Chapter 78- Another Visit
Me: Continuing on with the story! Let's get this show started! I don't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Frienship is Magic.
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It was around three o' clock in the afternoon and the sun was shining down on the world of the ponies. Rarity was shut in her room, designing her own wedding dress. She had expressed to me that she wanted to be the one that designed her wedding dress, as she had already designed a wedding dress before and she wanted to look her very best for the big day. I simply agreed with her idea, as I had other things I needed to take care of. I left the house at about five after three and teleported to the Royal Castle in Canterlot, where I was to meet with Itachi. When I arrived, I found Itachi standing in the throne room, conversing with Princess Celestia. Celestia was seated in her throne, though I noticed the throne to her left was empty. When she noticed my presence, she looked over Itachi's shoulder and raised a hoof to me. Itachi noticed this and looked over his shoulder at me.
"Ah, Tid, you're here." He said. I noticed he looked a little distressed.
"Yep, I'm here. Is everything alright?" I asked as I approached them.
"Yes, everything's fine." Celestia replied with a smile. Itachi's expression, however, told me otherwise.
"Alright," I said with a shrug as I now stood at the base of the stairs.
Itachi looked back to Celestia and she pulled him into a hug. She whispered something into his ear and he relaxed a great deal. When she released him, she kissed him and sent him down the stairs. By the time that he reached the bottom, Itachi looked his normal self again.
"Glad to see you're feeling better," I said to him as we began walking out of the throne room.
"Yeah," He agreed with a sigh. As we left the throne room, we made our way to the room where the mirror was kept.
"So, what was it that had you so stressed?" I asked him.
"It's nothing," Itachi replied.
"Oh come now, I know you better than that," I said. He hesitated.
"Alright, when we get to the other dimension, I'll explain." He submitted.
"Good," I said. We continued on our way until we reached a room that was protected for the sake of protection.
I opened the door and stepped through into a white room with no furniture save for a solitary mirror that had a small set of stairs that led directly to it. Itachi closed the door behind himself and we both looked at each other. We nodded and I stepped through the mirror, feeling the familiar rush of wind and a strong feeling of nauseousness. When I emerged from the other side, I found myself in the middle of the same forest that we had appeared in the first time around. A few seconds later, Itachi emerged from the mirror. A pleasant breeze blew past and our cloaks flapped in its wind. I turned to Itachi, whom was standing just a few feet from my side.
"It's time," I said. He nodded and we leapt into action.
We quickly made our way to the Hidden Leaf Village; I had to lead the way because Itachi didn't come with us on our first trip. In just a few minutes, I could already see the Hokage Monument from the spaces between the trees. The village looked as though it hadn't changed a single bit since we left; which I suppose was because there had been no reason for anyone to fight since the Fourth Shinobi World War.
"So, Itachi, what was it that you and Celestia were talking about?" I asked him as I remembered his promise.
"I was a little uneasy about returning here," He replied.
"Eh? Why's that?"
"You see, when we were sent to the other dimension, I still wasn't considered an 'ally' of the Hidden Leaf Village; at least, not by the common people." He replied.
"Ah, that makes sense." I said. He nodded and that was the end of the conversation.
Finally we arrived at the village where we were greeted by two shinobi that had been assigned to guard it. They let us pass with no trouble at all; a simple nod here, a how-do-you-do there, that sort of deal. Itachi and I knew exactly where we were heading first, and that was to see the Seventh Hokage. As we walked through the town, we were stared at with awe from the children that we passed; amazed that they were finally allowed to get as close as they wanted to formerly wanted shinobi. Wind that seemed a little stronger than normal blew throughout the entire village and caused Itachi and I's cloaks to billow around our bodies. We stopped our motion and observed the land in front of us, watching as Naruto seemed to instantly materialize a few yards from us.
"So you really are here!" He said with a big grin.
"Hello Naruto, it's good to see you again," I said to him with a simple nod.
"Yeah, it's been a while!" He replied with a nod. Then he noticed the figure standing next to me.
"Yo, Itachi, it's been even longer!" He said extending his hand to Itachi. Itachi took it and shook it once.
"Yes, it has. I'm sorry, but I wasn't sure if I should come back here." He said.
"Eh? It's alright! I made sure that everyone knew the real reason you were forced out of the village!" Naruto said.
"And... what became of Sasuke?" Itachi asked.
"Sasuke? Oh, he's out of the village right now. Don't worry, we don't hate him- he's actually mellowed out a whole lot; he's just on a mission at the moment." Naruto replied.
"Ah, I see," Itachi said with a sigh of relief. Naruto beamed and turned his back to us.
"Come on, I know you two came here for a reason." He said beckoning us to follow him.
We followed Naruto as he led us through the village and toward his new home. This home was placed directly before the mountain into which the Hokage Monument was carved. It was an impressive two-stories tall and was made, like everything else in the village, primarily out of wood. The wood had been painted various colors that complemented each other perfectly; no doubt done by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. There was a front porch that was encased with a wooden railing and steps that led up to the porch. The porch was a brown color that seemed to be complemented in itself by the grass that surrounded it. There were two large windows in the wall that made up one side of the first story, and between them was an oak wooden door that had been painted a light blue. Naruto led us up the three stairs and through the front door, revealing the true nature of his humble abode.
The door led to the living room, which was the first room of the entire house. It was a large living room, suitable for a moderately-sized family, with comfortable furniture and colorful paintings lining the walls. The walls were all a brilliant shade of green that reminded me of the emeralds that Rarity worked with. Along the far wall, there was a doorway that lacked a door, which I assumed led to the rest of the house. The furniture was a contrasting shade of vibrant blue. The floor was covered in a pearl-white carpet. After a few minutes of observing the interior of the house, Naruto disappeared into the next room, which, from the sounds of glasses clinking with one another, I assumed to be the kitchen. After another few minutes, he reappeared with a tray of three cups that had a steaming liquid that gave off a wondrous aroma.
Itachi and I took a seat on a couch that lined the aformentioned wall and sat back as Naruto set the tray on the wodden coffee table that stood in the middle of the room. After he had done so, he sat in a chair that sat against the wall to our right. He crossed one leg over the other and laced his fingers.
"So, what're you guys here for?" Naruto asked us.
"You see, Rarity and I are getting married," I answered.
"Eh? Really? Congratulations!" He said with a beaming grin. I couldn't help but grin myself.
"Thank you," I said with a nod.
"So, what does this have to do with us?" Naruto asked.
"Well, Rarity and I were hoping to host our wedding here, in the Hidden Leaf Village." I replied.
"Is that so?" Naruto sat forward and picked up his cup of tea. He gently blew on it and took a sip. Then he sat back in his original position and thought for a few minutes.
"That sounds reasonable," He said with a nod.
"Thank you, Naruto." I thanked him.
"Naruto, we'd like your personal permission to select any place that Rarity and Tid would want to have their wedding," Itachi said to him.
"Right, of course. You have my permission to select any location you want!" He said. Itachi leaned forward and grabbed a cup of what I assumed to be tea from the tray and gently blew on it before taking a sip. He held the cup in his hands instead of setting it back down.
"Now," He said as he sat back in his chair. "I'm assuming you know what you what both of you need to make this the wedding of your dreams?" He asked. I nodded and pulled out a slip of paper that Rarity had prepared for me. I handed it to him and he looked it over.
"I see; and this has both of your wishes on it?" He asked. I nodded. He looked back at the slip of paper and grinned.
"Well this shouldn't be a problem! Now, you know what I'm going to ask next, right?" He asked.
"Er, not exactly." I replied.
"When's the wedding?" He asked.
"Oh, it's one month from now." I answered.
"Ah, that seems reasonable. Now, there's one last question I have to ask you," He said.
"What's that?" I asked him; slightly confused. He put both feet on the ground, set his cup down and leaned forward.
"When do you want your bachelor party?" I sat back, taken quite aback by this question.
"Um," I managed to get out.
"Don't worry! I'll take care of everything! I'll plan the bachelor party, and we'll come to your house when we need to! You can go back to Rarity now!" He said with a great smile. Itachi stood, and so did Naruto. Naturally, I followed suit.
"Now run along, little Tid, I'll get everything set up for you, so don't worry! It'll be just fine! I'll come get you when it's time for your bachelor party!" He said as he began ushering me out of the house.
Itachi followed behind him and closed the door behind us. Naruto crossed two fingers on each hand and made three clones of himself. They each then leapt from the porch and disappeared from view amongst the trees. Itachi and I bid Naruto farewell and set out to look for a location to have the wedding. At first we tried some of the buildings in the village, though I didn't see anything that particularly caught my eye. After every building that Itachi and I checked, I noticed that the sun was dipping lower and lower in the sky.
"It's getting pretty late," I said to him after our seventh building. At this point, the sun was only a sliver away from making contact with the distant horizon and the sky reflected this with a golden-orange hue.
"It is. I suppose we could continue our search tomorrow," He agreed.
"Yeah, I think that would be best. Besides, we won't be able to see these places very well after a little while." I said taking note of the sun's position. He nodded and we began to make our way toward a well-known hotel.
As we were walking, I happened to look up at the Hokage Monument. I could remember climbing up there as a young boy and looking out over the entire village. I remember when I would sneak out just before the sun would set and I would climb to the top of the Third Hokage's head, and I would sit cross-legged on the stone and watch the sun as it set behind the horizon. I recalled with great vividness the grand spectacle of it all. Then an idea came to me. I looked at Itachi.
"Hey, what if Rarity and I had our wedding up there?" I asked him pointing to the Hokage Monument. He raised his head and followed my finger.
"Are you sure? Would Rarity be okay with that?" He asked me.
"Of course! I remember just how beautiful that spot was when I was a kid, so I'm sure she'd love to have the wedding up there!" I replied.
"What about the others? Her family? Our friends?" He asked. I placed a hand to my chin and thought about it.
"There's flat land up there," I replied after a few minutes. "They'd be fine."
"Alright, if that's what you want, then so be it." He said patting me on the shoulder.
We continued on our walk until we reached the hotel. There, we paid for one night's stay and immediately went to bed without eating. The next morning, we awoke and met up at Ichiraku's where we grabbed a quick breakfast bowl of ramen. After that, we quickly made our way back to the mirror to get back to the other world. When we arrived at the mirror, we were out of breath because we had been rushing to get back. This is because Rarity was going to kill me for staying the night here. We stepped through the portal and when I remerged from the other side, I was terrified to the point of falling backwards by what I saw. Rarity was standing on her hind legs wtih her arms crossed and a fierce glare on her face. I broke into a cold sweat and I saw her dress swirling around her, though there was no wind in the room.
"What. Did. I. Say?" She demanded.
"R-Rarity, I-I'm sorry-"
"What. Did. I. Say?" She asked shoving her face close to mine. She was so close she seemed to take on an ominous lighting that only served to increase the ferocity of her look. I gulped.
"T-to come back yesterday," I answered.
"And what didn't you do?" She asked. I stared into her menacing eyes for a few minutes in pure terror, unable to speak.
"You realize you're going to be punished, don't you?" She asked when I didn't reply. I gulped. "Come with me," She ordered and I reluctantly obeyed.
She led me out of the room in which the mirror was kept and through the Royal Castle until we reached the outer courtyard. When we were where she wanted us to be, she stopped. I froze in place and kept my eyes on her, still sweating. She circled me and kept her eyes on me.
"Look, Rarity, I'm sorry, okay? I wanted to come back yesterday, but it got too late, so Itachi and I rented a room at a hotel," I said to her. She stopped and smiled at me; which confused me for a minute.
"Oh it's alright dear," She said as she approached me. I still hadn't moved from the spot, but I had turned to face her. She kept her smile on for the entire time that it took for her to cross the distance between us.
"I'm not upset with you," She said.
"Y-you're not?" I asked. She shook her head. She leaned in and kissed my cheek. Then, she placed her hoof to my chest.
"I'll see you at home, alright?"
"Um..." I didn't have a chance to say anything after that because I was sent flying through the air by an Almighty Push.
All I could do was watch the sky behind me as I passed through it. I dared to look over my shoulder and instantly regretted it; as I saw the Carousel Boutique quickly approaching. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and braced as best as I could. A few seconds later, I crashed through the roof of the boutique and landed on the ground in our bedroom. I could feel nothing but pain spreading across my back and I lay motionless for a few minutes. After a short while, Rarity walked through the door walked over to me and looked down at me.
"Why can't you punish me in a different way, like normal wives do?" I asked her. She giggled.
"Oh Tid, if only I were a normal wife," She replied. She reached her hoof down and helped me to my feet. She sat me down on the bed and sat next to me, pulling me into a loving embrace.
"I'm sorry for that. Normally it'd be alright, but..." She left off.
"But... what?" I urged her.
"Well, your world is known for its wars, its violence, its danger... When I gave you that deadline, it was my way of making sure that you'd come back to me safely. When you didn't come back, I feared the worst." She finished. I wrapped one arm around her shoulders.
"Listen, Rarity, you don't have to worry about me. I know I've been pretty lousy at keeping my promises, but when I made that promise to you, the one about neither of us dying until we would die together, I meant it. Besides, I had Itachi with me. No one would've been able to take us out, even if they wanted to." I comforted. He held me close.
"Thank you," She said to me.
"It's not a problem at all," I replied. She held me at arms length and smiled.
"So, I assume you've gotten everything taken care of?" She asked. I nodded.
"Naruto is going to assist us with everything. He's the current Hokage, so he has connections to the best of the best from all around the world,"
"That's lovely," She said with a greater smile.
"Yeah. Don't worry, we'll have the best wedding we could possibly have; and I know just where it will be held."
"Oh? And where's that?" She asked curiously.
"On top of the Hokage Monument," I replied. She stared at me blankly for a few seconds, then the name of the landmark connected with the image she had seen of it and she smiled from ear-to-ear.
"That's wonderful! Thank you very much!" She said throwing her arms around me once more. I laughed and patted her back. She relinquished me and we sat and laughed on the bed.
"You know," She said when we had finally stopped laughing and she had managed to catch her breath. "I have a reveal coming up very soon, and I'd like you to be there."
"A reveal? So you've been keeping up with your work?" I asked her. She nodded.
"I've got a wonderful new line of dresses and I would love for you to be there when I reveal them to the world!" She said with excitement. I looked into her eyes and noticed a certain twinkle in them that I rarely saw from anything else.
"Of course I'll attend," I agreed with a smile.
"Oh thank you! That means so much to me!" She exclaimed.
"When is the reveal?" I asked.
"It's in three days. We're travelling to Manehattan tomorrow," She replied.
"Tomorrow? Why so soon?" I asked.
"Well it'll take us a few hours to get there, and I wanted to tour the city with you." She replied with a smile.
"Oh, okay. Sounds great!" I said smiling back to her.
She climbed off of the bed and used her magic to repair the ceiling and roof before turning and leaving the room; leaving me on my own. I sighed and layed back on the bed. I couldn't help but have a great big smile on my face. My life was going pretty well, and I had no complaints. I had protected my friends from every danger that had arisen so far, made great friends whose frienships I would cherish for the rest of my life, and now, I was getting married to the woman of my dreams. Then an idea came to me. I jumped off of the bed and immediately ran over to the door. I peeked my head out of the door and checked the hallway, both ways, for Rarity. When I saw that she was nowhere to be found, I quietly closed the door and knelt down. I lifted up the apron of the bed and withdrew the scroll from underneath it. I dropped the apron and stood to my feet, holding the scroll tightly in my right hand and looking over my shoulder for any sign of Rarity about to enter the room. I quickly hid the scroll in a pocket that Rarity had installed on the inside of the cloak, poking my arm out of the sleeve once more to make it look like I hadn't done anything. I smiled to myself.
"It's going to be the best reveal of your life, Rarity." I whispered.
I then walked back over to the door and opened it. I stepped out into the hallway and made my way down the stairs. I heard Rarity in the kitchen, and from the sound of it, she was doing the dishes. I walked into the kitchen and came up behind her. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. She was startled to the point that she actually jumped.
"Jeez Tid, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She asked somewhat flustered. I chuckled.
"No, I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself." I replied. She looked back to the dishes she was washing.
"Don't worry, I'll get you back for that." She said as she resumed washing the dishes. I gulped. She giggled.
"Not to fear, my love, I won't physically hurt you again. I admit that was a bit drastic." She said as she placed a plate into its cupboard. I breathed a sigh of relief. She giggled again. I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek and she blushed.
"You're adorable when you blush," I said to her with a smile. She smiled back.
"Thank you,"
I then took a rag from the counter next to the sink and began to dry the wet dishes that Rarity didn't have time to get to. She had placed them in a neat stack next to the sink.
"Hmm? Are you going to help me dry the dishes?" She asked.
"Yes, I am. It's the least I could do for everything you've done for me," I replied.
"Oh well that's very sweet of you," She said giving me another sweet smile.
I nodded and we finished the dishes together. The whole while, we were talking and telling each other stories that we had already told countless tmies before, but we loved hearing them anyway. We laughed until our sides hurt and then laughed some more, just enjoying each other's company. When the dishes were finished, Rarity began preparing dinner and I began preparing my signature drink for the both of us. I knew she loved it, so I decided I would make enough to last for the rest of the day. Luckily, Rarity didn't mind me using a lot of her ingredients just to make it, which I was thankful for. When everything was said and done, Rarity placed the meal on the table and I placed two glasses on opposite sides of the table and sat a big pitcher of the drink in the middle. We sat down and Rarity lifted the lid off of the dish, revealing a steaming plate of what looked suspiciously like a toasted dragon.
"Er, Rarity, what exactly are we having?" I asked her looking at the meal.
"Oh, didn't you know? Spike was being exceptionally horrible, so I decided to end it all." She replied; casually pouring herself a glass of the drink I had prepared while doing so. I didn't say anything but just stared at her in disbelief. She began to take a sip of her drink and as she did so she looked at me over the top of her glass and nearly did a spit-take.
"Oh Tid, you should see your face right now! It's hilarious!" She said as she set the glass down and burst out laughing. I continued to give her a blank stare as she continued to laugh.
"I told you I'd get you back, didn't I? It's not actually a dead dragon, it's a large pig that I had prepared for us." She said. I couldn't help but laugh at how gullible I was. I had to admit, she was pretty good.
"I thought ponies didn't eat meat?" I asked her in confusion when I had finished laughing.
"That's true, we don't usually eat meat. However, I think this would be interesting to try. Besides, I noticed that humans mostly ate meat, and I wondered what was so appealing about it." She said. I nodded.
"Sounds good to me. Let's dig in, shall we?"
"We shall." She said.
(Later on)
Rarity and I were laying in bed, as we usually did when it was time to go to sleep, though this time Rarity was awake. She tried several times to fall asleep, but she found that she just couldn't do it. She lay on her side, one arm draped over my chest. She had one eye open, though it was open only halfway. I lay on my back, listing to the sound of the rain outside hitting the window, and the occasional crack of thunder. I had one arm laying under Rarity's neck and held her close to my body.
"I'm so terribly nervous," She said after a time of silence. I turned my head to look into her brilliant blue eyes.
"Don't be nervous, Rarity. Your work is in another league entirely from the rest of the world. No one's outfits could possibly compare to yours." I said to her.
"You don't really believe that," She said.
"No?" I asked her. She shook her head.
"What number am I thinking of?" I asked her.
"Huh?" She asked in confusion.
"What number am I thinking of?" I repeated.
"What are you going on about?" She asked.
"Just answer the question, please." I replied.
"I don't know," She answered reluctantly.
"Then how do you know what I believe?" I asked her. She stared at me for a few minutes. Then she smiled.
"You're absolutely right. You honestly believe my dresses are in a league of their own?" She asked. I nodded.
"Of course I do. They're quite honestly the best things I've ever seen. In fact, if I were a woman, I'd be delighted to wear those." I said to her. She chuckled a little when I said that. Then she kissed me.
"Thank you," She whispered when she broke the kiss.
"You're welcome," I whispered back. She closed her eyes and a few minutes later I realized she had fallen fast asleep. I lay for a moment, my eyes closed, a smile on my face, listening to her light breathing.
I'm so fortunate to have her. I thought to myself with glee. I knew then I'd never let her die again. A few minutes later, I fell asleep.
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Me: Well, this chapter ends on a happy note, doesn't it?
Tid: Yes, it does, for once.
Me: Oi! What's that supposed to mean?
Tid: You know damn well what it means!
Me: Gah, whatever! Anyway, I hope you all loved this chapter, and I hope to see you next time! See ya!