I continued to levitate in the direction the pony had given until A castle came into view.

'How... generic.'

Stopping my levitation in favor of walking the rest of the distance, I found myself hearing a faint noise. A constant, dull droning not dis-similar to a persistent insect, only the noise did not seem to be coming from anything I could see.

Shaking my head I ignored it and steadily continued forward, eventually sighting a rather unsteady looking bridge with two ponies wearing armour on either side of it.

As I came into their view, they immediately reacted, lowering previously unnoticed spears and pointing them in my general direction as they seeming grew more and more tense as I got closer.

Now that I was close enough, I could see differences between the two.
The one on the right, MY right, was a white unicorn in bright golden armour, where as the one on the left, as a dark grey pegasus in darkened armour, but what surprised me most of all was that the pegasus had leathery wings, very different to the pegasus that I scared half to death earlier, and on top of it he had the faintest signs of fangs, FANGS, peeking out from under his top lip.

"Halt, creature," they said in near perfect unison.

Looking down at them, I asked, "Why should I?"

"Because we ordered thou to," they replied, pushing their spears ever so slightly closer.

I smirked behind my mask. "I'm not part of your command structure. I'm not even a denizen of this nation. So again, why should I?"

"Because if thou dost not halt we shall take thee into custody."

Grabbing the hilt of my small blade, I told them, "Do not think me some easy target that will go willingly. Now put your toys away before you hurt yourselves."

At this, they immediately thrust forward with their spears in an attempt to run me through. As they did, I drew my blade, slashed of the heads of their spears and re-sheathed it faster than the eye could follow, stunning myself in the process.

My surprise was cut short as they jabbed me with, now flat ended, sticks.

Grabbing the shafts out of their grips, I whacked them up the sides of their heads and demanded, "Take me to your princesses, now!"

They backed up slightly before once again attempting to stand their ground.
"We will die before we let a monster like thee near our princesses," the unicorn declared.

Casually walking over, I looked him in the eye and grabbed him by his horn and squeezed it to the point where I could feel the faintest of cracks starting.
"Are you so eager to throw away your life?"

Do it! End it! End him!

When the unicorn started grunting in pain, his counterpart stepped forward and said, "Stop. If thou let him go, I'll take thee to Princess Luna after she's raised the moon."

Turning my attention to the pegasus, I could tell he was honest in his attempt at negotiating.

Without taking my eyes off his, I nodded, saying, "Very well."

I let go of the horn, but before my hand was more than a few inches away, I punched the unicorn across the muzzle, knocking him to the ground.

As he glared up at me I pushed my face to a hair's breadth away from his and said, "Never call me a monster. I'm far worse than anything you have or ever will see."

As I stepped back, the world around us grew noticeably darker as the sun descended rapidly, before the world took on a ghostly appearance with the moon rising to replace it.

Looking to the pegasus, who seemed a bit more at ease in the night, I gave him an impatiently expectant look, or at least as close a one I could manage behind a mask.

Somehow reading my expression, he quickly said, "Follow me. I'll escort thee to the princess," and started along the bridge, with me following closely.

When we entered the castle foyer, he said, "The princess will be in the throne room shortly for night court. I must ask thee to wait here as I announce thee."

After nodding my approval, he left through a side door.

I was approaching the throne room to open night court, when I was approached by my guard captain, Half Light, who quickly bowed at the sight of me.

Raising a brow, I queried, "Captain, wouldst thou kindly explain why thou art not at thine post?"

Rising, he explained the situation of how a mysterious creature, one he had not ever heard of, was awaiting my audience.

Looking to the doors, I said, "We are glad with the decision thou hast made. Very well then, we shall hear this being's plea. Thou shall show this being in when we hath taken to our throne."

"Yes your highness," he said, opening the doors to the throne room for me.

I leaned against a wall as I waited to be seen by the princess, and watched as ponies in gaudy 'noble' clothes made their way into the foyer, gave their names to a guard on the side and took seats as they waited, all while only ever seeing me in a passing glance.
Whether or not they failed to see me or simply ignored me, I didn't care.

When the fourth or so pony entered, the guard who brought me returned and said, "Princess Luna will see thee now."

Stepping away from the wall, I followed as the first pony who arrived, a unicorn and obviously a part of the upper nobility, got up and started to whine at the name-taking guard.
Before the doors shut behind me, I heard him argue, "Why in Celestia's name is a beastly minotaur, and a poor one at that, as its attire and build suggest, being seen before ME?!"

Smiling behind my mask at his childishness, I directed my attention towards the large pony on the throne before me.

We sized each other up as the guard said, "I present thee to her highness, Princess Luna, dream watcher and princess of the night."

He then turned to the princess and said, "Your highness, I present... err?"

Glancing at the guard, I answered, "Jack of Blades."

Watching me suspiciously, she said, "T'is a pleasure to make thy acquaintance. Pray tell, why have thou sought our audience?"

"I seek a means to-," was all I got out before the doors burst open, drawing both our attention, and the noble from earlier stormed in, shouting at any and all guards present, "This is an outrage! I shall not be seen second to a lesser creature!" before looking at me saying, "I demand satisfaction! I hereby challenge thee to a duel!"

Turning back to the princess, I simply said, "No."

From the look on the look on her face, I could only guess what the noble's own expression was like as he screamed, "No?! Thou will not deny ME! I DEMAND satisfaction!!"

Still facing Luna, I replied, "If you insist. When and where?"

A loud clop resonated as the pony presumably stamped his hoof. "Here and now. I will teach thee whom thy better is!"

Chuckling, I faced him, forgoing the Sword of Aeons for my hooked dagger, saying, "Then draw your blade."

In response, the pony took on a punch-ably smug expression. "My blade? Truly, thou art of an uncivilised and inferior nature if thou know not of magic."

"So be it."
I sheathed my dagger.

The pony quickly separated his forelegs, lowered his head and released a bolt of magic at me, which I side-stepped, letting the blast hit the wall to the left of Luna.
As more knowledge of Will flooded into me, I lazily flicked my left hand at him, sending a tennis ball sized orb of blueish white energy racing at him.
When it made contact with the stallions chest, he was sent flying backwards into the closed door, causing him to cry out.

Walking over, I lifted him by his throat and asked, "Have you had your satisfaction?" eliciting a weak nod.

Opening the door once again, I roughly threw him back into the foyer and slammed it.

When I turned back, I saw Luna had made her way near me, saying, "We apologise for the rash actions of our subject. As an apology, we offer the use of a guest room within the castle and we shall see if we can meet thy request in the morn."

Bowing my head, I answered, "You have no need to apologise for another's actions, but I will accept your generous offer."

"Then we shall have Captain Half Light show thee to a room," She said, nodding towards the guard whom I had been following earlier.

After being silently led through several corridors, I was finally in a room.

Sitting on the bed, put my hands to my mask and removed it.
For some reason, it was as if there was a resistance as I pulled, and as it came away the myriad of whispering voices I'd been hearing had ceased.

Curious, I ran my fingers over its surface.
Despite having been worn for hours on end, it was cool to the touch and had an unusual texture unlike anything I had ever felt.
It certainly wasn't plaster, plastic or even metal.

dismissing my suspicions, I put it down an a set of drawers beside the bed and lay down, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

My eyes snapped open.

Two years of searching and I'd finally found the weak point between my prison and the living world.
Two years since I'd had a portion of my power return to me.

Grinning, I pushed my magic through the weakness, a hole forming in its place.

When it was large enough, I slipped through into a clearing, much like the one from when I first arrived.

Again calling on my magic, I shrouded my face behind red shadows and made
a declaration to life itself.

"Jack is back!"

Author's Notes:

Hopefully this chapter clears up a few of the questions I've been asked.
If it doesn't answer a question of yours, feel free to ask in the comments.