Chapter 38-The War Begins
Me: What else can I say? War begins.
Tid: Am I going to get my house back?
Me: No. Sorry. Anyway, I don't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
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Several more explosions rocked the house, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. I glanced up to see who was attacking us. I saw several dark figures, dressed entirely in black jump suits and goggles. The jump suits had outlines of flames on them, giving them a cool design. The upper halves of the Pegasi were normal, but the lower halves were strange. They looked as if they were enveloped in an Amaterasu. The figures would turn themselves entirely into this Amaterasu look, and then collide with the building, causing it to explode. They emerged from the attack unscathed. Eventually they finished their attack and flew away in the opposite direction of which they had come. We all stood up and brushed the debris off of ourselves. "What was that?!" Rainbow Dash asked. I glanced at Twilight, and she nodded. "I didn't tell you guys before, but now I think might be the time. War is coming." I said. They gasped. "War? Against who?" Applejack asked. "Princess Luna." I replied. They gasped once more. "Nightmare Moon is back?" Pinkie asked. They all started murmuring nervously. "Calm down. Now, I have been appointed as General, meaning I control all of the armed forces. I'm going to need your guys' assistance." I said. They all nodded their agreement to serve. "Good." I said. I turned to Itachi. "Do you still have your crows following Robert and them?" He nodded. "Would you mind if they gave me the live feed directly?" I asked. "Why?" He asked. "I'd like to see what they're up to at all times, just to be safe." I said. "Alright." He said. He opened his cloak and a crow flew out and into my mouth. My eyes started to water as the crow went down my throat. At that moment I saw Robert, Neon Lights, and Shining Armor. Robert and Shining Armor were conversing. "How can you stand by, being controlled by an inferior?" Robert asked. "I know what you mean, but I am bound by my royalty." Shining Armor said. "I need to borrow Flash Sentry." Robert said. "Why?" Shining Armor asked. "I have formed a group of vigilantes. We will end this war by ourselves, not under the control of Tid." He replied. Shining Armor nodded and called over Flash Sentry. Flash Sentry agreed to join. "Form a group outside of my power, eh?" I said. "What?" Twilight asked. "Oh, sorry, I've just been watching the live feed. It's nothing." I said. "What are we going to do now?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I don't know just yet. I'll have to establish a base of operations, so until that happens I want you all to be on guard." I said. They nodded. "Meanwhile, I'll take care of this group of vigilantes." I said under my breath.
I moved to a clearing in the forest and sat down, watching the live feed of Robert. He was going around recruiting members for his group I saw that he moved through transportation. Luckily I was able to keep tabs on them because of Itachi's crows. At that moment I realized what Celestia had said, and went to go see if it was true. I traveled to Canterlot and entered the throne room. I was unchallenged because of my Grand Prince status. "Hello, Tid." Celestia said. "Celestia, there's something I've come to talk to you about." I said. "What is it?" She asked. "I've been watching Robert over the past few weeks and when he returned I noticed something. When you told him the reason why I was in charge, you said that it was because I was here and he was not. Is this true?" I asked. She smiled. "No, of course not. The other Princesses and I completely believe in your abilities, Tid. I only said that so that he would leave and not question me further. You understand how he is, don't you?" She asked. I hesitated, deciding whether or not to believe her. "Alright, I guess I believe you. But how do I know that you aren't just saying this to make me be silent on the matter?" I asked. "You are a clever one, Tid. However, I assure you I'm not trying to deceive you. We truly do believe in your abilities." She answered. "Alright, thank you." I said. She nodded and I left.
I continued to monitor Robert occasionally. My main goal at that time was to establish a base of operations. It would most likely have to be somewhere underground, as an above-ground base would be susceptible to aerial attacks. I asked Itachi to help me in the construction of the base, which he agreed to. He used his water style to tunnel away at the ground, while I worked underground and setup the main base. Itachi was left in charge of creating the entrances and exits, making sure to keep them concealed at all times. A few miner ponies decided to help out. With all of this assistance we got the base made within three weeks. I was working on the finishing touches when Twilight paid me a visit. "Seems like you guys have been busy." She said. I nodded, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "Come on, let me give you the grand tour." I said. "Now, this base is strictly for strategical purposes, and no outside ponies are allowed inside, or even to be aware of its existence. This base is completely off the grid. Only I and those directly above and below me may know of its existence." I said. "Wow you're really taking this seriously." She said. I nodded. "This is war; I have to take it seriously." I said. I stopped and placed my palm against a scanner. "This place is fitted with top-of-the-line security scanners. They can read anyone's energy and Chakra. If they detect an energy or Chakra that is not registered in the "allowed" personnel database, the room or hall is shut off from the rest of the building and starts to heat up rapidly, killing the intruder. Of course, this operation can be stopped manually, in case of error, but that's not likely." I said. "Security sure is top-notch here." She said. I nodded again. "Over here we have the room that keeps track of all citizens in Ponyville and Canterlot. This is so we know where everyone is at all times. It is mostly used by those who cannot see through Itachi's crows, which is to say the guards we have stationed here." I said. She stopped and examined the monitors for a while. She was staring at the monitors watching the other five. "So these can see anywhere in Equestria?" She asked. I nodded. "What if there are blind spots?" she asked. "Those blind spots are very few and far between. Besides, those areas aren't very big, so I doubt anything could happen where we won't know about it." I said. We walked down the hall and I continued to show her the base. I showed her the cafeteria, the break room, and even the infirmary (which would hardly ever be used). "Tell me something Tid. What if someone is somehow able to bypass your security systems?" She asked. "That's simple. I have my chains surrounding all of Ponyville, and even more surrounding this base. You see, they are very special chains that come from my left wrist. They have the best sensory abilities out there, so nothing can get past them without me knowing." I said. "Wait, you said that come from your left wrist?" She asked. I nodded. "You see, I can produce chains from any part of my body, at any length. The chains that come from my left wrist are different than the ones that come from any other part of my body. I was given this ability through, well; I guess you could call it my Kekkei Genkai, or Blood-line Trait. I'm the only one who can do this, and my parents never had this ability, so it's a mystery how I obtained it." I said. "I never noticed that before." She said. "You didn't? Where did you think all of those chains I used in the past came from?" I asked. "I don't know, I never really paid attention to where they came from." She said. I shrugged. "And finally, this is my office." I said. I opened the door to reveal a moderately sized room. Inside were a desk and several bookshelves. A carpet was lying on the floor in front of my desk, mostly covering the wooden floor. "You sure do seem prepared for the war." She said. "Well, it wasn't easy, and I don't have everything yet, but I think she'll manage for now." I said. Twilight continued to look about the room. "Something wrong?" I asked. "No, nothing's wrong. I just don't see any way out of here besides the door. What if someone attacks you?" She asked. "Well, in the unlikely event that someone where to make it all the way back here, I do have one more counter-measure." I said. I walked over to the wall and put my hand against it. It fell away to reveal a secret passage that led to the surface. She walked over to it. "Wow, this is amazing." She said. "It's nothing to be amazed about; it's only a secret passage." I said. "Not that, but the fact that you were able to think so far ahead. It's truly remarkable." She said. "You're starting to sound like Rarity." I said. "Am I? I'm sorry." She said. I laughed. "It's not something to be sorry for. Come on, let's go." I said. She nodded and we left the base.
In the days following I kept tabs on Robert and the rest of his vigilante group. In their group I noticed Flash Sentry, and others who I did not recognize. Among them was a griffin, a zebra, a Changeling (was he working for the enemy?), and what appeared to be a colt/dragon hybrid. They were currently stationed in a former recording studio in Las Pegasus. I knew there was one other, but he was hard to find. It was as if he didn't exist in this world most of the time. Was he using something to make him invisible? Even if he was, Itachi's crows could still see him. Was he perhaps using something to travel between worlds? If so, where would he go? How would they communicate with him if he was? It didn't add up to me. I asked Twilight to put up a magical barrier around Ponyville and Canterlot, so as to avoid surprise attacks. "How long do you expect to go without an attack?" She asked. "I don't know, but hopefully this'll be enough to protect the ponies. I don't want anyone getting hurt that doesn't have anything to do with this war." I said. "How noble." She said. "I wish you wouldn't call me that. I don't want to be seen as a hero." I said. "Another noble comment." She said. "Damn it." I said. She laughed. "I'm just messing around with you." She said. "Please don't." I said. She shrugged. I paid a visit to Rarity to see how she was adjusting to all of this. "Oh I've just been absolutely stressed recently. I'm worried about you, Tid." She said. I put my hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine." I said. "You've just been working so hard, Tid. Meanwhile, I've been doing absolutely nothing of significance. It makes me feel just awful!" She said. "Don't worry about it, I'll tell you if there's anything you can do to help me, alright? All of this is for your safety anyway." I said. "Yes, I realize that. However, you've seen my growth, haven't you? You believe in me, right?" She asked. "Of course I do! I told you that if I have anything for you to do, I'd tell you, right?" I asked. She nodded. "See, there you are. Come on; let's go get something to eat." I said.
Rarity and I walked to a restaurant in the heart of the town. We placed our orders and sat there. "So, how's the war going?" Rarity asked. "So far nothing's happened, save for the attack on our house." I said. "Is that so? Well, if you need a place to stay, you're welcome to stay at my house." She said. "Thank you, that's very kind." I said. She leaned forward. "Oh, and about the matter of what happened just before the attack…" She said. "Yes?" I asked. She leaned in still closer, to the point where she was practically standing up. "I was going to say yes." She said. My eyes widened. "Really?" I asked. She nodded, sitting back down and smiling. I was so happy I could hardly sit still. I nearly got up right there and hugged her. Just then I felt something strange. I checked the vision of the crows perched just outside of Robert's house, but the vision was black. "Son of a bitch." I said under my breath. "Something wrong?" Rarity asked. "No, nothing's wrong. Everything is just fine." I lied. After that the waiter brought us our food. We ate and chat about casual things, having no relation at all to the current war. Afterwards I walked her home and immediately set out to Robert's house. As I approached I saw a big barrier around the house. Itachi's crows were lying dead around the door. "Itachi's not gonna like this." I said. At that moment there was a bright flash of light from inside the house. I approached the barrier and it started to vibrate. I stopped. I activated my Mangekyou Rinnegan. I used the teleportation technique to teleport within the barrier's vicinity. I opened the door to see the house completely empty. "Seems like someone was here but left when they saw me." I said. At that moment I felt the same sensation I had felt earlier. I checked the vision and saw several crows fall to the ground. The one I was looking through flew away just as a blur of black and white came up to it. They must've been planning something. I quickly went back to the base and contacted Shining Armor. "Shining Armor, I'm going to need you to send your men to the Changeling Empire. I fear something may happen there very soon." I said. He sighed. "Yes sir." He said. From his tone I gathered he didn't think I was an equal, despite my position. I ended the communication. "Guess I'll have to prove to him I have what it takes to be his equal." I said to myself.
A few hours later Shining Armor contacted me. "Sir, it seems someone didn't want us to interfere with their plans. As soon as we got there, they sent up an illusion of a dragon made completely of fire to distract us. Unfortunately, that worked. We couldn't stop their plans." He said. I slammed my fist down on my desk. "Are you serious?" I asked. "Yes sir." He said. I sighed. "Alright. Next time don't fall for it, understand? I won't tolerate failure next time." I said. "Yes sir." He said. The communication ended. Since my visit to Robert's house, Itachi had revived the crows around his house. I saw Robert heading in the direction of Manehatten. I stood up and quickly made my way to Manehatten, hoping to intercept him there. I ran as fast as I could, even activating the Seventh Gate to increase my speed. I made it there within three minutes. I was determined to find him. I walked around talking to people, hoping that someone had seen him. Eventually I got lucky and someone said they'd seen him heading into a house. I headed there and nearly knocked the door down. Inside I was met with a white pony with a tailcoat. "Who are you?" I asked. "My identity is not important. What is important, however, the message I have come to deliver is. Back off, or else." He said. "Or else what?" I asked. He walked toward me and I readied myself for an attack. Just then I saw him approach me from I my left, then my right. I couldn't even tell he had teleported until I saw him appear somewhere else. Finally I heard hid voice behind me. "Look left, look right, but I'm behind you." He said. With that he left me standing there in the doorway. He had vanished. "Interesting. I'll have to find out more about this guy if I can." I said.
I went to Rarity's house soon afterward. She met me at the door with a smile. "Hello darling! Finally come for some rest, did you?" She asked. I nodded. "Alright, follow me." She said. She led me to a spare bedroom she had setup for me. "Go ahead and sleep here dear." She said. "Thank you so much." I said. She smiled and left me there. I climbed into the bed and lay there looking through the window. "How am I going to defeat this guy?" I asked myself. I went over what had happened repeatedly in my mind. Trying to see if I had noticed anything, anything at all, that would help me defeat him. Unfortunately I turned up nothing. Sighing, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
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Me: Well, I think this war's gonna get a little complicated.
Tid: Who the hell is that guy?
Me: I'll never tell. You'll find out eventually though, don't worry. Anyway, favorite, follow, and leave a review! I'd love to hear your feedback! See you next time!