HOOOOLD UP. Did TheCsquared just bring Friendship really IS magic BACK?!

You bet! Because I just recently got into this great fanfiction, and just as I started getting super into it, IT STOPPED DEAD.

DA EFF?

I was like, "NOOOOOOO! How could the author do this to the readers, WTF is up with this cliffhanger OMG!"

But then I realized...

I'm the biggest hypocrite EVER.

Because I'M a writer too, and I just left all of you guys hanging on that beetle part... I'm SORRY! I've just been getting used to school and stuff, and just... BLECH.

But, I think I have pockets of free time here and there, so I'll use those opportunities to write more chapters of this story.

WOOT WOOT!

So, sit back, and read! I've delayed long enough!

---

"SHINRA TENSEI!"

The wild whoosh of wind blasted the giant beetle off its feet, sending it tumbling backwards and into a bush. A swift stab in the face sent it back to the depths of hell.

Pein turned around, his eyes looking murderous.

"Whose idea... was this?"

Itachi and Tobi were following directions, like they were told. Kisame and Zetsu could see everything from above, especially a giant beetle. So...

As soon as he heard hysteric laughter coming from the cloud above him, he knew what was up.

With a quick nin- jump, Pein had bowled the two ponies over and pinned them down with his hooves.

"And what do you two think is so FUNNY...?" He hissed.

Shit... The two thought.

Suddenly, the cloud they were on disappeared into nothingness, and all the observation ponies crashed to the ground.

"ANSWER ME! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Normally, Pein wouldn't have been so harsh and loud, but when his teammates LIVES were at stake for foolish pranks, he'd turn into a monster.

"Leader- sama, nobody got hurt. It's not a big deal." Kisame chuckled shakily, trying to calm him down. Zetsu stayed silent.

Pein hissed. Or, made a strange noise that sounded like helium escaping from a balloon.

Can ponies hiss? Because I think he was trying to hiss like he does when he's human, but in this form, it doesn't work...

"Y'all are hopeless, aren't ya?" Applejack walked up to the ninja ponies, stopping Kisame's train of thought.

"Really, a prank like that? You two would really risk killing some of y'all's BEST FRIENDS for a couple o' laughs? Do they mean nothing to ya?"

All eyes were on the orange pony, her green eyes solemn and disappointed. Twilight Sparkle was looking down on them, literally.

"These two apparently don't value some of our best teammates. Honestly, a stunt like this? How could you even think this was a good idea?!" Pein said.

"Leader- sama... We were just trying to entertain ourselves, and we thought Itachi and Tobi could fight it off..." Zetsu didn't meet Pein's furious lavender eyes.

''They were in too much shock to lift a finger against the giant beetle! You two... I ought to..." Pein growled again and positioned his hooves in a 'Shinra- Tensei' stance.

"NO!" Applejack's orange leg stopped his own from further action.

"Things will only get worse if you fight fire with fire. Instead, you two TROUBLEMAKERS go apologize to ya teammates! GO!"

"They're not hurt, why should we-"

"That's what friends DO FOR EACH OTHER!"

"But we didn't even do anything-"

Applejack's eyes flashed. "In the future, Itachi and Tobi might hate ya for trying to kill them as a simple JOKE! Hatred grows and grows after time, and can turn a pony into a MONSTER if left alone to simmer and boil. And if y'all have ever heard of the word REVENGE, and you care about your own lives, I suggest y'all GET ON WITH IT!"

Her tone had finality in it. Kisame himself was not actually sure WHY these foreign ponies were putting in so much effort to fix the team...

But Itachi was a close acquaintance, and maybe even a friend to him. He sure as hell didn't want any Amaterasu up on his ass ten years from now, either.

"Fine... Itachi, sorry." His apology wasn't empty, but it wasn't completely sincere either.

Itachi just stared at him and nodded. Personally, he had been through much worse. Seeing his brother again had made him feel a lot stronger.

But did it even matter? Like Twilight had said, he was as cold and lifeless as ice.

Zetsu had given a raspy apology to Tobi, who had of course accepted it happily. He proceeded to yank the green appendages sprouting from Zetsu's shoulders, which was probably more torture than apologizing.

"Now, if you guys are done with all the sappy SHIT, could we please get the f*ck outta here?" Hidan's all too familiar language entered everypony's ears, and they all sighed.

"I hope y'all have learned something... Tricking someone is just like LYING TO THEM... Givin' em a false truth and leading them into something terrible is LYING. And HONESTY is something you absolutely need to be a friend."

The entire Akatsuki listened to her words. They were true. But, was it so simple to trust when you came from a world where it could mean your death?

This is truly a world of friendship...

---

"What IS THIS?" Sakura sniffed at the little cake on the plate in front of her. A cute little pyramid of pink substance was perched atop it. When she licked it, it tasted sweet and fluffy on her tongue. Like dango, but much sweeter...

"Apparently, they're called cupcakes." Kakashi said, removing his muzzle from his own little cake. "The cream at the top is called frosting." He looked like a masked 3rd hokage with the frosting hanging from his chin.

"It's... GOOD!" Naruto mumbled between fast bites.

Sasuke just "hmphed" like he always did, but you could see little flecks of cake in his raven mane.

So even the coldest man on the team can enjoy this food... Kakashi thought. He wondered how Sasuke had stayed so calm being around his brother. Maybe he had matured, or was just ignoring Itachi out of childish stubbornness.

"Ya know, it's kinda getting stuffy in here. We've been inside this stinking room for an entire DAY. Shouldn't we ask the princess or something to let us out?"

"Naruto, use your head. Four "foreign ponies who can use powerful battle magic" running around a peaceful town full of weak citizens? Do you really think they would let us out?"

"Well, I gotta get outta here. I need the wind in my face, the rustling of leaves around me, I need - I need a goddamn bowl of ramen!"

"Stop being selfish, Naruto! The princess gave us these desserts, and we should be thankful they're not locking us up in prison cells!"

"But-"

"Let it go." Sasuke's voice entered the air, and he was clearly annoyed by Naruto's constant blabbering.

''I'm gonna have WITHDRAWL symptoms or something! I'll get shaky, and start to breathe really fast... RAMEN!" The ninja- pony's blue eyes went wide with energy. He was working himself up.

"Naruto, try to stick it out a little longer."

"WE COULD BE STUCK HERE FOREVER!"

"Oh, for god's sakes, NARUTO! CALM YOURSELF!" Sakura yelled.

"Ramen..." Naruto began to quiver, but sat down and shut up eventually. "I NEED IT!"

Suddenly, a loud "CLANG" could be heard from outside the door.

''WHAT IS ALL THAT NOISE?!" A voice boomed.

"Looks like you've pissed off the princess," Sasuke grumbled.

---

"HOW DID WE EVEN GET HERE, HMMM?!" Deidara yelled. One second, he was getting lectured about honesty in a sparkly magenta dome. A second later, he's lying in a tufted chair getting his mane washed with sparkly SHAMPOO.

He looked to his sides. Pein was looking angrier than a hornet over there. His orange mane looked fabulous, though, silky and shining UNLIKE the crazy, spiky mess it was most of the time. And were his piercings PINK?

On his other side, Itachi was getting his raven mane washed with shampoo and warm water. When he took a look at the Uchiha's face, it looked like he was actually ENJOYING it. His eyes were closed, as if he were enjoying a massage. But, the length of Itachi's hair probably put a lot of weight on his head, so it must have felt good to just rest.

"YO, hmmm! Sasori!"

"Help... me..." Deidara heard Sasori's voice, and it was TOTALLY STRAINED.

Deidara's eyes darted around, searching for his friend.

He finally found him... GETTING SQUEEZED INTO A CRAZY OUTFIT!

Mind skidding to a halt, all Deidara could do was stare dumbly at his choking partner. A red tie was fastened around his neck, and the fancy purple haired pony was trying to force a tight vest onto his torso.

And that vest looked like it had come straight from Candy Land.

It was striped and polka- dotted, in a rainbow of pastel colors.

"Let me... GO..." He wheezed.

"UNHAND HIM! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING, HMMM?!"

"I thought this would be a great way to relax after your little run-in with the giant beetle! Scalp massages are very calming, and so is trying on new outfits!" She sang, while yanking the ridiculous vest further down Sasori's body.

"He's obviously in pain, hmmm!"

Rarity took a look at Deidara. It was impossible to take a pony seriously if their head was dripping wet with pink suds and water.

"Oh, but doesn't it look so good on him? With a final pull that made Sasori yelp, the vest was on. "He looks almost as nice as Itachi did when I created that 'suave flamenco dancer' outfit for him!"

She resumed her non-stop chirping on how fashion was a great stress reliever. Deidara just sighed, and his eyes fell to look at Sasori again.

He was on the ground, passed out.

---

"Sorry, princess, we uh, w-we were just talking!" Sakura said nervously.

Luna's dark figure stood in the doorway, her eyes burning holes through the ninja pony's faces.

Sakura turned to Kakashi.

Could really use some ladies man charm now, Kakashi- sensei...

Before she could blink, Kakashi was in front of Luna.

"We're terribly sorry, Princess, about the noise. But one of my students is in need of sunshine. Could we trouble you for a little walk outside?"

"Y-you could escape... And wreak havoc around Canterlot. Not around here, you won't."

"My dear, I was hoping that you'd come with us."

Sakura's trained ninja ears could hear Luna's breath start to change.

If she was a ninja being interrogated by someone like Kakashi, her village wouldn't stand a chance, she thought, inner Sakura cackling at the princess's pathetic-ness.

"Gua...Guards..." Luna stuttered to the armor- clad unicorns behind her. They stood up straighter, waiting for her command.

"Let them out."

---

YAY! That brings us to the end of this chapter! Hope you enjoyed~