Chapter 66 – The First Attempt
Me: Alright, the title pretty much said it, so I'm just gonna jump right into it.
Rarity: Is it time for the fun to begin?
Me: Not yet, but soon. I don't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The ponies sat in silence around the table, the only sounds being heard were the sounds of the rain outside and Pinkie's sobbing. They had just voted to kill Rarity, something none of them wanted to do. None of them said anything, all too focused on their own thoughts. Itachi stared through a window, watching the rain as it fell to the earth. How fitting. He thought. Eventually, everyone had had enough of the uncomfortable silence, but no one voiced it. "Well, I think that'll be all for today. We'll attack in the morning, so I suggest you all get some sleep." Twilight said unenthusiastically. The others said nothing, but silently rose to their feet (and hooves) and walked out of the castle and toward their respective homes.
Twilight and Itachi stood by the table, watching the others leave. When they vanished from view, Itachi spoke. "Twilight, I'd like to ask you to leave me out of this." He said. She looked at him. "But why? You're our strongest fighter, matching even Tid. We need you for this." She said. "I have my reasons for not wanting her dead. Please, leave me out." He asked once more. She sighed. She guessed five would be enough to take out Rarity. "Alright, I'll leave you out of it. Just don't let the others know, okay?" She said. He nodded. They both then walked out of the castle and went their separate ways.
Rarity awoke the next morning with a smile upon her face. The golden rays of the sun streamed in through the window, the sun causing a rainbow to stretch across the sky as far as the eye could see. Rarity drew the covers back from her body and stepped onto the floor. She went and showered, brushing her hair afterward to its usual fabulous style. She donned her dress she never left without and began to make herself something to eat in the kitchen downstairs. She had been practicing her magic for months now, and she could now make herself an omelet from her bedroom if she wanted. As she prepared the meal she stared outside at the puddle filled streets of Ponyville. Ponies were outside, not suspecting even for a second there was something wrong. She smiled. It's not like they had anything to fear anyway; she had no interest in harming any of them.
Twilight awoke the next morning with a frown. The rays of the sun beat down upon her with a burning intensity it seemed. She used her magic to quickly close the drapes. She glanced over to Spike's bed and saw it empty. She heard a crash from downstairs and sighed. Spike was probably making a big mess that she'd have to clean up. She sat up and withdrew the covers from her body, groggily stepping onto the cold floor. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and walked downstairs where she saw Spike desperately trying to clean up some spilled orange juice with a rag. He looked up as she approached. He quickly stood up and jumped in front of the puddle, hiding the rag behind his back. "Hey Twilight!" He said in a futile attempt to draw her attention away from what he had been doing. "Spike, how many times have I told you: don't run with the orange juice?" She scolded. "Sorry Twilight. I was just trying to do something nice for you; you came back looking incredibly upset yesterday." He said. She smiled and walked up to the baby dragon. "It's okay Spike. Everything is just fine." She lied. "Well, if you say so." He said uncertainly. She grabbed the rag he was still hiding behind his back with her magic and cleaned up the orange juice. "Why don't you take the day off today? I've got some pretty important business to take care of, so I won't have much for you to do." She said. "Okay, what do you have to do?" He asked curiously. She hesitated. She had to tell him. Maybe she'd just say it had something to do with Rarity. "I'm visiting Rarity today. We've got some pretty important things to take care of." She replied. "Can I come? I'd love to see Rarity." He asked pleadingly. How could she refuse? She sighed. "Alright, maybe it's better if you come anyway." She said. He was practically jumping for joy and immediately went to make himself look his best. He was hopelessly in love with her, Twilight realized. She hadn't told him she was evil yet, but today he'd find out. What's more, he'd see her die right before him. Maybe that'd let him move on; after all, it was clear she didn't love him back, she loved Tid. That was just something he'd never understand without this. He reappeared a few moments later with a top hat and a cane, a bow tie tied around his neck. "Well? How do I look? Think Rarity will like it?" He asked. "Who wouldn't? Come on, let's go." She said. He hopped onto her back and they left for Rarity's.
Rarity walked downstairs and ate her breakfast peacefully, humming a little to herself. She ate her eggs and toast happily, savoring the flavor with every bite. When you went through something like she did, you took the time to really appreciate the little things you often took for granted. When she had finished, she used her magic to return her dishes to the sink and promptly washed them till the point that they sparkled. As she put her dishes away, she felt it. She felt the strong presence of the others. They were approaching, and it seemed they would be there within a few minutes. Rarity smiled. She wasn't going to let the fun be over this quickly, oh no. She was going to play with her prey before she killed them. She chuckled a little and walked into the living room, calmly sitting on a chair and waiting for them to arrive.
Twilight and the others walked toward Rarity's house, the only one of them missing being Itachi. The others had asked where he was, and she had lied to them saying Princess Celestia had ordered him on a different mission. "Um, Twilight, are you sure it was a good idea to bring Spike along?" Fluttershy asked nervously. "Trust me, Fluttershy, he needed to be here." Twilight replied. Spike had no idea what they were talking about, but he couldn't really hear them as he was too focused on his fantasies with Rarity. Eventually the boutique came into view and Spike's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't wait to see her. There was an ominous feeling in the air that Spike didn't notice, but the others did. It made them shiver. They made their way to the door, pausing. "It's now or never girls." Twilight said. The others nodded and waited for Twilight to knock. She did so and they waited.
Rarity waited for the inevitable knock on her door. Then the fun would begin. Opal walked into the room and lay down next to Rarity, purring very loudly. Rarity reached down and stroked the cat with her hoof, receiving a fierce swipe from the cat. "Well!" Rarity said turning her nose up at the cat. Then she heard it, the knock on her door. She jumped from her seat and went to answer the door, pausing before she did so. She opened the door and grinned wickedly at her friends. She noticed Itachi wasn't there, which meant he hadn't been ordered to kill her. She also noticed that Spike was there, frowning when she saw him. He had a look of confusion and horror on his face. "Rarity?" He asked. "What are you doing here?" She asked angrily. "I- I came to see you." He replied. "Why? So you could try to get me to go out with you? Just because Tid's dead doesn't mean I've found feelings for you." Rarity said coldly. He flinched and tears began to well up in his eyes.
"Enough!" Twilight shouted. She walked right up to Rarity. "Listen Rarity, you may not love him, but it's not acceptable to make him cry like that!" She said jabbing her hoof into Rarity's chest. "Oh come now, Twilight. You and I both know he needs to get over me. He's been hopelessly in love with me for years now, even when Tid and I were going out. In fact, I'm almost certain he'd continue to ask me out even when Tid and I were married!" Rarity stated furiously. She was sick of the dragon's attempts to woo her. "Ugh! We're wasting time! Let's just do it already and get it over with!" Rainbow Dash said in frustration. Rarity's eyes widened and she stood on her hind legs, thrusting both arms out in front of her and using an Almighty Push.
The Almighty Push sent them flying backward, each of them landing hard on their backs. Twilight was the first to recover from the attack, shaking her head to ward off the dazedness. Rarity was staring at her with a look of disgust. The power that Rarity possessed was enormous. Twilight's fear grew inside of her as they stood there. What frightened her surprisingly wasn't Rarity's power, but maybe instead her potential to kill them at any moment she pleased. Still, though she may not like it, that was all the more reason to stop Rarity before she caused any damage. "Come on girls, we've got to do this!" Twilight said as the others began to recover. Rarity laughed as if Twilight had just said the sun wouldn't rise tomorrow. "Twilight, dear, I'm afraid you haven't got the power to defeat me!" She said. Twilight looked at the others and they each nodded. Twilight took a few steps forward, attempting to draw Rarity's attention. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew in two different directions and Applejack and Pinkie Pie mirrored them on the ground. Twilight's horn began to glow brightly and released a bright flash of light, temporarily blinding Rarity.
Rarity shook her head and rubbed her eyes, an after-image of Twilight residing before her new blindness. Eventually the pain went away and Rarity opened her eyes to see the five ponies coming at her from multiple directions. She smirked, knowing such a tactic wouldn't work on her. Twilight was coming at her from the front, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were flying in mirroring arcs to converge on her, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack came at her from either side. Rarity waited a few seconds as they got closer, waiting for the perfect moment. Surely they had to know such a tactic was meaningless? After all, Tid had given her the powers of the Deva Path. Twilight leapt at her and drew her arm back, thrusting it forward to try and punch Rarity in the face. The second before the hit landed Rarity used the Almighty Push to send them all flying in opposite directions.
Rarity laughed at their incompetence. "Honestly, did you really believe a tactic such as that would work?" Rarity asked incredulously. Twilight lifted her head and stared at Rarity viciously. Damn! She thought in frustration. She rose to her hooves and stared Rarity straight in the eyes. "I hope you're not going to try it again, that wouldn't be a wise move on your part." Rarity said. Twilight scowled and concentrated, a purple aura surrounding her horn. Rarity watched as the aura around Twilight's horn got stronger and stronger- she was obviously putting a lot of effort into this one attack. Twilight's specialty was magic, so this spell would no doubt be extremely powerful. Rarity wasn't sure if she could block it. Of course, Rarity couldn't let the attack hit her beautiful boutique, either. Then an idea came to her: she'd use the Mangekyou Black Hole.
She activated the Mangekyou Rinnegan and began to concentrate as well. She would be using her own energy for this one. She could feel the power beginning to gather in her right arm as she concentrated. She would have only one shot, so she had to make it count. Twilight opened her eyes and fired a powerful beam of purple magic at Rarity. It raced toward her at an amazing speed, one that could only be visible through the Sharingan. Rarity stood on her hind legs to free her right arm and created the black hole right in front of her. The beam flew right into the center of the black hole, disappearing completely as the black hole closed. Twilight's legs gave out from underneath her and Applejack rushed to her side. "You alright Sugarcube?" She asked. Twilight nodded. "I just put a lot of magical energy into that last attack." Rarity smiled. "This has been a lot of fun, it really has. You five truly are a delight, and I look forward to our next encounter." She said. "Hold it, Rarity. You ain't goin' anywhere!" Applejack said standing up. "Actually, I am. Goodbye!" Rarity replied and disappeared in a bright flash of light as she teleported to an unknown location.
"Damn it! We let her get away!" Rainbow Dash said kicking a tree in frustration. Applejack helped Twilight rise to her hooves and she looked around at the others. Why did she leave? Was she just toying them? They certainly had a lot to discuss when they returned to headquarters. "Come on girls, we have a lot to talk about." Twilight said. She began to walk back to the castle and the others followed. As they walked through Ponyville, something kept nagging at Twilight, as if someone were watching them. She tried to shrug it off as her imagination, but it kept nagging at her. "Somethin' the matter, Twi?" Applejack asked. "No, everything's fine." Twilight lied putting on a smile. "Er, right." Applejack said clearly unconvinced.
They arrived at the castle a few minutes later and sat around the table to determine a plan of action. Itachi was missing from the table, his location currently unknown. They all sat in silence for a while, none of them able to find the words to say. Eventually Twilight gave it a shot. "So what do you girls think?" She asked. "I'm a little confused." Rainbow Dash said. Twilight tuner her attention to her. "I mean, she could've easily killed us, so how come she didn't?" She asked. Twilight had been wondering this too, and she could tell by everyone's expressions they were wondering the same thing. "Maybe she's not evil after all!" Pinkie Pie said hopefully. "Pinkie, I don't think-" "Just a second Twilight. Let's see where she's going with this." Rainbow Dash interrupted. Twilight sighed and let Pinkie continue. "Rarity could've killed us back there, but she didn't! Maybe she knows we're still her friends! If she really was evil, she would have already done something bad to Equestria!" She said. Twilight considered this. She supposed it was true that usually evil beings in Equestria do something drastic within a few days, and Celestia knows how long Rarity's been this way. Maybe she wasn't a threat to Equestria after all?
(Meanwhile)
Itachi kneeled before Princess Celestia, showing his respect in the presence of royalty. "That's not necessary, Itachi." She said to him. He looked up at her with a somewhat surprised expression. "Yes ma'am." He said rising to his feet. "Tell me, what brings you here?" She asked. "I've come about Rarity." He replied. "Oh?" She asked. He nodded. "Princess, I ask that you change your judgment on Rarity. She has yet to prove herself a threat to Equestria itself. When her and I spoke earlier, I could see she was only doing what she thought was right for Tid." The Princess said nothing but stared at Itachi. "Tell me, Itachi, though she was only doing what she thought was right, how does that prove that what she thinks is right won't be to destroy Equestria?" She asked after a while. "I can't answer that. However, I do believe she'd take into consideration Tid's sacrifice for Equestria." "Thank -" He was interrupted by a loud roaring.
(A few minutes earlier)
Rarity sat in darkness as she watched the others through the crow-vision she had been granted. (I bet you all forgot about the crow-vision, didn't ya?) She watched as the others talked about how Rarity wasn't a threat, since she had not killed them. Rarity began to get angry as she heard that. Well if they don't see me as a threat, we should change that, now shouldn't we? She thought to herself. She turned off the crow-vision and sat in darkness with her eyes closed. She'd have to do something big, something they'd take notice of. What would be big enough? She wanted to show them exactly how powerful she was, no matter what it took. Then it hit her. Robert had a few accomplices that had given Tid great trouble in the past. She remembered they were usually stationed in Las Pegasus, but finding them would be a pain. This gave her the perfect opportunity to do something very big.
Rarity stood and used her magic to teleport herself to the outskirts of Las Pegasus. She grinned and began to walk into the city. As she walked she received strange glances from many ponies that passed her by, which didn't surprise her. "Who's that?" She heard one pony ask. "I don't know, but she's wearing that dress, so she must be one of them." He replied. She was glad she was so popular, even in a city about to be destroyed. She walked into the very center of the city, looking up to the sky above. She then began to float into the air, rising further and further from the ground. All of the ponies were watching her with gaping mouths. Some were pointing and shouting. As Rarity reached a high altitude above the city, she raised her hooves above her head. "This is for Tid." She said. She began to build up power quickly. "Almighty Push!" She shouted thrusting her hooves down in front of her.
The screams of ponies could be heard as buildings were being destroyed before their very eyes. The buildings were leveled in a matter of seconds, a large cloud of dust shooting outwards in all directions from the epicenter. Fires erupted all over the now flattened city, sending pillars of smoke into the air. The city was now nothing more than a large crater. Rarity floated back down to the ground, panting heavily. The Almighty Push had really drained her energy. Her Chakra levels were almost completely dried up. Her front legs gave out and she tumbled face-first into the dirt floor. "How much Chakra have I used?" She asked herself in wonder. When she recalled all of the techniques she had used within the past few hours she found she had used an enormous amount of Chakra. The reserves of Tid's Chakra had been nearly depleted and would take at least a week to replenish. Still, despite this she smiled. She had given a proper display of how powerful she was, and how much of a threat to Equestria she could really be.
She placed her front hooves on the ground and pushed with all the strength she could muster; her body feeling like it was made of lead. Eventually she managed to get a firm standing with her front hooves, and then proceeded to move her hind legs into position. She gradually made her way to a standing position, her muscles screaming at her. "Opening the Second Gate should help." She said to herself, her face beading with sweat at the effort of keeping herself standing. She forced opened the Second Gate and immediately her muscles stopped aching. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked around at the scene of destruction she had caused. Fires were burning here and there, sending pillars of black smoke into the sky. Embers floated in the wind, turning the whole scene into a post-apocalyptic movie. "Well I believe my point has been made. It's time I take my leave before they arrive." She said smiling. She used her magic to teleport herself back to her headquarters with a bright flash of light.
Itachi and the Princess looked at each other, exchanging information without uttering a single word. Itachi nodded and disappeared with a flicker. Celestia sighed. "Rarity, what have you done now? We had given you a chance, and you snuffed it out. I only hope this plays out well for you." She said looking out the window. A few seconds later Itachi appeared at the castle in the Everfree Forest. He opened the door and walked inside, the five ponies and one dragon turning their attention to him. "Oh, Itachi, there you are." Twilight said. "Where were you?! We failed miserably without you!" Rainbow Dash asked furiously. "Did you honestly want to succeed?" He asked her. She said nothing but looked down at the table. "I have just spoken with Princess Celestia, and I have very important news for all of you." He said walking toward the table. They watched in silence as he approached, allowing him to be seated before saying anything.
"What's the news about?" Twilight asked Itachi. "Rarity." He replied. The others leaned forward in their chairs, eager to hear any news on their friend. "Well go on." Twilight said somewhat anxiously. He nodded. "I was talking to Princess Celestia a few minutes ago, attempting to convince her that Rarity was not a threat to Equestria. However, just before she was about to dismiss Rarity as a threat, something very big happened. There was a loud roar that seemed to be created by a powerful gust of wind. Now, since Rarity is the Deva Path, I fear she may have used the Almighty Push to level an entire city." The others gasped. "Is that even possible?!" Twilight asked incredulously. Itachi nodded. "It happened once to the Hidden Leaf Village." Twilight's jaw dropped. The Hidden Leaf Village had been massive, and it had been leveled once? What power did Rarity now possess?
"What do we do?" She asked. "We have only one option at this point. Rarity has proven herself to be a major threat to Equestria, and has committed a large act of destruction. Therefore, our only option is to put a stop to her at all costs; and that includes killing her." Itachi replied. That was not what they wanted to hear. They sat in silence around the table, none of them particularly happy about the actions they had to take. Finally, Twilight spoke up. "Then what do we do? We need a plan." "First, we need to find her; we can use Inoichi for that." He replied. "And then we swoop in and attack her, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "And how did that turn out last time?" Itachi said giving her a glare that silenced her. "Rarity has all of Tid's abilities, including his Kekkei Genkai. Because of this her power has increased far beyond anything any of us, including myself, have faced before." He said. "And why wouldn't an ambush work? If she can't defend herself, she won't be able to stop us, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Ordinarily, yes. However, Tid had, for a short time, been trained in sensory type Jutsu. As such, he could sense particularly powerful presences if he concentrated. Rarity is most likely waiting for your next move, meaning she will almost certainly be taking advantage of that ability." He replied. "Meaning?" Twilight asked. "Together Rarity could sense your presence. However, if you were to go after her individually, she wouldn't be able to sense you." He replied. "Divide our forces? But there's no way any of us could take her on individually." Rainbow Dash protested. "We don't have any other choice." He replied. The others said nothing and Rainbow Dash sat back in her seat. "Fine." She said crossing her arms. "Any other objections?" He asked looking around at the others. They all shook their heads. "Good."
Inoichi was sitting in his house when the knock on his door came. He had been examining a letter he received from Princess Celestia when his thoughts were interrupted. He sighed and set the letter down upon the wooden table. He walked through the dark house and opened the door to see five ponies and one dragon standing before. "What are you all doing here?" He asked. "Inoichi, we need your help." Twilight replied. "My help you say? Well then come on in." He said stepping to the side and letting them enter. "Thank you." Twilight said. He nodded and closed the door behind them.
Inoichi invited them all to sit in have living room, which seated eight. He sat on the couch next to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Twilight preferred to stand. "So, I take it you're here about the situation Princess Celestia told me about?" He asked her. She nodded. "Rarity's gone rouge and we need your help to locate her." Inoichi remained silent. Locating Rarity was certainly something he could do, and she was so powerful he'd probably be able to find her in seconds. There's only one thing he needed. "Alright, I'll help you. However, I do need you to get something for me." He said. "Can't that wait?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That depends on how urgently you want me to locate Rarity. Without it I won't be able to locate her." He said. "What is it?" Twilight asked. "I need to know what her Chakra signature is. If you can get me records of it, I'll be able to locate her no problem." He replied. The others looked at each other, but none of them knew where to get records of Rarity's Chakra signature. "Alright, we'll get them for you." Twilight said. The others looked at her in confusion. "And how are we supposed to do that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I know of a place. However I'll have to go alone." She replied. The others looked at each other, then back to Twilight. "Okay, but be careful." Fluttershy said. Twilight nodded.
"You girls stay here, I'll be back soon." Twilight said as she made her way to the door. "Hurry back." Rainbow Dash said. Twilight nodded and stepped through the door, closing it behind her. She walked a short distance from the house before taking a deep breath in, the cool night air filling her lungs. She closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling the same sensations she always did when teleporting. She teleported just outside of the secret underground base Tid and Itachi had constructed in the middle of Ponyville. She looked around to make sure she hadn't attracted attention to herself when she suddenly appeared. The streets were quiet and empty, the street lamps illuminating the roads. She breathed a sigh of relief and entered the base, leaving no evidence of her presence behind.
As Twilight walked through the dark hallway that led into the inner chambers of the base, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia, accompanied by an ominous feeling she just couldn't shake. She walked down the long hallway, her reflection walking with her in the reflective steel walls. Finally she reached the end of the hallway, using her magic to input a security code that Tid had told her so she could access the base. The door flashed blue along its edges twice before sliding upwards into the doorframe. Twilight stepped into the main room and flipped a switch just beside the door, the lights bursting to life. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the lighting. When her eyes had adjusted she shook her head to clear any lingering dizziness and walked toward the main command console. She used her magic to flip a small switch under the input area and the entire machine whirred and switched to a pony-friendly input system. "Alright, let's get this over with." She said.
The monitor flickered to life and presented her with a blank screen, only a blinking cursor showing. She typed in a command to bypass the firewalls that were in place to ward off any intruders that managed to get past the security system. The passwords were pretty simple, most of them relating in one way or another to Rarity; it was just about remembering the sequence of the passwords. When the final firewall was eliminated, the monitor filled with many lines of seemingly random symbols and numbers. These symbols and numbers were actually a code, one that led to the final password to access the main data banks. Inoichi had insisted upon putting high security on the data banks when he arrived, advice Tid gladly heeded. She walked to the side panel of the command console, finding the groove of the loose panel and removing it with a light kick. Inside was a small book that contained the translated code. She grabbed this in her mouth and carried it back to the input system; spreading it on the surface.
When she had decoded the password and entered the correct input, the lines of code disappeared and a web of information flashed on the screen. Each section was labeled for easy access, assuming anyone was able to make it this far. Twilight grinned and closed the book, replacing it in the side of the console and replacing the side panel as well. She returned her attention to the monitor, searching for the file that contained the records she needed. She smiled as she found a file named "Chakra Profiles" in the upper right-hand side of the web. She clicked on it and it opened, showing first the Chakra profile of herself. The layout showed a picture of whoever's profile it was that took up the entire left half of the screen. The other half was occupied with a meter showing the registered Chakra color as well as how much Chakra said pony or person had left, updating in real time. Her own Chakra color was blue, which she found interesting. Her meter showed she had nearly full Chakra. Underneath the meter was information about the pony or person- height, weight, special abilities, etc.
Twilight clicked to go to the next profile, Itachi's popping up. She clicked once more, this time Tid's profile popping up. His bar was greyed out, a big red "DECEASED" covering his profile picture diagonally. It was scary how accurate this thing was. She clicked to go on to the next profile and Rarity's popped up. It showed Rarity in her new form, the black pony staring at Twilight with an evil grin. Her Chakra color was a very dark purple, mixed with black for some reason. The meter was nearly empty, a sliver of purple barely visible. Twilight guessed it was just enough Chakra to keep Rarity alive. She clicked the "import" button the screen and an apparition of Tid appeared before her. He reached out and grabbed her head firmly, a blue energy surrounding his arm and flowing into her horn. A meter that read "progress" appeared on the screen and began filling up slowly. The technology used to do this was simply stunning. It was so complex; it was beyond even Twilight's understanding. She watched the apparition of Tid before her, his solemn expression seeming cold as he flickered before her. Rarity wasn't the only one that missed Tid, that was for sure. It took everything she had not to shed a tear at the sight of her old friend.
As the progress bar hit 100%, the apparition of Tid removed his hand from her head, saluting with two fingers before vanishing. She smiled when he vanished; glad she could see even an apparition of him. She stepped forward and shut down the command console, turning toward the exit. She walked toward it and paused before the open doorway. She glanced over her shoulder at all of the equipment, her eyes fixated on the spot where Tid's apparition had been. "Goodbye, Tid." She whispered. She flipped the light switch and exited the room, the door sliding back down behind her.
(Meanwhile)
Rarity watched the monitor as Twilight entered the main room. She watched her with an interest, hopelessly bored out of her mind as she waited for her (and Tid's) Chakra to regenerate. She watched as Twilight moved about the command console as if she had done it a thousand times before. She chuckled. "You're trying to find me, when I'm closer than you realize." She said. Twilight continued to enter in passwords, one firewall after another disappearing. Rarity sat back in Tid's chair, trying as much as possible to relax. Twilight continued to type in passwords and eventually the final firewall disappeared. She watched as Twilight removed a panel from the side of the console and took out a small book, then proceeded to enter a new code. The screen flashed and a web of information popped onto the screen. A few seconds later Twilight was looking through the profiles registered in the databank, pausing on Rarity's. She clicked on a button and an apparition of Tid appeared. Rarity sat forward in his chair, unable to believe what she was seeing. How had she not known about this? She stared at the apparition of Tid, tears flowing down her face. "Tid..." She said. Her heart yearned for Tid to be there with her. She almost considered going into the main room just to get a closer look. She shook her head, she couldn't do that. A few more seconds passed and Tid's image vanished after a two-fingered salute. Rarity wiped her eyes and sat back in her chair again. She loathed her sadness. She watched as Twilight shut down the console and walked to the open doorway. "Goodbye, Tid." Twilight's voice whispered. It came to Rarity over a speaker built into the ceiling. With that Twilight walked through the doorway, the door sliding shut behind her. "You'll be the last to die, Twilight."
Twilight made her way back to Inoichi's house in the outskirts of Ponyville. As she approached the wooden building, she couldn't help but remember the Uchiha Massacre for some reason. Perhaps it was because it looked so much like the houses that the Uchiha had lived in. She shuddered with the memory of that incident. She walked up to the door and knocked, Inoichi opening the door for her. "Do you have the records?" He asked her. "Yes, I have them stored in my memory." Twilight replied. "Good. Come in." He said gesturing for her to enter. She nodded and walked through the doorway, Inoichi closing the door behind her.
They joined the others in the living room. Rainbow Dash was flying (as she usually did), Fluttershy and Applejack were talking to each other on the large couch, and Pinkie Pie and Spike were playing a game of checkers. Twilight cleared her throat and they each turned their attention to her. "Oh, Twilight, you're back." Fluttershy said. "So how'd it go?" Rainbow Dash asked landing in front of Twilight. "I have the records." Twilight replied. The others all looked at each other. "Where exactly did you go?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's not important. What is important is that I have the records, and now Inoichi can find Rarity." She replied. Inoichi nodded. "I'm going to go through her memories and extract the Chakra records. I'm going to need everyone to be silent while I do this, alright?" The others nodded their understanding.
Twilight turned to face Inoichi. "Are you ready?" He asked her. She nodded. He nodded as well and performed a few hand signs. He then held two fingers in front of him and placed his palm on Twilight's head; just as the apparition of Tid had done. Twilight could feel his presence in her mind, her body relaxing a little as she no longer had control over it. She could feel him traveling through her memories; feeling somewhat like her privacy no longer existed; almost as if she were naked.
Inoichi made his way to Twilight's brain, taking the same route he had used when searching Rainbow Dash's mind. He finally found it and floated toward it, placing his hand on it and withdrawing a large scroll from a crevice. It unfurled and he began searching through her memories. He was forced to search at a much slower pace than he usually did, as he didn't have his team nor his equipment. He began with the events that happened just a few hours ago, hoping to take as little time as possible to find the records. Eventually he saw it, a full record of Rarity's Chakra. He smiled and made sure to add the Chakra record to his own memories before releasing the Jutsu.
When Inoichi released the Jutsu, Twilight collapsed to the floor. Rainbow Dash and Inoichi helped her up. "Is she okay?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "She's fine; this type of Jutsu is extremely hard on the recipient." Inoichi replied. Twilight shook her head and looked around at everyone. "It's okay Rainbow Dash, I'm fine." She said. Rainbow Dash nodded and slowly let go of her, making sure she wouldn't fall over again. Twilight looked at Inoichi. "You have everything you need to find Rarity, right?" She asked him. "Yes. I can find her for you right now if you wish." He replied. They all nodded. He didn't say anything but instead sat on the ground, cross-legged with his hands in the 'boar' hand sign. The others looked at each other nervously. This was it, the moment they were all waiting for, and dreaded at the same time. A few seconds later Inoichi's eyes flew open. Sweat was running down his face and he had turned pale. He was also breathing heavily, as if something had startled him. "What's wrong?" Twilight asked. "She's close, very close." He said. The others looked at each other nervously. "What do you mean she's close?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean she's here in Ponyville." He said, still breathing heavily. "Where in Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked. "She's inside of the base Tid had created during the war." He replied. Twilight flinched. She had really been there? "Something wrong, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked Twilight. "I was just there." She replied. The others looked at each other again. No one said a word. "Well that doesn't matter right now. Who's going to go first?" Rainbow Dash asked breaking the silence. Everyone looked around at each other, hoping for a volunteer. "I will." Applejack said after a while. Everyone looked at her. "Are you sure?" Twilight asked. She nodded. "She won't be able to get me with that Almighty Push of hers, so I should be able to handle her no problem." Everyone looked at each other one last time. "Alright, we'll leave it up to you."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Me: Alright, it's about to get real in this next chapter. I hope you all are looking forward to it.
Rarity: Will my fun finally begin?
Me: I won't answer that just yet.
Rarity: Oh come now, surely you can spare a little information for me?
Me: Sorry, but I can't do that. Anyway, see ya next time!
