Red Clouds: The Strangers of Fate

by Akatsuki God


Chapter 5: Friends? Or Foes?

After nearly a full three days have passed, the light of the spell Twilight Sparkle and her friends were preforming with their respective elements had finally began to dim and the six ponies started to slowly fall beck to the ground beneath them. When the light had subsided enough, eleven strange creatures had appeared in a crouched position in the area invisible to the surrounding ponies just moments ago. All of them were wearing matching black cloaks with a red cloud pattern, as if in uniform. Finally, when the light had gone completely, several guards, including Shining Armor himself, were approaching the creatures.

When the Akatsuki members had taken notice of their surroundings, they stood up, still confused from what had just happened to them. They then saw the armored ponies approaching them and Hidan was the first to speak. "What the hell!? We got stuck in that weird light and now we are surrounded by a bunch of some damn horses wearing armor!?? For Joshin's sake!"

"Shut up Hidan!" Kakuzu finally said, not wanting to hear his partners thoughts, even though he was thinking almost the same thing. "This may just be some sort of genjutsu. Otherwise, it is probable that we wouldn't be seeing what we are seeing." he said taking his eyes off Hidan and onto one of the ponies that surrounded them.

"No, this is not an illusion." Itachi said calmly to the other members. "What we are seeing, is real." he then said to them in an assuring tone. "They may just be curious as to how we got here." he then thought to himself. He along with Kakuzu noticed one of the ponies walking up to another pony who wasn't wearing a helmet and had a horn coming out of his forehead and whispered something in said pony's ear.

"Itachi." Kakuzu said to his red eyed comrade while staring at the two said ponies.

"I know." Itachi said " That one may be their leader or captain." he said staring at the same two ponies then narrowed his eyes when the pony stopped whispering into the other's ear and turned to them.

After that the other pony spoke. "So you can speak, that's good." he said to them while glancing towards Celestia, who was looking in his direction as well and gave a slight nod. He then nodded back in response and turned his head back to the eleven beings in front of him. "I have some questions for you."

Hidan just stared at the pony who had just talked to them in shock and was about to say something about it but Pain had motioned for him to stay silent and then he spoke. "What kind of questions?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

Shining Armor looked at him, not surprised that he would be on edge since they were brought to an entirely different dimension. "We need to know who you are, what you are, your abilities and background information." he then explained to them.

Pain then made a hand sign and telepathically told the other members to leave the area as soon as he gave the mark then he replied to the armored pony's second statement. "And if we refuse to answer these questions?" he said while receiving a disturbed look from him.

"We're not giving you a choice." he said, signaling the surrounding guards to draw their weapons. "Please, answer these questions, for both our sakes. We don't want to hurt you." he finished.

"Scatter!" Pain yelled, giving the order to leave the area. Immediately after giving the order the armored ponies rushed toward the Akatsuki members. "Almighty push!" Pain then yelled, putting his hands in front of him as an invisible shockwave stopped the ponies and even made them fly back, hitting the surrounding walls with great force as well as leaving an indention in the ground were he was.

Shining Armor, who was also caught in the shockwave was now in a daze, shaking his head furiously then looked up to see that they were all gone. "What, how did they get away so quickly without me noticing!?" Shining said to himself then remembering the shockwave that caught him. "They must have gone when he got us with an unseen force." he thought to himself. "Is every pony okay?" he then asked then noticed that Rainbow Dash was, who along with her friends unconscious, had gone missing. "Oh no" he then said realizing that one of them must have taken off with her." How am I going to explain this to Twilight?" he asked himself regretting the approach he decided to go with.

Hours later, after the Akatsuki members had left Centerlot, they disperced into their two man cells. Hidan and Kakuzu were traveling down a paved road to a town called Ponyville according to the sign and Hidan had taken a Pegasus pony with a rainbow mane from Canterlot and had her over his shoulder. "That was smart thinking back there Hidan, grabbing that rainbow one as a hostage. For once, Hidan, you made a wise decision." Kakuzu told his partner while keeping his eye out for any pony that may be in following them.

Hidan grinned at hearing Kakuzu say that until he realized something. "Hay what the hell do you mean 'for once'!?" he then yelled to his partner, at a very loud volume.Hidan yelling at Kakuzu caused the Rainbow pegasus on his shoulder to come to.

Kakuzu replied to his partner's response in a somewhat annoyed tone. "Exactly as I said, idiot!" he exclaimed in his regular voice, not noticing that the pony on Hidan's shoulder was now awake. "Anyway, we could use this flying horse for a ransom." he then suggested.

At that point Painbow was listening in on their conversation, in fear. She, however took this to her advantage and kept listening so she could get as much information from these starngers as possible. She wanted to know who they were and why they took her.

Hidan just gave him a dirty look and face palmed at hearing that. "There you go again Kakuzu. It's always money with you. Disgusting! Trading one's body for profit." he finished as Kakuzu stopped. "Hmm? Hay Kakuzu, why the hell did you stop." he asked the noticed that he turned to look at the pony.

"No" he then answered, "the reason I took her along was so that we could maybe get some answers from her about how to get back or how and why we got here. But if we can't get back, ill just teach these pony heathens that way of Jashine." Hidan said, unaware of the fact that the pony was now awake.

"I've stopped because," he then pointed at the rainbow mare. "she is awake." he then confirmed. causing her heart to speed up wanting desperately to she fly away as fast as her wings would take her, but was frozen from the terror of the situation he had found herself in.

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?" She questioned in a fearful tone of voice as she quivered on Hidan's shoulder.

Hidan was now amused with the frightened pegasus and chuckled as he spoke to her. "Heh, what's the matter? You scared? Cause you should be." he taunted giving her a sinister grin.

"Shut up you idiot. Those guards from that castle are probably looking for us, keep it up and I'll kill you." he threatened, annoyed from his constant talking. He knew that in anyone of the ponies from earlier were following them, Hidan's voice would give them away.

"Hay who the hell do you think I am, Kakuzu!? I'm not an idiot and maybe I want them to find us! I'll do what ever the hell I want, and you being a bitch isn't going to help anything!" Hidan replied in a loud and angry manner.

Hearing him yell, along with his use of cussing, made Rainbow wince. Then she remembered Hidan's previous taunt as she flew only a few meters into the air then went into his face. "Hay, what the buck was that supposed to mean!? I'm Rainbow Dash and I'm not scared of anything!" she said as she brought her hoof to his face.

Hidan had blocked the incoming hoof with his scythe. At this point he was amused even farther. "Man, you got mad faster then I normally do, and I get mad fast. But you have to much confidence my colorful friend because when people, or in your case, ponies start giving me tough talk it starts to get me annoyed, and when I get annoyed, pretty soon I get mad, and when I get mad, I LOOSE MY TEMPER!" he finished making the pony back off, surprisingly in a way that showed that she wasn't fearing him. "What, no fight?" he then commented in disappointment. "Common I haven't gotten a good warm up in since we got here! Now your going to deprive me of a good fight!?"

Kakuzu stopped and stared at Hidan and Rainbow for several seconds grabbing both his and Rainbow's attention. "Hmm? hay, why did you stop?. he asked, still receiving a cold glare from him.

"I sware, one of these day...I'm going to kill you." Kakuzu said in a cold and threatening way. After saying that, Hidan had face palmed, Kakuzu turned back and continued walking, and Rainbow just stared blankly at Kakuzu while following Hidan.

"For Lord Jashine, I can't be killed, you should know that better than anyone!" Hidan exclaimed while turning and staring at Rainbow. Which caused her to blush lightly but Hidan hadn't noticed. "And why are you still here? I thought you would have tried to fly off by now. Tell you what after me and Kakuzu got to this town called Ponyville to get some supplies you answer a few questions for us and then I'll let you go."

"Hidan, I expected that you would have sacrificed this pony to your false god by now. You haven't developed feelings for this talking horse already, have you?" Kakuzu taunted in amusement, causing Rainbow to blush even farther. Hidan glared at Kakuzu, about to say something in response but was stopped. "That.....would be even less likely than you death." he then said to his partner. Suddenly Kakuzu and Hidan both looked off into the direction to the left of them. "Did you hear that?" he then said as the two of them stared for a few moments.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
{Some time earlier}

Tobi, Deidara, Sasori, And Orochimaru were all walking down a long dirt road until they eventually came across a fork in the road. They decided to separate into two man cells, of Deidara and Sasori going on the road to the left and Tobi and Orochimaru taking the other road despite Pain's assigned partners.

Tobi and Orochimaru were heading to a town known as Ponyville, the two of them talked now that the artists of the group were gone. "Zetsu has informed me of a war between these ponies and two other populations." Tobi said in a far deeper and colder voice than when he was first introduced. "And, he had also informed me of a presence of chakra that didn't belong to anyone in the Akatsuki in this world." he then explain catching an interested look from Orochimaru.
"We beleave that it belongs to Sasuke Uchiha due to his disappearance over two weeks ago at the same time a strange energy similar to the one that brought us here along with the fact that a presence of chakra that doesn't belong to any of us. And it appears that he is on the side opposing these ponies.

Orochimaru only grinned then he spoke. "Hmhmhmhm, well it appears I will be reunited with my dear Sasuke after all. And what should we do about the Akatsuki?" he then questioned the masked man.

"Kisame and Zetsu, along with the two of use will leave them soon enough but for now we must keep up the act. Also we will find Sasuke and tell him that his brother is here. After hearing about his brother's arrival in this world he will immediately become an enemy of the Akatsuki and we can take down the Akatsuki from there."

"...And when I get mad, I LOOSE MY TEMPER!" came a voice from their right that was oddly familiar. After hearing the voice Tobi and Orochimaru hid and Tobi had pointed to their left.

Orochimaru looked in the direction Tobi was pointing and noticed that they were not as far from the other members as they had anticipated. "Hmhemhem, well it looks like the zombie pair has a friend." Orchimaru said noticing Hidan and Kakuzu walking down a road with a flying rainbow pony.