AN: A lot of people have shown concern that calling Naruto a Filly instead of a Colt is a mistake. It is not. I know the meaning, and it is intentional. So calm down... lol.

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With no Wealth, comes with no Hope

One will be nothing but a Dope

But Opportunity, one brings

Will cause a thousand angels, to sing

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Chapter 9: Odd Jobs

The next morning…

While Spike stayed at the library to do his chores and to take care of the place, Twilight and Naruto headed off to the Ponyville Square, where in hopes of getting Naruto situated with a job. With him living here, he had to make some kind of effort and not to feel like a lazy bum, he thought.

As they got there, they could see activity bustling about as several different ponies went about their lives, whether it is for fun, or for work. The sounds of haggling, the sounds of little filly's playing. Naruto never heard everyone being so happy with what they do. Or maybe it was just him since he was still unfamiliar with all the happiness that's set forth here?

As Naruto stared blankly at all the activity, Twilight spoke up.

"This is the Ponyville Square, Naruto; A place of fun, relaxation, and a nice place for bartering goods from, since you can see several stalls here and there selling their goods. Of course there are also the other buildings around here, like Sugarcube Corner—where Pinkie Pie works at—and Rarity's Boutique. But you already knew this right?"

"Sort of… But I don't think I was shown Ponyville Square in its entirety… But wow, it's really bustling here in the mornings."

"It is, isn't it? Now over here Naruto…" She said as she walked up to a nearby board, full of paper and bulletins and alike. Naruto looked at it curiously as he looked back at Twilight. "…is the Bulletin Board, or as some say it, the Request board; Mostly odd jobs or side jobs that other ponies can do if you're looking for a quick bit to nab. Not many use the request board though, since they do have their own managements to maintain, but they do post up requests for a part-time worker if things start to get really busy for them…"

Naruto gives a nod towards her. This was kind of similar to the missions he had to do back in his own world, except they weren't divided by rank or anything. In fact, as Naruto looked at some of the requests, he became a little interested. Some of them sounded odd to him though.

"'looking for Manticore tail,' 'requesting part-time help at Sugarcube corner', 'looking for night-time bodyguards', and 'searching for a lost kitten'…?" He said some of the requests out loud. The last one made him cringe as flooding memories of a demon-possessed cat went into his brain. He held a hoof to his head, remembering how one of his first missions as a ninja involved finding a missing cat.

…A demon possessed cat as he called it, especially since the little rascal loved to run away from its owner, and cause nothing but problems for whoever took the job.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he looked towards Twilight. "Some of these look pretty nifty, and some of them looks like something for my expertise." Naruto said. Twilight gave a smile.

"Well I'm glad for that Naruto! I'm sure whatever request you take, you will excel at. Although…" She says as she placed a hoof at the Manticore request. "Whoever placed this request must be a few books short of a full stack… Manticore's are pretty dangerous beings… I don't really know anyone that can take on one, either."

"Why?"

"Manticores are part scorpion, part lion, and part griffon. They're very ferocious beings, big, and can be lethal. Me and my friends took on one a long time ago, and got lucky it didn't turn us into pony chow."

"So how did you defeat it?"

"We didn't. It had a thorn in its paw. When Fluttershy took it out, it went to being happy and just ran off. Manticores are not to be trifled with however…" She said as she attempted to rip the request off the board.

"Wait." Naruto stopped her from ripping the request down. "How much bits is it to grab a Manticore tail?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just tell me, Twilight."

Twilight was a little hesitant at first, but the curiosity also hit her as well. She looked back at the request, and read the reward.

"300 Bits… That's a lot of money. And the requester is from a pony in Canterlot."

"Canterlot, what's that?"

"You could say it's a town for the nobles. The Royal Kingdom is also there."

"I see…"

300 Bits sounded like a lot of money to Naruto. He might be able to afford a lot of things with that. Maybe even a new house. But the way he was now, he couldn't really fight. At least, not yet, he thought. It would be best for him to gather bits from the smaller jobs first, and then maybe, if he's ready, he could take that request.

"Naruto?"

"Er, yes?"

"Are you okay? You were spacing out a little." Twilight asked. Of course, he couldn't let Twilight know about it, since it would just worry the hell out of her.

"No, no… was just thinking about something… Anyway…" He said as he placed his hoof on the Sugarcube Corner request. "From what I saw inside yesterday, it can't be that hard being a part-timer there. And it's an hourly pay of 8 bits… Sounds like a good bit to me. Some starting money is better than none." He said in satisfaction. Twilight merely gave a nod.

"Sounds like it, Naruto! Let's head on over there with the request!"

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When they entered Sugarcube Corner, the fact it being crowded was an understatement. It was jammed pack with customers wanting pastries and sweets and such. It was loud too; while he could see a blue pony with a rather… unique hairdo, she was at a register and a pink pony rushing out orders like it was no tomorrow. He could see a gray Pegasus with a goofy look flying around, bumping into several people, who gave Naruto some small amusement, but the fact that several different ponies of every kind were trying to get their orders and leave, was a cluster of problems.

He could see why they were looking for part-timers. He saw a pony at the register sweating as she got the orders taken care of, where Naruto and Twilight walked up to, trying to squeeze through the crowd.

"Yes, a strawberry cake, a dozen pastries… Um, yes, what can I get for you, sir?"

"Actually, I'm here because of the request board. You're looking for a part-timer for today, right?" Naruto said. The pony's face distorted into a look of glee, as she gave a big smile towards the blonde.

"You're here to work part-time! Oh thank Celestia, you can't believe how busy it is in here, I thought no one would accept it! Please, go to the back of the kitchen and talk to a pink pony named Pinkie Pie, she'll fill you in! I have to get these orders straightened out!" She said as Naruto is pushed by the register pony. Twilight just stood there as she saw Naruto getting shoved into the back, and gave a small giggle.

"I'll see you later then Naruto! Have fun!" Twilight shouted to him, but Naruto couldn't hear it, due to it being drowned out by the patrons shouts, some of them being 'Where's my cake!' and 'I want my pastries!'

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"Yay, Naruto, you're back! We're going to have so much fun today!"

He didn't think he would be meeting Pinkie Pie again. No, actually, a part of him wished he didn't, because this pony was on a sugar high like no tomorrow. Several ovens, tables, and ingredients lay about in the large kitchen. Some ovens being used and some ingredients strewed about. He could even swear he saw an egg on the floor. That's a slipping hazard to him.

"Fun, you say? You do realize that there are tons of people out there looking for pastry blood, right!" Naruto said with a dumbfounded expression. Pinkie Pie merely smiled it off as she pat his soft tail… which he flicked away once again.

"Oh don't be silly! The more people, the more fun! But the more fun, the more orders I have to take…" She said with a frown. "But hey! Now that you're here, it'll be double the fun and more orders to fulfill!" She said, quickly perking up as she rushed over to grab an apron and then rushed back to Naruto. He could've sworn she did all of that in just 3 seconds flat. This pony had way too much energy Naruto thought… But that can't always be a bad thing. A lot of energy is a good thing.

"Quickly, put this on so we can have so much fun making things together!"

Naruto felt she was underestimating the situation, especially with that care-free attitude of hers… But then again, it reminded him of back when he was in his own world; always full of energy, doing pranks, showing people to prove them wrong about certain subjects… No, he can't think about this right now, he thought. He had a job to do. He placed his head under the loop of the apron, and clipped it on at the back with both his hoofs. It was a plain white apron with small smudges on it, presumably from cooking ingredients.

"Alright, so what do I need to do first?"

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The work being easy, Naruto thought, was an over-statement. Pinkie Pie may have been energetic and care-free, but she cared seriously about her work. One by one she was popping out cakes and pastries and other kinds of sweets, waiting to be delivered to the patrons. Naruto was there to help take them to the counter or to help with mixing certain ingredients with Pinkie. It even went as far as mixing certain ingredients and baking them himself. While he didn't have much experience with baking cakes or anything as such, Pinkie helped him through it if he made a mistake before he could even do it.

It was like she could predict the future… except with baking items and certain steps that were a possibility of being missed. To be frank, Naruto was a little amazed by it. As he was mixing up some cake batter, he started to talk to Pinkie a little.

"Just how are you so good with this, Pinkie? It's like you have a sixth sense on baking! It's pretty amazing." Naruto complimented Pinkie, and she gave an over-excited smile.

"Because silly, I work here, and I love to bake! Ooh, ooh!" She stopped doing what she was doing and ran up towards Naruto as she stared at him in a creepy way. "And I love to party too! Well, mostly parties that I make… But hey, I love parties! Do you love parties!"

"Y-Yeah, I think I do? I haven't been to a party in a long time though, so…" Naruto began, but Pinkie quickly interrupted as she gave a gasp.

"You haven't partied in a long time! We need to change that! I'll make us a party for tomorrow! It'll be super-duper fun!"

"N-No, that's quite alright, really, but we should be-"

"Aww, but why not…?"

As she was pestering him to agree to a party, Naruto pointed a hoof at one of the ovens. He could see a large fat of bread pushing up against the screen of the oven.

"Because that cake is about to explode, Pinkie, get it out, quickly!"

As if saying that were the trigger, the oven immediately opened up and exploded several cake and bread pieces, and, heck, even some liquid-y batter all over the place, even on Naruto and Pinkie. Naruto just stood there, dumbfounded at the big mess that was all around…

Pinkie didn't act that much different, as she licked some of the batter off of her face and gave it a small taste. She smacked her lips a couple times and gave a frown.

"Hmm, too much butter, and it needs more sugar!" She said with a giggle. She rushed off to do some more baking stuff as Naruto stood there for a good minute, with a slight blush on his face.

The way she just licked some of that batter off of her face, it made him blink a few times. But then quickly realizing what he was doing, he shook his head and went back to work, not wanting to delay anything further.

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Eventually, business did die down enough to the point where everything was stable again. Patrons got their orders with happy smiles, and business started to slow down as less and less people came in. Naruto gave a deep sigh of relief, especially since his muscles felt slightly sore. The pony at the register walked into the kitchen and gave a smile to both Naruto and Pinkie Pie.

"Good work Pinkie Pie. And you too, um…" She began, but then realizes she never got Naruto's name.

"My word, I'm so sorry! I put you to work without putting in introductions! You'll have to forgive me; it was just so hectic it was a spur of the moment!"

Naruto gave a grin as he scratched his head in a bashful way.

"It's no problem. I'm just glad I could help! I'm Naruto."

"And I'm Mrs. Cake. Again, very glad you could help out in the kitchen with Pinkie Pie. Ever since my husband got ill, we were having a lot of issues getting started this morning. So I had to put in a request on the Request Board. I thought no one would come, since in the mornings, everyone's busy… Please understand."

"I can understand that. It's no problem. I'm just glad we could get all of this out of the way."

"Yes, of course." Mrs. Cake said. In response, Pinkie Pie leaned an arm around Naruto's head.

"You should've seen him Mrs. Cake! He was going nearly as fast as me with filling out all those orders, it was all like *swoosh*, and all *wham*! He's amazing!" Pinkie Pie said in a hyperactive way. Mrs. Cake rubbed her chin as she took a good look at Naruto from head to toe. He couldn't get used to how people kept looking at him. He couldn't look that strange, could he? Mrs. Cake then just gave a shrug.

"I see… you've definitely worked hard today Naruto, so therefore…" Mrs. Cake handed him a small bag in his hoof, which had a small noise, like coins rattling about as it shook. "A little extra for the great help you've given us. 10 extra bits plus the 24 you earned in just a few hours, totaling 34 bits. I hope you work with us again sometime, if you wish. You were a big help, so thank you." Mrs. Cake said with a smile. Naruto merely gave a nod as he placed the bag into his jacket pocket. He took off the apron from over his head and placed it on the counter.

"You bet Mrs. Cake. If it ever gets really busy again, I'll be sure to help, if I can." Naruto said with a smile.

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With a job well done, and having some money finally, he leaves Sugarcube Corner. Mrs. Cake said it had only been a few hours that had passed. Munching off a pastry that he also received as payment, he starts to look around town, hearing the sounds of chatter and business going about. He didn't see Twilight anywhere either, so did this mean he was all alone again? Despite that though, he was getting used to the surroundings. Soon he would have a sense of direction of knowing where this and that was too. It was all the matter of exploring your surroundings.

As he walked around town, he could see the request board in plain sight once again. Looking at a nearby clock in the square, it was around noon. He figured it would be nice to tackle another request before he was done for the day; or at least, done with the day of making enough money for other things. As he walked towards the board, the request for the manticore tail was still there. He wondered why no one had taken it yet. It was a lot of money, he thought. Maybe there weren't any ponies around here that were the combat type? He thought that strange.

But regardless, he couldn't take on a manticore himself, if they're as vicious as Twilight makes them out to be. He would need a weapon, and maybe some gear to protect him from any attacks. He shook these thoughts out of his mind, however, while trying to focus on what was important. He looked at the other requests on the board, and noticed that the request for finding the missing cat was still there. He rubbed his chin as he read the request.

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HELP WANTED:

Missing Cat: Opalescence

REWARD: 20 Bits

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Along with the request, there was a picture of the cat as well. It was white, fluffy, and it looked like one of those rich cats whom is groomed well, and is given proper treatment. Thinking back, Twilight mentioned there was a town called Canterlot, for nobles. Maybe it was a noble cat, he thought?

But that process of elimination became eliminated when he read the name of the requester.

If you find my precious Opalescence, please deliver her to Rarity's Boutique

The fashion pony that fainted from just looking at him, which wasn't exactly something Naruto wanted to accept. But then again, Rarity was one of Twilight's friends. Plus, it was good money. So he figured it would be a good opportunity regardless. He pounds his chest with his hoof.

"This shouldn't be a problem! I'm experienced with cats!" Naruto said sarcastically. In retrospect, he didn't, and it only gave him some bad experiences back in his own world.

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As he enters Rarity's boutique, he sees her working on some more clothes in the back. He didn't really want to come here, since he was afraid she would faint again from his fashion, but he didn't have a choice. He needed information on when she saw the cat last. Ringing a bell on the front counter, she hears it and proceeds up to the counter, only to be startled to see Naruto. She gave a frown as she looked at him from head to toe once more.

"Oh my, it's the dearie with the cute fox tail! How are you?" That response caught him off guard. Why did she frown then, he wondered? Maybe it was a mixed expression of hers: Being offended by Naruto's fashion, and being happy about his foxtail.

Why won't these ponies stop admiring his foxtail…?

"I'm fine… I came here about your missing cat, was wondering where you saw it last?"

"Oh, you're here to find my precious Opalescence!" She said with glee. She slammed her hoofs on the counter as she looked at him in a creepy but happy way.

"Oh I'm so happy you took my request Naruto! I don't know what I would do without my poor, sweet, fluffy Opalescence… She means the world to me, you see… When she ran away because I accidentally pricked a needle into her fur, I became distressed and worried! Please find her, please!"

Her hoofs were practically around Naruto's neck at this point. He could catch a whiff of shampoo from her hair as she did so. Naruto tried to pull away from the fashion pony's grip as he took a deep breath from being suffocated.

"Alright, alright, just stop choking me Rarity… Do you know where you saw her last?"

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"This is more trouble than it's worth".

An hour had passed since he left Rarity's. According to her, the last time she saw her cat, it wandered somewhere in town, and that's where he had to check. He looked around the marketplace, the request board, and even under a couple of boxes and barrels, but there was no sign of the cat to be seen.

How can something so white and fluffy be so hard to find, he wondered?

As he searched around, he could hear the sound of hammer on metal. The sound led his eyes towards a small little shop: The sound of metal being hit by a solid object; by a black stallion with a gray horn on its head. His fur looked a bit puffed out, and he had a couple of scars on his face. A picture of a hammer and an anvil was on the stallion's butt. Naruto kept wondering why all of those pictures were on ponies rear ends these days. Not only that, but he could see a furnace and an anvil laid out in front.

"A black smith is here in Ponyville?" He said out loud. He could see an array of bladed weapons and armor on display, some ranging from long swords, daggers, and even small kitchen knives. Naruto guessed the Kitchen Knifes were for ponies who needed some chopping done, but needed a craftsman's touch. The black stallion looked up at the blonde, not showing much emotion in his voice.

"You here ta look or ta buy?" He said in a deep and grizzly voice. Naruto merely shook his head.

"I'm just here looking… I didn't know a blacksmith existed here in Ponyville…" He said out loud. The blacksmith just shrugged as he went back to smacking his hammer against the anvil. Naruto looked closely at the Blacksmith's work, and realized he was using unicorn magic to move the hammer and hold the blade in place. The blacksmith stopped for a moment to give a look at Naruto, but went back to his work.

"Not many people need weapons these days… Or armor for that matter. Some say there isn't enough bloodshed to warrant it…" The blacksmith began to say, as Naruto listened. "There hasn't been a war in a very long time… You have these royal soldiers from time to time, passing by. But they seem to be mostly for show. Most ponies just buy weapons and armor as collection items, and not for practical use… it's an insult to a blacksmith's pride."

Naruto could sense some intelligence in the blacksmith's words. "Peace is a good thing to have though, right?"

"Of course it is, but you have all these lollygaggers being all talk and being all rich with their fancy words of etiquette… You would think some ponies would be cautious nowadays. No one has a mind for war, but instead they have a mind of being show-offs." The blacksmith gave a bored stare at Naruto. "But that's not the point. The point is my skill is going to waste."

"So why do you keep doing the things you do?"

"I gotta make a livin' somehow. Selling weapons is what keeps me fed these days." The blacksmith said. As he moved his head from side to side, relieving the stiffness from his neck, he looked at Naruto.

"So, ya interested in buying something to show-off with?" The blacksmith asked. Actually, now that Naruto thought about it, this opportunity right here was perfect. If he was going to be hunting for a Manticore, he would need a weapon or two. He can't chop something off with his bare hands after all.

"Actually… I was hoping to buy a weapon, for hunting purposes." Naruto asked. The blacksmith raised a brow.

"Hunting what, bunny rabbits?" The blacksmith said with a chuckle.

"A Manticore." Naruto said without hesitation. The blacksmith went wide-eyed at Naruto's response, but merely gave a small laugh.

"A Manticore, heh, that's a good one filly. You're 10 years too young to be hunting big game like that…" He said as he kept on laughing. "But fine, I'll humor ya… Why do you want to fight a beast like a Manticore?"

"It's a request on the Request Board. There's a reward for getting a Manticore Tail." Naruto said. This made the blacksmith laugh even more.

"Filly, there's no way you can take on such a beast. Most of 'em tends to be 3-4 hoofs tall, with monstrous claws, and a ferocious bite. You'd be a dead filly before you could say 'Oh no, I'm dead.'"

"I've probably fought worse…" Naruto retorted.

"Oh really… what have you fought before?"

"I've fought giant toads, giant snakes, and I've even had to fight monstrous abominations that were too distorted to even let live in the world."

The unicorn blacksmith just lost all control as he stopped his work as he held his bowels in laughter. Naruto was getting a little annoyed at the black unicorn not believing him. As the blacksmith laughed, he slammed his hoof on a nearby barrel, still not believing Naruto said. But in response, something white appeared away from the barrel, as if it was frightened. Naruto widened his eyes as he saw a creature with white ears and white fluffy fur, but also covered in black spots, possibly black powder from all the smithy materials.

"Rarity's cat, it's here!" Naruto shouted. The blacksmith stopped laughing as he sees what Naruto sees.

"What in Equestria is a cat doing in my material barrel!" The blacksmith shouted.

The cat gets frightened from the two on-lookers and their shouts, and immediately tries to run away. Naruto could see it was a pretty fast runner, but he immediately widened his legs as he stood in a particular running chance.

"Oh no you don't you puff of fur!" Within a blink of an eye, Naruto disappeared in front of the Blacksmith, which made him go wide-eyed, and Naruto immediately appeared right next to the cat, with his teeth in the cat's fur. The blacksmith, being amazed was an understatement. He saw Naruto catch a cat in just a blink of an eye. The filly's speed was amazing, the blacksmith thought. He wasn't just any other pony, but one with very quick agility.

Naruto walked back towards the blacksmith with teeth full of fur. "Now do you believe me?"

The blacksmith blinked a couple of times as he gave a smile. "You've got speed filly, but that doesn't mean it shows you have combat experience." The blacksmith said. Naruto just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well anyway, it was nice talking with you. But right now, I have a reward to collect for this troublesome cat…" Naruto said. He was about to walk away until a voice from behind him shouted out.

"Hey, wait a sec filly." Naruto looked back to see the blacksmith stop him. He walked up towards Naruto and said something that gave Naruto a smile.

"The name's Blackie. If you're not busy later, come back sometime. I'll smith ya whatever you request, assuming you have the bits, of course. Ya need weapons to fight a Manticore after all…"