Twilight was surprised by how huge the village was.
It was a sprawling, giant expanse of buildings, people- she’d only known one before, and now, after Wave, and then here, she’d seen so many- marketplaces, houses- it reminded her of a larger version of Canterlot, in a way.
She had been able to see the rough size of the city from the outside- but nothing’s the same until you experience it, and Twilight hadn’t been expecting this many people.
She’d have been so screwed trying to find Naruto if he wasn’t famous.
The guards at the front of the Leaf Village had told her, bluntly, that people didn’t talk about Sasuke around here, anymore- referring to him as not his name, but simply ‘The Traitor.’ She still hadn’t been told why that was so, but the guards seemed to be much more interested in her- and her story- once she’d mentioned his name. They’d stayed at their posts, but they had called for another while they did so.
Then, she’d met a pink-haired human- Sakura, she’d remembered her name was- and since they’d met, the girl hadn’t stopped talking. Despite the fact that she didn’t believe that Sasuke had gotten better- or had, in anyway, shown anypony any mercy at all- she had still been interested in meeting Sasuke again, after Twilight had told her the entire story, even though it seemed that everypony around here hated Sasuke. She wondered if Naruto would be any different.
Now, Sakura was leading her through the village. It still took some getting used to, being in such a different place like this- and Twilight Sparkle idly wondered if this was how Sasuke had felt when he’d first come to Equestria.
She’d gotten a decent number of stares, though, somehow, it was less than she had expected. Sakura had done her best to try to explain things about humans and shinobi that she’d been asking- and she was surprised and a little disappointed, to hear that humans had so much war in their world. It seemed that Sasuke wasn’t lying, after all.
The village was impressive, though. The buildings were huge- and in some place, put the architecture of her home to shame. The most impressive- and interesting, in Twilight’s opinion- was the Hokage Faces, as they were apparently called, that looked over the entire village. They were large, they were detailed- and they were every leader that the village had since its beginning. From One to Six- the current Hokage, she’d been told, also known as the man she was going to meet right now, Naruto- they looked amazing in their representations.
It was inspiring.
She’d stopped more than once to stare at them, and Sakura had quickly hurried her along and kept her going. She almost wished that she wasn’t here to find a way to help Sasuke- if only so that she could experience the village more. It was a compelling place, and she felt that the entire time that she’d been here was going by way too fast, without giving her any time to really enjoy it. That wasn’t what she was here for, though.
She was here about Sasuke.
Sasuke wasn’t lying, though. Ninja were everywhere here- of course, it was a ninja village, so that was to be expected. Still, she’d seen it- people casually using jutsu, in public, people with swords and kunai and shuriken, as Sasuke had told her they were called, people that wore similar clothes or used similar skills to Sasuke. Even Sakura had a pack that was strapped to her thigh that held a few weapons.
It seemed that people didn’t trust easily on this world.
Except for one person, though. The longer they walked through the village, and the more and more she heard about it, the more excited it made to her to meet Naruto. Sakura had told Twilight, repeatedly, that half the reason everyone was so impressed with Naruto was because he was a recently elected Hokage, but Twilight was more interested in his background.
She’d heard enough about it to want to meet him more than ever, now.
Saved the village multiple times, was the son of one of the previous Hokages, strongest ninja in the village- did this mean he could help Sasuke? - And, like she’d heard before, as some said, he was the strongest shinobi that was currently alive. Twilight had seen his face amidst the Hokage Faces- and he certainly looked heroic.
So it was with great trepidation and nearly uncontrollable excitement that she stood in front of the Hokage Residence- at the top, the Hokage- with Sakura right beside her. They’d been talking for barely fifteen to twenty minutes, and already, Sakura had put it in her mind that Naruto was some incredible individual that she’d be lucky to meet him, even once.
In a way, he reminded her a little bit of Princess Celestia- good, kind, upheld the peace.
“The idiot’s up there, so you can go now, and talk to him. Tell him what you told me. I’m sure he’ll still be interested in Sasuke. Me… I don’t know. Maybe. Not right now, though. I have to get to work- back on my shift at the hospital, with Master Tsunade. I’m still trying to teach these recruits how to fix a small gash, much less broken bones,” Sakura said.
It was a little humorous to Twilight how Sakura seemed to have a love-hate relationship with Naruto, but as Sakura had told her, they, along with Sasuke, had once been all on the same team- Team Seven, she’d called it. It made sense that they’d be more than friendly with each other- to the point where she was casually insulting the supposedly greatly respected leader of the village. She imagined it would be the same if she said something about Celestia.
She’d never do that, though.
There were shinobi guarding both the entrance and the inside, but after seeing Sakura, they let her through. The building was huge, and directly below the Hokage Faces. There were a few different floors in the building- all for different things. At the top was the Hokage’s Office, but there was also a meeting room, or so Sakura had told her, because Twilight had asked, of course, in the middle of the building, where the Hokage would meet with village Elder and clan Heads to discuss important matters.
She was just excited that she was in such an important government building.
After a few minutes of marveling at the interior of the building, she eventually proceeded forwards, and passed by the shinobi guards and started ascending the stairs. She still had her bag with her- and the book, too- and she was planning on showing Naruto the spell if he didn’t believe her about Sasuke- though, after what she’d heard, she didn’t know why he wouldn’t believe her- she was sincerely hoping that he cared more for Sasuke than every other human around here seemed to.
Even Sakura, who had been on the same team, didn’t seem to trust him. It again left Twilight wondering just what exactly had Sasuke done to earn the name of Traitor around here in the village. His past was more than fairly mysterious, and mostly because Sasuke himself wouldn’t shed any light onto it. Because of that, it was clear that something had happened- and Twilight wanted to know, because she didn’t like being kept out of the loop.
Who did, honestly?
She continued ascending- walking up the flight of stairs, still wincing a little with each step. The rib was still painful, even it had mostly healed. When she reached the top, she walked down a long, simple hallway- until she reached a door. Inside the door, she could hear silence, save for the tiniest groans, and then silence, again. There was no more noise. Twilight, hesitant, knocked on the door with a hoof. A cheerful voice responded.
“Come in!”
A visitor? Anything to get him away from paperwork. Boss had told him to do it, but…
Twilight Sparkle used her magic to grip the door handle- a glow surrounding the door knob. For a few moments, she hesitated, and then she opened it slowly, and strode inside, her hooves making soft noises on the wood. For a few moments, there was silence.
Twilight observed the human that was in front of her.
He certainly looked interesting enough, if that was a requirement to be a leader. He was fair skinned, with three marks on either side of his cheek, and bright, blue eyes. They were filled with… warmth? Happiness? Determination, maybe. He had yellow-blond hair, and he looked just like the statue depicted him as. Down from his face, he broadened out into a muscular young man- wearing some sort of red-orange coat with an interesting design.
He was shocked- as he should’ve been, rightly. He was staring at her like the strangest thing in the world- and from what she’d heard of his life, he’d seen some strange things, but probably never a purple unicorn. He glanced down at his huge desk- several documents marked with ink as he wrote out replies to dignitaries, decided on things like taxes, and in general moved things around in the village and kept things running.
The inkwell, next to him, was empty until he set his brush inside of it.
“Bear, why was I not notified of this? You know Boss doesn’t like surprises. Not when he’s … well, you know what he’s doing. He prefers to be left alone with her. Hopefully, Boss won’t have to come.”
“Forgive me Hokage-sama. No one told us that a visitor was coming.”
“You should’ve sensed her though. You are ANBU, you know,” Naruto’s clone said. Twilight could catch just the slightest hint of mirth in his voice, but it didn’t seem the ANBU in the right corner of the room- a mask wearing man, who had dropped down from literally nowhere, heard the humor in his voice. They probably took their job very seriously. Twilight thought they did, at least- how did they hide like that? She hadn’t been able to see them at all.
“Hai, Hokage-sama. Do you want us to go inform you, or-“
“Why are you here?” He bluntly asked Twilight. The ANBU moved to the side so that Naruto could look at Twilight. She set down the bag and lifted open a flap with magic- and Naruto looked a little surprised, but didn’t say anything.
“Also, who sent you here?” He also asked. She nodded and put the brown tome down, before taking a deep breath. She fiddled her hooves nervously, with both the ANBU and Naruto staring her down. She cleared her throat, and then tried again.
“The guards at the gate, the two at the front- and Sakura, Sakura sent me.” He looked strangely amused by this, as if he had expected it. “Look, uh… I really want to tell you, but I’m almost afraid to… I don’t know how you’re going to react.”
“I’m not going to attack you, or something. What is it?” He asked again, rolling his shoulders. Twilight looked at him. So casual and laid-back, even in this job. It was a little shocking- and what she’d heard about the man was apparently true- every single word.
“It’s just, everypony else that’s heard his name hates him. I’ve been told that you know a man by the name of Sasuke Uchi-“She could hardly even get the entire sentence out before the clone jumped up, surprised. With great force, the clone slammed his hands onto his desk.
“What do you know about Sasuke? Anything, please! I have no idea where he is.”
Wow. Twilight hadn’t expected that kind of reaction. This guy apparently really wanted to meet him- it looked like he was one of Sasuke’s only friends left here, apparently. Maybe literally the only one left. She nodded before she continued.
“I know where Sasuke Uchiha is. He’s where I’m from- I met him, and-“
“STAY HERE!” He bellowed, and brought his hands together, combining two fingers. Twilight knew she was about to see a jutsu, and watched as a poof of smoke appeared- and when it was gone, Naruto had disappeared. It was more than a little impressive.
“Hey! Where’d he go?” She turned to the ANBU, and he turned to her and replied.
“That wasn’t the real Hokage-sama. He can use the Kage-Bunshin jutsu. By destroying the replication, he alerted his real self to what was happening. He’ll be here in less than a minute,” he explained. Twilight nodded and waited, looking down at the wooden floor.
True to the ANBU’s word, less than a minute later, the real Naruto came leaping through the window, and rubbed the side of his neck where there were several red marks. She didn’t know what hickies were, but stayed silent even as he took a seat.
“This was the only thing that could’ve made me leave Hinata-chan. What about Sasuke?” He asked. She wondered who Hinata-chan was.
“Who’s Hinata…chan?”
“Chan is a suffix. It’s meant to show friendship, or affection,” he said, clearly annoyed. “She’s my fiancée. That’s not important right now, though. I need to know about wherever Sasuke is. Please, whatever you can tell me. It will help.”
“I’m glad you like him too. Everypony else seems to hate him around here- though no one will tell me why. I consider him my friend, so I think it’s important that I know why, but…”
“Your friend, huh? You sure about that?”
“Well, uh…” Twilight remembered how Sasuke was. She wasn’t sure if she should’ve worded it like that, but Naruto brushed it off, apparently.
“It’s okay. I know how he is. I probably know Sasuke better than anyone,” Naruto said.
Twilight nodded, and then Naruto motioned with his hands to continue.
“So, you know him, then? How is he? How did he arrive to… wherever you come from?”
“Yes, I know him. As for how he is, well… when I left, he wasn’t doing too badly. As for the last question, I’m not quite sure- well, I know, but I don’t know everything about it. There was a portal, and-“
“I know about the portal. I was just testing to see if our thoughts were correct- that that was the portal that Sasuke had went through. Killer Bee said he saw him, but… I didn’t want to believe it. After getting my hopes up so many times about Sasuke, even I…”
“That’s not the point, though. The point is, your story checks out, and I believe you. So, how long has he been there for?”
“A little over a month now, probably. No more than four to five weeks.”
“That’s interesting. There must be some sort of time difference between our two worlds, because he left around four months ago in the middle of the final battle.”
“Wow… four months to four weeks. I don’t really know what to say to that.”
By now, Naruto had put his feet up on his own desk, taking care not to smear or even touch any of the unfinished paperwork that was still scattered across it. He lazed for a while, reclining in his chair as he continued to question Twilight about how she’d arrived there.
“ANBU, leave. This is starting to get too personal.”
“Hai, Hokage-Sama,” they said, and Twilight watched with a dumb look as four bodies soundlessly appeared from the shadows and removed themselves from the room.
Naruto nodded once they were gone, and then continued, as if this was normal.
“So, how did you even get here if you didn’t use the portal? I’m sure that Sasuke already looked into it and then had probably told you and everyone else that it’s-“
“Dangerous, yeah. It is. I used my magic to get here- and I can get back, too.”
“Right. That’s what I heard as well- from my uh, sources. Could you use your magic to take me with you, back there? That’d probably be pretty good. I’d like to see Sasuke again.”
“I could, but not right now. I’m going to need to practice before I can take more people. Right now, I can only take one- at least, that was how much I took when I left. I was trying to take Sasuke here, too, but it didn’t work. He’s stuck there for now,” Twilight said.
“Alright, good,” Naruto replied, nodding his head.
“Why is it good? Why does everyone around here have something against him?” Twilight asked, confused and furious about what seemed so unjust and unfair.
“Do you really want to know? It’s not a story that can be told in a short time; it’s far, far too long for that. It has a lot of background that I’m going to have to explain to you, as well as things that have only happened recently. It’s not a story for the faint-hearted, either; it’s in general pretty terrible. I’ll tell you right now- Sasuke’s had a pretty shitty life here.”
“How… bad?” Twilight asked, not wanting to use a curse word.
“How bad? Very bad. I’ll start at the beginning,” Naruto said. He got up, taking his feet off of his desk. His coat flowed out behind him as he walked to the window that overlooked the entire village. The sun was setting by now- it was late afternoon; soon, nighttime. It did look pretty, Twilight realized, as she watched with him. Eventually, he turned around, and began to speak, after sitting back in his chair.
“This goes way, way back, so you’re going to have to pay attention. Originally, the First Hokage founded the village, along with the Uchiha. It was the Senju and the Uchiha that were the first two founders of the village. The Shodaime Hokage and Madara had both been contenders for the title of the leader of the village- that later turned to the Hokage- and Shodaime was chosen, obviously. They named the village Konohagakure. Madara didn’t like being a subordinate of Hashirama- that’s the First’s name- and after a while, he and the other Uchiha grew far too greedy for the power of leader.”
He let this sink in, and Twilight understood, even if she didn’t like it.
“So, Madara figured that he and Uchiha deserved to rule. The Shodaime was a Senju, and they were part of a clan- and Madara an Uchiha, and they were a clan, as you know. The first two clans that founded Konaha, and at the time, they were the only people that were really in the village. So, like I said, Madara grew jealous for power. There was a rebellion, and the Senju were the clan to win. Madara and Shodaime fought, and the First chased Madara out of the village. The Uchiha were allowed to stay, and slowly, Konaha grew.”
Twilight nodded, and Naruto kept going.
“This is where Sasuke’s story begins. After years and years, many other clans joined Konaha. The Hyuga, the Inuzuka, the Nara, and the Akimichi are just a few. Sasuke was born about sixteen or seventeen years ago, and as a baby, obviously nothing happened. He’s a little older than me. He was alive when it happened.”
“What happened?”
“My birth, the Kyuubi Attack controlled by Obito, and the death of my father.”
“What? That sounds horrible!”
“The point is, I had a demon sealed in me when I was an infant. I know this is Sasuke’s history, but I’m telling you this because I’m pretty important latter.”
“A demon?”
“Kyuubi no Yoko. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. With one lash of its tails, it can create tidal waves, and with another, mountains will fall,” Naruto said, reciting from memory.
“Really, though, his real name is Kurama,” Naruto said, and when Twilight looked confused, he only shook his head and continued, getting back on topic.
“Look, it’s like this. It turns out that the man who controlled the Kyuubi was an Uchiha- a friend of one of my old teacher’s. He trained under Madara- who was still alive, until a few years prior to the Kyuubi attack- and he wanted revenge on the village. Well, he failed.”
“It was eight years after this that the worst thing of Sasuke’s life happened.”
“What? What was it?”
“Let me put it like this. While I was alone in the village, and everyone hated me, Sasuke was loved as a clan heir. This changed after a certain night, and he became alone as well. We later on became friends and rivals. He’d always been better than me, but I pushed him, and for a while when we were on a team, it was alright, but…”
“Look, I don’t want you to think the Leaf was evil after you hear this. Before you hear this, just remember that the people in charge weren’t the best at the time.”
“Sasuke had an older brother, one he loved dearly. He was named Itachi, and he was one of the strongest and greatest shinobi to ever live. Incredibly talented beyond measure. One day, as an ANBU, he got orders from the village to kill the entire Uchiha clan- the clan he belonged to.”
“…W-why?” Twilight whispered.
“After the Kyuubi attack, the Uchiha believed what Madara had said long ago- that they had become second-class citizens. Fearing the worst, the Uchiha began to secretly plot the downfall of Konoha- and they were planning a coup de tat to take over power in the village. So, they ordered Itachi to kill the entire clan, and then leave the village, like he’d done it as a criminal. They couldn’t let anyone know that it had been the Uchiha that had been like that.”
Twilight was too busy trying not to cry, and didn’t say anything.
“Itachi did was asked, and a little while before, he was able to unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan- I assumed that Sasuke explained it to you?” At Twilight’s nod, even as she sobbed, he nodded, and continued. “I told you the story wasn’t nice. Anyway, Itachi accepted orders, for his village, because he was loyal, and started killing the entire clan one day. He killed his aunts, and his uncles, and he killed his mother and father. He killed everyone. Obito was there, and he helped too- but that’s not too important.”
“Everyone except Sasuke, though. He wasn’t there, and he only came home from school a few hours later. So, Itachi waited. No one had heard the screams- and Sasuke came home, unaware. You can imagine what he found.”
Twilight only nodded, silent, as tears freely flowed down her cheeks.
“So, Sasuke came home, and saw his entire family- and clans are large, Twilight, very large- mutilated and killed on the ground. Hundreds of people. He didn’t know what to do, so he ran to look for his older brother. He found him just as he was killing his parents.”
“Itachi was supposed to leave no survivors- and that included Sasuke, Twilight. But, he just couldn’t do it. He loved his brother too much. That’s one of the only high points of this story. So, instead, Itachi used the Mangekyo Sharingan, and made Sasuke watch him kill the entire clan, over and over again, repeatedly. He tried as hard as possible to make Sasuke hate him- so that he’d try to get revenge, so that he’d become a hero in the Village of The Leaf- and that the Uchiha name would be redeemed, in time,” Naruto said.
“This worked out exactly as he wanted. He knocked Sasuke out, and left the village. Sasuke grew up cold and alone for the rest of the time during the Leaf Village until we all became genin. That’s a beginning ninja, in case you didn’t know.”
“I k-know. S-sasuke explained the s-shinboi ranks.” Twilight’s tears prevented her speech from being smooth and even. Naruto continued.
“So, after this, Sasuke, Sakura, and me were all placed under the same team, under Kakashi-sensei, who still lives in this village. What we did wasn’t really that important to the story. Just know that, at least for a while, Sasuske had a semi-normal childhood. We went on missions and fought people and did our work. It wasn’t much more than that. But that didn’t change the fact that he still wanted revenge against Itachi, who was technically innocent even though no one knew. And he hoped to grow strong enough to avenge his clan.”
“It was around the time of the Chunin exams that Sasuke started to go down the wrong path. He was marked by Orochimaru, a dangerous ninja, and eventually, he left the village to seek power, because he felt that he wasn’t gaining it fast enough in the Leaf Village. I chased after him, and it ended up being a mission- but everyone evolved nearly died. We didn’t get him, and I lost in my fight against him. I left afterwards for a time, but legally, under the tutelage of Jiraiya.”
“We didn’t see each other for years. I was desperate to catch him, though, and bring him back to the village. I never found him until we started to really investigate Orochimaru’s hideouts. Once that happened, we eventually came into contact with him, but I wasn’t strong enough to capture him then, because I hadn’t trained enough. He got away and he killed his own teacher, Orochimaru- well, not really, but let’s just say for the sake of the story that Sasuke got rid of him- and he formed a team to hunt down Itachi and kill him.”
“I chased after him, but by the time I saw him again, he was… gone, Twilight. He’d already killed his own brother, and not long afterwards, was informed that his brother had been innocent the entire time. You can imagine what this did to him. He blamed the Leaf Village for his admittedly horrible life- and, in some ways, he was right- and he decided he was going to take revenge on the Leaf, and destroy the Village, and kill everyone inside.”
Twilight nodded glumly. She remembered that much about Sasuke. Only, now it all made sense. She couldn’t help but feel for Sasuke, even though he’d often been cruel when she knew him. It was only something that could be expected from someone so hurt.
“The Fourth Shinobi War happened. He sided with the enemy, and he was struck down. Only, we apparently pierced reality with what Bee thinks was positive and negative energy- it might’ve been partly my fault because I didn’t know how to control the technique. He appeared in your world, and from there… I guess you know the rest.”
“Wow,” Twilight said, rubbing at her face with her hooves.
She’d sat down on the floor a while ago to hear the rest of the story, but she hadn’t imagined that his life had been so horrible. She’d known that it was going to bad- she had no delusions about that, but… she just didn’t expect it to be that bad. It was worse than she could’ve imagined. This world was different, Twilight realized, and a lot crueler than her own.
She even saw the pain and heartlessness that Naruto could possess- he had shown it for only slivers and short, precise moments- but she saw it. She knew that he could kill his own heart and murder just like the rest of them, as well. She set her bag down on the wooden floor inside of the Hokage Office before she spoke up.
“After all that, though… you still want to help him?”
“Of course,” Naruto said, like it was a simple matter, “he’s my friend.”
“O-of course,” Twilight said, and secretly, inside, she was filled with glee, even as she wiped at her eyes with her hooves. They were red and puffy, but that wasn’t what she cared about. She had finally met someone else that wanted to help Sasuke just as she did. She was wondering if the hate for Sasuke was universal here, but even if there was only one pony- person, she reminded herself- then everything could still be changed.
“I have full intention on coming through with a promise I made a long time ago,” Naruto said. “You can’t take us back yet, can you?”
“No,” Twilight admitted.
“That’s fine. I have to get ready, anyway. I haven’t fought seriously in months. I’m going to have to warm up. Sasuke will probably be a hard fight.”
“What!? Wait, why are you going to fight him? I thought you were going to help him?” Twilight asked, completely confused- and worried for Sasuke’s well being.
“I made Sakura a promise a long time ago that I’d bring him back to the village, and I’m going to finish what I started. Plus I told Sasuke that I’d bring him back to this village even if it was me dragging him with all the bones in his body broken. If it comes to that, then it comes to that. It’s not something that’s your business, anyway. Just work on the spell, and make sure it can bring three people- yourself, Sasuke, and me. You’ll help me bring him back here.”
“You… you can’t just do that! You can’t just make me work with you! What if I don’t want to? You have no right to break all the bones in his body, not after what he wen-“
As quick as a flash- and something that she’d never expected from Naruto, with how nice he’d seemed before- he shouted at her, fury horribly evident in his voice.
“You have no idea what I went through to try to bring him back to this village! I have no right? You have no right to even question me about it! We were rivals since we were kids. And I’m the Hokage of this village now, and if he’s still seeking revenge, and I’m the only one that can stop him, I’m obliged to do it. So just work on the spell. Like I said, it’s not your business. You’ve known him for what, a month? I’ve known him for years. We’re best friends, even if he doesn’t admit it, or even openly denies it.”
She was fairly intimidated by the way he’d shouted at her- but instantly, that warm demeanor came back, and he apologized for his behavior almost right away.
“I’m sorry for shouting at you. I’ve wanted this so badly, for so long…” Naruto looked away, wistfully, and then hardened his gaze back onto Twilight, “I have to bring him back. You have to help me. I’m not above forcing you, even if I’ll feel terrible about it afterwards. Don’t make me do that. Please.” He sounded desperate.
Twilight was a little scared of Naruto, but at the same time, she could see where he was coming from. Wiping up her puffy red eyes with her hooves, she nodded and then spoke.
“Y-yeah. I know what you mean. I… I’ll need a place to stay, though. And food, too.”
“Don’t worry about that. When I leave, I’ll tell the ANBU to come back. They’ll provide you with all of that. Thanks for helping me with this. I know you probably consider him a friend, but… I’m his oldest friend, if you can believe it.”
“I just want him back here, so badly,” Naruto said. His voice sounded hoarse.
“Anyway… I’ll be leaving, now. I’m going back to Hinata-chan,” he said. He seemed happy whenever he mentioned her.
A clone popped into existence, and the real Naruto left, as quick as a flash- as his father, the Yellow Flash- and was out the window, and gone in the darkness, faster than Twilight’s eyes could hope to trace him. She turned to the clone and watched as it resumed paperwork.
Within moments, the ANBU returned to their station, and one started walking towards the doorway, and motioned for her to follow him. They silently walked through the building until they stopped at some known point. He opened the door for her and promptly left, all in complete silence. Twilight plopped herself on the floor of the mostly bare room- windows to look out into the village, and a bed, and a bathroom, but that was about it.
She started practicing her magic- horn lit with great, white energy- and sometime later, a woman brought in food- local plants. They were delicious, and Twilight devoured them.
She continued practicing, and got ready for whatever was to come.
She knew that now conflict was going to be impossible to avoid.
TO BE CONTINUED