= = = Rendezvous = = =

Having jumped through the wormhole at the top of the building, Twilight was spit out into a grassy field.
It was mid-day where ever she was at the moment, and the verdant field in which she now found herself was immense. Bordering it were many trees, accenting a land that felt untouched by the plague that effected her own world. Clambering to her hooves, she inspected her surroundings: not a soul in sight. Suddenly the sound of Fluttershy's yelps became audible, as she came crashing just beside Twilight's side. Rainbow Dash and Gregory followed shortly afterwords, landing gracefully behind the other two.

“Where's Spike? Spike!?” Twilight called out frantically. “Oh no...no no no no, not again.....”

Spike rolled out from the vortex, and collided with Twilight. She glanced over her shoulder to see the purple dragon waving his claws at her, with a smile. Twilight instantly turned around and wrapped her hooves around the baby dragon. Never before had Spike seen Twilight cry so much—tears streamed freely down her face.

“Spike.... You don't know how glad I am to see you....” She sobbed, hiccuping every once and a while.

“I missed you too... Twilight.” Returning the embrace, he nuzzled into Twilight, a feeling of relief putting him at ease.

Stepping from the thickness of the trees, a tall, slender man appeared, with a mask covering up most of his face, and silver hair that spiked towards the sky in an unnatural manner. His footsteps were almost inaudible until he was right in front of the group.

“I see you all made it here in one piece.” He stated, calmly, and at once Twilight turned to face the familiar sounding voice. “I'm Hatake Kakashi. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

A hand was held out to Twilight, who met his hand with her hoof, shaking it in greetings.

“I'm Twilight... Twilight Sparkle.” She responded in kind. Their group was larger now, and she could feel a sense of stability returning to the world, even if it was such a tiny ray of hope.

After Kakashi had made his entrance, he motioned two fingers in the air. Twilight curiously watched, soon two more ninja emerged from within the trees.

Another young man with unkempt red hair appeared. He bore a strange symbol tattooed on his forehead and black eye liner. On his back he carried a large gourd, and the garments he wore implied he was from the desert. The woman standing next to him was a well-endowed blonde haired ninja with a green jacket similar to Kakashi's. On her forehead sat a diamond-like gem, seemingly embedded into her skin. Both held a stern and powerful looking demeanor about themselves.

“This is Gaara, leader of the Sand Village.” Kakashi looked over to the youth. Though silent, he acknowledged them with a curt nod.

“Nice to meet you Gaara, I am Twilight Sparkle.” She replied, with a smile.

“The name's Tsunade, and I am the leader of the Leaf Village.” She stated her title similar to how Kakashi stated Gaara's, and merely bowed subtly upon her introduction.
Twilight, who had expected a handshake (hoofshake?), awkwardly retracted her forearm and bowed her head in response.

“Um...Twilight?” the rainbow-maned pegasus landed softly beside her friend, watching the newcomers wide-eyed.
“I can't understand a word these guys are saying! How are you communicating with them?”

“Yeah, I was wondering that, too.” Gregory turned to Fluttershy, and the two shrugged to one another.
“I mean, I'm hearing what I'm assuming is Japanese, but you seem to be getting along just fine. Is this gonna be an issue?”

Kakashi and his two comrades exchanged puzzled glances. ”何をしてる？”

“Um...gesundheit?” Gregory tilted his head.

“Oh, of course...silly me.” Twilight giggled, slapping her forehead with one hoof. She took a focused stance, lighting up her horn until a bright flash illuminated the area.
The entire group glanced around blankly, trying to figure out what her spell had just accomplished.

“Twilight? What just happened?” Dash floated upwards, still inspecting the area.

“Oh look, it talks.” Tsunade mused.

“Huh? You speak English now?” Gregory pointed between the three ninja.
Out of all of them, only Gaara remained unamused.

Spike raised an eyebrow. “What's English?”

“You see...there was initially a language barrier separating Twilight and myself.” Kakashi explained. “Apparently, this Jutsu...pardon me, magic...of hers was able to translate for us.”
He stood up, eager to continue their business.

“And with that out of the way, we need to move before nightfall. I'm sure you may have figured this out, but it gets pretty dangerous out here.” Kakashi told her as his hand hinted towards the woods.
“We'll at least need to get to our safehouse before we plan our next move.”

“Alright, I'll organize my group. When are we heading out?” She asked.

“...soon.” He replied to her, taking a good look at the sky as he did so. The sun was about to set within the hour—to be out in the open in nightfall would have been...less than ideal.

Twilight trotted over to where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had huddled with Spike, who was carrying a conversation on with Gregory about the technology in his world.

“Whoa, so these cars carry creatures like you in them? And they are made of metal?” The features on his face were painted with much enthusiasm, Gregory's world was so interesting.

Twilight thought it was weird that everyone was just casually talking among one another, despite all the chaos that was going on, but then she realized: this escapism was just a way for them to cope with the reality around them, something they all needed a little bit of to survive. Morale was important, and absolutely crucial in times where a team needs to work together in order to accomplish a goal or mission. She cleared her throat and then began to speak.

“I'm sorry to interrupt guys, but we need to prepare to leave. It seems Kakashi has a place for us all to go to, and we'd best make it there before sunset.” She told them.

Spike and Gregory stopped their conversation, nodding with acknowledgment at Twilight, and upon that note, the both of them, alongside the pegasi, got up from their spots and were ready to depart. Twilight looked back to Kakashi's group and saw that they too were prepared.

“Alright, is everyone ready to go? We don't have much time before those things come out and start hunting, so lets move out!” Kakashi declared loudly, everyone in the group could hear him loud and clear.

Kakashi lead the way into the thicket of the woods. Pushing away tree branches, and stepping over ruts in the dirt, they ventured forth. They passed several large openings, walking along the edges of these areas, precariously masking their steps as best they could. This became more essential the closer it got to nightfall. When the light started to dim, and the sun was clearly setting, the calls of the beasts began sounding off in the distance. Luckily for the group, they had just reached their destination: Kakashi had pulled back a 'rock' skillfully hidden behind some shrubbery, only to reveal an opening to a cave. Everyone filed into the entrance, walking the entire length of it before reaching the very back of the cave. It was a decently sized, sparsely furnished cave, having enough room for everyone to comfortably maintain their own personal bubble of space. Kakashi was the last to enter, pulling the rock in front of the entrance as he crawled in.

“Is everyone accounted for?” He asked, his fingers pointing at heads while he counted. Eight total, myself included.

“Yes, everyone in my group is present, Kakashi.” Twilight stated, her horn was glowing at this point, the cave was dark after all.

Kakashi noticed her horn, and then began to pull out something from his pocket. In his hands now, was a translucent orb fitting in the palm of his hand.

“You won't need to waste your magic, Twilight.” Kakashi's Chakra poured into the object, and at once it lit up, producing a light sufficiently brighter than Twilight's own produced light. She then put her magic out, and looked at the orb. Adjusting her self, she sat on all fours, making herself comfortable. “We should be safe her for the rest of the night. Right?”

Looking around, she felt safe—almost. Then her focus rested on Spike.
How did he get here? The thought crossed her mind, and a curious feeling arose within her.

“Spike, since we have the time, could you fill us in on how you managed to escape from that hay-hole? I thought you were heading to Canterlot last time I spoke to you?” When she said that a tinge of sorrow prodded at her. Part of her wanted to know what happened to her number one assistant, but another part of her wanted to know exactly why the Princess didn't send her any messages after she sent him.

At once, Spike's eyes fell, his voice filled with melancholy. “Twilight, we need to talk about what happened at Canterlot.”

Twilight felt a lump in her throat, afraid of what he was about to start explaining to her.

“I managed to get there before it went down, but what I saw...was...horrifying,” he stated.

Spike's memory of the events remained fresh, and as he spoke the scenes themselves started to play out in Twilight's mind.

= = = Canterlot, two weeks ago. = = =

Bursting through some bushes, Spike huffed. In his hands he held a scroll. He attempted to send it again with his fire, but just like before, it failed. Something was wrong—his fire never failed to send anything before. Moving yet again, he made his way along a path he remembered, its destination: Canterlot. Spike's eyes darted in all directions, making sure that the coast was clear before making a beeline for better cover.

“I.... I can't believe she made me go for help.... Before I even get back to her.... she might already be..... NO, don't think like that Spike.... get yourself together man.... hurry up... faster, legs, faster!” Frustration laced his exhausted voice.

The winding trail, which usually saw decent traffic, was barren right now. Despite this fact, Spike tried to remain inconspicuous and remained on the sides, skittering about within the camouflage of the shrubbery.
If those things see me before I can make it to the Princess.... I'm a goner for sure.... He thought.
On the horizon he could just make out the kingdom of Canterlot. It was far away, at least a good mile or two.

As he moved, something a distance behind him frightened him: a harvester. It moved out from some skirting trees, coming after him. Spike began to panic, and adrenaline started to pump through his veins. He never thought he would be able to move so fast in his entire life, but the sickening growl of the abomination behind him motivated him otherwise. While evading capture from the beast behind him, he carelessly stumbled over a rock. Tumbling down the side of the path, he rolled down a hill into a huge corn field. It was a mixed bit of luck, he thought to himself, as he wouldn't be easily found among the corn, but on the other hand, he also could barely see which direction he was going. The only guidance he had was to part the stalks of corn from his view to catch a glimpse of some of the taller towers on Canterlot. Spike headed off into that direction, not wasting another second as the harvester closed in. He could hear it ripping through corn, desperately trying to locate its prey. Spike's feet picked up speed again, and after 5 minutes of endless corn stalk navigating he managed to find a fence. Leaping over it, he rapidly rediscovered the path, and resumed his guerrilla-traveling tactics. The harvester in pursuit had lost him completely within that field of corn.

“Shoo...that was close....” Spike wiped the sweat that seemed to be building up along his forehead, and continued onwards to Canterlot.

The abandoned castle town was nearby, as Spike could see main gate dead ahead. When he entered into the town, he made sure to continue his evasive maneuvering. However... the place seemed deserted. Not a single pony nor harvester could be seen. How odd...no blood either. The thought came across as strange. Ponyville was awash in blood, why wouldn't Canterlot be in the same state? Maybe they evacuated in time? But did the Princess know of this then? And if she did why wouldn't she have done so for the rest of Equestria? He dropped his guard just a bit, while he walked and deliberated over the many thoughts in his head.

“I need to get to the castle....” Spike decided, looking up towards the castle walls.

Walking up the path, he was actually relieved by the sight of two royal Equestrian guards. He smiled as he made his way up to them, though he was greeted with animosity.

“Halt! The castle is not allowing any visitors at this time; Martial Law has been issued!” One guard called out in a commanding voice, he readjusted his position into a hostile one, training a weapon on Spike. The other guard did like-wise.

“Martial Law? Here? Wait a minute guys! I need to see the Princess!” Spike replied showing them the scroll he intended to deliver.

“No one is allowed entry into the palace!” The first guard reiterated, squinting his eyes at Spike.

“But you have to understand.... I have a plea for help from Twilight Sparkle! I need to get in and see the Princess!” Spike was yelling at this point.

High above the gate itself, on top of the wall, Princess Celestia watched over the land. When her eyes and ears recognized Spike down below, she barked out to the guards below.
“Guards! Let that dragon in!” A sense of urgency was laced within her voice.

“Check him for injuries of any kind!” The other guard called out, and soon Spike found himself being closely looked at from all angles. It was offensive to him, but he understood their strict actions. “He's clear. Open the gates!”

The guards moved to the sides, the wooden moat door started slowly descending. Once it had touched the ground with a loud thud, Spike was escorted inside of the castle. Immediately after he entered the court grounds, the moat door was returned to it's upright position, and the guards returned to their stations as well.

When he entered the chamber, Princess Celestia's radiant presence greeted him, prompting a bow from both Spike and the guard.
“Thank you, you may leave now.” Celestia's words were kind, and soft to the ears. The guard acknowledged the order and galloped away.
“My dear Spike...I'm glad to see you are well in these troubled times. I take it you have come here with word from Ponyville?”

Slowly he rose, approaching her throne and handing her the scroll he hand-carried all the way here.
“It's from Twilight Sparkle. We've been trying to send you messages for a while, but we feared the worst...” he stepped back apprehensively, prodding his pointer fingers together.

The Princess's eyes filled with fear after she opened it and began reading it.
“I was afraid of this...Ponyville has fallen...” Celestia said with a tinge of sadness to accompany her voice. “Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, all things considered. Have you any current knowledge on the well-being of Twilight and her friends?”

“No... Princess...I don't.” Spike lowered his head.

“I see...then I have a job for you.” The Princess told him. “There is a nearby shelter to which I have been evacuating as many of this region's ponies as possible. Let us hope we find them...as well as any other survivors we can find.”

Her words were grim, and a feeling of regret filled her mind. She knew she couldn't save everypony, but she committed herself to trying to save whoever she could, and with no way of communicating to the outside world, the local shelter was all she was able to manage directly. Their exchange was abruptly interrupted as a guard burst in. His bearing was impeccable, his face never changed emotions, as he rushed in, what Spike heard next was heart-stopping.

“Princess Celestia, an army marches upon our gates!” The guard announced as he customarily bowed to the princess.

“An army?! What army would march upon Canterlot?” The princess questioned.

“Harvesters, princess.” He replied.

“No... no... not here too!” Spike started to shiver, the one place in the world he thought was a safe haven, and there was now an army of those horrifying creatures here? It was too much, and he almost practically passed out on the spot. However, the voice of his Matriarch kept him strong.

“Secure all the exits and entrances, make sure that everypony within the shelter remains utterly silent, and position guards near said shelter. Issue a word of advice for all guards: 'Aim for the head, and don't hesitate to strike them down in spite of their striking resemblance to ponies'” She said, her voice booming and very commanding.

“Yes, your majesty!” The guard stood at attention upon hearing her words, and then departed immediately intent on fulfilling his mission.

“Spike, come with me, we may not have much time left, and there is something I wish to give to you.” Celestia motioned for Spike to follow her, while she walked behind her throne.

When Spike walked over to where the princess went to, he found that she was pressing her hoof up into one spot on the wall. Instantly a little door opened up, and a room was revealed. Inside the little room were many shelves with jars that contained an array of artifacts and items that Spike could only wonder about. His eyes bounced about the room, trying to take it all in at once. When the princess found what she was looking for, she began to levitate it down from where it was stored at on the shelves. Turning swiftly, she looked at Spike, with a small, ornate ring floating in front of her.

“Spike, take this ring, it is filled with Draconic magic.” She told him, her magic sliding the ring onto one of his claws. “Normally I would not advocate the use of Draconic powers or instincts, but given the way things are, you will undoubtedly find it most beneficial.”

Luna ran into the room, she seemed to be flustered.

“Sister! The castle is under siege!” She called out.

Just then the foundation of the castle began to shake. Whatever was going on out there was causing a tremendous commotion. A look of fear ran across the features of the princess's face for a split second. Celestia moved out of the chamber and back to her throne room to look into her sister's eyes. Luna was strong willed, but for some reason she was a bit nerve-racked by what was happening.

“What did you witness my sister?” Celestia asked, as another horrible shake occurred.

Recovering from the quake, Luna began to speak. “Those things... those creatures...thousands of them! And among them, their leader, is...! I think I recognized her! The guards, despite their strength, are only becoming victims. Any longer and the castle will fall!”

When Spike got a good look at Celestia's face, completely grave. It was apparent that this was serious not only for Spike, but this was the absolute, final defense that Equestria had. If Canterlot falls, who will save us? Where will we be safe? Is this the end? Spike's mind raced through the possibilities. Turning to the baby dragon, Celestia knew there was no time to waste.

“Spike, you need to escape before it is too late.” She told him, but her words were spoken too late. The sound of felled guards was heard outside, followed by the sound of banging.
Lots and lots of banging.
Both of them took apprehensive steps back, preparing for the worst. The din came to a halt, and suffocating silence filled the air. Celestia and Spike looked at one another and then to the door, Luna eyes widened while staring directly at the source of the previous sounds.

“Bring it down my minions.” A familiar voice called out, and immediately following that command, a horrendously loud impact sound reduced the door to a pile of wood scraps. Riding atop what could only be described as an eldritch abomination, Pinkie Pie stood there smiling. The creature she was riding looked like the cadaver of a huge worm. It's underbelly was rotting away, but held delicately together by multiple strands of still attached muscle and sinew. Its carapace had holes scattered about it's surface, and from these holes multiple tentacles slithered out, some of which had the bodies of ponies impaled on it. It had multiple bug like legs, like that of a centipede. Dangling from Pinkie Pie's neck was a necklace of some sort. Her eye-lids were half way open, and that terrible smile across her face implied unspeakable machinations.

Around the feet of this worm-like harvester, were her minions. Amy, Sakura, and Rukia stood there behind them, harvesters also were present, awaiting further commands from their superiors.

“Ah, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. How nice to see you two, are you doing well?” Pinkie pie cackled, while nonchalantly pushing her straight hair out of her face. “I think you have something that I could benefit from!”

“Pinkamena Dianne Pie, What is the meaning of this? Why have you done this?” Celestia demanded answers, a hoof stomped into the ground fiercely.

“Hehehehehe....” She just giggled in response, this giggle however, brought a chill up Spike's spine. Was she taunting them or did she legitimately think this was amusing? She followed through in the most cheerful voice possible:
“Because I wanted to, is all. One day I had a change of heart, and deemed that the world shouldn't be a happy place. So I decided to drown the world in eternal suffering and despair!”

Seeing both Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's faces contort in disgust, Spike started shaking.
Pinkie pie?? What the hell? How? Why? It just doesn't make sense! He was getting nauseated from all of this. Too much stress for a baby dragon was surely unhealthy.

“Now, I'd like to make this quick, I will be taking both of you hostage.” Pinkamena announced, smirking a bit more than she was already. As she spoke her eyes slowly moved to look at Spike, he could feel her cold gaze fixate on him. “Oh Spike, I didn't see you there. Looks like you somehow managed to survive the attack on Ponyville! Oh, but don't worry, you'll be able to see Twilight and them in the afterlife after I finish with these two.”

Spike froze up, unconsciously clenching his jaws.
She climbed down from atop the worm-like creature and approached both Celestia and Luna. Harvesters joined Pinkamena as she got closer. Celestia and Luna prepared themselves for a fight, but as soon as Pinkamena got within a couple yards she just stopped. Cocking her head to the side she gazed at the two. Her creepy looks made them shiver a small bit in revolt. It was as if she was eying them like some product at a store. Fiddling with the Amulet around her necklace, it was only seconds afterwords that Celestia realized what it was she was wearing now.

“Where in Equestria...did you find THAT?” Celestia showed intense concern, she was grinding her teeth a bit, her brow furled in seriousness.

Even Luna understood exactly what it was that made her sister shiver so much. Before they could react though, Pinkamena started to speak, and the moment she did...time slowed to a halt and all other sound ceased to exist.

“Gotcha!” She giggled, breaking the silence, and suddenly rubbing a hoof on her amulet, only to unleash a malevolent magic unto the two sisters.

“NO! Arghhhhhh!” Falling to their knees, they were helpless. Celestia could feel her magic being drained rapidly, Luna felt the exact same thing as well. Looking over to the now terrified Spike, Celestia thought quickly: there was no time! Focusing the last of her magic into one final spell, she cast a golden light in Spike's direction. As the magic hit him, he witnessed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna be drawn into the amulet on her necklace. And just as he felt himself being whisked away from this world, he heard Pinkamena say one last thing.

“Now I have the powers of both the sun and moon, as for you Spike, be lucky Celestia saved your dragon hide today. But fear not! You will soon perish just like the rest.” Her maniacal laughter left a residual sound thumping in his ears when the magic finally whisked him away.

Spike landed in some bushes, completely unaware as to where he had landed. It was dark now, and the only source of light came from a burning city nearby. Flames raged, and gave birth to large billowing clouds of smoke. Forever burned into his mind, the siege of Canterlot had come to an end, and the worst part of it all, was Spike could still hear the screams of the remaining survivors. Tears welled up in his ducts, and poured from his eyes. Why.... just why?..... the thought echoed in his head like a mantra as he rocked back and forth.

= = = Progress = = =

“After that... I started wandering around until I ended up in a desert where I was helped by Gaara.” Spike finished up his story, breathing one big sigh, as within his mind the memory felt like a heavy burden to carry.
“I thought Celestia had sent me just outside Canterlot, but as it turns out I found myself here...with these guys. I'd already thought I would never see you again, and then....the royal sisters....”

“No.... Princess Celestia.... Princess Luna....” Twilight sniffled, wiping away tears from earlier. She couldn't believe even they succumbed to the chaos that Pinkamena was causing. She was at a loss for words, her heart was pained, like a dagger had gone through it multiple times. Burying her face into her hooves, she wept for her teacher and her teacher's sister.

“How could both the princesses fall to Pinkie?! Shes only an earth pony!” Rainbow Dash's voice was laced with both rage and sadness. Kicking some dirt, she turned her frame to face a wall, doing this so that nobody could see her face contorted in despair.

Even Fluttershy cried. To the ponies, Celestia and Luna were symbols and greatly loved Alicorns, and among the mane six they even shared a special connection. Pinkie pie, what the hay could have made you do such a thing? Confliction raged a war within her own head.

Kakashi sympathized with the ponies. He had lost a great dealt of friends and allies not only during the initial leaf village invasion, but in his growing years long before that. It was devastating, but he knew how to cope better than these children.
No...they aren't children anymore. Not in this hell. Looking them over, he felt he needed to pass on some advice. Getting up from his spot he walked over to the group, and slowly began to talk.

“Hey, Twilight?” Kakashi started.

“Yeah?...” She adjusted herself as much as she possibly could so it didn't seem like she was that upset, but she wasn't doing a very good job of it.

“When my buddies perished during our initial encounter with these harvesters, I was sad, too. As sad as you and your friends are right now.” Kakashi continued, Tsunade and Gaara were looking at him listening to his words. “In my lifetime, I've seen a lot of friends pass on, and it never gets any easier. But I never even had time to bid farewell, not when the mission still needed to be completed. On top of that...we just can't preoccupy ourselves with the dead. Not in this line of work. I don't mean to sound cold, but, your friends are still alive. And from what I can discern, and they need your help more than ever right now.”

Twilight took a moment to analyze his words. At first they hurt, as if he was telling her not to cry for the princesses. After a careful reconsideration however, she started to speak. “You're right, Kakashi... The princess wouldn't just cry if we got captured... she'd be focused on rescuing us....”

Kakashi nodded. “And the first step to doing that...could you tell me about this temple?” The shinobi was clearly quite flexible...immediately having moved back on to business. His mind was teeming with questions regarding the location that Twilight wanted them to go to, especially regarding how she knew about it while his world seemingly didn't.

“Oh yeah, there's an artifact in the temple that we need to retrieve.” Twilight stated.

“Yes, The Mare's Amulet of Tranquility, but is there anything special about this temple?” Kakashi began to ask her more questions.

“Nothing in particular, I know next to nothing about this temple other than it's used for worship and to secretly hold the amulet.” Twilight told him.

“Hmm, interesting. I guess we will find out when we set out here in a little bit.” Kakashi replied.

“A little bit? You mean as in the next hour or so?” Twilight cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“Well, the quicker the better. I'd rather we rest up and stay in decent condition for something so serious, but the way things are...it's become rather dangerous staying in one place for too long.” Kakashi said with a calm voice.

“That makes sense, but how far are we exactly from the temple? Is it at least nearby?” Twilight questioned.

“It is. It shouldn't be more than a ten minute walk from here.” Kakashi replied.

“Alright, what's the plan then?” Twilight asked, readjusting her position.

“We will split into two teams once we arrive at the temple.” He began to explain. “Simply put, we will be scattering around the temple to cover more ground. I know it's a bit dangerous, but the group dynamics will ultimately decide how safe we will be.”

“Group dynamics?” Twilight was a bit puzzled upon hearing the word.

“The way I see it, we should split the groups in a balanced manner. Supplementing each group with members from both sides in order to fully realize our potential for completing the mission.” He nodded.

“Ah, I see, so you want to tactically organize our groups?” Twilight suddenly understood what he was discussing, and nodded at his professional familiarity with the subject.

“Precisely. Now—when one of the groups finds the artifact, we will convene at one spot to be determined when we arrive at the temple. The goal is to get in and out as swiftly and as efficiently as possible without attracting the attention of harvesters. The last thing I want is for us to be trapped in there fighting against the hordes of these monsters.” He stated, while clearing his throat after his first sentence.

“In that case, have you an idea of how you wanted to allocate our groups?” Twilight inquired.

“I do in fact, I will discuss it on the way over there.” Kakashi said this while looking over at Gregory with piqued interest.

Gregory was unaware of his precarious glances, and was partly listening in on the conversation while still carrying on a discussion with Spike. Kakashi then moved over to where Gaara and Tsunade were sitting and he took a bag from off the ground near them. Having opened it to inspect the many items inside, Twilight guessed he was just doing an inventory check. Seeing that their conversation had come to an end, she walked over to Gregory and the rest of her pony friends.

“Guys, we are going to be setting out in a little bit. I want you all to be prepared.” She told them, her violet eyes slowly darting from pony to person as she spoke.

“So soon? Shouldn't we wait for morning?” Gregory was speculative, as he said this with a yawn.

“I know it's...less than ideal, but the quicker we get this over with, the quicker we can get some real rest.” Twilight summed up what Kakashi told her regarding his reason for such immediate action.

“Heh.... hopefully I can kill something.... they won't see me coming in the dark....--- Quit it you! No killing.... --- Don't deny it Fluttershy, you like to kill things... especially animals... --- N..o.... quiet.... DONT you DARE talk about killing animals!.... --- hehehehehhe.... ---” Fluttershy shivered a bit after this episode, pushing the thought of her animal friends from her shattered mind.

“Don't listen to your shell, Fluttershy, you have your friends here with you.” Twilight reassured the yellow Pegasus.
Watching her friend, she began thinking of ways they might be able to help her heal from the ordeal.

“Hmph, friends.... how can you even be sure we're all 'friends' at all, Twilight?” Rainbow dash said with much disdain. “I mean... after all, Pinkie Pie turned on us... for all we know, Fluttershy could be out to get us, shes already dangerous enough as it is with that shell of hers!”

Fluttershy cringed a little at her friend's harsh words.

“And then what about THIS clown?” now hovering, she extended a hoof towards Gregory. “We don't know anything about him!”

“Rainbow Dash! How dare you question our faith to you as friends! These two would never do something like that!” Twilight raised her voice a bit, glancing nervously towards Fluttershy. “We need to stick together!”

“And how the hay do you know that? Until just recently you could have said the same for Pinkie Pie, and NOW look at her.... killing everypony like nothing.... YOU JUST DON'T KNOW!...” Rainbow Dash yelled back, sorrow laced her voice, as did a pinch of anger.

Twilight was about to say something else, but Gregory put a hand on her shoulder. As Spike –realizing the significance of what was happening—decided to find somepony else to talk to for the time being. “Its best just to leave her in her own thoughts.”

“But, why is she being so resentful towards us? Doesn't she know we are her friends?” Twilight brought the pitch of her voice to a low whisper. She felt her heart fall—the thought just occurred to her: Rainbow's ability to trust had been completely destroyed, and much like Fluttershy, she may never be the same again.

“Put yourself in her shoes...er...hooves, for a second. How would you feel if the last memories you had were of your best friend brutally murdering you, and waking up the very next DAY, for all you know, just to realize the one who killed you is know destroying everything and everyone you ever held dear to you.” Gregory explained as much as he could understand about the situation. “Try to imagine for a second what those final moments must have been like. Maybe she just needs time...and a lot of support, maybe?”

“I... I get it.... but.... she doesn't have to take it out on us....” She replied a bit sheepishly.

“No, no...you're right. But to be honest, she probably just doesn't know how to handle it. Being brought back to life.... is well.... impossible in my world. In fact, the very idea of it is still boggling my mind, and I bet it's even more harder for her. I don't think anyone would be able to just jump back to life and be all hugs and smiles with everybody she knew before.”

Twilight sighed a bit, her ears drooping desperately. “How... do I help her then?”

“I'm no shrink, but I say you just remain supportive. Act as a true friend should, and give her time.” Gregory finished, while readjusting himself to look back at Spike, who was now playing some sort of game with a smiling and giggling Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus was whisked away from the thoughts of her friend's painful words by Spike. Every now and then, she would sneak a glance over at Rainbow Dash, and frown for a second, her eyes nearly brimming with tears each time she did so, after which she would return to Spike and act as if nothing had happened.

Twilight felt lost. What am I suppose to do for her? How can I just sit here and wait? She was left to her thoughts, wondering how many of her friends had to be robbed of their futures before the rest of the worlds could return to their own.

= = = Chakra Control = = =

“Alright, everyone, we are going to head out now, so make sure you have all of your supplies.” Kakashi had a voice very fitting for a person of his stature. Loud and clear, his instructions were demanding yet charismatic. “When traversing through the woods, make sure that your steps are as quiet as possible; there are still harvesters out there, though fewer enough in number now since it's almost daybreak.”

Kakashi moved closer to the entrance of the cave, motioning for the rest of them to follow. The two other ninja had gotten up and moved, as did Fluttershy and the other members of Twilight's group. Rainbow Dash was the last to get up, doing so with a melancholy sigh—she moved with much less energy than she usually did.
Once they were all following Kakashi, he removed the rock that blocked off the entrance and they all set out into the woods.

While they were walking Kakashi noticed that Gregory was following along side him. He took this opportunity to analyze the human closely, activating his Sharingan and scanning the foreigner up and down. Finishing seconds later, thoughts began to brew within his mind, though he had not yet opted to present them. While both remained silent, Gregory had caught him turning in his direction, though vouched not to bring it up, in spite of that itch in the back of his mind.

In the distance, something caught Twilight's eyes: a pair of bright red eyes, that reflected the light of a sparse moonlight: they peeked through a break in the canopy above. Twilight stopped for a moment, adjusting her vision and focusing it on the location where she first saw the pair of eyes. Not only did her eyes reflect the moon, but she could see the color of her hair as well, and further gazing revealed that she was looking at a girl, in her late teens at the least. Having white locks of hair that extended past her waist, she stood there looking back at Twilight.
A cold shiver crawled up the unicorn's spine. Twilight rubbed her eyes a bit as they had started to hurt the more looked at this girl, though the moment she aimed her gaze back in that direction, the girl was gone. The only thing Twilight could recount about her was the strange garbs she was wearing. It was a simple dress with a large sash acting as a belt. From memory, the garb was adorned in strange patterns, and the material shone like the moon above. Despite her exotic clothing, however, and pure, white hair, the thing that stood out were those eyes. Never before in my entire life....have I ever seen such desolate eyes... She thought to herself, before turning to look ahead. Fluttershy was standing looking at her with her head tilted to the side.

“What's the matter Twilight?” She whispered, worried about her friend.

“Nothing, nothing...I thought I saw the temple, but it was just the trees playing tricks on my eyes.” Twilight responded in the same level of voice, reassuring her friend with a smile.

The two of them then realized that they were far behind the group, and precariously rushed back to them. Moments later, when both of them had returned to the rear of the group, Kakashi had halted them all. A distance away from them stood an expansive, Shinto-style temple. Standing three stories tall, this wouldn't be any walk in the park. Twilight groaned, realizing the scope of their labor. Surveying the area, both Kakashi and Gregory, at the forefront of the group, saw nothing out in the open. No harvesters, no hostiles. There was one thing, however, that made Twilight speak up.

“Hey...I know this sounds weird, but...I think I recognize a presence in there...” She whispered to Kakashi, stepping closer to him so he could hear her better.

“Then I wonder why your friend hasn't come out yet?” Kakashi started rattling off theories, but guesswork was useless, so he quickly abandoned the idea of garnering any finite answer.

“We have to get in there and find out!” Twilight's whisper cracked.

“Yes, but before we go....” He faced Gregory as he softly said this. “Do you mind if I tried to teach you a little something before we went in? It will be very quick and I think it could benefit the lot of us.”

“What... are you going to teach me?” Gregory responded apprehensively, afraid to learn anything at the moment, or more accurately, afraid that he wasn't capable of learning anything particularly special. Besides, learning anything from a ninja surely wouldn't be too pleasant...

“Chakra control.” Kakashi simply stated.

A bewildered expression crossed Gregory's features, not knowing at all what the man was referring to.

“Let me explain a little bit first...” Kakashi began. “Chakra is essentially the molding of a form of energy that can be found in every cell of the body, and the spiritual energy received from gratuitous amounts of exercise and experience. When you accomplish molding it, Chakra can be channeled through its own circulatory system to any of the body's 361 Chakra points, called Tenketsu. With various methods, you can manipulate Chakra to use effects that would otherwise not be possible, such as walking on water, breathing fire, or creating illusions.”

“But I have no experience, nor the proper exercise to do anything like that.” Gregory stated.
Likening it to Twilight's magic, he instinctively glanced in her direction—she responded with a supportive nod.

“In your case, that won't be necessary. You see, earlier I took the chance to take a look at your inner energy.” Kakashi told him.

“Inner energy? Are you sure you know what you are talking about? I'm just a normal guy.” Gregory knew he wasn't special like that. Throughout his memories, he was always average, and everything big he had set out to do...only ended in failure.
I am not destined for anything special. This was the mantra he told himself all the time. It was how he lulled himself to sleep every night...it was how he lived. Average.

“Humor me. You have a power inside of you, and I intend to draw it out.” Kakashi pushed the subject, intent on teaching Gregory.

“Fine, fine...but make it quick, we shouldn't be wasting time trying crazy stuff in such a dangerous place.” Gregory gave in, albeit agitated.

“Good, now let's begin.” Kakashi stated with Gregory could only assume was a smile.
“Alright, I want you to sit down cross legged and then take a few deep breaths. Relax.”

Gregory listened to the silver-haired ninja and did exactly as he was told, so that he didn't have to repeat anything. Sitting down and crossing his legs he began to breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. Kakashi made a foreign gesture with both his hands, and motioned for Gregory to do the same, which he did.

“Next, we shall practice pulling out your spiritual energy. Focus your mind on emptiness. Clear your head of any thoughts, any weights, anything that could hold you back.” He said, watching him carefully, he had brought out his sharingan at this point too. “Remember to breath while you are doing this too. ….good, good...you're doing great.”

Gregory felt a warm sensation at the pit of his stomach, inside of his body he pictured his consciousness as an entity, but it was very vague. As he breathed in and out, the picture grew ever brighter. This surprised him a little bit, but he didn't think too much about it, attempting to maintain his focus. He awaited Kakashi's next instruction afterwards.

“Alright, now try to capture your consciousness. Encapsulate it and try to mold it into shapes.” Kakashi said, watching as Gregory began to do just as the ninja told him.

Inside his mind again, the consciousness was present, and Gregory had pictured a large pair of hands. These hands tried to grab at the consciousness of his, but every time he attempted to grab at it, the image faltered, growing dim every single time he tried.

“You have to keep your breathing steady when you mold it, or else it will break and you won't shape anything.” Kakashi told him realizing that he was struggling from his disgruntled looks appearing on his face.

Gregory's concentration broke, and the vision was released. He opened his eyes, cursing under his breath. Kakashi looked at him for a moment and then began to speak once more.

“Try it once more, I have faith in you.” He told him.

“I'm telling you... there's nothing special about me...but I'll give it another shot.” Gregory told him, eager to return to his average ways.
He realized he was making excuses, but that didn't concern him at the moment.

Again he visualized his consciousness as he had done before. Two hands appeared just the same, but this time, he remembered to keep his breathing steady, not letting it falter, even when he attempted to grab the brightened consciousness. And then...much to his surprise, the hands actually gripped something! Gregory was shocked: he was holding his own consciousness within his very mind. He wanted to actually laugh a bit in excitement, but suppressed that desire, keeping his concentration. He remained vigilant and steadily breathed in and out. Once he knew he had a tight grip, he started to work the hands around the consciousness, Kakashi smiled, visible through his eyes despite the fact his mouth was covered.

“Good, you're a quick learner! Now mold it into many different shapes, until you get a very good feel for it.” Kakashi kept telling him. Minutes later, Gregory had formed every shape that he could possibly think of, twice too!

“Is there a reason I need to be able to shape them?” He relaxed and opened his eyes, his focus releasing the shape he had formed in his mind.

“Yes, we will discuss that when you complete the next task.” He told him, he sat down now, as it seemed he might need to get comfortable for the duration of the next lesson. “Alright—time for the next lesson: Physical energy. Now, you have somewhat got a grasp on spiritual energy, but you need physical energy to complete the basics. Physical energy is easier than spiritual, but it has its own set of difficulties. Inside your mind, you are going to envision the cells in your body. Imagine they all have a consciousness of their own, energy that resides in each individual cell. Visualize yourself pulling that energy from those cells, moving it into one conglomerated shape.”

Gregory was a bit confused by the sheer amount of instructions he was receiving for this particular step, but he assumed his earlier position and began to breath in and out before visualizing what Kakashi had illustrated. In his mind he could picture his body as a whole, scaled to size. Each individual cell slowly focused into view, though he was unable to comprehend the exact number. At this point he was only able to focus in on a limited number. Forming the same hands as before, he did this for all the cells that he could conceive. Following Kakashi's instructions, he started to move and guide the energy within the cells, but he encountered another problem: not only were only some pairs of hands moving, but he was barely moving any energy at all.

“Hmm.... Try to synchronize your hands in one movement, don't think about each one individually...think about all of them moving at the same time, like a single organism—just like those cells. And when you are moving, remember to focus that movement into a solid, unified force.”

Gregory took one big breath, and as Kakashi was speaking he gave all of his focus on to doing exactly that. His hands struggled at first, but soon were moving in synchronization. Despite accomplishing this, he still had one last task to complete; Moving the energy. No matter what he did, the energy didn't really move well.

A frustrated Gregory broke his concentration and huffed. Kakashi looked at him, and had one last piece of advice to give him about this lesson.

“Try this, when you go to move the energy in the cells, visualize the energy as a ball or an object that is movable. When you go to move it, picture that object moving as well.” Kakashi said hoping this helped him.

“Alright, let me try this once more.” He stated, sighing as he got into the same position, and visualized everything once more.

As his mind produced the hands, he took a very deep breath. The hands began to move, and just like Kakashi said, he pictured the energy as tiny marbles. By now, his brow was gleaming of sweat from the amount of focus and concentration he had expended this part of the lesson, but it payed off. Every one of the cells that he could get at the moment had their energy moved. Pushing the energy into one massive marble, he then performed the same actions he did to his consciousness. Forming shape after shape, Kakashi gave him a thumbs up to indicate that he passed the lesson. After this, he practiced moving in and out of each different type of energy for the next several moments.

The others watched intently, Twilight Sparkle being the most attentive. She was fascinated by what Gregory was doing...as if he had a natural talent for this type of metaphysical venture. She was also making mental notes of this 'Chakra', intending to try it out for herself in the future. Kakashi then spoke up when he felt Gregory was prepared for the next part.

“Alright, now for this final part... you will be mixing the two energies.” Kakashi started, focusing on what he was going to say. “What I want you to do is first concentrate your spiritual energy, after you have done that maintain sufficient focus to keep that spiritual energy up, while also gathering your physical energy.”

“Alright, let's do it...” Gregory gulped, as he relaxed his body. Worry crossed his mind as he thought to himself How am I going to focus on both of them at the same time? That's like trying to look left and right at the same time!! He let the thought escape his head though, while breathing deeply. He let a trance envelop him and started focusing. Soon his consciousness was formed, and he got an idea for a shape almost immediately. Forming it into a smaller orb he kept his two mental hands wrapped around it tightly. At the same time he envisioned his body, narrowing his vision to each individual cell within the mass, and started pulling the physical energy from within. It was a struggle, having almost lost his focus during it all when his breathing staggered a little. Eventually, after stabilizing his breathing and having a decent pattern down, both the physical energy gathered and his spiritual energy gathered remained in tight compact shapes within his mind.

“Perfect! Now the most difficult part to master: mixing them.” Kakashi said with increased emphasis. “In order to mix the two energies, you have to rotate both physical and spiritual energies within your body.”

“Rotate them? What do you mean? Do I have to move them some more?” Gregory asked, breaking his concentration in order to do so. “How do I exactly do that without breaking focus?! I'm already using up everything I got just to keep the two energies constant inside my body!”

“This task is hard to accomplish, but we can all do it...and so can you. Just visualize the two energies spiraling around one another in a circular motion. Both energies represent opposite extremes of that circle, and will rotate by your will. As they rotate, you should steadily increase the speed until the energies are molded into one energy...Chakra.” Kakashi told him, with whispered excitement when he said the word 'Chakra'. “Give it your all.”

Gregory was getting the routine down and already had himself setup in the correct position. Closing his eyes he began the process of visualization. Both his physical energy and spiritual energy manifested into shapes within his mind with relative ease now, though he still had trouble maintaining focus on both of them at the same time. Despite this he was able to keep this control up, giving him the chance he needed to try and rotate the two. Taking two sets of mentally concocted hands, he began to rotate the two energies, just like he was told. His breath sputtered a little, the effects of concentration taking it's toll for being really high, though Gregory chose not to break his focus just yet. Suddenly the energies spiraled out of control, and one of those energies lost shape, dissipating haphazardly within his mind. One of his actual hands gripped the side of his head, while a throbbing pain made itself known at the point where his hand now resided.

“Careful! You must stay focused the entire time! The slightest idea off-kilter from your concentration will result in far worse damage to your mind!” Kakashi warned him, a spice of worry was sprinkled delicately with the sound of his voice.

“Gahhh! That hurt like a bastard!” Gregory yowled in pain, moments later he was able to take his hand off, but the pain was still throbbing.

“You had your speed set right, but you lost control of the energy. You must maintain control while keeping up the speed. And one more thing: when you reach the same speed you had before you lost control, slowly release the shape on those energies so they can mix.” Kakashi explained more to him.

“What? This is incredibly complex!” Gregory complained. Surely he is mistaken in thinking I can do something like that... He thought to himself gathering himself up again.
Forget it...just do it, Gregory.

His focus came quickly, retrieving his physical and spiritual energies faster than ever before. A newfound determination filled his body. Breathing steadily, he had both of his energies shaped and was now preparing them for the rotation. Slowly starting up, he moved the two energies in a spiral path. Never one letting up on everything he was just taught, he masterfully sped the two mental shapes up increasingly faster each second. When he reached the speed he was at just before he injured himself, he began to make more hands inside his head. These hands were used to better hold the energies as they moved. He had to struggle to make those hands, as they had to match the speed his energies were moving if he wanted to attach to them. Once he did this, he gained better control over the energies. Moving closer and closer together, the energies began to close the distance between them when he began to dissipate them into less “solid” and more “gaseous” substances.

The moment of truth was here and now, a staggered gasp for breath almost halted him, had he not managed to regain his steady breathing patterns in time. Right after that, he moved the gaseous energies together. Kakashi soon interjected with one final instruction for him.

“Wonderful! Now for the last instruction, shape that conglomerated mass of energy!” Kakashi said.

At this point, Gregory had done it enough times that he had a very good feeling for how to shape the energy. While dissipating all but one pair of hands, he took said hands and moved them alongside the energy, still moving. Molding it, not unlike spinning clay, and then slowing down its speed, he moved the hands in to grasp around the mass of energy. When it finally came to a stop, he then began shaping that energy. A strangely warm sensation coursed through his body at that point, the very 'Chakra' he had created was now being absorbed into circulation. He felt absolutely empowered! Kakashi was pleased, slowly clapping his hands in approval.

“Now, you have learned how to create Chakra, though you will have to learn how to master it at a later time. I have one more thing I want to show you. Well, 'test' is probably a better word.” Kakashi stated, a hint of curiosity laced his voice, and at once Gregory felt a bit uneasy.

“T-Test?” He gulped in response.

“Yes, take out your hand. I will show you one of the many 'Tenketsu' located throughout the body.” Kakashi said while watching Gregory present his hand with much wariness. “C'mon, I promise I won't bite.”

“There, now what?” He replied having fully extended his hand at this point.

“Alright, simply concentrate moving that newly created Chakra into your hand.” Kakashi made it sound as easy as he possibly could.

“Like thi---- WHOA!” As soon as Gregory followed these directions, a brilliant light blinded the entire group, releasing a shining beacon throughout the entire forest.

Author's Notes:

Editor's notes:
What's up, clowns? This is NOT the author speaking, this is his (badass) editor. Just a quick heads up, there was some slight misunderstanding regarding the format of this particular chapter, due to it being unusually LONG, so for your convenience we're gonna divide this 20k+ word long document into several different segments so you can just pick up at the last break you left off at.
Carry on, and please enjoy.