CH10: Preparation
Special Thanks:
Editor: Pissfer
*****
A tale of sadness
A tale of regret
An Alchemist’s tale,
You should never fret
*****
Chapter 10: Preparation
With his business at the blacksmith’s concluded, and a ball of fur in his mouth, Naruto headed back towards Carousel Boutique. It didn’t take him long to reach as it was only a short walk away. The only issue he had on the way there was that Opalescence was constantly trying to scratch his nose, or any other part the cat could manage to reach. Especially that one time he’d sneezed in response to the black soot the cat was covered in. She even managed to escape his mouth a time or two, but they managed to reach the boutique without any substantial problems.
As he entered the building with the bundle of fur in his mouth, he placed the cat down on the nearby counter.“Rarity, are you in here? I found Opalsass… um, however you pronounce her name,” he called out. Naruto caught the cat sneaking towards the door, promptly using his tail to hold the cat in place. The cat struggled as it shrieked wildly.
Rarity’s head popped out from the stairs. “Oh dear, what is all of this noi—OPALESCENCE!” She screamed in delight as she discovered the creature that was being held down by Naruto’s tail. She rushed towards the cat as Naruto just kept it in place. The cat stopped for a moment as it’s owner stepped into view, before looking the other way in disgust. Rarity furrowed her brow towards Naruto.
“Why are you holding my cat down with your tail?”
“It’s trying to get away from this building. I think it still has a grudge against you Rarity.”
“Nonsense, my cat is of high class, and I know Opalescence loves me.” She said as she nuzzled her cat. “Don’t you Opalescence?” In response, the cat took a swipe at Rarity’s nose. Rarity immediately reacted, managing to get away without a scratch. She squinted her eyes as she ignited horn.
“Naruto, release her. I’ll take care of her.” Naruto gave a nod as he lifted his tail away from the cat. It tried to take the opportunity to flee, but a purple aura quickly surrounded the cat, lifting it off the ground. Naruto stood in awe of Rarity’s magic. As Opalescence was suspended in mid-air, Rarity noticed that it was covered in black powder.
“My word, Naruto, how did my cat get all dirty with all this… soot?”
“It was hiding at the blacksmith’s shop in a nearby barrel. I guess she got into some materials and she ended up like this?” Naruto guessed. Rarity replied with a small nod. Using her magic to hold the cat in place, she went over to a nearby cabinet, opened a drawer and withdrew a small pouch that jingled in her grasp. She walked back over to Naruto with the bag in her mouth before placing it on the counter.
“There’s your pay Naruto. And thank you for finding my cat. I would’ve found her myself, but there was just so much work to be done, and I just didn’t want to dirty myself finding her.”
“You don’t like getting dirty?”
“Not at all, a lady needs to have class after all.”
Nobles, always holding themselves to such ridiculous standards. Or maybe she’s just the type of pony that likes to feel pretty and important. Women are weird that way. He shrugged as he finished his thought, looking at the bag for a moment before placing it in his jacket pocket, beside the other one.
“Well… anyway Rarity, I hope to see you soon.”
“Of course, darling…”
As he was about to exit through the door, he heard something else from behind.
“Before you go, there’s one more thing, Naruto.”
“Yes?”
“I hope to see business from you in the future. It means a lot to me that you found my precious Opalescence, it really does. ” She said. Naruto couldn’t help but give a grin.
“It’s no problem Rarity.”
“Well then! Now that that’s taken care of…” She looked back at Opalescence. “It’s time for your bath. I cannot BELIEVE you would run away AND get dirty at the same time, the nerve! You are a cat of class, not some trash digger or such!” Her horn ignited once again, floating the cat along behind Rarity against its will as it futilely tried to struggle out of the aura. Naruto couldn’t help but chuckle nervously as he walked out the door.
*****
As he returned to the Ponyville Square, he found that the sun was quickly approaching the horizon. . It still baffled him that it required two particular princesses just for the night and day cycle to function correctly. But this also meant he had to be quick if he wanted to prepare for tonight. That’s right, tonight, Naruto thought. He looked towards the square and quickly located the request board. He ran towards it to see what other requests were up there. Nothing seemed different than from when he checked last. He soon found himself looking at the Manticore request once again.
He smiled briefly before ripping it off the Request Board with his teeth. After laying it on the ground and placing a hoof on it to keep it from blowing away, he started to read. All he knew from earlier was what Twilight had told him; the reward money and that the requester was some person from Canterlot, so he needed to read it thoroughly.
~~~~~~~~~~
HUNTING REQUEST:
MANTICORE TAIL
REWARD: 300 BITS
REQUESTER: GARY CLOPPER OF CANTERLOT
PLEASE SEE REQUESTER BEFORE UNDERTAKING TASK FOR MORE DETAILS
~~~~~~~~~~~
A picture of some guy in a top hat and in some kind of brown formal suit. Well, not some guy. More like some pony. He looked to be a stallion and had a white coat and black mane, a horn affixed to his forehead just like Twilight and Rarity.
This unicorn looks like a noble. Now it made sense as to why he was offering such a big reward, but why did he need a Manticore Tail?
Well, he would have to talk to the requester if he wanted to know any more about it. As he tucked the request sheet into one of his jacket pockets, he started to trot off towards Canterlot. And promptly stopped dead in his tracks. He had just realized that he had no idea where Canterlot was, nor did he have a map of the area.
As he looked around, there were still ponies wandering about. He talked to a few of them to see where he could get directions or a map. It didn’t take him long to learn that he could get a map from a nearby bookstore. He located the sign that was carved in the shape of a book right next to him when the ponies pointed to it. He scratched his head, wondering how he could miss such a thing.
Entering the bookstore, he smelled the faint aromas of aging wood, dust, and old paper. It was a pretty big bookstore, shelves of books too. But he didn’t have time to be gawking at how great it looked. He needed a map. He saw an earth pony stallion with a light red coat and a yellow mane.
“May I help you sir?”
“Er, yes. I’m looking to purchase a map of the area?” The stallion raised a brow at the strange request, but merely sighed.
“Why would you need a map of the area? You don’t live here?” Naruto found that response rather rude, but he kept his cool as he kept on talking.
“No, I guess you could say I’m new here, and I’m just trying to get a feel for my surroundings.” Naruto responded. The stallion merely sighed once again as he pointed his hoof towards a stack of paper pamphlets.
“1 Bit for a map, would you like to purchase a book too while you’re at it?”
“No, just the map is fine…” The stallion raised his hoof and banged on the counter, causing Naruto to flinch in surprise. The red stallion placed both his hooves onto his head and started to mumble.
“Why is business so slow? You end up having a customer and you’re supposed to be happy. But noooo, they don’t want a book, they just want to either look around or purchase a paper map…” He then spread his hooves wide, as if showing off the store. “WE HAVE BOOKS ALL AROUND! This isn’t some tourist attraction!”
Naruto couldn’t help but scratch his chin in confusion.
“Um… Sorry, I think?” Naruto’s response only pissed off the stallion even further as he banged both hooves on the counter. Naruto couldn’t help but just say something in the form of advice. “Er, look… I’m sure you’re having a bad day, we all do… I’m at least giving you some kind of business… right?”
“That’s not the point!” The stallion replied. “The point is that these books are going to waste. Don’t you love the feel of a book, the fine print, the texture of a hard-covered book? These ponies are insane I tell you!”
Naruto only gulped. This pony was the insane one, and he really didn’t want to talk him anymore. He took a Bit from his pocket, placed it on the counter, and grabbed a pamphlet map with his teeth before slowly backing away.
“Well, um… It was nice knowing you too Red Stallion, um, thingy… But I have to get going…” He hightailed it out of there, not wanting to deal with anymore of this clerk’s shenanigans.
*****
Naruto started to familiarize himself with the map. As he looked at it, he found many different locations. He found the Everfree Forest, it was pretty close to town. That was where Twilight had said that he would probably find a manticore. In the other direction he found Canterlot, but the path looked fairly long. It would likely take him a full day just to get there. He was examining the map, trying to figure out how to get to Canterlot more quickly, when he suddenly ran into something, causing him to fall flat on his butt.
He looked up as he rubbed his head in pain to find Pinkie Pie on the ground in front of him. “Ow… man, that hurt… I didn’t see you there Pinkie Pie…”
Pinkie Pie, who had also been rubbing her head as well, immediately perked her ears up and gave a very cheerful smile before tackling Naruto. He gave a yelp as he suddenly found Pinkie Pie on top of him.
“Ooh, Naruto! Good to see you again! How are you doing?” She said as she lightly hopped on his stomach. “Did you have a good day? Did you do anything great? Ooh, or maybe…” She trailed off as she suddenly disappeared mid-sentence. Naruto turned his head to find out where she’d gone, only to realize that she was nowhere to be seen. Naruto slowly got up before he suddenly found himself back on his ass underneath Pinkie, who had suddenly fallen on top of him. “Or maybe you’re lost, because I don’t like being lost. Being lost is scary and spooky. I knew a friend named Spooky, but he was nothing but air, but I liked talking to him. He’s all whoosh or breezy, but he’s a kind friend.”
Naruto got up once more, not understanding a word Pinkie had said. How he kept running into her was a mystery, not to mention he doesn’t understand how Pinkie can be so damn hyper all the time.
“Ugh… no, Pinkie… I’m trying to figure out the quickest way to Canterlot.” Pinkie stopped hopping from Naruto’s comment. Her mouth formed an “O” before hopping all around him once more.
“Ooh, what for? Business, friends, enemies, animals, flowers, riches, bits, um, candy?”
“Business, mostly… I need to meet somebo—er, somepony named Gary Clopper.”
“Gary? Clopper? Mr. Cloppity clop clop, hahahah,” she said in laughter. Her enthusiasm was enough to cause Naruto to chuckle as well.
“Eh heh, good one… But seriously, I need to meet him. But according to my map,” Naruto paused as he picked up the map in both hooves, “it’s going to take me a good while just to get to this place called Canterlot,” He finished, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The sun was going down, so it was possible that he would have to delay it until tomorrow. He didn’t want to, but he really didn’t have a choice at this point. Pinkie took a peek at the map and gave Naruto a cheerful smile.
“Aw, put that frown upside down Naruto! Maybe Twilight can help you?” Pinkie Pie said in her cheery state.
“How is she going to help me?” Naruto wondered.
“Silly filly, she has Magic! She has that horn for a reason, Naruto! Just ask her to make you go poof and appear there! You’ll end up getting there before you could say ‘Cotton Candy’!”
Twilight… That was the last pony that he wanted to ask. He couldn’t let her find out he was going to accept this task too, so he would have to be careful…
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea Pinkie Pie. Thanks for the advice.”
“Noooo problem!” She said as she hopped away.
“Hey wait, where are you going Pinkie Pie?”
“I’m just going to see Spooky. He’s probably all lonely!” Naruto half-closed his eyes in disbelief. He watched her hop along road.
That pony is insane…
*****
“Why do you need to get to Canterlot, Naruto?” Twilight asked.
It hadn’t taken long for Naruto to get to Twilight’s house to ask her for a teleport to Canterlot. But she obviously wasn’t going to do it without any reason. Fortunately, he’d already thought about that when he was on his way here.
“I just have some business over there to do. Some ponies in town said there’s a guy I could talk to over there for some work. Maybe even a job.”
Twilight gave Naruto a polite smile. “Really, what kind of job?” She asked. Now this response Naruto didn’t prepare for. Funny how he forgot to think about that part of the excuse. He laughed nervously as he tried to think up a good excuse.
“I um… Oh! That’s right. Someone’s looking for a dishwasher pony over there, and I hear the guy is short on help over there in terms of servants, so I figured I could go over there. I hear the pay is pretty good too.”
Twilight raised a brow at Naruto’s response. “A dishwasher, huh… Well, that wouldn’t be a bad job to have, and Canterlot is always looking for servants these days.” She paused, loosing a sad sigh, “Nobles though… they always depend on other ponies to do their work for them. It’s sad to think about.” Naruto gave her a small nod. She stopped what she was doing and looked straight at Naruto.
“Alright then, we can go. But can it wait until tomorrow?” Naruto shook his head at Twilight’s response.
“I need to see if I can get that position today. Its good money and I’m sure that the position is in a lot of demand…” Twilight looked towards the ceiling and then towards Naruto again, and gave him another smile.
“I guess that’s true… Alright, come near me Naruto.” She asked him. Naruto walked up next to Twilight, waiting for whatever she was about to do.
“Spike!” she shouted towards Spike, whom was dusting the bookshelves. He turned towards Twilight’s direction and gave a nod. “Take care of the library while I’m gone, it won’t take too long.”
He didn’t want to lie to Twilight to begin with, but he didn’t want to tell her he was going to hunt a Manticore. He was sure that it would just worry her. She closed her eyes and focused magical energy into her horn, a flash of shining light blinded Naruto, as he felt himself whisked away into the unknown…
*****
When the shining light dissipated, his stomach was churning as his hooves returned to solid ground. He keeled over; he felt like he was about to puke. It was a strange sensation, or maybe it was a strange pain. Either way, it felt like his body parts were stretching in several different directions while being teleported. Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder.
“Naruto, are you alright!?” Twilight asked.
“Y…Yeah, I think so, it just felt like my limbs were being pulled into several different directions…” Naruto said weakly, as he slowly tried to find his bearings and get his mind off his stomach.
“You’re probably just not used to teleporting. I know it was like that with some of my friends. But you get used to it after a while, at least!”
Naruto just shook his head. “I doubt I’ll get used to it…” He raised his head and blinked his eyes a few times. He found himself surrounded by really expensive buildings. The cobblestone roads, the pure white buildings, the unique architecture. Everything just shouted elegance and class.
Is this really Canterlot? Wow... It looks so... amazing...
Twilight looked at him for a moment and then looked at the town.
“Welcome to Canterlot, Naruto.”
So this was Canterlot. He could see a few unicorns here and there, all wearing suits or other really exquisite clothes. It was more of a noble’s town than anything he’d ever seen. He took a few steps forward as he took a quick look.
“So this is Canterlot… I didn’t expect it to be such a… high-class place around here.” Naruto said out loud. He then turned back towards Twilight. “Twilight, I’ll meet you back here in about an hour or so, is that alright?”
Twilight raised a brow, she was wondering what Naruto’s rush was. First it was Canterlot, and already he wanted to head off after just arriving here. “You don’t want me to give you a tour?”
“Nah, it’s alright Twilight! I need to hurry anyway; I wouldn’t want that position to be taken before I get there!” He said, running off into a random direction. Twilight blinked a few times, thinking it strange that Naruto would do that.
“Maybe it was a really good dishwashing position?”
*****
Once he managed to get away from Twilight, he took a look around as he got the request paper out. He needed to find this Gary Clopper fellow, and fast. The sun was sliding down the horizon as he trotted along. Maybe he could ask a few unicorns around here on where this Gary might be?
He began showing the picture around to the unicorns that passed by, but was consistently ignored by all of them. Naruto raised his brow, confused at the actions. When he approached another lone unicorn stallion, he promptly shrieked before taking off in the opposite direction. That sure was a girly pair of lungs on that stallion.
Naruto repeated his inquiries, but made no headway. Everypony either shooed him away, took off or told him how filthy his clothes were. Though the last one was a bit more than he would normally take, he was running short on time and didn’t have enough to waste on being angry at them.
Eventually he took a seat on a nearby bench, grumbling a little as he wondered why everyone was treating him like such an outcast. Maybe they had a higher standard here in Canterlot? As Naruto pondered how to search for this Gary Clopper guy, he looked up to see another unicorn he hadn’t talked to yet. He was wearing a brown suit and had a black mane on him, a top hat, and what looked to be a lightning bolt on his rear end. Again, what was with all the markings on everyone’s butt? But nonetheless, maybe this guy knew where this Gary was. He gave him a poke on his back and the stallion turned around.
“Hello. Do you know somepony named Gary Clopper?” Naruto asked, while showing him a picture of the guy. Naruto was expecting another negative response, like all the others, but what he was expecting didn’t happen. The stallion adjusted the glasses on his nose, and gave a nod towards Naruto.
“Indeed, I know this Gary Clopper. What is your business with him?”
“He placed a request on the Request Board back down in Ponyville. I’m here to accept it.” The stallion blinked for a moment as he took a good look at Naruto. He took in Naruto’s appearance briefly, squinting his eyes as he took in his hair, his clothing, the bandana that Naruto wore.
“Follow me; I’ll lead you to him.” Naruto gave a big smile at this unicorn’s response.
“Wow, really!? You know where he is, and you’ll lead me to him!?” He couldn’t believe it. After spending however long he’d spent searching, he was finally going to meet this Gary Clopper guy. As they trotted along, they stopped at what looked like a medium-sized house; it was white and red, with a small gold trim along the sides of the house. It was a noble’s house, very exquisite. Naruto looked at the stallion in the brown suit and waved his hoof towards the house.
“This is Gary Clopper’s house. I’m sure he’s expecting you.” The stallion said. Naruto raised a brow at the stallion’s response.
“He is? But, I haven’t even made an appointment, or even met him yet…” The stallion grinned at Naruto’s response.
“That’s because he’s right in front of you, my dear boy.” Naruto blinked at the Stallion’s response. He looked at the picture in the request sheet, and then back at the stallion. The face Naruto gave was that of surprise, confusion, and excitement.
*****
As they entered the house, Gary led the way to his study. Naruto marveled at all the exquisite decorations; a few statues carved in the likeness of Gary, various antique pottery, even canvases of fine art. Naruto, of course, didn’t recognize the famous ponies were depicted in the extravagant art. As Gary led the way, he used the magic from his horn to open a slightly dark room. As Naruto entered, his nose and eyes felt like they’d been bashed in.
All around him the sight and smell of tomes, paper, books, ink—it made him blink for a few moments as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Gary looked at Naruto with a chuckle.
“Ah yes, forgive me. It tends to be rather dark here in my study. Allow me…” His horn shined once more with magic as the area was lit up instantly. A flame crackled in a nearby fireplace, making Naruto blink once more as his eyes readjusted to the light.
The room was full of bookshelves, which were in turn full of books, and what appeared to be a variety of plants and mushrooms. He even saw a few bottles of liquids with metal brewing stands below. Naruto raised a brow at this. The shapes of those bottles seemed… familiar, to him.
“Please, take a seat, we have much to discuss, I’m sure…” Gary said to Naruto. He looked at Gary and gave a nod. He sat in a nearby sofa seat. It was really soft, and it felt fantastic; solid smooth wood with plush cushions that just felt amazing. Gary sat in the sofa chair across from him. There was a coffee table between them, holding a picture frame of somepony, and a couple of books. There was also a small tea set sitting there as well.
Gary brought his front hooves together, as if thinking and studying Naruto in an intelligent and elegant matter.
“So then… What is your name, young one?”
“It’s Naruto, Mr. Clopper.”
“Please, no need for formalities. It’s flattering, but please, call me Gary.” Gary corrected. Naruto scratched his head as he gave a nod.
“Alright then, Gary it is.” Naruto said. Gary used his magical horn to pour himself a cup of tea from the kettle into an exquisite cup, having that of yellow and blue rims around the cup. With the magic enveloping the cup, he took a small sip of tea.
“Tea, Naruto?”
“I’m fine, Gary. But thank you.”
“Very well then…” He placed the cup on a saucer and eyed Naruto carefully. “What brings you in search of me, Naruto?”
Naruto took out a sheet of paper from his pocket and showed it to Gary. “You made a request on the request board down in Ponyville. I came here to accept it.” Naruto began. “You’re in search of someone to hunt down a Manticore to get its tail. It was rather annoying trying to get here to Canterlot, but I’m here to make your request come true.”
“Yes, this is true. I am in search of a Manticore tail. But tell me Naruto.” Gary began, leaning back in his chair. “What’s driving you to take such a dangerous task? Every other pony didn’t want to take it due to how fierce and dangerous Manticores are these days, especially since there has been an increase of them as of late.”
“My reason…” Naruto began, and Gary merely nodded. “I’m hoping to get the money from this request so I can purchase a house in Ponyville. Plus, it sounds like this Manticore business sounds exciting.”
Gary raised a brow at Naruto’s reasoning. “A house? You mean… you don’t live in Ponyville?” Naruto shook his head. “Where do you live then?”
“I’m temporarily living in a friend’s house.” Naruto began. “You could probably say I’m a traveller, and that I’m hoping to settle down in Ponyville. But since I don’t have much in terms of bits, this Manticore request should get me a house. At least, I hope so…” Now that Naruto thought about it, he didn’t know how much houses usually cost around here. He could imagine it would be expensive in Canterlot, but Ponyville, he had no idea.
“A house, hm… Well, yes, 300 bits would certainly get you at least a small house of your own…” Gary started to ponder aloud, as he used the magical power of his horn to bring to him what looked like a wooden pipe. He placed the tip of the pipe into the fireplace, letting the cackling flames light it up for him. Using his horn, he placed the pipe into his mouth, taking a small toke before removing the pipe and blowing the smoke across the room.
Gary gave a small sigh as he held his pipe with his magic. “It’s a decent reason for taking this request, I suppose… Unlike some other ruffians who just want to make riches just for the fame and such…”
“Others have tried to take it too?”
“Only two… One of them I greatly denied of them taking the request, because he looked like the suspicious sort, always grinning and twitching like a madcolt. I tell you my boy; there are some weird ponies in this world… Ah yes, and then there is one named Tasgon. He seemed like the hunter sort, carrying a crossbow and had muscles all over. So I did give him the request at one point, but…”
“But…?”
“He disappeared without a trace, and this was 2 days ago. So he either got eaten, or he ran away. I only pray it was just running away… He was rather a bit of a boaster, which made me hesitate slightly.” Gary gave a small chuckle. “Ah… He was funny though. It gave me a good laugh.”
Naruto gave a nod. “Sounds like he could boast about how well he runs away.” Gary chuckled at Naruto’s joke.
“Indeed… But anyway, yes, a house sounds like a decent reason. You are aware of the Everfree Forest, correct?”
Naruto shook his head. “I saw such a location on my map, but other than that, I do not know it.”
“I see… It’s a rather dark and dangerous forest that contains all sorts of creatures and beasts; including the Manticore itself. Most ponies tend to stay away from it. It is surprising that you don’t know about it. But then again…” He stopped for a brief moment as he took another puff from the pipe, before looking at Naruto once again. “You’re not from this area, after all.”
Suddenly there was a silence between the two of them, only interrupted by the crackling of the fire. Gary seemed to be a pretty nice unicorn, compared to the other nobles around the area. Very content, sophisticated, and appeared to be well-off, but didn’t act like a greedy snob like many of the others. Naruto simply nodded towards him. Gary seemed to be lost in thought. As Naruto looked back towards him he blinked a couple of times and straightened up into a more rigid sitting position
“Care to hear a little story, Naruto: A story that explains why I need a Manticore tail?”
Naruto gives a nod. “Actually, I was hoping to ask you about that. Why do you need a Manticore tail? As a trophy?” Gary sat up for a moment, thinking about Naruto’s words, and walked towards the fireplace.
“No, not as a trophy, but to save a life: my daughter’s life.” Naruto went wide-eyed at his sudden declaration.
“You have a family?”
“I used to… My wife had passed away a long time ago, and the only surviving pony in my bloodline is my daughter… She’s in that picture frame in front of you.”
Naruto blinked a couple of times as he looked at the glass coffee table, remembering the small picture frame. With both hooves, he reached out to take a closer look at it. In it was an adult earth pony with a gray coat and a pink mane, wearing what looked like eye-liner and lipstick, and there was another pony, who appeared to be Gary Clopper himself, on the right side of the picture. They both looked so happy together. In the middle stood a gray mare with a stylish black hairstyle, and a sophisticated smile that could probably shatter a pony’s sanity with cuteness.
“Ah, my wife, Termione… She played very sweet music when it came to the piano… always elegant, very classy, like a sweet little flower in a blossoming field…” Naruto looked back up at Gary and blinked a couple times.
“When I hear her music, it is like a sweet symphony of heaven; you could just lose yourself to her tune. You could say it could manipulate any male stallion out there, and use that to puppet others into her dirty work…” Naruto went wide-eyed at this, but Gary only gave a small chuckle.
“That last part was a joke my dear boy. But regardless, I was the luckiest stallion to have her as my wife… And the luckiest stallion to have a daughter with her… Which brings me to my reason with Octavia.”
“What’s your reason?” Naruto asked.
“My daughter is dying, you see… with a disease that my wife had.” Naruto almost dropped the picture frame in response to what he just said. Dying? His daughter was dying? Gary continued, but looked down towards the fireplace. “My wife had a genetic disease, a disease that infects the heart with some sort of virus. I am not too keen on medical knowledge, but it was like winding up a grandfather clock. Once you wind it up, and time runs out…” He began, and then looked back at Naruto. “…it is over.”
Naruto looked down back at the picture frame, while Gary continued on with a frown on his face.
“I had a chance to save her… But no matter the components I had for my potions, I could not save her…” He said as he placed a hoof on part of the fireplace. “I wanted to save her, but I couldn’t… Just because there wasn’t a known cure, because my knowledge of alchemy didn’t save her, and because the hospital didn’t know how to save her either… I had been researching my days away to figure out how I could’ve stopped this, to see if there really was a chance… And yet…”
“When I actually did find a cure, after several weeks of studying, I told myself ‘what was the point? She was dead, you couldn’t do anything, and it’s not like you could revive the dead’. I wish I could revive the dead, only to see her again…” Tears ran down Gary’s eyes, all the way down his cheeks and landing on the edge of the fireplace. Naruto couldn’t help but be moved by all of this. Here was a father finding a cure for his daughter, but he was guilty of not saving his wife. Naruto sat up a bit to pat him on the back.
“Don’t be like that Gary. While her life was short, I’m sure she had wonderful memories with you. I bet they were the happiest times of her life, and she couldn’t have been happier.” He said with a smile. “What you should focus on now is actually saving your daughter… She’s your pride and joy, isn’t she?” Gary’s head shot up as Naruto spoke, and he gave a firm nod as he wiped his tears away.
“Yes… Yes, you’re right. I… I need to focus on the now, I need to focus on the very thing I can defeat that I couldn’t defeat before…” Gary sat back down to collect his thoughts, Naruto promptly doing the same.
“Alright… yes, yes… Anyway, my daughter, Octavia, has the same genetic disease, and so far, the hospital has kept it in check, but I do not know for how long… which is why time is of the essence. I have already researched a cure, and already have all of the components for it… except for a Manticore’s tail. And as I’ve said before, no one has succeeded in getting me one. It would be a miracle if anyone were to take down such a beast… this, is why I sent out the request. I lack combat experience, and my magic is not the type for combat.
“This is why, Naruto…” Gary leans forward towards Naruto, “please, accept my request and bring me the tail, and I will forever be in your debt. My daughter is the only thing I have left.”
Naruto stood up and gave him a smile. A smile of hope, a smile of glee and, most importantly, a smile of determination. He pounded his chest.
“That tail is as good as mine, Gary. I won’t let your daughter die from some stupid disease. Not a chance. And you can believe it!”
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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i am expecting much violence from the next chapter
ok so afr I am waiting for him to shot "RASENGAN" or "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU"
FIRST and good, good
can you keep making more please?
271449
Yer not first, mah boi.
good job i like it...One last thing that needs to be inproved with your grammar is how you tend to do this:
Pinkie Pie also rubbed her head in response, but hearing Naruto’s voice, her ears went up as she gave a very cheerful smile, and tackles Naruto.
It should be tackled not tackles. That is just one example there are many more like this thoughout your story where you mix up talking about the present and past...if that makes any sense. If anyone else can explain it better please do im not good when it comes to english terminology.
...I'm not sure. I have to say, the story's changing the verb's form quickly. At times, it will go in it's present form, like "He places down the cup and eyes Naruto carefully." and then, suddenly, it goes to it's past form, like "Naruto sat down with Gary and almost dropped the picture."
It's... unsettling. If it's not too much of a problem, could you just pick one and go with it? It breaks the flow of the story for me.
Anyway, Octavia is Gary's daughter? Interesting.
...Heh, Octavia Clopper and Gary Clopper.
4.bp.blogspot.com/-EHes_61Wxpk/TeWPmOMEG2I/AAAAAAAAAYw/z6KJMWMCDWs/s320/Awesome_Face.png
Other than that, I must say, you're doing an impressive job of updating quickly while not sacrificing the story's quality. Awesome.
271501
Yeah, using past and present tense of verbs (And some minor grammar issues) can be really difficult for me to spot at times. Don't you just hate when you try to describe something with a couple of words, but they come out in the wrong direction?
Nice chapter, also smooth Naruto, real smooth. You DO realize how Twi's going to react don't you? first she's gonna be all
and then she'll likely 
before going from 
to 
and then going all images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111118000645/mlp/images/thumb/5/54/Twilight_angry_S1E15.PNG/640px-Twilight_angry_S1E15.PNG
Octavia huh? Well this is going to be good. Wonder how how she will reaction Naruto doing this to save her life.......or better yet how is Twilight going to react once she finds out what he did alone.
271544
How is Twilight going to react to Naruto with EVERYTHING he's doing, I wonder? XD
Oh, and I totally saw the Harry Potter references in there as well.
Oh my gawd, the next chapter is gonna be so epic!
271509
I guess the best that can be done is to read it again, and again, and again, and again...
And again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again and again.
Or get a good editor. That too.
...Unless, you've already got an editor... Uh...
271616
Nope, don't got one. I gave up with having an editor/beta after the 13th one. They like to disappear whenever I give 'em a chapter to look at.
I think my chapters are so bad it makes them disintegrate instantly, lol.
You are doing an amazing job!
271634
"Oh god, not another My Little Naruto chapter... I can't... I can't take this anymore..."
*Gunshot*
271462 fc05.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/125/3/9/BITCHES_DONT_KNOW_BOUT_MAH_BOI_by_JuggsG.jpg
Good chapter! I hope there will be ninja-pony action in the next chapter, but anyways nice job! have staches!
271549 I'm sensing a love triangle in the near future.
Loving where this story is going so far. Only complaint I have is probably with the grammar usage concerning past and present tense throughout the story. If you would like, I can proofread and edit to make the story's flow much more concise and clearer.
271688
You have my permission, my friend. I really appreciate it. I just hope you don't disintegrate like the others. lol.
Why is it that deep DEEP inside me i feel like i don't trust gary clopper...
271756
I've done 20k word chapters before. I've also managed to find a mountain dew beer cap.
Bring. It. On.
Looking forward to some Ninja Action!
ooo and twi's gonna be in for a surprise
Btw I mix up the tenses worse than anyone... its shameful...
271434
Naruto tried using his shadow clone jutsu in an earlier chapter and it didn't work
As for Rasenga...I hope it does work
271760 well he is an alchemist and the guy who killed naruto was and alchemist, plus naruto said he saw a bottle that looked really familiar on the desk.
Coincidence? I THINK NOT
this is getting GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDDD!!!!
272395 yea also wouldnt a manticore tail be rather poisonous i know that chemistry combines 2 different materials to get a new one with completely different properties but manticore poison of anykind would probably be instantly heartstopping OR be incredibly life saving
272395 I had to go and re-read that, but yeah you're right
Maybe its a pony version of the guy dun dun dunnnnn
I'm guessing Tasgon is a parody of Gaston,
Gary Clopper is Harry Potter,
and Termione is Hermoine.
272395 Yeah ikr.. i just can't trust this guy yet... i'll have to wait till the next chapter comes around...
271760
Maybe it's because he has alchemy equipment, which is what Naruto's murderer used?
273122 Well that AND the fact that a manticore tail is poisonous and i don't think it could heal anyone...
more more more more more more more
273154
Undoubtedly being stung is poisonous, but that does not say that the flesh beneath the carapace or the carapace itself is toxic. A rattlesnake's fangs aren't poisonous. What is, is the venom itself, which is not stored in the fangs.
Perhaps the carapace could be ground into a powder, or the muscle underneath (if it is muscle) could have a cleansing effect. After all, the manticore is made up of several creatures, creatures that probably would die is they were stung, so it stands to reason that there must be something in the manticore that counteracts its own poison. If there was not, then when its body produced it, it would kill itself.
Wonder why he can't use the Shadow Clone Jutsu? Maybe cause he has no fingers to manipulate chakra with? Also don't give me that bullshiat about he doing sealess clones cause new body = new chakra coils = No experience in control = Requires hand seals again
Bitches don't know about ma common sense...
A lot of debate with poison and alchemist's here... lol...
273309
This man speaks knowledge of wisdom. While Alchemy can look intimidating when mixed with certain ingredients, there are two things to account.
1. Even though one ingredient could be poisonous, think of what the rest of the parts have, some of it could be toxic, some of it might not be.
2. There could be one ingredient that eliminates the poison altogether and produces a reverse effect, which can turn poison in a restorative curative salve.
With Alchemy, it can be a clusterfuck of confusion at times.
273309
[url=
http://objection.mrdictionary.net/go.php?n=5599309]OBMOTHERTRUCKINGJECTION!
Why am I getting an "Are you a boy, or a girl?" vibe off of Master Clopper?
273710
I totally read your reply in Professor Oak's voice.
Oh Man if Octavia starts to fall for Naruto....
It will get real
naruto cannot do any kind of ninjutsu that needs hand signs,
but can he enter sage mode?
on everything of this aside, We need more Stalkershy in thus fic.
274292
He never learned Sage Mode...
271462 but Brony4Eva was first to say first, heretofor he was first in one reason.
*ahem* No one Hunts Manticores like Tasgon!! Nice little anagram you got there
This story is pretty good. I'll keep reading as long as you keep writing even though I lost intrest in Naruto awhile back.
This looks delightful. Can't wait for the next chap and I hope Naruto can handle it. I get the feeling that he'll be able to fight it pretty well but how will he finish it would the Rasengan? I can't wait to find out.
A delightful read as always. Kudos.
273433 I don't know why.. But DEEP down inside me... I just can't trust the guy yet