Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own MLP.
Fluttershy twitched slightly, her mane disheveled and a look of slight fear in her eyes. It was as though the week had passed by in only a matter of hours, and as she looked down to her adopted son, who was already fast asleep, she could only imagine the sort of things she would need to endure to bring this demon under control. If she even could...She shook those thoughts from her head. She needed to be brave, for Naruto's sake.
The boy was energetic, and fun-loving, and all around lovable. And he was depending on her. He didn't know it, but he was depending on her now more than ever. What would transpire within his seal that night between herself, Princess Luna, and the demon, would have far reaching consequences on the boy - some good, some bad - no matter the outcome. Making sure her charge was neither cold or uncomfortable, she began to prepare herself for bed as well. As she looked into the bathroom mirror, she began to think back on the last week. It had been rather eventful...
After his revenge on Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, the other students in class became abuzz, and were so eager to meet the strange 'human' child, that they had taken to coming to her cottage after class. While Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were generally the go-to fillies Naruto spent his free time with, he had developed friendships with several of the fillies and colts in Cheerilee's school. So when he began class himself this week, Fluttershy was sure he would have an even easier time adjusting than either of them originally thought.
Speaking of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were already nearly inseparable, they were now spending nearly all of their free time with the blonde boy. It was actually rather cute. She just hoped he wouldn't get in the habit of needlessly placing himself in danger, which the three fillies tended to do on a regular basis. He already spent enough time playing pranks with his 'Auntie' Pinkie Pie. Granted, they were mostly aimed at each other, or teamed together against Rainbow Dash, but still...
Fluttershy crawled into the bed she and Naruto still shared. Beginning tomorrow, the addition to her cottage would finally get under-way, and the human child would get his own room. Not that she didn't enjoy letting her adopted son sleep next to her. He had a habit of snuggling into her in his sleep, wrapping himself under her wings in a manner that the Pegasus found adorable. But it would be nice, and she was sure Naruto would agree, for the blonde to have his own space. Despite herself, she fell asleep more focused on what Naruto's new room would look like.
In the field that was her dreamscape, Fluttershy was disheartened to find the Princess of the Moon was already there, waiting for her. The Pegasus was hoping she had perhaps forgotten. "I hope you are ready for what is to come. You must steel yourself. Just remember that he cannot harm you while I am around." Fluttershy shuddered, but nodded. Luna's horn began to glow, opening a rift in the dreamscape, motioning for the Element of Kindness to enter first.
The first step tingled somewhat, but the feeling dissipated shortly, replaced by awe and intimidation. Before her was a rather large, nearly castle-like mansion. Seeing the Princess pass her by and move toward the open door, she hesitantly followed, trying to hide behind the larger mare.
The inside of the mansion was actually very impressive. Very tastefully decorated, though the artwork was a bit unnerving. Strange images of what she could only assume were adult Humans, as well as paintings of strange animals, many of them with more than one tail. As they progressed up the stairs to the next floor, and down the hall, to the open door at the end.
Walking in, Fluttershy swallowed with an audible gulp. Seated on a large chair was the demon, masquerading as a blood-red alicorn. Smirking, his wings unfolded, revealing a rather impressive wingspan, before he swooped down and slammed into the ground before the now shaking pegasus. "Ah, fresh meat," he chuckled, before turning toward the glaring princess. "I take it I'm not allowed to eat this one..." Sure it was a joke, but all the same, Fluttershy let out a squeak and ducked behind Luna.
"Hehehehe..." he laughed. "A timid one. Not that I'm complaining, but why exactly did you bring the mother here? Are you attempting to play on my sympathy or emotion? Are you even sure whether I have either of those qualities?" The way he spoke caused a shiver to run through not just the timid Fluttershy, but Luna as well. It was rather menacing, more-so than the demon normally sounded. "So," he continued, summoning the chess-board from the floor. "Why are you here? I assume you brought this Pegasus here to at least attempt to find a good side for you to get on?"
"Actually, she's here to keep you in line," Luna replied, getting a snort in response.
"Her?" he asked. "You think this frightened little nothing can control me? Even with her...Element of Kindness, what do you think she could accomplish?" Luna glared and stepped aside, revealing the cringing Fluttershy, who again began to tremble as Kyuubi stared at her, that bizarre smirk ever present on his face. "Tell me, what exactly can you do?" Gathering what courage she could, she looked up to meet his gaze.
Luna watched as the Pegasus near her tried her best to stand up stronger, but she did notice a slight tremble in her legs. "I believe she might surprise you."
Fluttershy stared into the creature's red eyes. She stared at many beings in the past, but none made her fear more than the one before her. But despite that, she met his stare. Without realizing it, she stepped forward. Luna guessed that was to see if the beast would back down.
Instead, he raised a brow, but matched the hard stare. To him, he had a brief flashback to before he was sealed in Naruto.
Fluttershy kept up her gaze. Her eyes widened, and her stare got even harder than she thought possible. She knew this wasn't a normal creature from Everfree forest that would easily fold to her stare, but she had to try. For her son.
"A mother's love," Kyuubi decided to speak, not even breaking the stare. "How interesting." His smirk widened. "You think a little cage would hold me? One day, Naruto will cause ultimate destruction. It's inevitable. Will you still be by his side? Protecting a human child that could be so much more than a human. When the time comes, I will enjoy watching this world... break."
Fluttershy felt herself almost tearing away from the stare. She wanted to snap at him. To tell him that he was wrong. She wanted to believe that even Kyuubi could change. That was why she was here. To see what the beast within her son was all about. And now, she felt she knew why he was sealed away. But, she was the element of kindness, she could change him. No, she needed to change him.
Luna watched the exchange. Well, Kyuubi's exchange. She was surprised that the pink Pegasus pumped up her glare, but it didn't matter, Kyuubi just stared back. Half bored and with a smirk. She briefly wondered how long this could even last. One had to give out.
She felt something. It was like there was water flowing around her. Luna's hair defied gravity and gently began to float upwards. She glanced around, and didn't see anything. Until she looked at her companion. Fluttershy was still locked in the stare, but a red substance had started to crawl near her. And one look at Kyuubi again, she realized what it was. By allowing him greater freedom, he had found a way around the seal's protective presence. Luna jumped into action, leaving ripples in her wake.
Fluttershy stared. Not realizing what was happening around her. The red substance formed a tail-like appendage, and launched forward. Three of them. She didn't notice them as she was too focused on her task. As they neared her, they shattered into red shards that flew into the air.
Kyuubi didn't break the Pegasus' stare. "Well, that was surprising." Fangs poked from his lips as Fluttershy finally backed down and looked at Luna in surprise. "Who's keeping whom in line? How dare you attempt to force me under control!" The alicorn body he had adopted began to glow bright red before erupting, expanding furiously and retaking his original shape. The house around them crumbled to dust and bars once more separated the ponies and the demon. "You are interesting, Pegasus. But you are no Kushina...certainly no Madara..." Luna, surprised that the demon himself had restored the prison bars, picked up the names. She would have to remember them. They could prove useful later.
"But now I am tired," Kyuubi announced. "I'm sure you can find your way out. If you wouldn't mind restoring the mansion, since the seal prevents me from doing it myself. It's the least you can do, after this ridiculous stunt you just pulled." There it was again. That question that nagged at her. Kyuubi was powerful, and fast. And with the seal protections downgraded, he could have wiped them both out of existence. But instead, he had replaced the bars. Put them back, preventing himself from doing so. But why?
Within the mind of the demon, a fury unimaginable was building. Though he should have expected such a move from the princess, he hadn't expected it so soon. And it was infuriating. He had to get back at her somehow. He couldn't kill her, or the meek Pegasus, for a multitude of reasons, which is why he had restored the cage to hold back his anger. To be honest, he actually felt a tad bit of respect for the cowardly pony, attempting to induce a form of control over him. And despite the antagonistic nature between himself and the princess, she had been excellent entertainment...but perhaps she had outlived her usefulness. It was sad, as she was actually pleasant company. It was nice to be able to have a conversation, and not be bound in chains during.
However, it was time to get serious. He was not going to take such an attempt at controlling him, failure though it was, lying down. And again, it wasn't a bad attempt, and the fact that the fearful Pegasus had been the one to try it was actually kind of amusing. As he slunk into the shadows of his cage, and returned to his new Alicorn form, the prison vanished, and was replaced once more with the manor-house that Luna had originally created for him. Oh yes, the Alicorn would feel every ounce of his fury. The two had already gone, and as he stared into the flames of his fireplace, his dark gaze glinted with anger and mischief, his frown reforming into a sadistic smirk.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"He resisted the Stare?!" Rarity nearly shouted upon learning what had transpired in the seal. Fluttershy nodded, noticing the worried looks on the faces of each of her friends. This was bad. Fluttershy could easily quell the rage of the fiercest beasts in the Everfree with her Stare. Make them back down. Sure, the Kyuubi was supposedly a demon, but they had expected some sort of reaction.
"Princess Luna says that Kyuubi will probably be pretty angry, but she doesn't expect he'll try anything. She says he knows he can't afford to. If he breaks their deal, than he loses the better conditions, and the company," Fluttershy replied. Which was a relief. If he decided to take control of her son...She honestly had no idea what she'd do. There had to be some way to deal with the demon that didn't involve killing Naruto. But until they could find it, they were forced to play the game Kyuubi had designed. And with the Elements, the Princesses, and the Stare all useless, the Demon Fox had all the cards.
"You said he mentioned two names, right?" Twilight asked, intrigued. "When you tried the Stare, he compared you to two others?" Fluttershy nodded.
"Yes," she said simply. "He said I didn't compare to them."
"Which means that whoever these two are, they do know how to control him," Twilight announced. "If we could maybe find them, they might be able to show us how!" Rainbow Dash looked skeptical.
"But wouldn't these two be in Naruto's world?" She asked. "Plus, this demon is really, really old. How can we know if they are even alive now? For all we know, they could be long gone." Rarity nodded, but still had to point something out.
"While that is true, someone was able to seal that beast into that sweet child," she said. "Surely someone in his world knows how to deal with demons like this."
"But then the question is...how do we get to Naruto's world, and how do we find them when we get there." This final thought by Applejack brought a questioning look to the face of Princess Luna, who was just outside the Library, listening to each of them speak. After last night's debacle, she wanted to make sure Fluttershy had made it through, mentally unscathed. Fortunately, the pink-maned Pegasus was tougher than she looked. Spreading her wings, Luna took flight
Easily crossing the town in moments, coming to rest just outside the school, she used a spell to render herself invisible from the eyes of the students. She peered through the open window, looking at the fillies and colts within. But more importantly, she looked on with interest and deep concern for the one human in the group. He was different, no doubt about it, and yet he was so similar to the other children she had to wonder if he wasn't perhaps a pony in another life. But then, children rarely held prejudices, didn't dwell on differences. They had to be taught that.
Suddenly, the Kyuubi's words to Fluttershy echoed in her mind. "You think a little cage would hold me? One day, Naruto will cause ultimate destruction. It's inevitable. Will you still be by his side? Protecting a human child that could be so much more than a human." They could not allow such a creature to distort such a purity. But why did he hate so much. One must be taught evil to become evil. Did the same hold true of demons? The Nightmare Forces had once ensnared her mind, corrupting her. What made the Kyuubi the way he was...?
What was she to do? She needed more information. She and her sister had learned about the world in which Naruto had come from, and a few things about the boy himself, but she needed more. She didn't know anything about the Kyuubi. She didn't know why he was the way he was, how he came to be...she didn't even if he had a name besides 'Kyuubi.' Information was the key, especially in a dangerous game such as the one she was now immersed in. In having Fluttershy join her the night before, she had maybe made a bad move, but she had not really lost anything. If anything, she had gained some of that precious information. Now what she had to do was follow it. And Luna hoped desperately that the Fox would not force her hand.
She didn't want to admit it, but she was beginning to notice certain...similarities, between the demon fox and herself. Though both wielded great physical power, they each preferred to use their minds to get what they needed. And if perhaps Kyuubi had been benevolent at some point, the similarities became more apparent. However, there were severe differences as well. While her evil was spawned by the Nightmare Forces, gaining root in her mind and amplifying her inner darkness, Kyuubi seemed to be evil from sheer cynicism.
The fox trusted nobody. Discounting his attack against Fluttershy, he had used no more than scare tactics to intimidate others. To test them. And his words to the Pegasus asking whether or not she would stick by her son...The way it was worded and said implied that Naruto would be turned, but he never said anything about being forced or controlled. He had gone on record as saying that it was the humans he had hated, but still had insisted that the child was an innocent. Was the demon so cynical that he believed the blonde would fall into darkness on his own accord? Or was this merely confusing, misdirection tactics from a vile being of hatred.
Knowing that dwelling on the subject would leave her only further in madness, she attempted to put the thoughts out of her mind for now. She decided that it was time Cheerilee's class got a bit of excitement. A visit from a Princess would definitely qualify.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"-And then Princess Luna came, and we got to play games outside with her for the rest of the day!" Naruto announced excitedly, as he and Fluttershy crawled into bed. "I LOVE school here. It beats the dumb old academy big time!" Fluttershy smiled at her charge, knowing that he was at least enjoying himself here. Of that, she was grateful.
"Ok, I know you had fun today, Naruto, but you need to settle down now. Tomorrow is a new day and you need your sleep." Despite obviously not desiring to sleep, he complied, slipping under the covers. "Now, I'll be in shortly. Try to get some sleep tonight, ok?"
"M'kay," acknowledged the blonde. Nodding, Fluttershy began to leave, but was stopped when she heard something unexpected. "I love you, Mom," the young boy said. Fluttershy froze mid-step, hearing those words. Once they had finally processed, she turned and rushed back to the bed, kissing the blonde on the forehead.
"I love you too," she replied softly, smiling brightly at the boy who beamed back. "He called me Mom!" she practically screamed in her mind, more excited than she thought she would be. This was a milestone. She loved her animals but this went beyond that. Despite everything, this boy...this human boy...was well and truly her son. She knew of course that that was the plan from the get-go, but that wasn't what inspired her joy. This was not about some plan. This was about more than simply caring for some animal, as it was at first. Not even bothering continuing her preparations for bed, she crawled in with her child, wrapping her wing over him as both blanket and embrace. She need fear no demon tonight. Right now, it was her and her son. And she hoped beyond hope that it always would be.
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IT LIVES!
Holy shit, I almost forgot about this story. Glad to see it still lives.
Yay for unexpected updates!
Kinda wondering what the fox has planed... fox ears and tails for Naruto, or will it be something more sinister? Oh, and I can't wait for Luna to hear Kurama's story. She'll be able to understand his cynicism afterwards, the biju have been dealt a seriously crummy hand in life. 
Fox would not force her hand. - Fox would not force her hoof.
Looks like [REDACTED] is on to something.
I started laughing when they thought that Madara would help them.
4732577 Let's just hope they don't summon him in any way at all, all of the tailed beasts working together couldn't kill him I doubt that the Mane Six could even stop him.
4766793 Nothing like that, I assure you. I have something much more interesting planned, and it involves Luna, and the moon of the Elemental Nations.
4768780 Nononnonononono, not the Infinite Tsukuyomi, not that!
4769825 again, nothing like that. What I was saying is that she can channel the power from the moon. And remember what is (or was) sealed within the moon of the Elemental Nations...
4769954 The Gedo Mazo/The Shinju's husk... (Don't blame me for thinking about the Infinite Tsukuyomi that is the first thing you think of when you think of using the moon in the Narutoverse)
Can't wait to see where you take this story. I love it!
This needs Jiraya in Equestria.
I can picture his reaction to being unable to continue his 'research', which brings me to my favourite Jiraya moment.
I'd put a clip up, but Xbox internet doesn't let me, so I'll just script it.
Naruto: I knew it! You're nothing but a lousy little pervert!
Jiraya: I am NOT a little pervert!
Naruto: Oh yeah? Then what are you?
Jiraya: *crazy laugh* a big one! *rape face and creepy finger wiggle*
Naruto: *sarcastic* Oh. That makes all the difference.
I'm a bit confused here. Did Kurama try to take over Fluttershy's body or was it something else entirely? I'm probably not the only one confused about this part.
The feels are real