Naruto glared determinedly at his opponent. Out of everyone and everything he had ever faced in his career as a Shinobi, this sole adversary possessed a will unlike any other. Neither combatant refused to yield.

Naruto rose up on his back hooves, “You are indeed strong, my worthy adversary; but I’m stronger!”

Planting his front hooves firmly onto the ground, he twisted his body and brought his hind legs up for a vicious buck.

Hooves slammed into the target, and Naruto smirked as shining red plummeted to the earth.

“You’re doing pretty well, Naruto,” Naruto turned his head to see Big Macintosh walk up to him, “I’ve never seen a newcomer to applebucking manage to knock almost every apple off a tree with just one buck.”

Naruto glanced at the tree he had just relieved of the fresh red fruit before grinning at the taller stallion, “I’m just happy to be helping out my friends.”

The red pony shifted the stalk of straw in his mouth to smile, “Well feel free to stay with us as long as you like, Naruto: we could use the help.”

The ninja blinked, “About that: why did you ask me to not help AJ with storing most of the apples?”

Big Mac smirked goodheartedly, “I have a bet going on with her regarding those apples: if she can’t get them all into the barn by noon, she’ll have to walk Stirrup Street in one of Granny’s old girdles.”

Naruto cringed, to the stallion’s amusement, “Geez, what happens if she succeeds?”

“Then I’ll be the one marching down the street. Why?”

Naruto pointed a hoof at the orange mare, presently accompanied by two familiar purple figures, “Because she has Twilight and Spike helping her.”

Big Mac’s grin dropped faster than a falling flower pot. Naruto smiled weakly, “Wishing you’d said that she had to do it by herself, right?” He chuckled at the stallion’s silent nod, “If you’re lucky, something will come up and distract them.”

A faint belch and distant muttering quickly evolved into high-pitched shrieks of joy.

Naruto looked at Big Mac and grinned, “See? A convenient distraction.”

(Ponyville: Sweet Apple Acres)

Naruto watched Spike as the young dragon distanced himself from the delighted ponies and made his way toward them. Naruto gestured toward the mares with his snout and asked, “What was that all about?”

Spike glanced back at the girls, trying his best to look uninterested, “Twilight just got two tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala. Nothing special.”

Naruto blinked, “Uh... the what?”

Spike looked at him like he had just split in two (which, technically, he could), “You’ve never heard of the Grand Galloping Gala?”

Naruto gave him a half-lidded look of annoyance, before he was consumed in a cloud of smoke. Upon the smoke’s dissipation, he was once again in his true form. He raised his palms and lifted an eyebrow as if to say ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ to the kid.

Spike rubbed his forearm sheepishly, “Right, I forgot. I still find it hard to believe that Lyra was actually right about humans.”

Big Mac cleared his throat, “Uh, Spike? The explanation?”

“Oh, right. Anyway, the Gala is a big formal party, a ball that takes place in Canterlot once a year. Twilight’s never been to it, and I don’t want to go: it sounds too girly frilly frou-frou for me.”

Naruto nodded in understanding, “Don’t expect me to go: I don’t do formal. I’ve been to a formal party, and everyone there was too uptight, there was no way to have fun, and the whole thing was boring.” He folded his arms, “There is no way I’ll be going to something like that again.”

To Naruto’s surprise, Spike belched up a flicker of green flames that produced a rolled-up parchment sealed with a blue ribbon. As it floated over to the blond human, Spike noticed something unusual about it, “That’s odd: when Princess Celestia sends a letter, it’s usually bound with a red ribbon.”

Naruto carefully undid the ribbon that held the scroll closed and rolled it open to examine the contents. What he found was certainly not what he could’ve expected:

Dear Naruto Uzumaki,

It’s me, Luna! How have you been since the Summer Sun Celebration?

I’ve been feeling so much better since you saved me from the darkness. I know your friends helped and I am grateful to them, but I think that you helped me the most, and I can never thank you enough.

It’s not much, but I asked my sister to include two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala that is coming up: one for you, and one for a friend of your choosing.

I really hope to see you there: I’d try and come to Ponyville to visit you, but I’m still recovering from the ordeal, and I want to give the citizens some time to recover from it as well.

Hope to see you soon,

Luna

Feeling something under his left thumb, Naruto looked to see two gold tickets trapped beneath it. He gently took hold of the tickets and lifted them from the scroll, watching in silent awe as they glinted in the sunlight. Spike took the letter and read it so that Big Mac could hear what was on it. Upon finishing, both of them looked at the human that continued to stare at the tickets, as if in a trance.

A single blink to break the stare, and he looked at them quizzically, “Do you think Rarity makes orange tuxedos?”

(Ponyville: Carousal Boutique)

“Stop fidgeting, Naruto! Honestly, do you have problems with staying still for extended periods?”

“Yes!”

“Well, if you want your tuxedo to fit properly, you’re going to have to hold still so I can get the measurements correct.”

Naruto groaned as a role of measuring tape, encased in a gentle blue aura, floated past his face: it was one of the many that wound around various sections of his pony body. Rarity circled him, accompanied by a clipboard and quill: she would inspect one of the tapes and the quill would write on the clipboard. The blond couldn’t help but be impressed: would he eventually be able to do something like that? Despite having two Unicorns spend the past few days trying to teach him how to manipulate the magic he had somehow gained, one of them even being the Element of Magic, the best Naruto could do so far was... sub-par levitation.

His eyes drifted about the room until he spotted something: a pincushion on a table on the other side of the room. Shortly after sighting it, he noticed a strip of blue ribbon next to it. Knowing that attempting to levitate the former would more than likely end poorly, he decided to practice with the latter.

Unaware of what her client was going to attempt, Rarity asked, “So tell me, Naruto: just what caused you to come to my boutique and request a tuxedo?”

Naruto, trying to remember what the girls had told him to do when it came to levitation, responded, “I got an invitation to some fancy party, so I figured: I’m going to need a tuxedo.” Finally recalling their words, Naruto focused his vision on the ribbon and concentrated.

Not noticing the faint orange aura currently enveloping one of her spare ribbons, she pressed, “And what party would that be, Naruto?”

Seeing the ribbon rising ever so slowly from the table, Naruto replied, “The Grand Galloping Gala, or something.”

“THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA?!”

Startled by the Unicorn’s shout of surprise and alarm, Naruto’s magic not only shifted from the ribbon to the pincushion, but also spiked in power. The poor guy barely had time to yelp in fear as the pincushion launched off the table and rocketed across the room at him, heading right for his face.

Everything that Rarity had been levitating fell to the floor with a loud clatter as she shifted her magic to the pincushion in order to intercept its intended flight of pain-causing. Once the object had come to a complete halt, the mare breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Naruto and ask what had happened, only to gaze upon a sheepishly apologetic face.

Seeing her questioning look, Naruto returned his gaze to the pincushion and focused once more.

Rarity gasped as the blue aura of her magic was joined by a warm orange aura. She stared at him in astonishment, “But... how?”

“I expended almost all of the energy my body naturally produces during my fight with the dragon that attacked Fluttershy. While I was unconscious, the energy that is produced by this world flooded the opening left by my overuse of my energy: enough magic filled me to where I can actually use magic, as well as Chakra. Twilight and Lyra have been coaching me, but this is the best I can do at the moment.”

Rarity listened in amazement, “I think that Ponyville is going to be far more interesting with you around, Naruto.”

He grinned, “Probably. Now, about the tux-”

The mare snapped to attention, “Not good enough.”

“Huh?”

“It’s for the Grand Galloping Gala, correct? The one I originally had planned was for a simpler occasion, but if you plan on attending something as important as the Gala, you’ll need something better.”

Naruto opened his mouth to dissuade the fashionista, but what she said next changed his train of thought immediately, “No orange: it’s too bright and-”

She yelped when he brought his hoof down onto the floor. Hard. She looked at him and gasped sharply at how hard his eyes had become. His voice was heavy, “There has to be orange, Rarity.”

Rarity, her worry and smidgen of fear slowly growing, asked, “Why? Why are you so fixated on orange?”

“Because I’m their legacy.”

Rarity could only respond with a weak, “Huh?”

He lowered his head to where she couldn’t see his eyes, “Do you have a family, Rarity?”

Confused by the question, she answered, “Yes, I do: Father, Mother, and my little sister, Sweetie Belle. Why?”

Naruto looked at her, his hard eyes now soft and moist with unshed tears, “I’m sure the others told you that I’m an orphan, correct? While I wasn’t raised by my parents, I did find out who they were and what they were like.”

“W-who were they?”

“My father was Minato Namikaze, the fourth leader of my village and called the Yellow Flash. My mother was Kushina Uzumaki, wielder of a special Chakra and the Red Hot Blooded Habanero. I’m sure you can figure out the connection, Rarity.”

It took her a few moments to decipher what he had told her, and the revelation made it all so clear, “Red and yellow... make... orange...” Her eyes began to water, before they flowed freely as she cried out in loud sorrow, “How could I be so cold-hearted? To forsake the color that truly defines you! Please forgi-hi-hive me, Naruto!”

Blinking at what he had unintentionally done, he gently brushed the tears from the clearly overreacting mare's face with his tail, “It’s alright, Rarity: you didn’t know. I could never hold a grudge against someone... somepony as generous as you.”

As she began to recompose herself, he smiled like her little freak-out had never happened, "So, the tuxedo?"

Smiling at the warm-hearted blond, she spoke, “Orange it is, then.”

(Ponyville: Stirrup Street)

Rarity had needed to go acquire more fabric and materials, so she had sent Naruto on his way with the promise that his tuxedo would be her main priority upon her return.

Naruto’s hooves clopped almost soundlessly as he made his way along the road, responding to the various greetings from ponies young and old. He smiled to himself: it had barely been a week since he had arrived in this world, and it almost felt like he had always been there. The near perpetual peace that existed here was a truly welcome change from the constant conflict that thrived endlessly in his world.

He was pulled from his thoughts as his ears swiveled upon hearing a familiar voice. Looking along the street and spotting the owner of the voice, Naruto had opened his mouth to call out in greeting...

...only to have his jaw drop at the sight of Big Macintosh. Walking down Stirrup Street. In one of Granny Smith’s old girdles.

He wasn’t the only one to notice: everypony that was on that street watched in an eerie silence as the red stallion trudged onward. It was so quiet, Naruto was pretty sure he could hear Pinkie Pie screaming something about having bats on her face.

Knowing that having a companion makes such a punishment more bearable, Naruto broke away from the flower-loving trio of mares he had greeted and strode toward the farm pony. When he was close enough to see Big Mac’s eyes focused on him, he smiled sympathetically, “I take it you lost the bet, huh?”

“Eeyup.”

“Want some company for your walk?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

Without another word, Naruto fell into step with the stallion, and both of them continued their silent walk down Stirrup Street.

(Ponyville: elsewhere)

Having completed his walk of defeat, Big Macintosh was quick to free himself from the girdle and return to the farm. Naruto sighed as he contemplated what had happened back at the boutique: getting spooked almost got him hit with a pincushion. If that could happen in a peaceful setting, just how bad could it turn out in a combat situation?

Magic was so similar to Chakra, yet vastly different.

“Sparkler, look: it’s Mister Naruto!”

Naruto was pulled from his thoughts by the call of a familiar young voice. Turning his head, he smiled at the approaching forms of little Dinky and her big sister Sparkler. He grinned as the little filly ran up to him, babbling about what she and her sister had done earlier as Sparkler closed in at a more controlled pace.

The mare smiled, “Good day to you, Mister Naruto. How have you been?”

Naruto tilted his head with an embarrassed smile on his face, “If it’s no problem, could you girls please stop calling me Mister Naruto? I’m not that old, ya know?”

Sparkler blinked, confused about the request, “Um, sure. Sorry if you were offended.”

Naruto waved it off, “I wasn’t offended, it’s just that I’m not used to being called Mister.”

Sparkler looked at the ground, “Even so...” Suddenly, her head snapped up with a smile that seemed to glow, “I know! Why don’t you come over to our house, and I’ll make you something to eat as an apology?”

The stallion-nin paused: it had been a while since he’d eaten something other than apples. Maybe she knew how to make ramen? Then again, he should probably see if any of his friends needed any help today.

He opened his mouth to decline the offer, only to be interrupted by a surprisingly loud and angry growl from his stomach. Naruto blushed at the amused look on Sparkler’s face and Dinky’s giggling.

As Naruto began to follow the chattering sisters, he noticed a familiar blue Pegasus gathering a large number of dark clouds over a single area of Ponyville.

(Ponyville: Hooves residence)

Naruto was quite surprised at how... spartan Derpy’s home was. For a mare that was near-perpetually happy, she didn’t seem to have much in the way of material possessions other than the necessities. If Lyra was him in personality, it appeared that Derpy was similar to him in terms of lifestyle.

For what seemed to be becoming a routine, a female voice shattered his train of thought, “Sorry if we don’t have much to offer right now, Naruto: Mom gets paid after work today, so she’ll be picking up groceries on her way home.”

Naruto shrugged, “I don’t mind at all: you don’t have to do this.”

“I want to. In the meantime, make yourself at home: take a seat on the couch, drop the disguise, put your feet up and relax.”

“Well, thanks, I-”

Naruto’s voice hitched, his blood turning to ice, “What was that, Sparkler?”

“Relax?” She replied, sounding both confused and yet, knowing.

His eye twitched, “Before that.”

“Take a seat?” Now he could hear a smidge of amusement.

He turned to look at the sisters, Sparkler with her smirk, and Dinky watching the exchange with growing amusement, “Now I know you’re doing it on purpose.” He sighed heavily, “How did you...?”

Seeing that she had taken it a little too far, Sparkler relented, “Mom told us after you all came back from going after Nightmare Moon. I won’t deny that I am interested in seeing what you really look like, and I’m very certain that Dinky wants to see you, too.”

Dinky started hopping up and down, “I wanna see, I wanna see!”

Looking between Dinky’s ecstatically expectant grin and Sparkler’s controlled look of interest, Naruto made his decision.

Seconds later, the smoke cleared, and the two ponies found themselves before a creature that seemed to tower over them. Had their mother not told them beforehoof of his inherent kindness, Sparkler was certain that she would’ve been screaming at the thing before her. Even with the knowledge she had received from somepony that had spent time with him, Sparkler couldn’t help but feel wary of the supposedly extinct being before her.

Dinky, young as she was, had no such reservations.

Naruto was honestly surprised that the filly, without any hesitation, moved right up to him and initiated direct physical contact with him: that is to say, she began poking him in the shin with a hoof until he decided to kneel closer to the floor. Not giving him a chance to react, Naruto found himself becoming Dinky’s personal playground as she scaled his torso before positioning herself behind his head, her hind legs on either side of his neck while her forelegs sought a hold on the top of his head.

Not quite sure how to handle this, Naruto slowly rose to his full height with as much care as he could. He smiled at the marveled sounds Dinky made as she found herself so close, yet so far from the floor. He felt her small hooves press through his mess of yellow hair as she exhaled, “You’re so tall!”

He grinned, “Where I’m from, there are people even taller than me.”

“Really?” was the filly’s surprised response.

“Yeah: I’ve seen people twice my size.”

Naruto’s stomach reminded those present of its plight with another loud growl.

Sparkler finally broke free of her frozen state at the sound, “Oh, that’s right. I was going to make you something to eat, Naruto. Did you have anything in mind?”

Naruto grinned, “Some ramen would be perfect right about now.”

The mare blinked in confusion, “I’ve never heard of ramen. What is it?”

Not even a second after she asked, Naruto started in, “Ramen is the most delicious food to ever be conceived by mortals. It’s made of noodles, vegetables, mea...”

Hearing his voice trail off, Sparkler turned to look at him. She was shocked at the sight of his steadily paling face, “Naruto, are you alright? What’s the matter?”

Hands shaking, he gently plucked Dinky from his head before setting her on the couch. Once his fingers left her frame, he slowly backed away from the worried girls until he hit the wall, which he audibly slid down until he was sitting on the floor.

Dinky hopped down from the couch and approached the oddly-acting human, followed closely by her sister. Close enough, she looked up into the strangely haunted face of her mom’s friend, “Naruto? What’s wrong?”

A faint voice emerged from the boy’s throat, “How could I have overlooked something so serious?”

Sparkler moved closer to him, placing a hoof on his shoulder, “Overlooked what?”

“If they find out, they’ll only see me as a monster.”

Mustering up all the strength she had in her lungs, Dinky shouted, “NARUTO!”

Naruto’s head jolted in shock, and his eyes focused on the filly before him.

Sparkler gently pressed her hoof against his shoulder, “Why would anypony see you as a monster?”

“Ponies are herbivores, right? You eat plants?”

The mare blinked, but nodded, “That’s right. What does that-?”

“Humans eat plants, too, but mostly fruits and vegetables...”

Dinky was confused, “That doesn’t seem monster-like.”

Sparkler pushed a little more firmly, “Naruto, what are you getting at?”

“...humans eat meat, too.”

Had Sparkler been holding anything with her magic, she certainly would’ve dropped it at the revelation, “Wh...What?”

Naruto looked like he was will himself to someplace far away from there, “Cows, pigs, fish, certain kinds of birds. A main source of nutrition for humans comes from meat.”

The mare asked the question that Naruto had feared, “Would that include... ponies?”

Naruto allowed his head to dip, his voice almost gone, “I don't know about ponies specifically, but humans aren't above eating horses.”

The following silence seemed deafening. Naruto could barely hear anything over the sound of his heart beating.

Sparkler was trying to wrap her head around what she had just learned. Mom had said that Princess Celestia knew that humans existed a long time ago: did that mean that the Princess also knew about what humans ate? From what she had heard, the Princess not only had no fear of Naruto, she did not force him to leave Equestria to protect her subjects. Did the Princess trust Naruto? Should she trust Naruto? Could she trust him around her friends? Her mother?

Dinky?

The filly stared silently at the sorrowful human. Naruto was her friend, and she didn’t like it when her friends were sad.

Naruto tensed at the feeling of a small snout poking him gently on the back of his hand. Trying to return to a peaceful state of mind, he found himself staring into the seemingly emotionless eyes of the previously overjoyed filly.

“Would you?”

Sparkler lost her train of thought at the voice of her little sister. She looked at the human, who seemed rather confused at the question.

Naruto slowly lifted himself back into a sitting position, “Would I what?”

“Would you ever eat a pony?”

Sparkler’s jaw dropped at the ridiculously blunt question. Her eyes widened at Naruto’s answer.

“Never.”

That was all it took to satisfy the filly, who immediately climbed into Naruto’s lap and proceeded to snuggle against his chest. Sparkler’s hind legs tensed when his arms moved, but relaxed when all they did was bring the filly closer to him, seemingly in fear of her disappearing.

The mare put a hoof on his leg to get his attention, “Would you like a salad?”

Naruto grinned wearily, “I’d love one.”

(Several hours later...)

His belly full, Naruto sat in the under-decorated living room with Sparkler. Dinky, tired from playing with Naruto after he had finished eating, was upstairs asleep. Naruto was taking in just how sparse the room was: apart from the old couch they were sitting on, the worn table in front of the couch, and some family photos on the mantel above an empty and scarcely-used fireplace, the room was doing too good a job of reminding him of how he was before.

Noticing his shifting gaze, Sparkler apologized, “I’m sorry if it seems a bit barren, but we never have enough Bits for more furniture. I’m thinking of getting a second job to help out Mom.”

Naruto looked at her, wordlessly asking for some elaboration. She continued, “Mom has a job with the post office delivering mail and packages, and I foalsit, but my income isn’t exactly steady. Factoring in groceries for three, essential maintenance and paying for Dinky’s schooling, we don’t have many Bits left over.”

“What about getting help from friends?”

Sparkler sighed, “Mom can be really stubborn when she wants to be. If a friend wants to share food with us, it’s alright, but Mom doesn’t want to consider herself a burden to anypony by asking for money.” She rested her head on her forelegs, “It’s admirable, yes, but I wish she would just accept help when she needs it.”

After a few seconds of silence, Naruto seemed to have an idea. He reached into one of the pockets of his duster and pulled out two glimmering tickets, “How much do you think I could get for one of these?”

Sparkler’s jaw dropped, “Gala tickets? How did you get two Gala tickets?”

Setting the tickets on the table, he explained, “Earlier today, I got a letter from Luna. You know, Celestia’s little sister? Anyway, she was grateful for me saving her from whatever that thing I fought was, so she gave me these tickets for me and a friend to go to this shindig. I just realized that I don’t have to bring someone with me: I could sell one of them and give your mom whatever I get from it. In fact, if I weren’t expected to be there by someone I actually know, I’d be willing to sell both of them to help out.”

The absolutely flabbergasted look on the mare’s face almost made Naruto laugh, “You... you would give up two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala just to help out some ponies in need?”

Naruto grinned, “I’d help out even if we had just met! Besides, if there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I’d never abandon my friends.”

Before any more could be said, they heard faint rumbling. As the seconds went by, the rumbling seemed to increase in both volume and force. As soon as it sounded like the source was almost on top of them, Naruto looked out the window, taking care to prevent anypony from seeing him. What he saw was almost comical: Twilight Sparkle and Spike were being pursued by a large group of ponies. However, what drained the comedy from the situation was the panicked look on the faces of the runners.

Within seconds, Naruto was a pony once more and bolting for the front door, “Sorry, Sparkler: I’ve gotta run!”

Hearing the front door swing shut, she sighed...

...before gasping at the sight of Naruto’s Gala tickets, left forgotten on the table.

(Ponyville: streets)

Twilight wasn’t sure how much longer she could run from the mob of Gala ticket-obsessed ponies behind her. The sun was starting to go down, and it had still been pretty bright out when she started running to begin with. Her legs felt like they were on fire, and she was short of breath.

Those ponies were relentless! Maybe she should just drop the tickets and run while they all fight each other over them? Crude and cruel, but Twilight didn’t particularly care about that at this point.

Just as she was about to throw her fate to the winds, she herself was carried off by the winds as the ground disappeared from beneath her hooves. The natural response to losing previously sustained contact with solid ground is to scream in terror.

Which she did.

Right into the ear of her unacknowledged rescuer.

Which caused him to scream in pain, rather than fear.

At the shout of pain, Twilight snapped back to her senses and quickly took in the change of the situation: she was currently in the air above Ponyville, with Spike and herself being held closely to the body of their rescuer by a familiar, rust-orange foxlike tail.

“NARUTO?!” Twilight shouted over the rushing air around them, “WHAT’RE YOU DOING?!”

“PRETTY SURE I’M SAVING YOUR TAILS RIGHT NOW!”

Reaching the zenith of his jump, Naruto began the inevitable descent back to the hard ground below. He had jumped at an angle when snatching them from the pursuing crowd of ponies, so they were not going to land close to where he had jumped from. Rather, they were going to end up in an alley with only one exit. Knowing that landing right on the ground would probably hurt his passengers, Naruto opted for an alternative landing maneuver.

Reinforcing his legs with Chakra, he angled his body so that, upon making contact with the buildings that formed the alley, he could kick off the first wall, land halfway down the second wall, rebound from near the bottom of the third wall and onto the ground.

It wouldn’t be until moments later that he would regret not informing Twilight just what he was about to do.

From start to finish, Twilight screeched in alarm each time they looked like they were about to become one with the wall.

Naruto was quick to release them from his tail, so that he could massage his aching ears.

The moment she regained her bearings, Twilight rounded on him, “Are you insane?”

Naruto growled, “If I had known you were going to yell at me for saving you...”

Twilight was taken aback, completely realizing just what he had done for her, “I’m sorry. I’m really grateful that you helped me, Naruto.”

Shaking his head not unlike a dog, he looked at her, “No problem. Why were you being chased, anyway?”

Twilight suddenly blurted, “Money! Wonderbolts! Party! Prince! Animals!”

Naruto blinked, unsure of what pretty much any of that meant.

Spike elaborated, “Everypony wants Twilight’s second ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. Applejack wants to sell apples there and make enough money to fix up Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash wants to impress the Wonderbolts, Pinkie Pie thinks it’ll be a gigantic version of one of her parties, Rarity wants to get together with some high-class Unicorn who is supposed to be Princess Celestia's distant nephew or something, and Fluttershy wants to see the animals in the royal garden.”

Naruto gave Twilight a flat look, “Is the Gala really that big a deal?”

“To a lot of ponies, it is.”

At the new voice, they turned to see an agitated Bonbon and an amused Lyra.

Spike hid behind Twilight, who hid behind Naruto, who looked at the new arrivals for an explanation.

Bonbon gave her fillyhood friend an annoyed look, “Even though Lyra already has tickets to the Gala, and invited me as her guest, she insisted on joining the chase after Twilight.”

Naruto looked at the bright Unicorn, who grinned, “It looked like fun.”

Naruto sighed and looked at the weary Unicorn behind him, “Come on, Twilight. Let’s get you home.”

“THERE SHE IS!”

His head snapped toward the only ground-level way out of the alley, which was now blocked by the returning mob of ponies. Naruto positioned himself between Twilight and the advancing horde, hearing shouted offerings of favors in exchange for the ticket.

Just as he was about to grab Twilight and make a break for it, he heard the familiar crackle of magic. Turning his head, he was able to catch sight of her magnificently shining horn before the three of them were swallowed up in a blinding flash of light.

The ponies clamored at the events that had just occurred, while Lyra and Bonbon quietly snuck out of the alley: no way in Tartarus were they going to go through the same ordeal!

(Ponyville: Library)

Far from the disbanding mob, another flash of light appeared at the town library, the current residence of one Twilight Sparkle. The light vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving the confused trio trying to make sense of what happened. But first...

Spike, sections of his scales darkened from the sudden transfer, wavered, “Warn me when you’re about to do that next time.”

Twilight looked up at her horn, “I didn’t even know I could do that!” She then turned her gaze to the library, “Never mind that for now: we need to get inside. Are you coming, Naruto?”

There was no response from the orange stallion.

“Naruto?”

Heads turned to see the stallion standing unnaturally straight and unmoving. Patches of his orange coat were singed, and thin pillars of smoke rose from several of the spiky tips of his mane. Without warning, Naruto broke free from his trancelike state, barely keeping himself from hitting the ground.

Shaking his head rapidly, he announced, “That was very different from my dad’s Hiraishin. I’m still a little disoriented: where are we?”

Spike pointed at the tree, “We’re at the library, Naruto. Twilight teleported us here.”

Steadily rising, Naruto sighed with relief, “Good. Let’s get inside and barricade ourselves in until this whole thing blows over.”

Not even stopping to agree, they dove into the sanctuary of tomes and immediately set about locking doors and windows, as well as extinguishing every light source both inside the tree and out.

So certain in their securement, it was understandable that they were horrified when the lights switched on again within the tree, revealing Twilight’s most persistent pursuers: the other Element bearers. Interestingly enough, they each wore varying levels of a particular emotion: Regret. In her present state, however, Twilight didn’t seem to register it, so Naruto decided to do one of the things he does best: point out the obvious.

A familiar cloud of smoke, and Ponyville’s sole human was among them. His eyes, currently hard and intimidating, drifted across the room, making certain that he had the attention of everypony present. He was a man of bonds, and he was not going to let such good friends shatter theirs over something like this.

“Before anyone does something they might one day regret, may I offer some observations and alternative solutions?”

When no voices opposed him, he first looked at Applejack, “AJ, from what I've heard from Spike, your reason for wanting to go to the Gala is to help the farm. I’m more than willing to help fix up Sweet Apple Acres and you won’t have to pay me a single Bit. You shouldn’t risk your friendship with the others over something like money when you've got a friend who is willing to help you with your problems.

“Rarity, you want to get together with a member of royalty. From my own experience with high-class figures and the like, I’ve learned that while there are some that are pretty cool and nice, like Luna and Celestia, there are a lot more who think that they’re above everything because of their status. Some of them, after a bit of humbling, can turn out like the former. However, most of the time, they simply refuse to change. Who knows? The guy you have your eye on might be a good one, but there’s just as much a chance of him being a stuck-up snob. I’m not saying “just give up”, because then I’d be a hypocrite: I’m saying that if you end your friendship and this guy turns out to be a jerk, what would you do then?

“Fluttershy, what you’re interested in seems to have almost nothing to do with the Gala itself. You want to go to the Gala to not go to the Gala? You’re friends with Celestia’s personal student: she could probably pull some strings and let you see the animals whenever you want, not just for one night.”

Naruto rubbed his throat, “Spike, if it’s not too much trouble, could you please get me a glass of water?”

A little jarred at the sudden request, Spike nodded and wandered off into an adjacent room. Preoccupied with the dry feeling in his throat, Naruto was unaware of the shocked look he was getting from Twilight and the remaining two ponies. Meanwhile, the three that he had already addressed were currently going over what he had said in their minds: despite how simple it sounded, Naruto was making a sound argument.

Spike returned with the requested drink, which Naruto downed in one go. Thanking the young dragon, he continued on,

“Rainbow, Pinkie; from what I understand, the Gala is going to be a formal thing: fancy attire, boring music, yadda yadda yadda. The things Rainbow has in mind are better suited for an exhibition, while Pinkie would have a lot more fun at a festival than the Gala. If this thing is anything like the formal junk I’ve dealt with, doing anything disruptive like you plan to do will likely get you thrown out. I’m not exactly sure how much it would affect Pinkie, but something like that could ruin your chances of joining the Wonderbolts, Rainbow: if someone wanting to join your team had something like that in their background, would you even think of giving them a chance?

“I’m not saying that none of you deserve to go, or that your reason for going is wrong. What I am saying is that if you are willing to manipulate a friend to get your way, and you mess up, don’t be surprised when that friend refuses to have anything to do with you afterwards.”

Having said what he felt needed saying, the girls watched as Naruto propped himself against a wall and soundlessly observed.

The uncomfortable silence was broken by Applejack, “Naruto’s right, everypony. This whole time, we were only thinking about ourselves, and not about how we were making Twilight feel.” The farm mare wasted no time in getting close to the Unicorn, “Ah’m sorry, Sugarcube: think you can forgive me?”

After everything she had been put through, Twilight refused to keep the smile off her face, “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

Up next was Fluttershy, “I want to apologize, too. I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble, Twilight: I was just so interested in the animals.” She quickly glanced at the silent human, “Um, if it doesn’t give you any trouble, do you think that... um...?”

Knowing what the timid Pegasus was trying to get at, Twilight nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Joining the Wonderbolts is my dream, but I’m not going to give up any of my friends to get there!” Rainbow Dash proudly declared.

From his spot, Naruto felt a side of his mouth quirk upward: she was Loyalty, after all.

All eyes turned to Pinkie, who was now floating just off of the ground thanks to several balloons that she most certainly did not have a few minutes ago. Naruto had been staring at her, blinked, and she had the balloons. Rather than try to make sense of it, he just kept listening.

The party mare grinned, “Naruto made it sound so boring! It shouldn’t be too hard to throw a party that’s bigger and better!”

“Twice in one day...” Rarity’s choked voice garnered everypony’s attention, “I was inconsiderate twice in one day...” Then the inevitable waterworks, “I’M HORRIBLE!”

Startled by the extreme reaction, Twilight couldn’t understand why she found herself hugging Rarity, but she made good use of it, “I forgive you, Rarity! Just, please stop crying!”

Applejack blinked, “Twice? If you don’t mind me asking, when was the first?”

Rarity’s sobs lessened as she replied, “Earlier today, while I was making preparations for Naruto’s tuxedo for the Gala.”

The heads of five ponies snapped toward the visibly surprised human and four of them shouted, “YOU’RE GOING TO THE GALA?!”

Naruto blinked, “Uh, yeah? Didn’t Spike or Big Mac tell any of you? He was there when Spike coughed up the letter from Luna.”

“PRINCESS LUNA INVITED YOU TO THE GALA?!”

Naruto pulled his fingers out of his ears, “Geez, do you have no indoor voices? And yes: she was grateful for what I did during that little incident, and she gave me tickets to the Gala.”

Fluttershy looked at him from her peripheral vision, “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

He shrugged, “I didn’t think it was all that important. Having seen just what it can do to mild-mannered ponies, though...” He reached into his pocket to pull out the seemingly enchanted slips, “I’m not so sure I-”

His jaw clicked shut as he stopped in mid-sentence. Showing no outward emotion, he withdrew his hand from one pocket and began to search another. And another.

Everypony watched with varying levels of amusement as Naruto eventually resorted to frisking himself, patting every inch of his clothing without ever twisting his head to look.

He clapped his hands to signal his results, “Well, it seems that I have misplaced my tickets. Shouldn’t be too hard to find them: I’ll just retrace my steps to the last place I was certain that I had them annnnd that would be Derpy’s house, because I left them on the table in my rush to save Twilight.” Yes: about halfway into it, he remembered that he was telling Sparkler his intention to sell one of them.

Twilight turned to Spike and requested him to prepare a letter to Princess Celestia, making certain to ignore the sound of Naruto slapping himself in the face.

When Twilight announced in her letter to Celestia that she would be returning her tickets because she refused to go if all of her friends couldn’t go, Naruto couldn’t help but feel proud of the Unicorn: he could tell that, though the path she walked would be lined with trials and hardships, the friends that walked alongside her on that path would be worth it.

Celestia’s blatant response to Twilight’s heartfelt decision made him fall over laughing.

(Ponyville: Hooves residence)

Under the gentle light of the rising moon, Naruto silently approached the home of the single-most diligent mother in Ponyville. The entire way over from the library, he had run scenario after scenario of how to get back the tickets without Derpy being any the wiser. He really didn’t want to lie to her: she was such a sweet pony, but the money he could get from selling his extra ticket could provide her and her daughters with a good amount to fix up their home. Before he separated from the others, Twilight told him that a single ticket could sell for almost 5000 Bits, before asking why he would want to sell a ticket to the biggest event of the year.

She didn’t get an answer, because Naruto had disappeared after learning what he needed.

So here he was, about to infiltrate the home of one of his close friends in order to steal back his tickets (which he forgot, he chastised himself) and sell one to help her out while he eventually goes to some big fancy party because the princess he saved wants him to be there.

It seemed like something a bunch of little kids would laugh at while watching.

Noticing that one of the ground-floor windows was partially open to let in the cool night air, Naruto prepared to quietly open it further and enter...

...that is, until he heard a sound that, at any other time, he would’ve gladly enjoyed hearing: the joyous celebrating of a certain gray Pegasus.

Her enthusiastic voice, calling the word “tickets” repeatedly and happily, felt like a vice that was determined to crush Naruto’s heart to pulp.

Left with only one course of action, Naruto knocked on the front door, making certain he would be heard over the Pegasus.

After several seconds that seemed like countless eternities, the door opened to reveal Sparkler, a conflicted look on her face. Seeing just who it was, she voicelessly beckoned him over the threshold that he found himself quite hesitant to cross.

Shutting the door behind him, Naruto shed the form he found himself becoming gradually accustomed to. Sighing heavily after glancing at the now-emotionless face of the mare, he reluctantly followed the happy laughter into the living room.

Standing silently in the archway, he finally beheld the sight that filled him with both joy and pain. Derpy, despite her body structure, was dancing around in the open space of the living room on her hind legs, two shining slips held close to her chest by her forelegs. Her eyes were closed as she spun about, golden mane flowing like a gentle stream and laughing merrily. Naruto wasn’t sure if he had ever seen someone so happy.

He could find no words: he had no desire to shatter this image of joy.

“Mom,” Sparkler spoke lowly, “We have a visitor.”

Naruto barely suppressed a wince, as Derpy opened those unique eyes and focused them both directly on him.

In an instant, the grinning Pegasus fluttered in front of him, brandishing the pair of tickets that he now couldn’t consider any more revolting.

Her smile was almost blinding, “Look, Naruto! Look! Tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala! Isn’t it amazing? I’ve never gotten a gift as fantastic as this in my whole life!”

Naruto visibly winced, though Derpy was too preoccupied with the tickets to notice. He tried to regain his voice, “Derpy...”

Not hearing him, she continued, “Ever since I was a filly, I’ve wanted to go to the Gala in a beautiful dress. And now, so many years after I grew up, I can finally go!”

The more she spoke, the more painful it became for Naruto to follow through.

Could he really do it? Could he willingly crush her dream, just to give her aid that she likely didn’t want?

Could he become something close to what he once struggled to overcome?

Both his will and his voice wavered, “Derpy...”

“And there’re two of them, so I can take somepony with me! I could take Carrot Top, or maybe Rain Drops? Oh, I know! I could invite y-”

“DERPY!”

He found his voice and nearly deafened everypony present. In stark contrast, his next words were so quiet, he couldn’t hear them himself.

Startled at the drastic shifts of his mood, Derpy ventured hesitantly, “What was that?”

She didn’t expect the words that passed his lips:

“The tickets were given to me. I left them here by accident.”

The joy that had permeated the room just moments before was no more, snuffed out by the dream-ending truth. Sparkler, ears folded against her head, was more than willing to clench her eyes tightly shut and blind herself to the scene, having no desire to see what both her mother and her friend had become.

Derpy’s eyes now lacked any of their former luster: they had become dull and lifeless. Her mane looked paler, becoming a shade of white truly unfitting of her. The large smile was no more, and her voice seemed deader than her eyes, “Wh...”

Naruto made no effort to lift his head from where it hung, eyes hidden beneath his wild yellow hair. His hands were balled into tight fists, fingernails digging deep enough into his palms to draw blood. His voice lacked the vibrant spark that came with it, “Luna wanted to thank me for saving her, so she gave me tickets to the Gala. Lyra and Twilight got two tickets, too: Lyra invited Bonbon, but Twilight apparently had to go through a lot of trouble before just sending hers back... and then getting enough tickets for the other girls, and Spike.”

Derpy slowly lowered to the floor, trying to understand, “But... I was there, too. I helped, too. Why didn’t I get tickets, while everypony else did?”

“I honestly don’t know Derpy.”

How could something as harmless as a fancy piece of paper do so much damage?

Eyes closed and head hanging drearily, Derpy held out the accursed tickets toward the human, “Here. They’re yours, right? I kept them safe for you...”

Wanting to end this terrible moment as quick as possible, Naruto looked at the tickets.

He looked at the tickets.

Tickets.

Her eyes still closed, Derpy did not see Naruto taking the tickets from her hoof. She could, however, feel his fingers press against her outstretched limb, followed by taking a gentle hold of it and moving it back toward her, but not placing it where it should be. Curious, Derpy opened her eyes...

...

...and gasped at the sight of a single ticket still on her hoof.

“I’m such an idiot.”

Hearing his voice, which was regaining its natural qualities, Derpy looked up at him and saw the other ticket between his fingers. Her eyes widened at the smile on his face.

“I kept thinking about what I could do with these, instead of what I should.” His smile gradually returning to its former glory, he decided, “Luna said that the extra ticket was for a friend of my choosing, and since everyone... since everypony else is already going, I’ll be taking you, Derpy.”

Spontaneously regaining everything that was lost, the Pegasus leapt up and wrapped her front legs around him in an attempt to hug him. Naruto, not expecting the sudden glomp and therefore unprepared, found himself stumbling backwards, before finally losing what little remained of his balance and crashed onto the floor, bringing the rejuvenated pony down with him.

Sparkler, content with how everything turned out, made her way upstairs to check on Dinky: if she was able to sleep through all of that, Sparkler would take two extra jobs!

Back in the living room, the two tickets lay forgotten on the floor, one on top of the other.

Author's Notes:

Before anyone attempts to get on my case, I do understand what makes up broth. Let's just assume that Naruto doesn't know that, but does know that ramen can have animal meat in it.

Also, in regards to the lack of formality in Luna's letter, remember that she and Naruto pretty much bonded in the Mindscape.