Chapter 17-The Concert
Me: Alright, a lot's going to happen in this chapter, so be prepared.
Applejack: Who's going to handle the disclaimer?
Me: I guess you could do it, if you wanted to.
Applejack: Maybe I will. Tid doesn't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
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"Are you ready?" I asked turning to the others. They all nodded.
"Then let's do this." We pushed aside the black curtain that separated the outside world form the inside of the stadium and stepped through.
When we did so it seemed like an entirely new world. Hundreds of ponies were crammed in the stadium, a constant buzz of conversation filling the building as they chattered excitedly. A stage was set on the opposite side of the curved stadium, a black banner that read 'DJ PON-3' in blue letters hung from the steel support beams. Gigantic speakers were set up on either side of a mixing table that appeared to be meant to be used by two people (or in this case, ponies).
"That's odd, I wasn't aware Vinyl Scratch was co-performing." Rarity said in confusion.
"Maybe it was a last-minute addition?" I offered.
Rarity shrugged. I looked around, something in the air making me feel uneasy.
"What's wrong, dear?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know, I feel... Uneasy for some reason." I said.
"That's just your nerves, darling. You said you had never been to a concert before, right?" She asked. I nodded.
"Don't worry, that feeling goes away after a while." She assured me.
A few minutes later the crowd roared as what I assumed to Vinyl Scratch and her associate stepped on stage. Itachi and I both took a step back in surprise when we realized her associate was a human. I took a look at Itachi, and he nodded, confirming he had seen it too. Vinyl took her position behind the mixing table (her associate doing the same), and raised her hooves for silence.
She grabbed the microphone with her magic and shouted: "Hello Ponyville, are you ready for some wubs of destruction?!" The sea of ponies once again roared with excitement.
At that moment, Pinkie Pie pulled out a brightly colored cannon seemingly from nowhere and shouted: "Party Cannon!"
She grabbed the fuse with her teeth and yanked, the cannon shooting streamers, confetti, and even fully inflated balloons everywhere. The ponies standing in front of us were startled by the noise, seeming petrified. The two on stage looked at each other and shrugged.
"Let's pum-pum-pump it up!" Vinyl shouted and they went into their first song.
As the concert progressed, the feeling I was having continued to grow. The air felt ominous, as if something very bad was about to happen soon. About halfway through the concert, I felt a sharp pain shoot from stomach, bringing me to my knees.
"Tid! Are you alright?" Rarity asked. I looked up at Itachi, sweat beading down my face.
"Itachi, it's happening again." I said. His eyes widened in shock.
"What? What's he talking about? What's going on?" Rarity asked frantically. Pinkie Pie was elsewhere, crowd surfing. I rose to my feet.
"I need to get out of here." I said. I turned and pushed my way through the sea of ponies, receiving many disgruntled glances.
As I emerged from within the crowd, I quickly ran out of the stadium, pausing to catch my breath.
"I shouldn't be out of breath yet..." I said with my panic growing. I looked around for a suitable place to run to, somewhere far away from this populated stadium. Rarity and Itachi emerged just as I spotted the Everfree Forest.
There. No one goes in there. I thought.
I quickly began running full-sprint toward the forest. As I was running, the pain in my stomach grew even more, and my arms and legs were screaming in agony. I could feel my wounds begin to open again. I couldn't stop, however. No matter how much the pain coursed throughout my body, I had to keep running. As I approached the Everfree Forest, a tree root caught my foot and caused me to fall to the ground. Pain seared from my foot, but I disregarded it and got back up. I entered the Everfree Forest and tried to make it to the clearing where I did my ritual every morning.
Finally I could see it, the parting in the trees I had seen many times before. As I emerged into the clearing, my legs gave out and I fell face-first into the grass. I struggled and managed to get on my knees and elbows, sweat dripping from my face to water the black grass.
"Damn it." I swore in frustration. There was no point in fighting it anymore; it was too far gone now. I could hear a low laughter in the back of my mind.
Please, don't let anyone get hurt this time. I prayed silently. At that moment I heard the sound of grass being flattened by hooves. I turned back to see Rarity standing there, her face full of concern and fright. My eyes widened.
No, she can't be here! I thought in panic.
"Go! Get out of here!" I shouted.
"Tid?" She asked, extending her hoof toward me.
"No! Forget about me, just get out of here!" I shouted.
Why wouldn't she leave? She took a step toward me.
"Damn it, Rarity! Do you have a death wish?! Get out of here!" I shouted even louder than before.
Her eyes began to fill up with tears as she stood there. She closed her eyes and turned around, running as fast as she could away from me. I could hear her sobbing for a while.
I've probably just lost a friend, but it's worth it to save her life.
As the pain inside me grew, I screamed in agony, but it came out as a terrifying roar. I looked down at my hands and saw my skin begin to peel away, revealing a strange mixture of blue and black Chakra covering my body. I could feel my mind losing control over my body, the beast that was within shoving my consciousness aside. My body then began to grow in size, expanding and growing taller until it was twenty feet in height. My muscle mass had increased as well- enough to make me look like a blue V2 Jinchuriki. The beast roared, now in complete control of my body. I knew the transformation wasn't yet done, so I tried my best to suppress it from going any further. I heard the same low laughter.
You honestly think you can stop me now? You're worthless.The beast said.
No, I can stop you from reaching your full power. I replied.
Like you stopped me back in the Hidden Leaf Village?
Shut up! I won't let that happen again! I replied in anger.
Fine, then I'll just do all the damage I can in this form.
I could see all that my body was doing, looking through my eyes like two windows. Through them I could see the beast begin to make his way toward Ponyville.
This isn't good. I thought in despair.
I was helpless to do anything but keep him from reaching his final form. He knocked over several trees, clearing a steady path through the forest. I could see Itachi appear before us, his expression stern. He weaved hand signs and ran toward the beast. The beast smacked Itachi aside, sending him crashing through several trees.
"Not this time, Itachi Uchiha." The beast rumbled.
Itachi was the only one who had the power to seal the beast once again. Normal techniques used on the Tailed Beasts did not work on this beast, as those techniques were meant for the creatures created from the split parts of the Ten Tails' Chakra. The beast didn't look at Itachi after that, so I had no idea whether or not he was alright.
The beast continued to push on through the forest, Ponyville now coming into view through the tree line. The beast let out another laugh, this time aloud.
"You know, Tid, I just love to destroy things. Especially when those things mean so much to you." He said.
Damn it, you're going to destroy all of Ponyville, aren't you? I asked him.
"That's right. And I think I'll start with that pony you were with earlier. What was her name again? Clarity?" He said mockingly.
You bastard! I shouted in rage.
That's right, get angry. Let your fury blaze and give me strength!The beast said.
"T-Tid?"
No... It couldn't be. Before us stood Rarity, tears streaming down her face.
Looks like I didn't have to search for too long. I hope you enjoy watching her die! The beast said before laughing once more.
Damn it, I told her to run! I thought.
The beast raised his hand and brought it down toward Rarity. I closed my eyes- I didn't want to see what came next. Suddenly there was a loud roar of pain that forced me to open my eyes. My heart jumped in my chest as i saw Itachi standing before us, his Susano'o forming a wall between us and Rarity. The fire in Itachi's Susano'o illuminated the area around us in an orange light. I looked over and saw the beast's hand now severed from its body, black blood pouring from the wound.
"What? But how?" The beast asked in disbelief.
Itachi had used the Totsuka Blade to cut off the beast's hand.
Good work, Itachi. I thought with hope restored.
There was a bright flash of light and no one but Princess Celestia herself appeared before me. She said nothing but looked upon me with a look of disdain.
"I will not tolerate evil overwhelming one of my citizens." She said.
The beast roared in anger and raised his left hand to smash her. A golden aura surrounded her horn and whips of golden light entangled the beast- first by his hand, then working its way around his entire body. She forced us to the ground and Itachi's Susano'o dissipated.
"Thank you, I can take it from here." Itachi said to her.
She nodded. Itachi walked forward and weaved the same hand signs he had before. He then placed his palm on the beast's head and pain began to shoot throughout my entire body once more. I could see my body size decreasing; the Chakra receding through the point Itachi had touched. The area around my consciousness began to turn from black to white, chains made of Chakra binding the beast to a stone. His five tails whipped around him furiously.
You win this time, Tid. Mark my words; I will succeed in killing you one day.
I won't ever let that happen. I said back. With that I retook my body.
As my consciousness retook control of my body, I pushed myself off of the ground until I was on my hands and knees, coughing. I heard someone approach and looked up to see Rarity standing before me, still sniffling.
"I'm sorry," I said.
She said nothing but continued to stare at me with a look of fear and concern. I rose to my feet, wincing as pain shot from the open wound on my back.
"Now you know of the beast that's inside of me. I had hoped you would never know, but I guess it's too late for that. I'm so sorry, Rarity. I know you probably won't believe me, but I had no control over my body. It was never my intention to hurt you, but if you hate me now, I understand." I said looking into her eyes.
"I don't hate you," She said placing her hoof on my shoulder. Her voice was filled with a soothing tone. My eyes widened in shock.
"What? Y-you don't?" I asked in disbelief. She nodded, this time a smile breaking through her previous expression. I was so shocked tears actually started forming in my eyes.
"Tid, if you would, I'd like to ask you a few questions." Princess Celestia said.
I turned my attention over to her and I saw that her expression had softened.
"Alright," I said nodding.
"I'd like to come too, if that's alright." Rarity said turning to Celestia.
"That's fine." Celestia replied. She turned to Itachi.
"Are you coming too?" She asked. He nodded.
"Then let's go." She said.
She used her magic to teleport us to a white room with a single round table in the middle of the room. It was surrounded by chairs on all sides, eight of them to be precise. Celestia took her place at one end of the table, and I took a seat on the opposite side. Rarity sat at a ninety-degree angle from me to my right, and Itachi sat opposite her.
"So, Tid, would you mind telling me everything you know about that beast inside of you?" Celestia asked. I nodded.
"Long ago, when I was only fifteen years old, I was assigned by the Hokage on an S-class mission. There had been reports of a group of shinobi that were killing off squads of shinobi from three major nations. My assignment was to find where they were hiding and eliminate them to stop a potential war. After four days of searching I finally located their hideout. I invaded when night had fallen and eliminated about half of them before they launched their counterattack. They sent a team of shinobi dressed in specialized armor that was fueled by the Chakra of the beast that now resides inside me. This new armor had been seen only once before; from a group that, from what I am told, had been eliminated by Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Rock Lee. It was a special type of armor that protected the wearer from all Chakra-based attacks."
"Unfortunately at the time my Taijutsu abilities were, shall we say, below average. Luckily, I'm a member of the Uchiha clan, and my Sharingan allowed me advanced Genjutsu abilities. Now, I'm not nearly as adept at Genjutsu as Itachi, but I was able to put them all under a paralysis Genjutsu. At that point I began to make my way down toward their main base of operations, where before me stood the monstrosity of a beast. As with all secret operations, there was one man behind it all. He wore another type of armor I hadn't seen before, one that was connected directly to the beast's Chakra. We fought for what seemed like an hour before I determined there was only one way to defeat him. I made my way over to the beast, the silver and blue wolf looking at me with fury in its eyes and its fangs bared. I had no choice, so I sealed the beast within myself, Chakra and all. I was aided by a sealing formula that had already been made around the beast, presumably to seal the beast within the man I was fighting. After that, I had to perform a certain ritual every day to keep the beast sealed inside of me, or- well, you know what happens when I don't." I said.
Princess Celestia closed her eyes and said nothing. Rarity was staring at me with a look of confusion and sympathy. Itachi's eyes were also closed.
"I see," Celestia said after a while.
"Unfortunately I'm stuck with this curse." I said lowering my eyes to stare at the table.
"You say you can keep it under control if you perform a ritual every day, correct?" She asked. I nodded.
"Then what led this incident to happen today?" I looked up at her.
"You see, I had been injured in a fight yesterday and I was in the hospital until just earlier this afternoon. I have to do my ritual in the morning, and I couldn't today." I answered.
"Then I'll make arrangements for the staff in Ponyville's hospital to make sure your ritual is performed every morning, alright?" I nodded.
"Thank you,"
"Itachi, do you have anything to add?" Celestia asked turning to look at him.
"No," He replied simply, his eyes still closed.
Celestia turned her attention to Rarity.
"And how about you, Rarity?"
"I don't," Rarity replied. Celestia nodded.
"Then I'll be sending you on your way."
"Princess Celestia, if you would, could you please keep this a secret? I'd rather not be kicked out of another village." I said.
Rarity looked at me questioningly, her face bright with astonishment.
"As you wish,"
"Hold on just a second!" Rarity demanded. At that moment a bright white flash blinded us all as we were teleported back to Ponyville.
We reappeared in front of the stadium in Ponyville. Pinkie Pie was outside, waiting patiently for us. When she saw us her ears perked up and she ran toward us.
"There you are! I've been waiting for you!" She said. I looked around and saw the stadium now dark and empty. I also noticed we were the only ones standing there, which meant the concert had been over for some time now.
"Sorry to make you wait, Pinkie." I apologized rubbing the back of my head.
"Oh don't worry! At first I was like: 'Where'd they go?' and freaking out because I thought something bad happened to you, but then I was like: 'Nah, they probably just left because they were hungry' so then I sat over there and waited for you guys to come back." She said in one breath.
She inhaled deeply and let it out in a short breath and began to look at each of our faces in rapid succession. It was enough to make me laugh, which also made Pinkie Pie laugh.
"Tid, may I speak with you for a second?" Rarity asked me.
"Sure," I replied and she led us away from Pinkie Pie and Itachi, who followed us with their gazes.
We ducked behind the side of the stadium, becoming shrouded in darkness.
"What is it Rarity?" I asked.
Her appearance took on a wonderful appearance in the moonlit night. Her face was half illuminated by the moon, the other half shrouded in shadows, her white skin still barely visible in the darkness. Her royal purple mane framed her face perfectly, her eyes seeming to shine in the night. As I stood there with her, I started to feel something in my chest- something I hadn't felt in a long time. I shook my head.
You fool, you know what would happen. I reminded myself.
"Is everything alright?" She asked when she noticed this.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What did you want to talk about?" I replied.
"Just before we were teleported here, I heard you say something about not wanting to be kicked out of a second village. What did you mean by that?" She asked.
I looked up at the night sky; the moon was full and filled a majority of the sky that I could see through the trees. I smiled.
"You know, Rarity, you're smart enough to know what I meant by that. My home was the Hidden Leaf Village." I said.
"Yes, I know that, but what does that have to do with being kicked out of one?" She asked.
She hasn't put the pieces together yet. I thought.
"You remember what I said to you earlier, about my village rejecting me shortly before I came here?" She nodded.
I gave her a moment to put the pieces together. Finally, she gasped.
"Don't tell me it was because-"
"That's right. People like me have never been accepted in my world. Of course, I don't pose nearly as much of a threat as the Jinchuriki, but I do still have a monster inside of me." I said.
"So they kicked you out of the village just for having a beast inside of you? It was your job to put that beast inside of you! Your mission, and more importantly, your life depended on sealing that beast within you!" She said furiously.
"Rarity, people like me are like ticking time-bombs. At any moment, an incident like the one tonight, or even far worse, could happen."
I looked at her.
"Rarity, can I tell you something, something I've never told anyone before?" I asked her.
"Of course you can," She replied.
"As you know, I am forced to perform my ritual every day to prevent the beast from taking over my body. One day, however, I had forgotten to do so. That night, I was with- well, that's not important. Anyway, we were about to kiss each other when the beast took over. I didn't know what was happening so I didn't warn her, like I had warned you, so when the transformation was complete I... I killed her."
Rarity gasped.
"Not only that, but the transformation went past what you saw tonight, and into its final form. I destroyed a good portion of the village before the beast was sealed within me again. Later that night I was forced to leave the village, to pay for what I had done. Since that day, I've lived with the burden of killing her. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a way to atone for my sins." I finished. I looked away from her, too ashamed to face her.
"Tid, look at me." She commanded. I did so and she slapped me. My eyes widened with surprise.
"Atone for your sins; what a ridiculous thing to say! As far as I'm concerned, you've done absolutely nothing you need to atone for!" She said.
"But...I killed her," I argued, still dazed by the fact she had slapped me.
"No, you didn't. That beast inside of you did." She said pointing to my stomach.
I looked into her eyes and I could see the fire that told me she meant every word. As I stood there, I could feel my eyes begin to tear up. I looked away, not wanting her to see my tears. I closed my eyes and the tears that were forming in my eyes rolled down my face, dripping onto the grass beneath our feet. I then felt Rarity place her hoof on my shoulder, my eyes opening immediately.
"It's alright, darling. I've seen plenty of ponies cry before, so you don't need to hide it. I won't think any less of you." I looked at her and saw her sympathetic smile accompanying soft and comforting eyes.
"I'm sorry," I said turning to her again.
"There's no need to be sorry, dear. I'm here for you whenever you need me." She said.
I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around her, surprising her by my sudden movement. Her skin felt warm against mine, and her mane was as soft as silk. She smiled and wrapped her arms around me.
"Tid, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." She said.
"What is it?" I asked, still wrapped in her embrace. I could feel her shiver.
"I-" Was all she managed to say before a Pinkie Pie separated the two of us.
"What's going on here? Huh? Huh? Huh?" She asked looking between Rarity and I.
Both Rarity and I surprised so much we fell backwards. Pinkie Pie walked over and stood above me.
"You didn't break your Pinkie Promise, did you?" She asked closing one eye and widening the other, turning her head so the one that was open was closer to me.
"No, I didn't." I said raising my hands defensively.
"Good." She said standing up straight again.
"Pinkie Promise? What Pinkie Promise?" Rarity asked confused.
"Oh, the one where-" Pinkie Pie began before I covered her mouth.
"It's nothing, I assure you." I said.
"Tid, I don't appreciate being lied to." She said.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you the Pinkie Promise." I said. She closed her eyes.
"Fine, don't tell me." She said angrily. I lowered my eyes.
Damn, I've pissed her off. I thought disdainfully.
I removed my hand from Pinkie Pie's mouth and stood up, extending my hand to help Rarity do the same, but she turned away and stood up.
"So, what were you guys doing?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Talking; nothing more, nothing less." Rarity replied.
Itachi and I looked at each other and he placed me under his Genjutsu. I found myself standing in the familiar Tsukuyomi world, the ground black beneath my feat, the sky crimson and littered with black clouds. Before me stood Itachi.
"You've really made her upset, you realize that right?" He asked.
"Of course I know that. I didn't mean to." I replied crossing my arms.
"And what exactly was the Pinkie Promise you made?" He asked me.
"You can't tell anyone else this, okay?" He nodded.
"Pinkie Pie made me promise I didn't have a crush on anyone." I said.
"And did you uphold this promise?" He asked. I nodded.
"I can't let Rarity know that, though. I just don't think it's right." I said.
"But consider this, Tid: Is it really better for Rarity's sake if she doesn't know?" He asked. I stared at the ground.
"I don't know," I answered finally. He continued to stare at me.
"I don't want anyone to get hurt. I guess I've got some work to do to make sure no one does." I said.
"Sometimes, not everyone can be protected. Remember that." He said.
With those words looming in my mind he ended the Genjutsu and we returned to our friends whom were staring at us with concern. "Genjutsu." I said in reply to their silent questions.
"Ah," They said at once. I turned to Rarity.
"Here, I'll walk you home." I said.
"I'm perfectly capable of returning safely to my own home." She said. I looked into her eyes and leaned in close.
"Look, I need to explain some things to you. So I'd appreciate it if I could do that now." I whispered.
She stared at me for a few seconds, her eyes distrusting at first. Eventually her expression softened.
"Alright," She said finally. I turned to Itachi.
"Itachi, why don't you take Pinkie Pie home?" I asked him. He looked at Pinkie Pie, who smiled at him, then back at me.
"Alright," He said. I nodded. Immediately following that we all left and went in our separate directions.
As Rarity and I were walking, I noticed the moon seemed to be shining a little brighter than usual tonight.
"Well if you're going to explain whatever it is you need to explain to me, I suggest you do it now." She said.
"Alright," I said.
"Look, I didn't mean to upset you earlier. I just didn't want Pinkie Pie to tell you what the Pinkie Promise was."
"And why not?" She asked looking at me.
"Because it's incredibly embarrassing for me." I replied.
"I... I'm sorry." She said staring at the ground.
"What are you apologizing for?" I asked in confusion.
"I suppose I just took it the wrong way earlier. I should have known you had a reason to hide it from me." She said.
"Actually, it's not much of a reason at all. You had every right to be upset with me, I was just being selfish." I said.
After that there was a long silence, only the sounds of her hooves hitting the ground could be heard.
"Tid, would you mind telling me exactly what that Pinkie Promise was?" She asked. I looked at her. She was still staring at the ground.
"Sure," I replied. I couldn't help but feel a sense of obligation to do so.
"The Pinkie Promise was to never make you ponies cry." I lied.
"I see. Well I'm terribly sorry I misjudged you." She said.
"Don't worry about it, a lot worse has happened to me." I said. We walked on for a few minutes before Rarity spoke up again.
"Say, Tid, would you be interested in attending the Grand Galloping Gala with us?" She asked.
"The Grand Galloping Gala?" I asked. She nodded.
"It's a wonderful event held every year where hundreds of elegant stallions and mares gather and have a wonderful time dancing and talking with one another." She said.
"I don't know; I'm not particularly good at dancing." I said nervously.
"Well that's fine; it's not a requirement to dance. I could even accompany you if you feel nervous." She said.
"Well, I suppose so. I mean, I don't see why not." I said shrugging.
"Fantastic! I can guarantee you'll absolutely love it!" She said smiling broadly. I chuckled.
"If you say so,"
A few weeks later, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Itachi, and I were all walking through Canterlot on our way to the castle, which is where I was told the Grand Galloping Gala was held. The others were dressed in amazing dresses- designed by Rarity of course. Rarity wore her Akatsuki dress, as she usually did. I was actually surprised she didn't wear something different.
When I asked her about it, she said: 'It's my masterpiece; it'd be a crime not to wear it to the Gala.' As we walked through Canterlot, I couldn't help but see how much more sophisticated than Ponyville it was.
"This looks like a wonderful place." I said.
"It is. You know, they say Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were actually born here before Equestria was founded." Twilight said.
"What? How old is this country?" I asked.
"Hmm, just over a thousand years. Why?" She asked. I flinched.
"That would mean-"
"Yep, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are both over a thousand years old." Twilight said.
"That's impossible!" I said incredulously.
"Not really. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are both immortal." She said.
Two immortals? I've only ever met one true immortal, and that was Hidan. I thought in astonishment. We continued the trip in silence, the castle approaching very quickly. We arrived at the gate, where two stallions I assumed to be guards dressed in golden armor and blue feathers holding golden spears stood.
The Grand Galloping Gala... This'll be exciting.
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Me: Whew, that was a lot to fit in.
Tid: What's going to happen in the next chapter?
Me: You'll find out. I have very big plans for it. Anyway, favorite, follow, and please leave a review! Let me know how I'm doing, as well as any suggestions you guys might have. See you next time!