//------------------------------// // Memories, Revelations, and a New Home // Story: Home in Banishment // by Shadow Lord Malice //------------------------------// "Um, I'm not sure how good I'll be, but I'll do my best." Said Fluttershy as she followed Twilight to the hospital room holding the two strange creatures found in the site of the explosions. "You'll do wonderful Fluttershy, I'm sure of it." Replied Twilight. "You're the only pony who can heal them. Since you work with animals you're used to working with unusual body structures. None of the nurses or doctors here can heal him as they'd have no idea what to do." "O-okay, I'll do my best." The two finally arrived at their destination, two guards standing side by side in front of the door. Twilight led an extremely nervous Fluttershy to the guards and asked for access. The two guards nodded and parted, allowing Fluttershy and Twilight through. Once inside, Fluttershy couldn't help but gasp, both at the new beings before her, and the state they were in. "Oh...my." Was all she could say. Immediately Fluttershy started to work. She cleaned their wounds and bandaged them, She checked for broken bones and internal injuries. Soon she had done all she could without medicine. Due to them not being ponies, the doctors could not use pony medicine on them, so Fluttershy had them gather ingredients for several herbal remedies. After an hour from start to finish, Fluttershy had done all she could for the two. "That's it." She said, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to do more." "Are you kidding Fluttershy? It was like you've been treating these creatures for years." Replied Twilight, astonished that her friend had thought so little of her abilities. "Ah, it's just, well, what I did was very basic, and I've worked with monkeys on a few occasions, so I know a little about their skeletal structures. It was really nothing noteworthy." "Still Fluttershy, you did far more than what any of the other doctors could do. So thank you." "I-it was nothing, really." The two then left the room, and headed out into the waiting room, where princess Celestia and their other four friends were waiting. "Well princess, Fluttershy has done all she possibly can." Said Twilight. "That is all I can ask for. Thank you for your efforts Fluttershy." Replied Celestia. "I-it was nothing princess." Squeaked fluttershy, a bit nervous from having the princess respond to her directly. "Well, ah don't know 'bout y'all, but ah'm gettin' mighty tired. It's been one doozy of ah day for me, and ah got mah work cut out fer me tomorrow. Ah'm headin' back to the farm, see y'all tomorrow." With that, AppleJack headed for home, yawning all the way. Soon after she left the hospital, everyone started returning to their respective homes with the exception of Fluttershy, who was staying with Rarity until her cottage was rebuilt. Soon, only Celestia was left. Instead of leaving as well however, the alicorn headed for the room containing the two mysterious creatures. As a ruler, Celestia put the safety of her little ponies as her highest priority, and thus she had to know if these new beings were a threat to them. Making her way to the room, the guards standing at the door immediately parted for their princess, allowing her immediate access to the room. Closing the door behind her, Celestia made her way over to the yellow maned creature first. What she was about to do was considered a huge violation of privacy, but Celestia would break the rules to pieces if it kept her subjects safe. Horn ablaze with golden light, Celestia touched it to the creature's head. Celestia found herself standing in an pool of cloudy shallow water, surrounded in an endless expanse of darkness. She looked around, searching for some kind of representation to the creature's memories, when suddenly a large shadow was cast over her. Before she could react, it slammed down on her, smashing her against the ground and driving the air out of her lungs. She thrashed and struggled as hard as she could, but the thing on her didn't even budge. Then the thing on top of her shifted, she felt other things curl underneath her, then the sensation of weightlessness as she was lifted into the air, Taking the opportunity to glance at what was immobilizing her, Celestia saw herself caught in some kind of strange appendage. No, she had seen this appendage before, those two creatures had them on the end of their forelegs. Glancing at the base of the appendage, she saw that it was indeed connected to a foreleg, and when she saw what currently had her captured, her heart felt like it fell into her stomach. She had seen foxes before, but none of them were this massive, none of them had nine tails, and absolutely none of them had power that completely dwarfed hers. "So horse," The beast rumbled, It's voice a gutteral growl like the sound of a predator and distant thunder combined. "What could possibly be your reason for intruding upon the sanctity of my partner's mind? Explain yourself." "Wh-what are you?" Asked Celestia, her voice trembling from her sudden displacement of air earlier, and slight fear. She gasped and groaned in pain as the appendage holding her squeezed harder. "I will be asking the questions here, horse, and I expect them answered. However, since I'm feeling gracious I'll answer your question. I am a Biju, and you may call me Kyuubi. Now what are you and why are you here, horse? Speak quickly, and if I do not like your answers prepare to be food." "Well for one thing, I'm not a horse, I'm an alicorn. My name is Celestia, controller of the sun and day, and diarch of Equestria. The reason I'm here is because earlier today, a series of colossal explosions caused severe damage to my lands and settlements. When the site where the explosions originated was investigated, we found two creatures never before seen in the history of our world. After taking them back with us for medical treatment, I decided to look into their minds to see if they were a threat to my little ponies, and here we are." Kyuubi narrowed his eyes at Celestia, and the alicorn feared the worst, but was set on the ground and released. "Well Celestia, I assure you my partner, his ally and I will be no threat to you or your people, as long as you do not give us a reason to be. As for the explosions, those were our doing. It would be too complicated to explain, so how about I show you." With that, Kyuubi made a gesture, and a large circle of the pool became clear. Celestia looked into it, and beheld the memory within. A void of infinite darkness, that was what the realm between dimensions looked like. Naruto could see nothing, and all he could hear was his and Sasuke's laboured breathing. Laboured because apparently this realm was killing them slowly and painfully according to the fox. He had said that the pressures every dimension exuded to keep from smashing into each other would eventually crush them, though apparently movement helped ease the pressure slightly, so that's all they did and could do, move forward. Eventually, the pain became to much for simple walking to dull, and the two began to jog, which became a run, then eventually a sprint. Suddenly, the two smashed into some kind of wall, something they instantly regretted. A wave of pure repelling force flung them away, but if that wasn't bad enough, they slammed into another wall, which blasted them away as well, to once again hit another, then another. this continued for some time, until finally they hit whatever represented the ground instead of another wall. Coughing blood, Naruto felt around and was rewarded when he felt Sasuke's sandal. "How you feeling Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "We just went through a literal re-enactment of Madara's judicious use of wood clones after you pissed him off with your abuse of shadow clones. How do you think I'm feeling!?" Screamed Sasuke, though that ended when he began to have a hacking coughing fit. Naruto barely managed to haul himself to his feet due to the pain he was experiencing. Stumbling over to Sasuke, he managed to help the Uchiha up. "So kit, how was ping pong from the ball's perspective?" Asked Kurama, and Naruto didn't have to be in his mind to see the fox's smug grin. "Not funny fox, and not helping either. Anything else before we finally die in here?" "Well as a matter of fact yes. Those weren't walls that bounced you around, those were doors." "And how the hell are we supposed to open them if the moment we contact them they send us ricocheting all over the place?" "I don't know what to be shocked by more; the fact you asked an intelligent question, or the fact you actually know what ricocheting means." "Damn you, you walking rug!" "Talking to the Kyuubi I take it?" Asked Sasuke, unfazed by Naruto's outburst. "Yes, and if he'd quit insulting my intelligence we could get something productive done." "Lighten up kit, I was just having some fun. Now, your human ping pong ball stunt actually had a silver lining to it. I was able to sample the energy of the doors and can now see them with my chakra. Fire up the cloak Naruto." Needing no further prompting, Naruto activated his biju's chakra cloak, igniting himself in gold ethereal flame and the runic markings of his seal. The light from his cloak illuminated the area enough for Sasuke to become visible, and he wasn't looking too good. "I assume there's a reason you're using Kyuubi's chakra?" Sasuke asked. "Yes, with the cloak up, the fox can sense the locations of the doors leading to other dimensions." "And here's some good news, there's one right in front of us." "That still begs the question of how to open the damn thing." "We have to force it open, and the most powerful thing at our disposal to do that is the Bijudama." "Oi dobe, what's the plan here? you got that look on your face." Said Sasuke, noticing the the look of anticipation on Naruto's face. "The fox says that we need to force the door open with an extremely powerful jutsu, and the only thing we got that can do it is the Bijudama." Readying himself, Naruto unleashed the full power of Kurama, and the nine tailed fox burst into being around Naruto. "Ready your Susanoo, Uchiha, you'll need something to protect yourself against any backlash." Said the massive golden fox. Sasuke nodded, and activated his Eternal Mangekyou, his full Susanoo flaring to life moments later. Satisfied, Kurama turned his attention to the doorway in front of them, visible only to his eyes. Opening his mouth, Kurama charged the technique, took aim, and fired. "Bijudama!" The black ball of chakra impacted the door with a colossal explosion, above it could be heard the sound of cracking glass. That's when things went bad. The door retaliated with a blast of repelling force that tore the Bijudama apart, and impacted the the duo like thousands of lashing whips. The protection both Susanoo and Kurama offered were the only things that kept Sasuke and Naruto from being critically injured, and when the force died down the two were a mess. "What the hell fox, I thought you said that would work!" Naruto hollered. "I said no such thing. I only said the Bijudama was our best bet out." "Again then!" "Dobe, if this doesn't work we could get lethal injuries." said Sasuke through clenched teeth. "And if we do nothing we're dead. Again Kurama, Bijudama!" Once again the attack was charged and fired, once again it slammed into the door and began to break through, and once again it was defeated and retaliated with lashing force. When it was over, Sasuke's and Naruto's bodies were covered in lacerations, and while they weren't bleeding too badly, the sheer number of them were dangerous. "Dammit. It didn't work again? you have got to be kidding me!" "Hold on kit. One more bijudama should do it, but it's gonna need some help. Uchiha, stop gawking and get your butt over here." Sasuke bristled at the remark but complied. "Now, I'm gonna fire one more Bijudama. When I do Uchiha, you're going to shoot it with one of your arrows. The added impetus and power should be enough to force the door open." "And if it isn't?" "Then nothing will be. Get ready Uchiha, Bijudama." With a piercing roar, Kurama fired his attack at the dimensional door with everything he had. Halfway through it's flight the ball of condensed power was skewered by an amethyst bolt of chakra, the force of the impalement transferred to the ball, boosting it's already impressive speed considerably. The two attacks collided into the door with a vengeance, and with the sound of every brittle material in existence shattering, the two attacks punched through and detonated. Then came the roar of a powerful suction force, and everything faded to white. With a gasp, Celestia jolted back from the memory, which faded back into the cloudy pool. She was still trying to wrap her head around it all. Interdimensional travel had been theorized by Starswirl the bearded, but the study had been abandoned due to the sheer power necessary. Even Celestia herself had never been able to open a hole in dimension despite her power as an alicorn. "So those explosions, they were actually your efforts of opening the door to our world." Said Celestia after a period of silence. "That is correct. None of us meant to cause any destruction, we had no idea how the other side of the door would be affected and our lives were at stake. In any case, you have what you came for. Those two are not a threat unless you provoke them, and you now know how we got here. Now, begone." And with a massive roar from Kyuubi, Celestia was ejected out of Naruto's mind. Snapping back into reality, Celestia shook her head a bit to clear the confusion. She briefly thought about entering the other creature's, Sasuke if that memory was correct, mind, but decided against it. Who knew what could be lurking in there if Kyuubi was anything to go by. Leaving the room, Celestia instructed the guards to allow Fluttershy unrestricted access to the room, and headed back to Canterlot. Sasuke opened his eyes to a vast expanse of white. Looking around, he saw no sign of Naruto anywhere. "You know, I'd appreciate it if you turned around." Sasuke's eyes widened, it couldn't be. He spun around, it was. Sasuke was staring face to face with Madara Uchiha "How did you get here?" Sasuke spat venomously, though Madara made no reaction to Sasuke's tone. "Quite simple really, I brought you here. You're having what is called a near death experience, where your soul has left your body, but you are still technically alive. Due to this, I was able to pull your soul into limbo for a talk, and here we are." "And why do you want to talk to me? better yet, why should I even care about what you have to say?" "The reason I'm even talking to you and the reason you should listen has the same answer. I'm the only one who can tell you these things as it involves the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan." This gave Sasuke pause. Aside from himself, Madara was the only other wielder of the Eternal Mangekyou, so Madara was practically the only one who knew anything about these eyes. "Fine, I'm listening." "I hope so Sasuke, for the importance of this information can, no, not can, will change your life. First, lets pass the common ground, what do you know about the Eternal Mangekyou?" Inquired Madara. "All I know is that the eyes strengthen my Mangekyou techniques and their use will no longer blind me." Sasuke replied. "So practically nothing then.' Sasuke had to fight hard to crush the urge to burn the man with Amaterasu. "All right, I'll start with the most important. Tell me Sasuke, why is this Mangekyou called 'eternal'?" "Because our eyes never fade from its use." Replied Sasuke in annoyance, he had just said that earlier. "While that is true, there's more to it than that. The Eternal Mangekyou is the stage directly below the Rinnegan, and therefore begins to touch on a few of the Rinnegan's abilities. To put it simply, it doesn't just make our eyes eternal, it makes us eternal." Madara could practically hear the screech as Sasuke's brain hit the brakes. "Wait, eternal? As in immortality?" Madara's response was a nod. "Liar." "I assure you it's the truth." "Really now? Well I got the details from Naruto while we were in recovery. According to Obito you died of old age. Seeing as how you unlocked the Eternal Mangekyou, that should never have happened. Therefore these eyes do not grant immortality." "I assure you Sasuke they do. There is however a way to lose your immortality, which is what happened to me." "And this way is?" Madara just smirked. "Now why should I tell you that?" Was his smug reply, causing Sasuke to scowl. "Oh don't give me that look boy, I'm doing you a favour. It's extremely unpleasent and if it fails you're dead." "Ok, back to the main subject. What else is there about these eyes that I should know about?" "Mostly small things that you will discover for yourself as you use them, but the only really major thing is your Susanoo." "What about my Susanoo?" Sasuke asked, his voice carrying a faint undertone of intrigue. "When we fought, you obviously noticed my Susanoo, how it looked like two stuck together?" Sasuke's eyes widened. "I see, so Itachi's and my Susanoo will eventually fuse." "Indeed, though it's far more difficult than you make it sound." "So how is it done?" At this, Madara was once again wearing his smug grin. "Now whoever said I was going to tell you? You have to figure it out for yourself. Or do you actually need this old man to hold your hand as you toddle around like a babe?" Sasuke's eyes ignited into his Eternal Mangekyou, and Madara was covered in obsidian fire, though the man just laughed. "I see that I have overstayed my welcome. Very well Sasuke, I'll send you back now as your body has been stabilized enough that you won't be dying anytime soon. Do keep all that's been said in mind though." Soon, there was a flash of light, then everything went dark for Sasuke. Naruto eyes snapped open, only for him to slam them shut when the bright light visciously assaulted his retinas. After a few moments he cracked them open again, allowing them time to adjust. When he was able to see clearly, the blonde gave a cursory glance around. plain white walls greeted him, along with a matching ceiling. The smell of antiseptics soon followed, causing Naruto to internally groan. He had been imprisoned in the worst place imaginable, the hospital. Just then the door opened, prompting Naruto to glance over to it, and what he saw made his eyes widen. A butter yellow horse with a mane as pink as Sakura's hair walked in. Shocking the blonde even further was when said horse extended a pair of wings on her sides and flapped over to the window, where it drew back the curtains to let more light in. Then came the kicker, the horse turned and noticed him awake, and then it spoke. "Oh goodness, you're awake." A talking, flying, yellow horse. Naruto did the only logical thing his brain could come up with. He screamed.