//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: The Best Laid Plans of Clones and Man // Story: Shadow of the Leaves // by RandomEncounter //------------------------------// Disclaimer: I don’t own either My Little Pony or Naruto. Enough said. Just read. This chapter is dedicated to Meliron for the inspiration I gained from his undying loathing of Rainbow Dash! Shadow of the Leaves Chapter Three: The Best Laid Plans of Clones and Man Author: RandomEncounter Editors: 00Lizard and Meliron The sounds of birds chirping filled the air as rays of the morning sun filtered through the windows of Fluttershy’s cottage. Inside the cottage, Fluttershy was happily humming while preparing breakfast. She didn’t rise as early as some ponies, but she also didn’t have the luxury to sleep in that late. The animals around her cottage needed to be fed and tended to, after all. As such, the day was more often than not determined by their needs. Though, that’s not to say she minded; in fact, quite the opposite. She loved all her animals very much, and took extra care to ensure they had what they needed. A knock at the door pulled the pony’s attention away from her morning routine. The mare silently wondered who could be at the door at this hour. She seldom had visitors this early. Fluttershy softly called out “Coming!” as she trotted to the door. She received no reply, other than a strange, yet oddly familiar noise that she couldn’t quite place. She put her ear to the door and listened closely. It sounded like something... snoring? As loud as it was, Fluttershy began to wonder if a bear had fallen asleep at her front door. It was possible, after all. Maybe the poor thing needed a safe and cozy place to rest for a few hours. She opened the door and was greeted not with a bear, but her friend Rainbow Dash. Even stranger, she noted that her friend’s wings and forelegs were bound with rope. Since moving to Ponyville, she experienced many weird things, but finding her friend bound and asleep on her doorstep was one of the weirdest. The yellow pegasus prodded her friend's shoulder with a hoof. “Umm, Rainbow Dash?” The sleeping mare, however, was not going to unconsciously put up with Fluttershy trying to wake her up; she just rolled over and continued to snore. Fluttershy gently placed her front hooves on her friend’s shoulders and shook her a little. “Um... Rainbow Dash?” The snoring subsided momentarily … but quickly picked up even louder than before. Fluttershy was prepared to shake her friend even more, but was halted by a furry paw placed on her hoof. Looking down, she noticed Angel Bunny looking back up at her shaking his head, pointing his other paw at himself. “Oh, can you wake her up?” she asked her pet. Angel Bunny nodded excitedly and Fluttershy took a step away from her friend, content to let the hare wake the sleeping pegasus. The rabbit quickly hopped into the air and planted his foot squarely in Rainbow Dash’s face. Fluttershy gasped. “Angel Bunny! You don’t kick ponies in the face!” she reprimanded the rabbit. Angel Bunny uncaringly shrugged and hopped back inside. The kick, however, did have its desired effect as Dash groaned and groggily opened her eyes. “What the hay was that for?” whined her polychromatic, and formerly sound asleep, friend. “I answered all your questions, can’t I …” Rainbow Dash trailed off as she became aware of her surroundings. Rolling over, she blankly stared at Fluttershy for a moment, before adopting a sheepish grin. “Eh … he … uhh, heeeey, Fluttershy. Nice weather we’re having today, isn’t it?” The pink-maned pegasus blinked in confusion. “Umm, I suppose so …” “Yeah … so …” Rainbow Dash looked around the area again before turning back to her friend. “Hey, listen … you didn’t happen to see a tall creature wearing a black cloak and mask anywhere around here, did ya?” “Well, no …” Fluttershy trailed off as her eyes went wide. She frantically began to look over her friend, “Oh no! Are you okay? Did that creature hurt you? Is it still around? Should I-” Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head, cutting her friend’s frantic questioning short. “No, Fluttershy … I’m fine.” She moved her head around to examine her surroundings, “And I’m pretty sure he’s gone … at least I guess he is.” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked a little shaken. “Oh, thank Celestia.” “Soooo, can you maybe do me a tiny favor perhaps, Fluttershy?” “Of course!” Dash gestured with her head at the ropes binding her wings and forelegs. “Would you mind maybe giving me a hoof here?” “Oh, yes! Right! Umm,” Fluttershy studied the ropes and knots for a moment, unsure at first about how to proceed, before she experimentally began tugging on them in a few places. Try as she might, her efforts proved futile; after a few minutes it became apparent that she would more than likely get nowhere at this rate. Dash let out a frustrated noise that was a mix between a groan and a growl. “Okay then … how about you just drag me inside for the moment and we’ll think of something after that ...” The yellow pegasus nodded, “Alright.” Fluttershy grabbed part of the rope that was binding Dash before dragging her inside. For such a proud pegasus, this was seemingly the last in a long line of humiliations over the last few hours … “Oww!” … That is until her head connected with the doorway on accident. “Oh! I’m sorry!” When Fluttershy finished dragging her friend inside, she at first tried to find her scissors, however, they were nowhere to be found. Next, she attempted to undo the knots once again. Rainbow’s luck seemed to hold steady as the ropes would not loosen in the slightest. Fluttershy sighed. “Sorry, but I’m not good with ropes and knots. That’s something Applejack … oh! Applejack! She'll know what to do. I’ll go get her!” Dash grimaced at the suggestion, her ego unwilling to suffer the indignation. “Can we try something else, instead?” Fluttershy shook her head. “I can’t think of anything else.” Dash thought for a moment before letting out yet another groan. “Ugh … fiiiiiiiiiine … “ Fluttershy trotted over to the front door. “I’ll be back as soon as possible. You stay right th--” Rainbow Dash’s annoyed stare cut her off. “Oh, sorry, I mean … I’ll be back.” With that, the shy mare hastily flew out the door. Dash grumbled as she laid her head against the floor. She stared at the wall in front of her, but quickly noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head around, she saw Angel Bunny standing right next to her. “What are you looking at, chump?” Stupid move on her part. Her eyes widened as Angel Bunny smiled and produced a marker from behind his back, quickly popping the top of it off. Rainbow Dash blinked for a second before gritting her teeth. “Hey, don’t you dare do what I think you’re about to do!” she growled at the rabbit. With a smirk, the hare proceeded to show Dash why it’s never a good idea to tell Angel Bunny what he should and should not dare do. Especially by the tied up pony that interrupted his breakfast ... ~’.’~’.’~ Angel Bunny was a misunderstood animal … or at least that’s what Fluttershy tried to convince everypony to believe. Being the element of kindness generally meant she could see the good in places nopony else could. And one had to really dig deep to find the good in her pet rabbit … really deep ... … Especially when said bunny seemingly cared nothing for the plight of others when it was itself annoyed, angry, or simply mildly disgruntled when he doesn’t have breakfast on time. By the time Fluttershy had made it back to her cottage with Applejack in tow, Angel Bunny had already drawn a moustache and monocle on Dash. Thankfully for the tied up pony, Applejack managed to keep her snickering to a minimum as she got to work on the ropes. Fluttershy, on the other hand, began to profusely apologize for her pet’s behavior. “I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash! I know he was cranky from being hungry, but I’ve told Angel Bunny a number of times not to mark on anything or anypony with markers!” All Dash gave in response was a low, almost inaudible, growl. Fluttershy ducked her head a little at Dash’s response, then turned to Applejack who was in the midst of attempting to undo a particularly stubborn knot. “How’s it look?” The farm pony snorted a bit. “Well, I ‘ave ta admit that this fellar can tie a mighty fine knot,” Applejack grunted as she tried with all her might to free the tied up pegasus from her rather embarrassing predicament. “Uh, yeeeeaaah,” Dash drawled out, “complimenting that chump isn’t helping my mood, Applejack …” “Quit yer complainin’,” Applejack remarked as she stopped for a moment to examine the rope again. “Ya shoulda thought about that before ya took ‘em on alone. An’ ya’ll wasn’t the one buried up to your neck in the ground by this fellar, I might add.” “Ugh, like this is better!” protested the multi-colored mare. "It’s heaps better n’ being buried!” Applejack annoyedly shot back at her friend. “Umm, girls …” the soft voice of Fluttershy interjected. “Could you two not argue … please? I mean, if that’s okay with you two …” Applejack looked at Fluttershy for a moment before sighing. “Sorry, ah’m just frustrated with these knots ‘ere.” Dash grunted. “How do you think I feel being tied up by them!” she cried out, frustration getting the better of her, as usual. “Fluttershy, are you sure you can’t find that pair of scissors?” The pink maned pegasus shook her head. “No, I’m terribly sorry. I’ve looked everywhere for them, and Angel Bunny says he doesn’t remember where he placed them.” “Why the hay was he using them, anyway?” “He gets bored at times, so he does some arts and crafts with paper,” replied the animal-loving mare as if she believed that was just normal behavior for a pet bunny. Dash turned to glare at the rabbit, who in turn was looking at her with a smirk. ‘... Of course he misplaced them, my flank,’ she thought bitterly before groaning. “Well, this day has just been awesome so far …” A knock at the door drew the attention of the cottage’s occupants. The three mares looked at each other for a moment before Applejack whispered to Fluttershy, “It’s still rather early in the mornin’, were ya expectin’ somepony else?” Fluttershy shook her head. “No, not that I can remember.” “Hmm … Fluttershy, let me hide behind the door before ya’ answer it,” said the blonde earth pony. “D-do you think it’s him again?” questioned the shy mare with a hint of fear in her voice. Applejack shook her head. “Nah, ah don’ reckon it is that Nahrootoe fellar again," she spat the name out in disdain, "but ah don' think we should take any chances, either.” Fluttershy glanced nervously at the door, then to Applejack who was motioning for her to answer it, and suddenly found herself unable to move from the spot she currently occupied. What if it was him? What would she do? What would he do? Would he hurt them? As the questions raced in her mind, there was another knock at the door, but this time a voice accompanied it. “Fluttershy? Are you there?” questioned a muffled voice from the other side; a familiar female voice, at that. Fluttershy recognized who it was right away and quickly went to answer the door. “Twilight? What are you doing here so early?” It was well known that Twilight often slept in due to her late-night study sessions; seeing her up before nine was quite the feat. “I came as soon as I heard …” she trailed off as she took in the tied-up figure of Rainbow Dash with a cross expression. “Soooo … I see that you not only confronted him … but you tried to take him on alone …” Dash rolled her eyes at what she knew was coming. “Uh, yeah?” “And what did the letter from Princess Celestia say?” Twilight asked dryly. The pegasus blinked for a moment. “Err … to stop and capture him?” Twilight brought a hoof to her forehead and sighed. “No, Rainbow Dash, she did not instruct us to do that. She expressly stated to observe and report, and not approach him alone-” The unicorn stopped as she noticed Applejack in the room as well, her face looking somewhat shocked. “Uh, Applejack?” The farm pony looked at her friend’s perplexed expression. “Uh … good mornin’ to ya too, sugar cube?” Twilight looked at her for a moment, confusion evident in her eyes. “I thought you were going to stay at the library …” “Beg yer pardon?” Fluttershy looked at her friend with concern. “Twilight, is something wrong?” “I … just left you at the library,” Twilight slowly spoke. The other ponies looked at each other, before looking back at their confused friend. Applejack was the first to speak up. “Ah’ve been here for the last half hour, sugar cube.” “But I just saw you not fifteen minutes ago!” Twilight insisted, impatiently. “Twilight, what the hay!” exclaimed the tied up mare. “Did a pile of books fall on that egghead of yours?” “What, no, I--” her eyes widened in fear. “If that wasn’t you, then who did I leave Spike alone with?” Without another word, Twilight turned and galloped out the door. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash shared a brief stare at one another before the pegasus and earth pony took off to follow the distressed unicorn. “H-hey, what about me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Jus’ hold on, Dash. We’ll be back for ya later,” replied Applejack as she sped out the door after Twilight. Fluttershy glanced back at Applejack and Twilight speeding off, then turned back to Dash. “Umm, sorry, we’ll be back soon. Angel Bunny, be nice to Dash while I’m gone.” Dash’s protests fell on deaf ears as the door closed behind Fluttershy. She sighed and suddenly spoke her mind. “Great … How can this day get any worse?” She tiredly turned her head to Angel Bunny. “Ya know, how about you just leave me alone this time?” Angel Bunny turned to look at Dash with an annoyed expression, before hopping onto her back and looking at her bindings. He visually inspected them for a moment before hopping up to the sofa and reaching under the cushions. With a cheery expression, he pulled out the missing pair of scissors. That mane looked like it had a few split ends and could use a bit of a trim ... Looking at the smile on the bunny’s face in exasperation, Dash could only think of one thing to utter. “Ah … horseapples.” ~’.’~’.’~ A million thoughts were running through Twilight Sparkle's head as she galloped back towards the library. In hindsight everything just seemed … off. Little inconsistencies with the other Applejack’s behavior that she had overlooked because she had simply concentrated more on Rainbow Dash’s actions. The way she was greeted, the speech patterns, and perhaps most importantly, the fact that Applejack would never leave one of her friends in need. She may not be the element of loyalty, but she looked after everypony close to her just the same. “Twilight!” cried out a voice behind her, jerking her from her thoughts. She twisted her head over her shoulder, seeing Applejack and Fluttershy, the former quickly catching up to her. “Wait up sugar cube!” “There’s no time!” replied the frantic unicorn, her gallop not slowing down in the slightest. “I left Spike alone with your doppelganger! Something could have happened …” Twilight trailed off and bit her lip, a look of both worry and determination on her face. The orange farm pony finally caught up with her friend, galloping shoulder to shoulder with her. “Ah still don’t rightly know what’s going’ on, but if ya say somepony is goin’ around pretendin’ ta be me, ah intend to get ta the bottom of it as well.” Twilight didn’t respond, and instead just nodded at her friend as the two continued to race towards the library, with Fluttershy not too far behind. By the time they reached the outskirts of Ponyville itself, though, Twilight looked fairly worn out; unlike her farm pony friend, she wasn’t used to prolonged physical exertion … especially without pacing herself. This did not go unnoticed by Applejack. “Sugar cube, ya need ta slow down. If there’s trouble waitin’ fer us, it won’ do ya any good ta be ready ta pass out.” Twilight reluctantly nodded and slowed her pace. She was so absorbed with the problem at hand, she didn’t even notice Rarity and a familiar little purple shape standing in the middle of the street. “Twilight?” “No time, Spike!” she cried out as she ran past Rarity and her assistant. It took a moment for her brain to register the fact that she had just ran past the focus of her worry; she almost stumbled to a stop before turning around. “Spike?” Her assistant looked at her. “Uh, the one and only?” The sense of dread that had formed in the pit of her stomach gave way to relief, as she ran back to Rarity and the baby dragon with Fluttershy and Applejack right behind her. “Oh, thank Celestia you’re okay!” she exclaimed through gasps, trying to catch her breath. “Yeah … why wouldn’t I be?” asked Spike, confused and scratching the back of his head. “That’s -- “ she shook her head; now that her little brother was safe, she had to concentrate on the task at hand. “Nevermind for now! Where’s Applejack?” Spike and Rarity looked at the real Applejack standing next to Twilight, then back to the slightly off-balanced looking unicorn. “Uh … Is this a trick question?” Rarity stepped forward, a hint of concern on her face. “Darling, are you feeling alright?” Twilight rolled her eyes in frustration. “No time to explain! Did you leave Applejack at the library last time you saw her?” “Before I answer that, I’d just like to say you are worrying me, Twilight.” “Yes or no, Spike?” she demanded. “Yes!” he yelled out as he cringed away. “Twilight, dear, what’s going --” “Fluttershy, stay with Spike and Rarity. Applejack and I will check the library out!” “Okay.” Fluttershy said with a nod. Without another word, Twilight resumed galloping towards her residence. The sounds of hooves hitting the cobblestone behind her told her Applejack had followed without question. In no time at all, they found themselves coming up on the familiar treehouse. “Applejack, when we get there --” “Wait up!” cried out a familiar voice from above. The two ponies stopped to look up. Flying towards them was the unmistakable form of Rainbow Dash. Landing in front of them, they both took note of her disheveled look. “How’d you get out of the ropes … “ Twilight trailed off as she took notice of the state of her friend’s mane. ”And what happened to your hair?” Rainbow Dash looked incredibly annoyed and her eye twitched at the mention of the missing chunk from the bottom of her mane. “Angel Bunny found the scissors. I’d rather not talk about it. So what’s the plan?” Twilight nodded and looked up, quickly adjusting for Rainbow Dash. “I left the balcony door unlocked. You enter from there and then make your way downstairs to us. Applejack and I will go through the front door. If whatever it is, is still in there, we’ll corner it.” The unicorn received quick nods from both of her friends. With that, Rainbow Dash took off for the top floor as she and Applejack to make their way to the front door. “You ready?” Applejack looked at her resolutely and nodded. “Sure am, sugar cube.” Twilight quickly nodded in return and flung open the front door. Both ponies dashed inside, ready for whatever was about to greet them. Whatever they expected, though, all they were met with was silence. Looking around, they noticed a number of books strewn across the floor, the library in a state of disarray. It was clear that somepony had rummaged through the collection of books in a hurry. A noise from the stairwell drew their attention as Rainbow Dash flew down into the room. “There’s nopony up there … “ She trailed off as she looked around the room. “Woah, Twilight, what the hay happened here?” As Twilight looked around the library, her expression changed to one of anger as she took in the extent of the mess. “Rainbow,” she growled, “go get the others and bring them back here. I need to send Princess Celestia a letter.” Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortably around the library. “Eeeeehhhhh, yeah. I’ll go do that.” The pegasus quickly retreated from the room, not wanting to be around an angry Twilight at the moment. Applejack trotted up to Twilight and laid a hoof on her shoulder. “Ya alright, Twilight?” “No,” she ground out, “but I will be, once I find the pony responsible for this abomination of a mess.” ~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~ Author’s Note: Oh look … you guys got the promised update finally. A week or so late, but better late than never! Right? … Right? … Yeah, I know, I’ll go sit in the corner for a while now. Anyway, next chapter has already been started (if only because I cut parts of this chapter out to be used in the next chapter.) We’ll see how long that one will take me … So, you’ll see me update again something in September! … I jest (I believe I do at least!)