//------------------------------// // Chapter 30 - The Worst Night Ever (Part 2) // Story: Daily Life of an Equestrian Ninja // by PianoPony //------------------------------// After bidding farewell to Fluttershy, Naruto and Luna casually strolled through a more distant, secluded part of the garden. Flowers, bushes, and other sorts of ornamental plants provided a pleasant scent and atmosphere for the two ponies. “So how have you been doing in Equestria, Naruto?” Luna asked, pacing alongside the orange stallion. “I hope the past two months haven’t been too hard on you.” “I was actually really bummed when Celestia told me she couldn’t send me back,” Naruto admitted. “But then I decided that I was gonna enjoy being here as much as I could!” he smiled. “I really hope Celestia will find a way to send me back soon though, I’m really starting to miss all my friends back in the Village.” “I see…” Luna said, downcast. “I suppose it is to be expected. And I hope too that you will soon return home…” “Thanks!” Naruto grinned, oblivious to the sadness in Luna’s tone. “And what about you? Gotten used to everything by now? I bet everything’s really different after such a long time on the moon!” “Well…” Luna said, suddenly stopping in her tracks. “I was actually…” “Hey! Naruto!” a voice called out to their left. Luna and Naruto turned to see a small purple reptile running towards them, holding two small pieces of breads with greenish toppings. “I was looking everywhere for you! You’ve just gotta taste those hors thingies!” Spike skidded to a stop when he noticed who Naruto was with. “Oh! P-P-Princess Luna!” he cried, quickly bowing down as low as he could. “Oh no! I completely forgot Naruto was spending the night with her!” “G-Good evening, Princess! I-I mean, your majesty! Your highness!” Spike called, his eyes closed in fear. Luna shifted uncomfortably in response, averting her gaze from him. “Spike, that’s just Luna. You’ve met her before,” Naruto said, baffled by his nervousness. “You even helped making her dress!” “Y-Yeah, but… Last time we saw her was when it was day out. Seeing her at night like this…” he muttered, cautiously rising from his bow. “Sorry, it just felt a bit like seeing Nightmare Moon again, ya know?” Luna’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “Really? Hmm…” Naruto asked, turning to look at Luna with a studying gaze. She looked back at him in a mixture of fear and anticipation. “I don’t think so. Luna is Luna, ya know,” Naruto quickly concluded, smiling. Luna’s mouth formed a hint of a smile as well, and she seemed a bit relieved. “Yeah, I guess so,” Spike conceded, and seemed to have relaxed a bit. “Anyways, you two wanna have some?” he offered, stretching his claws with the small pastries towards Naruto and Luna. “These are incredible!” “Don’t mind if I do!” Naruto said happily, taking one of the appetizers and shoving it in his mouth. “Oh, this isn’t bad at all!” he exclaimed with his mouth full. “What’s in this?” “This one is topped with month-old hay and spinach, fermented inside the palace’s cellars,” Luna said. “A bit too fancy for my taste, to be honest, but I’m glad that you enjoy it.” Naruto’s face turned a sickly hue of green, and he promptly ran straight to a nearby bush, sticking his head inside it. Very unpleasant noises were shortly heard from within. Spike and Luna both glared at him, worried. Not long afterwards, Naruto pulled his head back out of the bush. He slowly trudged back to Spike and Luna, holding a hoof to his muzzle. “H-Hay… I… I ate rotten hay…” the orange stallion mumbled quietly. “I feel so violated…” Spike shrugged. “Suit yourselves, I think these are awesome!” he exclaimed, popping the other appetizer into his mouth. Luna suddenly raised her head high and looked around as she was sniffing the air around her. “What is this most… exotic smell?” she asked, excited. Spike sniffed the air as well. “Oh yeah, those must be apple pies from Applejack’s cart. She opened up a mobile store nearby,” he explained. Spike then smiled, an idea popping into his head. “Hey, maybe we could go together and—” “Come, Naruto!” Luna shouted, taking Naruto’s hoof. He was caught completely by surprise, as he was still recovering from his most recent meal. “Let us make haste to the fabled ‘apple pies’!” And so, Luna took flight and carried Naruto in her magic speedily away, leaving Spike in the dust. “H-Hey! You left me behind!” he cried at the direction the two ponies had gone to. “Figures. Nopony wants to hang out with me,” Spike grumbled and turned away, stomping the ground as he walked off. ***** Having mostly recovered by now, Naruto had reluctantly followed Luna, who seemed more than eager to get her hooves on one of the apple pies Spike had mentioned. The duo made their way back into one of the more crowded areas of the garden, nearby the door back to the castle’s interior. “Howdy, folks! Get your apple treats here!” Applejack’s booming voice rang clear. “Apple pies, apple fritters, caramel apples and apple cider! All made from the freshest apples of the Equestria-wide famous Sweet Apple Acres farm! Here at Canterlot tonight only!” “Heya, Applejack!” Naruto called out to the cowmare, as he and Luna approached the stand. Naruto looked around in confusion to see all the ponies in the area leaving. “Howdy, Naruto!” Applejack waved from her booth, loaded with several kinds of apple-based pastries, candies and drinks. “And howdy to ya too, Princess Luna!” she added with a brief bow as she noticed her. “Oh, um… Hello, Applejack…” the dark blue Alicorn replied cautiously. “How’s business going?” Naruto asked. “Not too great, actually,” Applejack sighed. “I tried pretty much every selling trick in the book by now, and only had one sale! But I’ve got a feeling it’s only a matter of time before I hit the jackpot!” “In that case, I think you’re in luck,” Naruto smiled, turning to Luna. “May I have one of the fabled ‘apple pies’?” Luna asked. “I have smelled a most delicious smell from far away, and had to discover its source no matter the cost!” “Well, ya sure came to the right place, Princess!” Applejack grinned, pointing at one of her pies at the stand. “Our apple pies are only made from the freshest, best apples of Sweet Apple Acres! Guaranteed to be the best pies in all of Equestria!” “Marvelous!” Luna replied. “Then I shall help myself to one of those ‘pies’. Would five hundred bits be satisfactory payment?” Naruto’s and Applejack’s jaws nearly hit the ground. “F-F-Five hundred bits?!” Applejack cried, leaning forward. “I see…” Luna muttered thoughtfully, rubbing her muzzle with her hoof. “I suppose that for a best Equestrian pie, larger funds are required… Would eight hundred bits be sufficient?” “Woah, woah, woah,” Applejack said. “Slow down there, Nelly! As much as I’d like to have all that there money, that’s way too much for a pie!” “Applejack’s pies may be the best, but they’re not worth THAT much!” Naruto exclaimed. “I’d have to work at Applejack’s for months to get that much!” “They are not?” Luna asked, surprised. “Well, I have never eaten a pie before, nor anything that resembles it… I could only estimate its worth by your high praises.” “Oh, shoot! Y’all mean to tell me ya never had an apple pie before?!” Applejack cried, stunned. She quickly grabbed with her jaws a pie and gave it to Luna, who floated it with her magic, quite surprised. “Now, I may not represent the Element of Generosity,” Applejack said. “But I sure as heck can’t stand to know a pony never had a taste of an apple pie before! This one’s on the house!” “Are you certain?” Luna gasped. “Certain as cider season!” Applejack replied, smiling. “Then you have my sincere gratitude, Applejack! ’Tis the most generous offering a pony had made me in a thousand years!” “I reckon so!” Applejack laughed. “I bet nopony would want to give anything to an evil tyrant who wanted to create an eternal night, right?” Luna’s eyes widened. She then looked down at the ground. “Yes… They wouldn’t…” she said quietly, trotting away. The pie landed gently on the ground. “H-Hey!” Applejack cried. “I didn’t mean…” she began. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll go after her. See you later, Applejack,” Naruto quickly said, turning to catch up with Luna. “Oh, me and my big mouth…” Applejack sighed as she watched Naruto galloping away. ***** BGM Luna trotted along the garden aimlessly, her head hanging low. “What was I thinking to myself? How could I have deluded myself so? There is no way I could ever be forgiven, that my crimes be forgotten…” “Hey, what’s wrong, Luna?” Naruto asked as soon as he rejoined her. He was only a few steps behind her. Luna stopped in front of a fountain. In its center, a life-size marble statue of an Alicorn was spewing water from its horn. “Tell me, Naruto,” the Alicorn said quietly, looking up at the full moon shining above the fountain. “How were you able to cope, back in your Village Hidden in the Leaves?” “Cope?” Naruto asked, baffled. “When all eyes are always turned towards you, waiting for you to make a mistake, to do something bad… I know that used to be a part of your life, Naruto. Just… Just how did you face it all?” Luna asked quietly as she turned to Naruto, her eyes filled with tears. “How can I keep moving forward, bearing the weight of my sins?!” “Luna…” Naruto muttered, his eyes widening. “So that’s why everypony was keeping a distance from you… I never thought that being Nightmare Moon was still troubling you…” Inside Naruto, the nine-tailed fox perked his ears up. “Hmm…” Naruto muttered thoughtfully. He sat down on the fountain’s ledge in a human-like fashion, crossing his forelegs. “It’s kind of weird… For a really long time, I didn’t know why everypony hated me, so I couldn’t really do anything to fix it. Instead, I guess I just looked for other things to do to be recognized for.” “Other things?” Luna inquired as she wiped her tears, taking a seat beside Naruto. “You know… Making a mess at the academy, pranks… Stupid stuff like that,” Naruto replied, smiling in nostalgia. “After that, though…” he began, his smile vanishing. “When I found out the truth, I was a bit lost there for a while. I didn’t know what to think.” Luna just looked at Naruto quietly, taking in every word. “At first, I just tried to ignore it as much as I could. But…” Naruto swallowed, looking down. “Just before Celestia brought me here, I was reminded again that it’s a part of me. A part I can’t ignore,” he said, smiling bitterly. His hooves shook slightly, as if he was clutching his human fists, but then quickly relaxed. “But you know… Even after all that, I still don’t blame him, and I don’t hate him,” Naruto then said with an optimistic smile. The nine-tailed fox’s eyes widened slightly, and so did Luna’s. “Sorry, I got a bit carried away there,” Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t think too much about it. You just gotta face it head-on and not look away or turn back. No matter what, you just have to keep going forward!” he said, turning to look at Luna. The dark Alicorn didn’t say anything in response, and merely looked down at the ground. “Umm… Was that any help?” Naruto asked, smiling sheepishly. To Naruto’s surprise, Luna stood up, her eyes filled with determination. “Come now, Naruto. There is somepony I wish to speak with right away.” “H-Hey, wait a second!” Naruto cried. Luna dragged him along again without warning. “Thank you, Naruto! I think… I think I finally understand what must be done!” ***** Naruto was led by Luna back to the entry hall of the palace, where he found Princess Celestia and Twilight standing at the top of the main staircase. The two of them were still welcoming late arrivals to the Gala, but the stream of guests seemed to have dwindled significantly compared to before. “Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala,” Twilight said monotonically, shaking Naruto’s hoof. “Uh, Twilight?” Naruto said. Twilight’s eyes shot open and she finally noticed who was standing in front of her. Celestia giggled. “Oh! Naruto!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise. “And Princess Luna!” she added, bowing. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, hesitantly offering her hoof for a shake. “It’s great to see you tonight!” Twilight smiled, shaking Luna’s hoof. Luna smiled a bit in return. “How’s it going, Twilight? Having fun?” Naruto asked. “Uhh…” she began, giving a quick look at her mentor. “Great! Just great!” she smiled very forcefully, although Naruto didn’t notice it. “And how is your night?” “It’s alright,” Naruto replied. “At least it isn’t as boring as I thought it would be…” “And how about you, Princess Luna? Having fun with Naruto?” Twilight asked. “Well, I…” Luna began, but soon lost her voice. She looked down at the floor again. “Is everything alright, Luna?” Celestia inquired. “Yes, sister. It was just that… I was simply wondering where the Wonderbolts are at the moment,” Luna finally replied, looking back up at her elder sister. Naruto could’ve sworn he heard both Celestia and Twilight gasp, for some reason. Celestia smiled softly. “You sure have come a long way in such a short while, Luna… Was it his influence, I wonder…?” “I’ve last seen the Wonderbolts heading to the main dance hall. They are probably still in there,” Celestia said. “I see,” Luna nodded. “Thank you, sister. Let us go, Naruto.” Naruto was then led along again down the staircase and towards the dance floor. “I’m kinda getting used to it by now…” he sweatdropped. “Princess Celestia,” Twilight spoke, looking up at her. “Does Princess Luna know the reason for the founding of the Wonderbolts?” “She does,” Celestia answered, keeping her eyes on her sister. “Which is why I am so proud of her right now. It’s not easy to let go of the burdens of the past, and yet it seems that she finally has.” “How do you think this happened?” Twilight asked. “You told me that only yesterday she would refuse to go near them!” “It is quite peculiar indeed,” Celestia smiled, closing her eyes. “But then again… that might be why they say that ‘friendship is magic’… I see that I was right in bringing you here, Naruto, in more ways than one… You are a very special individual indeed…” ***** Luna and Naruto had made their way back to the dance floor. It was now much more crowded than before, and yet Naruto could clearly notice ponies were scurrying out of their way to make more than ample room for him and Luna. Naruto looked up at Luna, worried that she’ll once again be hurt by the imposed seclusion, but the Princess seemed set in her goal and undeterred. “So… What do the Wonderbolts look like?” Naruto asked. “Rainbow told me a lot about them… Like, a lot… but I really have no idea who are they.” “They are a group of Pegasi, all wearing matching blue and yellow suits,” Luna replied whilst scanning the crowd for them. “Oh, okay,” Naruto replied and began looking for such ponies. “Hmm… Why do I get the feeling I know somepony like that…?” he thought. “But why are you looking for them, anyways?” “You shall know when we find them,” Luna replied concisely. Naruto kept on looking around, when suddenly his left shoulder was grabbed and he was pulled back. “Hey! What the—” “Sorry, Naruto, but I need to borrow ya for a while!” the pony who dragged him along said. “Wait, Rainbow?!” Naruto exclaimed in surprise, turning around to see the colorful mare. “What do you need me for?” “I’ve been hanging out with the Wonderbolts for a while now,” Rainbow Dash said. “But they won’t pay me any attention at all! I’ve tried to show them my sleek moves a couple of times, but they keep getting pulled into boring conversations or photographs with other ponies! So I need to show them something that’ll really blow them off their hooves! That way, there’s no way they’ll be able to ignore me!” “Wait, you know where the Wonderbolts are?!” Naruto asked. “Luna! Come on this way— Oh,” he stopped when he realized he got separated from the Princess, and he couldn’t see her anywhere. “What do you need me for, then?” he asked. “What do you think?!” Rainbow smirked. “There’s no way they’ll be able to ignore me if I introduced them to Equestria’s one and only ninja!” “Hey, wait a second!” Naruto called, putting up enough resistance to make Rainbow stop. “You can’t tell them I’m a ninja! It’s supposed to be a secret!” “Secret shmikret, why are you making such a big deal out of it?” Rainbow frowned. Naruto frowned. “I can’t tell you, alright?! I just don’t want them to know!” he retorted. “Hey, is that…?!” a voice called. Recognizing it, both Rainbow and Naruto turned to look in its direction. “Woah, no way!” “Hey, Soarin’!” Naruto exclaimed as soon as he noticed the Pegasus. “What’s up?” he asked happily, hoof bumping with him. “Wait… YOU KNOW HIM?!” Rainbow Dash asked, stunned. “Well, duh,” Naruto replied. “He’s one of my best customers!” “You betcha!” Soarin’ exclaimed. “I come to Ponyville like all the time for Naruto’s amazing Ramen! I even dragged the whole team there a couple of times!” “Speaking of the team…” Soarin’ added. “Hey Spitfire! Fleetfoot! Look who I found!” he called over his back. “Well, well, well,” a female voice said. “Look who came to the Gala after all!” Naruto looked behind Soarin’ to see Spitfire and Fleetfoot joining their comrade. “Hey, guys,” Naruto smiled. “What’s up?” “You know, the usual routine,” Fleetfoot replied. “We perform for a bit, and then we get to enjoy the party. So it’s a win-win for us.” “Yup,” Spitfire smiled. “Sometimes it really does pay to be in the Wonderbolts!” “Wait… You’re the Wonderbolts?! The same Wonderbolts Rainbow talks about all the time?!” Naruto exclaimed, pointing at them in shock. “Hey, Rainbow!” Naruto called, turning to look at her. “The Wonderbolts are regulars in my stand, isn’t this awesome?!” “ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?! EVEN NARUTO’S FRIENDS WITH THE WONDERBOLTS?!” Rainbow screamed. “I… just… can’t… ARGH!” she hollered in frustration, crossing her legs as she floated a bit off the ground, grumbling to herself. Spitfire gazed at Rainbow momentarily with a puzzled look, before turning back to Naruto. “So what are you doing here, Naruto? I thought you said you wouldn’t be caught dead in the Gala!” “Well… I was kind of asked by the Princess to be her company tonight, so I couldn’t really say ‘no’, right?” Naruto explained with a half-smile. “Really?!” Spitfire replied, surprised. “But isn’t Princess Celestia in the main hall, greeting the arriving guests?” “Oh, not Princess Celestia,” Naruto said. “I meant Princess Luna,” he clarified. The Wonderbolts’ eyes widened in surprise to hear that. Spitfire then narrowed her eyes at Naruto. “Oh really? She’s here too?” “Yup, she’s somewhere nearby right now, actually,” Naruto replied. “We got separated a few minutes ago, but she’s probably not far from here. We were actually looking for the Wonderbolts, but I had no idea she was talking about you guys.” Fleetfoot looked around, before pacing towards Naruto and whispering into his ear. “I really don’t think you should get too close to her. It could be dangerous.” “Huh?” Naruto tilted his head in confusion. “Dangerous? Why do you say that?” “Naruto, you know who Princess Luna is, right?” Soarin’ asked in concern. “Well, yeah,” Naruto replied. “She’s Princess Celestia’s sister, right?” “We mean who she was until not too long ago,” Spitfire said angrily. “We’re talking about… Nightmare Moon!” “Well, she’s not Nightmare Moon anymore, so what’s the problem?” Naruto asked. “Do you know why the Wonderbolts were founded in the first place, Naruto?” Spitfire asked. Naruto shook his head to that. “The Wonderbolts were founded in order to protect Princess Celestia, in case Nightmare Moon ever came back!” Fleetfoot explained. “So why didn’t I see you when she came back two months ago?” Naruto asked, baffled. “Princess Celestia actually told us to hold back and leave it to the Elements of Harmony,” Soarin’ explained. “If the Elements hadn’t worked, we would have been the ones to stop Nightmare Moon ourselves.” “But she’s not Nightmare Moon anymore, so your job’s over, right?” Naruto smiled. “If only it were that simple, Naruto…” Spitfire sighed. “It only means we need to be more vigilant than ever! There’s no telling when Princess Luna might transform back into a monster!” “Princess Luna wouldn’t do that! She’s a good pers—pony!” Naruto retorted, his voice starting to rise. “Did you honestly think she’s such a ‘good pony’ when she tried to fry you?!” Spitfire replied angrily. “We know about the battle you two had!” “It wasn’t her fault! Stop treating her like she’s some kind of monster!” Naruto insisted, nearly shouting. “LUNA IS A MONSTER!” Spitfire shouted back at him. Suddenly, all the voices, music and noises from the dance hall around them died down, and all eyes locked at Naruto and the Wonderbolts. From the corner of his eye, Naruto could see a familiar, dark-colored Alicorn. She glared straight at Spitfire, her eyes wide as saucers. “Wait!” Spitfire cried. “Princess, I—” Before Spitfire could utter another word, Luna turned around and flew out the door, just above the heads of Princess Celestia and Twilight, who had just arrived. “Naruto,” Spitfire said. “I didn’t mean—” “Yes, you did!” Naruto snapped at her. “You all did!” he shouted, looking around at the other guests. “Do you think Luna didn’t notice?! Ever since the Gala started, you were all avoiding her! Not one of you made any attempt to talk to her at all! You all still think… You all think she’s—!” he struggled. Naruto swallowed and looked down. “You all think she’s a monster. All because she made a single mistake a thousand years ago. All because she was Nightmare Moon!” he hollered. “Auntie Luna was Nightmare Moon?!” Prince Blueblood was heard crying in the distance. Nearby him, several ponies, including Rarity, facehooved. “Are you all perfect?!” Naruto shouted once more, looking around the many ponies. “Didn’t you ever make a mistake?! Didn’t you ever hurt a friend?!” Many ponies looked down with looks of shame. Princess Celestia stared straight at Naruto in a studying gaze. “I was once labeled a monster too…” Naruto said. “And that monster in me hurt a good friend of mine… Sakura-chan… But she was brave enough to look past it! She was brave enough to help me overcome it, and she kept calling me her ‘friend’! Why can’t you all do the same?!” “Princess Luna was trying to move forward, she was trying to make a new start… And look what you all did!” Naruto screamed. “You pushed her aside instead of giving her another chance! You’re all too coward to be her friends!” “Naruto…” Twilight muttered. Looking back and forth between him and Princess Celestia, as if pondering what to do, she turned back and ran outside. “I may not be the smartest, kindest, or most generous pony out there…” Naruto continued as he scanned the crowd. “But I do know that everypony deserves a second chance! None of us are perfect! That’s why we need another chance to make up for our mistakes! Can’t you give Luna that second chance she deserves?!” A long silence fell on the hall, and nopony dared raise his voice, until finally Spitfire took a step forth. She looked around at the ponies, and then fixated her gaze unto Naruto. “You’re right, Naruto. I was too focused on what happened, and what could happen, instead of focusing on the here and now. I never saw Princess Luna as a pony, but as a dangerous creature waiting to attack.” Spitfire took a small pause, as she collected her thoughts. “But now I realize she’s much more than that! She governs the night, through which we peacefully sleep. She banishes our nightmares and replaces them with pleasant dreams. She’s Princess Celestia’s sister, and she’s a Princess of Equestria! And from now on…” Spitfire raised her front right hoof. “‘I, Spitfire, hereby declare my loyalty to Equestria, its citizens, and its leaders, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! I swear to protect them all as I watch from above, and to dedicate my life to them from here forth!” Nearly all the ponies in the area gasped. Rainbow’s jaw fell. Naruto was the only one who seemed rather confused. Fleetfoot and Soarin’ glared at each other, a bit stunned, but then nodded to each other as they raised their front right hooves as well. “‘I, Fleetfoot/Soarin’, hereby declare my loyalty to Equestria, its citizens, and its leaders, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! I swear to protect them all as I watch from above, and to dedicate my life to them from here forth!” Celestia smiled. “I think I like this new version of the Wonderbolts’ Oath, even if it is a bit improvised.” “Now, if you’ll all excuse us,” Spitfire said as she unfolded her wings, along with Soarin’ and Fleetfoot. “We need to go apologize to our Princess.” “There's no need for that,” a voice said. Turning to the entrance, Naruto could see Twilight standing beside Princess Luna. Princess Celestia was standing a short distance behind them, smiling mysteriously. “I thought Princess Luna would like to know what was happening here,” Twilight smiled. “So I went out to get her.” “Princess…” Spitfire said as she and the other Wonderbolts trotted towards her. They all soon bowed down. “I’m terribly sorry for my earlier outburst, Princess,” Spitfire said. “If you could ever—” “Enough!” Luna called authoritatively. “Speak no more! Because…” Naruto could have sworn he heard a collective gulp ringing throughout the hall at that moment. “Because I would like to apologize as well,” Luna said. “For what, Princess?” Soarin’ asked in surprise. “You didn’t do anything wrong!” “Ever since my return I have avoided you, my ponies. I was too afraid of our encounter, and thus never dared talk to come forth to you.” “But nopony would blame you for that, Princess!” Fleetfoot called. “After all, the reason for the founding of the Wonderbolts is—” “I am fully aware of the reason,” Luna said. “And yet, it does not excuse my behavior. As one of your rulers, it is my obligation to care for you all, equally and unconditionally. Yet I let my fear of you take ahold of me, and cloud my judgment. For that, I give you my sincere apologies,” Luna said as she bowed down. “I also offer my apologies to the rest of you, my ponies,” Luna said as she scanned the crowd. “I ignored my mistakes and carried on as if they never happened. I should have addressed them when I returned, and not have left you all in speculation. I will properly address the matter to all citizens soon, but for now…” Luna took flight and rose up to the air. “I promise to you all I will never hurt anypony ever again! I will use all of my powers to protect you, my little ponies, now and forever more! All I ask for is…” she began, and descended down to the crowd, with every eye still following her every move. “Please give me another chance. Could you do that much… for me?” Luna asked, closing her eyes. A hoof met the floor. Then another. And another. Soon enough, a full concert of hooves hitting against the marble floor in applause was heard. Luna looked around in shock, and tears began to escape her eyes as she was met not with fear and suspicion, but only with warm smiles. “Luna! Luna! Luna!” all the ponies called. “Thank you for getting rid of my nightmare the other night!” a stallion called. “And thank you for that wonderful dream of flying you gave me!” a mare added. “From now on, Princess Luna, let’s never be afraid to face each other, alright?” Spitfire smiled. Soarin’ and Fleetfoot nodded in approval, smiling as well. Luna’s eyes sparkled with tears of joy. “I… I don’t know what to say to you all… Thank you… Thank you for giving me another chance, everypony!” The crowd all burst into cheers in response. Naruto grinned from ear to ear. Celestia smiled softly, closing her eyes peacefully. “From now on, I’m certain you’ll finally be able to move forward, my sister…” “This calls for a super-happy song, right everypony?!” a familiar, bubbly voice called happily to the cheers of the crowd. Turning his gaze to the stage, Naruto could see Pinkie standing beside the musicians. “Hit it!” the pink mare yelled as cheerful music began playing. All the ponies in the hall soon started dancing to it wildly, seemingly forgetting the Gala’s usual formality. “Perhaps now we could share a dance, Naruto?” Luna asked with a hesitant smile. “Well I—” Naruto began. “Princess Luna!” a familiar voice called. Luna turned around to see Applejack trotting towards her and Naruto, pushing a cart with a huge cake, taller than Luna. The Alicorn’s eyes grew three fold. “I’ve gone and said something real mean to ya earlier, Princess. So to make up for it, I present to ya the Apple Family’s secret recipe grand apple cake!” Applejack exclaimed proudly. “It looks marvelous! Even better than that elusive ‘pie’ of yours” Luna gasped. “I cannot wait to taste—” “Let’s… PARTY!” Pinkie screamed. Without warning, she jumped off the stage. “STAGE DIVEEEEE!” Instead of the crowd, however, the pink pony landed on the cake’s cart, knocking the cake up into the air. “NOOOOOO! MY CAKEEEEEE!” Luna cried, reaching her hoof up to it in a futile attempt to save it. The cake arched through the air, where it headed straight for Rarity and Blueblood. The two Unicorns screamed in surprise, and Blueblood quickly hid behind Rarity, using her as a shield. The music died down, as nearly all ponies turned their eyes to the cake-covered Unicorn. “Uh oh,” Naruto thought nervously. Rarity literally fumed, her face turning red with fury as she turned to Blueblood. “You, sir, are the most uncharming prince I have ever met!” she shouted, backing him off against the door. “In fact, the only thing royal about you is that you’re a ROYAL PAIN!” “Yeah! You get that spoiled, little…!” Luna cheered in a most unprincessy manner. Naruto stared at her for a moment, slightly shocked. “Ew, stay back! I’ve just had myself groomed!” Blueblood cried, desperate to get as far away from Rarity as possible. “Afraid to get DIRTY?!” Rarity screamed, and began shaking off the cake onto Blueblood. As a result, the Unicorn stumbled back and hit a large marble statue of an Alicorn, causing it to shake dangerously. “Crap! I’ve gotta stop it before anypony gets hurt!” Naruto thought. He began running towards the statue, when he got bypassed by a rainbow-colored flash. Naruto stopped in his tracks to see that Rainbow made it to the statue in the nick of time. “Yes!” she exclaimed triumphantly, balancing it on her back. “Now there’s no way the Wonderbolts won’t be imp— W-Woah!” Overwhelmed by the statue’s weight, however, Rainbow began struggling for stability, moving around sideways like a crab to prevent it from falling. Eventually, she got too close to one of the ornamental marble columns in the hall. The statue knocked it over, which then knocked over another, and another, and another and another. Soon enough, when the resulting dust cleared, half of the dance floor was a wreck, covered with fragments and pieces of marble columns. All the ponies stared at Rainbow Dash, who was standing in the middle of the ruins fairly shocked and embarrassed. The statue on her back then broke as well, adding to the mess. “Well, this was… interesting…” Naruto said, barely suppressing a smile. Luna just started laughing at the situation. Suddenly, one of the doors to the garden slammed open. Through it many, many animals of all sorts ran or flew into the palace. An ominous shadow of a pony stood outside the door, its breathing heavy. “Wait… Fluttershy?!” Naruto called in astonishment as he recognized the mare. “You’re… going to… LOVE ME!!!” the Pegasus roared, and started giving chase after the fearful animals, which as a result jumped in fright on many of the guests. “That is not what I had in mind when I told her to be persistent!” Luna exclaimed, as all around her the entire area descended into a chaos of panicked ponies and animals, stray feathers and fur. Naruto sighed. “Oh well, maybe I should save the party,” he thought reluctantly, when he noticed that Celestia, standing beside Twilight at the hall’s entrance was whispering something to her pupil. Twilight whistled, gaining her friends’ attention. She then motioned them to follow her outside. “Works for me too!” Naruto grinned, when suddenly his front right leg was grabbed by somepony. “Luna?!” he asked in surprise. The Alicorn had a mischievous smile on her muzzle. Before Naruto could say anything more, Luna’s horn lighted up, encasing the two of them in magical aura. The two ponies then vanished in a flash of purple light. ***** Naruto and Luna reappeared at the large balcony outside Luna’s room. The two immediately looked down to see the girls running out of the castle. For some reason, Rarity seemingly went back for a second, before running outside again. The two ponies stared at each other, and after mentally reviewing what just happened down there, burst into a laugh. “That was quite entertaining, if I do say so myself,” Luna grinned. “Yeah, that actually turned out pretty funny,” Naruto smiled back. “Hmm? What’s up?” Naruto then asked when he saw Luna looking up the sky. He turned his gaze up as well, where he could see the magnificent, cloudless night sky stretching out in all directions. “Do you like the night, Naruto?” Luna asked quietly as she looked at the white orb in the sky. Naruto turned to look at it as well, scanning the night sky in all their twinkling beauty. “It’s alright, I guess.” Luna arched a brow at the young orange stallion. “Oh! I mean, it’s really beautiful!” he exclaimed, scratching his head with his right forehoof. To his surprise, Luna chuckled. “I thought that it is what you meant.” The two spent a while more at the balcony in silence, gazing out at the sky, taking in the cool air and watching over Ponyville and the rest of Equestria down below. “So tell me, Naruto,” the dark blue Alicorn finally said. “How was tonight?” “Well, far better than I expected, really. I thought it was gonna be really formal and boring, but all that craziness earlier made it really funny,” he smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it…” Luna said, but sounded a bit depressed. “Yup!” Naruto replied. “You too, right?” he asked, again failing to pick up her tone. Luna glared back at him, looking quite discontent. “What?” Naruto asked, baffled. “Well, to be honest, what I truly wanted tonight was to have a dance with you,” Luna replied. “It is too bad we did not get the chance to do so.” “Umm… I’m not a really good dancer, ya know…” Naruto replied awkwardly, thinking back to a certain experience he had with a huge snake. “It is a slow dance, it shouldn’t be too difficult…” Luna pleaded. “I really…” Naruto began, when he saw Luna was staring at him with puppy-eyes, sided with pouting of her lips. He let out a sigh. “Okay, fine…” Luna immediately lighted up, as did her horn. A gramophone began playing a soft tune back in her room. BGM Luna took the lead, and grabbed Naruto’s front hooves. As Luna began taking slow, rhythmic paces, Naruto tried to match his own with hers. Naruto took a brief moment to look at Luna. She was looking straight at him, a joyful expression on her muzzle. He then looked back down to resume his attempts of not tripping over his own hooves. “You dance quite well, for your first time,” Luna chuckled. “Oh, uh… thanks,” Naruto replied awkwardly, still gazing down at their hooves. “I don’t even know what I’m doing!” The two continued dancing a while more in slow, rhythmical movements. Soon enough, it started feeling more natural to Naruto, and he could afford to look up at Luna, who was still retaining her peaceful, yet joyous smile. “Hey, this isn’t so bad…” Naruto figured with a nervous smile. A few moments later, Luna’s horn lighted up in dark blue aura, which then encased the both of them, and slowly took them up into the air. “H-Hey! What the—” Naruto began, when he looked up to see Luna had her eyes closed, smiling like she was dreaming a sweet dream. Luna’s dreamlike smile soon caused Naruto to relax as well. “Well… I guess it’s kinda like walking on water, somehow…” Soon enough, Naruto didn’t even mind anymore that he and Luna continued dancing in the air, as if they were standing on an invisible floor. He looked upwards to see the pure white moon up above, and then all around, seeing stars twinkle everywhere. The world somehow seemed to be in complete peace. “Thank you… for everything, Naruto…” Luna said quietly. “You know what… Maybe tonight wasn’t so bad after all…” Naruto smiled, closing his eyes peacefully. “You’re welcome,” he replied quietly as the couple continued to dance the night away… FADE BGM… ***** BGM Meanwhile, deep inside the Everfree Forest… There is a certain place in the woods, where even the most powerful and curious of beasts do not dare approach. It is a large hole, around which only dead trees can be found. There is no wind, and not even the hooting of the owls can be heard from the surrounding forest. Dark, purple energy covers the hole, radiating ominously, intending to keep what’s out outside, and what’s in inside. However, a green ray of light piercing through it from the bottom of the hole is slowly diminishing the purple barrier… Deep inside, and directly beneath the hole, where no moonlight can penetrate, there is a black, round table. The small chamber in which stands the table is illuminated by only seven torches, burning in green, magical flames. Behind the table is a doorless entrance, and around the table are sitting seven dark figures on dark stone thrones. The green light threatening to break the seal above them originated from these dark figures. Soon enough, the rays of light began shrinking, until all that remained of them were green auras surrounding the figures. It took a few more moments for the auras to vanish as well. “Hatred Hex, we have managed to sufficiently weaken the seal, at least temporarily,” a female voice, belonging to one of the figures reported calmly. “Good,” said the largest figure out of the seven, as he opened his purple, cat-like eyes. “Fear, you know what to do,” he said in a frightening, echoing deep voice, his pupils moving to the right. “You’re the only one of us who can free him.” “As you wish, Hatred,” the shadow to Hex’s right replied briefly, his voice sounding like a juvenile’s. He then transformed into a shapeless cloud, flew high up and vanished.