//------------------------------// // Chapter 25 - My Little Assistant (Part 1) // Story: Daily Life of an Equestrian Ninja // by PianoPony //------------------------------// It was just another morning for Naruto at Ponyville. The usual routine included getting up, awkwardly saying ‘good morning’ to the fox before retracting his chakra back into his body, brushing his teeth and eating breakfast together with Rarity. After that he would head out to the marketplace and to his new job of managing Equestria’s first and only Ramen stand. “So how are the dresses coming along, Rarity?” Naruto asked the white Unicorn over breakfast. She has been working on dresses for herself and the rest of the gang for a few days now, and with the Grand Galloping Gala coming right around the corner, she hardly took a break from her work. Not only that, she was also making suits for Naruto and Spike. “I am happy to report that they’re nearly done!” she smiled in response. “I will just add the finishing touches, and then I shall summon you and the girls to check them out. I dare say this should be all over by noon!” “Sounds great! I hope you didn’t work too hard on mine, I don’t want to wear anything too fancy,” he smiled back. “Of course, dear. It was quite a simple design, so I put it together rather quickly. Thanks to that I had more time to work on the others’ dresses.” The sound of knocking then came from the front door. “I’ll get it,” Naruto volunteered and got up from his seat at the table. “Oh, what a gentlecolt Naruto can sometimes be,” Rarity thought happily. “I could only hope he would be just the same…” ***** “Transformation Jutsu!” Naruto called as he changed into his pony form, before opening the front door. “Oh, hey Spike. What’s up?” he grinned at the baby Dragon at the doorstep. “Morning, Naruto!” Spike replied. “I have a letter for you!” Naruto’s eyes widened, his heart beginning to race. “Is it from Celestia?! Did she find a way to send me back?!” “No, it’s from Princess Luna, actually,” Spike said as he unfolded the short scroll for Naruto to read. As he did, a golden piece of paper fell on the floor. Naruto’s heart sank, but he still proceeded to read the letter. Dear Naruto, It has come to mind that I have forgotten to send you an invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala. I cannot wait to spend a most magical night with you. Love Yours truly, Luna Naruto picked up the golden ticket and read it, noticing the writing was slightly different. “You are cordially welcomed by Princess Luna to the Grand Galloping Gala. This ticket is valid only for Naruto Uzumaki.” The bottom right of the gold paper was signed very extravagantly in dark blue ink. It was completely unreadable, but a small crescent moon was visible to the signature’s right. “So that’s why you didn’t care at all when Twilight got the two tickets from Princess Celestia a couple of days ago,” Spike smiled. “I didn’t know Princess Luna invited you. I thought you just didn’t want to go.” “I really don’t think I would have gone if Luna didn’t personally invite me, actually,” Naruto replied as he took the scroll and ticket, putting them into a pocket of his jumpsuit. “It sounds like it’s filled with stuck-up ponies who don’t do anything fun.” “Oh, don’t be like that! There’ll be fancy food, good music, celebrities, and most importantly — we’ll all be together!” Spike lighted up. “It’s gonna be the best night ever!” “I don’t know about that, but I don’t really have a choice now, do I?” Naruto half-smiled. “At least Luna seems to be looking forward to it.” “Oh yeah, how are the suits coming along?” Spike asked. “I still can’t believe Rarity is making mine herself,” he added with a dreamy smile. “She told me she’ll probably be done by noon,” Naruto said. “That’s great! By the way, I have a letter for her too. Can I come in?” Spike asked, showing Naruto a much longer scroll than the one he had received. Naruto nodded and let him in, then closed the door and walked back to the kitchen with him. ***** “Morning, Rarity!” Spike called joyfully as he entered the room. “Why, if it isn’t my Spikey-wikey!” Rarity called merrily and stroked the green spikes adorning his head. “What brings you here today?” “What… doesn’t?” he replied quietly, small hearts floating above his head as his arms dropped and his eyes became unfocused. “Err…” Naruto watched the scene for a few moments in confusion, before snapping Spike back to reality. “Spike has a letter for you, Rarity.” “Oh! Right!” the little Dragon exclaimed, then showed Rarity the scroll. The Unicorn floated it up and started reading through it, her eyes widening three-fold by the time she had reached the end. “P-P-PRINCESS LUNA WANTS ME TO—” was all she could manage to scream before passing out, falling over on her back dramatically. “Rarity!” Spike cried and rushed to her side, along with Naruto. “Hey! What’s wrong?!” Naruto asked. He could see the contents of the scroll, which had fallen next to her. It was a quite long list of requests for a new dress for the Gala. The bottom was signed ‘Princess Luna’, along with the same seal that was on his invitation to the Gala. ***** “This is unbelievable! I never would have imagined I’d be asked to sew a dress for A PRINCESS!” Rarity cried. She recovered a few minutes later, after drinking a glass of cool water. “But… I don’t think I could possibly have the time to… But… A PRINCESS!” she started arguing with herself, pacing back and forth across her store. Spike and Naruto merely watched her, unsure of what to say to her. “Alright! You can do this, Rarity!” she finally called, her chest puffed up. She seemed to almost glow with a bright aura of confidence. “Now, out with the two of you! I am about to be very busy now,” she said as she promptly levitated them towards the door. “But my breakfa—” Naruto protested as the door slammed shut, after he and Spike were pretty much kicked out. “Isn’t she just marvelous?” Spike asked, staring in a far-off gaze at Carousel Boutique’s door. “She always takes her work so seriously.” “She didn’t have to kick us out, though,” Naruto grumbled over his unfinished meal. “Oh well, might as well go buy some groceries. I keep running out of flour…” he said as he began trotting off towards the market. “See ya later, Spike!” As he said that, Spike immediately snapped back into reality, and stared back at him. “Oh! Uhh, yeah, Naruto. See ya…” he replied in a somewhat saddened tone. ***** Not long afterwards, Naruto had reached the Ramen stand, carrying with him a bag of flour he bought and managed to balance on his back. “I keep forgetting I don’t have hands… Man, how do those ponies do it?! It’s so inconvenient!” He opened the door into the small kitchen inside the stand and walked in, setting the flour on the inside counter. “Alright! Time to start making the—” “Naruto?” came a voice from the door. Naruto looked back, and was surprised to see Spike standing there. He was fidgeting his claws nervously. “Hey, Spike. What’s up?” “Umm… Can I come in?” the baby Dragon asked quietly, looking around. “Sure,” Naruto replied. Spike quickly walked in and closed the door behind them. The cloth shutter separating the inner part of the counter from the outer one was mostly closed, so nopony could see them there. “What is it?” Naruto asked, a bit baffled over Spike’s unusual behavior. “Umm… Well… It’s kind of a big request…” he muttered nervously, looking down. “Well?” Naruto urged. “CanIbeyourRamenassistant?” The orange pony didn’t get a shred of what he said. “… Come again?” Spike took a deep breath, closing his eyes, before repeating slowly. “Naruto, can I work here for you at the Ramen stand?” “Oh, that’s all?” Naruto chuckled, surprised. “Okay.” “Really?! Alright!” Spike called joyfully. “I promise you I’ll be the best assistant you’ll ever have! I’ll be your number one assistant!” That sentence rang familiar to Naruto, bringing up a small problem. “Hey, aren’t you Twilight’s assistant already?” he arched a brow at him. “Well, yeah…” he replied, looking away. “That’s the thing. I really, really, REALLY love Ramen! Ever since I first tasted it I knew I had to have more! The incredible scent and the wonderful taste in my mouth… It’s like I fell in love!” he said with much passion. “Well… Not like… Umm, you know… But you know what I mean!” he then added nervously. Naruto smiled. ”Sounds exactly like somepony I know…” “That’s why I thought of working here with you, to get to experience that feeling all the time! But… I have responsibility helping Twilight too. I can’t just drop everything!” he said in distress. “She really needs my help! That’s why I thought about it for a few days, but I decided I just had to go through with it!” he finished explaining with a determined look in his eyes. “So what are you gonna do?” Naruto asked. “You can’t be at two places at the same time.” “But you can!” Spike smiled. Naruto blinked and stared at him blankly. “I don’t follow.” “If you make a clone of yourself, and then transform into me, you can both replace me as Twilight’s assistant, and still manage the stand!” Spike explained cheerfully. “You… can do that, right?” Naruto pondered this. “Well, I guess so… Alright, if that’s really what you need to help you fulfill your Ramen dream, there’s no way I can refuse to that, ya know!” “Alright! You’re the best, Naruto!” Spike called and hugged him. He then immediately pulled back, face red with embarrassment. “Okay, now let me try something…” Naruto said, a look of curiosity evident on his face. Spike watched him as he crossed his forelegs. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” A pony clone of Naruto soon emerged next to the original. “It worked!” the pair called simultaneously, hoof bumping. “This is incredible! You can still use your jutsu thingies when you’re a pony! I wish we could show this to Twilight!” Spike exclaimed, when he remembered something. “Oh, Naruto, can we keep all this a secret?” “Why?” the clone asked. “It’s a matter of Dragon honor, Naruto! I can’t let her know that I left her and went to do something else!” he called, his eyes looking at him pleadingly. “I really don’t get why it’s so important…” “Please! Promise me, Naruto!” Spike called and fell on his knees. “I won’t be able to stand it if Twilight is disappointed in me!” “Alright, I promise,” Naruto nodded. “No! That’s not good enough!” rose a voice from beneath a large pot which lay upside-down on the floor. It tilted upwards slightly to reveal a pair of light blue eyes, surrounded all around by pink. “So how long have you been under there, Pinkie?” Naruto asked calmly. He was finally getting used to her doing this kind of things. “Never mind that!” she brushed him off, still mostly hidden under the pot. “You know the chant!” Naruto rolled his eyes, but decided to go along with it. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my—YOUCH!” “Good! Pinkie out!” she called, before the pot fell back on the floor. While the original was rubbing his aching eye, the clone went to check if she was still under there. “Thought so,” he said when he lifted the pot, revealing only the wooden floor underneath. “Oh yeah,” Spike said. “You should go as the original. Your clone vanishes if it gets hit, right?” “Yeah, why?” the clone asked. “Well… Let’s just say you should be careful around books,” Spike half-smiled. Naruto and the clone exchanged baffled gazes, but then the original nodded and crossed his forelegs once more. “Transformation Jutsu!” “Woah! Not bad, Naruto!” Spike called as he now stood in front of a duplicate of himself. “Yup! I guess I can use all of my jutsus as a pony. Also, I don’t even have to make hand seals!” Spike-clone replied cheerfully. “Well, Twilight’s at the library. As usual,” Spike said, rolling his eyes. “She probably thinks I’m still delivering you and Rarity the letters, so if she asks, just tell her I… I mean you, ran a bit late. Hmm… Having a clone kinda makes things confusing.” “Alright,” Spike-clone nodded. “Good luck! And be careful not to get my clone hurt somehow, or he’ll disappear,” he reminded Spike. “You got it!” Spike replied with a salute as Naruto turned and ran outside. “So, what are we gonna do now?” Spike asked the Naruto clone. “Let’s start by making the noodles,” the clone instructed. “Okay!” Spike replied happily, and the two immediately got to work. ***** “Whew… Sure takes a lot of effort running with these short legs…” Naruto thought as he finally reached the library. He reached up to the handle of the red door and opened it, to reveal Twilight sitting in front of a desk below a window at the right side of the library. She was reading through an old-looking book, and a stack of about ten other books was at her side. “I’m back, Twilight!” Naruto called. “What took you so long, Spike?! We’re on a tight schedule today!” Twilight replied, looking at him angrily. “We are?” “Oh, I don’t know… Of course we are!” she snapped. “There’s a ton of things left to do, and I’m busy with my preparations for the Gala! I need your help!” “You’re reading a book,” the transformed ninja arched a brow at her. “It’s ‘Formal Etiquette 101’, Spike. I can’t go to the Gala without any knowledge on how to properly behave there! I’d embarrass the Princess!” “And all those other books?” he glanced at the pile of books. Twilight sighed in annoyance. “History of the Grand Galloping Gala, Beginner Level Waltz, Two Hundred Ways to Tie a Tie…” she began going over each one. “Spike, we’ve made a checklist of those this morning. Did you forget already?” “Oh! Uhh, sorry. Skipped my mind,” Naruto replied. “It’s okay,” Twilight nodded. “I guess you too are pretty nervous about the Gala. It’s completely natural.” “Actually, I don’t really care, but she might throw the book at me if I say that…” he thought, remembering the last time Twilight got mad at him. “We need to complete every task in the checklist before we head over to Rarity’s and check out the clothes she made for us, Spike.” “Alright, no problem!” the Dragon replied. “Uhh… Where is the checklist?” Twilight arched a brow at him again. “It’s on the table,” she pointed to the round table at the middle of the room. “That’s where you left it before you went out, remember?” “Oh, right!” he called and ran over to it. “I know you have a crush on Rarity, but it’s no excuse to lose your head every time you meet her,” Twilight said as she continued reading the book. “Huh?! I don’t have a crush on Rarity!” Naruto immediately called. “Very funny, Spike. You made a big deal out of it that time you told me, and even roped Pinkie into it,” Twilight replied, not taking her eyes off the book. “Oh… Was that why he’s always acting so weird around Rarity?” Naruto realized as he started looking over the checklist scroll. “Read this book, read that book, buy ink, feed Owlowiscious…” “Who?” “What do you mean ‘who’? The owl you took in a couple of days ago,” Naruto reminded her. “Don’t remind me, Spike,” Twilight said. “Especially after the trouble you got yourself into because of that.” “Okay, so where is he?” Naruto asked, looking around. The owl was nowhere to be seen. “Who?” “Owlowiscious,” Naruto replied, getting slightly irked. “Who?” “Your pet owl!” Naruto shouted. “I’m trying to read, Spike. Can you keep it down?” Twilight frowned. “It’s not my fault!” “Who?” “Mine! It’s not my fault!” Naruto snapped, when something overshadowed him. The small creature casting its shadow descended until it finally landed on the scroll. “Who,” Owlowiscious hooted softly, staring at ‘Spike’ with big black eyes. “Who am I? I’m Spike. Don’t you remember me?” Naruto answered. “Who?” “Spike! Twilight’s number one assistant!” “Who?” said the owl again. “He’s… not seeing through the jutsu, right?” Naruto wondered nervously. “Spike, that was only funny the first three times you two had that conversation. Just give him some of the food Fluttershy gave us,” Twilight said as she flipped a page with her magic. “Alright, alright…” Naruto grumbled. “Let’s go, Owlowiscious.” “Who,” the owl said as he flew along with him. “Don’t start this again,” Naruto replied dryly. ***** “You need to push harder, Spike!” Naruto said. “I’m trying! I’m trying! But it starts to hurt!” he cried. “There’s no other way. Otherwise this will take forever!” “Agh! Aaaaaaagh!” Spike groaned, trying to bear the pain. “You’ll get used to it once you become more experienced,” Naruto smiled. “I didn’t think kneading dough for Ramen was so difficult! My claws are getting really soar!” Spike said, biting his bottom lip. Spike and Naruto were now making the noodles for the Ramen. Spike was standing on a stool, with Naruto next to him and guiding him on how to properly knead the dough for the noodles. “So, you’re gonna quit?” Naruto smirked tauntingly. “No way! It’ll take much more than this to break me!” the small dragon exclaimed, and accelerated the rhythmic kneading. “Great!” Naruto smiled at him before turning to look outside. “And it looks like we’ve got our first customer for today!” he added cheerfully. “What’s up, Naruto?” greeted a black Pegasus with light blue mane as he paced towards the counter. “Heya, Thunderlane,” Naruto replied with a hoof-bump. “You haven’t missed a day since the opening!” “You betcha! Ramen’s the best thing to happen to Ponyville since… Well, ever!” the stallion replied enthusiastically. “Where did you get the idea, anyways?” “Oh! Uh… I just… dreamed it, I guess?” Naruto stuttered. “Well, doesn’t matter to me!” he called, tossing three bits onto the counter. “Hit me with a big bowl!” “Coming right up!” Naruto replied. “Spike, give me the—” A tug at his tail caused Naruto to look down and see Spike sitting down under the counter, out of Thunderlane’s sight. “Psst, Naruto! Don’t tell him I’m in here!” the purple drake whispered. Naruto lowered his head to look at Spike. “Why not?” he asked quietly. “If anypony knew I was working here, they’d probably tell Twilight! Can you keep it a secret from everypony else too?” he asked with pleading eyes. “You know there are going to be customers all the time. How are you going to keep hiding from everypony?” Naruto inquired. “I’ll think of something, but please, just let me hide for now!” “Alright,” Naruto replied with a nod, when a faint rumbling noise diverted his attention back to the pot on the floor. “I’m watching you,” a warning voice rose from a pair of blue eyes underneath the pot. The pot slowly descended back to the floor. Naruto rolled his eyes in response. “What’s up, Naruto? Everything okay in there?” Thunderlane asked. The orange stallion raised his head back above the counter. “Yup! Everything’s great!” he quickly replied before turning to grab the strainer that was hanging on the back wall of the caravan. ***** Sometime later, Naruto, who was still posing as Spike, had headed out to buy some ink for Twilight. Holding a small, red wallet the librarian gave him, he marched straight to the quill store to buy some ink. Or at least, that’s what he had originally planned. “Okay, let me get this straight,” Spike-transformed-Naruto said, faceclawing. “You’re selling quills, and instead of selling ink to go with the quills, you’re selling sofas?!” “Well, yeah,” the owner of ‘Quills and Sofas’, a light brown Earth pony wearing a blue suit replied as a matter of fact. “Economic statistics reveal that many ponies also ponder their sitting habits while writing. Ponies who write a lot also tend to break a lot of quills, which is an excellent opportunity to discuss with them about their writing desks and what they sit on, and sell them one of my high-grade sofas!” Naruto stared back at him blankly, his mind failing to process the complicated subject. “You lost me at that eco thingy.” “We talked about it the last time you came here to buy some quills for Twilight Sparkle, did you forget?” the store owner replied. “Oh! Uh… right! Skipped my mind!” Naruto quickly exclaimed. “So, where can I buy some ink?” “At my wife’s store, just three buildings down the street, Spike. You’re awfully forgetful today,” he noted. His muzzle then formed a knowing grin. “Don’t tell me you’re like that because of a certain somepony?” “What?! No! I don’t have a crush on Rarity!” Naruto proclaimed, remembering Twilight’s words from earlier and quickly denying a possible infatuation with a mare, but forgetting it wasn’t really him they were talking about. “Whatever you say, Spike. But trust me on this — the way to a mare’s heart goes through a good sofa! I’m sure that’s especially true for Rarity!” he chuckled. Naruto gave him one last, deeply troubled look before leaving the store. ***** “Thanks for the meal! I really don’t know how I’ve lived without Ramen until now!” a purple Earth pony mare said happily as she returned the empty bowl to Naruto’s counter. “You’re welcome, Berryshine!” Naruto’s clone replied before grabbing the bowl with his mouth and bringing it over to Spike. The purple drake was in the back, out of sight to anypony who didn’t practically shove his head behind the counter, and was busy cleaning the dirty dishes in the small sink there. “Are you doing okay, Spike?” the orange pony asked after dropping the bowl, the magic chopsticks inside, into the small sink. “Yup! I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning and cooking for Twilight, so this job is a piece of cake for me!” Spike replied as he started cleaning the white ceramic bowl with a wet, blue dishcloth. “Great to hear! And after you finish cleaning we can work on the next batch of stock for the Ramen,” Naruto said before turning back to the counter. “Heya, Lyra and Bon Bon,” he said as he spotted the familiar Unicorn and Earth pony friends. “Got it! Two bowls coming right up!” he called after getting their order. Having finished cleaning the bowl and chopsticks from earlier, Spike jumped off the small white stool allowing him to reach the sink, and took it to the stove, upon which stood a pot of broth and a pot of boiling water with noodles. The stoves were to the right of the counter, and still out of sight to the ponies outside. Grabbing two clean bowls from next to the sink, the drake laid them next to the pots, and tried grabbing the ladle in the pot of broth, just a little beyond his short arm’s reach. “Need some help, Spike?” Naruto whispered as he went for the other pot and removed some noodles with a strainer, putting a decent amount in each bowl. “No, it’s okay! I got this!” Spike answered just as he managed to just barely grab the ladle. “Well, at least you have hands. I have to use my mouth,” Naruto grinned. “Well, why don’t you just turn back to a human?” Spike asked as he proceeded to pour a good amount of savory liquid into each of the bowls. “I really don’t get why you’re keeping being a ninja secret from everypony.” Naruto’s smile quickly vanished, and he looked back to the counter, shortly behind which were the two mares waiting to get some food. “It’s… a long story. I’ll tell you some other time, alright?” “Well, if you say so,” Spike replied, putting the ladle back into the pot. However, as he did so, he hit the pepper shaker on the counter above the stove, knocking it down. In the blink of an eye, Naruto caught it with his hoof before it could fall into the broth and ruin it. “Woah! That was awesome, Naruto!” Spike whispered in awe. “How did you do that?” Naruto grinned. “All ninjas practice their reflexes a lot at the academy,” he explained. “It came easier for me though, since I was just that awesome!” he added haughtily, when the shaker slipped out of his fingerless grasp and fell on the counter, creating a small cloud of pepper. “Oops.” Spike’s eyes became watery as some of the powder entered his nostrils. “Ah… Ah… Achoo!” he sneezed, gushing forth a stream of green flame towards the two bowls. “Bless you!” Lyra’s voice was heard from outside, reminding Naruto that there were customers waiting for their food outside. “That was the cutest sneeze ever, Naruto!” Bon Bon giggled. Spike blushed deeply, looked away and didn’t say a word. “Your food is rea—” Naruto began saying, when he looked at the content of the bowls. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what he was seeing. “NO WAY!” he promptly yelled, startling all those within earshot. “Everything okay, Naruto?” Lyra asked as she tried to take a peek inside. Naruto quickly turned around and stood in front of her, blocking her view of Spike and the bowls. “Yup! Everything’s great!” he quickly replied. “Just a minute, okay?” he asked, and closed the curtain before even hearing the turquoise Unicorn’s answer. “Spike, do you know what this is?!” Naruto asked, pointing at the bowls while looking at the baby Dragon. “It’s because of my sneeze, right?! I’m really sorry!” Spike cried. “I promise you it won’t happen again, so please don’t kick me out!” “Kick you out?! Are you kidding me?!” Naruto called. “Do you know what you just did here?!” “Um… Yes? No? Maybe?!” Spike asked in panic, unable to think straight with Naruto talking to him in such fashion. He’d never heard him speaking so urgently before. “You’ve made instant Ramen!” Naruto exclaimed, his eyes beaming with excitement. “I… Huh?” Spike muttered in confusion. “You’ve made the Ramen completely dry! It’s just like what’s in the Ramen cup back home before I add water!” Naruto said, looking into the bowls. Their content was now comprised of dried up noodles and vegetables, covered by the dry remnants of the savory broth. Naruto grabbed the ladle of the broth and used it to add some hot water from the noodle pot to the dry content of the bowls. Spike and he then watched for a few minutes as the water regained the look and smell of the broth, and the noodles and vegetables returned to normal. “See? It looks just like earlier!” Naruto said. “But does it taste the same?” Spike asked. “Shouldn’t somepony taste it to make sure?” “Good idea,” Naruto replied. He seemed to think for a moment, as he closed his eyes and put a hoof on his chin. Suddenly afterwards, he smiled somewhat mischievously and took the bowls one by one to the counter, before opening the curtain to reveal the somewhat confused Lyra and Bon Bon. “Here you go! Two bowls of freshly made Ramen!” Naruto smiled. “Oh, right,” he said and went to sink to get two clean pairs of chopsticks for the two mares to use. “Thanks!” said the two mares simultaneously. Lyra floated up the bowls and chopsticks and took them to one of the tables outside. Naruto watched the two as they grabbed the chopsticks and brought the first bite into their mouths. Spike was peeking at them too, his head partially visible behind the counter. Bon Bon was the first to grab the chopsticks, take a first bundle of noodles and blow them colder. She then brought them to her mouth and slurped them quite silently. “Delicious as ever! Right, Lyra?” The turquoise Unicorn slurped her first bite very loudly, earning a somewhat scornful gaze from her friend. “Sure is!” “YES!” Spike and Naruto yelled simultaneously, giving each other a high-five. The two mares immediately turned to look at them, but the stallion and dragon had managed to duck behind the counter before they could be spotted spying on the two mares. Naruto immediately turned to look at the young drake. “Spike, with you here I can even make instant Ramen!” he whispered in excitement. “That’s why… I want you to keep working here with me every day! What do you say?!” In response, Spike’s mouth formed an exuberant grin.