*The Moonflower blooms*

*In the shadow of the blades*

*Your petals shield*

Chapter 5 - Omnivores

=Hogeki's Camp, near Canterlot, Sunrise=

(Hogeki's PoV)

Hogeki finished cleaning his blade, straitening his mane, and donning his armor and helmet in the final moments of sunrise. He had to be presentable as he looked to the gleaming castle in the distance, knowing full well that the lord, whoever he was, must surely be of great stature and importance to have built such a mighty castle for himself.

The city itself rivaled the one surrounding the Emperor's palace, in its scale of power. He heard tales from his ninja of wonders as far as the eye could see. They spoke of beautiful buildings of glass and metal, artificial waterfalls where the water never spilled or drained, clean stone streets and fresh food on every street corner. They even describe merchants simply giving away food, with signs saying "Free Samples", whatever those words meant. The wonders his ninja described to him went on and on. If he was to have any hope of impressing the lord of this province, he had to have very good evidence and look his very best, if he was to have any chance of getting Aketoki.

He once more turned to the pile of documents he had brought along with him. One was a letter he had received from Yoritoku Kusaji, granting him, Hogeki Ninman, full privileges to retrieve and return his bride to be, Hanayo Kusaji, from whoever stole her away from him, by any means necessary. A second letter from Yoritoku Kusaji, was him granting Hogeki the right to execute whoever attempted to steal Hanayo, without the formalities of a trial, all that was asked was that he return the head for identifications. Along with these was a paper, signed by Yoritoku Kusaji and Fujiku Ninman, detailing the accepted marriage proposal between himself and Hanayo Kusaji, with a seal of approval from Lord Hojo himself.

Included with the two letters and marriage papers were several documents written by his father Fujiku Ninman. Among these documents were recorded messages between family members of the Nimaji Clan, detailing a plot to kill Lord Hojo, and attempt a revolt to overthrow him should it fail. Others were reported movement of forces loyal to the Nimaji Clan, and other plans to persuade other families to join in the plot.

While Hogeki was too young to remember the night of the Nimaji Purge, he knew that only one Nimaji, Aketoki Nimaji, survived the night his family and their forces assaulted them. He had figured Aketoki might attempt to seek revenge for his clan, but so far he had been quiet. "Well it doesn't matter now, he's helpless and imprisoned." He said as he put all the documents in a small pack on his side for transport.

He finished preparing his pack and looked out at the city once more through the trees. How was he to present himself before the lord? What kind of a lord was he like? Would he be treated with disrespect and hostility because of Aketoki? What about his daughter, the female that Aketoki threatened, would she be just as suspicious about him as she would be about Aketoki? Would he have to be 'presentable' by whatever strange standards these ponies lived by?

Would he have to strip himself down as well just so he could talk to them?

"I think I'd rather let Aketoki rot in his cell and find Hanayo myself if it comes to that." He whispered as he went off to the city now. "Hopefully Hanayo stays wherever she is…"

He knew Hanayo would try to find Aketoki again, but if what his ninja said was true, she wouldn't be up for travel for at least half the day. Just in case though, he sent his ninja to watch for her. Their orders were to watch for her and report to him instantly if she was heading his way, do not engage any other ponies, and do not alert her to their presence. They were also to slow her down somehow if possible, before reporting to him.

He just had to hope she wouldn't come looking for Aketoki, for at least a day. He needed that long to speak to this province's lord and request to execute him.

=Canterlot Castle, 9:40 AM=

(The Doctor's PoV, after Breakfast)

"Well that was a nice breakfast Derpy." The Doctor said to his wife as they headed down to the maximum security cell. "I figured Celestia's chef would've spiked my food with something after the last time I paid a visit."

After they finished talking to Aketoki yesterday, The Doctor was surprised by the arrival of his wife Derpy right as Dinner was about to be served. He was quite surprised by her arrival, but nevertheless was happy she came to help him out, even if that help came in the form of company to spend the night with him. Her real reasoning behind arriving was because she figured he might need help, and so brought along his sonic screwdriver, just in case.

Celestia offered them one of the guest rooms to stay in during their visit while he acted as translator for her.

"Spike our food, what are you talking about?" Derpy asked.

"Well if you recall one of our meals had a laugh inducing spice during that time Celestia was on vacation in my Tardis." He explained as they walked down the long staircase to the dungeon level. "He spiked my dish with a bit of laughing spice, and when I went to take a drink… splat, laughing Doctor coughing up bits of water and carrots!"

"That was him spiking your food?" Derpy asked angrily. "I thought that you were laughing at my joke!"

"Well… technically yes… I was… it just…" He said nervously. "Well… you know… it wasn't THAT funny…"

Derpy glared at him as he quickly tried to change the topic.

"So have you ever met a samurai pony before Derpy?" He asked nervously.

"Samuwhata?" Derpy replied.

"Samurai pony, warrior pony from the Sengoku Period of Japan on Earth." He explained. "Although now that I mention it, I should really refer to him as a Sengoku Pony, you know being from the Sengoku Period it seems only fair."

"What's a Sengoku Pony?" Derpy asked as they got off the staircase and approached the cell guarded by Celestia's elite guards.

After a quick word to the commander, Celestia's elite guard opened the door for him and Derpy to enter. They walked through and The Doctor looked at Aketoki finishing his meal, apparently it wasn't good for him, because he looked rather unhappy with it. "Hello there Aketoki, remember me?" The Doctor said in Japanese.

Aketoki looked up at him and gave a short nod before responding. "Greetings, yes I do remember you, but only as a translator and a traveler." He said, glancing at Derpy for a moment before returning his attention. "May I ask you a question that, while I know is a personal subject for them, perhaps you would be willing to answer?"

"Of course, but first things first, this is my wife Derpy." The Doctor said, nodding at Derpy and smiling. "Derpy, this is Aketoki Nimaji, he's a Sengoku Pony that I was talking about just now!"

"Oh, so he's a Samuwhata?" Derpy asked curiously. "Nice to meet you Aketoki, I'm Ditzy."

"My wife says hello, and it's nice to meet you." The Doctor said.

"Greetings." Aketoki said.

"My wife is a Pegasus Pony, they are the ones that you see flying around, just in case you're curious." The Doctor said, noticing Aketoki eyeing his wife's wings.

"I see… well in any case my question is what I asked Celestia last night." Aketoki said. "I wish to know… why do none of you wear clothes to conceal yourselves?"

"Well it's true that we don't wear clothes… but you learn to live with how everypony looks here!" The Doctor said cheerfully. "Just accept that our cultures are different and leave it at that okay?"

"Indeed, we are very different." Aketoki said as he turned to what was left of his breakfast. "I know I'm a prisoner, and I know what I should expect, but everything I've seen is so different here. Your leader is a female, I'm treated with such mercy despite the crime I've committed, and every single soldier here does not act like a true soldier."

Ditzy looked to the Doctor for a translation, since she couldn't understand a word he and Aketoki were saying without him explaining. After a brief explanation he resumed talking to Aketoki. "Well for starters, Celestia's palace guards are not soldiers, they are only guards." He explained with a smile. "There aren't any soldiers here in Equestria, there aren't any wars and therefore there's no need for warriors. There haven't been any for ten centuries, so the only real job her guards get is to protect her from disruptive ponies or act as a police force for Canterlot."

Aketoki stared in surprise when he said 'No Wars', as though the concept of no wars was the last thing he could imagine in his mind. "No wars, so why are they armed?" He asked.

"Well normally they don't need or carry those spears, but in recent months… certain things happened that made them change." The Doctor said, hinting that he did not want to explain the full details. "In any case, that's how things are here in Canterlot. They protect the princesses from mostly everything and anything, but don't let that fool you. Celestia and Luna can easily take care of themselves in a heartbeat. One of the benefits of being Alicorns, they are very strong with magic."

Aketoki nodded and returned his attention to what was left of his meal, before The Doctor finally asked if something was wrong with it. "No, nothing is wrong with it." He replied dully.

The Doctor leaned over and looked at the Potato, sliced apple and turnip marinated stew. "I take it you're not a fan of Celestia's personal chef's cooking?" He asked with a smirk.

Aketoki shook his head before he stated something that caught even The Doctor off guard.

Caught off guard, The Doctor carefully turned to Derpy and asked her to wait outside. "I promise it won't be for long Derpy, just want to give him a check over to make sure he's alright." He said with a chuckle. "Can never know when you tussle with Celestia's guards, you know!"

"Okay Doctor." She said cheerfully, telling the guards she was leaving to wait outside for her husband to finish.

Once she left the cell The Doctor turned to Aketoki, very serious now. "Can you say that again, not sure I heard you quite right?"

"I said I wish there were some meat in the stew." Aketoki said. "I haven't had meat in such a long time, I don't have my bow from the Hojo Campaign so I can't hunt, and I can't catch or trap the animals around here because I don't know how to. The last time I had a meal with any meat was before I fled Takasaki with Hanayo, then something happened and I woke up here alone. Since then I haven't been able to talk or communicate with any of the locals, so I couldn't ask for provisions or even ask for food. I've survived so far on nothing but bread and free food that the merchants have given out in my travels."

"You eat… meat, a pony that eats meat?" The Doctor asked, wanting to be one hundred percent sure.

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" Aketoki asked.

"Can you open your mouth for a minute Aketoki? I just want to see your teeth for a second." The Doctor said.

Aketoki looked confused about this request, but nodded and obliged The Doctor, opening his mouth wide enough to show his teeth.

The Doctor only had to glance at the canine teeth inside Aketoki's mouth to realize that his original biology had been altered to resemble and act like a pony. He had once been human, but through some means, technical, magical, or some random event involving the universe, he was here as a pony with the same set of teeth and knowledge he had as a human. His memories altered to think he was a pony his entire life, he had no clue that he was nothing like Celestia or any of the other ponies on Gaia.

"Is something wrong?" Aketoki asked.

The Doctor shook his head and smiled. "Nope, nothing's wrong!" He said. "Just making sure your teeth is healthy. In any case, the reason why you aren't getting any meat here is because mostly everypony here is a vegetarian."

"Vegetarian?" Aketoki asked.

"Yep, they don't eat meat, plain and simple." He said. "So don't expect any meat for a very long time while you're in Equestria. Not a single pony here has or ever will eat meat."

Aketoki nodded in understanding. "This land is indeed full of strange ponies…" He commented.

The Doctor decided it was time to leave, and told Aketoki he may be back with Celestia later, and left soon after to return to his wife Derpy who was waiting for him outside. Once they were reunited they started heading toward the staircase which would take them back up. "So what's up Doctor, you look worried?" She asked, her eyes 'derping' as they usually did.

"I am worried Derpy, our dear guest Aketoki is an Omnivore." He said, trying to understand what was up with the situation. "I never thought I'd see a pony as an Omnivore in my life."

"What's an omnivore?"Derpy asked.

Just as The Doctor was about to explain, he heard somepony calling his name from upstairs. By the sounds of it, it was Owl, and he sounded urgent. "That'll have to wait Derpy, looks like something just came up!" He said as he turned around and saw Owl jumping down the stairs above them four at a time.

(Celestia's PoV, after breakfast)

"Luna, did you see where The Doctor and Ditzy went?" Celestia asked as she and her sister finished their meal.

"No sister, we haven't seen them since they left the table early." Luna replied.

"Hmm, I hope they didn't decide to return to Ponyville." She said worriedly, remembering how The Doctor reacted when she called him to act as a translator.

"We doubt they would just return to home without letting us know or while we are still dealing with this Samurai Pony." Luna replied confidently. "Also, my guards informed me that they were heading toward the dungeon, about five minutes ago."

Celestia nodded in understanding, knowing that her friend would not simply abandon them when they clearly had no idea how to deal with the situation. One of her advisors, who understood the relationship between her and The Doctor, asked why she allowed him such free reign inside of her palace and kingdom one time. She only reflected on that question now, because of how much freedom she did indeed allow him in her palace and kingdom.

"Well, it's not like I can really stop him from doing anything he wants." She whispered to herself as she prepared to leave for the throne room. "He only serves me because he allows himself to live under my rule, if he didn't want to live here, nothing I could do would stop him. He could leave at any time, and I would never be able to stop him."

(Luna's PoV)

Just as she and her sister left for the throne room, Luna felt the probing thought of Owl, trying to get her attention. –Yes Owl, what is it?- She thought to him in her mind, bridging their minds together so she and he could hear each other.

-My lady, I have just finished my pre-shift morning flight, and I must warn you that there is a strange pony approaching the castle down the main street.- Owl said as quickly as he could.

-Can you be more specific Owl?- She said.

At those words she felt him sharing what he was seeing through his eyes to her. She watched him as he flew above a line of houses, before looking down at the main street that led to the palace. Walking down the main road, attracting a lot of attention as well as causing some ponies to flee, was a pony wearing similar attire that Aketoki wore.

Also strapped to his sides, were two swords, identifying him as a 'Samurai' according to The Doctor.

-Another one?- She thought quickly as the Samurai pony continued to head straight for the Palace, ignoring all the ponies fleeing the sight of him. –How many of them are there?-

She could feel Hawk entering her thoughts about what she was seeing as well, knowing that her connection to him allowed Owl to send the same sight to both of them. –My lady, as willing as Owl and I am are, I believe it would be best if we avoided another confrontation with these Samurai Ponies at all cost.- He said as Owl's last vision he shared with them, was him looking up and soaring over the main gate into the palace. –Just one of them proved capable of severely injuring so many of the palace guards, and we do not know how skilled this one is.-

She nodded and felt them leaving her mind, causing her to start to panic. She remembered the last time her guards fought one of these Sengoku Ponies. The sting of that blade, cleanly slicing their bodies, turning their spears into pointless sticks, was still very fresh in her mind. They had been almost helpless before Aketoki, and he wasn't even trying to kill them, he was fighting because of a mistake in identity.

By this time her sister was already in the throne room, having left her behind without realizing it, and Hawk had joined her as well. "Come Hawk!" She ordered, moving fast to get to the throne room. "Owl, go to the dungeon, bring The Doctor up here at once!"

Thanks to their mental connection, Owl could also hear her words as well as her thoughts no matter where they were, as long as that connection remained active. So she could give either of them orders without being in the same room or even within eye contact.

Owl acknowledged her order in her mind, and she felt him already racing down toward the dungeons to retrieve The Doctor. At the same time she entered the throne room, just as her sister was about to seat herself upon it. She quickly raced forward, Hawk only bowing for a moment before keeping up with her.

"Sister, we have a situation!" Luna said quickly.

"What's the matter?" Celestia asked as she noticed Hawk breathing heavily.

"There's another pony heading this way down the main road in the city, another Samurai Pony!" Luna declared.

Celestia's look of worry sprang up at these words. "Summon The Doctor, put all guards on alert!" She ordered at the guards in the throne room, and immediately they all began rushing about to carry ou her instructions.

"I've already got Owl bringing The Doctor up here, but the pony will be at the gate very soon!" Luna said. "We need to figure out what he wants before he become hostile! We can't afford a fight with another samurai, even if The Doctor is here."

"I know, but how do we deal with him, and how do we go about talking to these samurai?" Celestia said as guards rushed about, some positioning themselves to protect her while others went to spread word of her orders. "We still don't know enough about samurai custom that can help us deal with one of them when they aren't in our dungeon, surrounded by guards, or locked away where they can't hurt anypony!"

It was as Celestia asked that question, that Luna felt herself deciding to ask that very question to herself. She closed off her mind for a single moment, long enough for her madness to come to an answer, before the obvious solution came to her. After that she restored her connection to Hawk and Owl, who at this time had collected The Doctor and was already on his way to the throne room.

"What about if we met this samurai first, at the gate before he comes into contact with other ponies?" Luna asked.

"Absolutely not, you remember what happened last time you attempted to approach one of these samurai Luna." Celestia said. "Your guards were injured, you yourself almost threatened, and dozens of other guards injured because of the incident!"

"Yes but that time, we didn't have anypony who could talk to them, and you said so yourself that Aketoki was mistaken when he spotted my guards." Luna said determinedly. "This time however, we have The Doctor, and my guards won't be mistaken for another pony. Also these samurai clearly respect royalty, if I inform him that I am a princess, he may want to avoid a fight with us, just as much as we would want to with him. It makes sense!"

At these words Celestia looked to be in deep thought, as if reevaluating the plan of Luna going to meet with the samurai pony. After a few minutes, in which The Doctor and Ditzy arrived with Owl in the throne room, she nodded in agreement. "Very well Luna, but make sure to bring him here… alright?" She said. "I want to speak with this second samurai, and perhaps learn a bit more about Aketoki personally. Also… stay safe Luna… don't do anything that might get you hurt…"

Luna nodded and, only glancing at The Doctor to see him nod, indicating that he knew what to do, turned and left the throne room with Owl, Hawk, The Doctor, and Ditzy following behind her. Five minutes later they were outside the palace and heading straight for the main gate, where it looked like half of Celestia's palace guards positioned themselves behind the gate, forming a protective wall of spears between it and the palace. Beyond the gate, the samurai pony continued to walk, almost reaching the gate.

The samurai pony that was approaching wore the same kind of armor that Aketoki wore when Luna first saw him; however this pony wore a helmet of some kind atop his head. Strapped to his side was two swords as well, and both looked exactly the same as Aketoki's. He also carried a saddlebag hanging from his other side. The marks on his face looked different from Aketoki's, as its shape resembled a set of scales, with each scale holding something and both weighing equally. In one scale, a sword, and the other had a bundle of blankets. Once he was close enough, Luna could understand why Aketoki mistook Owl for this pony, he almost looked exactly like him.

"Doctor, please start translating for us." Luna declared as she walked to the front, Owl and Hawk taking positions behind her just in case. "Open the gate!"

The Doctor nodded as the gates opened up, allowing the samurai pony to walk through and onto the palace grounds. Once he entered and several guards positioned lances to point at him from every direction, Luna felt confident in speaking to the pony. "Halt, who is it that enters the Canterlot Palace?"

The samurai pony looked at The Doctor as he translated before answering. "I am Hogeki Ninman, and I am here to take a prisoner that I have learned you have in your custody." He said calmly, giving Luna a short, polite bow.

Luna raised an eyebrow at this. "Pray tell, how do you know of this knowledge?" She asked.

"Word traveled fast to my ears, I apologize that my problem became your problem." Hogeki said respectfully. "It was my task to bring the criminal Aketoki Nimaji to justice; I apologize for allowing him to cause trouble, injury, and more upon you and your subjects."

"Indeed…" Luna replied cautiously.

"If you will grant me an audience with your Daimyo, I can explain the purpose of my visit and perhaps rid you the burden of this criminal." Hogeki said calmly, pulling the bag at his side and holding it out for Luna to see.

Luna nodded in understanding, and seeing no other reason to detain or refuse Hogeki an audience, she ordered the gate be closed and the guards at ease. "You may enter the palace; however you must surrender your swords before you do." She ordered, nodding at Hawk and Owl who promptly stepped forward to relieve Hogeki of his swords.

Hogeki looked between Hawk and Owl before finally untying his swords and surrendering them. "I will expect my swords back soon." He said as Hawk took one sword and Owl took the other.

"Once your business is completed here, and you leave, your weapons will be returned, no sooner and no later." Luna declared, turning and heading back toward the palace with all the guards following her on all sides.

She led the way with The Doctor and Ditzy behind her, Hawk and Owl next, Hogeki behind them, and several guards behind him just in case. Five minutes later they were in the throne room, with Celestia having summoned their elite guards to stand between Hogeki and their throne. Once they entered and Hogeki reached the center, he sat down looked patiently at the throne and watched as Luna walked through the gap between her elite guards, while The Doctor and his wife stayed on the other side and sat down alongside her sister upon the throne.

(Celestia's PoV)

After a quick word with her sister to fill her in on the details, Celestia nodded and looked down at Hogeki Ninman. "Greetings Hogeki Ninman, what reason has brought you to Canterlot?" She asked.

Hogeki looked between Luna and Celestia as The Doctor continued to translate for them, before giving his reply. "Forgive me but, I thought I was to speak to your Daimyo." He said carefully. "Should we not wait for him before speaking?"

Celestia smirked as she thought about her answer, glad that she could now respond to this samurai. "I am what you would call a Daimyo, my title is Princess and my name is Celestia." She said. "I am main the ruler of Canterlot and all of Equestria, the kingdom that you and Aketoki have been traveling in. My sister, Luna, is co ruler alongside me."

This clearly caught Hogeki off guard. "I… was not expecting…" He said, but he quickly recovered and presented himself better. "Forgive me, this land is strange and I am still unfamiliar with your customs and rituals. In any case I am Hogeki Ninman, a samurai in the service of Lord Hojo, and an enforcer of the law, I am here to first apologize for the harm and damage caused by the criminal Aketoki Nimaji. Second I am here to ask for your permission to allow me to take Aketoki Nimaji into custody. Thirdly, if you will not allow me to take him with me, will you permit me the honor of carrying out his sentence?"

"A criminal, Aketoki?" Celestia asked, glancing at Luna for an answer, when there was none she returned her attention to Hogeki. "Your apology is accepted, however I was unaware that Aketoki was a criminal, can you explain his crime?"

Hogeki nodded and opened the bag and produced several pieces of paper, all of them in the same language that Aketoki had written his 'Death Poem' in. "He has abducted and stolen a bride before she was due to be married." He said as The Doctor took the papers and started translating them. "Her father has given me permission and requested that I pursue the individual who stole her and return her to her family, so she may carry on with the wedding ceremony."

Celestia waited for The Doctor to finish reading the first documents, after he nodded, indicating that the story checked out, she resumed talking. "You say Aketoki is accused of fillynapping?" She asked.

"Yes, he took a bride from her family, and tried to run away with her." Hogeki said. "This bride was supposed to be married to the Ninman Clan, and has already been promised by her father, Yoritoku Kusaji, to the heir of Ninman Clan. That is my clan, my father Fujiku Ninman requested this marriage proposal and both parties accepted, it has also been approved by Lord Hojo."

The Doctor nodded to Celestia again as he finished the second paper. "I see, well currently Aketoki is in my dungeon, and as such he is under my custody." She said. "What was his sentence, perhaps I can fulfill it myself."

"His sentence for abducting a bride before she could be formally married is immediate execution upon discovery and capture." Hogeki said calmly as The Doctor nodded to Celestia.

"Execute him, for this crime?" Celestia asked, appalled that anypony would commit an act for such a crime.

Hogeki raised an eyebrow at her response. "Yes, this is a serious crime that he has committed." Hogeki replied. "I am to execute Aketoki as soon as I find him, and then I am to locate Hanayo Kusaji and return her to her family."

Celestia didn't know how to respond to that, so for a few minutes she just sat there in silence, trying to figure out what to do. "Doctor, may my sister and I speak with you alone?" Celestia asked, to which he nodded. "I shall return shortly, I must speak to my… advisor about certain issues."

Hogeki nodded after The Doctor translated. A few minutes later Celestia, Luna, The Doctor and his wife entered a side room where they could talk in private. "Execute Aketoki, for fillynapping?" She said out loud. "I know our customs are different, and our cultures are VERY different, but execution?"

"You aren't going to execute him Princess?" Ditzy asked hopefully. "He's not a bad pony, The Doctor talked to him this morning; he was very kind and very respectful!"

"At the moment he is in our custody, and as such his fate is ours to decide!" Luna declared, agreeing with Ditzy. "We can't let this Hogeki kill Aketoki, no matter the crime. He already believed himself about to die once before, and he had fully prepared himself to die then, all for a simple mistake. If we allow this Hogeki to carry out this ridiculous sentence, then everything we have told him about us will be for nothing!"

"So what are you going to do princess?" Ditzy asked once more of Celestia.

Celestia thought, and thought, and thought about the situation she was in now. By all rights she had to punish Aketoki for his crimes, whether they were fillynapping or injuring her guards. Yet on the flip side of the coin, she didn't know the complete story, after all, she was only able to talk to him yesterday, and she didn't get to ask everything she had wanted to. Then there was of course, the way the two samurai had presented themselves. Aketoki was respectful and calm, but only after they had imprisoned him. Hogeki had approached them with no hostility and claiming to be an upholder of justice.

She paced back and forth, trying to come up with a solution, but without knowing the whole story she couldn't make any decision. That was when it clicked; she had to find out more about why Hogeki was after Aketoki, before she could make any decision regarding him. She told them all her plan, knowing it would at the very least stall for time while she came up with something to keep Aketoki from facing death.

"Well it's a start at least Tia." The Doctor said. "Just one bit of advice, keep an eye on Hogeki's responses, I doubt he's telling us the whole truth."

Celestia nodded and once they left the room all of her guards resumed their positions and she and Luna returned to the throne. "I am sending my translator to retrieve Aketoki from his cell down below." Celestia said, indicating The Doctor was to translate. "He will bring Aketoki here, and then I will question him about these crimes. If everything turns out right, I will consider his sentence while in my kingdom."

Hogeki nodded as The Doctor left to head downstairs to the dungeon. With The Doctor away she could take advantage of the fact that Hogeki could not understand a word they were saying. "Guards under no circumstance is Aketoki, the prisoner in our dungeon, to be harmed by this pony, is that clear?"

They all nodded in understanding.

Ten minutes later The Doctor returned to the throne room, leading Aketoki who was in his basic clothing, and followed by the four unicorns that had remained downstairs. The moment Aketoki saw Hogeki, Celestia could tell there was something hostile between the two. Aketoki's eyes burned with anger as he saw Hogeki, yet the only response from Hogeki was a mere glance. "Doctor, please tell Aketoki that I have brought him up here to answer questions." Celestia said. "Inform him also that, as long as he remains my prisoner that he does not have to worry about any punishment Hogeki would inflict upon him. Also, if there is any question he does not wish to answer, because it may implicate him of a crime, he does not have to answer it, and I will not punish him based on unanswered questions."

The Doctor nodded and translated to Aketoki what she said. After a few minutes Aketoki nodded, but still kept his eyes on Hogeki. "He's ready Tia." The Doctor said.

Celestia nodded and started with the first question she had wanted to ask since yesterday, and now that this pony was before them she could ask it now. "Aketoki, is this the pony that you thought you saw when you attacked my sister and her guards yesterday?" She asked, pointing at Hogeki.

Aketoki nodded when she asked. "Yes, Hogeki is the one I thought I saw yesterday." He said.

"Very well, can you explain why you became so hostile towards Owl?" She asked, keeping her eyes on Hogeki's responses to Aketoki's answers.

"I thought he was Hogeki, and thinking that way, I thought he was trying to kill me and keep me from reuniting with Hanayo." Aketoki said.

At the name Hanayo, Hogeki blinked twice, the only response Celestia had seen out of her questioning so far. "I see… Hogeki here informed us that he wishes to execute you, and afterwards locate and return Hanayo to her rightful husband." Celestia said, which Hogeki nodded after The Doctor translated. "He also informed us that you fillynapped this Hanayo, and tried to flee with her. Is this also true?"

"No, it's not true I did not abduct her!" Aketoki shouted quickly.

"It is true; he took her before she could finish the marriage ritual and officially marry me." Hogeki said before Celestia could ask her next question.

At this bit of news Celestia's entire view on the situation changed. "I was not aware… that the bride he supposedly stole was yours." She said calmly. "Is there a reason why you in particular were sent to… retrieve this Hanayo Kusaji?"

"I was given permission to track down Hanayo and whoever stole her, by her father." Hogeki replied. "I was also asked by her father to execute and kill whoever stole her from me, without going through the formalities of a trial. Once that was done, I was to return Hanayo home, and present her abductor's head to identify him. Of course I already knew the identity, but that didn't matter to me."

Celestia was disgusted by the words coming out of Hogeki's mouth, execute, keep the head, what kind of ponies are these samurai? Still she kept her calm and resumed asking Aketoki her questions. "Did you abduct this Hanayo, Aketoki?"

"No, I did not!" Aketoki repeated. "I would never do anything like that, if she truly wanted to be with Hogeki I would not do such an act!"

"And yet you did Aketoki." Hogeki said, glancing over at Aketoki.

"Aketoki, explain why Hogeki has charged you with abducting his wife-to-be?" Celestia asked.

"It's true that Hanayo is supposed to be married to Hogeki, according to her father, but that was not what she wanted!" Aketoki said, only now there was a slight look of worry on his face. "She delayed the marriage rituals and everything as best she could. Waiting for me to return from Lord Hojo's campaign, so that she could ask her father to allow her to marry me! Yet nothing she did to convince him worked, and so she asked me to help her flee from Takasaki, somewhere she and I could start over together! That's why she and I were running away together, because she asked me to save her from her forced marriage to Hogeki!"

"You had no right, Ronin, to take her away from her family obligations." Hogeki said.

"Doctor… explain what a 'Ronin' is please?" Luna asked.

"A Ronin is a term for a samurai without a master, or a samurai without a home, either one is suitable." The Doctor said. "It's not a popular term to be called Luna, let me tell you, it's about as low as you can be called and still be acknowledged by society."

"By forced marriage… what do you mean Aketoki?" Celestia asked.

"It's an arranged marriage between Hanayo Kusaji and Hogeki Ninman." Aketoki said. "Her father, for whatever reason compelled him, offered her as Hogeki's bride. The arrangement was accepted by both families, but Hanayo did not want this, she wanted to marry me!"

"Very well, Hogeki you called Aketoki a criminal… do you have proof besides… just those documents that… he is what you declare him as?" Celestia asked.

Hogeki nodded and produced from his bags additional documents. "I do indeed have proof, not only is he a criminal, he's also from a family of traitors!" He declared as he handed them to The Doctor. "These are all documents recorded and processed, indicating that Aketoki's clan was involved in a plot to kill Lord Hojo and attempt to gain control over the province."

Celestia looked quite shocked at this bit of news, so she decided to stop The Doctor before he could finish reading to give him instructions. "Doctor, can you please bring those documents with you into the room we were in?" She asked, to which he nodded.

Once they were alone, she asked him to go through the documents, confirm if they were authentic, and try to find some flaw or anything wrong with them so she could dismiss such documents instantly. "I will do my best Tia, but this will take me a while to go through and piece together to confirm or deny what Hogeki is saying." He said.

The Doctor did not lie about saying he would take a while. By the time he finished it was a couple hours until dinner. They had to wait so long that she ordered Aketoki to be taken back to his cell so they could all eat lunch peacefully, and so that Hogeki could not hurt him. After that she returned to the throne room with Hogeki and asked her guards to bring Aketoki up.

Finally The Doctor returned to give his report about the documents, but he did so quietly at her request. "Well from what I can tell, the documents are legit, but I'm afraid that they all could have been equally forged." The Doctor whispered to her. "Aketoki's entire clan was supposedly preparing to kill their lord, and arrange for an overthrow of the Hojo Clan. When the Ninman intercepted this information they attacked and wiped out the entire Nimaji Clan before they could carry out this plan. However without actually being there myself I can't tell you if this is how it happened and if the documents are legit or not. The only one who can tell you the truth is Fujiku Ninman, Hogeki's father, and since he isn't here…"

"I know, and without knowing we can't base anything without being one hundred percent sure." She said. "So that leaves one question, what do we do about these two and this Hanayo?"

"Can't say Tia, they could both be telling the truth, or they could both be lying." The Doctor said. "The only pony who can shed light on this and tell us what's going on with these two is Hanayo herself."

Celestia nodded and thought about her next question, trying to understand everything based on what sh learned today. She clearly knew that Aketoki and Hogeki were both trying to marry this Hanayo that they keep talking about. Aketoki doesn't sound like the type who would abduct anypony against their will, if his reaction to realizing that he had threatened her sister was anything to go by. However Hogeki had evidence that implicated Aketoki, she had to consider him more dangerous than before.

What was Celestia to do? "I have taken into account all the information you both have given me." Celestia said, and instantly both Aketoki and Hogeki became tense as they awaited her verdict. "However, there is still one pony that has yet to testify, this Hanayo Kusaji that you both have talked about extensively. Until she explains her side of this story, I cannot and will not allow anything to befall Mr. Aketoki."

After The Doctor translated, Aketoki breathed a sigh of relief, but Hogeki remained emotionless. "With all due respect, Princess Celestia… he is a criminal!" Hogeki said. "He's attacked your sister, injured your guards, and might have severely wounded others had he not been stopped, he is dangerous and…"

"And until we know the full story, he will not suffer any punishment under my rule and in my kingdom." Celestia declared with a stern voice. "Therefore, the only thing left to hear is what this Hanayo has to say. Tomorrow morning I will send out Pegasus guards to search the area around Canterlot and the nearest cities and towns for this Hanayo. Then we will bring her here and hear what she has to say. Until then Aketoki, you shall be returned to your cell, after you eat try to get a good night's rest."

Aketoki nodded as several guards led him back out of the throne room. After he left Hogeki looked over at Celestia and gave her a very concerned look. "I hope you know what you're doing; by allowing him to live you give him a chance to take advantage of your kindness." Hogeki said. "If you would but let me carry out his sentence, as is my duty and right…"

"I am the ruler of this kingdom and he is in my custody."Celestia said calmly. "He has so far presented himself and given the respect I and my sister are due. Until such a time that changes, he will continue to receive the same treatment as I would any of my other subjects. Am I clear?"

Hogeki showed no emotion as he bowed to her. "If that is your final decision." He said. "In any case, I shall return tomorrow morning to ask about this incident once again. I will however give you a warning Princess Celestia, don't trust Aketoki, he is manipulative and won't hesitate to take any advantage he can get. Now… I wish to take my leave please."

Celestia nodded and Luna ordered Hawk and Owl to escort Hogeki out and return him his swords. After he left Celestia breathed a sigh of relief and asked The Doctor one question on her mind. "Your thoughts about him Doctor?" She asked.

The Doctor shook his head as he massaged his throat, very sore with talking all day. "No idea, he has a good poker faces Tia." He said. "For all we know they could both be lying and we'd be none the wiser."

"What about that last message, do you think Aketoki could be deceiving us in some way?"

"Again, if he is, he's doing a good job hiding it from me." He said.

Celestia nodded and decided it was time for Dinner. "Very well, inform my chef to bring out an extra helping of desert tonight." She declared as she got up and headed to the dining room. "Also please inform the servants that I would like violin music played for us at the dinner table tonight. I need something soothing to my ears to ease this headache this whole situation has given me."

"Not easy being a ruler of a kingdom I guess, huh?" The Doctor asked as they headed down the hallway and toward the dining hall.

"You have no idea how hard it is Doctor." Celestia said with a smile. "You don't make it any easier by the way, with all the trouble you bring here that seems to follow you."

"Hey don't blame me, I'm not only a magnet for trouble, I'm also that good looking!" The Doctor joked.

=Hogeki's Camp, half an hour after leaving the Palace=

(Hogeki's PoV)

Hogeki steamed as he looked back at the Canterlot Palace, it was just a few hours before sunset and he was frustrated at how things had gone. The rules were different here, and despite his best efforts to convince the leaders, they were just too soft to allow him to kill of Aketoki. Now they would wait until Hanayo was located before they made a decision, and no doubt she would say many things to get Aketoki spared.

He would have fumed some more about these rulers, but he was more focused on a plan he was creating in his head. He just needed his ninja to carry it out, and if all went precisely as planned, it might just tip the princesses in his favor, or at least one of them.

Fifteen minutes later his ninja returned, not as soon as he expected, but that didn't matter to him. "Report?" He asked, knowing something was up.

"Master Hogeki, Hanayo is on her way here, she will be in the city by sunset." One of them reported. "We delayed her arrival by removing some signs that indicated which direction she had to go. It will slow her down a little but not for long."

"That's alright, as long as it's long enough for your plan to succeed." Hogeki said. "The palace where Aketoki is being held, can you infiltrate it?"

"Yes, we believe we can." A second ninja said. "It should be simple, they guard it heavily, but the guards are predictable. We can slip in unnoticed."

"Good because I have two jobs for you to do, and they must be done if this plan is to work!" He said, taking a short sword from his pack and handing it to them. "I found this blade as I left the city, it belongs to Aketoki Nimaji. He must have lost it in the struggle with the guards. I want one of you to locate him in the dungeons below, and blow open the door holding him. Then I want you to trick him into following you out of the castle and into town, where you four will kill him. Inform him that I have located Hanayo, and that I want to give him a chance to see her become mine, that should get him to follow you."

The ninja nodded in understanding. "But my lord, what do we do with his sword, give it to him to use against us?" A third ninja asked.

Hogeki shook his head. "No, while one of you released Aketoki, a second is to keep the gate opened for him to follow through." He said. "The other two will locate the princess you described, the one with the purple crown and moon mark. Those two will use this blade of Aketoki's and… kill her with it. If you can't then make sure you are seen using it against her, and then leave the blade once you hear the explosion go off."

They all nodded as they understood their orders. "Once that is done, escape and join your comrades who will be leading Aketoki out of the castle, and make sure to kill him." He said. "Don't let him escape; he dies tonight, one way or another!"

Hogeki turned and stared at the palace, a grin on his face as he imagined the stunned look on Celestia's face as she realizes the mercy she granted Aketoki was repaid with the death of her sister. No less by ninja 'loyal' to Aketoki, if his plan works.

It was appalling to a samurai to attack a female, and Hogeki would never allow himself to be captured or seen performing such an act. –But that is what ninja are for, are they not?-