Just a foreword to you all who would like to continue reading this tale of mine. I can be a tricky dick with my stories and have a deep love of subverting expectations. You may just do yourself a disservice by jumping to conclusions on certain aspects of this story. What you see may not lead where you expect it to lead. Or it just might. Who knows? I'm a tricky dick after all.

With the sun shining so sweetly down on the land, Celestia chose to indulge in her day and take the rest of her work outside. In the palace gardens there was a grand gazebo overlooking much of Equestria, providing just the view the princess wanted. From there Celestia took in her country as her attendants read the many letters and requests that came to her every day. She could see Ponyville in the distance. It looked to be faring well as always.

From the path leading to the gazebo, one of the guards on duty drew her attention to an approaching individual. Among the gardeners, guards and other workers at the palace was a familiar if irregular sight. One of the royal couriers; a grey pegasus mare by the name of Breezy Hooves.

“Well good morning Breezy!” the blonde maned pegasus gave a deep and respectful bow at the princess' address. “How is your family?”

Breezy, being the ever active pony she was, began to answer even as she opened her mailbag to fetch her deliveries. “Oh they’re doing just swell Prin-mmf-hmmf-mmf-hmmf-hmmf! Peppy has been taking our daughter on flying-hmmf-mmf-mm-mm-mh-hm-hmm! Here you go!”

She gave to the princess a rather large, padded envelope, which Celestia took with an awkward smile. Sometimes she wished she'd studied the fine art of dentistry, if only to understand what Breezy was saying half of the time. “I’m sorry that your duties take you away from home so often.” Celestia knew that royal couriers had to sometimes spend days at a time with their work, and was grateful to all of them. Especially ones as dedicated as Breezy. “I believe today is the end of your round?”

“Sure is your high-hmmf!” Breezy chirpily responded while closing her mailbag. “Peppy promised to cook up something special when I get home, and the look on Derpy’s face when I walk through that door makes it all worthwhile! Well, I’d best be going Princess. I’ll see you next month!”

“Ah, farewell then Breezy!” Celestia gave a weak chuckle as Breezy took off like a dart to the sky. Not even the Wonderbolts on a good day were as quick as that courier when she was on duty. With the animated pony gone Celestia looked upon the envelope in her hoof. The address of origin upon it along with the unusual size took away a hefty portion of her merriment. “Oh my...”

With her magic she opened the envelope and pulled out the papers within. They were from the monitoring facility that was set up in the Unicorn Range just under three months ago. There the royal investigators had located the mountain those two boys, humans according to them, claimed to have surfaced from. After finding traces of a peculiar magical energy Celestia had ordered a barrier to be constructed around the mountain. This was a report from that facility. But it was much larger than the ones she had received thus far.

“Zero-dimensional space stable... rift crystals operating at nominal levels... oh?” Among the many lists, tables and timescales Celestia had the gist of the situation over there. The barrier around the mountain had locked it in what was known as “Zero Space”, meaning that the entire mountain had been removed from Equestria, connected only by the magical tether that kept it from being lost to the void of Zero Space entirely. That was all as it should be. But there was new data in these lists.

“A small series of magical irregularities from within the barrier occurring between...” this was most intriguing news. By the chart that accompanied this note Celestia could see just the barest of spikes in the barrier’s stability. Far from anything that would indicate a risk, but that was only a comfort. “The area was checked over several times before the barrier was erected, and it was confirmed that there were no life signs in or around the mountain.” These were Celestia’s own thoughts. “For a sudden magical irregularity to occur inside of it after all this time... what does this mean?”

Teleportation magic was impossible. Zero Space barriers didn’t just lock away areas within, but rejected everything outside. Any unicorn or alicorn attempting to enter via that method would find themselves hitting an invisible wall. And if somehow they managed to get past this issue, which was inconceivable in and of itself, they would simply trap themselves in the colossal pit left by the mountain’s removal. But even in that scenario the interior of the barrier was entirely visible to the guards. A pony who had trapped themselves inside would have to make an effort to disguise themselves, even while making an escape being entirely detectable by the staff supervising the barrier.

A dimensional rift like the one Celestia had used to begin the Zero Space barrier in the first place. But just like with teleportation magic, there was no way a pony in this dimension could have used it like that. The only way was if the dimensional rift was opened from another dimension. In other words, the event that brought Naruto and Sasuke to Equestria appeared to be happening again. That the location was identical to the previous case was proof of that. Though Celestia believed it may be so much worse.

There was a chance that if the cause of the dimensional rift was a living being, that said living being was trying to break the barrier. That was a risk that Celestia could not ignore. But as it was, it was only speculation. Considering the information laid out before her, the magical irregularity was weak. The best thing she could do would be to continue observing and see if such irregularities would become stronger in time.

Celestia put the papers back in the envelope just as her favourite student appeared from around the hedges running through the garden. There was a distressed look about her that told Celestia her news didn’t bode well. The princess descended from the gazebo to meet Twilight down on the path, concern shown on her face.

“Um, maybe, I don’t know!” Twilight was quite clearly distressed, and possibly wondering if it was right to bring whatever was bothering her to the princess at all. For that Celestia offered a reassuring smile that succeeded in pushing the little unicorn on. “Well, I was visiting Naruto and Sasuke, to study them like you asked me to, but they wouldn’t let me in!”

The quirk of Celestia's brow showed her stern feelings to this. That did indeed sound suspicious. One of the things that those boys had agreed to upon deciding to stay in Equestria was that they could be studied by a physician and Twilight alike, so that as much could be learned about them as possible. With no other creatures like them in the world, this was important for many reasons. Celestia had made sure they understood this.

Twilight shook her head quickly. “No, but when I saw them, they were both covered in bandages!”

Celestia hummed to herself in thought. Things had gone from suspicious to worrisome indeed. She should have heard from their physician if they’d come to him with injuries. For word to have reached her by Twilight instead would suggest that the doctor didn’t even know of this. But still, boys could be rough from time to time, so there was every chance that it was nothing.

“I wouldn’t want to impose on them or invade their privacy.” She reasoned. From what she’d heard from Twilight those two boys had yet to properly adjust to life in Equestria. They rarely left their home during the day and preferred to have groceries delivered via mail order. Perhaps this shut-in behaviour was something she ought to try and edge them out of. “It’s better they learn to embrace their new home than to hide from it.”

For that decision Celestia hid a smirk to herself and ushered Twilight along with her wing. “I think I’ll be taking my work with me on a stroll through the city today.” She called out to her attendants, who each hastily gathered the papers and such that they needed the princess’s input on. She then gave Twilight a playful wink. “Why don’t we see if we can convince a couple of sore thumbs to join us?”

Twilight’s worry subsided in an instant and she cheerily took place by the Celestia’s side. “That sounds like a great idea princess!”

The sound of metal on metal resounded from the basement of the home that belonged to two boys. Through the kitchen and down the stairs, where the light was rather lacking, the sounds came at a steady rhythm of once every other second. From the narrow rays of sun coming through the windows lining the ceiling, and the lanterns that shrank the shadows away, the two boys appeared to be having a scuffle of some kind.

Naruto and Sasuke had both removed their shirts, to protect their only set of clothes from becoming more damaged than they already had these past three months. The stuffy basement also gave reason to this, as the sweat that glistened off their skin indicated. In this half dressed state it became quite clear just what it was that had unsettled Twilight so.

Sasuke panted hard, a pitiful excuse for a kunai gripped in his hand. He put his hands on his knees to catch his breath, never once taking his eyes off of his sparring partner. Though he couldn’t say he and Naruto were evenly matched, he felt himself disadvantaged by a headache that refused to go away. It was a headache that was partially his own doing, however. The bandages wrapped around his forehead were so thick and tight that some circulation had likely been cut off.

Naruto rubbed his face with his arm, wiping off the sweat that was about to drip into his eyes. He too held a kunai that had seen far better days. The edges were chipped to the point where it looked like it had been poorly serrated by a rank amateur. Though Naruto hardly cared about that. He was doing pretty poorly in this spar, thanks to the handicap Sasuke had over him. Naruto’s chest was bound by bandages tight enough that his breathing felt restricted.

Not that either of them would raise this complaint, for they knew what the other one would say. Take the bandages off then. But likewise, both knew that neither of them wanted to do such a thing.

“I don’t think sending Twilight away was a good idea.” Naruto puffed. “Isn’t she gonna tell the princess on us?”

Sasuke managed to get a hold of his breathing and straightened up. He considered moving in for another round, but he felt so tired from the workout that he just didn’t have the motivation to continue. He waved Naruto away to signal the end of their training and dropped his poorly maintained kunai on the nearby wooden table.

“Twilight’s a tattletale.” He took the towel he’d had the foresight to bring and began to wipe the sweat off of him. “She’d tell the princess anyway.”

Collapsing into a nearby chair, Naruto took hold of one of two water bottles sitting on the staircase behind him. "You think the princess is gonna be mad we blew her student off?" he took a hefty swig of water and gave out a gasp of relief as the cool liquid ran down his dry throat.

Sasuke rubbed his neck with the towel, his focus distancing as he, like Naruto, thought of what an upset Princess Celestia might look like. "I don't know." It was hard to imagine the princess getting angry about anything. They'd always seen her as, well, sunny. "I hope not."

"Yeah." Despite being the one who raised the question, Naruto disliked the drop in mood that it brought. To try and dispel that negativity, he grabbed the second water bottle and tossed it to Sasuke. "Hey, catch!"

Sasuke, whose vision had been obscured by the towel, looked around it to Naruto. "What?"

Shocked by the accidental blow, Naruto was on his feet and halfway to Sasuke at this time. Under his roommate's vicious glare however he stopped in his tracks, a sudden premonition of pain befalling him. "I uh... I did say "catch"." he claimed in his defence.

Mercy was not on Sasuke's mind however. He was much more content with picking the water bottle up and hurling it at Naruto with all his might.

"Woah!" Naruto covered his face with his arms as the bottle flew straight at... no... straight past him. To his, and Sasuke's, surprise, the bottle missed him by a long shot and hit the wall uselessly. Mixed with his own anger at Sasuke's intentional attempt to cause him greater harm, and the abject failure of such a throw, Naruto viciously jabbed the air in Sasuke's direction. "HA! MISS- GAH!"

His provocation of Sasuke turned into a strangled groan as his overzealous movement fired off a cramp in the muscles of his back. While he writhed from exerting his tired and aching body further, Sasuke was gripping the sides of his head. His shock and anger had given him an extra burst of adrenaline and made his blood pump faster. With the bandages tightly wrapped around his head, this served to make his headache so much worse.

Paralysed by pain, neither of them could hope to do much but wait for the aches to lessen. By the time that happened they were reduced to heavy breathing once again. Both were on the verge of being utterly unintelligible, but Naruto somehow managed to get a word out.

Sasuke took a while longer before he even tried to speak. The pain in his jaw was gone now, only the shadow of the blow remaining in the frame of his mind. His headache had lessened only a little, but it was still worse than before. Even if Naruto was the reason for the cause of the headache, Sasuke was just mature enough to know he'd made things worse for himself by losing his cool.

"It's fine..." he muttered, once he was finally able to stand straight again. "Just watch it next time."

Though a little sour, Naruto had to admit his fault for throwing a heavy object at someone that wasn't even looking his way. "I know." he grumbled as he bent down and picked up the twice thrown water bottle. It was scraped down the side from hitting stone, but it wasn't leaking. This time he directly handed it to Sasuke. "Here."

The two of them opened their bottles up and took fresh swigs, relishing the cold fluid. This was their reward for completing their morning training. For even though they lived in a city known for its extravagance and were given an allowance from the princess to live off of, they were by all intents and purposes shut-ins.

They both looked out the window and saw the beautiful morning awaiting them outside. The day was beckoning them to head out there and embrace all that it had to offer. As always, the two boys were tempted. From down here they could see only the sky. But once they left the basement and looked out the windows there, they had to face the reality of what was outside. An entire community of aristocratic horses that had never seen the likes of them before. Naturally it was all a bit unnerving.

After they took another swig of water, dried themselves off and pulled their shirts back on, Naruto brought up the courage to speak. "Do you think we should be... out there?" The question was technically rhetorical, for Naruto already knew what the right answer was. But as much as he told himself it was the right answer, the thought of it made him feel so very insecure.

Sasuke paused halfway up the steps, looking out the window to the barely visible rooftops of the opposite side of the street. This question was familiar to him, for he'd been asking himself it quite often. Yet like Naruto, there was a sense of discomfort that came with it. "Do you want to?" he looked back at his roommate, privately hoping that Naruto would say "yes".

It was what Naruto wanted to say too. But his nerves wouldn't let him. "I don't know." he murmured. Dejected, they both left the basement, feeling as disappointed in each other as they did themselves.

Once in the kitchen the two of them looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost noon, meaning it was time for one of them to make lunch as per the agreement they made when they moved into the house they now inhabited two months ago. Fortunately neither of them had a particularly expansive pallet. They were seven years old after all. There was no mystery to be had when Sasuke sat down at the kitchen table and watched Naruto pull out the loaf of bread. Sandwiches were often the only thing on the lunch menu.

"To think out of all the different worlds we could have wound up in, we'd end up in one where nearly the entire country is vegetarian." There was a cruel smile playing across Sasuke's lips as he said this. "No chicken, pork, beef, nothing."

"Sh-shut up!" Naruto sniveled as he spread butter on their cheese, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.

Sasuke snickered quietly to himself, but he did as Naruto asked out of fear of having something less than pleasant added to his lunch. That and the thought of chicken, pork and beef were starting to make him real hungry too. He didn't mind the alternative diet they'd had to get used to, but he still missed some of the more carnivorous aspects of his meals. The two of them had talked about trying to hunt for meat in secret, but the point was moot. They lived on a mountain. There was hardly many options set out for them even if they did have the courage to kill a living thing for its meat.

Naruto brought the two sandwiches over on plates, and the two of them ate in silence. That said it didn't take them more than a minute before Sasuke was gathering the dishes to wash them, as per the other half of their kitchen agreement. While he was at that, Naruto was staring off into the distance, deep within his own thoughts. Sasuke noticed this and thought it strange. Uzumaki Naruto? Deep thoughts?

Sasuke might have asked what it was that was on Naruto's mind, but he thought better of it. He had become rather cautious about such a thing, out of the sense of equality. If he asked Naruto what he was thinking when deep in thought, Naruto would be entitled, maybe even feel obligated, to do the same if he ever saw Sasuke in such a state. The thing was that whenever Sasuke was carried off by his thoughts, they almost always went to a place he tried to avoid. A place he wanted to share with no one.

The unexpected sound of Naruto's voice snapped Sasuke out of his funk, and just in the nick of time. Seeing the water in the sink about to overflow, he hastily turned off the tap and pulled out the plug. "What?" he half looked over his shoulder as he got back to cleaning up.

Just as that odd statement caught Sasuke's ears, he finished with the dishes and could turn around to face Naruto. "What's weird about that?"

By the quick glance Naruto gave Sasuke it became obvious that he was uncomfortable talking about this. Sasuke sat back down at the table and watched his roommate's face, now genuinely curious as Naruto shuffled his hands awkwardly about.

"I've never had these kinds of dreams before... but... OK." breathing deeply, Naruto forced himself to look Sasuke in the eye. "I've been dreaming about the Fourth Hokage."

"That's not weird." Sasuke could feel his piqued interest waning fast. "You wouldn't shut up about being Hokage back in the academy."

The two of them quieted for a moment as their thoughts went to the days at the academy that had been and gone. It didn't last though, for Naruto shook the thoughts aside and redoubled his efforts.

"It's not like that! It's like... like..." he furrowed his brow as he tried to find the words to describe what his experiences had been like. The more he thought about it though, the more his thoughts went back to the academy. There came a look of dawning realisation as he felt he figured out why. "It was like being in class. He was teaching ninjutsu, but there was nobody else there but me and him. It was like he was teaching me."

Sasuke still failed to see what was so strange about all that, but he didn't press his outlook any further. Even if he didn't care, he didn't want to be a jackass and tell Naruto as such, so he feigned interest in the hope of getting this discussion over with. "Uh huh?" his attempt to look genuine didn't reach his face. Or his posture. Or even his tone of voice for that matter. "What kind of ninjutsu was he teaching you?" he smirked. "Ninja Art: Super Giga Explosion Jutsu?"

His callback to the pathetically named jutsu Naruto had deliriously attempted to use on Sasuke back in the caverns of Unicorn Range was effective in bringing about a full faced flush to his fellow human. "No!" he snapped. "It was the Transformation Jutsu ok?!"

Sasuke might have offered a further gibe to this, but instead he gave a half frown. A technique as low level as the Transformation Jutsu didn't sound like the sort of thing the undeservedly egotistical Naruto would conjure up in the realms of his dreams. It was a third year technique that was beyond what they were learning at the academy too, not that Naruto's absent minded behaviour would have allowed him to know even that much. Still, there was an opportunity here for some further light hearted teasing.

"Go ahead then." he put on a bemused smile and sat back to observe his loudmouthed roommate. "Let's see it."

Noting the challenge in Sasuke's voice, Naruto was a sufficient enough mix of irritated and proud to not want to be insulted any further. "Just you wait!" he jumped out of the chair and stood in an empty space in the kitchen. He then began forming ninja hand seals. First the dog, then the boar, and finally the ram.

Sasuke's smile slid a little. "That looks about right..." He vaguely recalled seeing other students practicing that technique.

"Ninja art:" Naruto's exclamation served no better purpose than to psyche himself up. "Transformation Jutsu!"

At that moment a sudden and unexpected plume of smoke appeared from nowhere and completely enshrouded Naruto. Sasuke was so surprised at this that he half leapt from his seat, subsequently stumbling and falling back with the chair. The plume of smoke faded away, and in its place stood someone else.

The half Sasuke/Naruto person stared in shock at Sasuke, who in turn gave this stranger a dumbfounded look. It took the mixed Naruto all of a few seconds to figure out that his attempt had brought about something. At which point he quickly began checking himself out.

"I-it worked?!" as soon as his concentration broke, a fresh plume of smoke erupted and the disguise was shattered, leaving Naruto as he had been a minute ago. "Aw!" his momentary dejection was swiftly overshadowed by his success. "You see?!"

Naruto's energetic display bought Sasuke the time he needed to untangle himself from his chair. But it was nowhere near enough time to process what he'd just witnessed. "You've gotta be messing with me." Disbelief kept his voice low while he clambered back up to his feet. "You already knew that jutsu, didn't you?"

He had a point, Sasuke begrudgingly admitted. But then, Sasuke had one of his own. "If you didn't suck at it."

Naruto shot an annoyed look at his roommate, the gears in his head clearly turning for the hope of a witty comeback. The seconds passed miserably and the best he could come up with was too lame for even him to say. That was what Sasuke deduced anyway when Naruto turned away in a huff and opened up the fridge instead.

"How do you know?" Naruto was beginning to get rather mad. He grabbed a carton of orange juice out and found a glass to pour some in. "Maybe I'm psychic or something!"

The dry look Sasuke gave Naruto in response broadcasted how little he took such a theory seriously. "So you can talk to the spirits of the dead through your dreams? That isn't possible."

As a fierce inversion to Sasuke's calm and reason, Naruto turned and grabbed him by the arm, steering him to the kitchen window. "Look out there!" he yelled, pointing avidly to the street outside. "There are freaking unicorns everywhere! Magical unicorns! If that's possible, what's not?!"

Sasuke blanched. Hell must have been feeling pretty chilly at that point, with Uzumaki Naruto making two valid arguments. Talking animals weren't so strange. He knew of the cat clan the Uchiha had been allied with. But unicorns had always existed purely in the realms of folklore. A lot of things in Equestria contradicted what Sasuke thought was true and false.

Urgh... The only result Sasuke was getting from these impossible thoughts was a further return to his headache. Seeing a correlation between that and arguing with Naruto, Sasuke chose to put an end to the confrontation. "Fine, whatever. The dead Hokage is teaching you ninjutsu." As ridiculous as it sounded, it looked like the only explanation they were going to get. Not that Sasuke particularly cared about the real reason Naruto knew that technique. That he knew it was enough. "Do you think you could teach it to me?"

So swift was the change of course in their conversation, Naruto was put in a state of mental whiplash, as suggested by the dumbfounded look on his face. "What?"

Sasuke half scowled. "We're trying to continue our ninja training, aren't we? It's not like it's going to be easy for either of us. If we seriously want to do it, we have to help each other out, don't we?"

For a few seconds Naruto continued to wear a blank expression. "Oh, uh, right." He had a feeling the conversation had drifted away from his intended course, but after all the excitement he couldn't remember where he'd been going in the first place. "Sure, I can try and teach you it. Though I uh... kinda..."

"Ah, quit yelling!" Sasuke groaned, his hand to his head again. "This stupid thing is giving me a migraine!"

Naruto did quieten down at that. Sasuke wasn't the only one having a less than stellar time with his health. Naruto's back was in such a way that he had to sleep on his side or front to avoid feeling like his flesh was being tugged at from all angles.

"I think we should go see Dr Dulot." his voice was riddled with the same anxiety that Sasuke showed upon hearing such a thing. "It doesn't seem like a temporary problem, you know?"

Sasuke gave the matter some unneeded thought. The truth was this was another moment where he and Naruto were thinking along the same lines.

"Yeah..." he concluded. But then he gave a cursory sniff. "Maybe we should shower first."

The princess had been rather pleased to see Twilight come to her with the problem she had. Over the past few months Celestia had been noticing that her student hardly ever spoke to anypony other than herself or her baby dragon. In the beginning she had worried that having Twilight move into the palace and away from her family had left the young filly rather lonely. Yet in the passing times as Twilight adjusted to the palace, she never changed that solitary way of hers. She seemed perfectly content as she was, and even found her task of studying Naruto and Sasuke to be an annoyance. She'd never said as much, but Celestia could tell.

As they and the entourage escorting them made their way through the streets of Canterlot, with ponies constantly bowing their way, Celestia looked down at her student to see if she was comfortable. Twilight had never quite adjusted to the attention they received when they were outside together. Her eyes were always either buried in a book or fixed on the ground. Today, surprisingly, was not the case. Twilight smiled to herself, and walked with a spring in her step.

A strange transition from the quiet bookworm Celestia had come to know. Too strange, she thought.

"Twilight?" Celestia kept her thoughts aside from her voice and expression, instead offering a charming smile. "What's gotten you in such a good mood?"

Twilight met the Princess' gaze with a sunny look about her... which lasted all of a few seconds. As if realising what she was doing, she corrected her walk and dropped her eyes to the ground. "Oh, um, nothing!" her reply was a touch too quick.

The princess kept a curious eye on her faithful student for the rest of their walk.

The stroll took them off the main streets of Canterlot and to the slightly more rural quarters, where ponies preferred the peace and quiet to the hubbub of the central city. It was around here that Celestia had moved Naruto and Sasuke to; believing that life in the palace was no way to adjust them to their new home. She'd arranged a physician to give them special attention, and was in the process of finding a tutor suitable to their needs. She was honestly curious to see what would become of these two strangers to her world, and wanted to make the best of them, if possible.

But if they were avoiding even Twilight, then Celestia had to consider that perhaps she was acting improperly towards such a goal.

Celestia, Twilight and the rest of the entourage came to a stop as they approached a junction in the streets. Ahead of them, facing away, were the very two boys Celestia had just been thinking about. The princess glanced down to Twilight, and saw her student gawping at Naruto and Sasuke. She felt the princess' attention upon her and quickly looked back, worry etched on her face.

"I swear, they never leave their homes!" she waved her hoof at the boys, as if to dispel some illusion. "You have to believe me!"

Smoothly Celestia closed her eyes and opened them again, a sense of understanding coming to her. The young filly would never tell a lie like this, but the slight hint of frustration in her voice made everything very clear.

Twilight was much too young to notice the faint breath of disappointment that escaped from Celestia. The princess looked away from her student and to the boys, both of whom were clearly having trouble finding their way.

"Good morning Naruto, Sasuke." The two of them jumped in surprise as she reached them. "It's good to see you both are out and... about..."

Her greetings trailed off a little as she observed them both. Their clothes were faded, showing faint signs of wear and tear. Not only that, but it was clear that the bandages Twilight had spoken about were quite real. At least, as far as she could see on Sasuke. A worrying amount of gauze was wrapped around his head, though they looked amateurishly applied. Even so neither of them were looking particularly well-to-do.

"Good morning, princess!" The two boys were swift in their greeting, bowing deeply in the funny way bipedal animals sometimes did.

The princess searched them only for a second more. "Are we heading off somewhere?" She smiled at them both.

Awkwardly Naruto looked at Sasuke. The bandages on his fellow human weren't exactly hidden, so there was no reason to be vague. "We were gonna go see Dr Dulot." he explained. "But uh... we don't exactly know how to find him."

"Oh? Well I'm sure I can help you with that." Celestia looked back to one off the guards, gesturing for him to come closer. "Could you escort these two to Dulot and Sons Medical Practice?" the guard of course offered a firm salute in response. The princess returned her smile to the boys and looked at their clothes again. "After that, if you're not busy, perhaps you could join me at a little boutique called Thread Mare?"

Naruto and Sasuke turned to each other, catching on pretty well to why the princess suggested such a thing. "Uh, yeah, we can do that." Sasuke replied, embarrassed.

While the two of them were watching their feet Celestia leaned toward their escort and whispered. "I'd like them to find their own way to us, so could you keep your distance after the doctor takes them away?" the guard nodded sharply. Celestia left it at that and walked past the two boys, addressing them once more. "Well then, I hope your check up goes well!"

At that point the two groups split up; Naruto and Sasuke following the guard down one street while the rest of Celestia's party headed down another. The princess cast an eye down towards Twilight, who was hanging shyly back from where she had stood before. It was clear the little filly was worried that the princess would be mad at her, though that was not the case. There was just one thing she needed to talk to her about.

"I wonder... were you perhaps hoping that those two would get scolded?" she asked with a mischievous glint.

A cramped hallway, rustic and dimly lit. Naruto sat on the floor, his knees close to his chest. The occasional member of staff would walk past him, never failing to look down at the human boy lost in his thoughts. Some were kind enough to ask if he was alright, though most continued with their business. They all vaguely knew who he was and could see that he wasn't in the mood for talking.

He was in the boutique Celestia had mentioned. Finding the way there had been a bit of a tricky task, aided in no way by the thoughts he and Sasuke were stuck with. At the moment Sasuke was in the room behind him, getting measured for new clothes. The tailor's room had been rather stuffy, what with the mannequins and several ponies filling the place. Naruto was glad for this piece of solitude. He had difficulty concentrating when there was a lot of noise.

The thing that he was concentrating on was a sealed envelope in his hands. It was a letter written by their doctor, that he was to give to the princess. In all the confusion he'd yet to do so. If the letter had not been staring him in the face, if it had been kept in his pocket, he may have forgotten it altogether. But as it was he was left with the task of figuring out how he was going to handle giving it to the princess.

The door to the tailor's room opened up, light from within creeping out. Faintly Sasuke could be heard trying to explain to the tailor why humans had a greater need for clothes than most other species. Naruto could tell from his roommate's manner of speaking that he was every bit as distracted by what they'd learned.

Princess Celestia didn't appear surprised to find Naruto so buried in his mind. He performed a slight double take when he looked at her, as if not completely seeing her that first time. Hastily he picked himself up to his feet, fumbling the letter in his hand. "Um, this is for you." he mumbled, handing the letter over to Celestia. The princess accepted it with her magic, but did not pay it much more heed just yet.

"I could swear you and Sasuke were the same person by the looks on your faces." she lightly joked, closing the door behind her. At the end of the hallway one of the guards watching the main portion of the boutique glanced back at them, but swiftly resumed his duty. The princess then spoke delicately, her concern clear to see. "Did Dr Dulot have bad news?"

"Um... well, kinda." Naruto was having trouble looking the princess in the eye. He was trying hard to remember what he'd heard, but amidst all the jargon their doctor had tossed at them the simple truth was hazy. "He said that something is happening to us. I didn't understand too much of it."

His lacking response left Celestia with many questions. Questions she was sure would be answered by the letter. But she could see that Naruto was having trouble processing his situation. There would be time to read the letter later. She tucked it under her wing.

Naruto shook his head. He was about to speak further when he heard another pony coming down the hallway with a clothes rack in front of him. While the princess ducked back into the room to let the sightless pony past, said sightless pony apologising in a panic when he realised who he had forced to move aside, Naruto could only back up against the wall. He did this without thinking, and gave out a hiss of pain. As soon as the pony with the rack was out of the way, Celestia was right beside Naruto.

The young boy looked positively miserable as he rubbed his aching back. He warily glanced at the princess, knowing that the best way to answer her question was with a display, as opposed to words. Checking around to make sure there were no other spectators, he swallowed and turned his back to Celestia. Then he began to pull off his shirt. The worn fabric pulled up his back unnaturally, catching on something until a further tug freed it. Revealing what had caused Naruto his pain.

Two unpleasant looking growths protruded from between Naruto's shoulder blades. They were small and crooked, the flesh pink and obviously sore. They were frankly a little disgruntling to look at, but there was something about them that made them interesting. Tiny spines could be seen growing out of them. Spines that looked oddly like pin feathers - developing feathers.

The sound of the bell on the front door ringing rushed Naruto's unease. He pulled his shirt back down, taking care to not brush against the growths on his back too much. Once covered he turned back to the princess, who was looking at him as if not quite sure what kind of face she should be making.

Naruto decided to clarify. "That's really, really, really not a normal thing for a human to have."

"Ah." Celestia understood now, and knew to sympathise with the young boy's plight. She looked to the letter, pulling it out with her magic. "I'm sorry, let me just see what Dr Dulot wrote."

Naruto gave no inclination that he had any problem with such a thing. The princess opened up the letter and began reading it, using the light of her horn to compensate for what the hallway lacked. What she read was most intriguing indeed;

From my examinations of both Naruto and Sasuke, many things have been learned. But what they have presented me with today is unlike anything I've ever seen before. A rough summary based on numerous home visits and today's studies indicate that the growths these boys have been experiencing are a result of magical exposure. The two firmly assert however that they have not been in contact with any kind of magic that they are aware of, outside of my medical magic.

With such unusual individuals I can only theorise as to the changes they are experiencing. They are both confident that magic does not exist where they hail, so I am led to believe that perhaps the natural magic in the air has had some sort of mutagen effect on their bodies, which are not used to such exposure. What seems stranger is that these mutations appear to be controlled. Though I can only make guesses as to why, this much is clear to me; Naruto and Sasuke appear to be gaining traits from the pegasus and unicorn races respectively.

Celestia interrupted her own reading to look at Naruto again, almost gawping at the young boy. She reserved herself only barely, before pressing on.

My current theory as to the controlled state of their mutations stems from the secondary vascular system they share, that Sasuke has informed me to be called the "Chakra Network". Chakra appears to share some similarities to magic, though there seems to be a key difference I'm yet to figure out. That said I believe it is this connection that controls their mutations, as the pony races are most connected to magic. Though from a physiological standpoint we ponies and these humans are very different, it would seem that we are not so on a magical level. Further study is needed.

Celestia put the letter away, taking a small moment to collect her thoughts. She believed she understood why Naruto and Sasuke were of such sorts now. The doctor had hardly worded himself kindly in the letter, and she doubted he'd been much more delicate when speaking to them. The princess walked around Naruto and gently patted him with her wing, taking care not to touch his sensitive skin.

"I understand you're worried, but it doesn't look like the doctor found anything immediately dangerous." Naruto didn't look entirely comfortable with her contact, so she stopped it. "Dr Dulot specialises in unusual cases. I'm sure the two of you will be just fine so long as you follow his recommendations."

Naturally Celestia didn't expect this to cheer Naruto up, but she at least thought it would help settle his concerns somewhat. Unfortunately this didn't seem to be the case. Naruto averted himself further, as if what she'd said was in fact less than comforting. This perturbed the princess a touch.

The many low sounds coming from all around the boutique filled what would otherwise have been a silence. Faint voices, hoofsteps, drawers, doors and other such things formed a quiet cacophony around them both. When Naruto finally found his own voice, he was only a little more audible than the muffled mutterings in the room behind.

"The doc said I'm changing." his words were troubled, lost and without hope. There was a slight shine to his eyes, and he was very aware of his own heartbeat. "Said I'm mutating."

The princess closed her eyes for a second, her furrowed brow showing the closest thing she would ever come to a curse. She would really have to have words with Dr Dulot about how he spoke with children.

"Back home, people hated me. The other kids would call me a freak." it was no longer just a shine in his eyes, and his voice quivered as he spoke. "I just ignored them, cos I knew I was normal. But now I'm... not."

A tear almost fell from Naruto's eyes when he felt a warm weight come down on his shoulders. He looked up at the princess, who smiled softly down to him. Empathy and understanding radiated from her greater than any light. It alone could find feeling in a cold heart. But Naruto's insecurity was enough that such a thing led his emotions to overwhelm him entirely. He no longer resisted the princess' touch.

"There there." she hushed him, bringing him close to her breast. It was clear to her that there was more to this young boy's despair than what appeared on the surface. His troubling discovery rooted far deeper than that, and brought up a mess of issues he must have buried as far within himself as he could manage. Her trip into his dream that night three months ago was evidence to this, she believed.

Naruto didn't sob. He'd had many nights in his lonely life with his teeth dug deep into his pillow as he'd wept in pain and frustration. Other times he would break things. Others still he would hug himself, when no one else would. This time was different for that explicit reason. Though it wasn't the warmth of a human, what he felt now was worth every bit as much. No, more in fact. In the past he could only imagine something like this. Reality felt so much better.

Tears ran down his face. His body quivered. He bit his lip. Princess Celestia comforted him.

It didn't last forever, though Naruto would have been content if it had. The princess' nurturing voice soothed his spirit and calmed him down. When they finally parted, Naruto rubbed his face roughly with his sleeve in a futile attempt to hide that he'd been crying. His face was hot with embarrassment and he was glad the hallway was so dim.

Celestia was glad to see that Naruto was settling down. Her eyes drifted over him to the main part of the store, where a couple of curious ponies were quickly pretending that they had not been watching such a display. One of her own guards included. Concerned as to how Naruto would feel knowing he'd had an audience for the past little while, she thought to try and draw his attention away from the here and now.

"It sounds like you've had a difficult time living in your home world." she spoke just as softly as she had when she'd held him to her. "I'm not sure how comforting this might be for you. But you and Sasuke are already completely unique beings in Equestria." she offered a knowing and somewhat cheeky smile as Naruto looked over his sleeve at her. "Tell me, how did the ponies you passed on your way here react to you?"

Naruto wasn't sure where the princess was going with this, but he cleared his throat. "They were all looking at us."

Naruto furrowed his brow as he concentrated on remembering. "They uh... they all looked surprised... but..."

Celestia relaxed. She'd gone out on a bit of a limb, counting on Naruto's uncomfortable awareness of the attention he'd drawn in his old life to let him see the difference with the way the citizens of Canterlot reacted to him. Also that the Canterlot ponies would be too drawn to the boys themselves to really pay attention to their state of dress. The latter was more of a worry than the former, but as they often did, her hunches paid off. Naruto seemed to be feeling a bit better.

"Though I can't promise that the time will come when others won't stare at you, I'm sure you won't have to worry about being treated differently for whatever changes you go through." she gave him a sassy wink then. "And besides, having wings isn't such a bad thing." as if to demonstrate, she fluttered hers gracefully.

Naruto's expression fell then, taking the princess off guard. He stared at her blankly, making her wonder if she'd said some terrible thing in the context of what humans knew. Several times he blinked at her in silence, before opening his mouth and uttering a single word.

Confused, Celestia didn't know what to say. This didn't seem to be a problem though, for Naruto took a step toward her, his face suddenly rather animated. "Did you say wings? I'm gonna have wings?!"

At the end of the hallway the guards pinned their eyes on Naruto, this time with cautious reason. Celestia awkwardly tried to back peddle while reassuring them silently that she didn't need their help. "Well... that's what the doctor believes."

As if the sun itself started shining within the hallway, Naruto shone with dawning glee and excitement. Unable to contain his sporadic jubilation he leapt straight up, punching the air and whooping loudly. "I'm gonna have wings?! That is so awesome!" then an even more sudden thought occurred to him as he landed, causing his finger to point at the door next to him. "Wait a second! Sasuke's growing a horn! Does that mean he can do magic?!"

Celestia opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by several startled yelps and crashing noise. Behind Naruto the door swung open, light spilling out into the hallway. There stood Sasuke, wide eyed and wrapped in measuring tape, staring at them both.

The time was twelve o'clock in the afternoon. The sky was as blue as it was going to be today. Princess Celestia's horn glowed with her magical light and commanded the sun to begin its steady descent. In the eyes of every living being it would seem that nothing had happened. In this sense Celestia was almost entirely alone in her capacity to witness the sun's slight movements. And yet she was pleased at the prospect of another pleasant afternoon. She turned to face her party. Particularly to two.

Naruto and Sasuke were paying little heed to the world around them. Naruto in particular was busy examining the new clothes he wore. The tailor had managed to adapt a pair of young stallion sized ghillie shirts to replace half of their ensemble. And by stroke of luck he'd had a small supply of "pants" from a failed attempt at introducing such things to Canterlot stallions. Though not perfect fits, the adaptations sufficed for now. Proper clothes were on order for a later date. High priority of course.

While Naruto studied the very loose sleeves of the shirt, thankful its bagginess gave no strain to his growing wings, Sasuke appeared to be a million miles away. Celestia thought to ask him what he was thinking of, but after a short span he returned to the present. With a slightly tense look about him he lifted his hands to his head and unraveled the bandages that had been afflicting him so. Celestia wasn't alone in watching him as the white fabric fell away, revealing what looked to be a tiny black horn on his forehead.

Twilight stared in quiet wonder, noticing the very slight curve to an otherwise small and unimpressive horn. Her attention caught Sasuke's notice, to which he offered a weak and somewhat insincere smile. Twilight did not respond in kind, but instead turned to the princess.

"Do you really think Sasuke could learn to use magic?" she asked with a blend of doubt and confusion.

"Well, it will be up to you to find out, won't it?" Celestia turned the smile she gave to Twilight towards Naruto and Sasuke. "It's very important that we learn as much as we can about how living in Equestria affects you two. If you don't mind, I'd like Twilight to study you both so... hm." the princess looked aside thoughtfully. "I wonder... it feels like we've had this talk before."

Naruto and Sasuke barely masked a grimace. They hung their heads in shame. "Sorry." they muttered. "It won't happen again."

There was a glint in Celestia's eye, and a slight curl to Twilight's lip. "That sounds very reassuring." a slight cough came from one of the princess' attendants. There was an important appointment that Celestia had to keep. But first, there was something else she wanted to know. "According to Mr Derby your clothes won't be ready until Tuesday. Will you be able to come and collect them?"

Her question led Sasuke to uncomfortably look at Naruto, and expecting Naruto to look back at him the same. This wasn't the case however. Naruto had his eyes on the princess, as she did him. The two appeared to communicate via this method for a couple of seconds. The result being Naruto nodding his head.

Celestia smiled, a further weight coming off her shoulders. "Very well then." she then turned toward the street. "I have duties to attend to, so we'll part ways here." she made a cursory step then, but paused as if in thought. "Will the two of you be heading home?"

Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little out of the loop. "I guess-"

Naruto casually interrupted Sasuke. This of course led Sasuke to look at Naruto in an even more perplexed fashion than before. "We're not?"

Naruto gazed back at Sasuke with a half grin on his face. It made the Uchiha really damn curious to know just what went on when the two of them were apart. "I dunno. I was thinking about going for a walk." the other half of his mouth followed suit. "You wanna come with, or sit back home flicking through old magazines?"

With no one looking directly at her, Celestia allowed herself to emulate the grin plastered across Naruto's face. Twilight was much in Sasuke's boat in terms of response to the current scenario, though she was nowhere near as invested.

"I- uh- er..." though still wearing a very lost expression, Sasuke gave a large and pronounced shrug. "Sure, ok. Let's go."

"That sounds nice." Celestia refined herself as others began looking at her again. She glanced down at Twilight, whom she'd noticed enjoying the light hearted scolding, just as she'd predicted before. And just like she had then, she felt she could predict all three of their responses to her next words. "Why don't you join them, my dear student?"

Her second prediction was right on the mark. Twilight, Sasuke and Naruto blanched. "WHAT?!"

The day had been long... no, that was false. The day had felt shorter than any other day in the past few months. With so much of Canterlot seen, so much of its streets walked, so many steps climbed, the hours slipped away and soon found dusk settling in. Naruto and Sasuke had returned home, unable to wipe the relaxed smiles off their faces. It had felt so good to be out and about that they both mentally kicked themselves for being worried about doing so for so long.

As if with most nights, the two of them spent their last couple of waking hours on their own, doing whatever they liked with their time. Normally this would follow their thorough afternoon training, but after all the walking they'd done today neither felt like heading down to the basement. So they both went about their unwinding rituals. While Sasuke went about the various little things he liked to do; namely reading, jotting down entries in his journal and the odd sketch, Naruto had fewer things to pass the time. Tonight he indulged in only one.

There was a common trait between Naruto and Sasuke's respective bedrooms, aside from their architectural symmetry. Both of them led out to a single balcony that looked out towards Canterlot palace in the distance. Naruto took his quilt, folded it on the floor and used it as a cushion, his bed as a back rest, and looked at the palace from his room. Even now, he still wore a peaceful smile.

Princess Celestia really was a wonderful person... pony. She had comforted him when no one else would, spoken kindly to him when others would blow him off or snap at him. In some ways she reminded him of old man Hokage, but the similarities were few in his opinion. The old man was the most powerful figure in the village, and one of the only ones who didn't seem to dislike Naruto for unknown reasons. Naruto had clung to this as if it meant something. But now that he knew a kind and benevolent ruler like Celestia, he saw and felt so much more. He had so much more.

Here he was, sitting in a nice house, with near constant company in a city where nobody seemed to hate him. He admitted that Sasuke would never have been his first choice of room mate, but in the months that had passed he felt all the old gripes and grudges between the two of them had melted away. He wasn't entirely sure, but he thought that maybe he could go as far as to call Sasuke his friend. The idea of such a thing made him so nervous and giddy at the same time he barely knew what to do with himself.

And he owed it all to Princess Celestia. She welcomed them to her country. She gave them a home. She gave them a chance for a new life. He owed her so much. And he would repay her. He earnestly swore that for what she had given him, he would return to her in equal- no. He would return to her two- threefold!

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, grinning at the palace while making grand vows to himself. But eventually, as if with all nights, tiredness swept over him. He rose to his feet and prepared himself for sleep, removing his clothes, fixing his quilt and climbing into bed. As he tucked himself in, he gazed upon the glorious palace one more time.

"One day, I'll become a strong ninja worthy of working directly under the princess!" he gave one last grin as his eyes slid shut. "A strong, flying ninja! It's going to be so awesome!"

Several minutes passed in soothing silence, the gentle breeze of the night settling all that it touched. His breathing slowed and deepened, his eyelids becoming heavy. Soon all that was left to him was the sound of the wind and the warmth of his bed. This carried him off into a deep, cozy sleep.

And yet sleep was not all that awaited Naruto beyond the veil of consciousness. In the passage from the land of the wake he slowly drifted into the realm of dreams, where the mind could conjure up anything and everything on a whim. Naruto did not open his eyes. His ears received no sound. Even the warmth of his bed was lost to the illusions his psyche gave to him.

The grass crept from the field of white light, swaying in a breeze that didn't exist moments ago. A small knoll formed, with a tree sprouting in the center. It reached up for the sky, spreading its branches and growing its leaves, hanging over the knoll and somehow shading it from the omnipresent glow. Meanwhile the grass spread further and further, until what had started off as a small patch became a small island. An island with just one, single tree. A willow.

From behind the tree, as he had before, a man stepped into view. The fragmented light cast vaguely down upon him, but his features were unmistakable. That blond haired man in the flowing white coat, with flames that seemed to stir in the wind. The man Naruto knew only as the Fourth Hokage.

"Hello again Naruto!" the Fourth Hokage clapped his hands merrily as he stepped out from the under the tree and came under the light completely. "Are you ready to continue you super important ninja training?"

Beaming broadly, Naruto slapped the edge of his hand to his forehead in a mighty salute. "Sir yes sir Lord Hokage!" he pronounced exuberantly.

The Fourth Hokage applauded Naruto's enthusiasm with equal might. "Great! Then before we begin..." He half turned away from Naruto, undergoing a sweeping gesture that led his hand towards the tree he had emerged from. "Hopefully this time I may present to you my beautiful assistant!"

Both Naruto and the Fourth Hokage watched the tree with high tension upon them. The seconds ticked past and the ethereal breeze continued to stir up the grass and leaves. But no one emerged from the tree. It was, as always, just Naruto and the Hokage.

"Not yet huh?" The Hokage chuckled mildly, embarrassed at his wasted grandeur. He shook it off swiftly however and was facing Naruto again with the same measure of zeal as before. "Well I'm sure she'll show up eventually! In the meantime, let's... yes?"

The reason for the halt in his speech was that Naruto had raised his hand high in the air. Now addressed, he brought it back down. "Um, I was wondering if I could ask you something, Lord Hokage." there was a troubled look upon him.

Naruto stalled a little as he thought about his question. His tongue ran anxiously across his teeth while he did so. "Is... this really a dream?" his eyes lingered on the grass, but eventually found his way back to the Hokage.

Just as Naruto had, the Fourth Hokage took his time in responding. But when he did, it was with a smile. "Well, you are asleep aren't you?"

His logic was true, Naruto had to admit. But... "Sasuke said this isn't possible. How can you be teaching me jutsu if this is just a dream?"

The wind stirred up something fierce, blowing the Fourth Hokage's hair all across his face. He paid this little heed however, his focus lingering and remaining upon the bothered Naruto. Then he began to pace, massaging his chin thoughtfully in the process. All the while the wind continued to blow his hair in his way, which bothered him more and more until he could take it no more. "Would you quit it?!"

Naruto flinched in shock. Almost immediately the wind subsided. The Fourth Hokage waited a short time, looking suspiciously out into the emptiness. Then, brushing his hair out of his face, he returned to standing in front of Naruto. He put a hard, intelligent look upon the young boy, and even appeared to run his tongue across his teeth.

"Let me put it to you this way." he raised his hand and showed Naruto the palm, using his other to draw fast and fluid shapes upon it with his finger. He then spoke very, very quickly "The sealing array upon you has been afflicted by alien energies I presume to be magical in nature, judging from what I've been able to survey from the experiences emanating from your higher conscious psyche. It would seem that those magical energies have been absorbed by the sealing array, resulting in some peculiar changes that are not part of the original design. Of these changes, my ability to appear before you is one of them."

With that information overload falling over Naruto like a tidal wave, there was only one response a poorly educated seven year old could offer. "Huh?"

The Fourth Hokage grinned. "You'll understand when you're older." then, as if that was that, he clapped his hands one more time. "Now then, let's see if we can't iron out the kinks on the Transformation Jutsu, shall we?"

Night was a time for rest. That was as it had been intended all along. Yet for time longer than nearly anypony could remember it had become host to all kinds of liveliness. Social functions conducted beneath the starry sky, parties thrown by young college mares and colts, lovers taking walks under the pale moonlight. There was always some part of Canterlot that was awake at night. And there was one part of Canterlot that was awake every night. That being the royal palace.

One of the guards, a white pegasus, looked from the corner of his eye to his associate; a grey unicorn that looked to be not quite well. "I have no idea what you mean." he gruffly replied, scanning the halls with his well tuned vision. "I drank from the same pot and I feel perfectly fine."

The grey unicorn was, like all of the Royal Guard, tough enough to put up with a simple tummy ache and power through. They continued their route of the palace, as always bowing their head in silent greeting to the guards standing outside Princess Celestia's chambers and moving on. Yet they did not get much further than the royal study before the unicorn opened his mouth again.

"If you're trying to slack off..." the pegasus was grunting a low warning when he looked at his associate again. The unicorn's legs looked weak, and his head was bowed low. He looked like he was about to be sick. The pegasus sighed in annoyance. "Hurry up and get to the restroom already. We'll meet up outside the library."

The grey unicorn raised his head to his comrade, thinking to refuse his offer and bear with the discomfort. But his stomach gurgled and he knew he hadn't much longer before something unpleasant emerged from at least one of his orifices. "Alright, I won't be long." he groaned, before staggering off to find some toilet to empty himself into.

The white pegasus watched him dryly as he disappeared down one of the stairwells. Once alone he took another thorough scan of both sides of the passageway. Confirming his solitude, he walked towards a window and drew the curtain just enough to get a look outside. He saw the grey unicorn hurrying through the garden to the guard's quarters. Then he cast his vision upward. To the sky.

The stars glistened down on the country, shining as he always remembered them to. He had heard tale that over a millennium ago the night sky had been truly a gorgeous thing to behold. On most nights he would ponder this, but not tonight. On this night, he was searching for something... there!

There, among the threshold of stars, was a single shining beacon brighter than all of its brothers and sisters. Its light dulled and brightened in a peculiar fashion. Thrice to darkness and thrice to light. The white pegasus nodded his head. He understood.

Closing the curtains again he turned around and walked back the way he had come. He made sure to make as little noise as possible as he approached the royal study, checked both his flanks, and then opened the door to enter.

The royal study was as it always was. A miniature of the royal library from the immediate perspective, with only the princess' most needed or most favourite of written works amassed. And like it always was, the curtains were kept open, allowing the full moon to shine through the glass and light up what would otherwise be a pitch black room.

The guard closed the door and crossed the study, his destination precise and accurate. He stopped before the princess' desk and searched through the window at the rooftops beyond. Normally a pair of guards working on a rota would be standing upon those places, watching even the study. Yet he knew for the next few minutes there would be no guards. He was free to go about his business for the time being.

His goal was of course the desk, and the contents that lay within. Quickly yet cautiously he perused the surface, the drawers, and even the secret compartments he should not have known about. He saw a great many thing, things that caught his eye. But eventually he found that which he was looking for, and erased the rest from his memory. A single document; a letter in fact. Raising it to the light, he searched the text for certain key words.

Natural magic... mutagen effect... traits from the pegasus and unicorn races...

Yes, this was the letter he was looking for. The letter he had seen the princess with as he guarded her at the clothing store.

Dropping the letter down on the desk, he reached under his wing to pull out a pen and pad. He then began to copy word for word the exact contents of the doctor's letter. He did not rush. He knew he'd been given exactly the time he would need. All the same he went about his task professionally and was finished in next to no time at all. Once this was done, he put everything back in its proper place. Nopony was ever to know this room had been disturbed.

With what he had come to do here now done, the white pegasus stepped back and looked up to the night sky. He watched as the stars shimmered in an irregular pattern that was nothing more than peculiar to most everypony in Equestria. He was among the small mass to whom this odd thing meant anything at all.

As he surveyed the beauty of the stars, his wings spread out wide and proud. He bowed his head in silent gratitude.

Ninja Synthesis

by DiscipleOfPein

A time to adjust