Chapter 8- Twilight
Me: Tid is going to be spending the day with Twilight in this chapter.
Itachi: I'm not in this chapter, am I?
Me: No, but you can handle the disclaimer.
Itachi: Fine. Tid doesn't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
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That morning I woke up in my bed in an awkward position. I was laying sideways along the width of the bed with my pillows in my arms. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before leaving my room to take a shower. (For the sake of my own discretion I will not go into the details of my shower.) When I had finished showering I donned my cloak, ate a piece of toast from the kitchen quickly and left through the front door to perform my ritual. I walked through Ponyville, as I usually did, with many ponies greeting me on my way. When I had made it to the dark forest I stopped and took a deep breath of fresh air.
"The atmosphere around this forest certainly is different." I said to myself. I took a look around and entered the forest, taking the path I always took to the clearing in the middle. I emerged into the sunlight that shone in the circular clearing and walked toward the middle; pausing as something caught my eye. I activated my Sharingan and scanned the area, but I couldn't see whatever it was that had caught my attention. I could've sworn I had seen an arm; not a pony one, but a human one. I walked over to the trees and looked around, but no sign of anyone could be found. I shook my head. You're losing your mind, Tid. I told myself. I walked back into the middle of the clearing and sat down, crossing my legs as I put my hands in the 'boar' hand sign and beginning my ritual. How rote this is becoming. I thought to myself.
After a good hour of my ritual I stood and brushed the dirt from my cloak before exiting the forest and heading immediately to Twilight's house on the other side of town. I was walking for a good five minutes before the library which held residence to the purple pony came into view. I quickened my pace and reached the tree in a good three minutes. I knocked on the door and bounced on the balls of my feet until the purple pony answered.
"Oh, Tid, this is a surprise." She said when she had opened the door.
"Sorry to drop by on such short notice, but I was hoping you would want to spend the day with me." I said rubbing the back of my head nervously.
"Spend the day with you?" She asked curiously. I nodded.
"You see, I was hoping to get to know the six of you better, since we've become friends and all." I said.
"Oh I see. Well then come on in." She said with a smile and inviting me into her home. I walked in and closed the door behind me, following her to her study.
"So, what do you want to know?" She asked taking a couple of books from the shelves at once with her magic and flipping through them before setting them on the table in front of a telescope.
"Well, I figured we could exchange some information on each other's pasts." I replied watching her as she walked about the room.
"Hmm, sounds like a good place to start." She said shutting one book and looking at me as she set it on the increasingly towering pile of books.
"Who starts?" She asked.
"Why don't you start?" I suggested. She sat down before the tower of books and grabbed the top one, which was perched precariously near the ceiling and seemed to be near the point of falling.
"I suppose." She said as she scanned the text. She began to recall her past, explaining how she had previously lived in Canterlot for most of her life before coming to Ponyville on orders from Princess Celestia. She explained that she was former student of the aforementioned Princess and remained very close to her after completing her studies. She explained she had previously been a unicorn like Rarity, but became a Princess upon completion of her studies. She explained how she had come to get her Cutie Mark (for a normally organized mare she seemed to tell her story in bits and pieces as they came to her mind). When she had finished, she had gotten through nearly a third of the stack of books, setting them in smaller stacks beside her as she completed them. I had taken a seat during her stories next to a bookshelf on the opposite side of the room.
"Well, there you have it." She said closing yet another book and setting it on one of the stacks that sat at her hind hooves and looking at me.
"I see. You seem to have led an interesting life." I said. She chuckled.
"You could say that. How about yours?" She asked.
"Well, if you must know, then I'll tell you."
"I was born about nineteen years ago in the Hidden Leaf Village. I am a member of the Uchiha clan and as such I have a natural aptitude for battle and Fire-style jutsu, as well as genjutsu. I awakened my Sharingan when I was thirteen and I awakened my Mangekyou Sharingan three years ago. The events that lead to these awakenings are not important right now." I said.
"Hmm, that doesn't give me much." She said.
"Well, let me give you more. I was born with a special power, and that was the ability to produce chains from any part of my body." I said.
"What?!" Twilight asked nearly falling out of her chair.
"Yeah. I can also control them at will, and they're incredibly durable." I said.
"No way, that's not possible." She said. I stretched out my arm, pulled my sleeve back, and produced a few feet of chains from my right wrist. She watched as they emerged from my body in astonishment and awe.
"Does it hurt?" She asked still staring at them.
"Not anymore. If I produced a large amount from an area that I don't really use to produce them, like my back, then it would hurt." I replied withdrawing the chains.
"Do you have any other unique traits?" She asked curiously.
"Not particularly, at least, none worth mentioning. My aptitude for Fire-style is more advanced than others, even amongst the Uchiha, but that's pretty much it." I replied shrugging.
"Could you show me?" She asked.
"Er, yeah, I suppose." I replied.
We made our way outside and she stood some distance away behind me.
"Watch carefully." I said to her over my shoulder. She nodded and waiting excitedly for me to begin. I weaved a few hand signs and three large spheres of fire appeared in the air before me. I raised two fingers on either of my hands and used them to control two of the spheres, orbiting them around my body in a large sphere. They left wisps of fire trailing behind them as they moved, encircling me in their heat. I then moved the third sphere high into the air before moving the other two to shoot into the air and converge with the third, causing them two merge and explode; sending embers dancing down. I turned around to face Twilight who had an expression of awe on her face.
"Well, what do you think?" I asked.
"That was amazing!" She replied; her expression giving way to a great big smile.
"I'm glad you think so." I said. "Is there more you can do?" She asked.
"There is, plenty more. However, it's too destructive to demonstrate." I replied.
"Oh I see. Well that's alright, how about I make you some tea?" She asked.
"That sounds good." I replied. We walked back into the house and I sat down at the table while Twilight went into the kitchen and began preparing the tea.
A few seconds later Spike came into the room and froze when he saw me.
"What are you doing here?" He asked me.
"Nothing to worry you." I replied.
"So, Rarity wasn't enough, eh?" He asked clenching his fist. I leaned forward.
"What are you talking about?" I asked somewhat startled.
"You know exactly what I mean." He said getting visibly angrier. I slowly activated my Sharingan, anticipating a conflict. He opened his mouth to say something else but at that moment Twilight entered the room, carrying a tray with a pot of tea and two cups using her magic. She stopped when she noticed Spike and I were staring at each other.
"What's going on?" She asked looking between the two of us.
"Oh it's nothing. Right, Spike?" I replied, glancing at him.
"Y-yeah, nothing's going on." He said.
"Good." She said and continued on her way. As she set the tray on the table Spike turned around and walked back into one of the rooms on the second floor.
"What was that about?" She asked me as she sat down.
"I honestly don't know," I replied. I took a cup of tea and glanced out of the window as I took a sip. My eyes widened when I saw the sun had already set.
"Wow, it's that time already?" I asked in astonishment.
"What is it? Do you have to do something?" She asked.
"No, it's just that I was so surprised at how much time had gone by." I replied setting my cup on the table. She took a sip from her cup and set it back on the table.
"Where did you learn to be so good with fire?" She asked.
"Well, I have a natural aptitude for Fire-style, as I've previously stated. Of course, it still took me years of training with my father to utilize this gift." I replied looking down at my open palms.
"You're father seems like a nice man." She said. I looked up at her and nodded once.
"He was," I confirmed.
"Was?" She asked in confusion. I nodded again.
"You see, both my mother and my father died years ago." I said lacing my fingers around the cup.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She apologized looking down into her cup of tea. I smiled.
"It's alright, I know why they had to die, and I've accepted it." I said. She looked at me in astonishment.
"A-are you serious?" She asked. I nodded.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I'm not upset by my parents' deaths. They had a reason to die, and that's alright. Sure, I miss them- who wouldn't? All I'm saying is, I'm not upset." I replied awkwardly; not seeming to find the right words to express myself. She chuckled at my awkwardness. I finished my tea and stood up, looking out of the window.
"I should probably get going." I said.
"Oh, alright. Would you mind if I walked you home? If Discord really is on the rise, then it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra protection." She said. I nodded and she stood. We walked out of her house and toward my own, walking down a path that went around the outside of Ponyville. The moon was out and shining down on the land we walked on, our shadows extending past the path and into a ditch that seemed like it could form a moat when it rained heavily.
"Tid, this may seem like an awkward question, but did you have a girlfriend before you came here?" Twilight asked. I looked at her then back at the ground.
"I did; but, our relationship ended long before I came here." I replied.
"Oh, I see." She said looking away.
"Why do you ask?" I asked her.
"I don't know, really. I guess I was just curious." She replied looking back at me. I tried to see if she was blushing but my shadow made it impossible to tell. I looked up into the night sky, observing the stars.
"What was her name?" She asked.
"Hm?" I looked back at her. "It was Yorokobi." I replied.
"Yorokobi... That means 'joy', doesn't it?" She asked. I nodded.
"She sounds like a nice woman." She said.
"Yeah, she was. She could have a pretty fiery temper though." I said chuckling a little. She chuckled a little too, and after that she got quiet.
"Twilight, is there a different reason you wanted to accompany me back to my home?" I asked her. She looked at me.
"No, why do you ask?" She replied. Her tone didn't waver, and this time I made sure the moon illuminated her face, though she wasn't blushing. Looks like I had nothing to fear. I thought. I smiled.
"I was just curious." I replied.
"Oh, okay." She said and looked ahead again. By this time we could see the hill that my house rested on. We came to a stop at the base of the hill and turned to each other.
"Well, I'll be seeing you around." I said. She nodded. I held out my fist to her.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Oh come on, you can't tell me they don't fist- I mean hoof-bump in this world?" I replied.
"Oh, I see now." She said. She bumped my fist with her hoof and I let my arm fall back down to my side.
"Well, it's been nice getting to know you. See ya." I said giving her a two-finger salute and leaping to the top of the hill.
"See ya," She called after me and turned around and walked away. I stood next to the house, watching her over my shoulder as she left.
"Hm, there's a lot of things I could learn from her," I said out loud and walked around the house to the front door and entered.
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Me: Alright, now that that chapter is out of the way, you can look forward to the next chapter, which features and exciting race! Don't miss it! See ya!