Jack's eyes narrowed slightly as his hoof slowly moved towards his blade, not liking the look in the princess' eyes as she glared at him. "Why do you want my sword?" Jack put forth.

"Because that blade did what should be impossible. It stopped...no, KILLED Tirek," Twilight said with a very low tone, her eyes resting upon the scabbard. "Even the Rainbow Power was incapable of that. A weapon like that...can't be left out in the world. Who knows what could happen if somepony evil got their hooves on it? I'm going to take it to Canterlot, where we'll keep it with the other dangerous, magical artifacts."

"This sword belongs to me. I was the one chosen to wield it," Jack informed her when she took a step towards him, his words making her eyes narrow slightly. "And I swear that I shall use this blade to slay any evil that I come across. You need not worry about it falling into the wrong hands."

"Its magic is strong enough to kill Tirek, powerful enough to slice Discord and only Faust knows what else," Twilight said with a shake of her head. "Please, I'm asking you to give it to me so that we can keep Equestria safe. If only you could wield it, I would be less inclined to take it, but seeing as anypony can hold that blade...please, give it to me so nopony else can get their hooves on it."

"Twilight, I understand that you are only doing this because you see the blade as dangerous and a possible threat. All you wish is to keep those you care about safe," Jack said with understanding that made Twilight's eyes light up for a second before Jack's face hardened as he shook his head as well. "But I will not hand over my blade to you. It is all that stands between a great evil and total domination. I cannot risk losing it."

"Jack, as Princess of Friendship, I order that you give the blade to me," Twilight demanded, trying to use her status to make the samurai obey.

"And as prince...no, king of my fallen nation, I tell you that I will not give you my blade," Jack coldly replied before turning his back to Twilight as he started to walk away. "I am through talking with you. It seems you are not quite as Applejack described you. I wish you a good day."

Twilight scowled as she tried to think of something else to say, but it was clear that the samurai wasn't going to listen to her. Not sure what else to do, and afraid of leaving such a weapon loose in the world, her horn began to glow as her magic wrapped itself around his scabbard. Jack's eyes flashed down towards his sheath just in time to see Twilight's magic yank it over to her, causing the samurai to spin around with a snarl.

"I'm truly sorry Jack, but this weapon is far too dangerous to be left in your hooves," Twilight apologized as she looked at the scabbard beside her...to find that the blade was not in it. Her eyes went wide as her head spun towards Jack, who wore a smug smile as he pulled his blade out from behind his back. "Jack, I'll ask you one last time..."

"Do you really want my sword that badly?" Jack asked Twilight, who nodded her head. Then Jack's eyes narrowed into slits as he brought the sword down in front of his eyes, reflecting the purple mare in the shine of his sword. "Then come and get it."

"Jack, I'm not going to-" Twilight began before the samurai leapt back, baffling Twilight as he cleared a four story building and began to race along the rooftops. She growled before taking to the sky, following after the samurai as he leapt from roof to roof with speeds she had never seen in a regular Earth pony. "Fine, I didn't want it to come to this but a simple sleeping spell should stop this foolishness."

Twilight's horn glowed once more as she fired a bolt of magic towards the samurai, but a smile crossed his face as he spun and swung with his sword, slicing the spell clean in two and causing it to fizzle out. Twilight's jaw dropped as the samurai smiled up at her before leaping down into the space between two buildings. With another growl Twilight followed after him, but when she reached the alley he had leapt into she found that he was already in the streets, sprinting at full speeds through a heavy crowd.

"Out of my way please!" Twilight yelled as she raced after him, yet it only took her a few seconds to realize that he was far faster on land than she was, even with the crowd swarming the both of them. Taking to the sky once more Twilight followed after the samurai, who kept his focus on the train station that he could see off in the distance. He then glanced over his shoulder at Twilight, who was closing in on him from the sky.

"Very well Twilight, I will show you the power of my sword," Jack whispered to himself before breaking free of the crowd in a burst of speed, turning around as he skidded to a stop to face the princess, who landed in front of him.

"Finally decided to stop running huh? Does that mean you're giving up and you'll finally hand the blade over to me?" Twilight asked Jack. But to her surprise the samurai's eyes flashed like thunder as he held his blade beside him, taking up a stance the likes of which Twilight had never seen. "J-Jack, what are you doing?"

"You wish to see the power of the blade I wield? Then I shall show it to you." Twilight's eyes widened in horror as Jack lunged at her with a scream that pierced the heavens, the samurai practically a blur as his sword flashed in the light. Twilight didn't have time to react as she heard the sound of the blade striking her before Jack came to a stop behind her, letting out a small sigh as he stood up and looked back at her. "Do you see now? This blade is not a threat to you or any that you protect."

Twilight began to hold her hooves to her body, certain that the blade had struck her, yet there was no sign of an injury anywhere on her body. "But...but I felt the blade strike me! I heard it strike me!" she argued, but Jack gave her a stern glare that silenced her.

"Yes, my blade did strike you. But you are an innocent with a noble heart that only seeks to help and protect those you care for," Jack reminded her as he showed her the ancient blade. "This blade was crafted to destroy those who are evil or who seek to harm those who are innocent. It is powerful enough to strike down an evil being such as Tirek, but its blade will not even scratch those who are good of heart. That is why it did not cut you."

"It...can't?" Twilight muttered as she placed her hoof one last time where the blade had struck her, amazed that her coat wasn't even damaged in the slightest. She then glanced up at Jack as he recovered his scabbard and sheathed his blade, avoiding Twilight's gaze. "You know, you could have just told me that the blade only slayed evil and then we could have-"

"You did not believe me when I said I would only use the blade to slay evil. You did not listen to what I had to say about it, despite me knowing far more about my sword than you. You made it clear that talking would just waste my breath," Jack chastised her with a look that made Twilight stare down at the ground. "A ruler must know when to listen in the face of danger as well as know when to act. If you are truly a princess of Equestria, then you have much to learn. Now if you will excuse me, I must-"

"Wise words indeed, samurai. It is clear that you have learned much on your journeys." Jack's head snapped up as he heard the voice, stunned when he saw two more of the pegasi/unicorn hybrids floating down towards him. One of them had a white coat as pure as the snow and a mane that flowed with a beauty that Jack had not seen before. The other was a midnight blue and her mane reminded Jack of the constellations in the night sky. Yet they barely had the chance to land before his blade was out again and his eyes were narrowed, preparing for their attack.

"There is no need to worry samurai, we mean you no harm," the midnight blue one said as she walked forward, looking into Jack's eyes for a second before both her eyes widened in shock. She said nothing about what she had seen though as she stepped back, allowing for the taller of the two to speak.

"Please forgive us for being concerned, but your weapon...is not something we have seen before," the white one said with a small bow. "After hearing all it could do, some of us," she said with a quick glance at Twilight, who hung her head slightly. "Overreacted. I pray that this does not cause you to hate us." Jack stared at the two for a moment before he bowed his head to them.

"You were simply concerned for your ponies. It is in the past," he finished with a smile before extending a hoof. "They call me Jack."

"I am Princess Celestia. Ruler of the sun," Celestia responded with a smile as she shook Jack's hoof before looking at the weapon that hung at his side. "Quite the curious blade. Able to slay any evil yet it is completely harmless to the innocent. What do you make of that sister?"

"All I know is that I would not like to feel its bite, given my history," Luna said with a shamefaced grin as she shook Jack's hoof as well. "I am Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night. It is an honor to finally meet the legendary samurai." Jack nodded in return before turning his gaze upon Twilight, who was staring at the ground instead of the samurai. Jack then walked over to the princess, who stared at the ground even harder, before he smiled and extended his hoof to her, causing her to glance up in surprise.

"As I said Twilight, it is in the past. I am called Jack." Twilight slowly smiled as she shook his hoof. "And do not worry, Applejack informed me that you can be a bit...difficult."

"Oh she did, did she?" Twilight asked with a smirk and a small nod.

"So you have met Applejack already, Jack?" Celestia asked.

"Indeed. She has saved my life on more than one occasion and provided aid for me when I arrived in this strange place," Jack recalled with a smile. "I am deeply indebted to her."

"She's always been kind, even to strangers," Luna nodded, yet Jack was aware that she seemed to be glancing at his blade. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just...wondering something," Luna admitted when she realized that she had been staring, "about that blade and its ability...to tell who is innocent and who is not."

"That reminds me, you are responsible for finally putting an end to Tirek, are you not?" Celestia asked Jack, who nodded in reply. "I see. That means that you are also the one who saved all of the ponies from being...consumed by him."

"Indeed. I cannot believe that Tirek would go so far as to absorb the life force of ponies as well as their magic," Luna spat with anger. "Even the foals of that city would not have escaped his hunger. Samurai Jack, my sister and I believe that we both owe you a thanks, an apology and much more. If there is anything we can do for you, all you need to do is ask."

Jack 's first instinct was to tell them that there was no need to thank him, that the deed was thanks enough, but then he remembered why he had been running to the train station in the first place. Why he was willing to fight one of Applejack's friends to reach his destination.

"Can you get me to where Tundrous lies?" Surprise and shock rippled across the faces of the three princesses, not surprising Jack in the least. He remembered Cheerilee's reaction.

"Jack...I assume that if you know of that name, you know what he is capable of," Celestia said with a dead seriousness, yet when Jack nodded there was only resolve in his eyes.

"Yes. He can grant my wish." From the look on Jack's face, all three of the princesses knew that there was no changing his mind, but Celestia still tried.

"Jack, whatever this wish of yours is I am certain that we can-"

"No. Even Discord was not able to do what I required and his power exceeds yours," Jack said with certainty, remembering what he had learned about the god. "Only a being stronger than him could possibly grant my wish, and according to these tales Tundrous is one of those beings! I must see him!"

"Jack, if you want him to grant you his wish, you'd have to best him in battle," Luna reminded Jack, who didn't even flinch at her words. "And it is as you said, his power is greater than Discord's. It is a power that we cannot hope to best even as a pair," she continued while motioning to her sister. "And if you were to battle him-"

"I will prevail. Because not only is he powerful, he also has a black heart," Jack stated, motioning to his blade. "I can best him. I have bested far greater than him." From the look Celestia, Luna and Twilight shared, Jack knew that they would not grant his request. But even though it ashamed him, he decided to cement his cause.

"You said that you would repay me in any way you could for saving the lives of those ponies from Tirek. This is how you may repay me." His words broke through their indecision and with a sigh of regret, Celestia nodded at the samurai.

"Very well Jack, we will take you to where you may find Tundrous," Celestia agreed, though her tone sounded reluctant. "But not today. You are new in this town, are you not? You're timing could not be better, for a festival happens tomorrow and everypony is looking forward to it. You can stay for just one day more, can you not?"

In reality Jack wanted to get to Tundrous as soon as he could, but he figured that with his request he had already overstepped. So with a smile and a nod he agreed to Celestia's request.

"Excellent! Tomorrow I'll have Twilight and Applejack be your guides for the Firefly Fesitval!" she said with a smile. Jack nodded before turning and walking off, never seeing Celestia's face fall before she motioned Twilight over. "Keep a close eye on Jack tomorrow. I know that we have all heard tales of his bravery, but Tundrous is another tale. For a pony that would willingly take him on, even with a magic blade, is either the bravest pony who ever lived...or suicidal."