//------------------------------// // The Wonders of Ramen and a Royal Surprise // Story: Home in Banishment // by Shadow Lord Malice //------------------------------// "All right Sasuke, any pain?" Fluttershy asked as she gently pressed a hoof gainst Sasuke's ribs. "Some soreness, but nothing painful." The raven haired human replied. "Wonderful. Okay Sasuke, you're injuries are healed enough that you can leave now. I'll go let the staff know." With that, Fluttershy left the room, returning several minutes later with his clothing, or what remained of it. After dressing, the two left the hospital and were welcomed by the bright morning sun. "Do you know where I can find a seamstress?" Sasuke asked the pegasus. "Oh, you mean Rarity. Yes, I'll take you over to her shop." Replied Fluttershy. Giving a nod of thanks, Sasuke followed her down the road. Soon the two came across a pink earth pony that appeared to be a friend of Fluttershy's if the casualness of the pony's attitude was anything to go by. "Hiya Fluttershy, where are you off to?" Asked the pink mare. "Oh hello Pinkie Pie, I'm taking Sasuke over to Rarity's." Responded Fluttershy. When Pinkie Pie noticed Sasuke, she leaped into the air with a gasp, then shot off down the road, much to the Uchiha's confusion. "What was that about?" He asked. "Oh that's just Pinkie Pie. Since you're out of the hospital now she's probably gone to get that party ready." This caused Sasuke to internally groan. He hated crowds, noise, and annoyances; everything that a party was comprised of. Fluttershy then realized her mistake. "Oh dear, I shouldn't have said that." She said, covering her mouth with a hoof. "And why is that?" Sasuke asked. "Um, well, Pinkie Pie always makes the party she throws for a new face a surprise party. Since I told you she was planning the party it kind of ruined the surprise. I hope you're not mad." Fluttershy seemed to shrink into herself at this. "I'm not mad, I don't like surprises." Was Sasuke's response. Silence then enveloped the two as they headed to their destination. Upon reaching the place, Sasuke was not impressed. It looked more like a kind of octagonal circus tent then a seamstress' shop. The roof and trim of the shop was diamond checkered in lilac and lavender, with several brightly coloured tents behind the building. The walls were a pale blue with a white pattern that framed the circular windows on both storeys of the structure. Finally, the curtains and accents were done in gold. "Well, here we are Sasuke." Said Fluttershy as she opened the door for the Uchiha. "Hello out there, I'll be with you in just a minute." Called a voice from farther in the shop. Seeing as the seamstress was busy, Sasuke decided to look around. Though he was unfamiliar with the fashion of pony culture, he could tell that the clothing on display was for formal occasions. The fabrics used looked high quality, not to mention there were gemstones used in certain areas as well. "Oh goodness gracious Fluttershy, the other one's out of the hospital now?" Sasuke turned to the voice, and saw an alabaster unicorn with a deep violet mane. "Yes, he only just got out. We came to see you Rarity as he's in the same predicament as Naruto was two days ago." Said Fluttershy. "I can see that darling." Replied Rarity, looking at the ruins of Sasuke's outfit. "Would you be able to restore these, seamstress?" Asked Sasuke. "Unfortunately darling I cannot. The amount of damage makes stiiching the tears closed completely impossible, and patching it would look horrendous. And please call me Rarity darling. There's no need to be so business like." "Not good, I have none of this land's currency, so I'm unable to pay for your services Rarity." "Not to worry darling, I cannot in good conscience turn away a pony, well, human in your case darling, in need simply because they lack the bits necessary for payment. I will make your clothing free of charge." Replied the unicorn. "Are you sure, I could easily find a way to pay you back." Said Sasuke, a bit taken aback by the generous offer Rarity was giving him. "Like I told Naruto darling, I don't have to, but I want to. Now stop complaining and let's get started, nothing you say will change my mind." "Very well then Rarity. Shall we begin?" Nodding, Rarity brought out a tape and began taking Sasuke's measurements. Two minutes later she had all she needed. "All right darling, would you like me to make you something basic or is there a certain something you want?" She inquired. Thinking it over for a bit, Sasuke nodded to himself. "Yes there is. Could you get me some paper and writing utensils?" Nodding, Rarity's horn lit up and a piece of parchment, a quill, and an inkwell floated over to Sasuke. Accepting the proferred items, Sasuke got to work drawing what he wanted, his Sharingan enabling him to bring out what his mind's eye was seeing with perfect clarity.Once he was finished, he showed the design to Rarity, who looked over it in amazement. "Hm, a three piece outfit comprising of an undershirt, overcoat and pants, with a cloth sash tying the overcoat closed. Very well Sasuke, now what do you want the colours to be?" "Before we get into colour Rarity, may I see samples of the fabrics you have at your disposal?" When Sasuke said this, Rarity knew he was from the upper class back where he was from. Nopony but the wealthy were particular of the very fabric used to make their clothing. "Of course Sasuke, I'll have them brought out momentarily." Heading out into the back, Rarity returned a few minutes later with nine squares of cloth, which she placed in front of Sasuke. Activating his Sharingan again so to see the weave of the fabrics, Sasuke rubbed each piece between his thumb and forefinger so as to grade it's texture, then he would slightly pull each square while observing the weave to test durability. As Rarity watched sasuke scrutinize each fabric, she realized that Sasuke was not just upper class, but nobility. Upper class ponies would ask to see a selection of fabrics, but only nobility would so thoroughly scrutinize each individual piece. After Sasuke was done, he handed Rarity back a small stack of three squares. "These are the fabrics I've selected, the top one is for the overcoat, the middle one is for the pants and sash, and the bottom one is for the undershirt." Nodding, Rarity checked the fabrics selected, putting names to each one. "Alright Sasuke, now what do you want the colours to be?" Sasuke pondered on his ideas for colour schemes, and eventually came to a conclusion. "The undershirt will be a light grey, while the overcoat will be black. The pants will be a dark grey, and the sash will be lavender." Nodding, Rarity started for her work room, but suddenly remembered something. "Oh Sasuke, I almost forgot. When Naruto had his clothes made he had me put a certain symbol on his outfits. Do you want your outfits to have one as well." She inquired. "As a matter of fact I was just about to ask about that." With that Sasuke turned around, presenting his back to the seamstress, and the untarnished clan crest upon it. "Can you put this symbol on the back of the overcoat? same size please." He asked, gesturing to the red and white fan. "But of course darling. Make yourself comfortable as this will take a while. I shall endeavour to finish quickly." With that, Rarity headed to her work room, leaving Sasuke alone with Fluttershy. After a few minutes of silence, Sasuke decided to strike up a conversation. "I noticed the town looks, roughed up, for lack of a better term. Everything's been fixed as far as I can see, but what happened to cause it?" Fluttershy stayed silent for a bit, then spoke. "It happened the day you two were found, about four days ago. It was a regular afternoon, when out of the blue there was this big explosion. It had shaken my house up pretty bad and I was terrified. When it had stopped I immediately started getting my animal friends out of the cottage. Then the second explosion happened, which blew out my windows. I wasn't hurt, and despite the tremors caused by the explosion, I continued getting my animal friends out of the cottage. I had just got the last one, my pet bunny Angel, out when the last explosion happened. It sounded like everything in the world shattered at the same time, then something hit me on the head and I was knocked out. When I come to, I'm in the hospital and Rainbow Dash is telling me my house had collapsed." Sasuke cringed slightly. "That was our fault." Said Sasuke, causing Fluttershy to look at him quizzically. He then revealed his and Naruto's predicament while in the space between dimensions and how the only way to survive was to force this world's door open, which was the cause of the explosions. "It's okay, I forgive you. Nopony was seriously hurt, and you had to do it, otherwise you would have died. Besides, Naruto has been helping fix all of Ponyville with that clone spell of his, so I guess you could say he's apologized for the both of you." "Indeed, though I must admit, Twilight's face when he performed that spell was absolutely priceless. I've never seen her jaw hang that low before." Both Fluttershy and Sasuke turned to see Rarity levitating a completed outfit to Sasuke. "Here you are darling, I trust it is to your liking?" Sasuke looked it over, and was impressed with the ensemble. The undershirt was an ash grey, while the overcoat looked like obsidian, the Uchiha crest emblazoned proudly on the back. The pants were the colour of dark smoke, and the sash was a bright lavender that paired well with the black overcoat.. "This looks good, where are the changing rooms?" After being directed to the changing room, Sasuke quickly shed his ruined old garments, and dressed himself in the outfit Rarity had made him. Everything fit perfectly, the undershirt was short sleeved and loose enough to provide his full range of upper body movement. The overcoat was quite loose on his frame as to not impede movement, and it was also a bit lighter than Sasuke expected. The pants material was very flexible, which allowed Sasuke uninhibited leg motion. Finishing the ensemble by wrapping the lavender sash around his waist twice, then tying it off, Sasuke stepped back out into the main room. "Darling, you look absolutely regal in that." Replied Rarity, excitement and amazement toning her voice high. "Oh my, you look incredible, Sasuke." said Fluttershy. "Well Sasuke, it will take me a good hour to make the rest for you, so why don't you find something to entertain yourself in town." Sasuke couldn't fault her logic, there was nothing to do in the shop except talking to Fluttershy, and he could do that while in town. The only question was, what to do in town? "Hey Fluttershy, any idea where the dobe is right now?" "So what's this stuff called again?" Asked Spike as he stirred a large pot of simmering vegetable broth. "Ramen. Back in my world I ate this stuff all the time." Replied Naruto as he slammed a ball of dough hard onto the counter, the impact making a dull thud and causing a few implements to rattle. After the dough had been pounded enough to his standards, Naruto now had to perform the most difficult and delicate part; making the noodles. "Okay Spike, watch and be amazed." With his audience paying close attention, Naruto stretched the dough out and performed a complex bounce and twist maneuver with it, causing the dough to twist up. He then repeated the procedure, making sure not to screw up. Constantly he twisted the dough, until at last the dough looked like it was made of dozens of thin cables. "That's it?" Asked Spike. "Wait for it." Replied Naruto, and with that he sliced off one end of the piece of dough, then holding it in his hands he stretched the dough rope and gave it a shake, causing it to suddenly split up into a bunch of thinner ropes. Spike's jaw got lower and lower as Naruto repeated the stretch and shake maneuver, causing the dough to become more and more noodles, until pretty soon, Naruto was holding hundreds of thin ropes of dough. "How in the name of Celestia did you do that Naruto?" Spike asked, amazed by Naruto's performance. "Sorry Spike, trade secret. Now then, lets get these into the broth." With that, the blonde cut the noodles into shorter bunches, then placed them into the broth to cook. While they were cooking, Naruto added a few choice seasonings and gave the soup a stir. "And that my good dragon is how you make ramen." Just then the library door opened. "Oi dobe, you in here?" Called a very familiar voice. Naruto bolted out of the kitchen and into the library itself. "Sasuke, you're finally out and about, eh? I see you've met Rarity, what do you think of her work?" "Hn, she knows what she's doing, I'll give her that." Sasuke replied. "Um, I hope we're not interrupting anything." Said Fluttershy. "Course not, come in, you guys are just in time for lunch. Hey Spike, go fetch Twilight for me will ya?" Giving a salute, the purple drakeling darted up the stairs leading to Twilight's room. Naruto headed into the kitchen while Sasuke and Fluttershy seated themselves at the table. Soon, Spike came downtairs with Twilight in tow, and the two seated themselves alongside Sasuke and Fluttershy. Soon, Naruto brought out heaping bowls of ramen, causing Sasuke to groan. "Should have figured he'd know how to actually cook it." He grumbled. After everyone was equipped with a bowl and a pair of chopsticks that Spike had roughly hewn out earlier, they dug in, or at least, the ones with fingers did. "Um Naruto, what are these for?" Asked Twilight, levitating her chopsticks. "Oh, those are chopsticks. You use them to grab the noodles." After observing how Naruto did it, Twilight was able to replicate the action with her levitation spell. "Um, Naruto, I can't hold these." Said Fluttershy. "Whoops. Sorry Fluttershy, let me help with that." Crossing his index fingers, Naruto summoned a shadow clone that immediately went over to Fluttershy. The clone took the chopsticks and began helping Fluttershy eat her ramen. "Wow Naruto, this stuff's amazing." Said Spike, before returning to the task of stuffing his face with noodles. "This is great, The noodles are so soft and wonderful." Replied Twilight, before slurping up some more of the aforementioned noodles. "Hey boss." Said the Naruto clone, getting the original's attention. "Looks like we got us a convert." He said as he gestured to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus had a look of absolute bliss on her face as she continued to slurp up noodles without any pause. Her wings were extended and lightly fluttered at random intervals, and her cheeks were dusted with a very pale blush. When Sasuke saw this, he let out a groan, while in his head a chibi version of himself was running around screaming "They're multiplying, the end is nigh!". Soon all were finished with the noodles, leaving only the broth. Bowls were lifted to mouths, and the guzzling began with gusto. Fluttershy and Naruto were the first done, followed soon after by the others. "Wow, I'm stuffed." Said Spike, rubbing his content stomach. "I know what you mean Spike, that was one of the best meals I've ever had." Replied Twilight. "Knowing the dobe though, there's no stopping him until he hits bowl number twenty." Remarked sasuke, getting incredulous stares from the other two. "More please?" Asked Fluttershy. "Sure thing Fluttershy." Said Naruto, refilling his and Fluttershy's bowls. This continued while Spike and Twilight watched with mounting amazement, then awe, then horror as the human and pegasus kept going at it. "Sweet Celestia, where are they putting it all?" Asked a shocked Spike. "I'm doing the math wrong. There's no other explanation as to how their stomachs haven't exploded yet." Muttered a frazzled Twilight. "Ok, the dobe i can get. I've seen him eat his body weight in ramen before, but how in the name of the sage of six paths is the pegasus keeping pace?" Indeed, both Naruto and Fluttershy were on bowl twenty, and still not slowing down. Finally, the inevitable came. Naruto saw that there was only enough ramen left for one more bowl. As to who would get it, well that much was obvious. Filling up the last bowl, he put it in front of Fluttershy. "Here you go Fluttershy. Last bowl is always the best." Naruto said with a warm grin. "Oh um, thank you Naruto." Replied Fluttershy, her blush deepening a little, and soon she was packing the last bowl away like a champ. Once she finished drinking the broth down, she promptly fell backwards out of her seat, barely holding on to consciousness. "Oh...my...that...was...amazing." She said between gasps. "Is she going to be okay?" Asked Twilight, concerned for her friend's health. "She's going to be just fine. Happened to me too on my first ramen binge. It was my seventh birthday and the old man was treating me to ramen. When we walked out of that stand the old man was weeping for his wallet and master Teuchi was weeping tears of joy. Ah good times." "Dobe, now's not the time for getting lost on the road of life, that was Kakashi-sensei's job." Said Sasuke, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts. "Right, don't worry, Fluttershy just needs to walk it off. I'll take her on a stroll and she'll be as good as new when you next see her." After Naruto managed to help Fluttershy to her hooves, the two left the the library, Fluttershy stumbling the entire way out the door. Sasuke looked at the clock and noticed it was almost time to head back to Rarity's. As he got up to leave, he was approached by Twilight. "Um, if it's alright with you, I'd like to ask you some questions. Is it alright if I come with you?" She asked. Sasuke thought for a bit, and saw no harm in the request. "Very well, though I reserve the right to refuse to answer any question I deem too personal." Naruto wandered aimlessly through Ponyville, Fluttershy walking behind him drunkenly. After a while, the pegasus couldn't take it anymore and flopped down on the grass. "You okay Fluttershy?" Naruto asked as he went over to her. "I think all that ramen caught up with me." She groaned, causing Naruto to chuckle. Gently scooping her up into his arms, he brought her underneath the shade of a large tree and gently laid her down in it. "Here, lie here and rest it off." Sitting beside the recovering mare, Naruto leaned back on the tree trunk and let his entire body relax. Idly, he noticed he was slowly running a hand through Fluttershy's mane, and it was causing her to relax even further, until finally her breathing became deep and constant, indicating she had fallen asleep. Chuckling to himself, Naruto began to turn his senses to nature. He was still stroking his fingers through Fluttershy's mane, thus being still in motion, so he was unable to draw the energy of nature in, but he was being still enough to get a feel for it. The energy of Equestria felt much more vibrant than the Elemental Nations, and a lot less chaotic. The energy also felt more, for lack of a better term, alive. A bird fluttered down and roosted on Naruto's shoulder, and the blonde didn't so much as twitch. After a while, more animals came and made themselves comfortable in Naruto's presence. When Fluttershy woke up, she was treated to the scene of Naruto surrounded by small woodland animals. "Oh my, how long was I asleep for?" She asked. "Just a few hours, you feeling better?" Naruto responded. "Much, though I'm still quite full. I don't think I'll be eating anything more today." A squirrel came up to Fluttershy and chittered for a bit, then scampered up the tree, causing her to smile. "They really like you." "Who?" Naruto asked, cracking open a cerulean eye in confusion. "The animals. They say you feel like a peaceful forest grove. Safe, secure, homely, your presence instills these feelings in them, and they enjoy it greatly. How do you do it?" At this, a small grin formed on Naruto's face. "One of my abilities is the ability to mix the energy of nature itself with my chakra, which puts me in a form that where I come from is called sage mode." Fluttershy cocked her head in confusion. "Sage mode?" She echoed, to which Naruto nodded. "Yup, sage mode. It allows me to fight with the power of nature itself. My physical attacks are stronger, my jutsus are more potent, and I become extremely resilient." "Wow, could you show me? I mean, if that's alright with you of course." Asked Fluttershy, and Naruto grinned. "No problem. Ok, sit tight, this will take a few minutes." With that, Naruto ceased his ministrations to Fluttershy's mane, much to her hidden disappointment, and went completely still. Not a muscle moved or twitched, and it looked like he wasn't even breathing. One minute passed, then two, then it happened. A powerful wave of warmth seemed to explode from Naruto, and in an instant it reached Fluttershy, enveloping her in a blanket of comfort and safety, like she was surrounded by all her friends, both pony and animal. Barely managing to keep herself coherent on her surroundings, Flutterhy saw that the area around Naruto's eyes had become deep scarlet in colour, and when he opened his eyes, Fluttershy couldn't help but gasp. Naruto's eyes had changed from a cerulean blue to a burning gold, and the pupil was no longer round, but had become elliptical like a dragon's. Unlike a dragon's however, she didn't fear these eyes. She wanted to jump into those liquid gold pools and be lost in them forever. "...shy. Fluttershy. You there?" Naruto's voice snapped her out of her trance, and with a shake of her head she managed to come to her senses. "What?" She asked in confusion. "Are you ok Fluttershy? You looked like you were in some kind of trance?" Naruto responded, concern in his voice. "No no, I'm fine. It's just, wow. I can feel for myself just what all the other animals were feeling. No wonder they like you so much if your presence gives them this much comfort." And what a feeling it was. Fluttershy felt like she was curled up in her cottage, surrounded by her friends, and nothing could harm her. She had to be careful not to be entranced by the feeling, lest she never slip out. "No way." said Naruto, the shock in his voice helping to snap Fluttershy back into reality. "What is it?" She asked, and saw Naruto gaping at a squirrel on his shoulder. "I can understand her." he said after a bit of silence. Soon he and Fluttershy were conversing with squirrels, birds, and all other small woodland creatures. After twenty minutes though, Naruto's sage mode disengaged, taking the rapturous feeling of comfort with it, much to Fluttershy's disappointment. "That's it?" She asked, the disappointment she felt seeping into her voice. "Afraid so. Sage mode can't be held forever you know." Replied Naruto apologetically. "Ah there you two are, I've been looking everywhere." Naruto and Fluttershy looked up to the source of the new voice and saw that it was Rainbow Dash. "You guys need to come over to Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie wants you for something pronto." With that, Rainbow flew off to the bakery herself. "We should go, it wouldn't be nice to keep Pinkie Pie waiting." Said Fluttershy, and soon the two were in front of the bakery. Sasuke was enjoying himself. After meeting Rainbow Dash, another pegasus like Fluttershy who had come to retrieve him for something Pinkie Pie wanted, she had boasted how she was the fastest flier in Equestria. Sasuke had shot down the claim as mere boasting, causing Rainbow to demand a race to prove her claim. Sasuke agreed on two conditions; one, she fly close to the ground, and two, they both stayed on the same paths with no deviations. With that the two had taken off like rockets, and there had been no stopping them. Rainbow Dash was flying as fast as she could in the restrictive conditions of Ponyville's streets, and Sasuke was easily keeping pace. Soon, it became less a race, and more a test of their limits and reactions. The two had been keeping neck and neck the entire way, and soon Sugarcube Corner could be seen. Dash put as much speed as she could into her final stretch, but was dumbfounded when Sasuke shot past her like a black lightning bolt. Sasuke easily reached the bakery first, skidding to a halt before he impacted into Naruto. Rainbow Dash however, didn't have the best brakes in Equestria, and promptly overshot the finish line. Fluttershy managed to duck in time, causing Rainbow Dash to collide into a pale grey pegasus pony with a pale yellow mane and gold eyes. "Oh my gosh! Derpy, I'm so sorry, are you-" Rainbow was interrupted when she heard snaps and saw flashes, then she realized her position on the dazed pegasus mare. With a shrill scream, she leaped off of Derpy Hooves, an atomic red blush covering her face. "Yes, blackmail material!" said Naruto with a disturbingly fox-like grin on his face and a camera in his hands. "We have evidence, Rainbow Dash is into mares. Sasuke and Fluttershy are my witnesses." "No! Naruto please, if ponies start thinking I'm a filly fooler, my reputation will be ruined! I'll never get into the Wonderbolts. Please Naruto, I'll do anything, Anything!" Rainbow Dash was clinging to the blonde's legs as she begged. "Anything?" Asked Naruto, his grin only widening. "Anything!" screamed Rainbow Dash. "Anything?" "I'll say it a thousand times if I have to, Anything!" "Perfect." Rainbow Dash suddenly had a bad feeling in her stomach as the last rays of the setting sun cast dark shadows across Naruto's face Sugarcube Corner was pitch black when the group of four entered it. "Dammit, I can't see a thing. Where's the lights?" Said Naruto, when suddenly the lights were flicked on. "Surprise!" Shouted everypony in the bakery, which was at least half of Ponyville, causing Naruto to nearly jump out of his skin. "Whoa, what's the big idea, dattebayo!" Hollered Naruto. "It's a surprise party silly." Replied Pinkie Pie as she bounced over to Sasuke. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. Were you surprised? I saw you earlier today with Fluttershy, and I didn't know who you were, and since I know everypony in Ponyville I knew you were new. Then I remembered that Naruto had a human friend with him and he wanted me to..." Sasuke gave Naruto a pleading look, and the blonde decided to have mercy on his best friend. "All right Pinkie, that's enough. Sasuke just got out of the hospital and needs to take it easy. You wouldn't want to put him back in there by accident would you." At this, Pinkie Pie gasped and profusely apologized, before going off to set up some games. "Thanks for that, dobe. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get out of here for my sanity's sake." Said Sasuke, slipping out the door when nopony was looking. Having never been to a party before, Naruto decided to wander and mingle while trying to find something to participate in, then he spotted Rainbow Dash hiding under the refreshment table. "Now now Rainbow Dash, you wouldn't be trying to skimp out on our deal now?" Said mare nearly shrieked in fright when she heard Naruto. "Please Naruto, don't make me do this. My image will be completely ruined if you do. If this is about that fake ramen prank I pulled on you yesterday, then I'm sorry, I'll never do anything like it again. Just please don't make me do this." She begged. "A picture says a thousand words Rainbow, and I've got several. Would you rather they get out?" Rainbow was sweating from the weight of each decision, her eyes flitting left and right, until finally with a resigned sigh, she answered. "In all honesty, yes, I'd rather let those pictures out then spend an entire day beautifying with Rarity. I may get ridiculed as a filly fooler, but I could still get into the Wonderbolts. If it got out that I liked being prim and proper though, the Wonderbolts would think I don't take my training seriously and would close the door in my face. I am not going to ruin my shot at my dream simply because of some blackmail, so do your worst." Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. "So what's the big deal about this Wonderbolts gang anyway?" He asked. "The Wonderbolts are Equestria's top pegasus flyers. they are the masters of flight, performing amazing aerial maneuvers and feats, and it's always been my dream to join them in the skies." Naruto suddenly felt rather sick for blackmailing the rainbow maned pegasus like that. It would be like destroying his own former dream of wanting to become Hokage. "Rainbow, why is being in the Wonderbolts so important?" Rainbow was silent for a bit, then spoke. "It's personal, and if you don't mind I'd really not want to share it." Naruto however, saw her reason, deep in her eyes. Taking out the five photos of her collision with Derpy, Naruto channelled wind chakra through them, shredding the photos into pieces. "Well if it means that much to you, I'd have to be pretty heartless to take it from you because of a prank." He said, causing Rainbow to let loose a deep shuddering breath of relief. "Thank you." With that, she left her hiding place and joined the party. Helping himself to a few apple strudels, Naruto watched with mounting amusement as Applejack swung wide and took a spill when she tried whacking what the ponies called a pinata. Just then, the bakery door opened, and a voice came through that made everypony freeze. "I was unaware there was a party going on. I hope nopony minds if I crash." Then the owner of the voice stepped through, and Naruto studied the newcomer. She was a lot larger than the other ponies, and came equipped with both wings and a horn. Her mane and tail seemed to be ethereal and were striped with multiple pastel colours. "Princess Celestia!" Exclaimed Twilight as she ran up to her mentor. "Hello my faithful student." Celestia responded. Soon, everypony was making a big fuss over the princess, much to her hidden displeasure. "Please my little ponies, do not fret over me. This party is not in my honor, so there is no reason for any of you to cater to my needs. Please treat me as you would any other guest of this party." Though it took a bit more coaxing from the princess, the party was soon back in full swing. "So princess, what brings you here? Simply not because of a simple party I assume." Asked Twilight. "Indeed my faithful student. I've come to speak with you actually, in regards to the letter you sent me two days ago." Celestia replied. "What about it? Did I forget something? Did I do something wrong?" Celestia calmed Twilight down before things escalated further. "Calm yourself Twilight, you've done nothing wrong. I came because I wanted to talk to Naruto myself." She replied. "Whatever for, your highness?" Said Naruto from right behind the princess, grinning when he saw that he made both her and Twilight jump in shock. "Naruto, you shouldn't scare ponies like that." Admonished Twilight. "Well you gave me a start, Naruto. As you probably already know I am princess Celestia. I command the sun and day, and co-rule Equestria alongside my sister Luna. After reading the notes my faithful student had sent me about you and your kind, I wanted to see you for myself. I also noted that there was not much information regarding human magic, or jutsu as you call it. However, now is not the time for questions, as we are at a party that should be enjoyed. So Naruto, would it be possible for you to come to Canterlot in two days?" "By the way princess, the other human, Sasuke, has finished recovering as well." Twilight interjected. "Oh? I was unaware of such news. Where is he then?" Asked Celestia in confusion, seeing no other human in the room. "He's not a party person, so he slipped out the first chance he got. If you want him to come as well, I'll let him know.:" Said Naruto. "That would be most appreciated, Naruto. Now then, I believe we've talked enough, there's a party to enjoy." Naruto grinned at this. "You bet, see you in two days then, Sunshine." With that, Naruto made his leave, leaving to shocked mare's behind. "Naruto! That is no way to address the princess, show some respect!" Twilight hollered after the blonde. "It's fine, Twilight. I get enough fomality every day that the informality of Naruto is quite refreshing. Now then, run along my faithful student, go enjoy the party." Nodding, Twilight went back to her circle of friends. Leaving the princess alone. Celestia looked around and let out a sigh. "I see Sasuke wasn't the only one to disappear from the party. She must have run off when I wasn't paying attention." Just then, a large cake was brought out, passing under Celestia's snout as it was brought to the table. "Oh, I really shouldn't." Celestia muttered to herself, though her willpower crumbled when she saw the cake being cut. "A few slices won't hurt." However, anyone who knew Celestia knew that she never stopped at 'a few slices' when it came to good cake. Sasuke stared up at the starlit sky from his position on the roof of Sugarcube Corner, the noise of the party below barely noticable on it. He cast a disdainful glance at his perch. The entire building looked like it was constructed entirely of candies and baked sweets. If there was one thing he hated more than parties, it was sweets. Sweets reminded him too much of his past. He returned his gaze to the night sky, so to avoid a train of thought he did not want to take. "May we join thou?" Asked a female voice. Turning to it's source, Sasuke saw it was a pony different from any he'd seen all day. She was a deep dark blue, the colour of the midnight sky. Her mane and tail had an ethereal quality to them and looked like the sky of a clear summer night filled with stars. She wore a small crown as blue as her body, along with a cloth chestpiece emblazoned with a crescent moon. The most notable thing about her, was the fact that she had both wings as well as a horn. "And you are?" asked Sasuke, curious of the new arrival. "We are princess Luna, sovreign of the moon and night, and co-ruler of Equestria alongside our sister Celestia. And thou must be one of these human creatures we have heard our sister speak about. may we have thy name?" The mysterious pony replied. "Sasuke Uchiha." "Well Sasuke, may we join thou in gazing upon our night sky." Sasuke thought for a bit, then nodded. "Go ahead." He answered, and Luna laid down beside him to gaze upon the silent sky. "So why art thou not partaking in the merrymaking within this building?" Asked Luna after a stretch of silence. "I could ask you the same." Was Sasuke's reply. "The populace still fears us for what we hath done in the recent and distant past. We wish to avoid the fear and resentment, as many still see us as the monster we once were." Answered Luna, her expression one of great regret. "That makes two of us." Said Sasuke, causing Luna to look at him in confusion. "What dost thou mean?" She asked. "I myself have done monstrous things. There were times where I was fully prepared and willing to end the lives of those I called friends. Back in my world I'd probably be in the same position as you." Silence fell between the two after that, as they both simply gazed upon the moon and stars. "It's odd." Said Sasuke, breaking the quiet. "The night seems more alive than in my world. The stars shine brighter, the sky is clearer, and there's an air of tranquility that doesn't exist in my world." "That would be our doing, Sasuke. The night is our domain, and we tried to make it as beautiful as possible so to win our subjects appreciation. What thou art seeing is the efforts of our work from long ago." Answered Luna. "Dost thou find it to thine liking?" "Very. I've never felt this much at peace at night. Night back in my world is a time of bloodshed and death, where men and women are killed in silence as they sleep. to gaze upon the night like this can only be done in the safety of one's own village, and even then, there's a sense of tension in the air. This world's night; your night, it holds none of these things, and I enjoy it greatly." Silence once again drifted between the two, but Luna soon banished it. "We hath heard from our sister that thine world was a dark and cruel place. Still, it has been a long time since anypony has appreciated our night, and we thank thou for it." "So this is where you've been hiding, Luna." Sasuke and Luna turned to the voice, and saw another pony like Luna, though her colouring was vastly different, and she was larger. "I see you've made a friend." She said with a playful grin. "No, it's nothing like that, sister. We wanted to avoid ruining the merrymaking, so we came up here and saw that Sasuke here was enjoying our night, so we joined him in stargazing." Luna sputtered. "Well in any case Lulu, the party's over now, so we're heading back to Canterlot. I was hoping you would at least try to mingle at the party, but I suppose you making friends with Sasuke will do." Luna sighed and got up to follow Celestia. "Fare thee well Sasuke, and may we see each other soon." With that, Sasuke watched as the two flew off the roof and returned to the ground, only to return to the air in chariots pulled by armoured pegasi, obviously royal guards of some kind. Getting up on his feet, Sasuke leaped off the roof, landing right beside Twilight Sparkle, much to her shock. "Whoa! Don't do that Sasuke, you nearly gave me a heart attack." She admonished, to which Sasuke responded by rolling his eyes. "So where have you been this whole time? Naruto said you slipped out almost immediately after the party started." "Just enjoying some peace and quiet with a friend." Sasuke replied, and refused to elaborate more on the subject despite Twilight's pleading.