The Way Of The Warrior

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: Redemption
Chapter 2: Of Alicorns and Samurai
Chapter 3: Settling In
Chapter 4: Lesson One
Chapter 5: It's Not What It Looks Like
Chapter 6: Coup d'etat

Prologue

The summer’s sun hung low in the sky, basking the castle of the royal ponies in a warm glow. Around the castle, the trees of the Everfree forest moved silently in the breeze. The only noise that could be heard was that of the birds, who quietly sang in the evening light.

Inside the castle halls, two Alicorn fillies chased after each other. One had a bright white coat, and equally fluorescent pink mane; the other covered from head to hoof in a deep midnight blue, contrasted perfectly by a far paler mane.

The fillies ducked and weaved between the castle furniture and royal guards around them, giggling as they did so. The blue filly quickly caught up with her sister, tackling her to the ground.

“Tag, you’re it!” she announced gleefully, a rather large smile etched across her face. The white filly huffed in annoyance, blowing a strand of her pink mane out of her eyes.

“You got lucky there Luna, I won’t be as slow next time”, she said confidently, picking herself back up. Luna seemed unfazed by this, continuing to smile at her older sister.

“You gotta catch me first Celestia”, she teased the white filly.

“Luna? Celestia? Where are you?” Both fillies jumped when they heard the voice calling out to them. They looked at each other, fear etched across one another’s face.

“Its mum, hide sis!” Celestia whispered. Both fillies frantically looked around the hall, searching for something to hide behind. The two fillies got increasingly desperate when they heard the sound of hoofsteps echoing through the hall. Their mother couldn’t be more than a few seconds away now.

Their frantic searching was soon rewarded when they stumbled upon a red couch at the end of the hallway. There was just enough ground clearance for both of them to hide under, though it would be a tight fit.

The two fillies smiled triumphantly, before diving under the couch. They squeezed through the small gap, until they were no longer visible to the outside world.

“Celestia? Luna? Where are you?” Their mother called out to them again, this time from the end of the hallway. The two young Alicorns snickered, hoof-bumping each other, but quickly fell silent as the hoofsteps got closer and closer.

Queen Galaxia slowly walked down the hallway, her face scrunched up as she tried to figure out just where her children had got to. She was clad in a golden crown and necklace, both encrusted with light red jewels. Her mane and tail were a similar colour to that of Luna’s coat, but turned gold as it got closer to her body, and the ends were speckled with bright stars and planets so white it almost put Celestia’s coat to shame. Galaxia’s coat seemed almost identical to that of Celestia’s. A pure alabaster colour, but just like her mane and tail it turned gold as it got to her horn, hooves, and wings.

Unlike the fillies, her mane, tail and wings were ethereal, and moved in the air as if a light breeze was constantly blowing upon them. Her cutie mark was that of a spiral galaxy, which matched the colours of her mane and tail.

Galaxia furrowed her brows in confusion. It was usually so much easier to find her daughters. She turned to a nearby royal guard, who had been standing stoically the whole time.

“Strong Will, have you seen my daughters? I can’t seem to find them anywhere”, she asked politely. Galaxia prided herself in knowing the names of all the royal guards and servants within the castle, even though there were more than 1000 of them. It was the least she could do; after all these stallions and mares were here to protect and serve her family.

Strong Will quickly turned to face the queen, bowing slightly.

“They’re under the couch, your highness”, he told her.

“No we’re not, don’t listen to him!” Luna cried out. Celestia face-hoofed, shaking her head in dismay. The two fillies yelped in surprise when they felt a magic aura wrap around their tails, before both of them were gently pulled out from under the couch.

“Found you little ones”, Galaxia said, smiling warmly at her daughters as they hung upside down in front of her. “Do you know what time it is?” she asked them softly.

“Umm, play time?” Celestia answered, smiling sheepishly at her mother. Galaxia chuckled, putting the two fillies on her back.

“No my dears, it’s your bedtime”, she told them. The two fillies responded with moans of despair, obviously not happy with their mother’s decision. As Galaxia began to walk down the hallway, Luna tugged on one of her wings.

“But you and dad stay up way later than we do, it’s unfair!” she argued, trying to find any way to stay up for just that little bit longer.

“We have to stay up late, your father and I have a country to rule. Besides, you two are just fillies, you need your sleep”, Galaxia reminded them. Her heart dropped when she saw the fillies look down at the floor, a sad expression etched on their faces. “I’ll tell you a story before you go to bed, how does that sound?” she asked, giving them a hopeful smile. The two fillies instantly brightened up, grinning as they jumped up and down on their mothers back.

“Yay, story time!” Their little wings flapped in excitement, as if they were trying to take off with each jump, though they were still too young to be able to fly properly.

Galaxia gently cradled the two fillies into their beds with her magic, eliciting cute yawns from both of them. Smiling warmly, she slowly pulled the cover over both of them, until only their heads were visible.

“Now then, what story do you want to hear today?” she asked the young fillies. Luna instantly raised a hoof into the air, waving it around like her life depended on it.

“Starswirl the Bearded and the Unicorn’s Stone!” she shouted in a voice so loud that it was almost akin to the royal Canterlot voice. She was simply too excited to contain herself. Galaxia grimaced slightly, her daughter sure could shout when she wanted to. The Alicorn queen rubbed her ears, before looking back at the midnight blue filly, eyebrow raised.

“That’s a 300 page book Luna, I’m not going to read it to you at this time”, she told Luna, who crossed her forehooves and huffed in annoyance. She had really thought that plan was going to work.

“Mummy, can you tell us about the Alicorns?” Celestia asked, eliciting a sigh from her mother.

“But I tell you that story all the time, surely your bor-“

“Please!” Celestia said, giving her mother the best puppy dog eyes she could make. Even Luna looked like she wanted to hear it, even though they had heard it a billion times before.

Her resistance soon crumbled at the combined cuteness of their puppy dog stares. That and the thought of hearing Luna shout again. Galaxia groaned, her ears were still ringing from early.

“Okay then, mummy will tell you about the Alicorns”, she said happily. She didn’t reach for a book; she had told the story so many times that she now knew it off by heart.

“Yay, you’re the best mum!” the two fillies cheered simultaneously, eliciting a slight blush from their mother. She gently cleared her throat as the two fillies settled down, before beginning the story.

“This, my dear children, is the story of the great Alicorn empire...”

Author's note: The only bits the fillies hear are the sentences in italics, the rest is for you ;)

1000 years ago

It was a cold winter’s night in the land of Equestria, the moon and the stars duly illuminating the settlement below as its inhabitants went about their daily business. It was so cold in fact that those that were outside could see the water vapor from each breath they took, but that did not deter them. They had lived here long enough, and knew how to cope with bitterly cold winters such as this one.

“Once, the mortal species of Equis understood a simple truth, that they were not alone in this universe.”

Suddenly, a loud rumble came from the sky, drawing the ponies’ attention. A large storm cloud loomed overhead, lightning jumping from one part of it to another. A lot of the ponies began to shiver. Not because they were cold, but because they were terrified.

Storms, like in every other part of Equis, were a regular occurrence and usually nothing to fear. But this storm was different. The lightning that came from it was blood red. This was no ordinary storm.

“Some worlds held beings they knew to respect. Others, they knew to fear.”

Several large bolts of lightning came racing out of the cloud, striking the earth barely a hundred metres away from the settlement. Several ponies began running away before they even got a glimpse of what had descended from the sky. They didn’t need to; they knew what had just arrived on their doorstep and how futile it would be to stand their ground.

“From the world of fire and nightmares came the daemons of Tartarus, ...”

As the dust settled, the nature of these creatures was finally revealed. Over 1000 daemons stood before the ponies, all so nightmarish in appearance that they could strike fear into even the bravest of warriors. Each one looked slightly different in nature, some having razor sharp claws which scraped across the ground as they walked, while others could have been easily confused with ponies if it weren’t for their elongated teeth and predator-like eyes.

Despite their slight differences, they all shared one characteristic. They were all blood red, with licks of fire dancing across their bodies. To those who could see them, it looked like they were about to spontaneously combust, only for the fire to then disappear without a trace.

“..led by their king, Diabolus. An Alicorn fallen from grace.”

In front of them stood King Diabolus, who grinned widely at the scene before him. He was an Alicorn, but unlike his former brethren he had been twisted into a nightmarish form. His eyes were completely orange, except from a black slit for a pupil. His teeth were sharp and long, and could easily be used to rip a pony’s throat in combat (though usually he would just do this for the fun of it). His mane was made up of pure fire, and billowed out like a never ending flame. Like Galaxia his wings weren’t physical, but had instead taken on a fire-like form. His coat was completely red, licks of pure red fire dancing across it. From far off he could be easily mistaken for a Phoenix, though that would be a terrible and costly mistake for anyone to make.

“These daemons threatened to consume Equis in an ever-lasting fire.”

Jet black armour began to materialise out of thin air, strapping itself onto Diabolus’s body. The dark armour began to release a steady stream of blood red magic, which was channeled up to the daemon alicorn’s horn. The horn began to slowly turn white as more and more magic was channeled into it.

After a few seconds of charging his magic up Diabolus aimed his horn forward, before unleashing a wave of searing hot fire straight at the settlement. The ponies began to turn tail and run as the wave of fire raced towards them. The wall of fire consumed everything in its path, turning rock and tree alike into little more than a pile of ashes. Nothing could stop this devastating wave from reaching the settlement.

“But the mortal species would not face this threat alone.”

A loud crack came from the sky, drawing the attention of ponies and daemons alike. A beam of golden energy pierced the storm cloud, before smashing into the ground directly in front of the settlement. The force of the impact sent out a massive shockwave, breaking the wave just as it was about to consume the settlement.

The ponies stopped running, looking in awe at their saviours.

“From the world of magic and prosperity came the Alicorns, whose sole mission was preserve peace throughout Equis. Led by Emperor Dominus, these alicorns would fight fearlessly in the face of the enemy.”

The dust soon settled, revealing a force of over 1000 Alicorns, each one clad in gold armour and carrying a variety of weapons. The dull moonlight shimmered wonderfully of their armour, blinding some of the daemons across from them.

Diabolus growled in anger. If there was one thing he hated more than mortals, it was Alicorns. To most that would seem hypocritical, but at this point the king of Tartarus no longer believed himself to be an Alicorn. He knew he was a higher being than them. He knew he was a god.

Diabolus turned to his minions, unsheathing a large two-hooved fire sword. He pointed it at the Alicorns that stood in his way, grinning insanely.

“Kill them all!” he ordered. The daemons roared at their enemies, before charging them at full speed. Like their foes some of the daemons carried weapons, though most preferred to use their razor sharp teeth and claws. It gave them more satisfaction with every kill they made, enjoying the feeling of tearing through their opponent's flesh and screams of pain that usually followed.

Dominus watched the charging daemons, before turning to his legion. None of them showed any signs of fear, and all watched their emperor, ready to follow his orders to the letter. They were the embodiment of loyalty, willing to die if their emperor commanded them.

Dominus raised his naginata high into the air, a confident look on his face.

“To me sons and daughters of Faust, for the empire!” he shouted, before charging straight at the daemons. The legion of Alicorns cheered, following their emperor into battle without a second thought.

As the two armies closed the distance between one another, they fired bolts of magic and fire at one another, killing several daemons and Alicorns before they even entered combat. Eventually though the two armies collided, slicing and stabbing at their enemies with sword and claw alike.

Both armies proved to be evenly matched. Whilst the Alicorns were better trained and could more readily use magic, the daemons were far more diverse. Some were only 2ft tall, while others towered over the rest at 10ft tall, giants compared to 5-6ft tall Alicorns.

Dominus swept his naginata low across the ground, knocking a daemon off its feet. He then spun the naginata in his hooves, before bringing it down on the daemons neck, killing the creature before it could react. Two smaller daemons came up behind him, firing balls of fire from their mouths. Spotting this out of the corner of his eye, the Alicorn emperor spread his wings, before flapping them with as much power as he could muster.

The force sent him flying over the two daemons, dodging their attacks with ease, before he deftly landed behind them. The two daemons turned to face their adversary, but not quickly enough, resulting in one of them being impaled upon the Alicorn’s naginata. The second daemon let out a blood-curdling screech, before throwing itself at the alicorn, claws raised. Dominus easily sidestepped this though, before firing a bolt of pure energy at the daemon, completely disintegrating it.

Diabolus cackled, bringing his fire sword down on top of an Alicorns head, breaking through the helm and into the stallions skull. He quickly jerked the sword out of the Alicorns head, before using it to deftly block several arrows. He turned to the three Alicorns who had shot at him, grinning like an insane man.

“My turn.” Three balls of fire shot out from his horn, flying straight at the Alicorns. There was no time to even scream as the balls of fire smashed into them, turning them into little more than ashes within seconds.

“Many times over these battles between the two immortal forces would be decided by their leaders.”

Upon seeing this Diabolus began to chuckle evilly, but his good mood didn’t last long. Standing no more than five metres in front of him was the Alicorn emperor himself, Dominus. The daemonic Alicorn growled, raising his fire sword in preparation for an attack.

There was no need to exchange words. Long ago Dominus would attempted to seek peace with Diabolus, but the daemonic alicorn was already far too gone to listen to reason. So with a heavy heart, Dominus would have no other choice but to kill the alicorn that was once his friend.

Dominus was the first to make a move, flying high into the sky before attempting to bring down his naginata upon Diabolus’s head. The blood red Alicorn grinned, before quickly sidestepping, barely dodging the attack. He channeled magic into one of his forehooves, before smashing it into Dominus’s face, sending him skidding across the ground.

The Alicorn emperor shook his head, spitting blood out of his mouth as he tried to recover from the heavy blow. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Diabolus charging, sword raised high in the air. Grabbing his naginata, Dominus spun around on his hooves, before smashing the blunt end of his weapon into the side of Diabolus’s head.

The daemonic Alicorn yelped, landing head first into the ground. He was quick to recover though, turning back to face his adversary, a rather bloody scowl on his face. This time neither party waited, charging at each other at full speed. At the very last second both Alicorns jumped into the air, propelling themselves forward with their wings. They roared as their weapons connected, unleashing a massive magic wave that spread across the battlefield, knocking Alicorn and daemon alike onto the ground.

“I will engulf this world in an eternal fire! Equis will be my domain!” Diabolus shouted, bearing his teeth Dominus. The Alicorn emperor grunted, pushing back against Diabolus.

“I will die before I allow this world to fall into the hooves of a madpony like yourself!” Dominus proclaimed, firing a bolt of magic into his adversaries face. Diablous screamed, stumbling back several metres. When he finally recovered from the attack he saw that many other alicorns had surrounded him. His army had lost. The blood red Alicorn smirked, looking back at his opponent.

“So be it. Before this is over, I will make you and every living Alicorn suffer! Just like those pathetic mortals you seek to protect!” he roared, charging his magic up. The daemonic Alicorn quickly turned around, using his charged up magic to open up a portal. He took one final look back at Dominus, before jumping into the swirling red portal. Before anyone could react portal closed, removing any chance of pursuit.

Despite this the legion let out an almighty cheer in celebration, having beaten back their daemonic foes once again. All except for Dominus who simply sighed, looking up at the sky. They had won this battle, but there would be many more to come before the war’s end.

“So what happened mummy? Who won?” Luna asked.

“Sadly the war lasted for almost 10 years, claiming many more mortal and Alicorn lives. But eventually Dominus drove Diabolus and his daemons back into tartarus, and sealed them off forever. Never again would they threaten Equis and its inhabitants”, Galaxia told her with pride.

“Yay! Good triumphs over evil once again!” Celestia cheered, her forehooves raised in celebration. Galaxia chuckled, using her magic to tuck Celestia back into bed.

“Now I’ve told you your story, will you go to sleep now?” she asked them. Celestia yawned, snuggling into her bed.

“Yes mummy”, she said quietly. Galaxia turned to Luna, only to find the young filly was already fast asleep. A few seconds later Celestia joined her, drifting off into dream world. Galaxia smiled, delicately kissing both fillies on their foreheads.

“Goodnight my sweet Celestia. Goodnight my precious Luna”, she whispered, before silently exiting the room, leaving them to their slumber.

That night the two fillies slept well, dreaming of Dominus and his brave legions, and hoped that maybe, just maybe, they could be like them one day.

Chapter 1: Redemption

Konishi Issen Ryutaro basked in the early morning sunlight as he sat with his legs crossed, a warm cup of tea in hand. He calmly watched as a lone cherry blossom fell from a nearby tree, delicately drifting in the breeze. In some ways it reminded Konishi of how a mother carries her child, with both care and delicacy.

He quietly sipped his tea, his mind deep in thought. He often found it relaxing to contemplate his life at times like this, it helped to get any thoughts or worries he had out of the way so that he’d have a clear mind for the day ahead.

What does it mean to be a Samurai? To devote yourself utterly to set of moral principles. To seek a stillness of the mind. To master the way of the sword. These are but a few of the things a Samurai does in his lifetime, but they are by far the most important.

To devote yourself utterly to the seven virtues of Bushido. Courage: to stand bravely in the face of the enemy, regardless of what consequences may befall you. Rectitude: to be righteous in every action you take. Benevolence: to voluntarily give help to those that are in need, regardless of who they may be. Respect: to value that which your lords, family, and ancestors have given you. Honesty: to never lie, no matter what the consequences of telling the truth may be. Honour: to be both noble and respectable in the face of friend and foe alike. And loyalty: to be faithful to your lords, your family, and the way of your ancestors.

To seek a stillness of the mind, something Konishi was pursuing right now. A Samurai was to always have a clear head, so that he may complete his tasks to the best of his abilities. This was no more apparent than in battle, where it was essential that he remained focused on what was happening then and now in order to survive and defeat his enemies.

And finally, to master the way of the sword. A Samurai would spend most, if not all of his childhood and adolescence honing his skills with the Katana and the Yumi, perfecting the martial arts, and learning to keep a cool head in battle. It was what made them deadly warriors.

Konishi’s train of thought marginally slipped when he heard the clanging of metal nearby. He sighed, taking another sip of his tea. His village was a peaceful place, so he wasn’t used to such noise at this time of the day. Maybe the calls of domesticated animals, or the sound of other Samurai training early in the morning, but not metalwork.

But today Konishi had not woken up in his village. Instead he had awoken in a large camp, home to some five thousand other soldiers just like him. And they wouldn’t have gathered in such large numbers unless they had a reason to do so. But today they had a pretty good reason to do so. To go to war.

Primarily between Konishi’s clan, the Oda, and a rival clan, known as the Takeda. The two clans had never gotten along with one another, and had been fighting for quite sometime. The first few months of the war were little more than a bloody stalemate, with both sides unable to make any permanent gains. But as of late the Oda had scored win after win, pushing deep into Takeda territory as they did so. They now found themselves on the doorstep of the Takeda capital itself, and looked set to end the war.

Which was exactly why Konishi was here, to end the war. Not just for his Daimyo, but for his people too. It had been a very bloody war, claiming the lives of both soldiers and innocents alike. Konishi was therefore as determined as ever to see the war end sooner rather than later.

Konishi sighed, his mind now clear of all troubles. He took one final sip of his tea, glancing at the camp around him. Despite it being so early, many of his fellow Ashigaru and Samurai warriors already donned their armour and seemed to be preparing to move out. He hadn’t realised it was that time already. Looking down, Konishi discovered he was only wearing his kimono, and had yet to put on his armour. Sighing once again, the Samurai put his now empty cup down, before making his way back to the tent he had spent the night in.

Inside the tent was relatively small, only having enough space for a makeshift bed, a stand for armour and weapons, and a some extra room so that he could strap his armour on. Most people probably would have complained about such small living quarters, but for a lot of Samurai, including Konishi, it was all they really needed. Anything else such as food and extra equipment could be acquired at one of the larger tents in the center of the camp, which was where Konishi had spent most of his time anyway.

The Samurai was interrupted from any further action by the sound of someone entering his tent. He turned to see an Ashigaru, a warrior of lower rank, standing before him. The Ashigaru quickly bowed, so as to not offend Konishi.

“Apologies for disturbing you Konishi-san, I am here to assist you with your armour”, he said, facing the floor the entire time as a sign of respect. Though Konishi was no Daimyo, ordinary people were still expected to show him and other Samurai respect.

“There is no need to apologise, you’ve come at the right time”, Konishi told him. The Ashigaru warrior sighed in relief before moving over to assist Konishi with his yellow armour.

The Gusoku armour weighed about fifty pounds, and while this was relatively light for heavy armour, it was still very hard for a Samurai to get it on by himself. Especially once he had the Do on, which somewhat restricted his movements.

Usually the role of helping a Samurai into his armour would be filled by the wife, but that was not possible due to the fact Konishi did not have one. There was a reason for this, one that had brought great shame to him and his family. His father’s dishonourable actions in battle. It had cast a shadow over the family name, meaning other Samurai families would not even consider him as a viable husband for their daughters.

Konishi couldn’t help but feel ashamed about it. Excluding an honourable death, there would be no way for him to save his family from generations of rejection.

With the aid of the Ashigaru it took little more than five minutes for Konishi to get into his armour. Content with how his armour felt, the Samurai nodded in thanks, before turning back to collect his weapons. He sheathed two swords, a longer one known as a Katana, and a shorter one known as a Wakizashi.

“Your horse is waiting for you outside Konishi-san”, the Ashigaru warrior informed him, answering Konishi’s question before he could even ask it. Konishi nodded silently in understanding before walking past the still bowing Ashigaru and into the morning sunlight. The golden crest on his helmet shone brightly in light as the Samurai wasted in no time in mounting his horse, adjusting a few straps to make sure it was comfortable.

As he did so a lone cherry blossom floated delicately through the air, landing softly on the Samurai’s hand. Konishi stared at it for several seconds, knowing exactly what a fallen cherry blossom symbolised. A fallen Samurai. Whether this meant he would fall during the coming battle did not matter though, he would ride out regardless. It was his duty as an honourable Samurai to fight and, if necessary, die for his Daimyo.

Konishi watched as the cherry blossom was once again picked up by the wind, slowly floating out of his hand and into the sky above him. Despite the potential omen, the Samurai began the short ride towards the rest of the army, a new sense of determination welling up inside him.

As he did so he promised one thing to his ancestors. That he would correct the mistakes of his father. Not just for his Daimyo, but for his family too.

(The upcoming battle is not based off any historical battle, this is so I can write the scene how I want. Also a word of warning, this scene is going to get pretty bloody.)

An hour later

The Oda army slowly marched through the dense forest, kicking up a cloud of dust as they made their way towards the last known location of the Takeda army. The army had been unable to travel through the forest itself, so all 5000 of them had to march down a small and very exposed road that cut through it.

Konishi was currently in the middle of the army, riding slowly alongside the infantry. Despite his elevated position on top of his horse, he found it hard to see into the forest itself. It may as well of been night, the tall trees above him were blocking out so much of the sun’s light that only a few slivers of it actually reached the ground below. That alone would have been enough to make the forest seem eerie, but unfortunately the lack of light wasn’t the only thing that had Konishi worried.

The forest was far too quiet. There was no talking amongst the troops, no bird songs, not even the faint of rustle of leaves blowing in the breeze could be heard. All Konishi could hear was the sound of footsteps and metal clanging as the army marched onwards. And even that seemed pretty subdued.

The other soldiers seemed to have picked up on this as well, especially the Ashigaru. While Samurai were highly trained warriors, these Ashigaru were no more than mere peasants who had been drafted into the army with little to no training. The difference certainly showed. While the Samurai kept a calm demeanor about themselves, the Ashigaru looked scared, and seemed prone to jumping at even the smallest of changes around them. Perhaps that was why there was no talking.

All of a sudden, the army seemed to just stop. Maybe something was holding them up ahead, like a fallen tree, or maybe their general had ordered the stop himself. Either way it certainly wasn’t helping the morale of the Oda troops, who had to stand still in an exposed position. The forest had at least some noise resonating through it before, but now nothing but eerie silence reigned over them.

It didn’t last long though. All of a sudden the wind seemed to pick up, bringing with it an thick white smoke that covered the entire road and surrounding forest. As if hadn’t been hard enough to see through the forest before, now they couldn’t see more than a few metres in front of them.

The silence was broken as sound of several loud horns pierced the air, followed by many cheers. What scared the troops most was not the noise itself, but the fact that it had come from all around them. It was almost certainly the Takeda army, who had now completely surrounded them. With added smoke cover they would be completely invisible up until the very last moment.

Fear turned to near-panic amongst the Ashigaru ranks, no one had expected the Takeda to use a tactic like this. Even Konishi was scared, how couldn’t he be? Completely surrounded by an enemy they couldn’t see, it was enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest of Samurai. Even with years of Samurai training, you could never subdue basic human instincts. And right now his instincts were telling him to drop his weapons and run for it. He did no such thing though. He had promised to correct his father’s mistakes, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

“Ambush! All soldiers take up defensive positions!” The order was repeated several times as it moved further down the line. Even some of the Samurai seemed hesitant to move, but another round of hollering from their hidden enemy was enough to prompt them into action. They certainly didn’t want to get caught out of formation.

With the smoke still lingering over them, the army took up position along each side of the road, bunching up as much as they could. It was tactic usually used to improve bracing, but in this case Konishi was pretty sure it was mostly due to how scared everyone was.

Realising how hard it would be to move around on his horse, Konishi quickly jumped off it, joining up with the rest of the army. The horse seemed relieved, quickly galloping off into the heavy smoke.

Konishi was soon brought back to reality as another cheer echoed through the forest, this time from a lot closer. The Samurai unsheathed his Katana, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn’t remove the primal fear that bubbled inside him, but he would make damn sure it wouldn’t affect him. If he was to die today, he would do it facing the enemy head on.

The sound of footsteps and metal clattering could be heard once again, though this time coming from beyond the smoky wall that encompassed the Oda army. Despite their fears the soldiers held their ground, their breath visible as a cold chill began to set in.

Suddenly the wall of smoke turned a dull orange, as if the sun was trying to pierce through and aid them in their battle. But instead of receiving rays of precious sunlight, they received a volley of deadly flaming arrows. Caught completely off-guard, dozens of Oda soldiers were cut down in the first volley alone. The eerie silence of the forest had now been replaced by screams of terror and pain.

The Takeda army switched to regular arrows for their second volley, though it did not dampen the effect it had. At least thirty more Oda soldiers were cut down in Konishi’s section alone, filling the road with a layer of dead and injured men.

Several arrows flew into the Ashigaru directly in front of Konishi, causing him to fall back into the Samurai. Konishi was quick to pull the body off himself, but not before he was smeared in the dead man’s blood, adding to the stench of sweat, iron and burning flesh that hung in the air.

Konishi was not so lucky as the third volley came flying in, an arrow piercing the back of his left leg. He cried out in pain, forced to drop onto his right knee as his injured leg buckled underneath him. He had at least been swift enough to avoid getting hit somewhere vital, or more than once. He would have been in a lot of trouble then.

Reaching down, the Samurai snapped the wooden part of the arrow off, hoping that removing the splintered wood from his leg would alleviate some of the pain. It didn’t, but it made it somewhat easier to stand again. Konishi had opted to leave the metal part of the arrow in, as removing it would likely end in him dying due to blood loss. Not something he planned to do.

It took Konishi a few seconds to realise the whistling of arrows had stopped. He squinted, trying to see what was happening through the thick smoke. He soon received an answer as hundreds of Takeda warriors appeared from the smoke, charging at the badly bloodied Oda force before them.

Surrounded by their fallen comrades, and with a fresh Takeda army charging them, most of the Ashigaru turned tail and ran. In their panic though they had forgotten that they were completely surrounded, and were soon met by another line of Takeda warriors, who slaughtered them without mercy.

Out of the 5000 strong Oda army that had began their march through the forest not more than an hour ago, only the Samurai and a few of the braver Ashigaru were left now. This included the somewhat injured Konishi, who used his Katana to support himself as he got back up. His was still in quite a bit of pain, but he knew he could cope with it. It was just a flesh wound after all.

It seemed the cherry blossom from early had spoken true, he would fall on this day. But it wasn’t fear that gripped him, only a heightened sense of peace. If he was to die on this day then so be it, at least it would be a worthy death.

Filled with a sudden burst of determination, Konishi let out a battle cry, charging straight at the Takeda soldiers. He was quickly followed by the rest of the Oda Samurai, all them charging into what would be a certain but honourable death. The Takeda let out a battle cry of their own, charging back at the heavily outnumbered Oda Samurai.

As the two forces collided Konishi deftly sidestepped an Ashigaru as he thrust his Yari at the Samurai, digging it into the ground instead. Konishi then stepped forward, slicing his foe across the throat before he could recover. Blood sprayed out of the Ashigaru’s throat, some of it landing on Konishi as the dead man fell to the ground. Konishi didn’t care though; he was smeared with the blood of the now dead Ashigaru from early.

Two more Ashigaru came at him, angered expressions etched on their faces after seeing Konishi slay their comrade. They growled, swinging their weapons in a blood-crazed fury at the Samurai in front of them. While their crazed swinging of sharpened metal was dangerous, Konishi found it somewhat easy to avoid their attacks. Obviously the two Ashigaru wanted to avenge their fallen comrade so much that they had forgotten how to properly use their weapons, instead opting to swing and stab at Konishi whenever they got the chance.

This was one of the many reasons a Samurai would always aim to keep a clear head in battle. Allowing yourself to get overtaken by emotions such as anger and hatred would only cloud your judgement, which would lead to foolish errors like those that Konishi’s two Takeda foes were currently making.

The continuous throbbing pain in Konishi’s leg reminded him that he wasn’t in any position to waste time. Spurred on by this, the Samurai went on the offensive. He focused his attacks on the nearest Ashigaru, pushing him back as he stabbed, sliced and swung his Katana at the weaker foe. The Takeda warrior stumbled back, a fearful look on his face as he tried desperately to hold back the injured Samurai. It was as if the Samurai before him had been possessed by a daemon, his attacks turning into little more than a blur to the naked eye.

The other Takeda warrior watched in surprise as his Samurai foe seemed to tap into a new well of energy, attacking his ally with previously unseen levels of speed and skill. Surprise soon turned to anger though as he watched his friend try defend against the whirlwind of attacks that were thrown at him. Overcome with anger and hatred, the Takeda warrior charged at Konishi, intend on impaling the red daemon with his Yari.

Unfortunately the Takeda warrior failed to recognise just how much noise he was making. Konishi heard the blood-crazed Ashigaru coming from a mile off, his armour clattering against him as he ran. The Samurai quickly formulated a plan in his head, all the while continuing his ferocious onslaught against the other Ashigaru’s defences.

He delayed his actions until the very last moment, when the Takeda warrior was right behind him. With agility akin to that of a falcon, Konishi leapt to the right, barely avoiding the bloodied tip of the Takeda warrior’s Yari. The Takeda warrior noticed this, but was unable to stop himself in time, impaling his ally instead. The unfortunate Ashigaru staggered backwards before falling to the ground, the Yari still protruding from his abdomen.

The other Takeda warrior was so distracted by what had just happened that he didn’t notice the silver flash in his peripheral until it was far too late. Konishi sliced his Katana across the Ashigaru’s leg, causing his Takeda foe to howl out in pain and drop to his knees. He then spun around, using his Katana to completely decapitate the kneeling man.

Konishi breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected untrained Ashigaru to put up such a fight. His sigh of relief was soon replaced with a groan as he fell onto his right knee again, grasping his left leg. Even with all the adrenaline pumping through him, the pain was only getting worse. The arrowhead was still deep inside his leg, but he was certain he would bleed out soon.

The sounds of death and battle echoed through the forest, reminding the Samurai of where he was. He wasn’t going to die like this, he was going to die honourably. Konishi gritted his teeth, trying his best to ignore the pain as he pulled himself back into an upright position. Once upright he swayed a bit, nearly falling back down again. The blood loss was starting to get to him, he senses starting to numb slightly.

Out of the corner of his eye Konishi spotted a flash of silver fast approaching him, but by that time it was too little too late. A sharp pain tore through the right hand side of abdomen, causing the Samurai to cry out in agony. His hand instinctively went over to the source of the pain, only to find a warm red liquid in its place. It was blood. He looked down to see a large gash going halfway across his abdomen.

He turned, albeit sluggishly, trying to find out who was responsible. Standing a couple metres away was a Takeda Samurai, his face covered by a mask. Konishi didn’t really focus on that though. His attention drawn to the Samurai’s Katana instead. It was covered in fresh blood, which slowly dripped off the sword. Even in his pained state, Konishi was able to put two and two together. That was his blood. The Takeda Samurai must have flanked him, striking a blow to his side before Konishi even knew he was there. It was a dishonourable move on the part of the Takeda Samurai. Samurai were supposed to face their enemy face on, regardless of the situation. Konishi fell to his knees once again, though this time he wasn’t expecting to get back up.

Time seemed to slow down for the Samurai. All around him his fellow Samurai began to fall, overwhelmed by the superior numbers of the Takeda. Some were stabbed over and over again. Others were cut down in a hail of arrows. And several had their throats slit, their blood spilling all over the place as they fell to the ground, adding to river of blood that coated the forest floor. But regardless of their situation, they all fell, until Konishi was the only one left. At least he assumed he was, he couldn’t see beyond the thick smoke that still lingered over the forest.

Time began to speed up again, returning to its normal speed as the Takeda Samurai moved to within a metre of him. Konishi looked up as the Takeda Samurai put his blade to his neck, the kneeling Samurai staring directly into his assailants eyes.

As he did so a lone cherry blossom fell from the sky, landing in Konishi’s bloody palm. Konishi stared at it, unsure if it was the cherry blossom from early. As the pink blossom began to turn blood red, the Takeda Samurai raised his Katana into the air, ready to take off Konishi’s head. Konishi payed no attention to him though, entirely focused on the now completely red cherry blossom. He clenched his hand, the cherry blossom disappearing in its bloody embrace.

Just as the Takeda Samurai was about to bring his blade down upon Konishi, the Samurai mustered up as much energy as he could, thrusting his Katana into his foe’s neck. The surprised Takeda warrior gurgled a few times, before his now lifeless body tumbled to the ground. Noticing their fallen comrade, several Takeda soldiers ran over to Konishi, quickly surrounding him.

Konishi propped his Katana into the ground, using it to help him up again. His legs felt weak, almost like jelly as he staggered onto his feet. Somehow though, using sheer willpower and most of his remaining energy, he managed to remain standing. If he was going to die, he was going to die standing.

Konishi unclenched his hand, allowing the bloody cherry blossom to float gently to the ground. Surprisingly enough the blossom had not been crushed in his hand, though the he wasn’t really focused on that. He brought his now free hand up to the gash in his side, applying pressure to it in order to try and slow the blood loss. Not that it mattered anyway; there were far too many Takeda soldiers for him to beat.

As the Takeda soldiers began to approach him Konishi raised his Katana, trying his best to fend them off. At this point though his vision had blurred, making it near impossible to accurately tell where his enemies were.

One of the Takeda warriors rushed at the disorientated Samurai, trying to catch him off guard. Konishi somehow managed to block the attack, albeit sluggishly. The force from the attack made him stumble back on his ever weakening legs though, almost losing his footing once again.

Just as the Takeda warrior was about to go in for the killing blow, there was a sudden flash of red. Konishi slammed his eyes shut as the blinding light consumed his entire field of vision. At this point he was unsure if this was really happening, or if he was just hallucinating due to the blood loss.

Either way, he was still expecting to feel pain as the Takeda warrior stabbed, and most likely killed him. It never came, which confused Konishi. Was this really how death felt? Judging by the screams of pain many of the Takeda warriors made when he killed them, probably not.

It wasn’t until he heard the chirping of birds that he was finally convinced he was still alive. Opening his eyes, he once again found himself in a forest. But this one was different from the forest he had been in mere seconds ago.

Where the forest had once been littered with the bodies of comrade and enemy alike, it was now covered in a multitude of flowers, some of which Konishi had never seen before. The smell was different too, the putrid stench of blood and burning flesh replaced by a more natural, flowery smell.

For Konishi it was quite the contrast. Just seconds ago he had been surrounded on all sides by the Takeda, destined to fall alongside his comrades. But now he was here, in a peaceful, albeit slightly dark forest, safe from harm.

But where exactly was here? Konishi knew he couldn’t be in the same forest, the trees around him were completely different. They were short and fat whereas the ones from earlier had been tall and thin. On top of that the sun was much higher in the sky, too high to have been able to move such a distance during the battle.

Perhaps a better question was how did he get here? He had travelled from one place to another almost instantaneously, something that until recently the Samurai had considered impossible. Maybe he was dead after all, and this was merely the afterlife.

That theory was soon torn to shreds when he felt the searing pain return to his side, now worse than ever. He fell onto his knees, coughing up a fair amount of blood. He may not have been dead yet, but he soon would be.

Konishi groaned weakly, falling onto his back. Above him the trees moved silently in the breeze, while rays of sunshine piercing through the canopy, gently warming his face. The Samurai sighed peacefully, managing to relax a bit. Dying from blood loss was not the most honourable way to die, but at least he had gained his wounds in battle. He just hoped that he had done enough to redeem his family's name.

His vision began to blur once again, the trees above him turning into little more than green smudges. Most people say their life flashes before them when they are about to die, but that didn’t happen to Konishi. Instead, he just lay there, a strong sense of peace washing over him.

He could have sworn he heard voices, but at this point his senses had numbed so much he didn’t really pay attention to it. The pain from his side and leg started to disappear, as if it had been magically washed away.

Two new smudges entered his field of vision, both rather colourful compared to the forest around him. One was completely purple, whilst the other was a mixture of yellow and pink.

“Um, excuse me, are you okay?” He definitely heard a voice that time, but he was unsure where it came from. Maybe it was his ancestors calling out to him, guiding him to the afterlife. Yes, it was probably them.

“I don’t think he can hear us”, said another voice, this one sounding more confident about themselves. At this point Konishi was absolutely sure these two voices were his ancestors. He needed to tell them where he was, so that they could find him. He wasn’t sure what would happen if they couldn’t find him, but he certainly didn’t want to find out.

“Ancestors…”, was all Konishi could muster before he fell into unconsciousness, certain he would be amongst his kin when he awoke. If only the Samurai knew just how wrong he was.

Chapter 2: Of Alicorns and Samurai

Beep-beep-beep

‘...’

Beep-beep-beep

‘... W-what?’

Beep-beep-beep

‘... What… is that… infernal… noise?’ Konishi groaned internally, senses slowly starting to come back to him. Around his body was a strange mixture of warmth and softness, as if he were a young child wrapped in his mother’s embrace. Across his face he could feel the coolness of what he believed to be a slight breeze. He could also feel a distinctive numbness in both his leg and side, where his wounds were. It was obvious someone had intentionally numbed the pain for which he was very grateful.

He could already hear the strange beeping that had awoken him not moments ago, but it was not the only thing. In between each loud beep was the sound of birds gently singing their song, although he found himself unable to distinguish what bird it was, as he had never heard that song before. Finally, Konishi could just make out the sound of breathing. It was subdued, as if someone was intentionally trying to remain quiet, though for what reason he was still unsure of.

The next sense to come back was taste. It seemed mostly the same, though Konishi could make out that disgusting taste that one sometimes gets in the morning. He noticed that his mouth felt very dry, drier than it could if had just slept through the rest of the day. It was obvious that he had been asleep for quite some time.

The slight breeze Konishi had felt earlier now brought back a new and powerful sense; smell. Or several different smells in Konishi’s case, making it hard for him to distinguish one straight away. First there was a flowery smell, not unlike the one he had smelled in the forest the last time he was conscious. Then there was a stronger, more pungent smell of sweat. His sweat probably, he could feel the moisture on his forehead and palms. And finally there was a clean, disinfectant-like smell. The strongest one yet.

With all his senses back apart from sight, which he deliberately avoided using to prevent anyone, or anything, from knowing he was awake, Konishi began to try and figure out just where he was. The disinfectant smell was new to him, its pungency at least giving away the fact that it was related to medicine. That, combined with the numb sensation in his wounds, gave him the impression that someone was treating him, though how anyone managed to keep him alive after the wounds he had suffered was beyond him. The flowery smell and singing birds told him that he was in a more rural area, and the fabric he was wrapped in gave him the distinctive impression he was in a bed. Maybe he was in a-

The sound of doors opening broke Konishi from his train of thought. He quickly slowed his breath, hoping to give the impression he was still asleep. He wasn’t exactly ready for a confrontation.

“Has our guest woken up yet?” a calm, feminine voice asked. Konishi relaxed slightly when he heard the word ‘guest’. It gave him the impression that whoever had found him may be friendly. Also, her voice proved to be quite soothing.

What didn’t relax him was the fact that the voice was female. No woman wanted to speak with him after the dishonour his father had brought upon his family. They much preferred to seek out the companionship of those with a more noble history. He therefore did not have much experience with them.

He felt his heart rate quicken as memories of previous attempts came to mind, but he somehow managed to push them away before they became too much to handle. He had to be ready to converse with whoever had found him, female or not.

“No your majesty, he has not changed since your last check up”, another voice answered, this one definitely a male. Konishi found himself more surprised by what he had said though.

Majesty. It was not a Japanese word, but after hearing several of his fellow Samurai talk about some western traders, he knew exactly what it meant. That and he was well versed in the English language.

It meant royalty, or someone who could be considered equal to the Emperor in both stature and power. This told Konishi several things. One: he was not in Japan anymore. No one referred to the Emperor or their Daimyo as ‘majesty’, and there was certainly no other person in the country who could be spoken to as if they were royalty. Two: whoever this majesty was obviously had an interest in him. The male had pretty much given away the fact that she had visited him more than once today. Though why anyone who was royalty would take any interest in him was beyond him.

There was a long silence in room, only broken by the distinct sound of metal against floor. Obviously someone wearing metal shoes, and slowly approaching him. Eventually the metallic sound stopped, filling the room in silence once again.

“Leave us”, the female voice said, this time in a commanding, but still soothing, tone. The silence was once again broken by the clanging of metal as several soldiers, at least that’s what Konishi thought they were, left the room. Once they had left the female giggled, “You may be able to fool the royal guards but you can’t fool me. I know you’re awake.”

Konishi inhaled sharply, completely taken off-guard by what the she had just said. To be honest he hadn’t the slightest clue as to what was going to happen when she had ordered everyone else to leave, but this was certainly not what he was expecting. He thought he was better than this. The Samurai sighed deeply, deciding that remaining incognito was no longer the best approach.

“What gave it away?” he asked, his eyes remaining firmly shut. He didn’t want to open them just yet, lest he didn’t like what he saw.

“Your breathing slowed when I came in, it was obvious you were trying to create the illusion that you were still asleep. Unfortunately for you I have been alive for so long that I can see through such ruses. Well, that and a small application of scanning magic of course”, the female told him, though Konishi never caught the last bits of the sentence. He had stopped listening after he had heard one word. Magic.

Konishi eyes quickly snapped open, and he turned to the female was speaking to, hoping she could better explain what she had meant. He never got to ask the question though, as he was left speechless by the sight before him.

The room was completely white, and looked too clean to be possible. His earlier assumption had been correct, he was in a bed, though it was not the only one in the room. All around the long room were many other beds, all looking exactly the same in both colour and shape. To his right was some sort of box, its front changing constantly, as green lines seemed to jump up and down it. It was obvious to Konishi that this box was what was making that annoying beeping noise. From the box extended several wires, some of which trailed off to random places, while others wiggling their way towards him. Lifting the cover off, Konishi discovered that one of the ‘wires’ was attached to his body, in between his hand and his elbow. The Samurai panicked slightly, having never seen anything like this before.

“Do not worry, that’s just an IV drip. You have been out for three days now, and we needed to use it keep you from getting dehydrated”, the female reassured him.

‘I’ve been out for three days? I must of lost a lot of blood’, Konishi thought to himself. When he thought about it though it was pretty obvious that he would have lost a considerable amount of blood, his wounds had been pretty deep. He was more surprised about the fact that he had survived. Such wounds would have killed most men. Konishi turned to the female, but he never got his question out.

The female had been speaking to was, for all intents and purposes, an alabaster horse, though this one was very different from the horses Konishi had seen. She had a long horn and a pair of large wings, with a multi coloured mane that fluttered in a seemingly non-existent breeze.

On her head, neck and hooves sat golden regalia, obviously well looked after as it shone in the daylight. Her flank had some sort of sun tattoo on it, though Konishi did not focus on it for too long. It seemed both rude and embarrassing to stare at the horse equivalent of an ass cheek.

Instead he focused on the very last noticeable difference she had, her eyes. They were much bigger in proportion to the rest of her face. While this was slightly weird, those large magenta eyes of hers gave a more kind, sapient look to her, somewhat calming to Konishi. Though why he had focused mostly on her eyes was, quite frankly, beyond him.

“Oh my ancestors”, was all Konishi managed to utter, the rest of his words seemingly lost. The alabaster horse quickly put her hooves on his shoulder, making him jump slightly, though that was more due to how cold her horseshoe felt against his bare skin.

“You have no reason to panic, you are safe now. My name is Princess Celestia, I rule this country alongside my sister Luna. I am merely here because I am interested in you, nothing more. My student and her friends found you in the Everfree forest not more than three days ago, and brought you to this hospital, where you’ve been treated ever since”, she told Konishi, who nodded slightly.

Princess Celestia. Just knowing her name helped him to relax a bit more, along with calming words and soothing tone. She was certainly giving the impression that she meant Konishi no harm, and at this point he was inclined to believe her.

He would have felt a bit more at ease if he had been able to show her the proper respect. Being the co-ruler of this country gave her the equivalent stature of a Daimyo, maybe even Emperor. Such stature demanded respect, such as bowing, but unfortunately Konishi was no position to do so. His left leg was far too numb to stand on, and he was pretty sure Celestia wouldn’t be pleased if he tried to jump out of bed. With rather limited options, Konishi decided to go for the one piece of respect he could currently muster.

Celestia quickly noticed that he was still showing some trepidation, and gave him the most comforting smile she could give, “I understand your concern, I too would be fearful if I woke up in a new world, inhabited by a species I’ve never seen before. But I would still listen to reason, and I know you’re more than smart enough to do so yourself. You have no reason to fear us, we are a peaceful race and have no wish to harm anypony, let alone you. Even if somepony did, I have my royal guards protecting this building, and have given the order that you are not to be harmed under any circumstances.”

Her logic seemed more than sound, allowing Konishi to relax some what. He still held some nervousness, but he managed to suppress it for long enough to reply. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be this worried. My name is Konishi Issen Ryutaro”, he told Celestia, who beamed back at him. She brought a hoof up towards Konishi, who quickly shook it so as to not insult her. Another western custom he was more than happy to have learned. It felt kind of weird shaking a hoof, it was bigger and had a more fleshy feeling to it compared to that of a hand. Still, pretty much everything about this scene was weird, so he decided to let it pass for now.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Konishi. I must say you are taking this rather well, given the circumstances. A lot of ponies, my sister included, were expecting you to panic when you awoke”, Celestia admitted. Konishi released her hoof from his grip, smiling sheepishly at the alabaster princess. Ironically he found it easier to talk to her than the females he had met before. Maybe it was because she didn't have an knowledge of his families dishonourable name, and therefore had no reason to judge him on a constant basis.

“I will admit that I was close to panicking when I first saw you, it was certainly a change to what I am used to seeing. Even now I’m still holding some fears, but your soothing words and calming demeanor have played no small part in preventing them from controlling me, to which I am thankful for. That and my training as a Samurai of course. I think it would have been insulting to you if I had lost my calm and started panicking”, he explained. Celestia waved him off with one of her hooves, quickly turning her face away slightly. She somehow managed to hide the slight blush that had come about from Konishi’s kind words.

“Nonsense, a reaction like that would have been completely understandable. From what my student told me you just appeared out of nowhere. That, combined with the fact I have never seen anything like you before, leads me to believe you are not from this world”, Celestia told him. Her mentioning about him being on a different world brought back a few butterflies within Konishi’s stomach, though it also provided a logical explanation for things being so different. It also told him that he was almost certainly still alive, though Konishi was as of yet unsure whether or not that was a good thing. On the one hand being alive gave the Samurai the opportunity to continue to follow the ways of Bushido, which was always a good thing.

“If you don’t mind me asking, where exactly am I? So far all I know is that I was found in some forest and that I am no longer in my world, which really isn’t a lot to go on”, Konishi finally asked, feeling slightly better now that he was dealing with the question that had been annoying him for so long. Celestia chuckled, taking a seat next to him.

“Since you are not from this world, I shall keep it as brief and simple as I can. You are on the world of Equis, a planet home to many different sapient species such as Griffins and Changelings. Currently though, you are in the small rural town of Ponyville, within the nation of Equestria”, she told him. Konishi’s eyes widened, those three sentences already more than he could handle. So many questions began to pop up. How could there be more than one sapient species on a planet? What were Changelings and Griffons? Who would call a town Ponyville?

Before he could ask these questions though Celestia leaned closer, cracking an almost unnoticeable, wily grin, “Now, since I don’t have all the time in the world, I believe it’s my turn to ask a question. How exactly did you get here?”

Konishi knew he’d have to save those question for a later date, this one was going to take some time. “I’m not quite sure myself. I was in the middle of a forest, about to be killed by my enemies, when suddenly there was a blinding red flash. When my vision finally returned I found myself in a completely different forest, with no noticeable evidence of the bloody battle I had been in only seconds ago”, Konishi answered, scratching his head awkwardly. He really wished he could be of more help, especially after how kind she had been to him, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out of him.

“Hmm, that definitely sounds like magic”, Celestia said, her hoof tentatively stroking her chin in thought. Her comment temporarily brought up Konishi’s hopes, only for them to be dashed when he saw just how confused she looked. “But I can’t say I’ve ever heard of such a spell in all my years as a princess.”

“But if this ‘magic’ can send me here, it can send me back, correct?” Konishi asked, still filled with hope despite Celestia’s previous comment. As interesting as this new world was, he wanted nothing more than to get back home, if only to be with his family.

“If I can find such a spell then yes, but I can’t guarantee that one exists. Still, I shall consult the royal Canterlot library for information, just in case I glazed other it by accident”, Celestia assured him, though it did no good in reassuring herself. She had read every book in that library at least twice, and had never seen a spell for transdimensional teleportation, which would be the most obvious name for it. Sure there were a few references to it here and there, but only in theories, and even they pointed out the impossibility of even using such a spell. The magical energy required, as put by Starswirl the Bearded, would be astronomical. Still, she had to at least try. It was for the sake of one of her subjects, even if he was to be a temporary one.

Konishi couldn’t help but sigh in relief. “Thank you Princess, I appreciate all the trouble you’re going through for me. If there is anything I can do in repayment, I am willing to serve”, he told her, politely bowing his head. This left Celestia with a bemused expression.

“You’re willing to serve? That’s a rather strange way of putting it, if you don’t mind me saying”, she told him.

“I am a Samurai, my duty is to serve my lords to the best of my abilities. But since I will be stuck here for the time being, and I owe you, your student and her friends my life, it would be rude for me not to offer my services”, he explained.

Celestia stood there for a few moments, stroking her chin as she pondered Konishi’s offer. The last thing she wanted to do was offend him in anyway, but neither did she want to make it seem like she was using him for free labor. Eventually though a small grin graced her face, as an idea came to mind, “Okay, I accept your offer. My student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, has always enjoyed learning new things. I would like you to tell her everything you can about yourself and your species. It doesn’t have to be anything too personal of course, just information we’d find interesting.”

“I can do that. The pursuit of information has always been an important journey for a Samurai, so I would be more than happy to help another along that road”, Konishi said, rather happy with the outcome. It was certainly better than the manual labor he had expected. Besides, it was likely that he would in turn learn something about these ‘ponies’, whom he was fascinated with. It almost made him regret wanting to go home.

“Well then, I believe that settles the concern about temporary accommodation. The medical staff here believe you are fit to leave at anytime, and since you have humbly accepted to share your knowledge with Twilight, I believe staying in Ponyville would be the best option. Is that okay with you, or would you like to be somewhere less rural?” Celestia asked, only for Konishi to quickly disarm her concerns with a wave of his hand.

“It’s fine. I have lived in a rural village all my life, so I think it would suit me best”, he reassured the princess, who smiled happily in response.

“Excellent, I shall send for Twilight Sparkle right away. I’m sure she will know what to do with you, and I have a sneaking suspicion you two will get along like a house on fire. As for that spell, I shall return in a few days with my findings. Hopeful I can bring you some good news, and we can return you home before your people start to miss you too much”, she said, before raising herself onto her hooves. A small sigh left her mouth, and she absentmindedly glanced at the ward doors behind her, “I wish I could stay for longer, but alas my royal duties call. It has been nice meeting you Konishi, and I wish you the best of luck while you are here.”

Konishi’s heart dropped when he saw Celestia’s saddened expression, and quickly threw her a reassuring smile, just like the one she had given him earlier, “Thank you for everything you have done, I will never be able to express how grateful I am. And don’t worry Princess, I am certain we will be able to talk again, and I look forward to the day when that happens.”

Fortunately that did the trick, and Celestia’s expression returned to her traditional small smile, along with another slight blush. “Have you ever tried your hoof-- or should I say hand-- at being a leader? You do have a certain way with words”, she told him, making her way to the doors as she did so.

“My duty is to serve, not to lead. But… I appreciate the kind words”, Konishi thanked her, taken slightly aback by her compliment. He had never really received a compliment from anyone outside of his family, his father's actions had made sure of that. ‘Even in this world I can't forget about what he did… how wonderful.’

“You’re welcome. Now, my student will be here as soon as I tell her about our conversation, so be ready to meet a rather excited mare in the next hour or two. And remember, if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask, that’s what the nurses are here for”, Celestia told him, before sighing once again, “I’m sorry, I have to go now. Until we meet again Konishi.”

“Goodbye Princess”, Konishi replied simply, giving the Princess a courteous nod. Celestia smiled sadly at the Samurai, lingering at the door for several more seconds. It was days like this when she found herself truly envying ponies such as Twilight Sparkle, who had the freedom to explore their curiosity for far longer than she ever could.

It was the unfortunate trade off for one in power. More time had to be spent on politics and pleasing the nobles, leaving hardly any time for her to socialise and in this case, sate her curiosity. In fact the only thing she could really do in her very short free time was sleep, eat, and maybe read the occasional book.

This didn’t mean that she was unhappy with her life, she enjoyed leading Equestria and its ponies, and her job certainly gave her the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting ‘people’. She just wished she could have some time off every now and again.

Celestia gave the bedridden Samurai one last sad smile, before quickly leaving the room. Konishi sighed as the room was once again plunged into relative silence, with only the constant beeping of the weird box and the occasional twitter of birds reminding him that he could in fact still hear.

‘Have no fear my mother and little brother, Kojima. I shall return home soon enough…”

Chapter 3: Settling In

With Celestia gone the room was plunged into silence, made more awkward by the fact that Konishi was no longer alone. One of the royal guards had returned, and stood next to the ward doors, silent as ever. Konishi didn’t bother attempting to converse with him, knowing it would be futile anyway.

And so silence reigned for the next hour or so, as Konishi awaited the arrival of this Twilight Sparkle. Every so often he would be visited by Nurse Redheart, the pony who had been looking after him during his first day of consciousness in this world. Unlike the other ponies Konishi had seen, those being Celestia and the royal guards, Nurse Redheart was more ‘realistic looking,’ so to speak. No horn, no wings, just a regular pony-- excluding the pink mane, alabaster coat and red cross tattoo of course.

Like Celestia, Nurse Redheart had been very understanding of his predicament, helping him in any way possible. Food, water, extra comfort, his medical diagnostic; she provided it all. Grateful did not even begin to cover it.

His medical diagnostics had been very surprising to say the least. While he had lost a large amount of blood, the cause of his three day recovery spell, it hadn’t been enough to inflict any serious damage.

He had also noticed just how well his wounds had been taken care off. They had been stitched up perfectly, as if the work of a seamstress with years of experience to her name. They would still leave scars, but they weren’t the first. Several years of fighting for his lord had allowed him to build up a small, but slowly growing collection.

All in all though, it was probably the best outcome he could have hoped for. ‘Thank the ancestors for this species and their advanced technology, otherwise I may not be here’, Konishi thought, glancing at the box with the wiggly green lines, or ‘heart monitor’ as Nurse Redheart had referred to it. He knew he wouldn’t have been so lucky back in Japan. His chances of survival would have been low, and recovery would have taken around three weeks as opposed to three days.

The surprising speed of his recovery brought Konishi back to an important question. What was magic? Was it the magic spoken about in many stories back home, or was it a codename for some sort of miracle medicine? He really hoped it was the former, and was eager to discover just what this magic looked like.

One part of his mind told him that all those stories and myths that existed back home couldn’t be wrong. Not only that, but he suspected this ‘magic’ was the so-called driving force that transported him to this world; and hopefully the force that would take him back as well. The ponies seemed to talk about it as if it was some supernatural force, and there certainly wasn’t any reason for them to lie.

However logic told him such a thing shouldn’t be possible. How could something so powerful possibly exist? Even if it did exist, surely no mortal could possess the ability to control such a power, right?

‘This world confuses me more and more with every passing second’, he thought, sighing heavily. He knew it was impossible to answer such a question by himself. ‘Maybe I can learn something of Twilight Sparkle while I’m here.’

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, it is such an honour to have you here. I assume you are here to see Konishi right?” Nurse Redheart asked from behind the ward doors. Konishi couldn’t help but shake his head, chuckling to himself. ‘Talk about convenient timing.’

“Yes, Princess Celestia came around earlier and brought me up to date with the situation. Is he ready to leave though? The Princess told me to make sure first, just in case there were any complications since her visit”, Twilight asked, the sound of hoofsteps slowly getting closer and closer. She sounded younger than he had expected, maybe early adulthood is he was guessing correctly, and sounded quite a bit more nervous than Celestia had. It didn’t really matter though. She was a princess, and deserved respect regardless of her apparent lack of experience.

“Of course, he’s just in here”, Nurse Redheart said, before opening the doors, allowing Konishi to see Twilight for the first time.

The first thing he noticed as Twilight paced towards him was just how little regalia she wore. Celestia had worn a crown, necklace, and a compliment of horseshoes, whereas all Twilight was wearing was her crown. The crown in question seemed to be smaller than that of Celestia’s, though it was much more noticeable on the young Alicorn due to the large purple jewel adorning it. It was a six-pointed star, matching that of her tattoo. He deduced this crown had been designed specifically for her, instead of being passed down like the kings of queens of those far off nations Konishi had heard about.

The rest of her coat and mane followed the same sort of colour as her star tattoo, but Konishi didn’t focus on that for too long. There was something much more interesting about her; her facial expression. All the ponies Konishi had met before had worn confident expressions, but with Twilight all he saw was nervousness, with a hint of excitement which seemed to tug at the corner of her lips every other second. Certainly the attitude one would expect from a student.

Fortunately she wasn’t too nervous to speak, and extended her hoof, albeit slowly, when she arrived at Konishi’s bed. “You’re awake, that is a relief. When Fluttershy and I found you I thought you had died. I’m glad Fluttershy was there though, otherwise you probably would be…” she trailed off, pawing at the ground nervously, her head hung low.

“You have no reason to feel ashamed Princess, I thought I was dead as well. I am extremely grateful for your help, no matter how small a part you played in saving my life”, Konishi assured her, drawing a relieved smile from the princess. Now less nervous than before, Twilight extended her hoof towards Konishi.

“Thank you. My name is Twilight Sparkle, but please, just call me Twilight”, she greeted him.

Konishi smiled back, shaking her extended hoof in earnest, “My name is Konishi Issen Ryutaro. It’s an honour to meet you Prin… I mean Twilight.” He was a bit unsure about referring to someone higher than him by their first name, but orders were orders.

Twilight’s nervousness had all but gone now, replaced by gleeful excitement. In fact she was so excited that she couldn’t stand still, hoping from one hoof to another. This drew a confused look from both Konishi and Nurse Redheart.

“Is it true what Celestia said? You promised to teach me about your kind? I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but if you do I would be so grateful and I’d-”

It wasn’t often Konishi interrupted those above him, to do so was extremely rude, and went against everything he had been taught. However it was obvious that Twilight wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, so for once he decided against social norms. It was for her sake as much as his really. “Yes Twilight, the Princess spoke the truth. Until it is my time to leave, my service to you is knowledge. Whatever you wish to know about me or my kind, I would be more than happy to tell you”, Konishi told her, bowing in his head.

Twilight was practically bouncing at this point, “Yes, yes, yes! I have so many questions to ask you. What’s your species’ name? What’s your culture like? What is that strange clothing we found you in? What-”

This time it was Nurse Redheart who interrupted the excited Alicorn princess, “I’m sorry to interrupt you Princess, but I think we should help Konishi out of bed before asking him all those questions. As you can see we are running out of daylight, and I’d rather he had a place to sleep before it gets dark. The cold will do his health no good.”

Twilight blushed brightly, a sheepish smile adorning her face. “Yes, that’s a good idea nurse. Konishi, do you think you can stand up for us?” she asked, using her magic to pull the covers off. Luckily he seemed to be wearing some sort of gown, though it looked like it had been thrown together at the last second. Konishi wasn’t interested in that though, far from it. He just stared down at the cover, which was still wrapped in a strange purple aura of sorts. Twilight had just moved the cover without physically touching it. Was this magic? It was certainly different to what he had expected. Twilight noticed him just staring at her and waved a hoof, trying to break the spell on him, “Hello? Are you okay? You don’t have to get up now if you don’t want to, we can always wait another day”, Twilight reassured him.

Konishi quickly shook his head, realising he had been overthinking things for a second there. “Sorry, it’s just… I’ve never seen magic before. I was expecting it to be invisible or something. But I’m happy it looks the way it does. It’s just… wow...”, Konishi trailed off, pretty much speechless at this point. The stories and myths had always given the impression magic was invisible, something Konishi didn’t really like. The thought of something so powerful being able to creep up on him and having nothing to stop it really didn’t sit well with him.

But seeing it now, he found it was rather hard to describe. The only thing Konishi could really compare it to was smoke, but it wasn’t nearly as thick, and had purple colour to it instead of white. It also sparkled intensely, and didn’t dissipate into the surrounding air, remaining firmly wrapped around Twilight’s horn and the cover she had just pulled down. Twilight’s use of magic also brought a quiet chime with it, as if alerting her that she was in fact using her magic. Konishi didn’t really see the point in this, but it didn’t really bother him. It was actually a rather relaxing, soft sound.

However, on a more emotional level, it became far easier to describe. The magic, while at first surprising, was calming to a certain degree. The way it was delicately wrapped around the cover, not even creasing the soft material as the aura rippled across it, gave the impression that it had a delicate touch to it. Though Konishi was sure such power could be used for destructive purposes as well.

Perhaps it was because it was the first time he had seen such a thing, but to Konishi it was quite frankly mesmerising. In some ways the magic also had a certain beauty to it, not unlike that of the lone cherry blossom that he had seen back on Earth. Ironic really: before he had been rather apprehensive about what magic might entail, almost fearful of how dangerous it could be. But seeing it now, he realised magic was more than just a weapon for bloodthirsty overlords or evil spirits. In fact, it was far more than just a tool as well. It was, for all intents and purposes, a form of art. A way for one to express themselves, to show the world how they felt without even having to move. In some ways, Konishi was jealous not to have such a talent.

He slowly extended one his hands, attempting to touch the magic, only to find he couldn’t do so. His hand seemed to phase through the purple aura every time. While it didn’t appear to have any consistency to it, the aura still delicately tingled against Konishi’s hand, almost as if someone was gently tickling him.

His assumption had been correct though, the magic felt extremely delicate up against his skin, along with a slight tingling sensation.

His train of thought was finally broken when Twilight giggled, tapping him lightly with her hoof. “It’s only basic levitation, every Unicorn can do it. If you get this excited at something as simple as that, I bet you’ll really enjoy some of the more advanced spells”, she told him. Konishi was sure she was right. If he had been mesmerised so easily by something she had defined as simple and basic, ancestors only knew what would happen when he saw one of these so called advanced spells. His mind might break even trying to comprehend it. Not literally he hoped; though he suspected magic could do such a thing.

Konishi quickly shook his head, realising that he was ignoring them again. “My apologies, I do not normally get this excited over things considered so mundane. It’s just I have heard so much about magic through myths that it is quite a change to see it for real. Plus I never expected it to be this… beautiful. Is all magic like this?” he asked, receiving a firm nod in reply.

“Yes, though the colour often varies to match that of the pony casting it. I would love to show you some more now, but anything beyond basic magic is restricted here. For health and safety reasons of course”, Twilight told him, somewhat spoiling Konishi’s good mood. Looks like he would have to wait a little while longer to see more of the magic that had interested him so much.

“If we could please get back to the subject at hoof”, Nurse Redheart, clearly annoyed that both of them had managed to get so off topic again. Twilight looked away once again, this time bringing her hoof up to her mouth, trying to stop herself from giggling too loudly. Even Konishi threw an amused smile, but it soon dropped when he realised Nurse Redheart was looking at him, “Now Konishi, I want you to be careful when you get onto your feet. Your legs are still a little weak, and I don’t want you to open up any of your wounds.”

“I appreciate the concern Nurse, but you have no need to worry. I’ll be fine”, Konishi said, bringing out his leg, dangling them over the edge of the bed. The two ponies gave him some extra room, but were close enough to support him should he be unable to stand.

‘Nice of them, but I can stand on my own two feet just- oh crap!’ As soon as Konishi landed on his feet, his left leg buckled, a sharp pain shooting up it. He fell to his left, but was stopped about midway down by Twilight’s magic and hooves. It was then Konishi realised that if he had kept going he would have landed on top of Twilight. ‘I am such a fool! I should have been expecting this.’

“I told you to be careful! Why do ponies never listen to a simple instruction?” Nurse Redheart asked somewhat angrily, helping Konishi back upright. As she did so she knelt down a bit, lifting up Konishi’s kimono just enough so that she could look at his leg. “Good, you haven’t opened the wound. Twilight, please get Konishi a wheelchair. He obviously can’t stand up yet.”

Twilight nodded, but before she could begin searching for a wheelchair Konishi raised his hand, stopping the young alicorn in her tracks. He then turned to Nurse Redheart, matching her determined expression with one of his own. “I do not require a wheelchair, whatever that is. I assure you that I can stand on my two feet without help Nurse, I just need to get used to it”, he said, hoping the nurse would give him a chance. The alabaster pony stared back at him for several seconds, before sighing, stepping back from Konishi.

“Okay, but if you fall over again I’m putting you in a wheelchair, whether you like it or not”, she told him. Konishi had no doubt she meant every word, so he knew these next few seconds would be important. He wasn’t going to brave a whole new world with a wheelchair, which he assumed was just a chair with wheels, hence the name. No, he was going to walk on his own two feet or not at all.

Gripping the bed tightly, he managed to pull himself into an upright position, before nodding to Twilight. The purple aura that had surrounded him dissipated, his legs taking the full weight of his body once again. This time he was prepared, and made sure not to apply too much pressure to his left leg, allowing his right to take most of the load. ‘I’m going to be limping for a couple days, but at least it’s better than being carted around in some portable chair.’

Nurse Redheart snorted, shaking her head in derision. “I still think the wheelchair is a better option, but I don't suppose you’ll listen to me anymore. You can take him home whenever you want Princess, just don’t be surprised if he ends up back here because of legs”, she warned, before trotting off, sticking her tongue out at Konishi as she went.

This confused Konishi greatly. “Twilight, what did the Nurse mean when she used that expression? I can’t say I’ve seen the tongue used in such a manner before”, he asked. Twilight simply giggled, walking towards the ward doors as she did so.

“Come on, lets go home now. It’s getting late, and I’m sure you’re hungry”, she said, receiving a grumble in agreement from Konishi’s stomach.

Konishi was still confused as to what Nurse Redheart’s expression meant, but eventually the promise of food, along with the fact he knew nothing of the world outside this room, prompted him to follow Twilight. Well, it was more like limp after Twilight, but he didn’t really mind. He had the freedom to move around again, and in the end that’s all that really mattered to him.

“So this is Ponyville? It’s... bigger than I expected it to be”, Konishi idly commented, staring at the town’s buildings as he walked. They were two storeys tall, and seemed much too large for the ponies who lived inside then. Plus, they were all made out of brick, something only ever used to construct castle walls in Japan.

"It's not too big is it? I'm sure I can find you more appropriate accommodation in Appleloosa if Ponyville isn't to your liking-"

“It’s fine Twilight, I can handle it. It’s just a big change from my village”, Konishi said, interrupting Twilight before she could come to the wrong conclusion. Twilight breathed an audible sigh of relief, before the pair returned to a respectful silence.

It was late evening and the sun had long since set. There were very few ponies on the street, and those that did quickly made way for Twilight and Konishi as they passed. They seemed a little nervous when they spotted Konishi, but much to his surprise they hid it well. It was probably fair to surmise that they had been told of his arrival beforehand, hence their lack of panic, which was a good thing. The last thing he wanted to do on his first day conscious was cause a riot.

“Do you miss it?” Twilight asked, breaking the Samurai’s train of thought. He gave the young alicorn a confused look, unsure what she meant. “Your village, do you miss it?” Twilight paused, lifting a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to retract her blunder, “Sorry for being so rude, I’d just like to know more about you.”

Konishi sighed, gazing down at the ground as he limped onwards. “Yes. I haven’t been home for several months now. Such is the sacrifice a Samurai must make during war”, he told her.

“Tell me about your village. What’s it like?” Twilight asked, hoping some good memories would cheer Konishi up. The nostalgic smile that crossed his face was certainly a good sign.

“It’s a small village, not far from Nagoya. No more than a hundred people live there, my mother and little brother included. We’re a close community. Anything you do, everyone else knows about”, Konishi told her, only stopping to glance at a building called Sugarcube Corner, which seemed to be made out of candy.

“What did you do there, if you don’t mind me asking? You couldn’t have been a warrior all the time”, Twilight said, dragging the Samurai’s attention away again.

“A Samurai is more than just a warrior, it’s a social class. Military nobility if you will. My role as Samurai is to wait upon or accompany my lord and his family. And fight for them if needed”, he corrected her, now right next to the young alicorn. Twilight looked up at him as they walked, hanging onto his every word with studious glee. Her only regret was not having a quill and paper to write this all down. “Outside of my duties as a Samurai, and my daily training, I perform many roles to help the community. Farming, cooking, making weapons, and helping my little brother with his training to name a few.”

“Your brother is training to be a Samurai as well? It sounds like being a Samurai is rather common among your people”, Twilight assumed.

That assumption was quickly shot down, “It isn’t. Only men with a noble heritage can train to be Samurai. It’s very rare to find a Samurai of ‘peasant’ heritage, so to speak, and they don’t really get taken seriously anyway.”

“That seems a bit harsh. Is there really no way for somepony without noble heritage to become a Samurai?” Twilight continued to question, stopping in front of a large tree. Why she had decided to stop here Konishi didn’t know, but he put that to one side for the time being, having a question to answer.

“Their descendants can if they marry into a family of noble heritage. That’s how my family earned the right to train as Samurai. My great grandfather was lucky enough to attract the attention of a lord's daughter, and from that day onwards his descendants were considered worthy enough to train as a Samurai”, he answered, before looking up at the tree in front of him. Well at first he thought it was just a tree, but on closer examination it was hollow on the inside.

‘This tree… is a house? Twilight lives in a tree?’ he mused completely confused at the sight before him. He couldn’t figure out how such a thing was possible.

Twilight noticed his confusion, and waved a hoof, trying to bring him back into the real world. “Konishi? What’s the matter, you never seen a tree house before?” Twilight asked. Konishi just looked at her blankly.

“No, I have not”, he told her, looking back at the house. There was a sign to the left of him, one he could read surprisingly enough. It seemed for every difference he found between this world and his own, there was a similarity to balance it out.

He turned his attention to a sign to the left of the door, the words ‘Ponyville library and residence of Princess Twilight Sparkle’ printed on it. “Twilight, what does library mean? It is not a word I’ve heard before”, he admitted, almost grimacing at the young Alicorn’s shocked expression.

“You don’t have libraries on your world? Are you sure you didn’t come from Tartarus?” she asked jokingly, opening the door before he could reply. “Spike, I’m back! And I brought a guest with me!”

“Hang on!” someone replied from upstairs, followed by hurried footsteps. There wasn’t much Konishi could tell by Spike’s voice alone, only that he had to be younger than Twilight at least.

“Who’s Spike?” he asked, looking around the place. He was in a large room, and yet every single inch of wall seemed to be hidden behind what Konishi assumed were books. They were made from a thinner material, and had more colourful covers than what he was used to. Still, Konishi found himself genuinely excited by this revelation. He had always been fond of reading back home, and here he was with literally thousands of books at his fingertips. All of them about this new and fascinating world. If he hadn’t been trained for over decade to control his emotions, he’d probably be doing a little dance right about now.

“Spike? Oh, he’s just the baby dragon that lives here with me”, Twilight told him nonchalantly, placing her saddlebags and crown on a nearby table.

Konishi however was not so nonchalant about it, his jaw almosting hit the floor. "Y-you live with a dragon? You mean the serpentine water deities like Watatsumi and Wani?" he managed to ask through his suprised state. First magic and now dragons? This was almost too good to be true.

“Why would a dragon be related to a water deity in any way? Dragons in this world are fearsome fire-breathing creature that pillage towns and hoard riches”, Twilight told him, quickly raising a hoof before Konishi could say another word. “Don’t worry though, Spike’s my friend. He won’t harm us.”

“So that’s the alien you found? He’s not as fearsome as I expected.” Both Konishi and Twilight quickly turned their attention to the stairs, seeing a small lizard-like creature walking down them. Konishi couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion; this Spike didn’t look anything like the dragons back home. Too chubby around the midriff. Then again, he didn’t really look like the fire-breathing monsters Twilight had described just seconds ago.

He slowly approached the young dragon, before leaning down, getting a better look at him. “I could say the same about you dragon. From what Twilight’s told me, and from the books I’ve read back home, it’s safe to say that you’re rather small for your kind”, Konishi teased, winking at the little dragon.

In response Spike crossed his arms, staring indignantly at the Samurai. “I’m only a baby dragon! Another hundred years and I’ll be three times your size! Just you wait and see!” he said defensively, puffing his chest out. Twilight giggled at the dragon antics, while Konishi merely smiled, standing up straight once again.

“Unfortunately I don’t have another hundred years left, but I do not doubt you for a second, young dragon. And I am sure you shall make a fearsome dragon when that time comes”, he assured Spike, secretly hoping the young dragon would also be more merciful and less greedy than the ones Twilight had described.

Twilight sighed when she saw just how gleeful Spike was. “Thanks Konishi, he’s never going to go to sleep now”, she said, before trotting off to the other side of the room, putting back some misplaced books that had been bothering her.

“My apologies Twilight, my only intention was to bring up the morale of the young dragon”, Konishi told her. The Alicorn didn’t reply, humming a soft tune as she focused on the task at hand. Konishi furrowed his eyebrows, only turning back when he felt Spike tugging at his gown.

“Thanks dude, you’re cooler than I thought you’d be. Most ponies here treat me like a child, so thanks for taking me seriously”, he whispered, glancing back to make sure Twilight hadn’t heard him. He didn’t mean her of course, she had always treated him fairly, he just didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.

Luckily she hadn’t heard him, still softly humming to herself as she worked. “The name’s Spike, if you haven’t already guessed”, the young dragon said, extending a hand towards Konishi. Konishi quickly extended his own, shaking the dragons hand. ‘Looks like this is going to be a common greeting.’

“I am Konishi. It’s a honour to meet you Spike the soon to be fearsome dragon”, he replied in kind, bowing to the best of his abilities. He couldn’t bow all the way though, with the wound to his abdomen restricting his movements, but he was sure Spike understood the meaning behind his action.

Slipping the last book into its rightful place, Twilight turned back to Konishi and Spike, looking rather happy. “I’m glad to see you two are getting along so well. I’ll definitely be adding this to my friendship report”, she told them. Spike quickly pulled out a quill and paper out of nowhere, but Twilight’s raised hoof stopped him before he could go any further. “Not yet Spike, we should probably wait until we’ve learned more about Konishi first. I think Princess Celestia would appreciate that more.”

‘Friendship report? Why would a princess need to write a report about friendship?’ Konishi thought, tilting his head in confusion. Before he could voice his confusion though a low rumbling sound came from his stomach, drawing everyone's attention to him.

“M-my apologies Princess. As well-trained as I may be, I fear my stomach does not have the same control over its primal desires”, he quickly spluttered out, hoping he hadn’t offended Twilight. He exhaled loudly when he saw her grinning face.

“As I said Spike, we should wait until later. I think our guest is hungry”, Twilight whispered, only just managing to suppress a giggle. She then turned back to Konishi, trying, and failing, to throw on a normal smile. “Nonsense Konishi, something like that wouldn’t offend me. Even Princess Celestia can’t hide it when she’s hungry.”

“Umm, that’s all well and good Twilight, but what exactly does he eat and drink? Would our food even be safe for him?” Spike asked, almost surprised that Twilight hadn’t asked it herself.

“Do not fear young dragon, your food and drink does not harm me. I was given some earlier today at the hospital, and while the meal was probably one of the worst I’ve ever had, it certainly wasn’t anything that was unsafe to me. As for what I eat and drink, perhaps I could write a list so that you do not forget while I am here”, Konishi suggested.

Eager not only to please her guest, but to also have documented information on him, Twilight quickly brought a quill and paper over to him using her magic. Konishi gratefully accepted these, and moved over to a near by table. He decided not use the chair, partly because he wasn’t used to sitting on them, and partly because it was too small for him. Opting instead to kneel at the table, quickly writing down all the food and drink he could remember.

He took several minutes to finish, mostly because he wasn’t as fluent at writing in English as he was speaking it, but eventually he was able to get through it. He then pulled himself back onto his feet, and handed Twilight the document, who gratefully took it back in her magic.

“Okay then, let’s see what we’ve got here”, Twilight said absentmindedly, before bringing the list up to her face.

Food

Rice

Potatoes

Radishes

Cucumbers

Beans

Persimmons

Various nuts

Tofu

Yams

Various fruits

Seafood

Drink

Water

Tea

Sake

Alcohol

Twilight looked at the paper with a confused expression. “Is that all you eat? There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot on here”. Surely you buy more than this”, she said, turning over the paper to see if she had missed anything. She hadn’t.

“We can’t buy food on a regular basis, our village isn’t near any of the major trading routes. Everything we eat must be grown, picked or fished locally, and then handmade. It’s fair to say nothing is given to us”, he explained to them.

Twilight nodded, seemingly happy with that answer, before returning her attention to list. “Well I’ve already got plenty of fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, so we’re okay in that respect. Water and tea is also fine, and while I don’t have any here, alcohol shouldn’t be too much of a problem either. Just please don’t go drinking too much of it”, she pleaded. Konishi smiled, bowing at the young princess.

“You have my word. We Samurai only ever drink alcohol in large amounts at parties anyway, so I’m sure we’ll be fine while I’m here”, he reassured her.

Twilight didn’t seem so sure, and rubbed the back of her head nervously, “Is that a customary tradition?”

“Yes. It’s impolite for a Samurai not to get drunk at a party. It shouldn’t be a problem though, it’s not like I’ll be going to any parties while I’m here, right?” he asked rhetorically, assuming he already knew the answer.

“Y-yes… I’m sure there will be no reason for us to attend a party while you’re here...”, Twilight trailed off, internally cringing at the thought. “... Anyway, perhaps we should get back to the list.”

Twilight returned her gaze to the paper before her, continuing from where she had left off, “We don’t often eat nuts and rice in this part of Equestria, but we might be able to find some down at the convenience store if we look hard enough. Seafood would be very difficult to get, as ponies don’t eat fish. You’d have to go to the Griffin Empire if you wanted find a dedicated market.”

“Are you sure there’s no way of getting any? I don’t think it would be very healthy if I just ate fruits and vegetables during my stay here. It doesn’t have to be fish if that’s the problem, octopus, clams, jellyfish and whale would all suffice”, he told them. Both Twilight and Spike turned green at the cheeks, Spike seeming worse off as he put his hand over his mouth. “Is something wrong? I’m sorry if I have offended you in any way, it’s just-”

“N-no, it’s fine. I’m just not used to the idea”, Twilight said, trying to shake the images of seafood out of her head. “If you really need seafood, I’m sure Fluttershy could help. It wouldn’t technically be seafood, as it probably came from the river, but I’m sure it won’t make too much of a difference.”

“Thank you Twilight, I appreciate the changes you’re having to make for me. I’m sure I can last a couple of days without seafood, by which time I hope Princess Celestia will have found me a way home. The last thing I want to do is make you and Spike feel sick”, he told them, internally sighing in relief. Talking to these ponies was like treading on eggshells, any throw away comment could result in him offending them.

“It’s fine, it’s natural after all. May I ask though, what is Tofu and Sake? I have never heard of them before”, Twilight admitted, picking the quill up with her magic, ready to write down the definitions.

“Tofu is basically a soft white substance which we make by crushing soya beans. We often use it when cooking. Sake on the other hand is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. We tend to drink it more than any other alcohol, as it usually has a low alcohol content”, he explained, smiling as he watched Twilight scribble down every single word. ‘I suppose this is going to become a familiar sight over the coming days.’

“They don’t sound that bad actually. Perhaps you could give us a sample before you go? I’m sure there are many ponies who would enjoy something like that”, she told him.

“It would be my honour to do so”, Konishi said, bowing once again, receiving a gleeful smile from Twilight as he did so.

Before another word could be spoken, Spike’s stomach rumbled again, causing him to groan in a somewhat annoyed fashion. “I don’t know about you guys, but I could do with one of those samples right about now”, he moaned, gripping his stomach with his hands.

Twilight giggled at Spike’s attempt to over-emphasise his point, and even Konishi let out a slight chuckle. “Not today Spike. Konishi needs to settle in first, and I don’t think we have all the ingredients anyway. Perhaps a gem salad instead?” Twilight suggested, smiling when she saw how much it brightened up Spike’s expression.

“Really? Oh boy!” he said excitedly, before racing off into the kitchen, a noticeable spring in his step.

‘First he breathes fire… and now he eats gems? Note to self; never mess with a dragon’, he mentally noted, watching the young dragon disappear into the kitchen.

“I think we’ll have dinner ready in about twenty minutes or so. I know that sounds like a long time, but we do have to make two salads. I mean, I can’t eat gems, and I’m pretty sure you can’t either, so we have to make a vegetable salad for us as well”, Twilight told Konishi, resting her saddlebags by the table, her crown placed gently inside them.

“Do you need a hand? I’d be more than happy to help”, Konishi offered, but was quickly stopped by Twilight’s outstretched hoof.

“It’s okay, Spike and I can handle it. Besides, you’ve just come out of the hospital, you need to rest”, she said. Her face scrunched up in thought for several seconds, before her glance fell upon a small blue book. She made an almost unnoticeable grin, before picking the book up in her magic, moving back towards Konishi. “Perhaps you could read this while you’re waiting. It might help you while you’re here”, she said, giving him the book, while simultaneously pushing him onto a couch. “Now just stay here and relax, we can talk more during dinner.”

“Well… if you insist”, Konishi said, studying the book in his hand. It was a very colourful book, with an illustration of two alicorns on the front cover; one white with a pink mane, the other dark blue with a starry mane. What caught Konishi’s curiosity most though was the title:

A Brief History of Equestria

For Ages 5-8

“Twilight, I think this book is little too young for me”, he said, looking up at the young alicorn, only to find that she was no longer there. She had quickly vacated the room while Konishi had been busy.

Konishi could only tilt his head in confusion, before turning his attention to the book in his lap. ‘Well, I guess I have to start somewhere’ he thought, rationalising Twilight’s decision.

He flipped open the book, curiously examining the fine material that made it up. While it was similar to the Ganpishi that books in Japan were printed on, it was slightly thinner, with a light brown tint to it. It was also rougher, and nowhere near as shiny, though that really made it easier to read, even if it was in English.

Speaking of reading, Konishi realised he was getting off topic, and so continued to flip through the book, eventually stopping at the fifth page, where the book seemed to start. He leaned back on couch, getting himself comfortable, before delving into the book. ‘It may be for children, but how bad could it actually be?'

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…

Chapter 4: Lesson One

“Twilight, I am unfamiliar with this vegetable. What is it?” Konishi asked, staring curiously at the soft red food in his fingers.

“That’s a tomato Konishi, and technically it’s a fruit”, Twilight corrected, idly munching on a piece of celery. The three of them were now sitting by the kitchen table, eating their salad in what had been relative silence. Well, Twilight and Konishi were eating their dinner, Spike on the other hand was shovelling gems into his mouth like his life depended on it.

Konishi stared at the young dragon, still confused as to how he could eat gems, before returning his gaze to the strange ‘tomato’ in his fingers. It was a deep shade of red, and thanks to a delicate squeeze, he could tell it was filled with juice. The only thing Konishi could really compare it to was an apple, and even then it was far too small and soft.

‘Perhaps I should just eat it, I think Twilight’s starting to get worried’, he thought, noticing that Twilight was still watching him.

He quickly slipped the tomato into his mouth, its thin skin breaking as soon as he put pressure on it. The juices had a zesty, tangy taste, unlike anything Konishi had tasted before. Despite this, Konishi found himself liking it. Sure it wasn’t the tastiest food out there, but it certainly wasn’t anything to complain about either.

“I like it; it’s different, but nothing too bad. I’m a little confused as to why someone would name a fruit after a toe though. It seems a bit strange”, he told Twilight, who raised an eyebrow in response.

“Firstly, it’s to-mato, not toe-mato. And secondly, what’s a toe? Is it some sort of really cool Samurai invention?” she asked excitably. A quill and paper came out from nowhere, floating in her magic as she prepared to write down whatever Konishi might say.

“Uhh… I’m afraid not. It’s just the appendages on my feet”, Konishi told her, wiggling his toes for emphasis. Spike chuckled through his salad as Twilight’s gleeful smile dropped. She returned her gaze to her own salad-- though the young princess still managed to write something down on her paper.

“Oh… well that’s still interesting I guess”, she muttered, slightly disappointed that ‘toe’ wouldn’t have any real world applications for ponykind. In fact-- just like Konishi's hands-- they weren’t all that different from the claws on a dragon or a lizard. Just slightly more numerous and dexterous.

“My apologies for disappointing you Twilight. When I get back to Japan I shall name the very next thing I discover after a toe, just for you”, Konishi told her.

“You’re not serious are you?” Twilight asked, an amused grin adorning her face.

“I might be”, Konishi simply replied with a small grin of his own, winking at the young princess. Twilight simply shook her head, before returning to her meal.

There was something strangely ironic in all this. In his seven or so years of officially being a Samurai, not once had Konishi had a friendly conversation with his lords or their families. In fact he hadn’t really had a friendly conversation with anyone above him at all.

And yet in less than a day, he found himself engaged in a friendly conversation with not one, but two of Equestria’s leaders. In fact, it had gotten to such a point that he was talking to Twilight as if she was a friend, and no longer just a princess. Of course this was something she had ordered, but that did not diminish the significance of it all.

‘How could this have happened so quickly?’ Konishi asked himself. It was difficult to figure out, but he had formed a hypothesis based on what he had observed about the ponies and Spike.

They all seemed very friendly, especially considering Konishi was alien to them. In Japan most had regarded something different, such as traders from Europe or America, with apprehension at best. Even Konishi wasn’t above the influence of this bias, though he had the privilege of getting to know one of these foreigners very well -- hence his ability to speak English. But before then he knew he had regarded the traders with mild disgust. In hindsight it was rather hypocritical, given the fact one of the virtues of Bushido virtue was respect, but maybe that was one thing that separated humans from ponies: bias.

‘Of course people from the westhave only been coming to Japan in large numbers for the last twenty years, it’s no surprise my people are still suspicious of them. All we really need is a little time to get more accustomed to the idea’, he reminded himself.

Here though, everyone seemed to take the fact that he was an alien in stride. Though that wasn’t entirely surprising when he thought about it. Both Celestia and the book he had been reading alluded that there were more than just ponies in this world. Hell, there was a dragon sitting right in front of him, that was evidence enough. Maybe the ponies were just so used to having different sapient species around them that they weren’t frightened or confused by Konishi.

“Konishi, are you still in there?” Twilight asked, breaking Konishi out of his train of thought. She gave the Samurai an amused grin when he looked back at her. “You’ve zoned out quite a few times today. It must be a lot to take in.”

“Yes, it certainly is. I still have many questions, so many in fact I fear some may never be answered during my short time here”, he admitted, chomping down yet another tomato. Twilight gave him a puzzled look, and would have replied if it was not for Konishi’s raised hand. “That’s okay though, I’m not here to learn. I’m here because it’s my duty to teach you about myself and my kind. As my temporary lord, your concerns come before mine.”

Twilight blushed, looking down at her now empty salad bowl. “Thank you, but I saw the way you looked at those books when you entered the library. You want to find out more about this world just as much as I want to find out more about yours. That’s why I gave you that book to read while you were waiting”, she told him.

‘Ah yes, the book’, Konishi remembered. Just like it said on the cover, the book was for younger readers, with a picture to word ratio of about ten to one. And it was brief, very brief. So much so that it even said that it had no information predating the fight between the so called Nightmare Moon-- or Princess Luna-- and the Elements of Harmony, which was the only chapter he had completed.

From what Konishi had gathered, these ‘Elements of Harmony’ were some sort of supernatural device controlled by six ponies. Two of whom he already knew by name; Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, though the rest remained unfamiliar to him.

‘Rainbow Pie, Appledash, Rarity and Pinkie Jack if I remember correctly’, he thought. He might of got their names mixed up slightly, given the fact they were vastly different from Japanese names, but he highly doubted it.

Realising he hadn’t responded for several seconds, Konishi quickly shook his head, looking back at Twilight. “Thank you for allowing me to read the book. It may not have been within my age range, but I made the best of it”, he thanked her, before pausing once again, this time only for a second. “Which reminds me, will I be getting the opportunity to meet Fluttershy before I leave? I must thank her for helping to save my life.”

“Of course, I’ll make sure you meet all of my friends. We need to visit some of them today anyway”, she informed him, a happy smile on her face as she hopped off her chair, picking up the now empty bowls in her magic and depositing them into the sink with a small splash.

“We do?” both Konishi and Spike asked simultaneously, Spike sounding slightly more excited than the Samurai, though for what reason Konishi had no idea.

Twilight giggled, nodding happily. “Yep. First we’ll go to Rarity’s to pick up your armour, clothing and weaponry. She’s had it repaired and cleaned- and has been looking after it ever since. Then we’ll-”

“Twilight, Twilight! Can I please come with you? Pleaseee?” Spike begged, trying to give Twilight his best puppy dog eyes.

“Hmm…” Twilight stroked her chin. “Only if you do the dishes.”

In a split second Spike was out of his seat, already starting to wash the dishes with determined vigour, humming a little tune as he did so. Twilight could only shake her head in amusement, before motioning for Konishi to follow her as she left the kitchen.

“Is there something I missed? Why is the young dragon so eager to accompany us to Rarity’s?” Konishi asked once they were out of Spike’s hearing distance.

Twilight smiled up at him. “Love”, was all she told him, though it was more than enough.

“Ah! They are courting”, Konishi said, giving her an understanding nod.

The notion of a dragon courting a pony seemed kind of odd to Konishi, but who was he to judge? Besides, it wasn’t that much different from the notion of a Japanese person courting a foreigner. In principle it was the same thing; two being loving each other despite their external differences. In that respect, interspecies relationships didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

Twilight snorted. “He wishes. He’s still too young to be doing anything like that, but I’m sure when he’s of a consenting age Rarity will say yes. She likes him too much to say anything other than yes.”

Twilight hopped up onto a nearby couch, looking at Konishi as she patted the spot next to her. The Samurai quickly seated himself next to her, feeling slightly uncomfortable due to the fact he couldn’t cross his legs. This new way of sitting just felt off to him.

“Now, where were we? Ah yes, I was telling you why we need to visit my friends tomorrow”, Twilight exclaimed, bringing another list to her side, ready to tick it off as she went.

‘How many lists does one person- pony need? It’s borderline obsessive’, Konishi thought. He could understand Twilight wanting to be prepared, but having this many lists seemed a tad unnecessary.

Twilight didn’t notice Konishi’s concern, continuing to explain what would happen the next day-- in explicit detail. “So after we visit Rarity’s the only pony we really need to see is Fluttershy. She was worried about you last time I checked, and I promised to bring you over as soon as you were awake so she could make sure you're okay," she explained, ticking off the last box on the list.

“If I may be so bold to ask-- what did happen exactly? All I can remember is being on the battlefield one minute, then waking up in the hospital the next”, he admitted, glancing down at his injured abdomen. He could just make out the bandage through his gown, the dry blood standing out against the white cloth.

Twilight suddenly looked nervous, tearing her gaze away from Konishi. “A-are you sure? There are other things we could do instead”, she quickly blurted out.

“Yes, it’s something I’d like to know. Otherwise I’ll never be able to properly thank both Fluttershy and yourself”, Konishi told her.

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “Okay then, I’ll keep it brief. Fluttershy and I were out in the Everfree forest collecting herbs for her medical supplies, when suddenly there was this bright red flash nearby. Whoever or whatever brought you here must have used a lot of energy to do so, because that flash was probably one of the most powerful spell by-products I have ever seen”, Twilight told him, unable to hold back her excitement at the thought of this new and extremely powerful spell. “Anyway, Fluttershy and I both rushed over to see what had caused such an immense flash, and that’s when we found you on the ground. You were only conscious for a few seconds after we had gotten there, but you said something rather interesting before you blacked out; Ancestors. What does that mean?”

“My ancestors are family members who have passed after living an honourable life. In that moment I thought I was going to die, so I attempted to call out to them, hoping they would find me before I was forever lost in an eternal darkness”, Konishi explained, slightly confused when Twilight regarded him with a shocked expression.

“Wow, that’s pretty deep. I thought it would have been a name or something like that, but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. Does this mean your people have some form of religion?” she asked, once again bringing up a quill and paper. There was a tiny voice in her mind that reminded her that she still had a story to tell, but it was quickly drowned out by her scientific curiosity.

“Yes, Zen Buddhism, although it’s more of a philosophy as there is no god for us to believe in. It emphasises the values of meditation and intuition rather than ritual worship or the study of scriptures. It’s something I follow alongside Bushido, which is our Samurai moral values”, Konishi answered, smiling as he watched her write it all down with gleeful joy.

“That’s amazing, I’ve never heard of such a religion before. Most of the species on Equus-- including Equestria-- lack an official religion. But those that do tend believe in at least one god. I wonder what implications a godless religion could have on Equus?” Twilight asked rhetorically, copying down everything he said so quickly Konishi swore he saw a little wisp of smoke rising from the paper. Eventually, the young princess paused before looking up at Konishi, with a sheepish grin and a slight blush. “I may have forgotten where we were before we got off topic.”

Konishi chuckled lightly in amusement, only worsening Twilight’s blush. “I believe you had just gotten to the part where I blacked out.”

Twilight gave the Samurai a thankful smile, before continuing her story, “Anyway, you were bleeding out really badly when we found you, and without Fluttershy’s medical supplies I was almost certain you were going to die…” Twilight paused, completely stopping her notes as she pawed nervously at the couch. “...I couldn’t do anything to save you. I’m not trained in medical magic, nor could I teleport you to a hospital, as I hadn’t fully mastered the multi-being teleportation spell yet.”

“I’m sure you helped in some way though. Princess Celestia even credited you for saving my life”, Konishi reminded her.

Twilight sighed, smiling sadly at Konishi. “You can hardly call it help. You would have died if Fluttershy hadn’t been so quick to act. She applied pressure to your wounds, and told me to go get help. And that’s what I did, that’s all I could do. I teleported back to the library, sent a letter to Princess Celestia, and with her help we were able to get you to the hospital before you bled out.”

Konishi bowed his head once he was sure that Twilight had finished her story, much to the young Alicorn’s confusion. “Thank you Twilight Sparkle. You may not believe it yourself, but your actions were just as crucial in saving my life as those of Fluttershy or Princess Celestia. Without you I would never have made it to the hospital, and all Fluttershy’s medical expertise would have been for nothing.”

“I… I never thought of it like that. I just assumed that my part in saving your life was so insignificant that I didn’t deserve any credit-”

“Twilight, no action, no matter how small, is ever insignificant. What you see as simply sending a letter, I see as an act that ultimately saved my life. Something that I will be eternally grateful for", he reminded the young Alicorn, hoping she wouldn’t be too annoyed by his interruption.

Twilight sighed, looking away as an embarrassed blush crossed her cheeks. "I guess you’re right. I feel like such an idiot right now.”

“You’re not an idiot Twilight. All you did was bring yourself down when you really didn’t need to, and there is no need to feel ashamed about that”, Konishi told her, giving the young Alicorn a reassuring smile. “In fact, I believe it shows that you’re modest, which is always a good thing in my opinion.”

“Thanks, but I still feel bad about not being able to keep you alive without the help of both Fluttershy and the Princess. I mean, what if this happens again? I know it’s unlikely, but if it did? What would I be able to do? I wouldn't even know where to start. Your body is so different to that of a pony’s. Who’s to say it isn’t the same story internally as well?” she asked, the question more for herself than anyone else.

She knew it was illogical to worry this much, but what if something did happen? She would bear full responsibility. Worse-- Celestia forbid it-- it could result in the injury or death of the first alien ever to visit Equus. And all because she had never taken an interest in Equestrian medicine. ‘If he gets hurt I’ll never forgive myself, and neither will Princess Celestia. She’d probably even send me back to magic kindergarten as punishment!’

“Twilight? Twilight, are you still there?” Konishi asked, pulling Twilight back into the real world before she could relive the traumatic memory of fillies laughing at her. “If you’re that worried about it perhaps I could teach you about human biology. I mean, I’m certainly not an expert when it comes to that sort of thing, but if it makes you feel any better I’ll give it a shot.”

“You would do that for me? T-thank you”, Twilight quickly replied, quite surprised by Konishi’s offer. It would take a lot of weight off her shoulders, that much she was certain of.

“Of course, that’s why I’m here after all”, he reminded her, trying to make himself as comfortable as he could at the same time. Given Twilight’s insatiable taste for knowledge this was pretty much a necessity, lest he wanted a bad back for the rest of his duration in Equus. “So, where do you want to start then? As I’ve said this isn’t my area of expertise, so please forgive me if I find myself unable to answer your question.”

“Uh… what is a human exactly?” Twilight asked him, slightly embarrassed by her own question. She assumed it would have something to do with Konishi’s species-- given the context in which he had said it-- but she wanted to make sure she was right.

Her embarrassment only grew when Konishi started chuckling, though he didn’t do so to make fun of her, rather to show his amusement at how a seemingly challenging subject had started off with such an easy question. Maybe he wouldn’t make a complete mess of things after all. “Now that’s one question I can answer. Human is the name given to my species, in the same way that Alicorn is the name given to yours”, he answered, not at all surprised when Twilight brought her quill and paper up again, scribbling down everything that he had just told her.

“Thank you, I’m glad I no longer have to refer to you as an ‘alien’. It felt kind of derogatory”, she admitted, before returning to her paper. “Anyway, perhaps we could start with the basics of your biology, and then work our way up from there? I mean, both of us have admitted to not knowing a lot about the subject, and I have no idea how different the human body could be from a pony’s, so that’s probably the best place to start.”

“As you wish. I shall try to answer your questions to the best of my abilities”, Konishi promised her, though deep down he knew the best of his abilities wasn’t a whole lot. Certainly not enough to protect against every possible scenario, that much was certain. Still, if it made Twilight feel better, the least he could do was give it shot. She was his temporary lord after all, and he still had a duty to serve her. In any way she deemed fit.

Chapter 5: It's Not What It Looks Like

Their conversation lasted a lot longer than he had expected, but by the passing of the hour Konishi’s knowledge of human anatomy had finally run out. He was surprised just how much information he knew though. Not only had he remembered the major organs, but he was also able give Twilight tips on how to properly treat an external wound: both in stitching and preventing it from getting infected.

Looking it over, he was quite pleased to see his information had managed to fill at least half of Twilight’s scroll, which was a lot considering the scroll was about a metre long.

Twilight also looked pleased, and gave Konishi a gleeful smile. “‘I’m no expert in human biology’ my flank! You know a lot more than you give yourself credit for. Sure it’s nothing comprehensive, but if you were to get injured again I’m confident I would be able to keep you alive, so thank you. I certainly feel a lot more confident now”, she told Konishi, who gave her a respectful bow in response.

“Glad I could be of service, I just hope you never have to use that information outside of practice in real life. I’m still reeling from my current injuries”, he admitted, grimacing at his abdomen. It’s not as if he could have forgotten about it, it’s constant thumping pain reminding him that it was still there, hidden under his clothes.

Twilight noticed Konishi’s grimace, and that-- combined with what the Samurai had just admitted-- gave her all she needed to know. She moved closer to Konishi, gently placing a caring hoof on his arm as she spoke, “You’re still in pain aren’t you? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped.”

“I didn’t wish to bother you, not when my role here is to serve you. Besides, I can handle the pain”, Konishi reassured her. Though Twilight’s narrowed her eyes were enough to tell him she wasn’t at all convinced.

“You’re a terrible liar. You know that?” she asked Konishi rhetorically, who’s sheepish expression was enough to confirm that her suspicions. The young princess could only sigh, “Please take your gown off. I may be unable to heal you, but I can at least dull the pain.”

“A-are you sure? All my clothes are with Rarity, so I’m not wearing anything underneath this”, Konishi reminded Twilight, surprised that she was basically asking him to strip down to the nude in front of her.

It wasn’t the idea of stripping in front of someone that took Konishi off guard, thanks to unisex public bathhouses that was a regular occurrence even in front of women. What caught him off guard was who was making this request: Princess Twilight Sparkle, his Equestrian lord.

Never before had he stripped in front of anyone with such stature-- as his lords had their own private bathhouses. Besides, the whole idea behind it seemed rather disrespectful, especially given his current condition. He wasn’t exactly clean after all, having just got out of a hospital bed he had spent the last three days recovering in.

‘To strip butt-naked in front of royalty in my condition would be nothing short of dishonourable’, he internally chastised himself. What if Twilight was offended by his current condition-- or worse-- the way his body looked? Konishi wasn’t anywhere near similar to ponies on a physical level, and she had yet to see a naked human after all, so there was no telling how she would react.

“Why would that be a problem? I’m not wearing any clothes, and neither do most ponies unless they’re going to a posh party like the Grand Galloping Gala, or something along those lines. I’m not sure how things work back in Japan, but here it’s completely acceptable to be naked in public”, Twilight prescribed. He didn’t seem convinced, causing Twilight to smile apologetically. “If you don’t want to be naked all the time that’s fine, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable while you’re here, but could you just do it this one time? I can tell you’re in a lot of pain, and I want to help you. Please Konishi.”

At first Konishi didn’t reply, his trepidation at stripping down in front of royalty getting in his way. Eventually, a mixture of his willingness to follow Twilight’s orders and his desire to get rid of the pain broke his resistance down. The Samurai sighed in defeated manner. “As you wish Twilight.”

Konishi pulled himself onto his feet, unable to subdue a grunt as the pain in his abdomen spiked dramatically. He was prepared for it this time, and managed to keep his footing. ‘It seems I need that numbing spell more than previously anticipated.’

He took a few seconds to mentally prepare himself, before slowly undoing the tape ties at the back of his hospital gown one by one. It was an action that Konishi found painfully awkward to do, though Twilight didn’t seem all that bothered by it. She was probably more surprised that he had worn the gown for as long as he had.

Eventually though he managed to undo all the tape ties, before slipping out of the gown; completely naked in front of Twilight. Once again the young princess didn’t seem bothered. That is, till her gaze fell upon his exposed crotch. Her eyes instantly widened, and a deep blush soon followed. Konishi wasn’t faring any better himself, a strong blush of his own adorning his cheeks.

“I… uh… I see why you wanted to keep your clothes on. I’m sorry, I should have asked beforehoof”, she stuttered, before using her magic to pick his gown up, handing it over to him. Konishi quickly took the gown out of her magic, using it to cover his crotch.

“I-it’s fine, no harm done”, Konishi told her, secretly thankful that she had been so quick to give him back the gown.

Twilight gave the Samurai an embarrassed smile, before returning her gaze to his body, though it was more out of curiosity than anything else. He was mostly hairless, just like she had thought the first time she had met him, though there were tufts of hair under his armpit and… around his crotch. ‘That mental image is going to be stuck in my mind forever now.I can just tell.’

Konishi’s build may have been that of a different species-- a different world even-- but she could clearly tell he was a warrior. His arms and legs were muscular, and while his chest and abdomen weren’t as defined as warriors from similarly shaped species-- like minotaurs for example-- they still showed signs of the strenuous exercise most warriors went through.

“Are you okay Twilight? Do you need me to cover something else up as well?” Konishi asked, dragging her back to the real world. It was only then she realised she had just been staring at his body the whole time: rather awkward for the Samurai.

A blush appeared on her cheeks once again, though not as strong as before, and fortunately unnoticed by Konishi. “No no, you’re fine as you are. I was just thinking about something”, she told him, before returning her attention to his wound. It had long since stopped bleeding, but the bandage was still encrusted with dry blood from before. ‘His wound may be stitched up, but we’re definitely getting that bandage changed at some point. It’s far too unhygienic.’

“If I may so bold as to ask, what will this spell entail? Suffice to say I’m new to magic, so I have no idea as to what it will do exactly”, Konishi told her, hopping quietly from one foot to another as he stood there. It was cold, and he was rather nervous about having magic used on him for the first time in his life. Well, at least the first time while he was conscious. He knew the doctors had used some on him back at the hospital. This time was different though, this time he’d be able to see it; to feel it.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a low level dulling spell. A lot of unicorns use it when they have chronic pains. It works by numbing the affected area to such an extent that you can no longer feel anything. It’s completely harmless; the only thing you should feel as it’s working is a slight tingling sensation”, Twilight explained, hoping it would reassure him. Another grimace and a slight dipping of the body to his right told her Konishi wasn’t going to be complaining either way. “Whenever you’re ready”, she told him.

Konishi straightened himself out, ignoring the searing pain as he did so, before giving Twilight the nod she had been waiting for. With a focused expression and her legs spread out, Twilight began to channel magic through her horn, the light raspberry coloured aura slowly growing strength. She didn’t have to charge it too long though-- being a low level spell-- and soon a similarly colored aura covered Konishi’s wound. The magic slowly started to take its effect.

‘Why I was nervous about this I don’t know. It really doesn’t feel all that bad’, Konishi thought, suppressing a chuckle as Twilight’s magic delicately tickled at his side. In all honesty he was rather relieved by how it felt, as he had originally expected her magic to feel more invasive. In fact it felt just like it did back at the hospital, when he had given it a glancing touch, only this time it had more weight behind it. ‘Perhaps different spells work and feel differently. I’ll have to ask Twilight at some point.’

But just as quickly as it arrived, the tingling sensation left, along with the searing pain nagging him since they had got back. Instead Konishi felt nothing in that area, just a distinct numbness that worked its way over the entirety of his wounded area. He sighed in relief, unable to hide his surprise as he looked down at his abdomen. It had worked so quickly, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

“There you go. How does it feel now?” Twilight asked, relaxing once she was sure the magic had done its work.

“Wow… I never expected it to take affect so quickly, or for it to completely get rid of the pain. Thank you Twilight, you have done more for me than I could ever repay”, Konishi told her, now able to give her a proper bow.

Twilight was about to reply when suddenly Spike entered the room. “Hey Twilight, I’ve finished washing up now. Can I go…” The young dragon trailed off when he saw the scene before him.

In the middle of the room stood a butt naked Konishi, his crotch barely covered up by the removed gown in his hand, and a happy smile on his face. Twilight on the other hand stood directly in front of him, a heavy blush on her face as she stared at Konishi’s well-toned body. It was perhaps the most compromising situation he had ever seen Twilight in, made ever more so the fact he didn’t actually know the context in which all of this was happening.

Twilight jumped at the sound of Spike’s voice, turning to face the young dragon. “Spike, I didn’t see you come in! I was just helping Konishi”, she quickly told him, though it didn’t change the confused expression on Spike’s face.

“Helping him with what? Twilight, why is he naked? Why are you blushing? I don’t understand any of this”, he said, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

Twilight nearly screamed in surprise, quickly turning to face Spike. The young Alicorn promptly placed herself in front of Spike, trying to cover up the incriminating evidence. “Spike! I-I didn’t see you come in. We were just- uh… what I mean to say is-”

“Twilight, is this just another demonstration of what happens when two adults love each other very much, because you’ve already explained it to me”, Spike interrupted her.

Twilight’s cheeks turned a deep scarlet as tried to stutter out a response. “W-what? N-no, that’s not what I meant. I-”

Twilight was once again interrupted, this time by Konishi, who could see that she was struggling to find the proper words. “Have no fear young dragon, Twilight here was simply casting a spell to relieve me of my pain, a spell that required the removal of my gown”, Konishi explained, receiving a hasty nod and a thankful smile from Twilight as he did so.

“Y-yes, that’s what I was trying to say. Konishi was in a lot of pain, and I needed to numb the pain for him. It was something I couldn’t do with his gown on, as I needed to see the affected area before I could start working on. You know how hard it can be for a magic user to manipulate something they can’t see, don’t you?” Twilight asked rhetorically, more to reiterate her point than anything else.

Spike’s confusion dissipated, nodding in understanding. “Oh, okay, that makes sense. So can I go upstairs and read the latest issue of Power Ponies now? I’ve finished the washing up”, he told Twilight, who giggled in amusement at his pleading expression.

“Of course you can, Spike. Thank you for doing the dishes. And just like I promised, you can come with us to Rarity’s tomorrow”, she happily informed him.

“Yes!” Spike cheered excitedly, catching Twilight off guard with a quick hug.

Twilight’s expression curled into a loving smile, and she gave Spike a gentle hug in return. “I wasn’t expecting that, but you’re welcome. Now go on, Konishi needs some privacy so that he can put his gown back on”, Twilight told the young dragon in a teasing tone, obviously directed at the naked Samurai.

Spike gave Konishi a glancing look before releasing Twilight from his embrace and quickly scurrying up the stairwell, a noticeable spring in his step. Konishi chuckled as the young dragon did so.

“Are you sure they’re not courting? He seems far too excited for this to be a mere friendship”, he pointed out, slipping back into his gown while Twilight wasn’t looking.

“I’ll admit his reaction was rather surprising, but he hasn’t Rarity for over three daysnow, so who can really blame him?” Twilight said sardonically. She turned her attention back to Konishi, face scrunching up a bit when she got a whiff of his clothing. “Regardless of how he feels though, the sooner we get to Rarity’s the better. That gown looks-- and smells-- absolutely terrible. It’s not your fault really, anypony would smell like that after being stuck in bed for three days, but hopefully we can deal with it by tomorrow”, she told him.

“Is it really that bad?”, Konishi asked, sniffing himself to assess just how bad it was. It only took him a second: ‘Ancestors, that’s the worst thing I’ve smelt in years!’

“Truthfully? Yes, it is, and I only pointed it out now because I wanted to be polite. You’re lucky you haven’t met Rarity yet, she would have been absolutely furious with both of us if she found you smelling like that… mostly me really”, Twilight warned him, making her way back to her saddlebags.

She carefully picked up her notes on human anatomy-- along with the many other things he had told her today-- in her magic, doing the same thing with her saddlebags. She then deposited them inside the saddlebags with the same amount of care, before making her way back towards the Konishi. She gave the Samurai an expectant look, made her way up the stairwell.

Konishi was confused as to why Twilight wanted him to go upstairs all of a sudden, but decided upon following her anyway, knowing it would be rude not to.

“Perhaps I could wash myself then, if there are any bathhouses nearby that is”, he proposed, having to duck slightly to avoid hitting the ceiling. ‘This house has some really confusing proportions.’

Twilight looked back at Konishi, her eyebrow raised in confusion. “We don’t have bathhouses here, that’s more of a Griffin custom. We have showers here”, she replied, turning back to face him once she had reached the top of the stairs.

Konishi tilted his head in confusion. “What’s a shower?”

Twilight sighed, trotting off down the hallway as she did so. “Follow me”, she called back to Konishi, who had an easier job keeping up now he had cleared the stairwell, and could stand up to his full height once more. “Since you’ll be here for several days I should probably tell you about the layout of the library. The kitchen and living room are downstairs-- as you’ve already seen-- and there’s also another flight of stairs that lead to the basement down below.”

“What do you keep down there?” Konishi asked her.

“Nothing much really, just scientific equipment and a few random items I have no place for. The rest of it is just empty space”, she explained, before stopping at the first door along the hallway. “Anyway, this is my room; the one you can see from downstairs. I probably won’t be there during the day, but if you ever need me during the night feel free to knock.Fair warning though-- I can be grouchy if I don’t get a full night’s sleep”, Twilight told Konishi, giving the Samurai a wink as she did so.

Konishi chuckled, nodding his head in understanding as he replied, “Then I shall be on my guard should I ever require you assistance.”

“Good idea”, Twilight said, letting out a snicker as they set off again. As they did so she motioned to another door, this one now on the left side of the hallway. “That room belongs to Spike. Up until recently he slept in my room, but I decided to let him have his own room now he’s getting older. He deserves it, he’s been a great assistant for as long as I can remember.”

“You’ve known him for a long time then?” Konishi asked, receiving a nod in conformation from Twilight.

“I’ve known him for a very long time. I hatched him back when I was an eight-year-old filly-- albeit by accident. It was definitely the best accident to happen in my life though”, Twilight told him, a nostalgic smile slowly growing on her face.

“Eight years old? Wouldn’t that make Spike a teenager? Or a child at least? I don’t know much about Equestria, but I think it’s fair to assume that the age of adulthood here would be around eighteen to twenty years, which would make Spike at least ten years old”, he hypothesised.

“Close, the minimum age for an Equestrian adult is sixteen though, not eighteen. And Spike’s thirteen, so yes, by Equestrian standards he is a teenager. But dragons live much longer than most ponies-- thousands of years-- and they age very slowly, so technically he’s still a baby”, Twilight explained to Konishi, smiling up at the Samurai.

“Ah, that helps to clarify things. Thank you”, Konishi replied, bowing out of gratitude as Twilight continued her tour once more.

“You’re most welcome. Anyway, as you can see there’s a second flight of stairs near Spike’s room. It leads to the highest point of my house, which is the balcony. I’m sometimes up there at night if I can’t sleep”, she told Konishi, a small sigh passing through her lips. “I like going up there. It’s the one place where I can find some peace after a day of solving problems and helping ponies; both as a princess and as a friend.”

Konishi nodded in agreement. “I often do the same in the early hours of the morning, just as the sun’s coming up. There’s a cherry blossom tree outside my house, and I like to sit there and watch it as the time passes. There’s something calming about watching a lone cherry blossom floating weightlessly in the cool breeze of morning, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked. Twilight responded with a slight frown.

“We don’t have cherry blossoms in Ponyville, at least as far as I know. though there may be some in the royal Canterlot gardens. I might try it next I’m there, it does sound very relaxing”, she admitted, only coming to a stop because they had reached the end of the hallway, another door standing in their way.

“I would definitely recommend it. It’s essential to start your day with a calm mind and a clear head, otherwise we could make unnecessary mistakes”, Konishi continued, before turning his attention to the door. In all honesty it was just like the other doors; wooden, and with nothing to indicate what might be behind it. “So, this door leads to the shower then?”

Twilight nodded. “It leads to the bathroom, of which the shower is a part of. I should warn you though, if you don’t know what a shower is, you might be quite surprised as to what else it in there”, she warned him, before using a quick application of magic to turn the door knob, before pushing open the door itself.

When Konishi’s first stepped into the bathroom his jaw literally dropped. ‘Ancestors, it’s so different’, he thought. If he had been unsure as to just how technically advanced Equestria were compared to Japan, this was a real wake up call.

Most of the things Konishi had expected to be in a bathhouse were there; a mirror, a toilet, a sink and towels, but they all looked so different that it took the Samurai several seconds to work out what they actually were.

On top of that everything seemed to be lower down-- though that was be expected from a bathroom designed for beings who stood just below Konishi’s navel. ‘That’s something I’ll probably have to account for in a lot of places.’

Unlike the bathhouses back in Japan, both the toilet and the sink were made out of porcelain-- similar to that of the hospital room from earlier-- and had metallic pipes coming out of the bottom.

Most impressive though was the tall glass cubicle to the left of him, standing right in the corner of the room. The glass cubicle was big, easily big to fit both Konishi and Twilight in with a reasonable amount of head and arm room to spare.

“I see you’ve found the shower. Before you ask the obvious question, we ponies use showers to wash ourselves. It’s basically an easier, quicker, and cheaper way of washing compared to using a bath full of hot water”, Twilight explained. Konishi could only give her an understanding nod, still studying the shower in great depth. The glass surrounding the shower was not see-through, being somewhat blurred, preventing him from seeing what was actually inside.

“So… I assume you’ll have no problem in using it then, right?” Twilight inquired, breaking Konishi out of his thoughts. He looked down at her with a puzzled expression, forcing Twilight to reiterate herself. “The shower? You have no problems in using it to wash yourself, right? I’d hate to force something upon you, but you really need it.”

“I have no problem with bathing myself Twilight. It’s just I have no idea how to use this... shower”, Konishi conceded, though to Twilight this came as no big surprise. He hadn’t known what a shower was to begin with, so there was no way he’d know how to operate it..

With an effortless application of magic Twilight slid open the shower door, before entering the large cubicle, beckoning Konishi to follow her with a hoof as she did so. Suffice to say, Konishi was glad he had been correct in his assumption about the shower’s size, otherwise it would have made for a tight fit.

“That metal thing is the shower head-- where the water comes out of-- and the white box below it controls the temperature”, Twilight told him, pointing at the object in question which only just came up to Konishi’s chest. “You turn the knob left if you want cold water, and right if you want hot water. There’s not really anything else to say about it, it’s that simple. You might want to bend down a little though, it’s not exactly designed for anything taller than a pony.”

“That’s fine. The opportunity to wash away three days worth of dirt and sweat is well worth the risk of back pains”, Konishi stated, inspecting the so-called shower head as he did so. There were two colours directly above the knob; blue to the left and red to the right. ‘Blue for cold, red for hot. That’s certainly convenient.’

Twilight didn’t reply straight, stroking her chin as something dawned on her. Konishi was still injured-- and while he really did need to wash himself-- having hot water sprayed directly onto his wounds didn’t seem to be the smartest of ideas. Especially when the only thing covering them was a thin, worn out layer of bandages covered in dry blood.

Fortunately a plan to combat this problem soon came to Twilight’s mind. “Konishi, I need you to take your gown off again. Obviously you’ll need it off in order to wash yourself, but I want to perform a quick spell that’ll waterproof your bandages. That way you shouldn’t feel any pain when you turn the hot water on.”

“Your people are going to start talking if news that I’ve stripped in front of you twice gets out. Could be considered rather scandalous in their eyes”, Konishi teased the young alicorn, slowly undoing his gown once more, this time making sure his crotch was covered in advance.

“Well then, I guess we’ll have to keep it our little secret”, Twilight replied in kind, winking at the Samurai as she began channeling magic through her horn once again. “Hold still now, you don’t want this spell to hit any part of your body. Trust me, changing the properties of your body-- even temporarily-- would inflict a lot of pain upon you.”

Konishi quickly stiffened up, making sure his bandages were as easy to access as possible. The spell proved to be more complex than the one Twilight had used earlier-- as it involved manipulating the properties of not one, but two bandages-- and thus it took a few extra moments before the spell actually started to work.

Eventually though the magic did kick in, first bathing Konishi’s abdomen bandage in a raspberry aura, then the one on his left leg. Once more there was a tickling sensation, though it wasn’t as profound this time thanks to the lack of body contact.

“There you go, you shouldn’t have to worry about the hot water now. I think you’re just about ready to have a shower. Do you have any other questions before I go?” Twilight asked, instinctively stepping out of the shower.

“I do. What are these multi coloured things over here?” Konishi asked, pointing at a small rack to the left, next to the shower itself. Twilight leaned in to check what he was talking about, before nodding her head in understanding.

“Those are just plastic containers. They’re used to store a variety of different things such as food or drink. In this case they contain my shampoo and shower gel, though you shouldn’t worry about them too much. You won’t have a need to use them; unless of course you want to go around smelling like a mare”, she told him, ending her explanation in a teasing tone and a wink.

“I see no problem with that, you smell nice. Lavender if I’m not mistaken”, Konishi pointed out, leaving Twilight slack jawed and with a heavy blush for the second time today.

“I… uh… yes, thank you”, she stuttered, still taken back by Konishi’s sudden complement. “I’m going to say that you shouldn’t use my shampoo though, for your sake as much as mine. Lavender’s not a stallion smell, trust me.”

“As you wish, though I’d like to point out that I’m not a stallion”, Konishi told Twilight, who simply shrugged her shoulders in response.

“You’re a male, my point still stands”, she rebuked, backing out of the shower as she did so. “We’re going to get off topic again if we keep this up, so I think it’s best if I leave you to your shower now. Is there anything you need before you go?”

“No, you have already done more than enough. Thank you”, Konishi reassured her, giving Twilight a curt nod.

“Good. Once you’re fully cleaned and dressed come downstairs, I’ll have your sleeping accommodations ready. Unfortunately, I don’t have any extra beds, so you’ll have to sleep on the couch for the time being”, Twilight told him, looking down at the ground nervously. “Unless of course you want to sleep in my bed instead. I’d be more than happy to sleep on the couch for the next couple days.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do such a thing, you’ve already been far too kind to me as it is. I have no problem sleeping on the couch”, Konishi reassured her, bringing a smile back to Twilight’s face.

“Okay then, if you need anything feel free to call me, and do enjoy your first ever shower. I hope you find it to be just as relaxing as your early morning meditating,” she told him, before exiting the bathroom, leaving Konishi to wash himself.

The room plunged into relative silence as her hoofsteps got quieter and quieter, before stopping altogether. Konishi nodded, before folding up the hospital gown, placing it down on the towel rack.

He started the short journey back to the shower, but stopped prematurely, turning to face the mirror above the sink. He slowly moved towards it, observing his reflection intently as he did so.

His long black hair fell down to his shoulders, disheveled and still containing clumps of dried up mud and blood from the battle three days prior. His face seemed mostly clean, but still showed signs of wear and tear, tiny particles of dirt mixed in with his stubble.

‘Ancestors, this is what Twilight saw of me? How disrespectful of me”, he thought, before promptly moving to the shower and closing the door behind him.

‘So water should come out instantly hot then? This’ll be interesting’, he thought, before turning the knob right in one fluid motion.

At first he was met by cold water, forcing him to jump out of its way; his hairs standing on end. After a few seconds though, the water began to heat up, reaching a temperature Konishi found to be perfect. Satisfied, the Samurai leaned down, allowing the warm water to cascade down the entirety of his tired body. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched three days worth of sweat-- along with whatever dirt and dried up blood remained from the battle-- wash down the drain, as the warm liquid helped untense his muscles. He quickly put his face under the warm waterfall, rubbing it as he worked to remove all the dirt and blood from his stubble.

‘Ancestors, Twilight was right. How I wish our bathhouses had these’, he thought, basking in an amazing state of blissful relief as he stood there, leaning up against wall. He combed a hand through his long black hair, relieved as the disgusting feeling of greasy hair was literally washed away, along with what remained of the battlefield.

As Konishi washed himself, he couldn’t help but reflect on what had been one of the most interesting days of his life. It had been little under six hours since he had first awoken in this new and alien world, and in that time he had become so fascinated by it.

‘It’s such a shame I’ll only be here for a couple days, otherwise I might’ve explored Equus’, he thought. He knew that was still an option, that all he had to say was that he wanted to stay here. Twilight certainly wouldn’t have any complaints about it, and Celestia seemed too kind to deny such a request, so at the end of the day what was really stopping him?

‘I’m a Samurai, not a free man. I have a duty to my lords and my ancestors, and I cannot drop it all for my own entertainment. My family has enough shame to its name as it is’, he reminded himself, his happy mood somewhat tainted by those thoughts.

The chance to explore Equus was a once in a life opportunity-- one no other human may ever have the chance to do-- and yet he knew he could not take it. As a Samurai the needs of Konishi’s lord outweighed his own, and while Twilight was his temporary lord, he knew it would have to come to an end sooner rather than later.

‘Well then, I guess I’ll just have to cherish the time I have here’, Konishi rallied himself. He was certain he’d remember these next couple days for the rest of his life-- regardless of what happened-- and he certainly didn’t want them to bring sad and depressing emotions up when he looked back on them. ‘No, these will be happy memories. Ones I can look back upon with a sense of pride, knowing these were the days when I became the only human ever to make friends with colourful talking ponies with strange tattoos on their hindquarters.’

‘...Yeah, I’m not going to be able to tell anyone about this am I?’

Chapter 6: Coup d'etat

It was early in the morning as the sun rose over the horizon, casting long shadows across Ponyville as its inhabitants remained deep in their slumber. There was a peaceful aura to the town, as the only sounds came from the birds who sat atop their perches, basking in the light of a new summers day as they sung their morning song.

There was a gentle breeze in the air, carrying whatever dead leaves and petals it came across the streets below. Despite the lacklustre show, the light breeze provided more of a relief from the steadily climbing humidity of the new day, gently tickling the skin of whomever was out and about at this early hour.

With most of Ponyville still trapped in the embrace of their dreams, there was only one being who could truly appreciate the beauty of this sunrise; Konishi. The Samurai sat atop the library’s balcony, enjoying the peacefulness before him, a warm cup of tea in his hand.

‘Nice tea. A little different than what I’m used to, but I’m certainly not going to complain’, he thought, taking another sip out of his tea. He sighed gratefully as the warm liquid helped wake up his tired body. Konishi outstretched his arms, leaning back as the sun crested over Ponyville’s many buildings. ‘I must thank Twilight for making this.’

Twilight herself was still working away in the library. An early riser like Konishi, the young Alicorn had preferred to stay inside and finish her paperwork-- much to Konishi’s great disappointment. It was far too early for royal duties, and he knew she would have benefitted from half an hour or so of relaxing as the sun rose.

Konishi smirked, sipping at his tea once more. ‘One day in and I can already tell that Twilight works too much for her own good.’

Still, at least these few minutes of peace and quiet gave him some time to be alone with his thoughts. He had no doubts that Twilight would try to strike up another conversation and learn more about him. That wasn’t to say Konishi thought of it as a bad thing-- her eagerness to learn was something to be encouraged-- but even he needed to have a few minutes alone every once in a while.

‘I wonder how my familyiscoping after so long. I haven’t seen them in months’, he thought, staring up at the clear blue sky. It had been the better part of a year since he had been called up to war against the Takeda, and since then he had neither seen nor heard from his family.

It wasn’t a surprise, there was very little in the way of long distance communication back in Japan. Though he wrote to them on a weekly basis, he knew there was little chance of a message ever reaching them, or vice-versa. Especially during the last couple of weeks, when the Oda army had been marching through Takeda territory.

‘A shame really, I have much to tell them, and I’m sure they do too’, Konishi mused, taping idly away at the side of his cup with his fingers, a nostalgic smile slowly creeping onto his face.

In an ideal world he’d receive letters from them every week. His mother would no doubt complain about Kojima’s antics and remind him about how much she missed him, while his younger brother would almost certainly be bragging about his latest successes in training and how he would beat Konishi the next time they dueled.

‘The day my brother beats me in a duel will be the day I have to admithe’s a decent warrior. Hehe, not likely to happen for a long time then’, he thought, sitting back confidently on the balcony. Of course these duels were not the life and death duels that many rival Samurai fought to defend their honour, but a simple contest between two brothers to liven up training.

‘Or as Kojima would put it, “My life goal and destiny is to defeat you in battle brother, so that I may prove once and for all that I am the greatest warrior”’, he mused.

Konishi’s nostalgic smile dropped, and he looked down at his tea, the steam slowly wafting into his face. ‘Eight months, and only now do I truly realise how much I miss them’, he thought.

“So, what are you thinking about?” Twilight asked all of a sudden, drawing Konishi’s towards the doorway. He saw the young princess standing there, a cheeky grin on her face. “I’ve been here for almost a minute now and you didn’t notice me. You must have something important on your mind.”

Konishi nodded, before turning back to watch the sunrise, exhaling deeply. “I was just thinking about my family. It’s amazing how well things can be put into perspective when something unexpected happens.”

“Do you miss them?” Twilight asked, though the answer was pretty obvious to both of them.

“More than anything.”

Twilight paced over to Konishi’s side, giving the lone Samurai an understanding smile. “Don’t worry, Princess Celestia has a vast knowledge of magic at her disposal. I’m sure she’ll find a way to get you back home soon enough”, she reassured him.

“Thank you for you assurances Twilight, but I’ve waited almost an entire year to see my family. I’m sure I will last a couple more days without having any problems”, Konishi replied, smiling gratefully back at the lavender Alicorn.

“That’s great to hear, the last thing I want is for you to be not enjoying your time here. Besides, there’s still so many questions I want to ask you”, Twilight told him, receiving rolled eyes from Konishi. “Hey, can you really blame me? Anyway, I came up here to tell you I’m making some breakfast, so if you’re hungry feel free to come downstairs at any time.”

“Thank you Twilight, I think I’ll take you up on that offer”, Konishi declared, bowing at the young Alicorn as she turned to make her way back inside the library. Twilight gave him a gleeful smile in response.

“Good to hear. Just make sure you’ve eaten something before we go, we have a very busy day ahead of us and you’re going to need all the energy you can get”, Twilight warned him, before trotting off downstairs. ‘Especially if we meet Pinkie Pie’, she thought as she left, allowing Konishi to enjoy the last few seconds of sunrise.

‘A lord whom would rather help me than let me help her? This is a strange world indeed’, Konishi thought, regarding what remained of his tea with a quick glance. It was still hot, so he decided to finish it off what was left, before putting the now empty cup to the side, out of his way.

‘So if I’m remembering correctly we have to visit Rarity and Fluttershy today, with the added chance of meeting the other Elements of Harmony while we’re there. Twilight’s right; today’s going to be one very busy day for all of us.’

It was now late in the morning, and the sun had now taken its place high above Ponyville, bringing its hot rays down upon Konishi, Twilight and Spike as they made their way through the small town, attracting attention at every turn. They had known of Konishi’s existence for several days now-- Twilight having told them in an attempt to prevent them from panicking-- but unsurprisingly they were still taken aback by the Samurai as he walked past them, more so than the few ponies who had seen him last night.

Much to both Twilight and Konishi’s relief though they didn’t panic like when Zecora had arrived. Instead they just stopped what they were doing, staring at Konishi as he smiled politely at them. Fortunately their stares were more out of general curiosity rather than fear or disgust.

“Are you sure there was need to worry Twilight? Everyone here just seems curious, as they should be entitled to when meeting someone as different as I”, Konishi told Twilight, bowing slightly at few ponies as he passed, surprised expressions on their faces.

Twilight on the other hand, was a bit more embarrassed. “Perhaps I was a little bit more worried than I needed to be, but can you really blame me? The Princess put you under my supervision, and as such it’s my duty to keep you safe from harm and make sure you’re comfortable with your surroundings. Anything less and I would be failing both you and the Princess.”

“That’s funny, usually it’s the Samurai who protects the lord, not the other way around”, Konishi quipped, grinning cheekily at the young Alicorn next to him. The sweet taste of strawberries-- which had been served at breakfast alongside a plate of pancakes-- lingered in his mouth, having left a lasting impression on his taste buds. ‘Definitely my favourite food from this world thus far.’

Spike skipped merrily in between Twilight and Konishi, unable to contain his joy at the prospect of seeing Rarity. “Oh you don’t need to protect her, Twilight’s more than capable of defending herself. She’s fought against the likes of Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis, Sunset Shimmer, and even the Everfree forest itself. And, she’s beaten them all”, he boasted for the young Alicorn, who shook her head as she chuckled.

“Thanks Spike, but you know I wouldn’t have been able to defeat any of them without you and the girls. I certainly don’t deserve all the credit for it”, Twilight replied humbly, casting her gaze up to Konishi. “Spike’s right in some ways though. I really don’t need protecting. Ponyville is one of the safest places in all of Equestria, and Equestria itself is well renowned for its peacefulness.”

An admiring expression crossed Konishi’s face as he watched Twilight walk. Credit where credit was due, she certainly seemed to do a lot more to protect her people than most lords he knew of. “That’s good to hear. From what I’ve seen so far this is a beautiful place, and I’d hate for it to be tainted by death or war”, he affirmed, motioning to Ponyville for emphasis. It’s tall thatched houses, thriving wildlife, and bustling population of colourful ponies gave it a certain beauty, which would undoubtedly be destroyed in the fires and bloodshed of war.

‘Thank the ancestors that Twilight and her friends live here then, they seem to have everythingunder their control’, he mused, throwing Twilight a quizzical look when she suddenly stopped.

A long shadow was now over them, prompting Konishi to look up in an effort to see what may of caused it. In front of them stood a tall, light blue building, with purple roofs and a thick gold strip marking the divide between the ground floor and the first floor. The entrance to this fascinating building was a simple violet door, a pair of large oval windows flanking it and a drawing of what appeared to be a wooden pony in clothing hanging directly above it, swinging lazily in the breeze.

“Twilight, what building is this?” Konishi asked, raising an eyebrow as Spike raced to the door, rapping his knuckles against as quickly as his stubby arms could muster.

“This is the Carousel Boutique, home and business of Lady Rarity, Element of Generosity”, Twilight told the Samurai, making her way over to the door. Spike continued to jump around enthusiastically as Konishi followed the young Alicorn, his eyes widening when he heard the word ‘lady’.

“She’s a lord too?” he asked in surprise.

Twilight giggled behind her hoof, promptly shaking her head. “No, but you’ll definitely get in her good books if you refer to her as such.”

“Coming~”, a female replied from inside the house, her accent similar to that of the British traders Konishi had seen during one of his many visits to Nagoya. It was an accent Konishi rather liked; sophisticated, but not necessarily condescending.

There was an audible click as the door opened, before an alabaster unicorn poked her head out, her curled indigo mane cascading to one side as she studied her visitors with wide azure eyes. Much to Konishi’s surprise she wore eyeshadow, a cornflower blue colour that seemed to complement her eyes and mane perfectly.

‘How can she even put eyeshadow on though? She has fur. How can every single pony here have those strange tattoos for that matter?’, Konishi internally questioned, scratching the back of his head in confusion. He was aware ponies had skin, but as far as he knew their coat would simply cover up any birthmarks, or in this case, tattoos and eyeshadow. ‘Perhaps I should just put everything down to magic from now on.’

Eventually the unicorn’s gaze fell upon Konishi waist-- having grossly misjudged the Samurai's height-- slowly travelling up his body, eventually stopping at Konishi’s face. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she seemed to wobble slightly on her hooves.

“Oh my… you’re a lot taller than you looked when I saw you in the hospital bed. It’s like talking to a minotaur, just with more clothes and a whole lot less hair”, she stammered in awe, her gaze travelling back down to Konishi’s clothes. Almost instantly she noticed the dried blood on his gown, which he had been attempting to cover up with his hand. “By the gods Twilight, what have you been making this poor being wear? It looks so… so… tacky! And by Celestia, it smells truly awful!”

“I didn’t really have a choice Rarity, you have all of his clothes”, Twilight responded defensively, though judging by Rarity’s expression she was having none of it.

“Then you should’ve come here posthaste once he’d recovered from his wounds and collected his clothing. Allowing him to walk around Ponyville in a bloody hospital gown simply won’t do”, she told Twilight, who looked at Konishi, rolling her eyes. He looked back with a raised eyebrow.

“I told you she’d react like this”, Twilight whispered, barely able to hide a giggle behind her hoof.

“And I have good reason to do so too Twilight Sparkle! Our new friend is a civilised being-- I can tell by his clothing and armour alone-- and the last thing he’ll want to do is present himself as a brutal savage”, Rarity continued, before returning her gaze to Konishi. A small grin crossed the alabaster unicorn’s face as she extended a hoof towards him. “I’m sorry, I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Rarity, Element of Generosity and owner of the Carousel Boutique. Pleasure to meet you.”

Konishi bowed, extending his hand to meet her hoof, shaking the soft, firm appendage gently. It felt different from Twilight’s; softer and more delicate in design, voluptuous even. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too lady Rarity. My name is Konishi Ryutaro, but for you Konishi is fine”, he introduced himself to Rarity, whose cheeks turned a faint red. Twilight on the other hand facehoofed, whereas Spike-- who had been waiting patiently despite his excitement-- glared jealously at the Samurai.

“First you arrive in some of the most exotic armour and clothing I’ve ever seen, and now I learn that you have extremely good manners as well? Konishi, I think you and I are going to be getting along just fine”, Rarity told him gleefully, before finally turning her attention to Spike. She gave the young dragon a sorry smile as he looked up at her. “Hello Spike, how’s my favourite dragon doing? I’m sorry for not greeting you sooner, but it’s not everyday that I get to meet the member of a new species.”

Spike instantly brightened up. “It’s okay, I’m just glad to be here”, he replied, his face the epitome of joy.

Rarity chewed on the inside of her cheek for a second, before returning her gaze to Konishi, motioning to the Carousel Boutique behind her as she did so. “I think you’ve spent enough time in those rags Konishi. If you all come in now, I can fetch your proper clothes for you. I’ve taken the liberty of washing them thoroughly, as well as stitching up any damage I found.”

Konishi bowed respectively as the group followed Rarity into the boutique. “Thank you. You’ve certainly gone to a lot more effort than I was expecting. If there’s anyway I can repay you please tell me, it’s the least I could do”, he offered, studying his new environment as he went.

The room they were currently in had a similar size and shape to that of the main library in Twilight’s house, forming a circle that made up two thirds of the bottom floor. The lightly coloured carpet below tickled at Konishi’s exposed feet, feeling soft and forgiving as the bottom of his toes sank in. Dotted across the room were several podiums, upon which stood wooden ponies; each dressed in a multitude of different outfits. Each podium had a pair of royal purple curtains around them-- similar in theme to that of the wallpaper-- allowing Rarity to cover her work if she so pleased.

There were a myriad of mirrors, materials, and tools scattered across the room, primarily around the podiums and near a few tables off to the left. It was organised chaos in every sense of the word.

“Nonsense Konishi, there’s no need to repay me. I only did what any self-respecting pony would do. Consider your fixed clothes as a welcome to Equestria present from me”, Rarity reassured Konishi, who returned his gaze to the alabaster unicorn. She trotted over to the stairs, craning her neck to look back at the group as she did so. “If you’ll excuse me for a second, your clothes, armour and weaponry are upstairs. Spike, could you be a dear and help me carry it downstairs?”

“Of course!” Spike replied almost instantly, dashing upstairs alongside a giggling Rarity, who winked back at Twilight and Konishi just before she disappeared from view, the last strand of her indigo mane peeking out around the spiral staircase for only a second longer.

Twilight smiled in amusement, strolling past Konishi as she looked around, careful not to tread on any scissors or expensive looking material. “So, what’s your first impression of Rarity then?” she asked him without looking, instead focused on some of Rarity’s new designs. Light from outside glistened off the many sequins that decorated them, forcing Twilight to squint. ‘Too sparkly for my tastes.’

“Well we haven’t really been acquainted for long, but she seems well-mannered and rather generous. All valuable traits in my opinion. As she said, I think we’ll get along just fine”, Konishi replied, tilting his head as he studied a strange red machine on top of one of the tables. It was stood up like a lamp, but had a large bulbous section extending from one side, with a small needle at the end, pointing downwards. “Though I must admit, I am surprised as to how well-mannered and generous she has been so far. She doesn’t even know me much beyond my name, and certainly hasn’t seen a being like me before. I was expecting her to be a little more…”

“Frightened? Wary?” Twilight asked, glancing over at the Samurai, who nodded silently in reply. Twilight shook her head, an amused expression once again across her face. “You may be an alien here, but you’re not scary. As Rarity said, you’re like a minotaur who’s had a rather extensive haircut. Besides, this is Rarity we’re talking about, she’s generous and well-mannered to almost everypony.”

Konishi raised his eyebrow, looking back the young Alicorn. “And when she’s not generous and well-mannered?”

“Well... let’s just say that Prince Blueblood is going to be thinking twice before he’s rude to another mare. I doubt he’s gotten over Rarity’s outburst yet”, Twilight replied, a frown upon her face as the memories of that night came to the forefront of her mind. “It was one of few enjoyable moments in an otherwise disappointing night at the Gala.”

Konishi tilted his head, walking over to Twilight as he asked, “The Gala? What’s that, and why did you find it to be disappointing?”

Twilight sighed, sitting down on her haunches. “The Grand Galloping Gala is an annual royal ball attended primarily by the royalty of Equestria. About two years ago my friends and I received golden tickets to go to said ball, and we all arrived with expectations as to how it would be. Unfortunately though our expectations were far too high, and the whole thing didn’t turn out quite the way we had hoped”, she admitted, rubbing the back of her head with a more embarrassed expression now adorning her features. “I for example had expected to be able to talk to Princess Celestia about my adventures in Ponyville, but she was so busy greeting the nobility that I could hardly get a word in.”

“And I thought I would meet a noble prince and fall in love”, Rarity added as she walked down the stairs, Konishi’s armour and weapons held in her magic. Spike soon followed suit, holding Konishi’s neatly folded clothes in his arms, a pair of geta sitting on top. She gently placed Konishi’s armour down on the floor, before relinquishing his clothes from Spike’s grasp, laying it down alongside the armour. “I met a prince alright, but he certainly wasn’t noble. To be honest he was more of a bastard than anything else, if you’ll excuse my language. Thank you by the way Spike, I really appreciate your help. I’m sure I can spare a few gems for you as a treat.”

“Oh boy, thanks Rarity!” Spike replied ecstatically, already salivating at the meal to come. Thanks to Rarity’s special talent she always had the tastiest gems around, ones that were also extremely hard to come across.

Rarity smiled thankfully at the young dragon, before turning back to Konishi, carefully lifting his clothes over to him with her magic. “Anyway, here are your clothes Konishi, washed and repaired to the best of my abilities. I must admit I’ve never seen seen such an elegant piece of clothing like yours, but I tried to restore it in way which seemed correct.”

Konishi nodded, putting most of his clothes on the floor, before carefully unfolding his kimono. It felt soft in his hands, and had a flowery scent to it, akin to that of Twilight’s shampoo. Much to his surprise the obsidian black clothing showed no signs of damage, except for a thin line of thread where the hole had been stitched back together. “I… Rarity, how did you do this so well? It’s almost as good as new.”

“I work in fashion darling, I know my way around a sewing machine. I did have to cut off a few torn strands here and there, but honestly it was just a simple stitch up. The same goes for your armour, that required no more than a good cleaning and a polish. Whatever injured you out there must have hit you between the gaps in your armour”, Rarity theorised, motioning to the yellow armour, which shone dully in the morning light.

Konishi’s jaw dropped when he saw his armour; the last time it had looked that good he was setting off for war. Even with daily cleaning he could never make it shine like it was now. “There must be someway for me to repay you. Ancestors knows you deserve something for all your troubles.”

Rarity paused, stroking her chin for a moment or two. “Well… there is one thing. While I was looking after your clothes I took the liberty of sketching a few alternative designs for them. I think they’re wonderfully made, and with your permission I’d like to make some of my own for selling purposes”, she proposed, her eyes twinkling with gleeful anticipation. “Who knows, this could be the next big thing in the fashion world!”

Konishi bowed politely. “Of course, you’re more than welcome to try”, he assured, bending down to collect the rest of his clothes. Just like his kimono they were soft, and had the same lavender smell to them. ‘It’s really not all that bad.’

“So aren’t you going to put your clothes back on now? I’m sure you’re desperate to get out of that dirty hospital gown and into something more comfortable”, Rarity inquired, her eyebrow raised as Konishi remained still in his spot, despite having all his clothes back.

Before Konishi could reply Twilight raised her hoof, stepping in front of the Samurai. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this”, she reassured him, before trotting over to Rarity. The young alicorn leaned in, whispering something into her friend’s ear, much to the confusion of Spike and Konishi.

Rarity nodded several times in understanding, before her eyes widened, and she stared at Twilight with an incredulous look. “Really? So it just hangs out in the open?" she asked, a slight blush creeping onto her face. The faces of Twilight and Konishi on the other hand were ablaze, unable to contain their embarrassment at the memories. And just like last time, Spike looked on with a confused expression.

"If you want to be blunt about it... then yes", Twilight replied in a hushed tone.

Rarity nodded slowly in understanding, before a wicked grin worked its way onto her face. "So... you saw him nak-"

"I was just healing him I swear!" Twilight blurted out loudly as she interrupted Rarity, causing everyone in the room to jump slightly. Twilight quickly looked down at the floor, pawing at the purple carpet nervously. "... What I mean is, Konishi was in pain, and I had to see the wound in order to dull it. Thus why his clothes were off and thus why I saw his... parts."

"It was a joke sweetie, no need to get so worked up about it. Besides, I know you can sometimes have trouble controlling your scientific curiosity", Rarity teased Twilight. She turned to Konishi, who certainly wasn't faring any better. "Don't worry Konishi, I won't tease you just yet. That would be rather inconsiderate. If you wish to get dressed in privacy you can just go onto one of the podiums over there and I'll close the curtains."

"T-thank you", Konishi quietly uttered in reply, making his way over to the nearest empty podium.

"Please avoid damaging my designs if you can darling, I've put a lot of time and effort into them", Rarity told the Samurai, before closing the curtains behind him with a small application of magic. She turned back to Twilight. "He seems nice, how long have you two been dating?"

"Rarity, I'm not dating Konishi. I only saw his private parts once and it was by accident. Not on purpose", Twilight insisted, gritting her teeth in frustration.

Rarity giggled softly, wrapping a foreleg around her friend's shoulders. "Of course Twilight dear, I believe you. On a completely unrelated note would you like some tips on how to please your-"

"No!" Twilight practically shouted, drawing a raised eyebrow from Rarity and a worried expression from Spike. The young Alicorn laughed nervously. "What I meant to say is... aren't we forgetting something? I didn’t just come here to collect Konishi’s belongings."

Rarity stroked her chin, pondering what Twilight meant. After a minute of near silence her eyes light up in understanding. "Of course, how silly of me to forget. You’re here to check up on my newest design for your Grand Galloping Gala dress. I only hope it goes better than the last time we were there.”

“I’m sure it will, we know what to expect this time around. Pretentious nobles, rude prince’s, and whole lot of talking and hoof shaking”, Twilight joked, gaining a small giggle from Rarity. Twilight turned her attention to the dress she had spotted earlier, a contemplative look adorning her features. “Besides, I’m a princess now. The nobility expect me to turn up, no doubt so they can attempt to influence me. Faust, if you girls weren't coming along as well I'd almost certainly be bored out of my mind all night long."

"And that's why we're coming dear, to support you", Rarity reassured Twilight, gently patting the young Alicorn on the back. Using her magic the alabaster unicorn floated over several pieces of paper, moving them into Twilight’s view. “Now then, what’s your opinion in these designs? I thought something a bit more regal to complement your newly found princesshood would be best.”

“Can’t I just wear the same dress I wore last time? I liked that one”, Twilight told Rarity, who shook her head in disapproval.

“Darling, you’re a princess now, you can’t just wear the same dress again. Ponies will look to you for inspiration, and if you turn up wearing the same dress as before what are they going to think?” she asked rhetorically, moving her designs closer to Twilight’s face. “No, you’re going to wear a new dress to the Gala, for your benefit as much as mine and the fashion world’s.”

Twilight sighed in defeat, rolling her eyes as she replied, “Fine then, but please Rarity, nothing too fancy or over the top. I'll already have enough attention as it is. Just something simple that goes with my crown and is comfortable for my wings."

"As you wish Twilight, though I can't promise I'll hold back. You can't cage artistic genius", Rarity reminded her friend, adding a cheeky wink at the end for emphasis. In flash the Element of Generosity turned around, now smiling gleefully at Spike. "And don't think I've forgotten about you either Spike, I'll be sure to make a dashing little suit for my favourite little dragon."

Spike growled, his arms folded in annoyance. 'I always get dragged along to these girly parties', he thought, though didn't voice his opinions, lest he upset Rarity. ‘At least she’ll be there as well, otherwise I really wouldn’t be looking forward to it.’

Before anyone could strike up another conversation, Konishi opened the podium curtains, finally changed. His clean black kimono had replaced the dirty hospital gown, the deep blue Hakama covering the very bottom and travelling down to the end of his shin. His feet were now covered behind the warm wool of his tabi, a pair of geta slipped over each one.

“Better?” he asked, stepping down from the podium and making his way towards the others, the hospital gown tucked under his armpit.

Twilight smiled, nodding her head happily. “Much better. I was a little pessimistic at first, but those clothes really suit you”, she told Konishi. Unsurprisingly, Rarity poked the young Alicorn in the side, bouncing her eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner. “... No Rarity, just no.”

“You can’t really blame me Twilight, you’re making it far too easy”, Rarity teased, sticking her tongue out slightly. Eventually she retracted her tongue, turning to the Samurai before her. “I have to admit though, those clothes do look better when they’re on somepony. If only they were a more vibrant colour, then they’d be perfect.”

“Lighter colours are more for the women and lords of my people, not Samurai. Besides, I don’t think vibrant colours would suit me all that well”, Konishi admitted, rubbing the back of his head and smiling sheepishly.

“You don’t know until you try dear. I think a nice light purple would complement you perfectly. Lavender-- if you want to be more specific”, Rarity spoke teasingly, taking a little time to wink at the still deadpanning form that was Twilight Sparkle. She turned her attention to the rest of Konishi’s belongings, which still lay on the floor in a neat pile. “So then, what do you plan to do with your armour and weapons? I hardly think that walking around Ponyville in all that is going to give off the right message.”

“I agree. So far everyone here has reacted to me quite calmly, though I’m sure that would change if I started walking around in my armour. Plus it’s not exactly light, and I’d rather not wear it on such a humid day unless I have to”, Konishi agreed, making his way over to the small pile. Bending down, he rummaged through the pile, eventually extracting his katana and wakizashi.

Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw the swords. “Are you seriously taking them with you? How’s that any better than strutting around in armour?” she asked, stopping Konishi in his tracks.

“It’s tradition for a Samurai to wear his swords at all times of the day. They’re more than just weapons, they’re a part of me, a symbol of who I am and where I come from. Asking me to leave my swords is like asking me to leave a piece of myself behind. It hasn’t felt right ever since I woke up yesterday, and it still doesn’t feel right now”, he explained, looking down at the sheathed blades. The familiar shape of their hilt in his hands was a welcome feeling. “However, while my traditions are important to me, I understand that they may unnerve some of the ponies here, as you are no doubt worried about. So as my Equestrian lord, I believe it is only fitting if you decide what I should do.”

Slowly, and much to the surprise of everyone in the room, Konishi drew his katana, holding the hilt in his left hand and the blade itself in his right. The metal shone wonderfully in the light as Konishi got onto his knees, bowing his head and presenting the sword to Twilight.

“All I can do is promise on my honour that unless commanded to by yourself-- or our lives are at risk-- I shall not draw my sword on any living creature, regardless of my personal opinion of them”, he vowed in a hushed tone, his gaze planted on the ground as he awaited her reply.

All eyes-- bar Konishi’s-- turned to Twilight, who just stood there, left speechless by Konishi’s flattering promise. It had certainly brought back the heavy blush to her face. “Okay then, I trust you”, she eventually told Konishi, still taken aback by how far he had gone to prove himself. “Let’s just hope Ponyville doesn’t overreact when they see you walking around with swords.”

Konishi smiled, before rising up onto his feet, sheathing his katana in one slick motion. He quickly tied his sword belt around his waist, bowing to Twilight once he was finished. “Thank you Twilight, and I’m sure they won’t. Once they realise that I mean them no harm they probably won’t give my swords a second glance”, he reassured her.

Twilight nodded in agreement, before turning to face Rarity, who had been watching the whole scene in stunned silence. “Could you possibly look after the rest of Konishi’s things until we come back to collect Spike? It would make our lives a whole lot easier.”

“Of course Twilight, consider it my honour. I suppose that means you’ll be going now, correct?” Rarity asked, receiving a silent nod from the young Alicorn next to her. The fashionista nodded back before turning to the Samurai, extending her hoof to bid him adieu. “It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Ryutaro, feel free to drop by anytime you need something, or maybe if you’re just in the mood for a chat. I serve a whole range of tea that is just to die for.”

Konishi chuckled, shaking her hoof firmly. “Rarity, you had me sold at ‘tea’. I am sure we will meet again while I am here”, he assured Rarity, releasing her hoof from his grasp.

“Have fun while we’re gone Spike, and try not to get in Rarity’s way too much”, Twilight called back in a teasing tone as both her and Konishi made their way to the front door.

“You bet!” Spike replied happily, unable to hide his enthusiasm at the prospect of several hours alone with the mare of dreams.

The mare in question stepped forwards, a small grin growing on her face. “Oh and Konishi, if you ever need tips on how to please your mare I’d be more than happy to-”

“Nope!” Twilight shouted, quickly pushing Konishi out of the Boutique and slamming the door behind her, drowning out Rarity’s laughter.

Konishi glanced at the door, then Twilight, a quizzical look upon his features. “Twilight, what did she mean? Why would I need tips on how to please a mare?” he asked the young Alicorn repeatedly, who’s blush just wouldn’t go away.

“That’s just Rarity being Rarity, it’s best to just ignore her when she’s like that. Come along now, otherwise we’ll be late to Fluttershy’s”, Twilight warned, trotting off down the dirt road. Konishi regarded the Carousel Boutique with one last glancing look, before setting off after Twilight, the hot sun beating down upon them as he did so.

Rays from the early morning sun flickered through bars of the cell window, illuminating the room in a dull, eerie green light. Seeing this, the cell’s lone inhabitant slowly crawled into the light, the chains around her hooves rattling against the dank stone floor as she did so. Her wings and horn were wrapped in black steel restraints, preventing her from be able to escape via flight or teleportation. She shivered as the cold metal dug lightly into her carapace.

The former changeling queen sighed in relief, closing her eyes as she basked her tired, beaten body in the early morning rays. A coup d'etat took a lot of energy out of anyone, and her body showed the results of her futile efforts.

The changeling let out a weak chuckle, finding some humour in her dire predicament. ‘Battered and bruised? How unbecoming of a queen’, she mused, a slight smile adorning her face. Internally she was seething in anger and hatred towards those that had betrayed her, but did well to keep it hidden behind a veneer of calmness and self-control. ‘They don’t deserve such satisfaction.’

She didn’t turn when she heard hoofsteps echoing down the hallway, nor did she turn when the door behind her was unlocked, letting out a loud creak as it was opened. “My quee- Chrysalis, you’ve been summoned.”

Chrysalis smirked, slowly turning to face the guards that stood in the doorway. “Even now you still have to stop yourself from calling me your queen. Tell me, how much did it take to betray me and your changeling comrades? Were you ever truly loyal to me, or did they have to pay you?” she asked, before standing up and slowly walking towards them, steps hindered by her chains. The guards quickly diverted their gaze from their former queen, looking down at the stone floor. “Or are you just too afraid to stand up for your true queen?”

One of the changeling guards swallowed nervously, squirming under Chrysalis’ gaze as he motioned to the hallway outside. The ousted queen shook her head, but acknowledged the guards command with a subdued chuckle. ‘Their reaction is to be expected. What could a few drones do against an army anyway?’

Eight heavily armed guards stood around Chrysalis in the cramped hallway, their gaze focused solely on the former queen as her hoof chains were removed one by one. Some held the usual serious expression of a guard-- obviously not caring that their former queen was in chains-- while others had a more shameful expression, floundering whenever Chrysalis looked at them.

Eventually she felt the cold hard steel of her chains leave her hooves, allowing her to stretch her fatigued body to its fullest extent, a few satisfying pops coming from her back. Her wing and horn restraints stayed on though, keeping the chance of a successful escape at a noticeable low. The ability to gallop was all well and good, but against captors who could fly and teleport her freedom would undoubtedly be short-lived.

“Get moving”, one of her guards instructed, poking a hind leg with his spear. Chrysalis glared at her rude captor, before setting off down the hallway. The guards kept a tight formation around their prisoner so as to deter her from attempting to escape at any point.

The protracted walk through the myriad of castle hallways remained silent as ever, only the sound of armour against marble and the occasional whisper from one guard to another echoing around them. Every so often they’d pass a guard or servant, the latter of whom would often bow at Chrysalis as they passed. Though they’d soon return to clearing up the damage caused by the coup d’etat after an angry glare from the guards.

They certainly had their work cut out for them. While most of the bodies, weapons and blood had been cleaned up, scorch marks still covered the walls and floor of the castle, left there by extensive magic use. As a result broken glass and marble lay scattered across the floor, forcing the group to tip-toe their way around the sharp objects.

Chrysalis couldn’t help but grimace as several guards tore an ancient painting of queen Carapace-- her mother-- from the wall, stuffing it into their saddlebags as if it were nothing but toilet paper. ‘No doubt they’ll burn it like everything else. Disrespectful whelps.’

Eventually the group came across the large obsidian doors of the throne room, behind which Chrysalis’ fate would be decided. ‘Usurpers...my changelings will never accept their judgement, or their rule. They will all suffer for this’, she thought bitterly, as the guards slowly pushed the large doors open with their magic, before pushing her into the throne room.

Instantly the former queen was under the cold hard gaze of many eyes as many of her former nobles watched her enter the room. Unsurprisingly they had been the first to defect to the new regime, never truly happy with Chrysalis’ rule, especially after the failed invasion of Canterlot. They had always wanted a more direct approach to the Equestrian problem.

Chrysalis gave each and everyone of them a cold glare of her own, before turning her attention to the fast approaching throne. Upon it sat the smirking figure of her former general; Valia.

She was tall; around about the same height as Chrysalis, and wore heavy obsidian armour, as short red cape lying on top of it. Her luminous orange mane cascaded down to her knees, and a pair of equally colourful eyes watched the former queen as she approached the throne. On her hips sat her swords, sheathed in their leather holders just in case she needed to use them.

To her left stood someone even taller though: Thanix, a mute thirteen foot tall behemoth. Behemoth’s were the only artificially bred changelings in the Collective, and were basically living, breathing, battering rams. They lacked agility and-- in most cases-- intelligence, but more than made up for it with sheer physical and magical strength, along with their obvious intimidation factor.

Rather fittingly, there was a large two-handed hammer across his back, as well one of the Griffin’s newest weapons: a handcannon. Except this handcannon was huge, and could fire actual-- albeit small-- cannonballs instead of the normal bullets. Those cannonballs sat in a large pouch on Thanix’s hip, which he carried about as if they weighed nothing.

"Ah, Chrysalis. Did you enjoy your stay in the dungeons? It's no less than you deserve", Valia said triumphantly, motioning Chrysalis' guards away with her hoof.

Chrysalis chuckled, pacing forward until she was at the foot of the throne. "No, but fortunately my time in a cell will be as short lived as yours on the throne. My changelings will never accept your rule."

"I do not need the acceptance of the peasants Chrysalis, I have the backing of the nobility and the military. They shall obey regardless of their opinion towards me, or they shall be made an example of. Simple", Valia told her former queen, allowing herself to relax on her new throne. “You see, that’s where you’ve been going wrong all this time. Why please the peasants-- who have no say as to what royalty does whatsoever-- when you can just as easily please the nobility, and for double the profit?”

A murmur of agreement came from the nobles as Valia jumped off her throne, slowly pacing down the steps. “The state makes them happy, the state gets more bits. Those bits can then be spent on improving the military. The military can then be used to achieve what you failed at… oh I don’t know, a successful invasion of Canterlot perhaps!?” she shouted passionately, before grabbing Chrysalis with her magic, dragging the former queen towards her. “Seriously, you had an entire army, how could you fail against a brainwashed pony and his wife? Disgraceful.”

Despite her position, Chrysalis couldn’t help but snicker, grinning widely at Valia. “Is that what this whole coup d’etat is about? Revenge against Equestria, or do you just seek to prove that you are a better leader than me?” she asked. Valia growled, backhoofing Chrysalis across the marble floor.

“Arrogant fool, I am here for a greater purpose than revenge! I intent to reclaim the glory of the Changeling Collective, the glory you left in tatters when you and what remained of your pathetic army came crawling back without so much as a single pony for us to feast on! I intend rebuild this great nation, to purge the system of the weak and lazy you have so ineptly been allowed to live. And I will ensure our survival once and for all by doing what you were always too cowardly to do; annex Equestria and the Crystal Empire and finally gain a permanent source of love. Never again will we have to rely upon subterfuge for our food. Never again will our enemies threaten us!” Valia spoke passionately, receiving a rapturous applause for the nobles. Even Chrysalis was clapping, albeit sarcastically as she rose to her hooves, spitting a bit of green blood out of her mouth.

“Bravo Valia. Spoken like a true villain, monologue and all”, she told Valia in a mocking tone, who simply chuckled, shaking her head in derision.

“Sanctimonious as ever I see. I’m no villain Chrysalis, I only work for the greater good. The needs of the strong outweigh the needs of the weak, and only when a species understands that will it truly be great”, Valia argued, turning her back upon Chrysalis as she returned to her throne. She mock yawned, slumping down in her royal seat. “I grow bored of this pointless argument, so let’s get to the real reason why you’re here; your sentencing.”

At Valia’s command a drone landed next to her, giving the former general a long scroll, before taking off again. Chrysalis smirked. “Is that all for me? How flattering.”

“You can be as nonchalant as you like Chrysalis, but you’re not fooling anypony. You’re afraid that I might sentence you to death, and no amount of sarcasm can hide it”, Valia replied in a mocking tone, unfurling the scroll in one fluid motion. It was so long it rolled all the way down to the top step.

“Wouldn’t anypony be afraid of death?” Chrysalis mumbled under her breath, watching intently as Valia skimmed through the scroll. It was merely a formality, but a formality which Valia seemed to take great pleasure in doing. ‘Anything to extend my suffering.’

“Failing to annex Canterlot? Failing to provide the Collective with a permanent love source? And considering a peace treaty with the Equestrians!? Chrysalis, this is more than enough for me to have you executed several times over”, Valia told her former queen, a menacing grin etching its way onto her face. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“If you think you can do a better job at leading this nation than me then you’re sorely mistaken. Military rule will only get you so far, especially without royal blood. I only sought peace with the Equestrians because our love reserves are at an all time low. It was certainly a better alternative to what you're proposing”, Chrysalis explained, her eyes narrowed and her stance defensive. “If you go through with this, the changelings will forever go down as monsters in Equus history.”

Valia chuckled, motioning for her guards to return the Chrysalis’ side. “History is written by the victor, and we shall be victorious. Mark my words”, she said, before turning to the guards. “Take this whelp back to the dungeons, she has an execution to attend tomorrow and must make herself ready.”

“Yes my queen”, one of the guards nodded, before he and the other guards grabbed Chrysalis by her shoulders, attempting to drag her off. Before they could though Chrysalis pushed them off, staring angrily at Valia.

“This is the only chance I will give you Valia! Give me back my throne, and I will consider letting you and your subordinates live. If you refuse, then there will be nowhere in Equus for you to hide. I will hunt you down, and I will kill you”, Chrysalis threatened, standing firmly against the guards that pushed against her.

Valia sat in silence for several seconds, before breaking into a roaring laugh, wiping a mock tear from her face. “That has to be the funniest joke I’ve heard in years! Maybe you should have taken up a role as court jester, you certainly seem more adept at it than being a queen”, Valia joked, an amused smirk adorning her face.

Chrysalis growled, turning around and allowing the guards to take her away. “So be it.”

“I’ll send my regards to Cadence and her husband. I’m sure they’ll be very eager to learn of your demise”, Valia called out, a shit eating grin across her face. Chrysalis stopped for a second, pondering a reaction. A witty quip in response perhaps... She decided against it though, allowing the guards to escort her to her cell once more. ‘Oh Valia, revenge upon you will be swift and glorious.’