//------------------------------// // Scroll VIII // Story: Path of the Six Ponies // by Prismfire Productions //------------------------------// "It never fails, my terrible luck has struck again. Why can't I seem to catch a damn break?" Tsunade thought to herself as they all walked up to a building about as big as Naruto's favorite ramen shop back home, it had the name "Sugarcube Corner" in big bold letters above the entrance. Once inside, their mouths started watering, the inside was covered in wall to wall sweets. Cupcakes, pies, doughnuts, cakes, if you could think of any sweet, it seemed like they had it. Pinkie Pie introduced them to Mr. and Mrs. Cake before leading the group to a large circular table big enough for all of them. She then disappeared into the kitchen and when she returned about 30 minutes later, she came back with a platter full of cupcakes stacked in a pyramid and she was completely covered in batter from muzzle to flank. "These are on the house by me!" Pinkie exclaimed before sitting the platter in the middle of the table. "Help yourselves, but me and Dashie have our first ones separate." Dash was confused until Pinkie pulled a silver covered dish out of her mane, making the shinobi who were not at the fight startled. When she opened the lid, Dash's mouth dropped. There were two cupcakes on the tray, they were vanilla with cyan and pink swirled frosting. On top, there was a little plastic picture with her's and Pinkie's cutie marks on it. "Now please excuse me while I go wash up." "Wow Pinkie...you really outdid yourself this time dear..." Dash said when Pinkie rejoined them, her saying that caught the princess' attention. "Did Rainbow Dash just call Pinkie Pie "dear"?" Luna questioned while looking at Celestia. "Yes she did my little sis, now why did you call her that Rainbow?" Celestia asked Dash. "It is quite simple...we are engaged, she is my fiancée. I proposed when we were in that other world, and she said yes. I was planning on writing you a letter to explain, but since here we are face to face, might as well go ahead and tell you." Dash calmly replied. "Well this is a surprise." Luna remarked while staring at the two blushing pegasi. "Speaking of which..." Pinkie then produced another dish and opened it. It was a small cake with the Hyuuga and Uzumaki clan symbols on it, making Naruto and Hinata blush and their reaction made Kushina and Minato bust out laughing. Pinkie then pulled her party cannon out of her mane. "EVERYPONY GIT DOWN AN' COVER YER EARS!" AJ yelled before it went off with a *BOOM* and showering all of them in confetti. "Kushina and Minato...welcome back from the dead!" She cheered, "Not only that, congrats to Naruto and Hinata, and me and Dashie of course, on now being engaged!" Once the mess was cleaned up and Pinkie brought out some more cupcakes, they got down to business. "So Twilight," Luna started, "start from the beginning, how did all this happen?" Twilight then told them everything, starting with the book she found, and went into great detail about their adventures in Kohona, especially the fight and their training. She gave them a basic crash course in what jutsu and chakra were, and about how strong each of them were. Since she preformed her jutsu, there was no need for Hinata to study the princesses' chakra potential or pathways. "So my student," Celestia remarked, "you are saying that now we are stronger than we were before? Also, the magic in that book, from the info I have gathered from this talk, sounds like some sort of sealing jutsu. That is why me and Lulu knew what humans were, we fought them in the past. They were incredibly strong, even with the Elements and the two of us combined, it took Starswirl himself to seal it." "Yes Celestia that is correct, but it is not just us, Naruto here pulled me off to the side when I questioned about why he was glowing like solid gold during the fight with Madara. When he explained what it was, that was the missing piece of the puzzle I needed to unlock the Resurrection Jutsu for me to bring Kushina and Minato back from the dead, he held they key to it all. It also showed when he is in that mode, it is like us with the Elements, his power is maxed when combined with the Nine Tailed Fox. Our Elements have strengthened as well." This caused Celestia and Luna to stop eating and sweatdrop, making the others a little nervous. "Why did you just look scared?" Tsunade asked between bites on the cupcake she was eating. "The prophecy is being fulfilled..." They replied together with just a hint of nervousness in their voices. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "You see when Starswirl used that sealing jutsu on the book, which also sealed the portal, he foretold it would be released, but it would make the Elements stronger." Luna replied while trying to calm her nerves. "Yes," Celestia added, "that is why when I felt it had been opened, it was my first instinct to assume it was the prophecy being fulfilled. I hoped I was wrong, but when I saw the shinobi at the library and hearing your adventure, it confirmed my theory. I firmly believe that we are about to have an interdeminsional war, and for the good of ponykind, me and Luna are joining the cause. I don't want any other ponies to know about this just yet, but if we are in the dire need of backup, I want all able ponies to help and all of us to be their senseis." "Actually Celestia, I had planned to bring that up, I will want to use my limitbreak jutsu on them to help as well." Twi said matter-of-factually, earning a glare from solar sister. "No you will not, I am ordering you not to. Keep it just on us, I don't want any civilian to be used against us, and with your jutsu, we would be in trouble if the forces we are up against corrupt too many citizens. I consider it a fail safe plan, I would want you to use that spell of yours to let them know the signs for jutsu, but everypony is going to have to train in order to see what jutsu they can use." Celestia stated before breaking her glare. "That makes sense..fine, you win Celestia..." Twilight slowly replied clearly defeated. "Ummm Pinkie, I just have to ask, how do you make the cupcakes taste so good?!" Ino asked while scarfing two cupcakes into her mouth at the same time. "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you that. You see, I make them with a special ingredient," Pinkie giggled, "I am giving you fair warning, don't go into my basement, I don't want your number to ever come up." "I won't, I promise." Ino replied while silently wondering what Pinkie meant about her number coming up but decided not to press the issue. "Good, now I got to go. I just remembered an order Trixie put in is done and, ironically, her number came up." She then took off with such quickness Dash smiled. "That's my Pinkie Pie.." Rainbow chuckled while slightly shaking her head. Pinkie Pie returned about 17 minutes later with a look on her face that was a combination of bitterness and sorrow. "She should have stayed longer, guess I figured wrong." She muttered to herself as she rejoined the others. Nopony asked what she meant by that because they could tell she was not in a very good mood and were scared of her reaction. "Now that all of us are here again, why don't we do a tour around Equestria, it would also give me and Luna a chance to take a break from our royal duties since we have been a little overworked as of late." Celestia said trying to change the vibe in the room, which had slightly soured since Pinkie came back. "Sounds good to me!" Everypony replied but then Mrs. Cake then walked over and handed Tsunade the bill. "Pinkie told us you were the one paying." She said with a certain kind of grin Tsunade knew quite well and she knew it had to be a lot. Tsunade's mouth dropped at the amount. "You have got to be kidding me, we ate 7,000 bits worth of sweets in two and a half hours?" She exclaimed, "I am sorry, but all I have is gold currency from our village, it wouldn't be any good here." "Well, since it is gold, we will take it. How about, oh I don't know, 50 coins?" Mrs. Cake said unsure of the proper exchange rate. "Ok." Tsunade presented the coins and they all left, not only anxious to see what this new world had to offer, but, for Taunade, to get as far away from the money pit of sweets as possible.