Button Mash threw himself down on his bed, there was about half an hour until midnight. They'd just gotten back from Button's birthday dinner. After the last guests had gone home, Love Tap had suggested they go out to eat. He and Gibson had eaten a lot, and gotten large desserts. It really had been a great dinner, even a great birthday. Button let out a small belch, feeling more than stuffed. Still, he couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.
He looked over to the chair in the corner of his room, the little ninja sat in it, lifeless, and stared at him with its black button eyes. It really looked like it was watching him, he almost felt a little uneasy, but he didn't pay it much attention. It was just a plushie after all.
Button thought about the book he had borrowed from the library. Reaching down beside his bed, he pulled the thin red book up from his saddlebag. Button didn't really know anything about ninjas. The only thing he knew was that they dressed in black, could do some flips, and vanish in a plume of smoke, or something like that.
The book looked a bit dry, on the front cover was drawn a ninja that was scaling a wall with some rope. Button rolled over onto his stomach, and turned on the little lamp beside his bed. He flipped through the pages, there were drawings of old ninja weapons, and fighting techniques. He read about the history, and their role in Nippone back in the old days.
As far as Button could understand, they were a sort of religious ponies that lived in the mountain forests of Nippone, hiding from the samurais and their lords. The ninjas lived in small communities where they tended their crops, trained, and defended their villages. They developed their own fighting style, and became experts in survival by disguises, misdirection, spying, strategy, and so on.
The ninjas were constantly hunted by the ruling class because their philosophy and mystic was seen as a threat. Even though they were seen as criminals and ponies with no honor, the nobles still used them in their wars, and political games. The samurais had to abide by a lot of strict rules about honor and fair play.
Everything that the ninjas didn't care about. The only thing that mattered to them was being effective. That was why the ninjas could use a wide range of tricks, and dirty fighting. Arson, assassinations, night raids, spreading false information, and a lot of other things. Button stretched, making some joints pop before reading on.
The ninja communities spread in two regions in particular, and there were soon several clans that competed with one another. A typical ninja was trained from foalhood to fearlessly complete his mission, no matter what. The ninjas preferred that their involvement was as secret and hidden as possible, so it was only as a last resort that they would get involved in direct battles.
However, when that happened the ninjas were really effective, and it was then they donned their combat uniform with the hood. The uniform was black, or indigo blue, but it could also be white during winter time. Button looked over at the chair, the little ninja was gone...
Button sat up a little. "Wasn't it there just a moment ago..?"
Almost instantly he noticed a figure to his side. He looked, and saw the little ninja sitting at the end of his bed, the little sword in its hoof. The black button eyes seemed to shine, almost as if there was something behind them. Button felt a shiver run up his spine.
"How the hell..?"
Buttoned mumbled, using a word his uncle often used. Had he placed the doll there without remembering it? Well, that was the only possible explanation, otherwise it had to have come alive, and made it there itself. Perhaps he had eaten a bit too much, perhaps he had gotten food poisoning.
Button thought of a page in the book that talked about the ninja's partisan nails. Usually they were tossed onto the ground during an escape, the nails always landed with one of the ends pointing upwards. Then when a pursuing samurai came running, he would step on the nail, but sometimes the ninja would have dipped the tip in rotten meat, fish, or even feces to ensure the samurai would die of blood poisoning.
Button belched again, and stood up. He didn't feel too well. He trotted into the bathroom to brush his teeth. It was past midnight now, and the whole house was deadly silent. Button looked at himself in the mirror, spat the toothpaste out in the sink, and drank some water from the tap.
When he stood up straight, and looked in the mirror, his blood turned to ice. Gibson stood right behind him, and was staring at Button in the mirror. Button hadn't even heard Gibson enter because of the running water. His brother held the little ninja in his hoof.
Why was that?
"Button, can you please keep your stuff in your room?" He said, and tossed the little plushie to him. "Night."
Button caught the little ninja, looking confused after his brother. "Uhm, night..." Button heard as the door closed to Gibson's room. He steadied his breathing, and looked at the little ninja. It was totally lifeless, the eyes that had seemed so alive before were nothing more than two ordinary black buttons. He could see the threads going between the holes in the button eyes.
Button took it back to his room, and once again placed it on the chair. "Are you sneaking around the house?" He didn't expect an answer, however the following silence did creep him out a bit. Button started to mumble, "it's fine by me, but only if you stay out of trouble, because I'm going to bed." Button thought he sounded like a complete idiot.
He placed his saddlebag over the ninja's hind legs to keep it in place. What was he doing? This was ridiculous. Button got back on the bed, this time getting under the covers. He took the ninja book again, but the letters didn't make any sense. He was too tired...
Placing the book on the nightstand, he turned off the light, and stared into the darkness. He'd never liked the dark, he wasn't afraid or anything like that, but it was always a bit intense. His mom had told him it was perfectly normal, and it was a fear they had inherited from their ancient ancestors. When the sun went down, then the predators would come out. It was a coded fear.
He let out a small sigh, and thought about the events of the day. It had really been fun, and it was super awesome to have seen Uncle Stardust again. He still missed his dad, but he knew he was coming back...
Button fell asleep.
He didn't hear the sound of tiny hoofsteps running across the floor. Neither did he sense his door open and close...