//------------------------------// // Deception, and An Octopus // Story: Visual Prowess // by UgalaaWriter //------------------------------// Sasuke was lying down inside the bed, turned over, his back facing the doorway. It had been a few hours since he had dealt with the annoying unicorn that had been in the middle of Ponyville- the Great and Powerful Trixie, Sasuke faintly remembered she had called herself. Sasuke scowled as he thought of the weakness and the innocence of what seemed like the entire land around him. That unicorn was anything but powerful. More like the Weak and Pathetic Trixie. He’d shown her. Her place, that was. Especially after what she’d said about the Uchiha. Sasuke gripped the sheets and nearly tore them off the bed as his Hatred began to roar- his family, mocked? Insulted? He wouldn’t stand for it- hadn’t stood for it, in fact. He doubted if anyone would be saying anything negative about the Uchiha around him for a while, if ever. He could feel his muscles, they yearned for use- he’d apparently made a full recovery over the course of a few days. His bones seemed stronger than ever, his muscles, no longer torn or sore, and his chakra network flowed correctly, with no obstructions or problems- in fact, he thought that he might’ve had more chakra then he had before he came here. While he enjoyed this boost of strength that surviving the Tailed Beast Balls had given him, he still thought and pondered about his most important problem- how to get back to The Elemental Nations. He was still wondering about how all of this had happened- blown across dimensions, realms, existences- and ended up here. If anything, it was more of an inconvenience than a real problem- he didn’t think anything in this land could be a threat. He was fairly sure of that, anyway. He knew that there had to be some kind of law or police force-much like the Uchiha had been- or a guard, or something. There couldn’t just be nothing. And while Sasuke was sure that there was one of these forces for… Equestria… he was also sure that they proved no threat to him, considering that it seemed he could scare most of the race here with just killing intent and nothing else, which was sad. But it was also good, because as Sasuke gave it more thought, he realized that he could’ve fallen into a stronger world or dimension that might’ve not been so kind or easy on him- indeed, if he had fallen into a place with strong enemies, he could’ve easily been killed while he was still weak- not to mention that no one probably would’ve come and taken care of him after finding him fallen, unconscious, on the ground somewhere. His great hearing allowed him to detect the shutting of a door, quietly, directly outside of his room. So Fluttershy was home. She’d probably come annoy him now, complaining about what he’d done to the other stupid pony. I’ll just ignore her, he decided. Lo and behold, it wasn’t long before the door was opened and a yellow Pegasus with a pink, curled mane walked into the room. She coughed a few times, having trouble finding her voice, then spoke. “Why did you do it?” It was one of those rare times that Fluttershy had a confident, forceful air in her tone- even though she was normally nervous and soft-spoken, she felt partially responsible for taking care of Sasuke and, in a way, enabling him to commit such deeds. This, along with the knowledge that Princess Celestia would be coming soon, gave her the bravery to confront Sasuke despite the fact that she was (wisely) scared of him. “She insulted the clan of the Uchiha. If anything, I was kind, like a weakling. She deserved death for it, if you want the truth.” “Why is your clan so important to you!? It doesn’t excuse your behavior, you know!” “Leave it. I’m not explaining it to you. It doesn’t concern you, anyway.” “No, you will explain it to me! You’re being horrible! Trixie was being a mean pony but she didn’t deserve that much, either. She wasn’t even humiliated- if anything, everypony feels sympathy for her now, instead of being annoyed by her.” “Good for you, good for her, and good for them. Now leave me alone.” “No, I won’t leave you alone. I’m not scared of you because Princess Celestia is coming! She’ll deal with you herself if you keep acting the way you are. I’m trying to save you from her. She’s usually a very nice pony but she can get the job done if she needs to.” “Big deal. I’m sure she’s as weak as everyone else around here.” “She isn’t! She raises the sun! I’m sure she could beat you.” “Even if she could, which she can’t, I don’t see her around anywhere. It looks like you’re trying to order me around, while idiotically forgetting what I’ve done the last two times to somepony,” he said, spitting the words with concentrated malice, “who has angered or annoyed me. If you want to save your life, leave the room, now.” “I can’t believe you! After I’ve taken care of you, you won’t even explain your behavior!” As Fluttershy continued, Sasuke considered his options. While she was probably lying about something raising the sun, in hindsight, it actually made sense for this kind of country to have someone like that. It was the only way that they could live in peace, anyway. Otherwise they’d probably have to fight all the time- this land looked like it had some dangerous creatures- dragons, he’d seen a griffon, once, and probably more. “See the light, Sasuke! Stop being so cruel!” Before he could stop himself, Sasuke repeated a phrase he had once said, long ago. “I have turned my eyes away from the light. My goals only lie in the darkness.” “W…What?” Her fury suddenly abated- instead, was a deep sadness and pity for the world that Sasuke came from, and sadness for Sasuke- what had he gone through to make him so cold? If it was anyone that could make someone feel guilt, it was probably Fluttershy, and her kindness could be used to heal hearts, too- she had turned many a savage bear or manticore into a nicer animal just by her presence. And she had hoped that it would work for Sasuke too. Her ears drooped, and she started to sob; not silently. It was a loud, hopeless crying. She’d failed. Fluttershy trotted away from the door and slammed it, and flew over to a corner, and cried in it. She was surrounded by her animal friends- they tried to comfort her. Sasuke was in the room- had heard the crying. And, inside, he felt the smallest spark of guilt take hold, and become a weak flame. _________________________ Even after Fluttershy had cried, Sasuke still didn’t explain himself. Fluttershy didn’t bother him for a while. She only entered his room to give him fruits and vegetables, and then she left, wordlessly. She seemed depressed and down, all because of how Sasuke was acting- she still couldn’t imagine what had made him like this. It had to have been something horrible. But she didn’t bother asking him- she knew what she would get, and it didn’t seem that he would care for her pity or her sadness for him, either. Sasuke laid alone in the room and thought long and hard for quite a while. Mostly about revenge on The Leaf- he still couldn’t believe that he’d felt guilty of all things- and how he’d kill each and every person, and burn the shops to the ground, and destroy the monuments and the Hokage Faces- he’d made her cry- and then he’d kill the children, and once he’d destroyed the entire village, then he’d- she didn’t deserve it- Sasuke shouted a wordless scream of frustration-how could he even feel guilt anymore? He didn’t know, but what he did want to know was how he could stop feeling it. It wasn’t a good feeling, and he didn’t need it getting in the way of his vengeance. It would only hinder his goals- maybe even get him killed, if he stopped in the middle of a fight like a weakling because of all the horrible guilt he was feeling. He needed to get rid of his frustration, somehow. Jumping out of bed, he strode quickly to the door, and opened it, without a word. He walked out, past all the animals, who glared at him, and out of the cottage. Fluttershy watched him go, silently. She didn’t say anything. She wanted him gone. She didn’t hate him, but she didn’t want to care for someone so cruel. She knew not to antagonize him, though, or anger him- he was too unstable and dangerous, and before they made any kind of move to get through to him they’d need Princess Celestia here, first. She didn’t want anypony dying just because of their rushing and carelessness. Sasuke stepped outside of the cottage and looked around. He was still frustrated that he had such a lack of a lead on anything relating to him being able to get back to The Elemental nations. Still, though, he could try one other thing. He slowly formed five seals after biting his thumb hard- hard enough to draw blood. Finishing the jutsu, he slammed his palm into the grass, watching with satisfaction as a large hawk appeared. “Is there any way for me to get from here, to your home, and from there, to The Elemental Nations?” The hawk seemed confused by his surroundings- it looked different than anything from the Shinobi world- but shook its head, regardless. It began to speak. “We hawks are not very proficient in sealing jutsu, but even if we were, different dimensions and space-time jutsu are extremely complicated. You could be killed during the transportation, or it may fail, or nothing may happen. There are too many risks and the chances are too high. Doing things in The Elemental Nations is already hard enough; throwing another world into the mix only makes it harder. Plus there’s the fact that I believe you did not arrive at this place through normal means. Is there anything else that you needed?” “No, you can leave.” The hawk dispelled itself and went back to its home immediately, and left Sasuke to brooding and thinking in the grass in front of Fluttershy’s house. So he was stuck here for now, unless he made an effort to get along with the locals. His Hatred and Anger roared- Fool. Don’t swallow your pride. They’re weaklings. But then, a small voice chipped in- added in- and it seemed to have more power than either of them, even with how small and weak it was. You’re being cruel, said his Guilt. He swore loudly, his eyes flickering between Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and his normal black onyx eyes. He’d have to… apologize. Even inside of his mind, Sasuke found the word disgusting and pathetic. He’d have to prostrate himself- as if he was lesser than them- and, and… but, would they believe him? Or… He could just use genjutsu. While that might work, he hesitated to use it immediately. Fluttershy had said something about some Princess Celestia. It was possible that she could see through his genjutsu- and while he was fairly certain that she didn’t raise the sun, she was probably still very powerful. Again, it was the only thing that explained the innocence of this world- or this country or place, or whatever, because if they didn’t have an all-powerful goddess guarding them, they’d have to actually fend for themselves. No. No, he couldn’t use genjutsu. Simple lies, deceit, and trickery, that was what he would have to use. It should work out fine- everything here was so naïve that it was inevitable that they would believe him- they probably wanted to, anyway. Fluttershy had cried for him when he’d said what he’d said- how long had it been since someone had cried for him, instead of crying because of what he’d done or who he’d killed? Sakura, and Itachi. That was the last time that had happened- he remembered it. SASUKE! Foolish little brother… Saske shook the memory out of his thoughts. Another option was that he could go hide in the forest that this cottage bordered on. While it was probably dangerous there, it would probably be better than apologizing. And he wouldn’t have to swallow his pride to do it, either. But, at the same time, again, he would be alone in his endeavors to get back to The Elemental Nations. And he doubted that, now, without any leads and his only idea, using the Hawks to get back, had failed, he was going to be forced to rely on these dumb horses. He doubted that the snakes would have any more useful information or help available, anyway. Not to mention the fact that he’d betrayed Manda, and they probably wouldn’t take too kindly to him summoning them, anyway. Sighing, he made for the doorway. The door creaked open and he saw Fluttershy, still looking sad, sitting in one corner of the room. She only looked up him with incredibly big, sad eyes, and even in Sasuke’s black heart, a few strings were tugged on. Sighing again, even more loudly, he made to sit down next to her, plopping himself down with ease. He was almost fully recovered- his legs were still a little weak, at times, but for the most part, his pain, slowness, and lack of strength were gone. He was healthy again. “My time… in The Elemental Nations… has made me cold.” Fluttershy raised her head, a small smile slowly slipping onto her features. Her wings raised as well, and she paid more attention, propping herself up on both hooves as she listened more intently. Sasuke barely managed to hide a scowl, but at the same time, couldn’t force himself to smile, either- still that same blank, apathetic stare that seemed to hold no emotion, guilt, or any kind of sympathy in it. “The coldness has affected me in many ways- I do not care for other people much anymore. It’s so hard to get rid of it, and I don’t mean to do what I do… it’s almost like I’m not even in control, sometimes.” Fluttershy listened on, completely enraptured in Sasuke’s ‘heartfelt’ apology/confession. Sasuke was surprised, even in himself- it seemed that, in a way, even for him, not all of this was a complete staged lie. Most of it was… but still. Strengthening his will, he pressed on, forwards. He cleared his throat as he spoke once more. “And I still need to get back to The Elemental Nations… and while I can never truly forgive how The Leaf has wronged me, perhaps I could learn to contain my rage enough so that vengeance isn’t needed. I’ll need your help- and Twilight’s too- and probably whoever this Princess Celestia is, as well.” “That’s all good,” Fluttershy said, “but I still haven’t heard you say it yet.” “Say what yet?” Sasuke replied, legitimately confused. Fluttershy only relaxed a little more and sighed slightly, as if waiting for Sasuke to reach a conclusion he should’ve already came to. His eyes widened when he realized what she meant. “I-I’m… sorry,” He bit out. It was clearly difficult for him, and he didn’t have to fake that part or act whatsoever in the slightest, there. Fluttershy clopped her hooves together joyfully, seeming very impressed by his ability to admit his mistakes and him finally giving an apology. “How wonderful! But there are still two ponies you need to forgive.” “Maybe the pink one, but not the blue one.” Fluttershy’s joy stopped, and she wilted, before asking the obvious question. “Why?” “She insulted the Clan of the Uchiha. I will not have the name sullied. That’s one thing that I can’t and I won’t take.” “But, with how you act, aren’t you sullying the Uchiha as well?” In an instant, Sasuke glared at Fluttershy so horribly that she felt that she could die. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly in his eyes with undisguised hatred- malice so deep and pure, pure Hatred, that it felt like it was going to corrupt her soul. And, for that instant that Sasuke glared at Fluttershy, she felt that she might’ve just killed herself by what she said. He could strike out in an instant-faster than she could run or fly, or even react to- and lop her head off, or stab her in her chest and pierce her heart. Kill her in any number of ways. But he relaxed his glare, noticing as she sighed audibly and fell back, breathing heavily. “Sorry… but, as for your question… maybe,” It was a lot of effort for him to say that, “but the need for vengeance overrides the name of the Uchiha. I just won’t have outsiders saying that, especially when they know nothing of the Clan’s past, my past, or the entire situation in general. It really is none of their business.” Fluttershy shrugged internally. She figured that she was making huge strides, even now. She wasn’t going to push her luck more than Sasuke was allowing her to. If he didn’t want to talk about it yet, then she wouldn’t mention it anymore for the time being. Plus, she really didn’t know what had made him like this. It held a special place in her kind heart, even with how hateful and aggressive and violent he was. It had to have been something terrible… Sasuke was amazed that he had managed to deceive and lie his way through all of that. While he was a ninja, and deception as a trick, weapon, or tool of survival was nothing new to him, it had been very hard to swallow his pride and somehow answer those questions while acting like he was actually wrong, and that he was actually sorry. But it appeared that Fluttershy had believed him, and if she did, then everypony else probably would, too; they all seemed to be equally naïve and stupid. It wouldn’t be hard, then, to get help for returning to The Elemental Nations. Sasuke grinned, only for an instant, but instantly covered it back up with an aloof expression. Turning to Fluttershy, he then asked her a question she’d never think he would ask. “How can I… make it up to you?” This was getting difficult for Sasuke- pushing his limits of self-control. Fluttershy’s adorable grin split her entire face and she began to speak in that quiet, lovable voice of hers. “You don’t need to really make it up to me. You haven’t wronged me, anyway.” “Then, where does the pink… pony… live?” “Oh, you mean Pinkie Pie! She lives and works at Sugarcube Corner. It’s that one building in Ponyville that looks like it’s made out of cookies and sweets.” Oh, that place. It had looked absurd and utterly ridiculous the second he had seen it, and now he’d have to enter it and apologize to the weakling who had disturbed him while he was sleeping. Sighing louder, he jumped up, and began to make his way to the door. Fluttershy wasn’t done, though. She leapt up, and began flapping her wings slowly, and the pink-maned Pegasus flew around happily inside her cottage as her animals jumped around joyfully. It looked like something out of a Christmas movie. As Sasuke turned the knob on the front door, she had to make one last comment that expressed how happy she was at the current turn of events. She sounded sickeningly gleeful as she spoke. “I’m so glad you’re being nice, Sasuke.” Sasuke barely managed to avoid throwing his katana at her as he shut the door. _____________________________ Sasuke sighed, more than a little disappointed in himself as he turned from the cottage and began to walk along the road that led to Ponyville. It was growing darker, now, near the time of twilight, as what he’d done to Trixie had happened around late morning to midday. The blue skies of Ponyville and Equestria were growing darker, and it had been a nice day- barely any clouds, as scheduled by the weather team. Sasuke figured that the stupid pink pony would probably still be working at her idiotic, weakling sweets job- he didn’t even like sweets- and he could embarrass himself and the dam Uchiha name by going to her and apologizing to her. He walked down the little brown dirt road from Fluttershy’s cottage, looking at the forest and woods that were nearby, and the grassy plains and vegetation that carried into the distance. In the far, far distance were the apple trees that he’d seen before- if their stupid flank tattoos were to be believed, that place was probably owned by that orange pony that he’d seen before. It held no interest for him, however, and as fast as Sasuke had glanced over at it, paying the slightest bit of attention, his glance flickered and he looked elsewhere. The evening was nice, as nice as or nicer than ones in The Elemental Nations- it was fairly beautiful, Sasuke had to admit, even if grudgingly. He watched as random Pegasus ponies soared through the air, enjoying their natural gift of flight. They sped through the sky, and some others lazily rested on top of clouds, sleeping or watching the others who were more energetic than them and less lethargic. Sasuke only paid them a moment’s notice, and then ignored them, moving faster towards his goal. He thought absently of another night, a night that seemed as happy as this one, before it had changed, before- DON’T FUCK WITH ME! Foolish little brother…If you wish to kill me, Sasuke, hate me, despise me. Run, run, Sasuke; Run and survive and cling to life in an unsightly way, and only when you possess the same eyes as me, should you come before me. And then Itachi had made him weary, drowsy- made him start to pass out. And then, even though he thought he imagined it, he now knew it was true- Itachi’s sad face, staring back at him, tears streaming down, there was- Guilt-Regret-Despair-more, more- Sasuke shook himself out of his reverie and noticed he was much closer to Ponyville. Had he really been walking that entire time? He felt a little disappointed that he’d gotten distracted by his emotions and memories so easily. Pushing down his feelings- shoving them down, like he always did, to the bottom, he continued onwards, still moving forwards to complete this stupid apology that he shouldn’t even have to give. Sasuke entered the outskirts of the town, and, as he expected, he got the attention- the glares, the stares, the confused glances- why should he even be here- like he was a damn leper. He bit back his Pride, though- a raging monster, stomping around in his Psyche- these lowly creatures, looking down on you. Kill them, destroy them, burn them and cut their wings and horns and heads off and then burn the whole town and force them to help you back to The Elemental Nations, and once you gain the information kill- Sasuke controlled it- put it back in its place, though the others were raging just as hard- his Pride was only one of the entities that he had to control in his mind- his Hatred, the strongest, his Pride and Anger a close second. Guilt was a small, but powerful voice, always talking. Unlike the others, who at least sometimes quieted, it seems that Guilt had something to say all the time- listing everything he’d ever done. Pushed away Naruto, your only real friend. Sakura loved you, pushed her away too, hurt both of them. Disappointed everyone in The Leaf Village- they expected you to become their genius. Karin loved you, you betrayed her. Disappointed, no, failed your brother, and ran from the village, and every person you ever killed or betrayed or deceived along the way, and, oh, don’t forget the others, too, them too, those- That voice was the voice that wouldn’t shut up. It seemed to be constantly talking- cataloging everything he’d ever done. He didn’t feel guilty for it- no, he didn’t- and he crushed it down, though, compared to the others, it was infinitely more difficult. Gaining control of himself once more, he walked further into Ponyville. The arrogant swagger that he walked into town with would make Blueblood look humble. Sasuke looked around the town, at the ponies staring, and tried to ignore them. Some fillies and colts following their mothers or fathers around stared, curled around their parent’s legs, watching- who’s that Mommy, oh, nopony, honey, look away, look away and just turn and let’s go back to the house and eat some daisies for dinner- “STOP FUCKING STARING AT ME!” Sasuke shrieked, and the ponies, who had had looks of curiosity on their faces before, quickly became terrified and scattered, running back to their shops or homes or businesses. The center of the town was mostly deserted, with a few ponies who stayed to tend to their shops or whatever else they had been doing, but they all made it an obvious, visible effort to stay as far as possible away from Sasuke. Adjust his chokuto on his lower back, Sasuke made for what appeared to be the building that Fluttershy had told him about. A incredibly extravagant, ridiculous looking cake-thing of a building, it stood out, colorfully advertising what you would come there to do- buy and eat sweets- cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, chocolates, everything, it seemed. The building had many different types of sweets built into it. He walked up to the store, successfully ignoring this time the few staring ponies that still lingered outside, and opened it without any other hesitation. Inside the store were a few ponies eating cakes and cookies at seats, and there was a mare and a stallion hard at work at the counter, selling their wares and preparing more. There were plenty of sweets for sale at the counter, and the entire store seemed to have a cake or cupcake theme. He hated sweets. Both the mare and the stallion looked incredibly preposterous to Sasuke. Still, he’d have to talk to them, as they probably knew the pink horse and could help him talk to her. Casually striding over to them as if he owned the place, Sasuke interrupted them as they worked. It only took them a few seconds for them to look up and shatter their previous hard-working composure, leading into dumb, astounded, slack-jawed looks. It was annoying being the only human here. Everyone-everypony, stupid change- everypony around here looked at him as if he were the freak-meanwhile, it was they who were actually strange. “Do either of you know a Pinkie Pie?” Carrot Cake seemed to break out of his surprised gaze first, quickly speaking up. “Oh, yes, she works for us. She’s off her shift right now. Why, do you need something from her, or to talk to her? By the way, what are you?” Carrot Cake answered his questions even as he went back to wiping down the dirty counter- it was like he could never get it cleaned. Even now, crumbs and icing covered the thing, and it looked incredibly unprofessional, not to mention messy. He wiped at it, frustrated that instead of becoming clean and clear the icing merely smeared and the crumbs seemed much too stubborn to do anything but cling to the counter. “A human. Yes, I need to talk to her. Where can I find her?” Sasuke said, feeling at least a little glad that they didn’t mince words or beat around the bush- just told him what he needed to know. Carrot Cake continued to smear around the icing on the counter, and listened to his wife sigh and then she got a sponge that actually had soap on it, and could clean the counter better. She bumped him aside, and Carrot looked up, embarrassed, even as he answered, talking to Sasuke while he sold a cupcake to a pony that had just come in. “Pinkie is upstairs in her room. She’s been feeling really down, lately. Do you have anything to do with that? She hasn’t been herself recently, and the only things that ever really make her sad is not being able to eat sweets forever, or not being somepony’s friend. And since you’re new in town...” The stallion trailed off, letting Sasuke complete the thought. “Yes. We didn’t meet on… the best terms. I’ll go talk to her now.” He began walking to go behind the counter and walk up the stairs that were visible from the door of the store, but was stopped by a weak hoof that blocked his progress. Sasuke turned to Carrot Cake who impeded his movement. He looked at Sasuke with what would pass as a hard look, if it was judged by a baby. His attempt of intimidation was laughable to Sasuke- weaker than a damn genin, and easier to kill, too. Still, he listened, even if he was incredibly annoyed by this stupid, idiotic pony. “I don’t want you hurting her, especially if you already have. Am I clear?” “Crystal,” Sasuke bit out, and Carrot turned back to the counter immediately, apparently satisfied with such a fake answer. He had barely tried to conceal his dishonesty, and it seemed that they didn’t notice. Internally shrugging at their stupidity, he moved past them and made for the stairs, wasting no more time. There was nothing worth noting in here, anyway. He wanted to be done with this as soon as possible. He climbed the stairs slowly, looking with mild, unenthusiastic distaste at the entire building around him. It was so outrageous and ridiculous that he couldn’t believe it. Why make a store look like a cake? It was dumb. There was no functionality from it- it was just showy, but it didn’t even look good. Like everything in this world that involved ponies, it seemed that they didn’t understand simple things. Even if it was a different world, it still confused Sasuke to the point that he just put it to the back of his head and didn’t question it. Reaching the top of the stairs, he looked down a small hallway, decorated as bizarrely and nonsensically. There was a door, and then, after a turn, two more doors. He opened the first, and didn’t find anything but storage- mostly non-perishables, tools, and other things needed in a bakery. Opening the second door, he found an empty, quiet, dark bedroom, with no one inside it. Figuring that they lived in the same place that they worked, like Pinkie did, he judged that this was the stallion’s and mare’s bedroom. Moving along, he came to the last door in the hallway; and the last door on the upper floor. Just as he reached for the handle, he hesitated. Did he really need to apologize to such idiocy? Unfortunately. Sighing much louder than necessary, he creaked open the door. Pinkie seemed to be lying on the bed, with her mane flat and silky, instead of poofy and joyful. There was a depressing, choking air in the room that seemed to strangle his attempts to apologize. It seemed to be…wrong… like she should always be happy, and when she wasn’t, there was something wrong with the universe. Again, his Guilt pricked his heart. Innocent little pony, and you scared the happiness out of her, yes you did, you black hearted abomination, what will satisfy you, will your cruelty ever end, or will you just keep going and going until everyone is as miserable as you are, yeah, probably, that’s it, I’ve got it- Shaking off his stupid sentimentality, and barely withholding a scream, he approached the bed. She wasn’t sleeping, but she did seem to be dozing in her sadness. Her pink tail, just as sad and limp as her mane, curled around her hooves as she hugged herself in the fetal position. She sniffled to herself. As the happiest pony around, he seemed to have insulted or hurt her personally. “Pinkie Pie,” he said. “My name is… Sasuke Uchiha. I’m here to… apologize… for what I did a few days ago… you didn’t deserve it. You were just trying to… talk to me… I’m a shinobi, though. It’s not entirely my fault, either. I’ve been trained and trained myself to have good reactions, and waking me up like that was the most dangerous way you could’ve done it.” Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to visibly brighten, but she did raise her head and pay attention, and Sasuke supposed that that was a start, even with how much he really didn’t want to do this. Moving closer, he continued to apologize. Even as he spoke, his Pride raged- it was the thing being the most wounded currently; even his Hatred was quieter than the screaming Pride inside of his mind and his heart. “And, I’m sure that you can understand that I didn’t really want to do it, even if you did startle and anger me… can you,” he said, keeping himself in check even as he body wished to do violence, “can you… forgive me?” He said the words as if speaking them killed him- like he’d just allowed the seeds of cancer to take root in his body. His Pride certainly was acting like it was diseased, now- roaring and yelling and screaming, never shutting up- Lowly pony. You are above such creatures, you ARE UCHIHA! YOUR VISUAL PROWESS IS UNMATCHED AND YOU PROSTRATE YOURSELF-WILLINGLY- IN FRONT OF SUCH WEAKLINGS. WHERE HAS YOUR PRIDE GONE, SASUKE? I AM HERE! LISTEN TO ME! YOU MUST- Sasuke let out a pained scream, sounding like he’d just been stabbed. With Guilt still talking and Pride now raving as well, he scarcely contained himself and barely kept himself from lashing out at everything that was around him. Pinkie seemed scared, but also sympathetic for him. She reached out with a hoof, touching his purple sash, slowly, carefully, as if she expected it to turn into a snake, climb up her body, and strangle her. “Are we… are we… friends?” She asked hopefully, and it was at this point that Sasuke nearly lost control. His Hatred flared, his Pride roared, and Guilt seemed to sing about his failures and his betrayals even louder. He calmed himself- forced them to stay quiet. He couldn’t say yes- even he wouldn’t sink that low, to say himself that he was friends with this idiotic pink pony- but, as if a muscular twitch, he barely nodded his head, less than an inch downwards. Pinkie Pie’s eyes began to grow wide. She shook violently, like a shaken up soda can- almost like she was about to explode- “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” She screamed, right near Sasuke’s ear, and he’d be lying if he really didn’t want to whip out his sword and slit her throat. She bounced around joyfully, her mane twirling as it instantly popped back up- something that didn’t seem realistically possible. “We’re friends, we’re friends, we’re friends!” Pinkie further rubbed it in, and his Pride raged even more and harder, if it was possible. Still, soon enough, he was able to ignore them- push them down completely- and then he didn’t hear them, and it seemed unnaturally quiet, after having voices talking in his head for several hours. Faintly, a male voice, probably Carrot Cake’s, called them down. “Pinkie Pie, come down! Princess Celestia is here!” “You have to meet her, you have to meet her!” Pinkie Pie practically dragged him down the stairs after they’d left her room, and then Sasuke was standing in the middle of Sugarcube Corner, looking at tall pony in front of him. Compared to the other ponies, who barely even met his waist- some shorter ones were at the height of his thighs- this one was about as tall as Sasuke, even slightly taller. She had a golden crown on and a flowing mane that seemed to be every color. She had golden horseshoes on- and Sasuke couldn’t tell whether it was gold or the horseshoes that was meant to symbolize wealth- and she had both wings and a horn, which Sasuke could easily tell made her special. Her coat was completely white, and she seemed have the complete admiration and devotion of everyone around her. Sasuke tried to hide his boredom. He’d long since lost respect for authority. It was a long time that he’d stood in front of someone that held such power, such pull- and she seemed to have a motherly air about her. She addressed the strange being in front of her, with more than a stern tone. As she spoke, she walked closer to Sasuke. “My most faithful student and protégé, Twilight Sparkle, has informed me of your… actions since you have mysteriously arrived in Ponyville. I’ll tell you right now that I’ll have no fighting or anything of the sort going on, especially involving my protégé or the Elements of Harmony. Explain yourself. Explain your… cruelty.” “I need to get home. I won’t lie that I have been more than threatening since I arrived here, but the first time was an accident, and in regards to the second, she completely deserved it. I understand that you have power. You could help me get back to where I come from.” “I could. And it would probably be in my best interest to do so, considering what you have done since you’ve arrived here. What do you mean by ‘deserved’? I’m sure that she didn’t deserve the kind of public humiliation that you put that pony through.” “After what she said, she’s lucky I didn’t kill her.” “Violence solves nothing. I wonder if where you come ponies have figured that out yet.” “It’s people. People, not ponies. And violence solves plenty of things. As for what she said to insult me, trust me when I say that when someone insults my dead family who all died tragically to treachery, I don’t respond kindly. I’ve killed for less.” Despite Celestia’s years of diplomacy and ability to beat around the bush all afternoon, that last sentence had her stumped. Perhaps he wasn’t as sociopathic as her student had made him out to be in the letter that she had sent. “Well, I may be able to help you return to your home. But, first, I have something else.” Sasuke grunted, annoyed. What did she want now? “I have a proposition for you.” ______________________________ Killer Bee, Jinchuriki of the Eight Tails, was strolling around the Village of the Cloud. He had sunglasses on, with blond hair and a metal Cloud forehead protector tied to his forehead with a white band. He had a blue tattoo on both his left cheek on his face and his left shoulder and he had fingerless gloves that had rings on the back of the hand with three red rectangles on each glove. He was brown skinned, and also had a sort of tunic that passed as a shirt, which wrapped around his neck and ended there. He had seven swords, all smaller than normal katana, but still dangerous, that were held across his body in different sheaths, attached in different places. His ensemble ended with blue pants and sandals, with white socks that had the same red design rectangles as his gloves. As he walked along the Cloud Village, which was a large Ninja Village with many high-rising buildings and cliffs, he rapped to himself. “Fool, ya fool! I’ll kill ya, with my ninja tools! And then steal your princess, and your jewels, and dart away into the forest, with-“ He was interrupted from his terrible rhyming by the large caw of a hawk that descended upon him, and stopped, waiting patiently in front of him. He looked around. No one else was near him. The message was obviously meant for him. He took the scroll out, unrolled it, and began to read. “Naruto, ya fool.” TO BE CONTINUED.