Fox in Equestria (Revamped)

by Fan of Fanfics


Chapter 7A

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own MLP.

“ACHOOO!” Flecks of snot and spit flew in various directions throughout Fluttershy's hut, scaring the animals within and without as the small child reflexively shot up in bed and let loose a mighty sneeze. Fluttershy sighed as she wiped his mucus-covered face with a wet rag --- much to his unspoken annoyance --- and looked at her son with a look of pity. The boy had caught what appeared to be a very nasty cold, and was looking worse for the wear. Unfortunately, the only things the doctor could prescribe were a mild cough medicine, and some sleeping medication. Since Naruto was a human, none of the doctors or nurses at the hospital felt comfortable giving him any actual pony-specific medicine. Though she couldn't blame them, she knew she'd need to visit Zecora at some point. The Zebra could likely come up with something safe to quash the blonde's cold.

“Oh dear,” she muttered as the small child curled into a ball beneath the blankets. “Would you like me to make something to eat?” Naruto shook his head, worrying Fluttershy. The blonde was never not-hungry. She gently placed her lips to his forehead, and was discouraged and alarmed to feel just how high Naruto's fever was. She paced nervously. She didn't want to leave the boy alone, but she also knew that this was likely not an ordinary cold, and her boy was getting worse. A knock on her door caused the timid mare to leap, but she rushed to the door anyway. Maybe it was one of her friends, come to help. She hoped it was. Then they could keep watch on Naruto while she went to fetch Zecora. She knew the Zebra could and would help the little blonde human.

She opened the door to her salvation, Twilight Sparkle, standing like a majestic goddess on the other side. She gave the pegasus a look of pity. She had spent many a night doting on a sick Spike in the past. And unlike Dragons, nobody knew anything about humans...well, except Lyra Heartstrings, but with her, it was all speculative. Twilight had seen Lyra in passing many times, but hadn't really spoken with her more than a few words. When Naruto had been introduced to the townsponies at his party, Lyra's eyes had gone wide as dinner plates and BonBon had begun grumbling about an apparently lost bet of fifty bits. Shaking herself back to the matter at hand, she barely registered what Fluttershy was saying. It was so fast it was like talking to Pinkie Pie.

She managed to make out 'Getting worse,' 'Zecora,' 'watch him.' Despite missing several things, she figured it was something about Naruto's condition worsening, and asking if she would stay with the little human while she went to see Zecora about it. The unicorn nodded in agreement, as Fluttershy shot from her cottage like a rocket. Twilight shook her head. That Fluttershy rushed off herself to see Zecora, instead of asking Twilight herself to venture into the Everfree Forest, spoke volumes about how much Fluttershy genuinely cared for the boy.

She hastily made her way to Naruto's room, a little heartbroken to see the little ball of energy sick in bed. She at first thought he may have been sleeping, but he groaned and turned over to lay on his other side, his eyes meeting hers, and a weak smile flashing for a second. “Hey Naruto,” Twilight greeted quietly. “How are you feeling?” The blonde was silent for a moment as another chill ran through him, and he curled up tighter.

“Not sure...” he groaned. “I never got sick back in the village, so I don't think I've ever felt like this.” His musings were punctuated with another large sneeze, and Twilight found herself instinctively putting up a shield. At least when Naruto sneezed, he didn't send bursts of fire at her. The first time Spike ever got sick, almost cost her her mane. When the blond shivered more, Twilight conjured an extra blanket over him, while simultaneously fluffing his pillow and tucking him in. The extra warmth seemed to help fight away his shivers. Hopping onto the bed, Twilight curled up around human child, while at the same time, levitating a book from within her bag. A good book always helped her when she was under the weather. But since Naruto hadn't quite gotten down reading Equish, she would just read to him.

Naruto looked at the floating book hovering in front of the two. While Twilight had been helping him a lot with his reading and writing, he still could only make out a few words. “Da-ring Do?” He asked.

“Daring Do,” Twilight corrected with a smile. Aside from pronunciation, he was beginning to show recognition of the Equestrian alphabet. “But you're getting there. That was very good. Whenever I'm sick, I always like a good story. Would you like me to read it to you?” Her only answer was the blonde backing up, snuggling closer into the unicorn. She'd take that as a yes.

Naruto was only half-listening. Between Twilight's help and getting him comfortable and the additional warmth from her own body, Naruto was beginning to get very drowsy. By the time Twilight had gotten past the second page, Naruto had fallen asleep. Twilight just shook her head and suppressed a giggle. Poor guy was probably up half the night, sneezing and coughing. She gently nuzzled the boy's sleeping face. Fluttershy may have been the one to adopt him, but Twilight knew she was responsible for the boy as well, being the one who had pulled him here. Maybe she was just as much Naruto's 'mother' here as Fluttershy, she thought. The two were magically bonded due to her spell. But for the moment, she was content to be the doting aunt. Mothering the blonde human was doing worlds of good to Fluttershy's demeanor. The normally timid and frightened pegasus would have been frozen with fear at even setting foot in the Everfree. She just now dashed in without hesitation, for Celestia's sake. All because of the sleeping child before her.

Placing the book down, Twilight laid her own head on the pillow. She could use a nap herself, and staring at the passed-out blonde wasn't helping matters. It was for that reason that Fluttershy and Zecora entered the room to the adorable sight of Naruto, bundled in his blankets, snuggled into the likewise sleeping Twilight Sparkle, and the mare and boy were snoring in perfect sync with one another. The Pegasus and Zebra looked to one another with knowing smiles, before bursting into giggles. Not only was the sight precious, but Fluttershy made a mental note that the two looked like they could even be related.

“Twilight Sparkle, open your eyes,” Zecora said softly, gently shaking the mare. “Out of this bed, it is time to rise.” Twilight's eyes groggily opened, and she yawned.

“Back already?” she muttered, lifting herself and stepping down from Naruto's bed as Fluttershy gently woke Naruto. Zecora wouldn't be able to help much if Naruto couldn't communicate what was wrong.

“Fluttershy came with such a worry, so I felt that it was better to hurry,” the Zebra replied to her Unicorn friend. “We raced here with in a haste, as Fluttershy said there was no time to waste. The human I had expected to meet, when we arrived to a scene so sweet.” Turning to the now awake Naruto. “Now, young human, tell me how you feel. Whatever may ail you, I'm sure I can heal.”

“...You talk funny,” was the first thing out of Naruto's mouth, and Zecora let out a hearty laugh, intrigued by the child, taking note that he was very pale and if what Fluttershy said was true, he was feverish. Turning to Fluttershy and Twilight, the Zebra nodded, and the two understood she would prefer them not to be in the room. Fluttershy was disheartened by this, but trusted that Zecora knew what she was doing. The Zebra stopped them, however, and they watched Zecora pull some herbs from out of her bag.

“Use this to make some herbal tea. And when it is ready, bring it back to me. Together, they create a special brew. Excellent for fighting the flu.”

“The Flu?” Twilight asked. “Is it really something so simple?” Zecora nodded again.

“Because his body is not accustomed to our plane, it's battle against disease is all but in vain,” she said. It made sense to Twilight. If Naruto was to be believed, he never got sick at home. He had a functioning immune system in his world. But here, he was extremely vulnerable to germs and disease. It wasn't really fair. Maybe there was something in the library that could help. Some sort of ward or charm she could create to boost his immunity, since the doctors weren't too keen on accidentally harming the boy should he not take well to pony immunizations.

The two went down to begin brewing the tea, while Zecora took out a few more things from her bag. “What did Zecora mean when she said you walked in on a sweet scene.” Fluttershy just smiled and blushed.

“Oh, I'll tell you later,” the pink-maned pegasus replied, gingerly tapping her hooves together.

“Fluttershy...?” Twilight asked, not so sure she wanted to know. “What was I doing in my sleep?”

“Well...has Spike ever told you that you snore...?” Twilight looked taken aback.

“Wha-I-I do not snore.” she said, almost indignantly.

“Snore, you certainly do, young Mare,” announced Zecora, now coming down stairs. “A trait you and the human both share. We found you both snoring away in time, as true as my penchant for speaking in rhyme.” Twilight blushed furiously, refusing to meet the amused gaze of the Zebra.

“How is he?” asked Fluttershy, the worry returning. Seeing the look in her eyes, Zecora waved her off before she could re-enter panic mode.

“Your son will be fine, don't worry your head. He just needs some fluids, some love, and to stay in bed.” Fluttershy let loose a sigh of relief, and while she hadn't really been all that worried, Twilight did as well. The three made small talk as they waited for the tea to brew. With all the chaos of the human addition to Ponyville, the ponies has been quite busy, and unable to visit the Zebra as of late, so it was nice to catch up.

According to Zecora, the herbs she gave them to make tea with were great for boosting an individual's immune system, which would be important until Naruto's immune system adapted. She also made certain to add a bit of something to help him sleep. The blonde human had barely managed to finish his cup before he was out like a light. And as before, he was snoring quite contently.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“You seem disinterested in my being here.” Kyuubi quirked an eyebrow at Luna's observation, but otherwise said nothing. “Was it not you who wished for a visit weekly? If you do not wish me to be here, I could perhaps come another night.”

“No,” Kyuubi replied, adamant. “I've just had my hands full these last few days.” Luna tilted her head, confused, before motioning for the fox-demon to continue. “I've been having to regulate and boost his immunity. Or would you prefer he be plagued by more than simply a flu?” Luna's eyes widened in recognition for a moment. She wasn't aware that the fox could affect the boy's body in such a manner. But then they widened for a much more important reason.

“It was you who gave the boy access to his chakra, wasn't it?” she demanded. “We had a deal that you would not interfere with-”

“Don't impugn my honor!” Kyuubi barked, and to her credit, the Princess of the Moon didn't even flinch. “As the most revered and powerful of the Bijuu, I will not have my reputation besmirched. The terms of our agreement was that I was not to communicate with the child or reveal my existence within him. When he attempted to tap into his chakra reserve, tiny though it is, I simply gave it a push. He remains unaware of me, and so our bargain holds true.” Luna reigned in her irritation at being spoken to like a child, instead focusing in on something Kyuubi failed to tell her before.

“There are others like you?” Kyuubi just smirked.

“Not like me,” he bragged. “But, my eight brothers and sisters are still quite powerful. Hopefully their containers are less runty than my own.” It took a moment for his words to sink in, and the horror they implied caused her to tremble with rage.

“There are others. Others like you. Others like Naruto...” The realization that even more children were suffering the same fate as the blonde, but were still in their world of warriors, being tormented and likely made into living weapons, hit her like a ton of bricks. This was unacceptable. Unconscionable. A dark aura began to permeate the air around her, causing Kyuubi to smile. His smile faded, however, when Luna's anger began to reign in and the aura dissipated. The mare was taking deep breaths, trying to control herself. “Something must be done about this!”

“Oh? And who's going to do that? You?”

“Perhaps,” Luna said, her wings extending to their full span. “To visit such horrors on a child is something I will not allow. Pony, or not.”

“Do you understand now, Princess,” Kyuubi whispered, circling Luna like a shark. “The humans are the real demons. The real monsters...” Getting in close, right in her ear, he finished by saying, “Perhaps you, the regal Princess of the Moon, should go and teach them a lesson.” Luna shuddered, feeling his breath flow over her ear. She knew it was wrong, but part of her demanded that she listen to the nine-tailed fox. The vile humans deserved to feel her wrath visited upon them.

Kyuubi just continued to circle the Dark Alicorn, whispering to her, eager to coax her rage out once more. “Twilight Sparkle has opened the door. Are you going to deny those...poor children...the opportunity to live in peace.”

“ENOUGH!” Luna demanded, slamming her hoof into the floor hard enough to crack it. “I know what you are trying to do, but I refuse to be swayed by the desires of a demon.”

“And yet you were swayed by the desires of a Nightmare.” Luna's face reddened in rage as she glared at the fox demon, who masqueraded as an alicorn. “Why fight me on this? You became the Nightmare Queen out of pettiness. I simply believe that you could put your hatred...to good use...”

“Silence!” Luna bellowed again, her eyes glowing white as her anger began to boil over. Her wings flared and her horn began to glow. “I take my leave of you this night. I pray that next we meet, your attitude has improved.” In a flash of light and crack of sound, the Alicorn Princess vanished from Naruto's mindscape.

Watching a few puffs of smoke rise from the scorched floor where she once stood, Kyuubi smiled darkly, his grin twisted and cruel. “Goodbye, Princess Luna,” he said, before making his way toward his bedroom. “Oh,” he continued, looking over his shoulder. “And Checkmate.” His chuckle held a cold mirth as he envisioned the horrors he had just unleashed.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Out doing a bit of shopping, Fluttershy had stopped to have a conversation with a few friends, seeing as she had been cooped up in her cottage tending to the sick child. Applejack was watching him at the moment, giving Fluttershy some time to run errands in town, and at the moment, she was having a rather pleasant conversation with a cream-colored pony, named BonBon.

“So how is the little guy?” BonBon asked between customers.

“Oh, still sick,” Fluttershy announced, and BonBon noticed just how tired the Pegasus pony seemed. “But after Zecora's visit yesterday, he's starting to feel better.”

“That's good,” BonBon announced with a small smile. “You know, Lyra hasn't been able to stop talking about him. She's always believed in the existence of humans. But she's never had proof until now.”

“I was a little surprised by that,” Fluttershy announced quietly with a yawn. “When Naruto first arrived, even the Princesses couldn't find anything about him in the royal archive...” BonBon just rolled her eyes. “And she never said anything about it...”

“Lyra is...imaginative,” BonBon admitted with a blush. “And she never mentioned her human obsession in public because I kind of told her if she did, I'd move out...” Fluttershy gasped. “Yes, I know, it was harsh, but one of us had to be realistic. She wrote her dissertation on a species that, until recently, nobody had heard of. To be fair, I am really glad she turned out to be right...even if it did cost me fifty bits.”

“Well, I'm glad everything worked out,” Fluttershy said after a moment, not noticing the unicorn and dragon pair racing toward them until they were right upon them. At the sound of the frantic voice directly behind her, Fluttershy leapt into the air, before ducking behind BonBon's stand, peaking out to see a rather frazzled Twilight, Spike looking equally panicked.

“Fluttershy, thank Celestia we found you,” Twilight gasped, slightly out of breath. “The Princess wants to see us in Canterlot as soon as possible...” Eyes shifting to BonBon, she bit her tongue before saying more. “We need to take the next train, so get anything you might need.”

“Um, Twilight, I can't go with...” Fluttershy announced timidly, ducking below the stand again. “I can't go to Canterlot. Naruto is still too sick to go with, and I can't just leave him alone.”

“Lyra and I can watch him,” chimed in BonBon. The two Element Bearers and Spike looked to the cream-colored pony as she continued. “I can watch him when I'm not working the stand, and given the chance to take care of a human, I'm sure Lyra would drop whatever project she might be working on to help.”

“Oh, I don't know if that's really-” Fluttershy was cut off when Twilight spoke.

“Sorry Fluttershy, but on such short notice, you really don't have another option.” Fluttershy bit her lips nervously, before nodding. BonBon just smiled.

“Great,” she announced as the two began to run off, raising her voice so as to be heard by the retreating ponies. “On my next break from the stand, I'll bring him over to our place, if it's ok. And get some sleep on the train-ride!”

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The girls all met up at the train station an hour later, and the confusion was evident on the faces of each of the girls, save the grim look on Twilight's face. “Alright, spill it. Why does the Princess want to see us all?” demanded Rainbow. Twilight bit her lip, before motioning for the others to gather in close.

“This has to be kept a secret. If word got out, it could create a mass panic...Princess Luna has gone missing.”

“WHAT!” the other mares shouted, causing all eyes to move to them. Because of this, nopony seemed to notice the manic chase happening off in the distance, the jumbled mess of ponies rapidly moving and constantly being engulfed in a bright light.

Nervously, Twilight shuffled her friends onto the train as quickly as possible. “How could she be missing?” Dash whispered, causing Twilight to shake her head.

“I have no idea,” the unicorn admitted. “And neither does Princess Celestia. But given what last night was, she seems to have a pretty good idea of the cause.” Fluttershy's eyes widened in understanding, while the others just seemed confused, so Twilight continued. “Last night was Princess Luna's weekly visit to Naruto's demon.” The mares looked to each other, nervously, before Pinkie popped up between them.

“But wait, didn't we figure that foxy wouldn't try anything to mess up his deal with the Princesses?” the pink party pony questioned.

“I agree with Pinkie,” Rarity announced. “Granted, I've never met the beast, but it does seem rather odd that he would just break his word. From what I've heard, he seems far better off in the seal now then he did before the Princesses came.”

“But he DID try to attack Fluttershy when she went in to meet him,” Dash countered, earning a quiet 'eep' from Fluttershy. “And, he made it clear that he knows we can't use the elements to remove him.”

“But he was pretty angry that we tried to use the Stare against him...” Fluttershy said, her voice trembling and quiet. “I'm not saying that it was right, but sometimes, we do things in anger that we wouldn't do otherwise.” Dash's jaw dropped.

“Don't tell me you're defending that thing,” she questioned, her gaze causing Fluttershy to hide behind her mane.

“No, not at all. I'm not saying he was justified...just that his actions, if he did do something, can be understood as being done in anger,” Fluttershy replied, and Dash just facehooved. Leave it to the Element of Kindness to make excuses for a monster doing horrible things.

“Let's not argue, y'all,” Applejack interjected. “It doesn't matter why the fox did it, what matters is finding out what happened to Princess Luna, and gettin' her home safe, lickety-split.” Twilight nodded.

“Applejack is right,” the Unicorn announced. “Once we get to Canterlot, Princess Celestia is going to give us the elements, just in case, and then we're supposed to investigate where Luna could have gone.” The others nodded in understanding, save for Pinkie and Dash, who saluted instead. Fluttershy squeaked out something unintelligible, really wishing she had stayed home with Naruto.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

They began in Luna's room, the place she was last supposed to be. It was there she had entered the dream realm to reach Naruto's mind. Element of Magic gleaming atop her horned head, Twilight's horn began to glow brightly. “All unicorns leave a magic signature wherever they go.I'm casting a spell to isolate Princess Luna's personal magical signature. Once we have that, we should be able to find a trail of her residual magic to follow, and hopefully lead us right to her.” The girls nodded, as Luna's bed began to glow, a blob-like aura appearing, coalescing from the air.

“Well, she was most definitely here,” Rarity announced, silently wondering what kind of magical prints she had left around Ponyville and shuttered. She knew it was only natural, but that blob, despite its being magic, looked rather unseemly.

“And fairly recently. I'm not sure on the decay period of alicorns as compared to unicorns, but if I had to wager a guess, I'd say she hasn't been gone long, probably an hour or two before dawn,” Twilight agreed, trying to remain focused on the situation as the magical residue began to form a trail from the bed, moving in a thin path toward the window, which still hung open.

“What now?” Pinkie Pie asked. “If we need Twilight's magic to find Luna's magic, and Luna's magic jumped out a window, how are we supposed to follow it?” Dash just laughed, before flying at high speeds out the window. The ponies were confused for a moment, before Dash returned, pushing a rather large cloud.

“Still remember that cloud-walking spell, Twilight?”

Within moments, the ponies were soaring through the air, pushed by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, Twilight's horn guiding them along the trail Luna had left behind. Luckily, being an Alicorn, Luna's magic was stronger, or the trail would likely have dissipated already. It was Applejack who made the next observation. “Is it just me, or is this trail headed back to Ponyville?”

“Not just Ponyville...it's headed toward Sweet Apple Acres,” Fluttershy noticed.

“Ooh! Ooh! Maybe the Princess wanted some apples!” Pinkie said. “But she ate too many and got a tummy ache and so she fell asleep and hasn't woken up yet!”

“We'll...find out when we get there,” Twilight said, knowing that while Pinkie meant well, that was likely not the answer. With Dash pushing, even with Fluttershy, the group made great time to the orchard, but it was there they reached a dilemma. “Huh?” Twilight sputtered, surprise and worry permeating her tone. “The magic...the trail just...stops?”

Indeed, the trail they were following had indeed ceased right above the apple orchard. “What could that mean, Darling?” Rarity asked, not quite as versed in the magical arts outside those of her special talent.

“Ordinarily, I would assume she teleported...” Twilight began, pointing to the point where the trail simply broke. “That would explain the sudden stop. But teleporting leaves a huge amount of residual magic. If she had teleported, the magic here would have spiked drastically, not simply break away.”

“...girls...”

“So, what other explanation is there?” Dash asked, stumped.

“Well, maybe Princess Luna knows how to conceal her magic signature, and knowing she'd be followed, decided to throw any pursuers off her tail,” Twilight theorized.

“...Girls...”

“Now what the hay would Princess Luna do a thing like that for?” Applejack questioned. “It don't make a lick of sense.”

“Unless the demon really did corrupt her, and she turned back into Nightmare Moon,” Dash announced, only to be met with stern glares. “What?” she demanded. “It's a possibility.”

“HEY!” The other mares turned to Fluttershy, who seemed to realize just what she had done, and blushing, hid behind her mane once again.

“You have an idea Fluttershy?” The pink-maned pegasus just nodded before pointing down. Dash and the four ponies peaked over the edge of the cloud to see a clearing below, in which the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse stood.

“You think she's hiding in the clubhouse?” Twilight questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

“Or maybe the Crusaders were trying out for a foalnapping Cutie Mark,” Dash deadpanned. Fluttershy just shook her head.

“No, it's just...this is the spot where the girls first found Naruto,” she said.

“Yeah?” Dash intoned. “So this is where the little squirt ended up. What's that have to do with the Prin...cess...” Dash's questioning ceased as a look of panic and horror rushed to each of the mares' faces, as they realized just what Fluttershy was implying.

“Unless Princess Luna used the rift scar to go to the human world,” Twilight squeaked, breaking the silence.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“Oh, do we really have to do this, Twilight,” Fluttershy asked as the group approached the home owned by Lyra and BonBon.

“It's time I met this demon,” Twilight announced. “I want to know what his endgame is. Princess Luna wouldn't have just gone to a different world for the fun of it. She needed to be given the idea from somewhere, and the fox is the only one I can think of who could or would do such a thing.”

“But you've never mind-walked before,” Fluttershy continued. “Are you sure you won't hurt Naruto?” Twilight just gave her a reassuring smile.

“It'll be fine, trust me.” As she gripped the doornob with her magic, Twilight and the others turned to give Fluttershy a knowing look. They knew just how much the little human meant to the pegasus pony. As Fluttershy looked down, finding her hooves absolutely fascinating at the moment, nopony saw the massive flash of light that illuminated the door frame for a split second.

Pulling the door open, the six quirked their eyebrows as they looked on at the sight of a full house. Lyra was passed out asleep, lying on her back while Naruto lay on her mint-green stomach, also asleep. It was actually rather adorable to watch the little blonde rise and fall with each of Lyra's breaths. Also in the room, was BonBon, who looked somewhat winded. However, the normalcy of such a scene ended there.

Also in the room were Vinyl and Octavia, Spike, Big Mac, the Crusaders, and the Apple family dog, Winona, all of whom looked dazed, stumbling a bit as though just struck with Nausea. “What in the hay are you all doing here?” Applejack asked.

“Um, I came to check up on Naruto,” Spike said hastily.

“Uh, yeah, us too,” Scootaloo said, speaking for all the crusaders. Apple Bloom chimed in next.

“And uh, Big Mac was just here to walk us home,” she said, refusing to look her big sister in the eye.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, a tad nervously, and Winona just yipped.

“We came to see if Lyra and BonBon wanted to go out tonight,” Vinyl announced, her shades blocking her eyes from view as Octavia nodded furiously.

“Uh, yeah,” BonBon continued. “We hadn't had a girl's night in a while, so...” Silence permeated the room as Applejack's eyes narrowed. She knew a lie when she heard one. But she couldn't be certain what they were lying about. Before any more could be said, Octavia cleared her throat.

“Yes, well...We'll see you both later tonight then,” she said, motioning toward BonBon and Lyra, the former of who nodded while the latter still slept. Grabbing Vinyl, the two made a hasty exit, followed by the others, sans the residents and the human boy.

Glaring, Applejack stared out the window, trying to read their lips as the makeshift group had a very short conversation outside before dispersing. “I know them ponies are up to somethin' and I know I ain't gonna like what it is...”

“We can deal with that later,” Twilight announced, her horn aglow once more.

“Please, be careful,” Fluttershy said, unsure of whether or not her words were even heard as Twilight touched the tip of her horn to Naruto's head, her magic easily piercing the walls of his mind. She sighed in relief when Naruto didn't even stir, instead beginning to snore.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hurrying through the corridors and halls, Twilight used her horn to try and find the fox as quickly as possible. Turning a corner, she found him, slamming into the disguised fox demon, falling on her flank as he looked at her with disdain and a twinge of curiosity. Not liking those cold eyes staring at her, Twilight rose, brushing herself off. “You must be the Kyuubi,” she announced, trying to be as polite as possible to hopefully not draw his wrath upon her. “My name is-”

“Twilight Sparkle,” he said, beating her to the punch. “I know who you are. What do you want? Why did you enter this place.” Swallowing nervously, a look of determination entered Twilight's eyes as she stood her ground.

“Princess Luna has vanished. It seems she's gone to the human world.”

“And this is my problem...why?” Kyuubi asked, though his ever present smirk told the real story.

“Because you're the one who convinced her to go there.” The smirk became a wide, fang-filled grin now, and Twilight knew she was dealing with a predator.

“I may have suggested it.”

“Why?” Twilight demanded. “You have everything to lose from this, and nothing to gain?”

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Kyuubi countered. “I'll just come out and say it. The Princess needed to learn her place after what she and the mother pulled.”

“You mean Fluttershy's Stare?” Twilight asked, her confidence beginning to wither as Kyuubi sat, looking down on her, like an evil counterpart to her mentor.

“Yes,” he replied. “And to your previous point, it is I who have everything to gain from this. The way I see it, no matter the outcome of Luna's little romp with the humans, I lose nothing. You see, there really are only four possible ways this will end. Either Luna crushes the humans...or the humans seal her away as they did me...” Twilight's eyes widened in horror at that. Princess Luna being forcibly bound to a human child, her magic wrenched from her to make a living weapon. Deep down in the pit of her stomach, she did not want to believe that that would happen, but looking up at the fox, she realized it was indeed a possibly.

“And the other two?” she was almost afraid to ask, but did so anyway.

“Of course, there is the chance she makes it back here in time, in which case, I've still not lost anything...”

“What do you mean, 'in time?” Twilight demanded, and that was when Kyuubi's grin threatened to consume his entire face. And unlike when Pinkie did it, this smile was filled with so much malice, she thought she might actually vomit.

“Ah yes, my favorite outcome,” Kyuubi announced. “If Princess Luna has not returned to meet with me by the end of the night in one-week's time, she will have broken her half of our bargain, which means...”

“Which means you have free reign to reveal yourself and contact Naruto,” Twilight squeaked in realization, paling considerably in fear. Kyuubi's tail simply broke apart into nine separate strands that began to swish every-which-way in his malicious mirth.

“Precisely...”

Chapter end.