloved? You keep glancing at me and smiling, yet everytime I look at you..."

"Oh, just something ah wanted to tell you, dear. But it can wait till we get home," AJ giggled. "It's a surprise and ah don't want to spoil it in front of all mah friends. When we get home dear. When we're with...our family."
> Sakura
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of each of Jack's steps echoed across the hallway, amplified by the silence of the hospital. The sensation that was coursing through his veins was a new sensation to him. He had felt sorrow when he watched his kingdom burn. He faced fury when he had first realized the trick Aku had played on him. And even fear had shown it's head when Applejack had been killed in a temple long ago. But the stomach churning nervousness he was currently facing was new to him.

The doctor's had told him not to worry. To sit and to wait while they did their jobs. it was a standard procedure and one that they had performed many times. She was in perfectly good hooves. But they didn't know of Jack's past. Of how he would come so close to happiness only to have it ripped from his grasp at the last second. Even with Aku, the one mostly responsible for said tragedies, dead, Jack still worried that maybe his curse was still upon him. That this is where his happiness would be snatched away once more.

He was distracted from his own concerns as Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie walked down the hallway to where Jack was standing. Twilight wore a nervous look that was similar to Jack's, Rainbow Dash was yawning and trying to keep her eyes open, and Pinkie looked like she was trying to hold in a tidal wave of excitement and the dam was about to burst.

"How is everything going?" Twilight asked, her voice not betraying her worry.

"They are in there with her now. It has been a while. I am not sure how long. I cannot bring myself to look at the clock," Jack quickly mumbled. He then went back to pacing, occasionally glancing towards the door that stood between him and his wife.  The magic the unicorns at the hospital's used kept the rooms soundproof, so Jack had no clue what was going on behind those doors. That did not help his nerves.

"I'm surprised you're out here," Rainbow Dash muttered. "With how the two of you seem to never leave each others side, I thought for sure you would be glued at her bedside, waving your sword at anypony who got close."

"That is not far from what I was doing. They kicked me out for constantly getting in their way," Jack answered. "And so I pace. And worry. And curse my own helplessness."

"Jack, there's no need to worry. Everything is going to be fine," Twilight comforted, placing a hoof on Jack's shoulder. "Some of the best doctor's in Equestria are in there and Applejack is one of the toughest ponies I know. She didn't survive all her crazy adventures with us and you to give up here. Just relax."

"I have tried Twilight, but then I remember my past. Of hopes and promises of happiness and home, only to be faced with terror and suffering," Jack whispered. "I know that Aku is dead. I know that this is not the same world that constantly loved to watch me suffer. Yet I can't shake the feeling that this happiness will not last. That fate is waiting to rip away my happiness one last time."

"That's just the stress talking Jacky! And trust me, you look really stressed!" Pinkie sang. "Totally understandable, but I can't be anything but excited! I mean Applejack's having a foal! One of my bestest friends in the world is having a baby foal and I'm here to witness it! I'm going to have to throw my first foal shower for one of my closest friends! This is the best...day...ever."

"I...must admit, Pinkie, I did not expect you to be the tame," Jack said. "I expected you to be screaming from the heavens about your excitement and how you were going to throw the greatest party that the world had ever seen."

"Oh believe me I would be screaming right now, but the main doc here said that if he catches me screaming or breaking into song at the hospital one more time he'll throw me to those very heavens! That's why I'm doing my best to keep my indoor voice. Trust me Jacky, it's taking every ounce of my willpower not to break into song right now." Pinkie then glanced over her shoulder to see a stallion with a pair of glasses slowly slinking back into the shadows. She shivered slightly, knowing that despite being gone, he was still somehow watching her.

"Jack, I can understand why you're nervous, but this isn't Earth. This is Equestria. Where magic, friendship and wonder are commonplace," Twilight comforted. "You've defeated Aku, freed your world and entrusted a close friend of yours to keep them safe. But all of that is behind you. You're here now. And whatever fate had in store for you in your world, I promise you that it will not harm you here. I will make sure of that."

"Thank you...my friends," Jack smiled. Rainbow Dash then let out a snore and fell over, sprawling out in the middle of the hallway. "Though I must apologize for bring you all in so early in the morning."

"Don't worry about it! We wouldn't miss this for anything! Except for Fluttershy who's too afraid of the dark to go out this early. And Rarity who put locks on her house that even I can't get past to keep me from disturbing her beauty sleep. But don't worry! We're here!" Pinkie yelled. Another shiver went up her spine and out of the corner of her eye she spied a doctor glaring at her from the shadows. "I'll be quiet now."

"Mr. Jack?" Jack and the three mares turned towards the door, which was open slightly and a nurse was looking out. "You can come in now. But only you. You three will have to wait out here."

Jack nodded to his friends, who gave him confident smiles in return. He headed towards the door and placed his hoof on the handle, where time seemed to freeze for a moment. For an eternity, his fear and his hopes clashed together within him. Then he let out a sigh and opened the door.

It was the best decision he could have made.

The sun was just beginning to rise of the horizon, bathing everything in the room in an orange and red glow, including the mare who was laying in a bed with a bundled foal held in her arms. Jack's first instinct was to look into Applejack's smiling face. She looked exhaust and pain was still clearly there, but it was all being suppressed by the sheer joy and love that drowned out all other emotions. After a moment she glanced up to see Jack and her smile grew even wider.

"Jack...congratulations. Come here and look at yer daughter."

Jack walked over beside Applejack, resting his head on her shoulder as he gazed down at the foal...his foal. She had the same coat of orange that Applejack had, but the black tufts of her mane that dangled down in front of her closed eyes told Jack what she had inherited from him. She was so small, so...fragile. Just by gazing upon her Jack knew that he would fight the very heavens themselves to keep her safe.

Then the tears began to well up in his eyes, tears that were brought forth not by sadness or pain, but of pure joy. He was staring down at their daughter, his daughter, who was being held by his wife. And there was no Aku there to take them from him, no army of robot insects waging war on the hospital. There was only him, his beloved...and now, the center of his whole universe. And the happiness that welled up within him was almost too much for him to bear. He had learned to bear sorrow and pain, but this level of happiness...was almost too much.

Jack felt Applejack press her lips against his cheek and when he glanced down at her he found she was smiling up at him with tears in her eyes. "Ah never thought...ah could be this happy. Ah'll those years of working on the farm, saving the world or just...living...never once did ah think ah would feel this happy. Thank ya Jack...thank ya..."

"Hmm, I should be the one thanking you. You are the one who not only brought me into your family, but...you helped me to overcome my own demons with my family. Then you helped me to overcome my real demon. And then you gave me the greatest gift you could give. You. Her. This happiness," Jack smiled. "Thank you, my beloved. Thank you for granting me the happiness that I never thought I would know."

"...hey Jack, about the name?" Applejack murmured. "Ah was thinking it over and...ah want ya to name her."

"Me? But you said you had so many names planned for her that, well, I thought we both silently agreed that you were going to name her?"

"Ah was. But, ah thought about it, and ah want ya to name her. And not with a pony name," Applejack explained. "Ah can do the middle name and ya better believe it's going to be apple related, but ah want her first name to come from yer world. From yer home. To...honor them."

Jack smiled softly at Applejack, amazed that this mare who had given him so much could always find ways to surprise him. He thought about what he wanted to name her, coming up with plenty of suitable names, but then the sun caught his eye. He followed the sun beam to see that from the way the light was shining on the leaves they looked pink to him. Like pink petals. Like the pink petals that used to bring him so much happiness as a boy. And he knew what to name her.

"Sakura," Jack said to Applejack. "Sakura is the perfect name for her."

"Sakura, huh? Ah like it," Applejack nodded. "Ah think ah'll go with Blossom fer her middle name, after mah great aunt."

"Sakura Blossom? How do you do it, my love?" Jack asked AJ, who looked at him with some confusion. Instead of explaining further, he leaned down and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"Welcome to the world, my Sakura Blossom."
> End of the Old Ways
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The summer sun shone down warmly upon Jack and his family.

He, Applejack and Sakura were all walking through a small forest not too far from Ponyville. Despite being an important time for harvesting apples and selling produce, after three straight weeks of work Granny had told the family to take a day off. To spend time enjoying each others company. Of course, everypony knew that she just wanted them out of the house so that she could catch up on her rest. She was getting old.

So Jack and Applejack had decided to take their daughter on a nature walk to let her let off some energy. At five years old, she was impossible to keep up with when she was excited and impossible to deal with when she was bored. Applejack had figured that a walk might burn off some of her energy. She had been wrong.

"What kind of insect is that? Why are those birds chirping in such a way? How come Celestia makes the sun so darn hot?" These were just three of the many questions Sakura bombarded her parents with. Jack took all the questions in stride, while AJ hung her head slight and dragged her hooves.

"Are you alright, my love?" Jack asked Applejack.

"She sure is a ball of energy, isn't she?" AJ asked. "Ah know ah was like her at her age. Heh, ah remember Granny would always say that she hoped mah foal would treat me the same way ah treated her. At the time ah didn't know what she had meant. Now ah do and ah regret everything ah did to mah poor Granny."

Despite his wife's less than happy attitude, Jack couldn't help but find himself smiling. The day way lovely, his daughter was happy and they were together. He knew that Applejack was truly stressed about working the farm, since Granny couldn't help and Applebloom was off to school in another town, leaving only her, Jack and Big Mac to work the farm and take care of Sakura.

Applejack had hoped that her daughter would take after her and want to work the farm, but is seemed she was destine to follow in Jack's hoof steps. She had little interest in apples or farming, yet whenever Jack would talk about his old adventures or practice his swordsmanship in the fields, she was always there watching. Sakura wanted to be a samurai like him, and while he hadn't told her no, he hadn't exactly pushed her towards becoming one. Some of that decision came from him being afraid that Applejack might get mad at him, but most of it was due to his knowledge of what the samurai's life was like. A life he wasn't sure he wanted for his daughter.

"No! Put that down!" Applejack called out, snapping Jack back to reality. His daughter had picked up a stick and was swinging it around, poorly mirroring Jack's own moves. "Sakura, listen to me! Put that down before ya poke yer eye out!"

"Do not worry mother! I am a samurai!" Sakura yelled in reply. "I strike down all evil and slay those who stand in my way. HIYA!" she yelled as she terrorized a group of squirrels, who ran from her as she swung her stick in every direction. Jack shook his head at his daughter with a small smile, before he glanced over at Applejack to find she was giving him a look.

"I...shall have a talk with her," Jack said slowly.

"That would be good."

Jack had barely taken his eyes off of Applejack before he daughter let out a scream. Jack and AJ snapped their head's towards Sakura, who was backing away from a figure in a black cloak. The figure was definitely a pony, but other than that Jack had nothing else to go on. But they were close to his daughter and that was enough to make his sword come out. In the blink of an eye he stood before his daughter, glaring down the cloaked figure.

"Sakura, go to your mother," Jack ordered. Sakura did as she was instructed, leaving Jack alone with the figure. "As for whoever you are, I know not what your intentions are, but if you come near my daughter again-"

A lesser swordspony would have had their head taken off. Yet Jack was one of the best and in a moment he brought up his blade to intercept a sword strike that came from out of nowhere. He slammed his hooves into the cloaked pony and backflipped through the air, landing a distance away from his foe. The cloaked pony lifted a blade that was pure black and seemed to be drawing the life out of the air around him.

"Samurai Jack. You posses a strange magic in you. A magic I will make my own," the figure whispered in a dark voice. "Now prepare to die."

Jack said nothing in reply, he simply raised his blade. The figure was on him in an instant, but Jack was faster. He blocked a volley of strikes before lashing out with his own blade, slicing apart the black cloak. Yet his foe was just fast enough to avoid being struck, even when his cloak was cut to ribbons. The figure swung hard three times and Jack parried all three strikes.

"You got this dad!" Sakura cheered from he side.

"Jack, do ya...?"

"I can handle this my dear. Just keep Sakura away," Jack ordered.

The figure was on him again. A flurry of strikes attacked Jack and Jack responded with a flurry of blocks. Yet to the samurai's annoyance, he found that the figure gave him little chance to counterattack. While his strikes were never ferocious enough to get to Jack, they were controlled enough to prevent the cloaked figure from being opened up. Jack deflected a blow and swung his blade towards the figure, who leapt away and landed close to Applejack and Sakura. Sakura let out a yelp as she hid behind her mother, while Applejack slammed her hooves into the ground with enough force to crack the dirt and stone at her feet.

"Ya get one warning. Back. Off," AJ whispered. "Because while Jack may let ya live, come a step closer to mah daughter and ah'll tear yer head off."

"How interesting. You possess a powerful magic of your own. And so does your daughter," the figure said as he stared at Sakura. "I wonder if her power is greater than yours? I look forward to finding out."

After saying those words the figure turned back to look at Jack, but something was different. The samurai's eyes were no longer observant and ready. They were cold, angry and had a look that one did not often see in Jack. Jack held out his sword once more, but in a stance that the cloaked figure was not familiar with. Something about Jack had changed and it made the figure slightly nervous.

"I will say this only once more. Leave and never return," Jack said. It wasn't a warning. It was a threat. The cloaked figure let out a laugh before he took a few steps towards Jack...only for Jack to vanish from his sight. If the figure had the ability to look behind him, he would have seen Jack standing behind him while sheathing his blade. But the figure could no long do that, as a moment later his eye rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap. Both Sakura and Applejack thought that the figure was dead. But he wasn't.

Jack remember this all too well. The attack on his families carriage. His mother holding him close as his father stepped out to confront the assassins. The spray of blood across his face as he watched his father end the lives of numerous men. The day he had learned what it had meant to be a samurai. Of what it meant to survive in the world.

And Jack had been halfway through cutting down his foe before he had changed his mind, simply knocking him out instead. The samurai had to be willing to shoulder the burden of killing. Of ending another life. That was the path he had gone down. But it was also the path that his daughter wanted to go down.

As Jack stood back up and turned back to his unconscious foe, he could not bring himself to strike them down. Not to spare them, but to spare his daughter. Spare her from the darkness and death that had plagued his world. His home. Jack had already had his own soul tainted by the darkness. He would not let it have his daughter.

"Is...is he...?" Applejack asked as she and Sakura approached.

"No. He lives. We should send a message to Twilight and see if she can come with some royal guards," Jack said. He eyed the blade that his foe had wielded as he said this. The blade felt wrong to him, like it was sucking the life out of him even at this distance. The sooner it was gone, the better. "They will want to take him into custody and also examine this blade. Are you both alright?"

"Ah'm fine," Applejack said, before Sakura leapt forward.

"That was so cool dad! You were all like block, block, strike! And he was all like "Oh crap, he's too good"! And then at the end when you move like that, i couldn't even see you! You have to show me how you did that!" Sakura asked. Jack gazed down at her calmly, before glancing up at his wife. Applejack wore a bitter smile on her face as she thought it over, before she nodded to Jack.

"Very well, Sakura. I will show you how to become a samurai," Jack replied. "Tomorrow at dawn we will begin your training."

Sakura let out a cry of victory and she started to ramble off all the cool things she would do as a samurai, but Jack heard none of them. He was lost in his own thoughts. Was this the right thing to do, to have his daughter follow in his hoofsteps?
In his world, a samurai needed to kill to survive. To strike down their foes so that his family may live. But this was Equestria. A land of second chances, forgiveness and good triumphing everytime. And so long as he drew breath, he would not let the darkness and bloodshed of his old home taint his new home. His old home and its ways, the ways of bushido, of the samurai...of killing when it was not needed, would die with him. He would not let his daughter become him. He would help her to be greater than him.

He would train her to be a warrior that did not need to kill to win. A warrior who would be peerless in combat. He would train her so that she would only need to take a life as a last resort. Perhaps one day she might need to shoulder the weight of a samurai. To shoulder the weight of taking a life. But that day was not today.
> Banes of Evil
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack was not used to standing on the sidelines. For so long Jack was used to being the only one to battle, taking an army of darkness and evil by himself. Being the only one to fight. But now He stood off to the side, watching as his only daughter and a group of guards he had trained himself fought the evil. Fought the force of darkness that sought to take their land. For the foe that his daughter and the guards were facing...was Sombra. Who was back. Again.

"He does not stay dead long, does he?" Jack asked his wife, who stood beside him as the pair of them watched the battle take place. Around him stood the other Ambassadors, along with the two princesses of the sun and moon. All of who had agreed to stay out of this fight unless absolutely necessary. Even though Jack's instincts screamed at him to go help his daughter.

"Ugh, yer telling me. Out of all the foes we've fought, he's the most like a cockroach," Applejack agreed, but there was an edge to her voice. She wasn't happy with the situation either. "This is what, the third time we've had to face him? And the last time ya cut his head off. So how is he back?"

"Technically, he blew himself up before i could cut his head off. Perhaps he was just biding his time?" Jack suggested.

A roar from the dark pony brought Jack's attention back to the battle. Sombra was in his shadow form and was shooting blasts of magic towards Sakura and the guards that were with her. Yet despite the power of the spells, Sakura leapt and dodged out of the way with a grace and weightlessness that made Jack proud. She was only thirteen years old, and yet she was already the second best swordpony in the land. Just behind Jack. Her white kimono danced around her, making her look similar to a younger Jack.

The other guards were dodging and moving out of the way as well, perhaps with less elegance, but getting the job done none the less. Blast of dark smoke ripped towards them, yet those with horns constructed magical barriers that stopped Sombra's smoke dead. Sombra let out an infuriated roar as none of his attacks worked, before he created blades of darkness that he plunged towards the group. In response, Sakura drew her blade, a katana with a deadly pink blade, and readied herself. The Guards drew similar swords and did the same.

Everypony watching the battle held their breath. This was the moment of truth. Twilight was especially nervous, as this would show whether all of her hard work had paid off...or if Jack would need to get involved in the fight. Sakura let out a small sigh before she slashed at the oncoming blade...and cleaved it clean in two. The guards behind her mirrored her moves, slicing through the rest of the blades just as easily.

Sombra roared in pain, switched back to his smoke form and lunged towards Sakura once more, his horn glowing with dark power as he approached her. Sakura closed her eyes, lifted her blade, and swung with all of her might. A flash of light erupted from her sword as the blade struck the shadow...and a moment later Sombra let out a bellow as his dark and shadowy form was sucked into the blade. Sakura glanced at her blade, where the eyes of the king could be seen darting back and forth, before she sheathed her sword. Then she looked up at her parents and threw up a hoof in victory.

The ponies all around Jack let out a cheer at Sakura's victory, with Twilight celebrating hardest of all, yet all Jack and Applejack did was let out a simultaneous sigh. Jack trusted his daughter's skill, and Sombra was not much of a threat, but still, he was grateful it was over. But almost as impressive as his daughter's skill was the blade she had used. The blade that Twilight had made for her. The blade based off his own.

"It seems that you are to be congratulated, Twilight," Jack said with a nod to the princess. Twilight stopped her celebrating and turned to look at Jack, her smiling rivaling the ones Pinkie would wear. "You have successfully managed to create a blade almost identical to mine. With the power to defeat any evil."

"And not only that, but the sealing spell that I imbued the blade with worked as well!" Twilight exclaimed. "These blades can now seal evil and hold them until we find a suitable prison, instead of straight up killing them like yours did. Nothing against what you've done for us Jack, but I would prefer not to kill unless we had no other options."

"I am in agreement with you. I am glad you found an alternate solution," Jack agreed as he turned to look at Sakura, who was celebrating with the rest of the guard, who were throwing her into the air. Jack smiled at the sight, glad that Sakura had not been forced to take Sombra's life. He had been the one who asked Twilight to find an alternative way to defeat the forces of evil when she had come close to duplicating his blade and she had come up with the sealing spell. Sombra would be released from the sword in a prison, most likely tartarus, and be trapped forever.

"It seems that your daughter has inherited your skill, Jack," Celestia said to Jack. "I have only seen one other pony fight with such skill and grace and that pony is you. And she is so young. Once she is older she might just be the greatest force of good that Equestria has ever seen. Thank goodness those blades Twilight made can only harm those with evil intent."

Jack nodded, glad that Twilight had managed to duplicate that feature as well. The blade could judge a pony's intent and heart, telling how evil they truly were and deal out damage appropriately. The more evil a pony's intent and heart, the stronger the blade would become, until it would straight up destroy true evil. Yet it would only seal away those who were almost completely evil. Twilight had added that feature because Equestria was a land of chances, of helping others to change. Something Jack had not been too sure about, but after hearing Discord, Starlight and Sunset's story, he realized that everypony deserved a chance to change. And for a moment he regretted ending some of the lives he had taken. Except for Aku. That victory still brought a smile to his face now and then.

Sakura and the guards walked up the hill to where the rest of the ponies were, huge smiles on their faces. Celestia and the others began to thank the guards, with Twilight grilling them over how the blades felt, while Sakura walked up to her mother and father, bowing her head slightly as she approached.

"I hope that I did not dishonor you with my performance, father," Sakura said.

"My dear, there is nothing you could ever do to dishonor me. You are my pride and joy. Not to mention, now my equal in skill," Jack revealed. Sakura raised her eyes with some surprise, only for a smile to break out across her face a moment later.  "I could not have fought Sombra any better. In some cases, I may have done worse. You have all of my skill and all of your mother's strength and heart. And you showed that today."

"T-thank you, father," Sakura said with another bow of her head. AJ then wrapped a hoof around her daughter's shoulder and pulled her into a bone crunching hug.

"Come on, Sakura, no need to act all embarrassed. Hold yer head high and celebrate. Ya stopped a great evil today! Ya should be proud," Applejack praised. Sakura smiled weakly as her face turned red, but from embarrassment or the blood being forced into her head by the hug, Jack could not tell.

"Come on everypony, we're going back to Ponyville to celebrate! Today we beat Sombra, proved Twilight's swords work and got to see Sakura take down her first bad guy! That's three parties for the price of one! Drinks on  me!" Pinkie exclaimed. The guards, ponies and Sakura let out cheers, Sakura then smiling nervously when her mother flashed her a look, before they started to follow after Pinkie. Jack placed a hoof on his daughter's shoulder, halting her.

"My dear, may I see your blade for a moment?" Jack asked. Sakura drew her blade and hoofed it to her father, who took it with a smile. Sakura followed after her mother and the others, leaving Jack alone with the blade...and who was in it. "Sombra. I am surprised to see that you are alive."

"Damn you samurai. Did you really think that I would lose to you so easily?" Sombra snarled, slamming his shadow form against the blade. "And do not think for a moment that your spawn's weapon will hold me. I have escaped from far better prisons before! Her mercy will be her downfall!"

"You should be grateful that you faced my daughter instead of me," Jack warned. "For had you faced me, you may not have left the battlefield alive. But thanks to Twilight and Sakura, you will only spend the rest of your life in a prison. Instead of mocking their mercy, perhaps you should show gratitude."

"Bah, you fool. Your mercy will only be the death of you," Sombra warned. Jack narrowed his eyes before he grabbed with both hooves and aimed the blade at the ground. "W-wait, what are you doing?! If you do that, it will-"

"Kill you. That is correct," Jack finished. "Perhaps you are right, perhaps you will never change. Perhaps I should be rid of you the same way I rid myself of Aku. By ending your evil once and for all."

"W-wait! I'll change! I'll try to be good! At the very least, I won't swear vengeance upon the land until after you and your daughter are long dead!" Sombra begged. Jack fought hard to keep himself from breaking a smile at Sombra's fear. Jack would not kill him in such a defenseless state.

"Then heed my words, Sombra. If you ever free yourself from that prison and come after my family again, you will not merely be sealed. You will be sent to the next life...and the hands of my blade," Jack warned. Sombra let out a small whimper and Jack fought back another smile. Jack would not kill him. The Jack that would was left on Earth all those years ago. After Aku's death, he swore to be more like the ponies. To try to show more mercy and helping others to be better. But his enemies didn't need to know that.

"Then get comfortable, Sombra. I foresee you will be there for a long time," Jack laughed.
> Duel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack could feel the sun rising. Though his eyes were closed, he could feel the darkness begin to ebb away. Warmth flowed through his body, while the rays of the sun chased away the grip darkness held on the land. The samurai took in a deep breath and opened his eyes, fully awake now. It was now morning. And this morning would bring an end to things as he knew it.

He had spent the past night meditating atop a small hill not far from Sweet Apple Acres. One last night as a samurai. One last night as a warrior. One last night with the sword that he had with him for so long. Jack felt himself smile bitterly as he looked down at his blade, still housed within its scabbard. Through thick and thin this blade had been his life, his way forward, the only part of his home he had brought with him from the past. But that would all end today. He knew it would. He just wanted to spend as long as he could with his friend one last time.

"This is it, my old friend," Jack said in a whisper, smiling down at the sword. "You have always been there for me, no matter the danger. No matter how long it took. You have been both my sword and my shield, keeping me safe through thick and thin. And for that, I will always be grateful to you. But after today...you will no longer be mine. I know this. You know this. But it is for the best. She will need you more than I will."

Jack rose to his hooves and stared at the horizon where the sun was still rising. He had asked Celestia to raise it a little slower today, a selfish request but one he needed. just a few minutes more. That was all he asked for. Celestia had granted his wish. The sun was a few minutes slower to rise than normal. He would thank her the next time he saw her. But now it was time.

Jack heard hoofsteps approach and he turned to face his visitor. One he had been expecting. Standing before him was Sakura, his daughter, eighteen years of age. She wore her own stylized kimono with one of her forehooves out of its sleeve. Her black and messy mane was pulled back into a ponytail. And at her side hung her blade, a shocking pink sword that had trapped many a dark foe. A blade designed to mirror Jack's. It had served her well. But after today, it would serve her no longer.

Yet to Jack's surprise, he found that his wife was walking behind his daughter. Applejack smiled at Jack, before shaking her head to stop him from saying anything. She then walked off to the side of the hill and sat down, a spectator. Jack sighed in relief. For a moment, he was afraid she had come to stop him. But she understood him now as she had understood him all those years ago. She might have looked a little older, but she was still as beautiful as ever. Jack then turned his gaze from his wife to his daughter, who looked at him with an emotionless face.

"It is sunrise, father," she said without emotion. "Sunrise on my eighteenth birthday. I admit that...I am a little hesitant. I am not sure-"

"Do not be hesitant. For if you are, you shall fall," Jack replied curtly. He felt AJ give him a look, but other than that his wife did nothing. Sakura nodded her head in understanding before she drew her blade, taking up a fighting stance that was a mirror of the one Jack used.

"Very well, father. On your guard."

Jack took up the same stance as her and drew his blade, his friend, the last piece of his home. He brought the blade up in front of his eyes, reflecting his own emotionless face back at him. Yet even though the light of the sun wasn't that strong yet, Jack was certain that his sword was glowing a little brighter today. He couldn't help but smile.

"Come, my old friend. Let us fight together one last time," Jack whispered, before looking towards his daughter. "Begin."

Sparks erupted from Jack and Sakura's blades as they clashed, the ringing of metal tearing apart the tranquility of the morning. Jack attacked with a fury and frenzy that he had not used since his battles with Aku, striking so fast and fierce that the grass around him was set ablaze by his ferocity. Yet his daughter didn't give an inch. She blocked, parried and straight up deflected each of his strongest and most powerful blows. Everything he had been taught, all of his skill, and it meant nothing to her.

For a brief moment Sakura looked upon her father with somber eyes. Then it was her turn.

She slashed at Jack, who was fast enough to deflect the blow with his sword. Yet the strength of her swing was so great Jack was sent skidding backwards, gritting his teeth as his hindhooves dug into the dirt. She was on him in a moment, slashing at him like a tempest, her blade everywhere at once. Jack had studied with the masters, been taught by the best, and yet even he could barely keep up with her. It was instinct and experience that kept her from overwhelming him.

Jack read a thrust and moved himself out of the way, deflecting the strike with the pommel of his sword before lunging in. He brought his blade down towards her head, yet in a moment she raised her scabbard to intercept the blow. His blade could easily cut through her scabbard, yet the momentary pause in the strike was all Sakura needed to slip to the side. She moved to the side and swept Jack's hooves out from under him. He landed hard on his back before rolling to the side, hopping back up and brandishing his blade. She made no effort to attack while he was down. She wanted a clean win. The two went back to circling each other once more.

He made the first move. And his move was to kick up a cloud of dust and dirt with his hooves and blind Sakura. Sakura staggered backwards and coughed, her eyes squeezed shut to keep anymore dirt from getting in. Dishonorable, perhaps. But if she fell to this trick, then she was far from ready. He lunged at her with blade out, yet even in the dust she parried his strike. She could not see, but she was far from helpless. 

Jack's blade was a blur, moving fast enough that even bullets could not keep up with it. But his daughter endured, meeting each strike with her own blade. Jack felt frustration begin to rise, but he quelled it quickly. If he lost focus for even a second, he would lose. He saw a spot where her guard was lowered and he aimed his blade, figuring this would be his best chance to end this fight. He was wrong. 

Sakura lashed out with a forehoof and caught Jack square in the chest. Her inpony strength ripped Jack from the ground and sent him tumbling backwards, crashing onto his back where he fought to regain his breath. This time his daughter did not make the mistake of waiting for him to get back up. She lunged at him, slashing her blade down at where he was landing. Jack rolled at the last possible moment, just barely missing being slashed. But she had made the right choice. Going for a stab might embedded her blade into the ground. Slashing at him would allow her to immediately follow up. And that was exactly what she did.

She was a frenzy, her blade coming at him from every direction at once. Jack kept up as best he could, but he was aware that he couldn't block everything. He could hear his kimono being sliced and just barely managed to keep her blade from slicing him apart. That was until their blades collided with such force that they were both ripped from each others hooves. Sakura's pink blade shattered into pieces and the hilt went flying while Jack's was lodged into a tree behind him. The two then eyed each other before taking up a different stance.

jack made the first move. He threw a flurry of strikes before following up with a high kick, planning to go to a low sweep when she either blocked or dodged the high. Sakura did neither. She grabbed hold of his leg and whipped him over her head, slamming him chest first into the ground. Jack wheezed as the air left his lungs before Sakura lifted him once more and hurled him into the very same tree that his blade was embedded in. He gasped in pain as he slid down the trunk, struggling to clear the stars from his eyes. Sakura did nothing. She simply stood there and waited for him to get up.

Jack could not win. He knew this. He had known this for a while. Sakura possessed all of his skill, his mother's incredible strength and had the rainbow power flowing through her veins. She was a pony unlike any other. And he was proud of her for it. But it was also his pride as a warrior that demanded he face her, his pride as a warrior that forced him back to his hooves and his pride in himself that pulled his sword from the tree and face his daughter one last time. She raised a hoof and slid out a back leg, ready for whatever he was going to throw at her. He would never be able to accept this if he didn't give everything. So he would give it all here.

"HHHHHIIIIIYYYYYYYAAAAAAHHHH!" Jack yelled as he leapt into the sky, bringing his blade down with all of his might one last time. His signature move. His final attack. A strike so strong that even the greatest metal would be cleaved by the blow. He brought the sword down on Sakura...and she lashed out with a blow so strong and fast that it struck him before his blow struck her. A hoof strike to the chest. Simple, powerful...and all she needed.

Jack didn't feel his air leave his lungs. He didn't feel the pain that was burning through his body. He wasn't aware that he landed back first or that he couldn't raise his arms. Or even that his daughter caught his sword out of the air and pointed it at his throat. No, the samurai didn't feel anything. Nothing except for acceptance.

"Do you yield?" Sakura asked.

"Yamate. I yield," Jack replied. "You have done it, my daughter. You have bested me."

Sakura knelt down next to her father, laying his blade beside her before she helped him to sit up. Applejack raced over to them, kneeling next to Jack and pulling him into a hug.

"Oh, ah can't tell ya how much ah hated to see the two of you fight," AJ mumbled into Jack's shoulder. "Why couldn't ya have just given her the stupid thing without the need fer all this fighting?"

"Give me? Give me what?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura, there is a reason I called you here, on your birthday," Jack revealed. "I wished to test you. Test your skill. Your technique...and whether or not you were ready."

"Ready, father? Ready for what?" Sakura asked. Jack smiled at her as he picked up his sword and stared at it for a moment. This sword had been his father's. He had fought with it to imprison Aku. Then it had been passed to Jack, who had used it to slay Aku. It was his best friend. And now it was time to do as his father would have done. Jack gripped the hilt while placing his other hoof under the blade, before offering it to Sakura.

"Ready to wield my blade. The blade your grandfather wielded. The bane of evil," Jack whispered.

"No...no father, I cannot accept this," Sakura said, shaking her head. "That is your blade. You have carried it with you for so long, across worlds, doing the impossible! I cannot take that from you!"

"You are not taking it from me. I am giving it to you," Jack replied, smiling softly at his daughter. "You are strong of mind, full of strength and endless in your compassion. And you are a greater warrior than I shall ever be. You have proven that you are ready to wield my blade. My father's blade. Our family's blade. You are ready...to be a samurai."

"Father..." Sakura sobbed, before she looked to her mother for help.

"Take it, Sakura," Applejack gently pushed. "And take it with pride."

Sakura fought back a sob as she reached out, grabbing the sword by the hilt and taking it from her father. Jack smiled at her the entire time and after a moment a smile crossed her face as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I will wield your sword with pride. I will use it to slay evil and protect the innocent, just as you and grandfather did. I will make the both of your proud," Sakura promised Jack and Applejack. 

"You already have," Applejack nodded. Sakura then received Jack's scabbard and after fitting it into her sash, she sheathed the sword. Jack didn't show it on his face, but it hurt to give away his sword, hurt to the point that he felt tears well in his eyes for a moment. Then Applejack leaned into him and rested her head against his shoulder, taking away his pain. Jack smiled at her, before turning his gaze upon his daughter. Sakura bowed her head to him in respect. And he returned the bow in kind, looking up on his blade one last time.

Goodbye, my old friend. Keep her safe, as you did me.
> Unaffected
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Another day, another black hole over the Crystal Empire," AJ said.

Jack nodded his head in agreement. He and Applejack were racing past the panicking ponies that were fleeing from the center of their empire, where a massive ball of darkness was sucking in everything around it. Normally such a sight would cause panic and fear within most ponies, but Jack and AJ both knew the reason behind the sight.

"Think Cadence has given up on her daughter learning alicorn magic yet?" AJ asked.

"Of course not. No mother ever gives up on their child. But I will admit," Jack said as the pair reached the other Ambassadors, all of who were using their power to try to contain the darkness. "That perhaps another method of tutoring should be used."

"Jack. Applejack. Thank goodness the both of you are here," Cadence said, running over to the two of them. "I don't understand how this happened. One moment Flurry was doing fine with her spells and the next there's a massive time vortex forming in the middle of the Crystal Empire!"

"That's not a black hole?"

"No, we were practicing time magic and she suddenly lost control. I don't know why, but now everything in the crystal empire is being aged by centuries! I have no idea how to stop it."

"Well this wouldn't be the first of her spells that we've had to stop and ah doubt it will be the last," AJ said as she cracked her neck, rainbow power flowing through her veins. "Jack, stay back, would ya? Ah don't want ya getting hurt as we do this. Brace yerselves girls, cause her comes Applejack!"

"Hold on!" Cadence yelled, stopping the orange mare in her tracks. "There's something else. This is different from all of Flurry's previous spells. She's...at the epicenter of this one."

"She's in the center of all of that?" Jack asked.

"Yes. Her magic is what is generating the time vortex. My sister and her other friends already know this, which is why they're trying to contain it. But at the rate this is going, it seems that the rainbow magic may not be enough to stop this without...without..."

"Well ah'm here now. And ah promise ah'll get yer daughter back," AJ promised. She raced past Cadence and joined the rest of her friends, nodding at them before she added her own Rainbow power to the mix. The magic swirled around all of them as its now complete power consumed the time vortex, halting its advance. Yet even though the black hole was no longer growing, Jack could see that it was not shrinking either.

"The black hole continues to persist. What magical might your daughter wields," Jack said.

"I know. And she's only been getting stronger," Cadence whispered. The Rainbow power continued to combat the magical might of the vortex, yet all the Ambassadors could achieve was a stalemate. "It's no good. The Rainbow power can hold back her magic, but without removing her from the center she'll just continue to power it!"

"Will she not eventually run out of magic?" Jack asked.

"In all of the tests we've done on her, never once have we been able to find her maximum limit for her magic," Cadence replied. "Her magical might is already above mine at this point. I can't do anything to help my sister or my own daughter. Faust help me I'm so useless!"

Jack frowned at the princess, not knowing what to say to comfort her. He couldn't begin to imagine how she was suffering. He turned his gaze back to the battle, only to widen his eyes when he saw that once more the vortex was growing. The Ambassadors were pouring all of their rainbow might into it, yet it continued to grow. Flurry was beginning to overpower the Rainbow power. Something needed to be done.

"What if I went into the vortex and retrieved her?" Jack asked.

"Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea what a time vortex would do to you?" Cadence asked. "It could flatten and stretch you, warp you across time or just kill you in an instant! In order to survive that kind of force you would have to have an alicorn's magic at least, and even then there is no guarantee that you would survive!"

"You have that magic. You can use it to protect me," Jack replied. "We do not have time to argue. With every second the strength of that spell grows stronger and becomes a greater risk to your daughter. The Rainbow power can only hold it off. Unless something is done about your daughter..."

"Then I should go. She's my daughter and I won't risk your life. You have a daughter of your own to look after," Cadence replied.

"My daughter is a samurai. She understands that meaning of death and loss. While my death would be disheartening to her, she would understand and accept my decision here. But your daughter still needs you. Still needs to be taught by you. If you die, you will leave this world with regrets. I will have none."

Cadence thought it over for a moment, before she sighed and unleashed all of her magical might around Jack. A pink suit of armor formed around him, covering him in a magic strong enough to withstand almost anything. Jack took a moment to figure out how to move in the suit before nodding to Cadence, a silent promise to succeed. Then he was off.

He raced past the Ambassadors of Harmony, taking only a moment to lock eyes with his wife as he passed her. Three emotions quickly flashed across her face. The first was surprise. The second was fear. Then the third was determination. Jack couldn't help but smile. Even after all of these years together, she still understood him better than anypony else. She didn't want him to do this. But she would do her best to make sure he prevailed. Right as Jack was about to reach the vortex, AJ let out a roar and unleashed whatever reserves of power she had left, giving Jack a path straight into the vortex. She was too good for him. Then, without a second thought, he leapt in.

The vortex began to flash uncontrollably, causing magic to spew out of it in every direction. The Ambassadors switched their magic from offensive to defensive, wrapping themselves and the princess in a barrier of rainbow power. They watched with baited breath as the vortex churned and convulsed, before finally, in one last whimper, it popped out of existence. And at the base of where it had once stood lay two figures. An alicorn and a pony covered in pink armor.

"Flurry!"

"Jack!"

Cadence and Applejack ran to their respective pony, crouching down next to them and pulling them into a hug.

"Flurry, daughter, saying something," Cadence begged.

"Something," Flurry groaned. Cadence let out a small laugh of relief as he daughter opened her eyes, blinking with confusion before she looked around. "Oh great, my magic went out of control again, didn't it? Ugh, what's the damage this time?"

"You create a time vortex and nearly destroyed the Crystal Empire by wiping out time itself," Twilight said. Flurry looked up at her aunt, who was using her horn to scan the alicorn mare. "And that's not to say what affect that it had on you. Flurry, do you have any memory of what happened while you were in there?"

"No, not really. All I remember is a bunch of images whirling around my head, like I was watching a movie that was going way too fast," Flurry groaned. The mare tried to sit up, but Cadence placed a hoof on her chest and pushed her back down.

"No my dear, you need to rest. You've gone through quite an ordeal," Cadence said.

"Mom, I'm fine, trust me," Flurry replied.

"No, you are not fine. You've gone through something that might kill anypony else. Please, just listen to your mother and rest," Cadence said.

"I'm twenty four, not three. You don't have to worry so much," Flurry replied, before smiling at her mom. "But I'm glad to see you still care."

"Actually, that's not entirely true," Twilight said. Cadence and Flurry looked at her to see she had a grim look on her face. "I scanned you with my magic and while you're physically fine...you're not twenty four any more. While it was only a little while for your mind, in actuality...you were in there for over a hundred years. You're a hundred and twenty four now."

"Buh...but that can't be! I don't look any...oh right...alicorn," Flurry said with a smirk. "Guess I'll retain my good looks for a lot longer than a hundred years, huh?"

"You silly mare, you should be...wait...a hundred years...oh Faust, Jack!" 

Cadence rose and spun around to race over to where Jack lay, with Twilight close behind her. The other Ambassadors had all gathered around her, with AJ having the samurai in a tight hug. So tight that neither Twilight or Cadence could really see him.

"He wasn't in there as long as her, Twilight. Maybe the time vortex didn't affect him as much?" Cadence asked. Twilight let a purple light scan Jack, before she shook her head with fear on her face.

"I'm afraid that even though it was short for us, Jack was still in there for the same hundred years Flurry was," Twilight revealed. She then walked over to AJ and placed a wing on her shoulder." Applejack, I'm so sorry. But maybe we can find a way to reverse the aging or-"

"Aging? What are ya talking about," AJ asked as she looked up at Twilight. "Jack's fine. He's just tired and needed a moment to rest."

Twilight looked at her friend with shock before she looked around her at Jack, who was still being cradled in Applejack's arms. Aside from the exhaustion that was on his face, Jack didn't look any older than when he had gone in. In fact, for the first time Twilight noticed that Jack didn't look a day older than the day they had met...more than twenty years ago.

"There is no need to worry, Twilight. I am fine," Jack said to Twilight.

"No you two, there is something wrong with Jack," Twilight whispered. "And I think I've finally figured out what it is."
> Youth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack paced through the corridor of Twilight's castle, trying to keep herself calm. For nearly a day Jack had been inside with Twilight, having all sorts of experiments done to him. Applejack didn't know what the tests were for. Twilight hadn't said anything. But she didn't need to. AJ had seen the look on Twilight's face back at the Crystal Empire. Worry, fear, but most of all, intrigue. Never a good sign with the princess. Applejack knew her too well.

It was going to be fine, she told herself. Jack was going to be fine. He hadn't survived all those battles with Aku, traveling across reality and surviving their daughters cooking just to be taken out here. He would be alright. He had to be. If not for his own sake, but for hers.

The sound of a door opening snapped AJ out of her thoughts. She turned her head to see Twilight and Jack walking towards them. She sighed in relief before running over to her husband, pressing her head against his neck before turning to look at Twilight. "So what's the news, doc? Is he gonna make it?" she joked.

Twilight's look told AJ this was not a laughing matter.

"Applejack, I'm not sure how to say this, but...Jack is perfectly fine. He's as healthy as he was twenty five years ago," Twilight said.

"Then what do ya look so morbid for? He's fine and that means..." AJ began, but Twilight held up a hoof to silence her friend.

"No Applejack, I mean he is EXACTLY as healthy as he was twenty five years ago. Because he's the same pony he was twenty five years ago. Physically at least," Twilight explained. "As in, he hasn't aged a day since the day you met him."

"What in tarnation are ya talking about? Yeah, Jack may look youthful, but that doesn't mean," Applejack began, turning to look at Jack. She looked into his face, certain that she would see some wrinkle or a little gray in his mane. But the closer she looked the more she started to realize the truth. There were no wrinkles. Not a speck of gray despite him being well into his forties. And just as Twilight had said, Jack looked identically to the day she met him...a day she would never forget.

"B-but that can't be...it has to be some sort of trick or..." AJ began. Jack raised a hoof and brushed it against her mane, before resting his hoof on the side of her face. Some strands of her own mane fell down in front of her face, allowing her to notice a few silver strands in her own mane. 

"It is no trick, my beloved. I have not aged a day," Jack whispered softly. AJ moved closer and pressed herself against Jack, feeling him place a hoof on her back to pull her in tight.

"I've run all sorts of time tests on him. Running his body forward and backwards through time, temporal anomalies. Literally aging him up with spells---none of it works. Aside from growing a beard, his body didn't show any signs of change whatsoever," Twilight said. "It's like he's literally removed from time...like an alicorn."

"Do ya know how this might have happened?" AJ asked.

"There are a number of things that could have happened, but none of them could be from Equestria. If there were, my magic would have detected it," Twilight said. "There is only one other way this could have happened. Aku."

"He did this? Is it a curse? Some kind of prank? A last screw you to Jack?" AJ asked. "No, he hated Jack. What purpose would he gain from making him...well...immortal?"

"Not immortal. Time immune. There is a difference," Twilight said. "Jack can still be killed...I think...but he...he will...he will live pretty much forever so long as nopony kills him. I'm sorry."

"Why are ya acting so sad. That just means mah husband will be around long after me to look after are family," AJ replied, trying to brush it off. "That's a good thing. It means that-that ah won't ever have to worry about selling the farm. Or that Applebloom will have him to look after her. And also that...that..."

She stopped talking as Jack tightened his hug. Applejack couldn't decide how to feel about what she had learned. On one hoof, Jack would live forever. No pony was skilled enough to kill him and that was the only way he could die. He would always be around to protect their family, Equestria...but on the other, he would outlive her. She would die and Jack would live on. What would that do to him?

"I'll...give you two some alone time so you can talk about this," Twilight said, before leaving the hallway.

"Well that's one way to start a day. Still not as bad as the time we found out Sakura had inherited mah rainbow power," AJ said with a small laugh.

"I am so sorry my dear," Jack whispered.

"Oh will ya stop acting so sad fer me. Ah'm not dying, ah'm just getting old! That's not the same as dying!" AJ replied.

"That...is almost exactly what getting old is."

"Don't you use yer logic here, Jack, it won't work on me. This is not something we should be upset about. Yer essinetially an alicorn now. Yer gonna live a really long time, always being there to keep ponies safe," AJ replied. "So what if ah'll die before ya. Not like it's the worst thing in the world. Our daughter will never have to feel the pain of losing you. Or our grandfoals. Or any of our family. You'll always be there fer them. And who knows, one day ya might meet another mare that ya fall-"

"Never."

AJ snapped her head upwards to look at Jack, who was gazing down on her with a look that was a perfect mix of fury and love. "There will never be another that I will love as I have you. You, who saved me in so many ways, will for now and always be the only one for me! My only beloved."

"Uh...okay."

"I am sorry for my outburst," Jack whispered. He hung his head for a moment before looking Applejack in the eyes once more. But this time when she looked into his eyes, she saw the eyes of a pony who had lived for a long time. It was only thee second time she had seen this from him. "But you are my family. You are everything to me. If not for you, I would either be continuing my pointless pursuit into the past or dead at the hands of Aku. You gave me so much. A home, a family...happiness and then just imply that I will find another after you are gone. I will not...I cannot."

Jack pulled her tight again once more, his body shaking slightly. He was trying to stay strong. For her. But she knew him too well for that. He was scared. Not scared of the immortality or the years he would have to face. He was scared of losing her. Scared of having to live on without her. Applejack wished she could say something to comfort him, like how they would always be together or that they would find a way to overcome this. Maybe she could become an alicorn or find a spell that would keep her alive longer.

But she couldn't speak the words. AJ knew there was nothing she could say. Her time would come. It was the nature of the world. Even Alicorns and gods passed on eventually. Her grandfather had passed, her parents had passed and she too would pass. Even Jack, eventually. She didn't know how long it would take, but his time too would come. She just wished she could be there for him when it did.

So instead of saying anything, she simply returned his hug, drinking his in embrace, his warmth and his love. AJ knew she had many years left in her. But eventually her time would come. She couldn't add more years to her life. So she decided she would make sure the remaining ones were filled with as much love, laughs and good memories that she could fit. 

And although she didn't say it aloud, a smile spread across her face at Jack's promise for her to be his only one. He was too good for her.
> Old
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, dipping down below the mountains at the command of Twilight. It has been a long time since Twilight had taken over Celestia and Luna's position, gaining complete control over the sun and the moon in the process. A lot had changed in the past fifty years. Except for him. Jack had yet to age at all. Still the same twenty some year old man...stallion...that he had been when he was first sent to the future.

The same could not be said for the mare that sat next to him. Applejack, his wife, sat beside him, her head rested against his shoulder. Her silver colored mane was in a braid that went halfway down her back, similar to what Granny Smith had worn when she was young. The smile on her face caused her wrinkles to show, wrinkles which covered her entire face. Her muscular body was now frail and thin, with her barely able to climb the stairs without his help. She still tried. She had grown old. And Jack didn't care. To him, she was just as beautiful as the day they had met. A look into her eyes showed thee same emerald fire that she had held in them all her life. 

"Yah think that after seventy five years of looking at those mountains that ah would get tired of watching the sun set behind them. You'd be wrong," Applejack said. Her voice was soft, but not weak. Jack had never once heard her sound weak, even in her old age. "They're just as beautiful as the first time ah laid eyes on them."

"You would think that after fifty years I would be able to look at you without having my breath being taken away. But you are still just as beautiful as the day we met," Jack whispered to her.

"Still flirting like that in your old age? Haven't you grown out of yer sappy compliments yet?" Applejack asked, but she still leaned in closer to Jack.

"I am simply speaking the truth. You are beautiful."

"Ha. Mah beauty left me and went into mah daughter and granddaughter years ago. Glad ah was able to pass something on to them because that black mane of yers will not go away. Ah swear it's going to be our family mane for generations to come," AJ said with a chuckle. "Still can't believe our daughter married a plumber. Ah'm happy fer her, but ah never would have seen it coming."

"Would past you ever believe that you would end up marrying a samurai from another world?" Jack asked.

"Ha. Yah got me there. Ah guess ah wouldn't," she said. "And you've given me a wonderful life. An amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, three grandfoals to call mah own...ah know that you were brought her because of tragedy and suffering, but ah'm glad ya came to our world...ah'm glad ah met you. Ya helped give me a life that ah never would of thought ah would have."

"As you have given me a life that I never would have dreamed of ever having. My only regret is that I could not spend more of it with you," Jack whispered. "I could have spent my entire eternity on this farm with you."

"Yeah...ah'm still sad that we have to sell the old farm, though. But it's fer the best. None of Applebloom's foals or grandfoals want to take it over and there's no way our daughter is going to take the farm...this is fer the best," she repeated. "Ah like the family that's buying it, though. Seem like a nice bunch. Hope they treat this place as well as it treated us."

"I'm sure they will."

"They'd better. Or I'll send mah immortal samurai down here and have him whip all their flanks. Heh heh," AJ said, before she let out a tired sigh. "Always thought our family would live her forever. Mah entire line. But life doesn't work like that. So many surprises and changes, but ah always thought no matter what our family would live here."

"Life is full of surprises. My entire story is proof of that."

"Yup. So many surprises...ah guess another one is me living the longest out of mah friends, aside from Twilight of course," AJ said. "Always thought that ah would work mahself to death first before any of them, but here ah am. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Fluttershy...all gone...ah miss them. Ah miss hanging out with them, the talks, the friendship lessons: ah even miss the life threatening danger and saving the world together."

"I miss them too. They were good friends, but more importantly, they made you happy. You were...not yourself for a long time after they passed."

"Hmm, perhaps ah was never mahself again. If there's one  thing ah've learned in this life, it's that everything changes. Me, the world...even you. Yer not the same loner samurai that ya were all those years ago...Did ya hear that Sakura passed your blade down to her daughter now? What was her name again?"

"White Lotus."

"That's right...little Lotus. She was always so energetic that ah couldn't keep up with her. Heh, ah always did warn Sakura that her foals would one day run her ragged like she did to me...guess she should have taken mah warnings a little more seriously," Applejack said with a laugh. "When was the last time they visited us again?"

"A few months ago. Sakura brought her whole family here to visit and so that I could test White Lotus' skill in battle. She was even stronger than her mother, though her technique left a little to be desired. You were even the ones to point on the flaws in her stance."

"Ah yes, ah did do that. How could ah forget that?" AJ asked. Her eyes then set on the horizon again and a smile crossed her face. "Yah think that after seventy five years of looking at that mountain that ah would get tired of watching the sun set behind them. You'd be wrong. They're just as beautiful as the first time ah laid eyes on them."

"Indeed they are. Just like you," Jack said softly. "Come, it is getting late and you should be getting to bed. We do not want you getting too tired, do we?"

"Tired? Ah'm an ambassador of harmony and one of the guardians of Equestria who can still take ya in a fight, even if yeer still yer young, handsome self," Applejack replied.

"I know you could. I would never doubt your strength."

And ya shouldn't. Yer like little...little..."

"Lotus."

"That's right, little Lotus, who thought just because her grandmare was old that ah couldn't keep up with her. Wasn't she surprised when ah beat her in that race."

"Yes. When you beat her, not when you tripped and nearly fell into a river."

"That's right...yeah, ah think it's time ah get to bed. Ah feel tired...ah think ah need to sleep."

"That is a good idea."

"Of course it is. Ah had it."

Applejack stood up and started to head towards the house. Jack walked up to try to support her, but she shook her head and forced herself forward. Jack knew she was struggling, but he also didn't want to make her angry. She got a lot angrier lately. If he had to guess, he would guess that she was mad at her body's failing her. At her old age. But he would never say that.

As Applejack entered into their home, Jack turned and looked back at the mountains, watching as the sun finally dipped down behind them and cast the land in darkness. The air instantly began to get colder, to the point that even Jack shivered slightly. With one last look at the place he had called home for so long, he turned and followed his wife inside.
> Rain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rain poured down from the heavens, blocking out the sun and covering the land in darkness. The only reprieve from the darkness was when lightning cracked across the sky, quickly followed by the booming roar of thunder. No sane pony would be out on a day like today, but alas, one single pony subjected himself to the torrential downpour. And it was debatable if that pony was sane anymore. Jack, the samurai, sat alone in the rain. Alone for the first time in a long time. And he sat alone on a hilltop, next to a single tombstone.

‘Here lies Applejack. Mother. Friend. Champion.’

It had been a week since her funeral. A nice funeral, if Jack was forced to say something positive. Here entire family had been there. What friends she had left, like Twilight and Cadence were there. They had spoken well for her. Twilight had told many stories about them battling the forces of evil together. Sakura had told a few funny stories that had gotten the crowd to laugh. And even Discord had shown up, turning the day sky to night and rearranging the stars so that her cutie mark joined her four friends in the heavens. The had all honored her.

All except for Jack, who had stayed in the back, near the shadows. Unable to talk to those who were there. Unable to truly accept the fact that she was gone. His daughter had hunted him down despite his trying to avoid her, but she didn’t drag him to the funeral. She had simply sat with him, trying to comfort him as best she could. It had been to no avail. A part of Jack died with Applejack. And no comfort in the world could heal him from that.

So now the samurai sat alone, alone at his wife’s grave, gazing down at it while the elements did their best to match how he felt. The pounding rain and booming thunder was but a fraction of his pain. They could not kill him. Age, time, sickness: all of it was useless against him. The only way he could ever join is wife was to fall in battle. To be slain.

If he wanted to, Jack could be with her by the end of the day. There were plenty of warriors in this world and he was certain one of them would have no qualms about killing him. Yet even as that thought crossed his mind, he could hear Applejack’s voice yelling at him for being a fool and wasting a gift he had been given. That he should be spending his immortal years with his family or making the world better. 

“You always were skilled at staying on task and putting others before yourself,” Jack whispered to the grave. His voice was swept up in the storm, but he knew it mattered not. Applejack always knew what Jack was trying to say even if he couldn’t say it aloud. “You would tell me to keep going. To put my skills to use for others. You always were so much stronger than me.”

Water ran down his face, but whether it was from his tears or from the rain he could no longer discern. He was numb to the elements, he was numb to time and now even his heart felt numb. For a brief moment he truly believed that he would just fade away from the nothingness.

Then his ears picked up on a sound. Even after all of the years of peace, his skills never left and he could pick out the sound of wingbeats over the rain. Somepony was coming. He knew not who, but he found it hard to care. He heard them land behind him, hesitate for a moment before they walked over to him.

“Jack? How long have you been out here?”

“A long time, Twilight. A very long time,” Jack responded 

“You’re telling me. The last time I saw you, you were in that very same spot. Jack…don’t tell me you haven’t moved in nearly a week.”

“Very well. I shall not tell you that.”

“Dear Faust, Jack. You could starve to death. Or die of a cold! It’s been raining nonstop for days!”

“Has it? I have not noticed,” Jack replied. “Also, you had starvation and exposure to the elements to the list of things that cannot kill me.”

“Actually, you can go longer than a week without eating before you die. It’s lack of water that kills you the quickest.”

“Hmm, always providing knowledge even in the darkest of times. Some things never change,” Jack said, before finally turning to look at the mare. “It has been weeks since I ate, slept or drank anything. I have been out in this rainstorm for days and yet I am fine. None of them have succeeded in killing me.”

“Jack…”

“Why are you here, Twilight? You are a busy princess and you would not come here unless you needed something of me?”

“That’s not true. I would come here to visit my friends grave or to see how you were doing.”

“…yes, yes you are right. You would do those things. But I suspect that neither of those is the reason you came to this place. You need to ask something from me."

“You are right. There is a reason I came to you,” Twilight replied. “There have been reports of shadow creatures in the land, creatures that, according to ancient text, have been around since the dark times. Their return is tied into a legend that will apparently cause the end of the world. I have plenty of ponies looking into it, but they’re not skilled enough. And I’m dealing with problems all over Equestria at the moment…so I need somepony I can trust who’s both skilled and dependable. You’re both of those things, Jack. I need you.”

Jack said nothing in reply.

“I know I can’t force you to do this. And it may be too soon after…Applejack’s passing. But if you do wish to help me, you’ll need this.” A sword landed next to Jack, one that had a black handle and a silver blade. Similar to his old one. A scroll was wrapped around the scabbard and for a moment Jack wondered why it wasn’t wet. Then he looked up and realized that Twilight had cleared out the rain a while ago.

“Everything we know about the shadow beings is in there. Their movements, their numbers and even a few ideas of who might be controlling them,” Twilight continued. “Now, I’m not normally a pony who is in favor of violence, but these shadow beings need to be stopped. And since your past as a samurai and all…”

“That is enough, Twilight. You do not need to say anymore.” Jack slowly rose to his hooves and grabbed the sword, staring at his reflection in the blade. He did not recognize who looked back. “Just point me in the direction of the beings I have to kill.”
> Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack let out an inhuman roar as he swung his blade in a large arc, slicing through multiple shadow beings all at once. Yet it hardly seemed to matter. For the couple that fell, there were a good thousand to take its place. Twilight’s numbers had been off, a rare mistake from her. 

Instead of there being nearly a hundred, like she had told Jack, there were thousands of them, all pouring out of a crack in the ground that spewed evil energy. Jack was outnumbered completely. 

It felt nostalgic for him.

He lashed out with his sword a few more times, driving the dark beings far enough back to give him some breathing room and to study these beings closer. They had no real shape, as they shifted and changed like the shadows they were made from, but they did seem to like being on two legs, with their front appendages used as weapons. Their weapons would not save them.

Jack let out another bellow before he dove back into the dark mass, swinging his blade in every direction to strike down as many of them as he could. They slashed back at him, but by the time they brought their weapons down on him he was already gone. He moved like a blur, his white kimono making him look like a ray of light that was tearing through the darkness.

“Is this all you have?! I demand a challenge!” Jack roared into the darkness.

As if to answer him, the dark mass began to swirl together, merging into a single, colossal warrior. The giant had six arms, all of which held a different weapon within its grasp. A sword, spear, club and plenty of other weapons all pointed towards Jack. His response was to spit at the ground.

The shadow titan roared before driving its spear towards Jack, who leapt out of the way with ease. The sword came next, sweeping down at an angle to crush him. A simple sidestep was all Jack needed to avoid being crushed. The other weapons quickly followed, one after the other, but by the time they struck where Jack had been standing, he was already gone. 

“You fight like a less dangerous Aku. I am insulted,” Jack spat.

The shadow titan roared at the samurai’s arrogance before it brought it spear back, aiming at where Jack was standing. This time the samurai didn’t bother to try to move out of the way. He just waited. The beast let out a roar as it plunged the spear at Jack. At the last second, Jack leapt into the air and watched as the spear drove itself into the ground where he had been standing. He landed on the head of the spear, kicking off of it and racing up the handle towards the shadow beings head.

The shadow titan tried to knock him off with its other arms, but every time it did Jack would just leap onto the next arm and continue his climb. By the time the titan had managed to get its spear free of the ground, Jack was already at its head…with his weapon drawn.

“HHHHYYYYYYAAAAAHHHHH!!”

Jack slashed his blade through the titans head before dragging his blade through its body, cleaving it in two as he fell towards the ground. He landed in a pose as the shadow titans exploded into a rain of shadow creatures, who fell lifelessly around the samurai. Jack slowly rose up as the shadow creatures began to stir, glaring at them with cold eyes.

“Come. We are not finished,” he whispered, pointing his blade at them.

For a moment the shadow creatures stared at Jack, before, all at once, they all turned and raced back altogether towards the tear in the earth that they had sprung from. By the hundreds they dove in, before the chasm let out a roar and closed itself up behind them, leaving the samurai alone and victorious.

“NO! Come back here and face me!” Jack roared, racing over to where the tear had been and driving his blade into the ground. “I demand battle! I demand that you face me as warriors! I…I…”

Jack regained control of himself and pulled his sword from the ground, letting out a sigh as he cleaned the blade before sheathing it. He then looked around the plains just to make sure all of the shadow beings were gone. When he found no trace of them, he turned and started to head back towards the other soldiers Twilight had sent out with him. At least somepony would be happy to hear that the creatures were gone.

====è

Jack had never enjoyed being in Canterlot.

The city was too…regal for his tastes. While he had at one time been a prince who lived in a similar regal city, that time was past and that boy was long dead. Now Jack found no comfort in the large buildings or the number s of ponies that filled the streets with chatter. He longed for the quiet fields, the bubbling lakes in a forest or a farm where the scent of apples filled the air. That was where he felt at peace. This city…bothered him.

Yet even as he stared down from a balcony in the castle upon the city, he forced himself to remember that these were still the ponies he had sworn to protect. That this was the world he was sworn to protect. Just because his love was gone didn’t mean that he should be scornful. Distant, maybe. But not scornful. He was better than that.

The sound of a door opening told him Twilight had arrived, so he waited until the purple alicorn stood beside him before he finally spoke.

“The caribou warriors that were trying to sneak in through the south forest have been repelled. All of them still live, as your ordered,” Jack said.

“Thank you, Jack. Hopefully in time we will be able to convince their council that Equestria wants nothing but peace with their tribe. But until then, we cannot let them run amok in my lands,” Twilight replied.

Twilight had changed much over the years, both physically and mentally. She was now the size of Celestia, no longer the smallish mare that she had once been. Her mane was similar to Luna’s, in that it had the stars in it, but with a more purple shade than blue. She had the same aura as Celestia, kind, but not somepony you wanted to mess with. Yet only Jack could sense the awkwardness she sometimes felt. Twilight had never truly been able to fit the princess mold…just like how he would never be a prince.

She had also grown much as a mare. She was no longer indecisive, unable to act when her plans fell apart. She was also a little tougher, able to make hard calls when the situation demanded it. Yet she had never lost her kindness or her love of learning. It was actually a joke among the guards that they had to be extra careful when the princess went to a new land, for she might run off exploring and get herself in danger. 

Yet Jack took a small bit of comfort in knowing that his friend hadn’t completely changed.

“…did you hear me, Jack?” Twilight asked.

“Sorry, I was thinking. Please, if you would not mind,” Jack said.

“I was saying that you should be happier than you are. You’re great grandcolt, Heavy Metal, just became the new Captain of the Guard,” Twilight repeated, before she glanced around with a smile. “I’m not supposed to tell anypony that. Not even he knows. I’m going to surprise him with it at the ceremony tomorrow.”

“From what I know of him, he is one that gets easily flustered when caught by surprise. I see that the years haven’t rid you of your devious side,” Jack said with a smile.

“Let’s just say that I know see why Celestia like to cause trouble when she could,” Twilight replied, before her smile fell slightly. “You know, he would probably be really happy to see you there. I mean, you are still the most legendary warrior in Equestria and your presence might just make him feel better. And, he’ll be getting his fathers blade at the ceremony as well…your old blade.”

“I am sorry, but there is too much to be done,” Jack replied.

“Okay Jack, if you say so,” Twilight replied. “Jack, when was the last time you visited your family?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Just to know. You kinda lose track of time when you’re an immortal. Some times I’m not sure if weeks have past or years. I need to be reminded now and then.”

“It has been…a few years since I last saw them in pony,” Jack admitted. “I have kept myself busy with work and they lead their own lives now. It is…hard to find time.”

“Hmm…Jack, you probably should go see them soon,” Twilight suggested. “I mean, they’re your family and…Sakura’s getting up there in years. She’s almost the same age as Applejack when she…”

Jack didn’t respond.

“Just take it from me, you want to spend as much time with them as you can. Because once they’re gone…” Twilight didn’t finish her sentence.

“Thank you for the advice, princess. If you may excuse me, there are numerous new recruits that must be trained.” Jack bowed and started to head for the door, but Twilight stopped him by making a coughing sound.

“Jack…can I say something…selfish?” Twilight asked. Jack turned and nodded to her. “I’m…kinda glad that you’re like me. Immune to time. My old friends have all passed, Spike’s off living his own life, Cadence and Flurry rule the Crystal Empire…my parents and brother both having passed on…I’m just glad that I’ve have a friend to rely on all of these years. You’ve helped make the passing of time a little easier.”

“I’m am glad that I have been able to help you, Twilight,” Jack said with a smile. Twilight smiled back before she looked over her kingdom, telling Jack it was time to leave.

Jack started to head for the training ground until he remembered what Twilight had told him. That he should visit his family. That Sakura was almost as old as Applejack had been. About how as an immortal she lost track of time. For a moment Jack wondered if he had done the same.

The samurai then turned and headed for the train station, a new destination in mind. It had been too long since he had last seen his family. So he would pay them a visit. Yet even with everything Jack had gone through, he still couldn’t fight back his nerves at seeing them again after so long…or the fear that was slowly beginning to gnaw at him.
> Visit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A small cottage near the edge of the small town Maresville. That was where Sakura made her home.

As Jack walked down a small pathway towards her home, he tried not to notice how much had changed since he had last been there. There were a lot more cottages around. The river now had a waterwheel attached to it that generated power. And the town was now starting to look more like a city with how many buildings it had. Perhaps it hadn’t been a few years since he had last seen her. Perhaps it had been much longer.

As he reached the door to the cottage, which was a simple brick house with a yellow door, he started to wonder what he could even say to his daughter to explain his absence. That ever since Aku he had trouble getting close to people. That with Applejack’s passing he felt alone in the world? Neither of those would be enough. Sakura knew little about Aku (as Jack had felt it was a chapter best left in the past) and the passing of Applejack had hurt Sakura just as much as it had him, yet she managed to continue living her life.

He decided that apologizing to her would be his best bet. He raised his hoof and knocked it on the door a few times.

“I’m coming! Keep yer shirt on!” an elderly voice called back.

The age of the voice caught Jack off guard. If that was Sakura, she sounded far older than he had been expecting. The sound of a lock being undone caused Jack to stand up straight and a moment later the door swung open, revealing Sakura to Jack.

It was exactly as he feared. Her mane was silver with age and tied back into a bun. Her once strong and muscular body was now old and shriveled, though some of the muscle still remained. She held a cane in one hoof to help her walk, most likely from an old injury, and had a pair of large glasses on to help her see. But worst of all was a metal…something that was attached to her side, flashing with light every now and then.

Then he raised his eyes to meet hers, finding that she was staring at him. For a moment he thought she wouldn’t recognize him, only to remember he hadn’t age. He was as she knew him. Then he wondered if she had perhaps forgotten him. He wouldn’t be surprised or upset if she had.

“Dad?” Sakura finally asked. 

“Hai, my dear Sakura. It is me,” Jack replied.

“Well I mean of course it’s you, you look exactly the same as you did when I was a filly,” Sakura said with a laugh. “Your immortal curse or whatever it is. I’m just surprised to see you here. I mean, it’s been so long that you last visited that I thought you had forgotten about me.”

“How could I do that? You are my sakura blossom. My pride and joy,” Jack said, before slightly hanging his head. “It is just…I lost myself for a while. And now, thanks to a friend, I am trying to get myself back. Please, may I come in?”

“Of course, dad. Come on in.”

Sakura moved to the side and allowed Jack to enter her home. Jack did so and took note of the place while he did. It was emptier than he remembered. No toys strewn about, no old books or tools hanging from every place. In fact, every trace of there having been a foal was gone. How long had it truly been since he last visited?

“I’m kinda surprised to see you,” Sakura said as she sat down in a chair, leaving the couch for Jack. “But I’m happy, too. Especially with how quiet it is now that the foals are gone. Neighborhood has gotten quieter as well. Most folks moved into the city over there. It’s sure a lot different than the last time you visited, that’s fer sure.”

“What about your husband? Is he still around?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, he’s still around. He’s off in Canterlot with our foals watching Heavy Metal become Captain of the Guard. Can’t say I envy the kid. I had that job for a few years and it drove me insane. He’ll need all the luck he can get. I’m surprised you’re not there.”

“I thought about it, but decided I’d rather come visit you. I have plenty of time to meet with Heavy Metal later.”

“Nothing but time, huh? Got to admit, kinda a little upset that I didn’t inherit your immortality. Has to be better than having one of these stuck to you,” Sakura said as she pointed at the metal machine that was attached to her side.

“I am sorry, I’m still not good with machines. That is…?”

“This here is the only thing keeping me alive. Seems our family has a history of organ issues that is genetic. Mom was spare from it, but from what I’ve learned grandma and my great-great grandma were both taken out by it. Really hope I didn’t pass it onto my family as well.”

“I see,” Jack said, biting back his fear. “But the machine keeps you alive, right? So there is no longer any danger?”

“I wish that were the case, but sadly…this is only a preventative measure. Stupid problem is going to win in the end. The question is when, not if,” Sakura said before she shrugged and leaned back in her chair. “Well, that’s life. At least it waited until I was already old to rear its ugly head. I’ve already gotten to live my life and now I get one last battle before I get to go. I’m going to die like a real samurai. Fighting. Just like grandpa and just like mom. Just like you trained me to.”

Jack said nothing in reply. All he could do was stare at the machine that was keeping his daughter alive. Then he slowly moved his gaze up to meet her, noticing that she had started to nod off. And he remembered. He remembered a similar scene all those years ago, with Applejack. The age, the problems: all of it.

But this time it was not his wife. It was somepony who meant even more to him, even if he had failed to show it for years. His daughter. His beloved Sakura. The filly he had raised, trained and sent out into the world…and soon she would be gone. And then her children would follow her. And then eventually Heavy Metal. They would all go. But Jack would remain.

“Dad?” Sakura asked. Jack snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at his daughter, who had woken back up. “Are you feeling alright? You had this…look on your face. A look I’ve never seen before. Is something the matter?”

“No my dear, nothing is the matter,” Jack said with a smile. “I have just remembered that there are some things that must be done. Ponies to see, task to do…and I haven’t much time to do them.”

“What are you talking about? Yer immortal. You’ve got all the time in the world,” Sakura replied with a snort. “But if you really need to get all of this done, then you should go do them. Whatever they are, I’m sure they’re important.”

“They are very important, my dear. But not as important as you,” Jack said softly. “So they can wait a little longer. Now why don’t I tell you some stories. You always loved those.”

========= 

It was when the moon was in the center of the sky did Jack finally leave the cottage, leaving his daughter in the hands of his son in law. A good stallion. He had taken care of her all these years. Jack could leave her in his hooves.

The samurai walked alone as he headed towards the train station, with only the moon above as his companion. As he walked he tried to think about the many tasks he now had to do, everything he had to get done before…before…

Yet his mind kept going back to his daughter, her frailty, how she struggled and fought everyday just to live a little bit longer. It had taken every last ounce of his will not to break down and cry in front of her. He could barely stand to see her like that. He couldn’t begin to fathom what it would do to him when she finally passed.

Which is why he had decided to finally do these tasks. Tasks he had decided upon long ago, before he discovered he was timeless. His final tasks. It was time. He knew it had to be. For if he waited any longer, he would no longer have the will to do them. His friends and family may not understand why they had to be done, but Jack did. And he hoped they could forgive him. If his destiny was to suffer an eternity of watching those he loved die…then he would change destiny. He had done it before.

Yet as he made up his mind, he thought he heard a sound. A sound that couldn’t be real, yet he heard all the same. A sound that he hadn’t heard or thought he had heard in well over a hundred years.

The sound of a mocking laugh.
> Tasks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And so I’ve found that using aerial bombardment followed by corralling them into a canyon or a ravine is the best way to deal with swamp pythons,” Jack said. Heavy Metal nodded and finished taking down notes, before looking at his great grandfather. 

“It is incredible all the creatures you have had to battle over the years. I’ve already have two books worth of material and yet you still have more stories to tell,” Heavy Metal said, before waving his notebook. “But with all of this information I can now defend Equestria and Princess Twilight far better than before. With your permission, I would love to share this information with all of the guards.”

“By all means. This information is meant to be shared. It will help to ensure that you will be able to defend Equestria, with or without me. I want to make sure you will be ready.”

“Jack, what are you saying? Your talking like you’re going to die soon,” Heavy Metal said. “And since you can’t die to age, illness or poison, that would mean you…”

“Calm yourself, I am not planning on taking my own life. Nor do I plan on falling in combat. I…may be going away for a while. For how long, I do not know. But there are many things I left unfinished and friends I have not seen in a long time. I wish to complete these tasks and meet with them…” Jack replied.

“Alright, I trust you Jack. After all you’ve done for our family and Equestria, I guess you’ve earned a little time off. And I am honored that you would trust me to defend our home in your absences. I have to admit, it was a little hard being in your shadow for most of my life.”

“I am sorry if you ever felt you needed to compare to me. You are a fine soldier and an even greater stallion. Do not compare yourself to me. Carve your own destiny, just as I did,” Jack said. Heavy Metal nodded and the two resumed gazing out over Equestria from a balcony in Canterlot. They looked on in silence for a while, before Heavy Metal cleared his throat.

“And great-grandfather…if you would not mind…would you mind telling me more about your home and my great grandmare? I…would like to hear more about them both.”

“Of course. Now what story to tell. Ah, how about the time I was turned into a rooster?”

========

With one last blast of violet magic, Twilight’s work was complete. She raised her goggles and looked down upon the sword she had been working on, smiling with satisfaction. She then waved over Jack and motioned for him to look at the new sword, which he did so with interest. 

It was in the same shape as a katana, but this sword had a violet colored blade and a white hilt and guard, reflecting its nature of having being crafted by an alicorn. Jack grabbed hold of the sword and lifted it, able to feel it’s magical and divine might running through. Once again, Twilight had pulled off a miracle for something he had asked.

“Everything about that blade should mirror the one you used to wield, from the weight and length to the grip and edge. It is almost a perfect copy, expect this one should have far more power as I’ve added my own magic on top of Celestia, Luna and the new Elements of Harmony,” Twilight explained. “They were all ecstatic to be able to help make you a new sword.”

“I see. Let them know how grateful I am for their aid in making this blade,” Jack replied. He gave the sword a few test swings, before nodding with satisfaction. He sheathed the sword and then bowed to Twilight. “Thank you again for doing this. It will make the upcoming tasks much easier.”

“Jack, what are these tasks, if you don’t mind me asking?” Twilight inquired.

“They are nothing to concern yourself over. They are simply tasks that I never thought I would ever be able to do, but now, as an immortal who is alone, I find I have all the time in the world to do them. Might as well get started,” Jack replied.

“Okay, if you say so…Jack, I just want to let you know that you’re not alone, even if you think you are. You’ve got me, Spike, the former princesses, your family…plenty of other ponies who all care about you. So what if you’re a hundred and fifty? You’re still one of Equestria’s greatest heroes and one of my closest friends.”

“Thank you, Twilight. It means much to hear you say that,” Jack whispered with a smile. “But do not worry. We will meet again. It is only a matter of when.”


===========


“…And then the tower collapsed in upon itself and formed into some kinda black hole, sucking in everything around it fer miles like mah mother at a haggis eating contest! And just like that contest, there were no survivors! Had ah not jumped in and destroyed the orb with mah sword, the whole world might have been devoured…just like me poor pa.”

“Wow, that is quite a tale,” Jack said, looking over at the ghostly form of the Scotsman, who was looking down from his castle balcony over the land. “And so you perished in the blast? Well, take comfort in knowing that your last act was one of heroism.”

“Perished in the blast?! HA! Glad to see that ya haven’t lost yer sense of humor over these past hundred years!” the great Scotsman laughed. “Please, if ya think something as petite as a cosmic rending event would be enough to keep me down, yer dafter than Aku was! Ah walked out of that explosion with mah pride and most of mah body intact. Ah did lose the other leg, so ah put a shotgun there instead!”

“I see. Then how did you pass away?”

“Expired haggis! Apparently one of me great grandbabies forgot to put it in the icebox the night before and left it sitting out. Ah was the first one to find it and when ah took a bite, it killed me dead! Let me tell you, it’s quite a shock to wake up and die! Ah, but ah can’t be mad at the wee lad. Ah remember ah killed me grandpappy by putting poison in his drink instead of his grog and ah killed him dead on the spot! No great loss, he was well into his nineties, but still, that was an embarrassing day.”

“Death comes in all sorts of forms, I suppose. But how does your spirit stay in this realm? Why does it not move on into the next?”

“ANCIENT RUNES!”

“Of course. Well, aside from your untimely demise, I am glad to see you again, old friend,” Jack said as he clasped his hands together. Hands. How long had it been since he last seen his hands? Or any of his human body. It had taken him days to get accustom to it again. But he remembered quickly. Or perhaps he had never forgotten.

“What’s the matter? The immortal life not being kind to ya? Ya don’t like living forever, able to watch as your enemies grow old and die, cursing yer name because they know that ya won’t be following them? You need more enemies then! There is no greater sound then hearing them curse ya with their dying breath! Ah swear it added a few extra years to mah…ghostly life!”

“Perhaps. I simply…miss my wife, is all.”

“Ah. Ah feel ya there. Ah remember how heartbroken ah was when me own bonny lass passed into that great beyond! To know ah’ll never feel her bone crushing hugs or hear her majestic voice that killed every cat in a five mile radius dead…it makes me want to off mahself just so ah can be with her again. Except ah’m already dead, so ah don’t know how that would work.”

“I understand. Far more than you realize.”

“But at least ah can take comfort in knowing that she died happy, going out as she would want. Screaming, bloody, and fighting everything in her sight! Ya should have seen the battle! She took on an entire invading alien army all by her wee self! Everyone thought just because my wife was so dainty and sweet that she was no threat, but when she leapt into the atmosphere to tear down that battle cruiser, they all learned that ya don’t mess with the dainty ones! Ah fell in love with her all over again after watching that.”

“That does sound like something she we do.”

“Aye. Perhaps one day ah’ll move on and be with her again, but there’s still a bit more to be done down here. All mah daughters are gone and living their own lives, but ah’ve still got the daughters of Aku to look after. Turns out due to the magic used to make them they age incredibly slowly! Some of them barely look any older than when ah first found them! Aku really wanted ya dead!”

“He is…was a persistent one. I will allow him that,” Jack replied.

“Excuse me. Samurai Jack?”

Both Jack and the Scotsman turned to see they were no longer alone. A young lady was standing on the balcony with them. She wore similar clothes to the rest of the Scotsmans daughters, plaid kilt with a white shirt and numerous swords and guns on her, but her face and hair were different. The hair especially drew Jack’s eyes, as it was black and went up straight on the back of her head. He felt like he should know her, though he wasn’t sure why.

“Yes? Can I help you?”

“If it’s not too much to ask, I was wondering if I could…spar with you,” she asked. “I mean, I don’t want to kill you or anything like that, but after being raised all of my life to be able to counter you in every way, and then add dad’s less than traditional teachings on top of that, I want to see just how good I am. If you would not mind.”

“Of course he wouldn’t! Jack here is the greatest fighter that this world has ever seen, second only to me! You should have seen the time he took down an evil wizard who had enslaved a continent using nothing but a rope and several glass jars! It was a sight to behold!”

“Yes, I will spar with you,” Jack agreed. He and the lady stood across from each other, each taking up a fighting stance. Jack smirked, as he was able to tell simply from her stance that she would be trouble. “Before we begin, may I trouble you for your name?”

“Oh, of course, Samurai Jack,” she said with a smile. “I am Ashi.”


==========


Applejack’s grave. How long had it been since he had last been here?

Despite a great deal of time having passed, Jack was happy to find that her tombstone and grave was still as clean and well managed as he had remembered it. One of his family? Or maybe Twilight? It mattered not.

“Hello, my beloved,” he said softly as he approached the grave, placing a bouquet of flowers on it. “I am so sorry that it has been so long since I came to visit. There are many things that need to be done and even an immortal doesn’t have as much time to do everything as he would like.”

The grave said nothing in reply.

“I know, I am making excuses. And I know what you would say. If you have time to make excuses, you have time to get the work done. And you are right. But the work is almost done. I’ve helped Heavy Metal be the greatest of guards, I’ve dispelled what little darkness remains in Equestria. I’ve helped the new Elements learn their greatest power. I checked on our old farm to see that it is bigger and better than ever…I’ve met and talked with all of my friends. I have gotten a lot done.”

A small breeze blew the scent of apples through the air.

“And now there is only one last task to complete. One last promise to fulfill before I can finally rest. But this will be the toughest one yet. Which is why I saved it for last. And why I came by to visit you first. To hope that you can understand my decision. Because once this task is done…”

“I will be with you once more.”
> Rematch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was a hard being to track down.

Jack grunted as he pulled himself higher up the mountain side, trying to ignore the biting wind and the piercing cold. Neither of which could kill him, but they annoyed him all the same. He glanced down to see that he was so far above the clouds that they looked like balls of fluff from where he was. He had to be close.

For a moment he pondered if a fall from this height would kill him. Nothing else was able to, aside from combat, but even Aku’s curse wouldn’t be able to save him from a fall like that. Jack then shook his head with a smirk. Knowing his luck, the fall would decimate his body and leave him in a cast for the rest of his immortal life, preventing him from ever finding an opponent that was able to best him.

Which is what had brought him here. To this mountain top far beyond the borders of Equestria. He had been traveling for weeks across the world, trying to track down this mountain. Trying to track down that who lived upon it. For it was home to one of the greatest warriors in the land…and a being that Jack owed a promise to.

The summit was in sight, forcing Jack to redouble his efforts climbing. He pulled himself up with a renewed speed, leaping from hold to hold now that his goal was in sight. With one last heave, he leapt onto the mountain summit. Needing to regain his breath, he took a moment to observe his surroundings.

The summit was far larger than he had been expecting, nearly the size of one of the ponies hoofball fields. The land was flat and covered in permafrost, yet the air was somewhat warm due to being so close to the sun. No clouds moved overhead, as even they couldn’t make it up this far. But it was who lay in the center of the field that drew Jack’s eyes. The being he had come here to see.

For sleeping atop the summit was a massive, golden brown dragon. A dragon who Jack had battled a long time ago. Tundrous. The dragon of the earth. The dragon that Applejack had to save him from. Lifetimes ago.

“Tundrous,” Jack said. The dragon did nothing in response. He hadn’t heard. “TUNDROUS! I CHALLENGE YOU!”

This time Tundrous answered and his answer was him beginning to laugh, before he slowly lifted his massive head to look at who had spoken. “A challenge to me? Ha! You climb all the way to the tallest mountain in the world just to challenge me. Whoever you are, I haven’t met somepony as crazy as you since…”

Then Tundrous laid eyes on Jack and the laughter stop, but the smile remained. “…since a crazy pony by the name of Jack decided to challenge me all those years ago. Greetings, Samurai. It has been a long time.”

“Indeed it has, Tundrous. Lifetimes,” Jack agreed.

“I see that you are alone this time. No annoying princesses and no orange mare to save your life. With how she looked at you I’m surprised that she would let you go anywhere without her at your side.”

“She…has passed on. Nearly twenty-five years ago,” Jack whispered.

“Twenty-five years? Has it really been that long since I saw you last?” Tundrous asked with some confusion. “Yet you look exactly the same as the last time we fought. Surely at best it could not be more than a year or two?”

“It has been over seventy years since we last fought. It seems that neither of us are affected by the rivers of time,” Jack said with a bitter smile. Tundrous narrowed his eyes at Jack before he nodded with a frown.

“Yes, I see it now. There is something off about you, in a way that makes time avoid you at all cost. A curse, maybe? Or just the effects of being removed from your own time like you were. I cannot say. But I assume that this curse is what has brought you here to me.”

“Yes. If it is possible…can you remove this immortality from me? Make it so I age again?” Jack asked. “I know that you only grant wishes to those who defeat you…and I am ready to take that challenge.”

“First, you cannot beat me. Second…no, I cannot remove this from you,” Tundrous said with a shake of his head. “Sending you across worlds or through time is doable. Incredible difficult, but doable. But even sending you back to your own past would no undo this. If I had to guess I would say that there is only one way to undo this curse…and from your face, you already know what it is.”

“Yes…I believe I do,” Jack replied, before drawing forth his blade and taking up a fighting stance.

“Hmm, that is a new blade you have there. Not as strong as the old one, but far more magical in nature…Jack, you cannot best me. You must know this,” Tundrous said with a shake of his head. “If you had your old sword, there would be a chance. But I am immune to the ponies magic. And that blade is barely sharp enough to scratch my scales. You have no hope of victory.”

“Perhaps. But I also made you a promise. A promise that so long as I drew breath I would never give up. And it may have taken lifetimes for our match to resume, but my honor demands that I face you once more. And this time, I will best you.”

“…what would drive you to this, Samurai?” Tundrous asked him. “You have had plenty of time to come and face me, but you choose now. What had brought you to me?”

“…I will have to bury my daughter. And then one day, her son. And then his son. I will have to watch all of my family die,” Jack replied in a whisper. “I will be forced to live and watch as everything I love is taken from me by the hands of time. Yet I will live. I…I cannot carry that burden. I am not strong enough. But Applejack would not forgive me if I just allowed myself to die. So I am going to keep a promise. I am going to battle you. Win or lose. To the death.”

Tundrous didn’t say anything for a moment. He simply stared off at the horizon, not answering the samurai. Then he rose to his full height, stretching out his wings before he let loose a roar so powerful that the very mountain shook beneath him. And slowly, he turned to face Jack.

“Very well, Samurai. To the death.”

Tundrous was on him in an instant. A bellow filled with fire erupted from the dragon as he slashed down with his claws, tearing apart the spot where Jack had been standing. The rock was torn from the mountain face and cast down below, yet the samurai was not there. Tundrous looked up to see Jack above him, coming down with his blade aimed at the dragon’s eye. 

Tundrous swatted at Jack with his claw and sent the samurai reeling through the frost. Jack was on his hooves a moment later, just in time to see Tundrous tail whipping towards him. Jack leapt just above the tail before slashing down with his blade, nicking the dragon. Yet aside from a small grunt, Tundrous didn’t seem to be affected by the strike.

“You’ve gotten faster,” Jack said to the dragon.

“You assume that just because I am this strong that I do not train? Even after a thousand years of living, I still train daily,” Tundrous said, before a smile crossed his face. “Just in case the day comes where somepony like you challenges me.”

Tundrous made a fist and hurled it at Jack, who leapt to the side to avoid being hit. Yet in doing so, he fell right into Tundrous trap. As Jack was in the air, Tundrous tail returned and smacked the samurai sideways. Jack snarled in pain as he was sent tumbling through the frost. He landed hard on his back and looked up in time to see Tundrous fist coming down at him. He needed to dodge.

But should he? Jack could dodge it in time, there was no question about that. Yet if he was killed here, then he would have kept his promise to Tundrous and would finally be with Applejack again. He would have died a warrior’s death. That moment of hesitation cost him the time he needed to dodge. So Jack closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, waiting for the blow that never came. When he opened his eyes again, he found Tundrous staring at him with arms crossed.

“None of that, samurai. I will not kill an opponent who seeks only death. If you wish to fall at my claws, then you must be willing to strike me down as well,” Tundrous said to Jack, who was back on his hooves. The samurai nodded to show that he understood. Tundrous spread his wings and lowered his arms, preparing his next attack. Jack took up his own stance, closing his eyes for a moment to center him.

Tundrous let out a bellow and lunged towards Jack just as Jack snapped his eyes opened and leapt at Tundrous with a scream. And the battle resumed.
> Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The warmth felt good on Jack’s skin.

The samurai opened his eyes, seeing a blue sky above him and a bright sun shining down. He was lay in a small pool of water, yet the water felt warm and comforting, as if its touch soothed his muscles. The air was a perfect temperature and pink petals swirled around, dancing on the breeze. He felt like he could lay there forever, drinking in the tranquility.

Jack.

 

At the sound of his name, Jack sat up and stretched his body before looking down at his hands. Hands. He had hands again. But he was a stallion. How in the world did he…?

Jack tried to remember what had happened. Faintly, he could recall a battle against a powerful foe. He recalled roars strong enough to shake the land and blows that created lightning when they collided. Then he recalled being on the edge of victory…only for his foe to reveal one last trick they had been saving. And then there was nothing but a feeling of peace.

Jack.

 

Jack stood up and walked out of the pool he had been laying in, surprised to see his kimono was dry. Someone was calling to him. Someone familiar. The samurai began to walk, surprised to see a path appearing before him with blossoming peach trees on either side of him. The more he looked around the more the world seemed to form around him, filling in with what he longed to see most. Peach and apple trees, lanterns that he had not seen since he was a child and the sound of stringed instruments filling the air. It almost felt like home.

Finally, the samurai’s path came to an end, opening into a clearing that rested atop a small hill. And on the top of that hill two figures sat upon a blanket, enjoying a nice picnic together. Two figures that Jack had thought he was never seen again.

“Father. Mother,” Jack whispered. The shogun and his wife looked up from their picnic, their eyes going wide when they saw who stood there.

“Son,” they both whispered. Then the two of them were on their feet and ran to Jack, both of them hugging him at the same time. Jack returned the hug, pulling them in close. Numerous different emotions welled up within him. The desire to cry, to laugh, to fall over or to simple smile. He decided on the last one.

“It has been so long. I truly thought that I would never see either of you again,” Jack whispered. The family broke apart from the hug and Jack looked upon his parent’s face, noticing they were exactly the same as he remembered them. Proud, strong and filled with life. Then he locked eyes on his father. “Father, I am so sorry. Had I not fallen for Aku’s treachery, you would not have had to suffer as you did. I am a failure of a son.” 

“No my son, you are the one who freed the world of Aku’s evil once and for all. If anything, I must apologize to you. Had I ensured the monster’s destruction when I first fought him, our nation would never have fallen and you would not have been stripped of your life. I am a failure as a father,” the shogun said with a bow.

“Oh will you two cut it out. This should be a celebration, not who’s guiltier than who,” Jack’s mother said with a small glare. Both samurai glanced at each other before smiles broke out on their faces, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her.

“But know that I am proud of you, my son. You did what I failed to do. You destroyed Aku,” the shogun finished, pulling Jack into another hug. “You are truly the greatest son that I do not deserve. Thank you, my son. Thank you for bringing peace to our world.”

“You are welcome, father. I am happy that I have made you proud,” Jack replied, before turning towards his mother.

“I am proud of you as well, my son. Not just for you sacrificed, but what you refused to give up as well. Your kindness, you compassion and yourself. Even after all you have gone through, from being trapped in AKu’s future to your battles in Equestria, you never sacrificed yourself. You have made your mother proud.”

“Thank you, mother,” Jack replied with a smile and a bow, before he looked at his mother with some confusion. “But how do you know of Equestria? Or that Aku was defeated? Have you been watching me from the afterlife?”

“Well, yes, but we’ve actually been talking with someone for a while now and they just have the most wonderful stories to tell about you,” Jack’s mother said with a sly smile. “And they have been waiting here with us for a while now. You chose well, my son. She is a perfect match for you.”

Then Jack’s mother stepped to the side and revealed a figure leaning up against one of the trees, causing Jack’s eyes to go wide when he saw her. It was a person who wore an orange, checkered shirt, as well as jeans, cowboy boots and a hat to finish the look. But all of those details Jack noticed later. For it was her eyes that he was drawn to. A pair of emerald eyes that were filled with confidence, love and strength. A pair of eyes that only belonged to a single soul.

“Applejack?” he whispered. AJ smiled at Jack before she walked over to him. He reached out and gently touched her face, tears welling up in his eyes when he found she was actually there. “Is it truly you?”

“Hey, Jack,” she replied…before punching him in the arm. Even though it didn’t hurt at all, Jack still clutched at it instinctively.

“What is the matter?”

“What’s the matter?! How bout ya fighting Tundrous in a duel to the death on a mountain top, how’s that fer the matter?! Ah thought ah told ya to not get hung up over me and use yer immortality to help our family and others and instead ya go and get blown up!” AJ said.

“I did do that! I made sure that our family and Equestria would be safe for generations to come!”

“And then ya went and got yerself killed against a dragon. In the middle of nowhere without leaving any clue to our family or Twilight about what happened to ya. Do ya know how worried they are going to be?”

“I told them that I would be gone for a long time trying to complete the tasks I had to complete. My rematch with Tundrous was one of them.”

“Ya can’t fool me, Jack. Ya went up against Tundrous fully expecting to die.”

“Well…yes, but he wouldn’t allow it. If I didn’t fight him as if I was trying to win, he wouldn’t fight back. So, technically, I was trying to win,” Jack said with a small smile. Applejack was not amused. That was when Jack’s mother stepped in.

“Jack, you shouldn’t have made Applejack worry like that. And Applejack, you should tell Jack the truth as well,” she said. Jack looked at his wife in confusion as AJ sighed and looked to the side.

“Jack, ah wanted ya to keep helping our friends and family so that when yer time did finally come, ya would die surrounded by those who love ya. Who ya saved. To show ya that yer life was a good one. Ah didn’t want ya to die some warriors death in the middle of nowhere believing death would bring ya peace. Ah wanted ya to see…how much of a difference ya made. To yer world. To Equestria…to us.”

“I am sorry my love. I…failed to notice that. I apologize if I have angered you. I was just so…distraught without out in my life. Without your love, your kindness and your strength, I believed life to not be worth living. I should have listened to you…I always should have,” Jack said. Applejack looked away for a moment, only to sigh with a smile before she tackled Jack and pulled him into a tight hug. “Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“Ah guess ah can. But only because yer so darn good at flattering me,” AJ whispered. Jack wrapped his arms around her and stood with her for a time. He knew not how long. Time seemed to not matter here. All that mattered to Jack was that he was with his family again.

“Come, my son. Sit and stay with us,” the shogun said, motioning to the picnic. “We have spent our time here sharing stories with one another and I am sure there are plenty of stories for you to tell.”

“As well as hear. I have been telling Applejack all about your childhood and she just adores it,” his mother said. “But I’m more interested in hearing about your married life and especially about my granddaughter. You both made such a wonderful child.” Both Jack and AJ turned red at that. “So please my son, sit and rest for as long as you need. You’ve earned it.”

Jack looked down at the cloth before looking to his father, his mother and then his wife. And for the first time in a long time, he felt a smile cross his face. Not a smile he forced himself to wear, but a smile of genuine happiness. So Jack sat down, his father to his left, his mother to his right, and Applejack at his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. 

And so he began to recount all of his stories. From meeting the dog archeologists to saving a moth prince and princess, he told his stories of Earth and beyond. Of his life with Applejack and how he lived after her passing. Of his grandfoals and great grandfoals. Of despair and hope. And when he was finished, he leaned against Applejack and enjoyed being in his family’s company. It was almost perfect.

“Something the matter, Jack? You seem like yer missing something,” Applejack asked. Even in the afterlife, she could still read him like a book.

“You are right, my beloved. There is just one more person missing from here to make this perfect. Not our daughter, she will be here soon, but…someone who helped me through those years on Earth.”

As if heaven decided to answer his prayers, a moment later a beam of light erupted not far from where they were sitting. The family wasn’t startled, but they were intrigued by what the light could mean. And then they heard someone begin to talk.

“What in the name of me grandpappy’s kilt is going on. Where in the bloody hell am ah? And why am I so young and good looking? And why have ah got both me legs? That machine gun has supported me fer more years than that miserable stick of flesh ever did! Ah’m ah dead? Well good job, ya bunch of divine pansys, it only took ya seventy bleeding years to finally kill me off! Yer all a bunch of miserable, toad licking, lightshow throwing bunch of panjama wearing ninnies! Wait a moment. If ah’m dead, that means ah can see mah beautiful wife again! Ah bet she’s already made herself the queen of heaven! Ah bet the other angles and gods weep when they look upon her, because they finally know what perfection looks like!”

“Jack,” the shogun asked Jack, who was doing his best not to burst out laughing. “Who is that?”

“He is a friend, father. He’s my friend.”