Chapter 1
The Cursed Sword

Kyoya slowly opened his eyes and found himself inside a dark cave. The lower part of his body was lying in water. With his body aching with pain, Kyoya stood up and looked around. Apparently, after falling down into the water, Kyoya had been taken by the current and somehow, he ended up here. Just then, the memories of what had previously happened began to flow through his mind. Kyoya still couldn't believe he lost to Daisuke so badly. "I trained for ten years. How...how was the gap between me and him so big? It was as if he was on a completely different level. Almost demon-like." When Kyoya reached for his sword, he was shocked to find out it was missing. It turns out it was lost sometime after he fell into the water. "Dad's sword...it's...gone." He then looked ahead of him. "This cave seems to go deeper. Maybe there is a way out of here." Seeing as how he had no other plan, Kyoya headed deeper inside the cave. About five minutes later, the cave path opened up to a large cavern. In the middle of the cavern was a sacred shrine. As Kyoya made his way to the shrine, he discovered a red sword resting on a smooth tablet under it. There was an ominous aurora protruding from the sword. Kyoya also noticed there was a bunch of white tags with strange markings pasted everywhere. These tags were meant to keep evil spirit away. "I think I've heard stories of swords like this," Kyoya muttered, "Legends say there are swords hidden throughout the world that possess unreal amounts of power. These swords are so powerful that they are considered cursed and can't be destroyed by normal swords. A cursed sword can only be destroyed by another cursed sword. Whoever wields them must pay a certain price like becoming blind or losing an eye. I've also heard that once you become cursed by the sword, you can never get rid of it." After Kyoya was done speaking he began to laugh. "Those are just stories though. There's no such thing as a cursed sword. It's just a ridiculous legend." As Kyoya began to investigate the mysterious sword trying to figure out why it was abandoned like this, he obliviously started to reach his right hoof towards it. Right when his hoof made contact with the sword, a bright light exploded from the sword and engulfed the entire cavern. Eventually the light disappeared. When Kyoya looked down he saw the sword resting in his hooves. Kyoya quickly put the sword back on its resting place. "That was weird. What was with that flash of light? One moment I was staring at the sword and the next moment it was in my hooves. Talk about a strange case of sudden amnesia." It took only a few seconds for Kyoya to realize something was very wrong. "What the heck is wrong with my voice? Is it me or does it sound like...like...a girl?" Kyoya immediately shook his head in a desperate attempt to get rid of any unnecessary thoughts. He then tried coughing thinking there was something in his throat. Unfortunately, nothing Kyoya tried worked as he voice still sounded that of a mare. His fears where quickly realized when he felt his mane which had somehow grown longer. Before Kyoya knew it he ran over to a nearby puddle and looked down at his reflection. Kyoya tried to scream but nothing was able to escape from his mouth. He was too sacred to even utter a single sound. It turns out Kyoya had somehow transformed into a mare. Eventually Kyoya was able to regain his...I mean her...voice. "Oh my god! What the heck happened to me?! Why am I a girl? When did this happen? Did that bastard Daisuke put some sort of spell on me as a sick joke? I guess beating me wasn't good enough for him. I swear I'm going back up that mountain and force him to change me back!" As Kyoya started to make her way out of the cavern, she suddenly heard a voice.

"Where are you going master?" the voice asked. Kyoya looked around the cavern but didn't see any sign of another pony. Seeing as how she thought it was just her imagination, Kyoya started to leave once more, but was unable to walk a few steps before she heard the voice speak again. "Aren't you going to take me with you master? You and me are now together forever after all." It took awhile before Kyoya figured out where the voice was coming from. She then immediately headed for the shrine where the sword was lying. As Kyoya reached for the sword, it suddenly started speaking. "Master...may I ask your name?" Kyoya was in such a shock that she grabbed the sword without hesitation and threw it as far as possible. However, Kyoya barely had time to turn around and run away before something hit her hard in the back of her head. When Kyoya looked behind him to see what had struck her, she saw the sword lying besides him. Just then, the sword giggled. "You can't get rid of me that easily master. You and me are one being bounded together. I must travel with you everywhere. That is the condition of a cursed sword." As Kyoya tried to figure out what was going on, she suddenly stopped her train of thought.

"Hold up," Kyoya replied, "Did you just say...cursed sword? That's impossible. There is no such thing as a cursed sword. It's just a legend."

"It's not a legend master," the sword said, "I'm indeed a cursed sword. The fact that you became a mare is proof of our bond. My name is Red Moon Blossom, but you can call me Sakura if you wish."

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Kyoya screamed in disbelief, "Is this your fault? I'm a mare now because of you? What the heck did you do to me?!"

"Your transformation is the price for wielding me," Sakura replied, "I absolutely hate stallions. I really really really hate them with a strong passion. In my past life as a pony I went through more than ten boyfriends. Each of them treated me horribly. That is why I changed you into a mare. I feel safer knowing a female is my master." Kyoya was left completely dumbfounded.

"Did you just say you used to be a pony?" Kyoya asked curiously, "How did you become a cursed sword?"

"Ponies who committed unforgiveable sins during their life," Sakura replied, "Once we died, we were turned into swords by the gods as punishment for our sinful actions. Once a cursed sword is broken, our soul is forced to wonder the world for an eternity. It is a fate worse than hell. However, we are allowed to choose the price for our master to pay for wielding us."

"What unforgivable sin did you commit?" Kyoya asked.

"I was an assassin and one of the best swordsponies around, Sakura replied, "Evil or good didn't make any difference to me. The most important thing to me was my mission that I swore to carry out no matter what. I was eventually caught one and immediately killed. This is the punishment I have to face for what I did."

"Why couldn't you have picked a different condition?" Kyoya asked as she sighed, "Turning me into a mare? I would have rather been blind."

"I'm sorry master, but this was my choice. If you were a mare from the beginning nothing would've happened," Sakura replied, "Can I ask you for your name?"

"It's Kyoya," she replied, "Kyoya of the Suzuki."

"Kyoya," Sakura said quietly, "I'm sorry Master Kyoya, but do you think you can pick a different name? Kyoya doesn't quite suit you in your current condition."

"Just rubbing it in now aren't you?" Kyoya asked sarcastically, "Fine. How about...Matsuri? It was my mother's name."

"Very well Master Matsuri," Sakura replied happily, "It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Would you my me asking what our current goal is?"

"We are going to kill Emperor Daisuke," Matsuri said in a serious tone as she put Red Moon Blossom into her holder on her back, "He's the one responsible for the slaughter my clan. My family and friends are all dead because of him. I'm going to make sure Daisuke is never allowed to see the day of light again. Red Moon Blossom...I mean Sakura. If the legends about cursed swords are true, you must be a very powerful sword. Seeing as how strong Daisuke is, I'm going to need all of your power." In response, Sakura began to giggle.

"I guess you will just have to find out for yourself Master Matsuri," Sakura replied. Soon after, Matsuri walked back through the cave to the spot where she had awoken. After taking a big breath, Matsui dived into the water and immediately search for an exit before she ran out of air. Like winding through a tunnel maze, Matsuri eventually found an opening and quickly headed upwards. Matsuri took a big gasp of air when resurfaced and got out of the water. Matsuri then got some wood and put together a fire to warm herself off. As she looked around, Matsuri saw a vast amount of trees everywhere with an open path nearby. She was in some sort of forest. Matsuri could see the mountain where Emperor Daisuke was in the distance.

"I sure got washed away pretty far," Matsuri muttered, "Looks like I have to climb that mountain all over again." She then let out a deep sigh as she lowered her head in disappointment. "What a pain." Just as Matsuri was starting to relax, she suddenly found herself surrounded by Rashin Guards. The leader took out his sword and pointed it at Matsuri.

"State your business here pheasant!" the guard yelled angrily, "This forest is Rashin territory. Only citizens of Rashin are allowed in here by order of Emperor Daisuke. By law we herby arrest you for trespassing! You're coming with us!" In response, Matsuri pulled out Sakura and got into a fighting stance.

"Sorry guys," Matsuri replied with a smile, "I'm not going anywhere."

"You dare attempt to fight us!" the guard shouted in disbelief. He then signaled to his fellow guards. "Get her!" Immediately, they all attacked Matsuri at the same time, but their swords ended up striking the bare ground. When the guards looked behind them, they saw Matsuri with a big smirk on her face.

"Come on guys," Matsuri chuckled, "You're way too slow! You never going to be able to catch me at this rate." As the guards attacked Matsuri again, she was able to block and counter each of their attacks with ease as if it was child's play. The guards were beyond baffled as how little progress they were making towards capturing a single pony. However, their pride as Rashin Guards refused to let them give up and they once again attacked Matsuri.

"Ok Sakura," Matsuri said as she gripped her sword harder, "Let's see how powerful you really are! Dragon Style: Wyvern Tornado!" As Matsuri swung her sword in a circular motion, it immediately glowed blue and unleashed a strong wind in the form of a tornado that managed to send all the guards flying high into the air. After the tornado vanished, the guards one by one fell back to the ground. The guards didn't get back up as each of them had been knocked unconscious. Not to mention their swords had cut in half. Matsuri was very impressed by how powerful Red Moon Blossom was. "Wow! That was amazing!" Matsuri said as she looked down at her sword, "That technique was a lot stronger than before! I guess the legends were true about a cursed sword's unreal power!" Sakura didn't reply as she was silent for some reason. "Hey Sakura...you ok? Don't tell me those weaklings tired you out already."

"You are a user of the Dragon Style too," Sakura whispered, "I was also a Dragon Style user back when I was alive."

"I see," Matsuri replied, "I wish I could face-off against you someday to see who is stronger." Before Sakura had a chance to reply back, Matsuri heard a grunting noise. It turns out one guards had woken up. Matsuri walked over to him and kneeled down. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. Instead I want to you to deliver this message to Emperor Daisuke. Tell him I'm not dead yet." After turning her back on the guard, Matsuri sheathed Sakura into her holder and walked away. Later on, in the Rashin Castle, Emperor Daisuke was once again speaking to his four Royal Guards when the guard who Matsuri had spoken to rushed into the room.

"Do you have anything to report to me?" Daisuke asked lazily.

"Lord Daisuke! Me and my squad encountered this pony trespassing in the Kanuri Forest and tried to apprehend her, but she was too powerful and defeated all of us," he replied nervously, "She told me to deliver this message to you in exchange for our lives." He then paused for a second. "I'm not dead yet." In response, the Royal Guards gasped as they stared at Daisuke, who was rendered speechless. After Daisuke signaled for the guard to leave the room, he looked down at his Royal Guards. "I'm giving you all this important mission. I want to you find this pony and kill her. Failure is not an option."

"Yes my lord!" they replied together. After the four ponies left the room, Daisuke turned his head to the left where his sword was resting on the chair.

"Kyoya," he muttered in deep thought, "Is it possible the gods are allowing you to live once more so that you may kill me?" Daisuke couldn't help but laugh at hearing those words come from his mouth. "How very interesting." In order to get to Emperor Daisuke again, it turns out Matsuri was going to have to get past his four Royal Guards first. This wouldn't be an easy fight even with Red Moon Blossom in Matsuri's possession as she would be going up a total of four Master Samurai, each possessing different sword styles that they have perfected over the years of harsh training. How would our hero Matsuri match up against such strong samurai? I guess we will just have to wait and find out. Thus begins the adventure of Matsuri and her sword Red Moon Blossom in their mission to defeat Emperor Daisuke.