Chapter 68- Smile

Me: You guys can probably guess what's going to happen in this chapter, so I won't keep you waiting. I don't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

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Rarity stood over Applejack's now deceased body, Applejack's eyes half-open and lifeless. Rarity stared at the lifeless body, unsure of what to do next. She took her hooves off of the mare's chest, turning away from the body. What was this feeling in her chest? It wasn't something she had expected to feel, especially not after something she had been so willing to do. Was it remorse? Did she feel the loss of her dear friend weighing on her heart? That was ridiculous, why would she feel remorse? It didn't make any sense, but Rarity couldn't shake the feeling. Anxiously she glanced over her shoulder at Applejack's body. She turned to face it and walked back over to her. As she stared at the body she sighed. "I suppose you at least deserve a burial." She said to Applejack.

Rarity placed her hoof on Applejack's chest and used her magic to teleport the both of them to a place just in front of Inoichi's house, where she knew they had been located. When they reappeared she noticed the moonlight was being blocked and a shadow was being cast over them. She looked up and noticed they were standing under a solitary tree. Inoichi's dark wooden house stood before them. The lights were out so she guessed they were either sleeping, they weren't there, or they decided not to turn the lights on to ward off any attention. Rarity didn't really care which one it was. She looked back up at the tree and noticed a single fruit hanging from one low-hanging branch. The fruit was ripe, Rarity could tell, and it appeared to be one of the largest and juiciest apples she had ever seen. She smiled and looked down at the body of Applejack. "Here you go, Applejack. I'll leave you here, and this is where you shall rest." She said. Then Rarity's eyes widened as she felt a warm liquid dripping down her cheek. She glanced down and saw that a tear had escaped from her eyes. She hadn't even noticed she was close to tears. She closed her eyes and wiped them with her right hoof. When the tears were gone she opened her eyes and took one last look at Applejack. "Goodbye, Applejack." She said and disappeared in a flash of purple light.

It was around one o'clock in the morning when Twilight was awoken by the sound of someone teleporting just outside of the house. Her heart began to pound nervously as she feared who it could be. She stood up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes and cautiously made her way over to the window to see who it was. As she stepped over her friends' sleeping bodies she quietly made her way over to the window and looked out to where she thought she had heard the noise come from. Her eyes widened and her heart dropped as she saw her fears confirmed. Rarity was standing out beneath the tree that stood in front of Inoichi's house, her eyes glowing gold for some reason. Just then Rarity glanced in her direction and Twilight quickly ducked behind the wall, her heart pounding in her chest. Did she see me? She wondered in fear. After a few seconds she leaned back and looked through the window. Luckily Rarity had turned her attention elsewhere. Twilight looked at her, wondering what she was doing. As her eyes drifted to the object that lay at Rarity's hooves, she gasped. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she saw Applejack's dead body at Rarity's hooves. No, that's not possible! Twilight thought.

As she watched Rarity she saw that tears were falling from her eyes. Why is she crying? Twilight thought in a mixture of confusion and anger. Rarity spoke something Twilight couldn't hear and then disappeared in a flash of purple light. As soon as she was gone Twilight ran to the door and thrust it open, waking the others as she threw caution to the wind. She galloped to her friend's side, kneeling beside her with tears streaming down her face. "No... Applejack... No!" She screamed as she held her friend in her arms. "Damn it!" She shouted. She heard her friends gasp as they stood in the doorway and saw Applejack dead. Twilight sat there crying and holding Applejack's body close to her own as her friends all galloped toward her. Her friends gathered around her in a circle, each of them with teary eyes. "Applejack..." Fluttershy said quietly. The world at that moment seemed ice cold. Their tears fell onto Applejack's lifeless body, some tears landing so close to Applejack's eyes it looked like even she was crying. None of them spoke, none of them were able to; and how could they?

Inoichi walked silently over to them, his footsteps flattening the grass as he went. He was tall enough to see over the ponies' bodies. He could see their friend was dead, and it saddened him too. They hadn't gotten to know each other well, but seeing these ponies' pain somehow shared it with him. He noticed Applejack's blonde hair and for a second the image of Applejack's body was replaced with Ino's, which made him flinch. He shook his head and looked back, Applejack's body taking its rightful place. "Pinkie Pie, you have the ability to revive the Paths, right?" He stared at Applejack's body and waited for her response. For a while they stood there in silence. He glanced over and his eyes widened when he noticed she was gone. "Where did she go?" He asked. The others looked up in surprise and looked frantically about, but no sign of Pinkie Pie was to be found. "Don't tell me she's..." Twilight said in fear. "No, she can't! If she does she'll end up like-" "That's enough." Inoichi interrupted Rainbow Dash. "She's made her choice, so it's up to her to see it out." He said. "But-" She said looking up at him. He looked into her eyes. "There's nothing we can do." He said.

Pinkie Pie was walking down the lonely dirt road in the middle of the night, her eyes stinging in the cold wind as it met her teary eyes. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, the wind still stingingly cold. Her mane floated loosely in the wind. It had lost its puffiness a long time ago, after Tid's death. At this point it would probably never return to its former look. When the wind stopped blowing her mane fell on top of her head, falling in front of her face and sticking to her wet cheeks. A strand of it rested on her nose, two more strands just as thick lying on either side of her face. Rarity... She thought. The moon's rays, which had been shining so brightly that night, were hidden behind a black cloud. Pinkie Pie stopped and looked up at the stars. She could see a cluster of three stars in the sky. Two of them were larger and differently colored. Then she looked at the smallest star. It wasn't much smaller than the other two, but she knew exactly what that star was. That star was orange, and seemed to shine brightly now that it had been reunited with the bigger stars. Pinkie Pie couldn't help but tearing up. Through her tears she managed to pull out a weak, empty smile. "You're with your parents now, Applejack." She said. She closed her eyes and sat down in the middle of the road, not caring that it was stone cold. She sighed and let her tears fall to the ground. Eventually she managed to open her eyes and glanced over, spotting a tree on the side of the road. She stood up and walked over to it, sitting once more under its shade from the moon's rays that now broke through the dark cloud. She leaned back against the cold trunk of the tree and sighed once more before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

She was awoken the next morning by the sounds of fillies playing near her. She opened her eyes and saw three young fillies skipping rope on the dirt road. Ordinarily she would've smiled, even been tempted to join them, but not anymore. She didn't think she could ever pull out a genuine smile again. She sighed and stood, walking slowly away from them so as to not attract their attention. When she had made it safely away she took a walk through Ponyville, walking first past the bakery where she lived. She glanced inside from the road and saw Mrs. Cake donning her apron and getting ready for the day. The sight should've made her happy, but it didn't. She didn't think anything could do that anymore. She continued on her way and passed by the houses of her friends, visiting the Carousel Boutique last. When she arrived at the Carousel Boutique, she saw the building dark and empty. The door was closed and presumably locked. Several mares were curiously looking into the dark boutique, probably wanting to check out the latest fashions that were sure to be on sale at Rarity's place. The mares stood there for a while, talking amongst themselves, probably discussing why the shop would be closed today, then hurried off as if they had forgotten something important. Pinkie Pie followed them with her eyes and saw that many other ponies were suddenly leaving town and heading toward Canterlot. Where are they going? She thought curiously. Then she remembered. Today was the day that Tid's funeral was going to be held. Were they still holding it, despite all of the dangers? She didn't want to find out. She walked through Ponyville and came to a rest at the river bank. She had seen Tid and Rarity share many wonderful moments in the spot where she sat now. It had brought happiness to her heart to know they were so happy together. Now it was gone. He was gone. If Applejack had succeded, she would be too. Was there really any justice in that? Rarity is grieving the loss of her fiance, like anyone would. So what if she was a little more powerful and spiteful? Was she really to blame? Pinkie didn't know.

She sat there for most of the day, staring at the water's reflective surface. She watched the sun's rays bouncing off of the surface of the water, creating images every time she blinked. Before she knew it the sun had set and the moon was rising. She stared at the moon for the longest time, wondering why she was being forced to choose. The others didn't understand, and how could they? It's not like they loved someone as much as Tid and Rarity loved each other. She herself didn't even have someone to call her special somepony, but she understood. She couldn't explain it, but she just understood. After that thought she didn't think about anything else and just stood up, heading immediately to the base where Rarity must be. She opened the secret entrance and walked into the base, sealing the entrance behind her like Tid had shown her how to. She walked through the dark hallway that led to the main room without a sound, her eyes fixated straight ahead of her. What she was about to do required courage, and she needed to be as couragous as possible. Finally she saw the neon sign that marked the door at the end of the hallway and walked toward it, opening the door by placing her hoof on the scanner. The door slid upwards and disappeared into the wall and Pinkie walked through it. The door slid shut behind her and she turned on the lights in the room. When her eyes adjusted to the light she immediately noticed the large number of kunai spilt across the floor, the box not too far away. She looked over and saw the door on the opposite side of the room slide upwards to reaveal Rarity. Her eyes glowed a luminous blue as she stood there half-concealed in the darkness. The upper half of her body was shrouded in shadows, nothing but her glowing blue eyes were visible.

"Pinkie Pie, I'll be honest in saying I didn't expect you to be the one they'd send next." She said. "That's because they didn't send me. I came here on my own." Pinkie Pie replied. Rarity's eyes widened with surprise. "Is that so?" She asked. Pinkie pie nodded. "I hope you don't mind, but I prefer fighting in the dark." Rarity said. At that moment the lights in the room went out, as if they were just candles and had been blown out by a strong gust. "I don't mind, because I only need to see your eyes to know where you are." Pinkie Pie said. Rarity chuckled. "Well I can say you've got confidence, unlike Applejack. Let's see what you can do, shall we?" She said. At that moment Rarity's horn was surrounded with a luminous blue aura and a powerful beam of the same color sped toward Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie ducked and began running toward Rarity. When the beam disappeared Pinkie Pie leapt and managed to punch Rarity in the face. Rarity stumbled and crashed into the steel door that had closed behind her. As Pinkie Pie's eyes adjusted once more to the darkness she could see that Rarity was bleeding from a cut that didn't appear to be from her punch. Rarity was scowling as she wiped the blood away. "Impressive." She said in mock admiration. A few seconds later she disappeared and was behind Pinkie Pie in an instant. Pinkie Pie managed to avoid Rarity's attack, which involved a kunai that could've taken one of her eyes out and escaped the attack with only a few hairs being severed.

Before Pinkie Pie did what she knew she had to do, she wanted some answers, and she knew just how to get them. She summoned the King of Hell and he grabbed Rarity by her tongue. Rarity's eyes widened in surprise. She walked up to Rarity and looked her dead in the eyes. "Rarity, why are you doing this?" She asked. The King of Hell allowed Rarity to respond. "Because I want to avenge Tid's death." She replied. Pinkie Pie didn't need the King of Hell to tell her that was the truth. She immediately summoned him again, not allowing Rarity to attack. "Why are you targeting your friends?" She asked. "You're the reason he died in the first place, that's why." She replied. The King of Hell verified this to be the truth. Once again she summoned the King of Hell. "So you've decided to take your revenge against the ones who think of you as a friend?" She asked. "Yes." She replied. "And what happens when you've finally killed all of us?" She asked. Rarity's eyes widened. "I... I don't know." She replied. The King of Hell grabbed her tongue and for a second Pinkie Pie thought Rarity had lied, but then he let go of her. "I see." Pinkie Pie said. At that moment there was the feeling like she had been hit with a cannonball and she flew into the steel wall. Pinkie Pie winced as she slid down the hard wall, blood leaking from her mouth. She was also winded and had a hard time catching her breath again. It felt like one of her ribs had been broken. "You're lucky I have enough energy to open the Eight Gates." Rarity said. Pinkie's eyes widened. The Eight Gates? Isn't that what killed Tid? She thought. "Since you're such a great friend of mine, I've decided to use five Gates on you." Rarity said. "That... Didn't feel like five." Pinkie Pie said standing painfully. "You're right, it wasn't. It was only one." Rarity replied.

A few seconds later Rarity's presence seemed to get stronger. "Second, Gate of Rest: open." She said. "You're planning to attack me with five Gates individually?" Pinkie Pie asked. Rarity stood there for a moment. "No, I suppose you won't survive an onslaught from the five Gates indvidually. I want you to feel the power of the fifth, so I guess I'll just jump right to that one!" She said with a smirk. As Rarity opened the Fifth Gate Pinkie Pie looked around. She saw a long rod made of iron that had come loose from her impact with the wall. It had a sharp-cut end at one side and was almost falling off of the ceiling. She walked painfully over to it and grabbed it with her teeth. She pulled with as much force as she could muster and managed to break it off. She then turned around in time to recieve a punch to the face from Rarity's hoof. It felt absolutely powerful, and Pinkie Pie was surprised her head wasn't torn off by the sheer amount of force that had been exerted. She dropped the rod that she held in her mouth and collapsed against the ground. Rarity walked over and stood over her, the heat from the energy that Rarity was exerting was enough to singe part of Pinkie's Akatsuki dress. Pinkie Pie lifted her head weakly off of the ground to look at Rarity. "It's a shame. You were the one who had voted against killing me, yet here you are." She said. Pinkie Pie's heart sank. Rarity leaned in close until her face was just inches away from Pinkie's. "Weren't you supposed to be my friend?" When Rarity said that Pinkie Pie burst into tears. She choked slightly as chains erupted from the ground and pinned her to the ground by her arms, legs, and neck. "I'll be taking your Path power back." She said. Pinkie's eyes opened as Rarity touched her horn to Pinkie's forehead. Unbearable pain shot from her forehead as blue light appeared, but Pinkie didn't scream. Instead she gritted her teeth as she looked into Rarity's luminous blue eyes. Somehow she knew that Rarity was still in there, somewhere. The blood marking Tid had written on her forehead appeared and began to flow into Rarity's forehead, just like it had done with Applejack's. When the marking had been absorbed Rarity backed away from Pinkie Pie, releasing the chains binding her. Pinkie Pie was helpless to defend herself now.

Pinkie Pie put as much effort as she could into standing up. Her breathing was ragged and her vision was starting to go, but she could still see Rarity. Several of her ribs had been broken and blood was filling one of her lungs, but she still had a little time. She took one painful step forward, then another, and another. Rarity watched her in amusement as the half-blind Pinkie Pie started walking past her and toward the dropped rod. She bent down and picked it up in her mouth, only to have it blown into the wall by an Almighty Push. Pinkie Pie winced with the pain of standing. "Poor Pinkie Pie, exhausted, near death, and yet you're still trying to fight me." Rarity said. Pinkie Pie surprised Rarity by grinning. "Well I'll just end your misery then." Rarity said. She used an Almighty Push and Pinkie's body flew toward the wall, impaling itself on the rod that had lodged itself within the steel. Pinkie Pie winced with the pain, but managed to open her eyes and stare at Rarity. Rarity walked up to Pinkie Pie with a smirk on her face. "Did you really expect to defeat me?" She asked. "T-thank... You." Pinkie Pie replied. Rarity was astonished. "You're... Thanking me?" Rarity asked. Pinkie Pie painfully nodded, every time she moved a muscle it felt like a thousand needles ripping her body apart. "Now... I... Don't have to choose." She said. She leaned her head back against the steel wall. "Thanks to... You, I... I can finally smile again." She said. She closed her eyes and smiled, its warmth dulling the pain. Rarity's eyes widened. Then she began to feel something in her chest, not just remorse. "Pinkie, you... You never aimed to kill me, did you?" Rarity asked. Pinkie opened her eyes and looked at Rarity, who was now just a blur. "No." She choked out, her smile unwavering. Rarity stood there, staring at Pinkie Pie. Then, tears began to fall from Rarity's eyes. "Pinkie Pie, I'm so... Sorry." She said. "Don't... Be sorry... Rarity. It's because... Of you... That I don't have to... Choose between my friend... And my home." She said. Rarity used the Universal Pull to remove the rod from Pinkie's mid-section and threw it clear across the room. She ran over to her friend's side and placed her hoof on the mare's chest. "Pinkie, I'm so sorry!" She cried. Pinkie Pie turned her head to look at Rarity, a smile still on her face. She weakly raised her arm and placed her hoof against Rarity's cheek. "It's okay, Rarity... The party has to end some time..." She said. "No, Pinkie, I'm sorry! Don't leave!" She cried. "Rarity, you will... Always be... My friend..." She said. "Pinkie Pie-" "Shhh. Just remember... To never stop smiling... Goodbye, Rarity." She said. Rarity watched in pain as Pinkie's blue eyes faded to a lifeless gray. Rarity's heart broke as she saw her friend die before her. Pinkie's arm fell to her side, no longer supported by even a weak life-energy. Rarity held Pinkie Pie in her arms and began to cry, ashamed of what she had done.

After a few hours of sitting and crying in the dark underground room, Rarity relenquished her hold on Pinkie's dead body. She looked down with teary eyes and stared into the void of Pinkie's lifeless eyes. Rarity slowly moved her hoof over to Pinkie's eyes and closed them. Her heart ached for her friend. Rarity looked down at the rest of her body. Her dress was blood-stained in several places, and there was a hole in the middle from where the rod had pierced through. The dress was also torn in several other places. "Here, I'll clean this up for you." Rarity said to Pinkie. She used her magic to remove the dress from her body and teleported back to her boutique. Everything in the boutique was quiet save for the quiet hum of the refrigerator. She took the dress and sat down at her sewing machine and used her magic to grab several coils of red and black fabric. "First I'll patch it up, then I'll wash it." She told herself. She placed the dress underneath the sewing machine and aligned the needle with the tears in the dress. She then threaded the needle and turned the machine on, using her magic and her hooves to keep the needle moving along the lines where the dress was torn. After about a half hour she finally finished patching the dress and immediately went into the yard to wash it. She grabbed the bucket with her magic and filled it with warm water and soap. She also grabbed a soft cloth and carried the two objects back to where the dress lay on a table she had set out. She set the bucket down in front of a stool and threw the rag into it. She sat on the stool and grabbed the dress with her magic, cleaning it in the delicate way she knew she had to. It took a bit longer than she had expected, but she finally managed to remove all of the blood-stains from the dress. She then ignited her body using Tid's Chakra and held the dress relatively close to the flames, drying it much faster than the sun could've. When the dress had finally been ridden of the last drop of moisture she extinquished the flames and teleported back to where Pinkie Pie was still laying on the ground. Rarity sat next to her friend and managed to put the dress on her friend's lifeless body. "There you go, dear." She said. She sat staring at the body for a few more minutes before deciding that she herself would bury her. She placed her hoof on the body and teleported once more, this time to a special hill that stood close to the one where Tid and Itachi's house had once stood. She used her magic to conjure up a shovel and began digging, without using her magic. With every shovel full of dirt Rarity threw aside, she could feel her heart growing heavier. She was also starting to get tired, partially because she wasn't used to this kind of work, but also because she had opened the Fifth Gate. I'll ignore my own problems for you, Pinkie. She thought as she kept digging.

When she felt she had dug an adequate hole she dropped the shovel and wiped the sweat from her face. She looked down at her own body and decided she wanted to look like herself for her friend's send off. She used her magic to change her appearance to what it had formerly been. She then walked over and nuzzled Pinkie's body into the grave with her nose before using the shovel to re-fill the hole. When the hole was filled she looked around for a stone she could use and found a decent sized boulder at the foot of the hill. She walked down and used her magic to carve out a tombstone and carried it up the hill, placing it at the head of the grave. She then used her magic to carve Pinkie's Cuite Mark into the stone, as well as a few words Rarity felt she could use for a memorial. When she had finished, the stone read: "Here lies Pinkie Pie, a ray of light in the darkness." Rarity felt these words were accurate. As she stood there, something caught her eye just above the tombstone. When she looked at it her heart dropped and her eyes began to tear up again. She saw Pinkie Pie floating there, as if she were standing on the stone, smiling at her with soft eyes. Pinkie Pie mouthed the words 'Thank you' one last time before waving and disappearing in whisps. Rarity reached out her hoof as she disappeared. Don't go... She thought.

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Me: That... Was sad.

Rarity: ...

Me: I tried to make it sad for you guys, and I hope I succeeded. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.