“Wait: The Elements of Harmony? Didn’t Pinkie Pie mention something about them the other day?”

“Wow, harsh.”

An important building in Ponyville was the Ponyville library, even though it technically wasn’t a building: how many buildings were made from a hollowed-out tree? Anyway, the secret human of Ponyville sat at the table in the center of the main room, an ornate storybook in his hands. At the moment, he was reading what he figured to be either some kind of legend or a fairytale.

The blonde’s eyes found themselves drawn to the window, where he could see the sun beginning to peek over the rooftops, “A pony raises the sun and moon in this world? After everything that’s happened in my life, I shouldn’t really be surprised...”

He rose to his feet and scanned the bookshelves, searching for anything about the Elements, “If they’re related to whatever was used to seal the Beast of Calamity before, I’m willing to bet that they’ll be useful for when the going gets rough.” He paused in his stroll when he spotted a book titled The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide and grinned, “Looks like we have a winner.”

He reached out to take hold of the tome, only to tense completely as the front door of the library swung open...

(Ponyville: Ponyville Library)

Naruto whirled to face the doorway, ready to bolt...

...only to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of a familiar hat, “Applejack, it’s you: I thought I was in deep trouble.”

The mare with a coat the shade of his favorite color leveled a stern look at him, “Just what makes you think you ain’t?”

Naruto blinked, “Uh, I don’t follow.”

“You said you’d be helping out with the festival, but Ah find those doubles of yours doing all the work and you’re here reading?”

“My clones are how I am helping, Applejack: helping Rainbow Dash keep the sky clear with Wind jutsu, putting up decorations with Rarity using wall walking, being in tune with nature is really helping with Fluttershy’s rehearsals with her birds, and I’ve given you a labor force that requires no payment! ...By the way, is Fluttershy feeling alright? Whenever I can see her face through her bangs, it’s usually kinda red.”

Applejack blinked, quite bewildered, “Now, how in the hay could you know what they’ve been doing if you’ve been cooped up in this here library?”

“Some of the clones dispelled. When a Shadow Clone is extinguished, everything it experienced is transferred back to the original.”

Applejack’s eyes seemed to possess some kind of twinkle in them, “Ah ain’t ever heard of any magic like that before. It sure sounds mighty useful.”

Naruto couldn’t help but chuckle a little: to anyone that had never seen a ninja perform jutsu before, it would certainly seem like magic. “It’s not magic, Applejack: it’s a Jutsu. I use a special energy produced by my body, and for some I use the energy produced by nature, to perform many different techniques. Most of them are meant for combat, but some can be used for daily tasks.”

Seeing the look on the mare’s face, Naruto realized that this would require a demonstration. A handsign later, Applejack was staring at Naruto and an exact duplicate. Naruto grabbed the reference guide and handed it to his clone, before plugging his ears and closing his eyes as the clone read silently to itself.

(Skies of Equestria)

A golden chariot was being pulled across the skies by a pair of armored Pegasi. The riders were an annoyed Twilight, an exuberant Spike, and a third occupant: Lyra, both excited and worried. Why was she worried? Well...

“Does she suspect it was me? Does she know it was me? She knows it was me, doesn’t she? Oh, what was I thinking taking a-”

“Lyra, the Princess doesn’t know it was you who took the book. She asked if I knew what happened to it, since I was given access to areas of her personal library, and I told her that I borrowed it because I was curious about Equestria’s founding.”

“I see,” the white-coated Alicorn, known throughout all of Equestria as Princess Celestia, spoke, “Just be sure to return the book to my library when you are finished with it, Twilight.”

Before the princess could leave the room, the question that had been burning in the back of her mind finally burst forth from her lips, “Solstice!”

Celestia froze in mid-step, her body visibly tense, “What was that, my protégé?”

Twilight gulped loudly, “The book... one of the contributors was somepony named Solstice. Did you know them?”

Celestia turned to look at her star pupil, a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes upon her face, “Yes, I did: Solstice was my elder brother, the King.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped, “A King?! We had a King?”

Celestia’s smile appeared to become more genuine, her eyes now glimmering, “Yes, and he was a great king: Equestria flourished under his rule, and we knew a golden age of peace.”

Twilight smiled, “He sounds like quite the stallion. But, what happened to him to leave you as ruler?”

“A monster.”

Twilight gasped: she had never seen such a look of anger on her mentor’s face. She remained silent as the princess continued, “I was just a filly myself when the foul beast appeared: all I could do was cower in fear as it ravaged Equestria. When Solstice told me that he was going to fight the monster, I implored him not to leave me: he told me that, as king, it was his duty to defend our home from all that threaten it.”

She lowered her head, eyes closed, “He left to face it alone. After the battle, the creature had been sealed into the sun, but my brother was nowhere to be found. All that remained were the physical manifestations of the power he used: the Elements of Harmony.”

Celestia lifted her head and returned her gaze to the purple Unicorn, “I must say, I feel as though a weight has been lifted after talking about my brother. Thank you, Twilight, for being willing to listen to my story.”

Twilight blushed and laughed nervously, “Ah well, you know me: always willing to learn something new. Well, I’d better get back to my studies.”

She turned to leave, when Celestia’s knowing tone rang out, “And be sure to tell your little friend Lyra that I said hello.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. Recomposing herself, she asked, “So, I gathered from Spike that the Princess reacted to your suspicions in a manner you weren’t... expecting?”

“I just don’t get it! I did the research, and I’m positive that Nightmare Moon will be returning tonight! But the Princess won’t listen to me!”

Lyra looked at Spike, who shrugged, “Princess Celestia is having Twilight oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration and insists that she make some friends while she’s here.”

Twilight growled, “What good will any of that do when Nightmare Moon shows up? I need to do more research on the Elements of Harmony, so that I can stop her before she brings about eternal night!”

Her audience stared at her, before Lyra craned her head toward Spike, “Was I like this every time I talked about humans?”

“Yep,” Spike answered quite bluntly.

Lyra blinked, “Wow. Sorry about that.”

Ignoring Twilight’s angry muttering, Spike asked, “Why did you come with us anyway, Lyra?”

Lyra grinned, “My fillyhood friend, BonBon, invited me to stay at her place for the Celebration. I haven’t seen her for years, so how could I refuse? Also,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “I heard a rumor that a creature that matches that book’s description was spotted somewhere close by Ponyville! This could be my only chance to find a real live human!”

Spike stared at her, then at Twilight, before slapping his hand into his face.

(Ponyville: Ponyville Library)

Having finished the task given to it, the clone returned the book to its proper place on the shelf before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. As the last wisps faded, Naruto opened his eyes and uncovered his ears, grinning, “Well, looks like I’ll be exploring the Everfree Forest later.”

“WHAT!? Why in tarnation would you willingly go back in there?”

Naruto rolled his shoulders, having kept them in place for so long, “Apparently, there’s an old castle deep in the forest. Inside that castle are a set of items that could prove useful to me in the future.”

“You got that from the book?” A nod. “From the book your clone read, but you didn’t.” Another nod. “And I saw that he didn’t talk to you one bit, and you didn’t look at the book at all. You really remember everything they learn?” That final nod had Applejack drop onto her backside, “Wow. That’s just amazing, Naruto.”

Naruto’s grin grew, “Don’t think I’m a one-trick pony. Oh geez, no offense!” At Applejack’s ‘none taken’, he continued a bit sheepish, “Trust me: you haven’t even seen a fraction of what I’m capable of.”

Applejack watched as Naruto was engulfed by a similar cloud of smoke, emerging from it as the unique Earth pony that her little sister had described. He grinned that grin that only he possessed, “Why don’t you head back to the farm, Applejack? I’m going to go try and find Pinkie Pie: who knows what kind of antics she’ll try and pull?”

Applejack smiled, “Alright. Ah’ll see ya back at the farm later, then?”

“Yeah. Later, Applejack.”

As she departed, she called back, “We’re friends, ain’t we? Just call me AJ!”

Naruto’s grin never left his face, even long after Applejack had disappeared from view.

(Ponyville: streets)

Naruto watched as a small group of young ponies ran past him, laughing in the way that only an innocent youth can. He smiled: this world was so much more peaceful than his own... and it was being threatened by some ancient beast from the past. His eyes hardened as he silently vowed that he would take out the Beast of Calamity, even if it cost him his life: this world had done nothing wrong.

It was at that moment that he recalled something unusual, ‘Hey, Kurama?’

“What is it, kid?”

‘The other day, when I woke up after exhausting myself, I felt more energized than ever before. Any idea why?’

“Let’s put it this way: when you used up a great deal of Chakra, you left an empty void. The ambient energy of this world, magic, rushed in to fill that void. Enough magic has filled your body to be able to replenish itself, as well as your Chakra.”

‘Are you saying that...?’

“As much as it frightens me to admit this, yes: with the proper training, you should be able to use magic.”

“AWESOME!”

Seconds later, Naruto realized that last bit was verbalized, and he now had a number of ponies staring at him. Chuckling nervously, he quickly vacated the scene.

Minutes later, he noticed a shiny chariot with armored Pegasi hooked to it, and Pinkie Pie was near a trio that he hadn’t seen around Ponyville: a purple Unicorn mare with a star pattern for a Cutie Mark (he remembered that term from Pinkie Pie), a mint-green Unicorn mare with a lyre Cutie Mark, and a purple bipedal lizard with green spine spikes. Smiling at having found his pink friend, he began to trot toward them... as well as wonder just why the hell he was trotting.

As he neared the group, he stopped in his tracks when Pinkie became momentarily airborne with a loud gasp and took off in a blur... right past him, sending him into a spin. Regaining his bearings, he approached the obviously confused newcomers, “You’ll have to excuse Pinkie Pie: she’s a bit... eccentric.”

The purple Unicorn opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the other mare, “Don’t worry about it: we just weren’t expecting such a reaction.”

Naruto smiled, “Yeah, she apparently does it to every newcomer to Ponyville.”

The Unicorn gestured to herself with a hoof, “I’m Lyra Heartstrings, and these are my friends: Twilight Sparkle and Spike.” She gestured to her companions.

Naruto bowed his head in greeting, “I am Naruto Uzumaki. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Twilight spoke up, clearly annoyed with the situation, “Excuse me, Mr. Uzumaki, was it? Could you direct me to the local library? I have research I need to do.”

Naruto couldn’t help but frown slightly: had he just met the Pony equivalent of Sasuke? His ears perked up when her heard the lizard, Spike, talk, “But, Twilight: the Princess asked you to make sure everything is ready for the Celebration, and to make some friends.”

“I know that, Spike: I just want to know where the library is so that after I’m done with my duties, I can get back to what I was doing before back in Canterlot.”

Naruto blinked, “You’re here to check up on the preparations? Aren’t you lucky: I happen to know each Pony tasked to help out with the Celebration.” He pointed toward the south west, “I’d recommend heading over to Sweet Apple Acres, first: the Apple family should be just about finished by now with the food.”

Twilight had an apprehensive look, “Um, thanks. Come on, Spike.” With that, she simply started walking away, though Spike gave the two of them a parting wave before picking up the pace.

Lyra must have noticed something about his face, because she started apologizing, “I’m sorry if Twilight seemed rude. Outside of her family, Spike, Princess Celestia and her Smartypants doll, I’m probably the only friend she has, and I’m not really the easiest Pony to get along with.”

Naruto waved a hoof dismissively, “Don’t worry about it: she just reminded me of a guy I used to know. He had about as much personality as a frozen fish.”

Lyra giggled, before asking, “Hey, do you want to keep me company while I look for my friend? It’d be nice to have somepony to talk to.”

Naruto turned his head to stare off in the direction of the Apple farm, “I don’t know: I’m supposed to be helping with the Cele-”

When he turned back, his voice caught in his throat: Lyra’s eyes seemed to have increased in size and were shimmering with ready-to-shed tears, accompanied with a trembling lower lip. The only thought in his head was ‘Holy crap, that’s a potent look’. He relented almost immediately, “Alright, alright, I’ll go. Just please stop with the look!”

The sad Pony face was instantaneously replaced by an overjoyed look, “Hooray! Let’s get going!”

As the mare led them off in a seemingly random direction deeper into Ponyville, Naruto could only hope that his clones would be crafty enough to keep his... uniqueness under wraps from the scholarly Unicorn.

(Ponyville: Sweet Apple Acres)

“Item number one: banquet preparations,” Spike announced with a scroll in claw, “Sweet Apple Acres.”

As the two Canterlot-raised youths passed under the archway that led onto the farm and connecting apple orchard, they were greeted by the sounds of hooves slamming against bark. Scanning the bases of the nearby apple trees, they spotted, to their surprise, the same rust-orange stallion from mere moments ago.

“How did he get here before us: didn’t we leave him with Lyra?”

Hearing a voice, the stallion that was clearly Naruto turned his head from the tree he was bucking to look at the new arrivals to the farm. Grinning, he approached and spoke, “Well, hello there. You don’t look like you’re from around here, so let me be the first to welcome you to Sweet Apple Acres. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and-”

“We know who you are: you told us just a little while ago,” Twilight interrupted him.

Naruto tilted his head, confused, “I’m pretty sure I’d remember introducing myself to someone, little lady.”

Twilight grew more agitated, “Are you doing this on purpose? Never mind: are you in charge, here?”

The stallion’s eyes widened, “Oh, I’m not even close to being that: you’re looking for Applejack. Here, let me get her for you.”
He turned away from them and hollered at the top of his lungs, “AAAAAJAAAAYYY! VISITORS FOR YAAAAAAAAAAA!”

“IN A MINUTE! YEEHAW!”

Startled, Twilight and Spike turned to see an orange mare charge at an apple tree, before bucking it and sending many apples tumbling into the baskets surrounding the trunk.

Twilight sighed, “Let’s get this over with.” She approached the mare and spoke formally, “Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

That was as far as she got before the other mare got a hold of her foreleg and proceeded to give her a hardy, rapid shake, “Well howdy do, Miss Twilight: a pleasure making yer acquaintance. I’m Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin’ new friends.

“Friends?” Twilight managed to get out, her voice slightly warbled from the rigorous movements her body was being subjected to, “Actually, I uh...”

Applejack released her hold on the poor Unicorn, “So, what can I do ya for?” She asked with a wink.

Humorously enough, Twilight’s foreleg was still going through the motions of being shaken, until Spike put a stop to it and snickered. Ignoring him, Twilight cleared her throat, “Well, I am in fact here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And you are in charge of the food?”

Applejack beamed, “We sure as sugar are. Would you care to sample some?”

Twilight relented, “Well, as long as it doesn’t take too long.”

Before she had even finished her sentence, Applejack had moved away from them and proceeded to start ringing the old triangle and hollered, “SOUP’S ON, EVERYPONY!”

From nearby, Naruto’s Shadow Clone watched in amusement as Twilight and Spike were corralled to a table and provided an assortment of apple confectionaries by the extended Apple Family. When the Unicorn attempted to flee from the uncomfortable situation, the clone couldn’t help but laugh when she found herself subjected to the big-eyed sad face of Apple Bloom, along with the disappointed sounds of the Apples. This immediately changed to joy when she agreed to stick around for a bit.

After watching the pair leave the farm (with Twilight sporting a rounded belly), the clone dispelled.

(Nonspecific area of Ponyville)

“I’m not sure if you’ve met my friend, BonBon. We’ve been best friends since we were just little fillies!”

Naruto listened quietly as Lyra kept going on about whatever popped into her head. The only sign that he had received the memories of his dispelled clone was the sight of one of his eyes twitching... of course that may have been because of Lyra, but Naruto wasn’t judging.

(A different nonspecific area of Ponyville)

“Ohhh, I ate too much pie.” Twilight moaned pitifully.

Spike looked upward, “There’s supposed to be a Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds.”

Twilight looked up and saw that the sky was littered with the white tufts, “Well, she’s not doing a very good job, is she?”

Calling upon the wrath of the dealer of karma, Twilight suddenly found herself the victim of a high-speed multicolored blur plowing into her, sending them both into a large mud puddle.

At that moment, an increasingly familiar rust-orange stallion came galloping up, “Sorry about that: we were having a race, and I guess she got distracted or something. Name’s Naruto Uzumaki.”

From beneath the Pegasus, Twilight groaned, “We know.”

Spike eyed him suspiciously, “How do you keep getting around Ponyville so quickly?”

Naruto looked at him, “What’re you talking about, little guy? I’ve been with Rainbow Dash all day.”

At her name, the Pegasus rose to her hooves, before chuckling at the mud-covered Twilight, “Uh, excuse me?” Seemingly ignoring the annoyed groan, she offered to help clean her up: by drenching her with a downpour from a nearby raincloud that she grabbed. She snickered, “Guess I overdid it. Um, how about this?”

Twilight found herself in the center of a small rainbow tornado, which was apparently called the “Rain-Blow Dry”. No double meanings there, right?

Unfortunately, it had the unpleasant side effect of making the Unicorn’s mane and tail... horrifically tussled: enough to send the Pegasus and Spike into uproarious peals of laughter. Twilight was quite irritated by this point, but kept her temper, “Let me guess: you’re Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest, “The one and only. Why: you heard of me?”

“I heard you’re supposed to be keeping the sky clear.” She sighed and introduced herself to the Pegasus.

By this point, the Shadow Clone had tuned them out and decided to talk to Spike, “So what’re you: some kind of dragon?”

Spike nodded, “Of course: what else would I be?”

The clone shrugged, “I’ve just never seen a dragon quite like you before: no wings, and your speech is impressive.”

Spike smiled, “Well, I am a baby dragon, so it’ll be a while before I get my wings. As for the way I talk, I’ve been living at a pretty high-class place, so I picked up quite a bit.”

The clone nodded in understanding, “I see, I see.”

“Hey, I could clear the sky in ten seconds flat.”

“Really? Prove it.”

Spike and the clone looked up in time to watch Rainbow Dash begin her assault on the clouds overhead, taking them out in “What’d I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. Heh, I’d never leave Ponyville hanging!”

The clone took great care to burn the image of absolute awe on Twilight’s face into his memory for the real Naruto to get later.

“You should see the look on your face! You’re a laugh, Twilight Sparkle: I can’t wait to hang out some more.” With that, Rainbow Dash took off, while the clone snuck away to dispel.

(With the Real Naruto)

Lyra had literally jumped a good three feet in the air when Naruto suddenly burst out laughing.

(Town Hall)

“Decorations... beautiful...”

“Yes: the décor is coming along nicely. This should be quick. I’ll be at the library in no time. Beautiful indeed.”

Spike shook his head, “Not the décor: her!” He pointed at a white coated Unicorn with a curled purple mane and tail, currently focused on choosing a color of ribbon.

At this point, a now-too-familiar face dropped out of nowhere, “Hey, Rarity: ceiling’s done!”

Not looking away from her work, she responded, “Thank you so very much, Naruto: my magic doesn’t quite reach that high up.”

Smiling, he noticed the new arrivals, “Hi, there: I’m-”

“Naruto Uzumaki,” Twilight grounded out, “We know!”

Startled by the new voice, Rarity turned around and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Twilight’s mane. A rather brief and forceful proclamation later, Rarity led the mare and the dragon out of the building. Not seeing any reason to follow, the clone dispelled.

(Naruto (seeing a pattern, yet?))

Naruto snickered: he wondered how much longer until Twilight finally snapped.

He was brought from his musings by Lyra’s happy cry of “BONBON!” He looked to see the Unicorn nuzzling a cream-coated Earth pony with a mane of dark-blue and pink, with a Cutie Mark of three wrapped candies.

Naruto trotted up to them with a smile, “So you’re BonBon: Lyra has been going on and on about how the two of you are the best of friends.”

The new mare smiled and spoke with a youthful (*shiver*) voice, “Yeah: we’ve kept in touch the entire time she’s been in Canterlot by writing letters to each other.” She blinked, realizing something, “Hey: weren’t you wandering around Ponyville the other day with a sizable group of ponies?”

Naruto smiled, “What can I say? I’m naturally friendly and likable.”

Her eyes narrowed, “And all of them were mares? And one of them a filly?”

At that, Naruto’s smile dropped, “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but they’re my friends. I’d never do anything to hurt them.”

Lyra looked between them nervously, when BonBon relented, “Weird: we just met, but I feel like I can trust you.”

Naruto laughed, “If I had a Bit for every time I’ve been told that, I’d be a rich stallion.”

The two mares giggled. BonBon smiled, “We were planning on catching up. If you don’t have any plans, would you like to join us, mister...?”

Naruto glanced away, “Naruto Uzumaki. Actually, I’m sup...” Upon returning his gaze, he could actually feel his mind attempting to shut itself down for protection: Lyra’s sad look from earlier was making an encore appearance, with BonBon providing back-up. ‘That needs to be registered as an official interrogation method!’ He slapped a hoof over his eyes, “Yes, yes! Just please stop with the faces!” As the mares cheered in triumph, Naruto sighed to himself: he really hoped that when, and he was certain when, this mysterious weakness became known, that the ponies wouldn’t abuse it too much...

(Outskirts of Ponyville)

“What’s next on the list?”

Spike cleared his throat, “Music: it’s the last one.”

At that moment, they heard birds. But not just random chirps, no: these were not only singing in unison, they were also singing some sort of fanfare. Intrigued, they took a shortcut through some bushes to save time. What they saw was both amazing and, to Twilight, partially infuriating. What was amazing was that a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane was the one coordinating the choir of birds. What was infuriating was that, once again, Naruto had somehow gotten there before them.

The clone noticed them and opened his mouth to extend a greeting, but quickly closed it when he saw Twilight’s barely-restrained irritation (that, and she was audibly growling at him). Deciding that discretion was the better part of not getting dispelled in a gruesome manner, the clone opted to gently tap the Pegasus on the hooves with his tail. A bit red in the face, she peeked at him through her bangs, “W-what is it, Naruto?”

“Hello!”

The loud and sudden greeting startled the yellow mare, and scared off every one of the gathered birds.

Twilight felt a bit guilty: her annoyance at seeing the exact same stallion a sixth time in such a short period was getting on her nerves, and she had accidentally transferred it into her call, “Oh, my. I’m so sorry: I didn’t mean to frighten your birds: I’m just here to check on the music, and it’s sounding beautiful.”

The Pegasus shyly dragged a hoof along the ground, seemingly determined to keep from making eye contact with the Unicorn.

A bit unnerved, Twilight grinned uncomfortably, “I’m Twilight Sparkle.” The clone opened his mouth again, only to receive a grated response of, “Naruto Uzumaki. We know.” Ignoring the affronted look on the stallion’s face, she returned her focus to the Pegasus, “What’s your name?”

“Um, I’m Flutt..hy...”

Twilight took a step forward, “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“My...ame is ...ershy...”

Another step, “Didn’t quite catch that.”

The responsive squeak from the Pegasus reminded the clone of Hinata from when she was younger. By this point, some of the birds had returned, which Twilight easily noticed, “Well, it looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything’s in order. Keep up the good work!”

Another adorable squeak had the clone’s admittedly-nonexistent heart melting from the sheer adorableness of it.

Twilight backed off and regrouped with Spike, who had just emerged from the bushes into open view. Apparently, young creatures acted as some sort of mental switch for the Pegasus, who cried out “A baby dragon!” in amazement, and proceeded to send Twilight airborne with a veritable body slam and begin gushing over the purple dragon.

The sudden change in personality of Fluttershy caused the clone to facefault hard enough to dispel itself.

(BonBon’s house)

“Naruto, are you alright? Your eye is twitching.”

Naruto smiled weakly, “I’m okay: it’s just a little headache. I guess that’s what happens when you work for several days straight.”

BonBon got up from her place at the table, “Why don’t you wait right here, and I’ll go see if I have anything to help you out?” At Naruto’s thankful nod, the cream-coat pony left the den in search of alleviation.

Naruto noticed that Lyra was giving him curious glances every few seconds, “Is there something wrong, Lyra?”

The Unicorn looked hesitant, “I want to ask you something, but you’ll think I’m weird.”

He blinked, “Lyra, you’re my friend, aren’t you? Why would I think something like that over a simple question? Besides, I have a lot of weird friends.”

Appearing to overcome whatever was holding her back, she practically blurted her question, “Do you think humans exist?”

Naruto’s heart skipped a beat: how could she possibly know about humans? Taking extreme care in concealing his surprise, he asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Not this again.” They looked at the doorway to see BonBon, balancing a serving plate with a glass of water and a white disc-like pill, with a look of exasperation on her face, “Honestly, Lyra: I was hoping that being at that school in Canterlot would break you of this obsession with that myth.”

Lyra slammed a hoof on the table, startling Naruto, “Humans are not a myth! I found a history book that talked about them, and I heard that something greatly resembling one was seen around here a few days ago!”

BonBon gave her a look, “Not everything you find in a book is factual, Lyra. And somepony probably just shaved a tailless monkey and let it loose as a joke.”

Lyra pouted, “I’m positive that humans exist!”

BonBon placed the plate on the table and watched as Naruto dropped the pill into the glass, causing the water to fizz, “Lyra, I humored you when we were fillies because I figured you would grow out of it, but now I’m just going to say it: Humans. Don’t. Exist.”

Naruto couldn’t sit idly by and watch the Unicorn’s beliefs be torn to shreds. He stood up, “Hold on, BonBon. Aren’t you being a bit mean to Lyra?”

BonBon took a deep, calming breath, “I’m not trying to be mean, Naruto: believe me, I care a lot about Lyra. I want her to have a successful life, and to do that, she needs to let this foalish fantasy go.”

Deciding to let the fox out of the box, Naruto exclaimed, “It’s not a fantasy, BonBon: humans are real!”

Lyra gasped in surprise, “REALLY?!”

BonBon’s eyes narrowed, “And just how do you know?”

Moment of truth, “Because... I-”

THUNK!

All three of them jumped in alarm at the loud noise and the sight of the table lifting slightly.

“Owie...”

Naruto blinked: he knew that voice. He looked under the table to discover, “Pinkie Pie?!”

Indeed, the pink pony popped out from under the table, rubbing a small lump on her head, “Hi, everypony!” She immediately wrapped her forelegs around Naruto’s neck, “Naruto! Just the pony I was looking for! I need your help setting up a surprise party!”

“Now hold on a minute,” BonBon grunted, “just what in Equestria were you doing under my table? And how did you even get under there, anyway?”

“Naruto,” Lyra whined, “what were you about to saaaaay?”

Naruto made an effort to stay put, but it was all for naught as Pinkie was still able to drag him out of the room and toward the front door, “How in the world are you so strong?!”

Opening the door with ease, she replied, “I eat my vegetables!”

(Ponyville Library)

“What in Epona’s name were you thinking, Naruto?”

Naruto blinked: ever since she had forcibly removed him from BonBon’s house, Pinkie hadn’t said a word. Even as he and his Shadow Clones assisted in decorating the library and preparing refreshments, the pink Earth pony remained silent.

Surprised by her sudden question, he asked, “What are you talking about, Pinkie?”

She looked at him: the real him, as she was somehow able to differentiate him from his clones, “I thought you were a ninja: supposed to keep secrets. Why were you about to tell not one, but two random ponies what you really are?”

Naruto stared at his fingers, “Lyra... she believes in the existence of humans with all her heart, but BonBon was trying to extinguish that belief.” He clenched his hand into a fist, “She reminded me so much of myself when I was younger: I was determined to become Hokage, the leader of my village. Aside from a very small number, no one believed that I would ever achieve my goal, no matter how hard I struggled.”

Pinkie looked at him, “Why did you want to become the leader of your home?”

“I wanted to be acknowledged as someone important, and not what they saw me as. When I got older... I got what I wanted.”

“You became Hokage?”

He shook his head, “No: acknowledgement. The village came under attack from a very powerful opponent, but I managed to overcome him. I became a hero to them. I got what I really wanted the entire time.”

Pinkie smiled, “I’d love to hear more, Naruto, but right now, we gotta get this party set up for that new pony in town.”

“You mean Twilight Sparkle?”

She looked at him, “So that’s her name?”

Naruto grinned, “Yeah, and I’m pretty sure I’ve driven her a little nutty: she thinks my clones are me, and that I’m probably stalking her or something. Although, I’ve probably taken it a little too far, so I’m going to apologize to her at the party.”

“What’re you going to say?”

“I’ll think of something believable.”

(Ponyville Library: Evening)

The inside of the library was pitch black. Within the darkness was the quiet shuffling of ponies getting into position to surprise the pony of the hour. Speaking of which, she had just walked in, speaking with Spike.

“Huh: rude, much?” The young dragon quipped.

“Sorry, Spike,” the Unicorn responded, “but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming (*Naruto’s eyes narrowed at that*) and we’re running out of time. I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where’s the light?”

*Click*

“SURPRISE!”

Well, Twilight certainly seemed surprised... and exhausted from the day’s events.

Chuckling, Naruto approached the sighing Unicorn, who became rather tense as he drew nearer. He smiled, “Twilight, I’d like to apologize about what I did to you earlier.”

She blinked, “And that would be what: showing up everywhere we went?”

Laughing, he rubbed the back of his head with a hoof, “Well, you see: when you first arrived, I noticed that you seemed to be in something of a sour mood, so I rounded up a couple of friends I know to disguise themselves as me and help out with the preparations for the Celebration. I actually don’t know what I was planning to accomplish, but they told me that all it did was irritate you, so I decided to apologize to you personally. Think you can forgive me for what I did?”

She stared at him intensively, studying his face, “I have to admit, I was actually suspecting that you were somehow teleporting all around town just to bug me. But, seeing as you had good intentions... I think... I’m willing to forgive you.”

He smiled and was about to respond when a familiar voice called out to him, “Naruto!” He turned to see Derpy, accompanied by a light magenta-coated Unicorn mare with purple eyes and a tomboyish violet mane with light purple highlights and a trio of gems for a Cutie Mark, and a Unicorn filly with gamboge eyes and a pale violet coat and a pale gold mane. Naruto grinned at the sight of the gray Pegasus and waved her over. When she got close enough, she spoke, “Naruto, I’d like you to meet my daughters: Sparkler,” the purple-schemed mare nodded her head, “and Dinky,” the filly waved with a big grin on her face.

Naruto lowered himself to the filly’s height, “It’s nice to meet you, you adorable little thing.” Satisfied with the cute giggle, he rose up to look at the older daughter, “And it’s nice to meet you, miss.” Sparkler smiled. He returned his gaze to Derpy, “So, what’ve you been up to? We haven’t had any time to hang out in the past few days.”

“I’ve been putting in extra hours at my job, so I could have tomorrow off to spend it with Sparkler and Dinky. If you don’t have any plans, do you want to come along with us?”

“I would, but it sounds more like a family thing, and I’m... not...”

It was official: somepony decided to spread the secret of how to manipulate him without having to lift a hoof. If one face was potent and two faces were dangerous, then three faces were downright lethal. Naruto could not feel a single inch of his body as he stared into the eyes of three pouting ponies, their eyes shimmering and enlarged enough that he could see his reflection staring back at him. He gave up instantly, “Very well.” Despite having fallen victim to the same trick three times, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling as the filly danced happily around her big sister. He noticed that Derpy was looking apologetic, but his amused grin quickly made her smile.

It was at that moment that he heard something akin to a train whistle, and looked across the room to see Twilight, surrounded by the other five ponies he befriended that day, kicking her feet as she hovered in the air, her mane and tail having taken the visage of being aflame and steam bellowing from her ears. She quickly disappeared up the steps into a higher section of the library. He would’ve gone to see if she was alright, had Derpy not taken a hold of his hoof and pulling him onto the makeshift dance floor as rave-like music began to play.

Never before had Naruto partied so hard.

(Town Hall: nearing Dawn)

Naruto hadn’t realized just how many ponies could fit into the seemingly compact building all at once: it seemed like everypony in Ponyville was there and there was still open space. Granted, fair amounts of the town’s Pegasi were flying in the air above them, and some ponies occupied the various balconies along the walls. He was standing next to Twilight, who had Spike sitting on her back, and Derpy with her daughters to his other side.

Pinkie ran up to Twilight’s open side and began jabbering again, “Isn’t this exciting? Are you excited, because I’m excited. I’ve never been so excited; well, except for the time that I saw you walk into town and I went *gasp*, but I mean really, who can top that?”

Fluttershy’s birds began their fanfare as a tan mare with a graying mane and phthalo blue eyes, wearing a pair of glasses and a white shirt collar with a poofy tie, with a Cutie Mark of a scroll tied with a blue ribbon, began to speak, “Fillies and Gentlecolts: as Mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Not wanting to stand out, Naruto joined in the cheering that accompanied the Mayor’s proclamation. She continued, “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year. Now, it is my great honor to introduce to you,” Naruto noticed Twilight look out one of the upper windows and followed her gaze, and was shocked to see a group of stars collide with the moon, causing the distinctly horned-horsehead pattern to disappear from its surface,

“the ruler of our land,”

Naruto could see the visible worry on Twilight’s face, and recalled a particular name from the book he read earlier: Nightmare Moon. His eyes widened, ‘Oh, shit.’

“the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day: the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria, Princess Celestia!”

Many things happened in the span of a few moments: curtains were drawn, the avian choir sang, and a spotlight shined...

...on an empty space.

Naruto heard Twilight speak to herself, “This can’t be good.” He found himself silently agreeing.

As the crowd of ponies began to whisper in worry, the Mayor attempted to regain control of the situation, “Remain calm, everypony: there must be a reasonable explanation!”

Pinkie spoke up as usual, “Oh, I love guessing games! Is she hiding?”

Rarity emerged from the room behind the opened curtain, “She’s gone!”

Horrified gasps from every pony in the room.

Except Pinkie Pie: “Ohh, she’s good!”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed at the ethereal mist gathering upon the balcony that the princess was supposed to be on. After becoming extremely dense, it scattered, revealing a pitch-black horse: taller and more slender than every pony Naruto had met so far, wearing a smooth lavender helmet from which a black Unicorn horn protruded from. On either side of the creature’s torso were dark wings, reminiscent to those of a Pegasus. On its flank was a splotch of purple, a crescent moon upon it. The horse’s mane and tail resembled a field of stars, flowing in a nonexistent wind. Around its neck was some sort of regal breastplate, bearing the same mark as on the flank. A cyan eye with a slit pupil gazed out upon the collection of ponies.

At that moment, Twilight confirmed his suspicions, “Oh, no: Nightmare Moon.” Spike fainted.

The dark equine, Nightmare Moon, spoke with a regal tone, “Oh, my beloved subjects: it’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little sun-loving faces.”

Rainbow Dash, always ready for action, demanded, “What did you do with our princess?” She attempted to confront the new arrival head-on, had it not been for Applejack clenching down on her tail with her teeth to hold her back.

Nightmare Moon chuckled malevolently, “Why: am I not royal enough for you? Don’t you know who I am?”

Inappropriately cheerful Pinkie, “Oh, oh: more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes? How ‘bout Queen Meanie? No, Black Snooty! Black Snoot-” She was cut off when Applejack shoved a cupcake in her mouth.

“Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” Naruto did not take kindly that Nightmare Moon was terrifying poor Fluttershy. “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?” Or that she was flicking Rarity’s chin with her star-field mane, apparently more prehensile than his tail.

“I did!” Twilight called out, “and I know who you are: you’re the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon!”

More gasps from the other ponies. Really, was that all they could do?

Naruto could hear something, although it was as faint as a whisper on the wind: the sound of a female voice...

Nightmare Moon seemed impressed, “Well, well, well (Big brother... Big sister...): somepony who remembers me (Where are you...?). Then you also know why I’m here (It’s so dark and cold... I’m scared...).”

Twilight began to falter, “You’re here to... to...!”

Nightmare Moon began to chuckle, “Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last (Somepony...). From this moment forth (Anypony...),

Her mane extended and spiraled throughout the room, producing both darkness and bolts of lightning as she laughed evilly.

Naruto’s eyes hardened: there was more to Nightmare Moon than met the eye.