//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: How In . . . What? // Story: Balance of the Mind and Body // by Swift Blaze //------------------------------// The ponies, human, and dragon arrived back in town and looked for a restaurant to have dinner at. The group soon came across a pub. Rainbow Dash said, “Hey, let’s go here. They have the best drinks this side of Ponyville.” “I agree,” said Applejack. “And their food is good too.”  Everyone else nodded and headed inside. The place is what you would expect, a nice size bar with different kinds of alcohol on the back shelves. A waitress directed them to a long table that could accommodate them. Blaze said, “So, Rainbow and Applejack, how do you know this place?” “Me and Rainbow here come here once or twice a month after a long work week to relax,” the orange mare said. “We come here more often than that,” the blue Pegasus said. “We also come here to get buzzed and on occasion, have ourselves a drinking contest. I won the last one.” “Yeah, you did. But I won the two before that.” “Girls please, let's not get into an argument and get kicked out,” the human said. The waitress came by and collected the drink orders. Rarity ordered a glass of red wine. Spike got a glass of juice, as he was still underage. Twilight and Fluttershy ordered some tea. Pinkie and Rainbow each ordered a pint of hard apple cider. Applejack ordered a pint of a local brew beer. Blaze only ordered a glass of water. The waitress thanked them and said she’ll be back soon to get their entree orders. “How come you ordered water, Blaze?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Thought you were old enough to drink?” He replied, “Oh, I’ve been able to drink alcohol for the past 6 years. I just choose not to. I was never interested in trying it.” “Oh come on, you don’t know what you’re missing. Loosen up and try one. It won’t hurt you,” the mare said as she tried to convince him. “Not interested.” Applejack butted in and said, “Come on Rainbow, Blaze said he doesn’t want to. Let’s honor his choice.” “Choosing not to drink because they’re not interested  makes me think they’re hiding something. What’s the real reason Blaze?” Rainbow said as she slammed a hoof down on the table. “I know that Twilight and Fluttershy don’t drink because they can’t hold their alcohol. Come on and spill!” The human looked at the blue mare and said, “I don’t want to drink and that’s that.” “Please, drop it, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “We’re here to have fun and enjoy ourselves. Not everypony has to drink like you.” The waitress came back with their drinks. Then, after everyone told the mare what they wanted to eat, she thanked them and returned to the kitchen. Blaze spoke first to avoid Rainbow Dash interrogating him on why he won’t drink alcohol. “So, Applejack, what do you think of those guards after seeing them work for the first day?” The orange mare replied, “They’re definitely rough around the edges. Neither of them are very strong, and you wouldn't believe how much they complained when they started working.” “That sounds awful,” said Fluttershy. “I never realized working on your farm was such hard work, until today. I hope you’re not pushing them too hard.” “I was going easy on them while they’re learning the ropes of farm work. It’ll take some time, but I think I can get them straightened out and break their bad habits. Honestly, I think they never did any hard work in their lives. Yes, they might do some weight lifting, but they don’t have the energy to use it all day,” The Earth pony looked at the human. “What’s your opinion when you saw them working, Blaze?” He replied, “Well, when I, meaning my clone, got to the farm, I snuck up in my pony form to see if they were working. They still were. Also, you’re correct, they do complain a bit. They never saw my pony form. So, when I introduced myself, I called myself Speedy. They said you went to get some more empty buckets, but never came back. I figure that was when I used that jutsu to bring you to the stage. I told them you had forgotten to be somewhere else and I relieved you of watching them.”  “Now why in Equestria would you lie about yourself, darling?” Rarity asked. “Sometimes, a person, or a stallion in this case, won’t open up to someone they know. They might with a stranger. We chatted for a bit as we continued to work. I found out they do come from rich families. They had pulled some strings so they didn’t have to go through basic training. I think that’s why they’re acting like this. By not going through that experience, it would’ve straightened them out and toughened them up at the same time. I then revealed my human form. The fear on their faces was priceless. They panicked and started to beg.” “Oh my gosh! I wish I was there to see that!” said Rainbow. “You definitely know how to pull pranks, Blaze. I wouldn’t have been able to pull some of them off.” “Well, you’re not me and have access to my jutsu moves,” the human said. “That’s the only way I could pull these off. Now, back to the story. I told them what I was expecting them to do while on the farm and we went back to work after the begging. Some time later, you all showed up. The moral of this story is that you should never take shortcuts in your work. You may lose what that hard work and training will teach you. Their families are at fault here for letting them skip the training. I plan to look into this when I go for the basic training next month.” “YOU'RE JOINING THE ROYAL GUARD?!” everypony at the table shouted at the same time. “Hold it!” Blaze said as he held his hand in front of him. “I’m not joining the Royal Guard. I have an agreement with Princess Celestia to teach the guards some Taijutsu. But, I need to go through the basic training in pony form to get an idea of what they know and how ponies fight. I was never planning to join as these skills were not intended to be used on the front lines of battle. They’re more for secret ops and stealth missions.” “That’s great. You’ll probably see my brother.” Twilight said. “You have a brother in the Royal Guard?” everypony again said. “I might have met him already. Mind telling me his name and what he looks like?” the human asked. “His name is Shining Armor, and he’s a Captain of the Royal Guard, Unicorn Division.” “Your brother is not only in the Royal Guard, but a Captain?” Rarity asked as she was about to faint. Fluttershy grabbed her to keep her upright. “Yes. He's a Captain because he can cast a shield spell big enough to cover all of Canterlot, and powerful enough to protect it.” “Damm Twilight, I knew you had some powerful magic, but your brother can cast a shield around a city? That’s awesome!” Rainbow said. “It is impressive. Now, as for his looks, he has a white coat, a two-tone blue mane, and his armor is purple.” Blaze was correct of who he pissed off this morning. The stallion will probably going to kill him if he found out that he’d been hanging out with Twilight and her friends. The human hoped he wasn’t going to be doing the training when he goes. “Um, I think I might have met him this morning. Would you mind if I transform into him so you can verify who I think it is?” Blaze asked. The mare nodded her head. A quick jutsu later, Blaze now looked like her brother. “Oh my, you did meet him! I have to go and write him a letter right away and find out what he thinks about you.” Blaze changed back and said, “You might want to hold off on that. At least until after I tell you what happened this morning. Please don’t scream or freak out.” They all nodded and paid attention to the story the human was about to tell. Each one realized this was going to be an interesting one. “Ok, so every morning since I arrived here, I woke up before sunrise. I do a morning exercise in the land Princess Celestia gave me before it was mine. Seeing I was in Canterlot last night, Princess Luna offered the Royal Guard training grounds to let me do my routine. I was led to the grounds by two Unicorn guards named Iron Shield and Dead Eye. They participated in stretches with my pony form while my human clone went for a jog on the track. After this, I decided to do some different scenarios of combat so six more clones were made, one human and the rest were my pony form. Some of the matches lasted for at least an hour while the shortest one was 15 minutes.” “Why on Equestria would you fight yourself instead of some practice dummies?” Rarity asked. “I learned a few days ago that by doing this, I can practice both offensive and defensive techniques at the same time. Plus, dummies don’t fight back.” “So, what happend next?!” Pinkie Pie asked, while eating popcorn. Blaze wasn’t even going to think where she got it. “After the matches, I was pretty tired,” said the human. “The guards were also tired because it was the end of their shift. I didn’t feel like walking to or flying towards the dining room, so I decided to test out the teleportation jutsu for the first time since I learned it. This is where it gets interesting.” Applejack asked, “What in tarnation did ya do?” “None of it was my fault as I didn’t know at the time, but I was suppose to have escorts wherever I went in the castle. So, I did the jutsu and arrived just outside the doors to the dining room. As I was looking myself over to see if anything was missing, there were two Unicorn guards standing at the door. They were charging up their horns when I realized they were there. So, I did what anyone would have done. I started to run away and avoid being hit by their magic.” Rainbow started to laugh. Applejack soon joined in with a chuckle. “The guards normally don’t shoot their magic unless there was a threat,” Twilight said. “Let me ask you this,” replied Blaze. “How would you react if you didn't know anything about me and I appeared right in front of you?” Twilight started to blush, “I would probably scream and then try to hit you with magic spells to trap you.” “My point as to why I ran. I didn’t know if they were going to capture me, or kill me. I almost got away from the two guards, until I went around a corner. I saw six more Unicorn guards coming at me, so I switched to flying and flew right over them as they were shooting their magical spells at me.” “You must have been doing some impressive aerial maneuvers to dodge those spells,” said Rainbow Dash. She started to pay more attention to the tale. “I didn’t even think of which ones to use. I just let my instincts take over and guide me. I saw an open window and flew through it to the outside. The Unicorn guards were still sending their magic spells at me from the window. I thought I'd gotten away by then. That was until I looked towards the castle walls.” Pinkie asked, “What did you see?” The mare now had 3-D glasses on and was still eating popcorn. “There were at least a dozen Pegasus guards flying towards me from  different directions. I was getting pretty frustrated at this. I came to the conclusion of one move that would get me out of this. I flew high up into the sky so all the guards in the area would be looking up at me. The move I used is ki-based and is called solar flare. The name explains what it does. I cast a pure and intense white light. It caused everyone that looked at me to get blinded, temporally. Those few seconds allowed me to teleport out of there without them seeing it.” “I saw the flash from the farm. Thought it was a new firework they were testing to use during the day,” said Applejack. “That flash woke me from my sleep cause it lit up my entire cloud house,” Rainbow said in a slightly angry tone. Fluttershy asked, “So, where did you teleport to this time, if you don’t mind?” “I teleported this time to inside the dining room. I startled the staff and they ran into the kitchen. Both Princesses were surprised by my entrance. I quickly explained what was going on as I have told you. All of a sudden, the dining room door burst open and a platoon of Pegasus and Unicorn Guards came in, charging at me. I prepared to defend myself when Princess Celestia ordered everypony to stop in the loudest voice I ever heard.”  Blaze turned to Twilight and said, “This is where your brother comes in. He stepped forward and told the Princesses that they were trying to capture me because they thought I was an assassin.” “Well you do kinda dress like one,” said Spike. Twilight gently hit the back of his head with her hoof. “After Princess Celestia explained that I was a guest, your brother and I kinda went into a blaming contest of who was at fault. Princess Celestia dismissed the guards and explained to me that since I wasn't a citizen, even if I was trusted to some degree, I was supposed to have an escort wherever I went in the castle, either one of the Princesses, or a couple of guards. I apologized for my attitude and will acknowledge those rules when I’m in the castle,” the human said. The orange mare said, “Whoo-whee, that sure was some excitement you had.” “And that was before I had breakfast and after my training exercise. I was full-blown exhausted and starving. So, Twilight, I feel I’m not on good terms with your brother, being someone who evaded several guards and embarrassed them in the process. If he comes to visit, please warn me so I can hide.” All the girls laughed at how the human was afraid of Twilight’s brother. “I’m sure my brother will accept you once he gets to know you like I have,” said Twilight. “He will love how much you care about us ponies.” The food arrived and they dug in. The mares all got some flower-based dish. Spike was able to order some precious gems. Blaze had steamed veggies over rice. As he ate, the human thought about he would have to do some home cooked meals to get some meat. He then wondered if Princess Celestia will allow him to take some uncooked meat from the castle’s kitchen and store it at his house. Finally, Blaze figured Shining Armor was going to give him some trouble for successfully evading his guards. He was pretty sure that, right now, the stallion was sending more guards to Ponyville until he could trust the human. “So, what your plans for tomorrow?” Blaze asked. Rainbow Dash replied, “Applejack is going to help me with some of my aerial moves.” “I’m sorry, partner, but I won’t be able to,” said Applejack. “Them guards need supervision to help me with the applebucking. Big Mac isn’t well enough to do it. I also won’t be able to help either Pinkie or Fluttershy. There’s still a lot of apples to harvest if we want to sell them all.” Blaze spoke up and said, “Hey um, if you want, I could help you out with what Applejack was going to do. It’s only right, seeing I’m the one who injured Big Macintosh.” “That wasn’t your fault, Blaze,” the orange mare replied. “Like i said before, my big bro was being overprotective. I’m just glad he didn't hurt ya.” “But it only seems right I help out, seeing as you have those Greenies on your farm.” “Greenies? What does that mean, sugarcube?” “It’s a nickname we give to inexperienced individuals. It actually became popular on a TV show in my world. The full name they used was Greenhorn, but I didn’t feel comfortable calling them that.” They all laughed again and the human joined in. Once everyone was done, Blaze paid the bill and the group left the pub. They walked to the town square, enjoying the night sky. Twilight spoke up, “So Blaze, where are you going to sleep tonight?” “I wasn’t really thinking of where to sleep tonight,” he replied. After a few minutes, he said, “I think I’ll go to my plot of land and sleep underneath the stars. The air isn't too cold tonight so I won’t get sick from it. I have some intense training I need to do to for the next jutsu I’d like to get down.” “What’s the next thing you’re going to do? Skin color changing jutsu? Limb creating jutsu? Oh! I know! Balloon animal jutsu!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly. “Um, not any of those, that’s for sure. It’ll be something with a good purpose. I’ll be putting it to use at noon, tomorrow, on my land if you’d like to see.” Rarity said, “Oh, I can’t wait to see what spectacle your jutsu is going to do.” “You’re not going to give us a hint as to what it is, are ya?” Rainbow asked. “Do I ever tell you what jutsu I learn next?” Blaze asked her. The blue Pegasus shook her head no. “Then you’ll just have to wait. Good night my friends. See you tomorrow.” They all said their good nights and headed to their homes. The human went to the hill and laid down in the most comfortable position he could. With his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and woke into his mind space. With the new style being wood jutsu, he realized this was probably going to take all night. Combining the two elements for this would be difficult, even with clones. But, it had to be done if the human wanted to get the skills down for a house-level jutsu. So, for the rest of the night, a hundred clones went at it to master wood-style jutsu. Dawn came and Blaze was still in the sleep realm. He looked over at the structures he’d progressed in making. Off in the distance, the human heard his name being yelled. A hovering screen popped up in front of him. It displayed text stating the caller was Rainbow Dash. The human decided to have some fun. He exited the space back to the real world, peaked one eye open and saw the blue mare, staring at him. Her head was directly over his, with her body off to one side. Blaze stretched his arms above his head and let out a big yawn. He then rolled over to Rainbow Dash and grabbed onto one of her front hooves, while still pretending to be asleep. The mare panicked and tried to brake the hold the human had. She flapped her wings and dragged him around on the ground. When that didn’t work, Rainbow took to the sky and tried to fling him off through the staggering number of g'se staggering number of g's she was pulling. Blaze held on as best he could on each sharp turn. Soon, the blue Pegasus grew tired and landed back on the ground. The human released his grip, sat up, and stretched his arms out to the side. He opened his eyes and let out a big yawn, then said, “Morning Dash. You need something?” “Uh, yea,” said Rainbow Dash as she rubbed the back of her head. She put her hoof down before she continued. “You said you were going to cover for Applejack’s promise that she would help her friends today.” “Yes, I remembered. So, what do I need to help you with your stunts?” “See that wood contraption over by the town square?” The mare said as she pointed with her hoof. The human nodded, then asked, “When did you have time to put that together? It doesn’t look safe.” “You don’t need to worry about that,” the Pegasus replied. “All I need you to do is get up on the platform. Then, wait for me to get onto the far end of the seesaw. When I give you the signal, you jump onto the other end. That will catapult me faster into the air, which, in turn, boost my speed for my new stunts, and really impress the Wonderbolts!” Her tone was that of a giggling school filly. “A seesaw launch? Really?” Blaze said as he thought it over. “I don’t think you’ll get the speed you want. The wood will either flex too much, or break from me landing.” The human was thinking of something better she could try. Once he had it, he said, “I know of a faster way to launch you. The coolest thing is, we can do it right here, right now.” “REALLY! WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT? LET’S DO IT!” The mare was flying around the human with excitement. “Calm down, Rainbow Dash. Now then, stand in front of me, about three feet away. Get yourself into your ready stance, as you’re about to take off.” Rainbow did so with eagerness pumping through her veins. She asked, “Now what?” Blaze waved to her and said, “Bye, Rainbow.” The mare looked confused for a bit. Then it went to shock as the human placed his hands together and said, “Earth Style! Rapid Stone Column Jutsu!” A pillar of stone suddenly formed from the ground underneath Rainbow Dash, accelerating her to over a hundred miles an hour before it stopped at a height of twenty feet, and launched her into the air like a living bullet. She continued to fly upwards at that speed and began to do her stunts. Blaze heard her say, “That. Was. AWESOME!” at the top of her lungs. She flew back down and landed in front of the human. While out of breath, she said, “I ... never ... launched ... that fast ... before. WHERE DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT?!” “That was based on a ride from my world. It’s designed to where humans are strapped into seats that are on a machine that launches them up like that. They get to experience freefall in a safe environment.” “DO IT AGAIN!” Rainbow said. She already was back into position. Blaze said, “How about I join you and learn some more moves?” She smiled and nodded. He went over and stood next to the mare. The human braced his legs for the Gs. One jutsu later, the pair were launched into the air. The Gs were intense at launch, but the thrill was worth it. They flew all over Ponyville as Blaze was mirroring Rainbow Dash's moves. Once the adrenaline rush was finished, he said goodbye to the blue Pegasus and stated he needed to get something into his stomach. The human flew toward Sugarcube Corner. He landed and went inside. Behind the counter, there was a yellow, thin, stallion. It was Mr. Cake. With a wave of his hand, Blaze said, "Good morning." The Earth pony looked up from what he was doing to greet the new customer.  His eyes went from happy and calm to full-blown scared. Mr. Cake screamed, “AHH! A MONSTER! GET OUT OF HERE HONEY WHILE I HOLD IT OFF!” After that, he picked up a broom with his mouth. He swung it wildly in atempt to shoo the human away. Blaze just pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked down. He wondered when these ponies will stop being afraid of him. The human released his nose and looked up the stairs. “PINKIE PIE!” he shouted, “Can you please tell them who I am before they call the guards on me?” The pink mare came running down and jumped halfway towards Blaze. He caught her as she hugged him. “Blazy,” she said, “you’re here early! I thought you were going to help Rainbow Dash first?” He replied, “I did. Just got done helping her with her stunts. I came early so I can get something to eat before I help you. Now, would you mind telling them who I am before this gets out of control?” “Silly Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I told you I made a pony friend and was going to help me instead of Applejack.” “That's not a pony, Pinkie! Get away before it hurts you!” Mr. Cake said while still holding the broom in his mouth. “He’s right, deary! Come over here and we’ll go and get the guards!” Mrs. Cake said as she poked her head out of the kitchen. “I am hurt, Mrs. Cake, that you don’t recognize me, even by my voice. Would this help you?” Blaze gently place Pinkie down on her hooves. He put his hands together performed the Shadow Transform Jutsu. Once the smoked cleared, they saw his pony form.  Mrs. Cake said, “Oh! It’s you, Swift Blaze. I didn’t realize you could change your form like that. Dear, put that broom down, he’s a friend of Pinkie I met a few days ago.” Mr. Cake placed the broom back where it came from. He said, “Sorry about that. That form surprised me. I didn’t know what creature you were. Why would you go around looking like that?” Blaze replied, “Um, maybe because that is my real form. I take you both haven’t been to my introduction, party, or Applejack’s Ceremony?” They shook their heads side to side. The human wondered how many more times he will have to explain his species. So, after another explanation, the Cakes nodded in understanding. “I’m so sorry, Blaze, for thinking that human form was a disguise and not the other way around,” said Mrs. Cake. “You said you came to get something to eat, so what can we get ya, deary?” “I think I’ll take two of those blueberry muffins and a tall glass of orange juice, if you have some.” “Coming right up.” Blaze went to a small table and sat on a cushion. The blue mare went into the kitchen as her husband hoofed out the two muffins out of the display onto a plate. He brought it over to the table. Mrs. Cake shortly came with the glass of OJ being held by her tail and placed it on the table without spilling it. Seeing that level of control, the red stallion wanted now to do some training for that in the future. He picked up the glass with his hoof to get a quick drink. “That is some fresh orange juice.” He turned to the mare and asked, “So, how much do I owe you?” “It’s on the house. You’re going to be helping Pinkie Pie while we go and make these deliveries,” Mrs. Cake said. “Then I shall pay with a recipe I know from my world I think you might like.” Pinkie Pie moved quickly into the stallion’s face.“OH, YOU CAN BAKE TOO! Why didn’t you say you can do that?” the mare said with excitement in her voice. Blaze pushed her back before he said, “You didn’t ask. Once I finish with my breakfast, I’ll go and make up of a batch for you to try.” Pinkie hopped away and went behind the counter with clear joy on her face. Mr. and Mrs. Cake left shortly afterward with several boxes on their backs. As the red Earth pony was eating the first muffin, which he thought was delicious, the front door burst open. A pony shouted, “MUFFIN!” Blaze saw a grey blur coming toward him. In quick action, he grabbed the plate and glass with his hooves and flew up to the ceiling. The blur object slid across the table and continued on into the wall. He looked to see what it was that came at him. The object was a grey Pegasus with a blond mane and yellow eyes. The stallion came back down and placed the plate and the glass back on the table. “Are you ok?” he asked. Her eyes were spinning around as she was regaining consciousness. She then looked to him as he held a hoof out to help her up. She grabbed it with hers and got her back on all four. “Sorry about that mister,” she said. “I get carried away when I smell my favourite muffin.” Her stomach started to growl. “Hee hee, kinda skipped breakfast as I was running late to get to work.” “What do you do for work?” “She delivers the mail in Ponyville and is the best!” Pinkie said from behind the counter. “That is an important job, but you should never skip your breakfast. How about you have my other muffin so you can subdue that stomach of yours?” “But that’s yours. I wouldn’t feel right taking your breakfast,” the mare said. “I insist. Plus, I already had one and that filled me up more than expected.” “THANK YOU, MISTER!” The Pegasus went and scarfed it down in one bite. “Enough of the mister, please. My name is Swift Blaze, but you can call me Blaze. All my friends do.” “Ok, Blaze. My name is Ditzy Hooves. Thank you again for the muffin. It was delicious. I’m curious though. Normally when this happens, I collide into a pony with the muffin. How were you able to dodge me?” “My reflexes kicked in and I flew up to the ceiling.” “But you don’t have wings! How was that possible?” One of her eyes started to wander looking off into another direction. The mare shook her head with her eyes closed. When she opened them, they were both looking in the same direction. “Sorry about that,” she said as she lowered her head a bit. “Don’t be ashamed of yourself. To answer your question, I have an energy source inside of me called ki which I can regulate out of me to give me lift,” Blaze said. He started to levitate above the table. “I have never heard an Earth pony getting the ability to fly!” “Technically, I’m not a pony.” “Thank you again for the muffin, but I have to go and finish delivering this mail. I’m having a hard time with this one as there’s no address. It only has of what I can believe to be the description of who it’s suppose to.” “Maybe I can help you with that. What does it say?” The Pegasus pulled the letter out of her saddle bag. She cleared her throat and read, To the new creature in Ponyville that walks on two hooves and is hairless. “Hey! I do have hair, just on my head, compared to ponies.” “But, you look like a pony. You have a fur coat and mane. I don’t think this is for you.” “I was referring to my original form. Please don’t freak out or scream.” Blaze released the jutsu and went back to his human form. “I saw you yesterday at the ceremony! Your tricks were great!” “Why, thank you. Now may I have that letter as it is clearly for me?” Ditzy hoofed him the letter. The human opened it and it read: Greetings Human, Congratulations on becoming a citizen. Princess Celestia has informed me you’re going to participate in the Royal Guard basic training in your pony form. I’ve been approved to handle the actual training session. I look forward to seeing what you are capable of. Just a reminder, you’re not to be using your abilities to give you an advantage in your training. Failure in this will result in punishment. See you next month. Captain Shining Armor. (Gulp) “Ok, I think he has it in for me for evading his guards,” Blaze said. He was now thinking it’s going to be college hazing and boot camp, all rolled into one. “Oh you are just overreacting, silly,” said Pinkie Pie. “Now, let's get started on those treats you said you were going to make from your world.” She dragged the human into the kitchen. Ditzy waved goodbye and flew back out the door. In the kitchen, Blaze saw every equipment that a typical baker would have. They also had a couple of fridges and a walk-in freezer. He went through what they had to determine as he worked on what he’s going to make. Once the human founded what he needed, he said, “Ah, I think I’ll make that treat.” “What are you going to make, Blaze?” “I’m going to leave that as a mystery. I think I hear customers coming in. How about you take care of them and I’ll handle anything in the kitchen that needs to get done.” Pinkie headed back to the counter to attend to the customers. The human went straight to work gathering the ingredients for the treat he planned to make. Throughout the morning, Pinkie called out orders to come from the kitchen. Blaze wasn’t prepared for the volume of orders. So, to help out, he created a human and a pony clone. The human clone would do the work as he wasn’t adapted to delicate things with his pony form. The only purpose for his ponified self was to bring the orders out. Blaze didn’t want to scare any more ponies, nor explain who he was. Once the brunch crowd was done, he had finished the first batch of the new treat. The human said out the kitchen door, “Pinkie, you ready to have your taste buds explode?” “I’ll be the judge to see if they’re as good as you think they are.” Pinkie said as she walked in. Blaze picked up a cookie and handed it to her, which she licked off his hand. The mare’s eyes went as big as they could get. Inside them, you could see like fireworks were going off. She smiled with the biggest one the pony could do. The human said, “If I’m reading your face correctly, I would say you like it.” The pink Earth pony regained her composer and replied, “Blaze, I don’t like them . . . I LOVE THEM!” Pinkie then blitz charged him into a great bear hug, She squeezed the human as tight as she could. As the mare did this, she asked, “What are these devilish creations you made?” Gasping for air, Blaze said, “Devil’s Chocolate Drops. Can you let go of me so I can breathe?” Pinkie quickly released and he took in a deep breath. “Sorry about that. I just couldn’t control myself, they were so delicious. I’m sure they’ll be a hit. If you don’t mind, with Mr. and Mrs. Cake approval, I think we should sell these as a weekly special.” “Not a problem, Pinkie. I don’t mind sharing the recipe. I’m just glad they turned out good from what I remember.” “Well you better write it down before you forget it. You have been filling your head up with lots of stuff.” “I’ll do that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should get going to my land. It’s almost time to build my new home in Equestria.” “I’ll join you shortly once Mr. and Mrs. Cake get back. Have fun!” Blaze left the kitchen and went out the front door. Outside, he turned back around and did a wood jutsu that made the broken door fix itself and reattach to the frame. Satisfied with the work, the human continued his trek to the patch of land he owned. Walking through town, the human saw ponies were starting to wave to him as he went by. Blaze waved back to those that did. As he approached his destination, he saw other ponies were already there, waiting for him. Scattered about, he saw Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Mayor Mare, Lyra Heartstrings, and other ponies whose names he hadn't learned yet. Twilight saw the human first and said, “There you are, Swift Blaze! We were wondering if this was another prank you were pulling. I don’t see how you can build a house in a day.” He replied, “Come on Twilight, I would never joke about something like this. Seeing how I asked Mayor Mare to get some ponies with electrical and plumbing skills. I’ll be providing the foundation and the wood for this.” “I still don’t see how when there is no material here for you to use.” “I’ll explain later of how.” Blaze turned his attention to another pony. “Now then, Mayor Mare, did you get those ponies I asked for?” She replied, “They’re right here.” She pointed to two ponies that were several feet away. “I have the same opinion with Twilight Sparkle. Just how are you going to make a house appear out of nothing?” the Earth pony asked. “All will be revealed in time. With this deal, I’ll also make the trenches for the plumbing  and electrical to connect to the main lines.” “Don’t keep everypony in suspense for too long.” Suddenly, there was a bright flash behind the human. Blaze turned around and saw both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were there. All the ponies bowed to them and he did the same. He straightened back up and said, “Good afternoon, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I take it you’re here to see my latest jutsu style?” “We are, Swift Blaze,” said Princess Celestia. “We also brought Captain Shining Armor. He requested to see first hoof the human’s abilities that helped him successfully evaded the Royal Guard.” The human cleared his throat after he heard that. The white stallion came out from behind the Princesses. He wasn’t wearing his armor. The Unicorn had a smile that expressed enjoyment in causing pain to new recruits. “Hello, Captain Armor,” Blaze said as he did his best to supress his fear. “I got your letter this morning. Let me say that it will be an honour to be trained by you when I attend the basic training next month.” Before he could respond a voice shouted from behind the human, “ Big Bro! You Came!” Blaze turned his head and saw Twilight ran to her brother and gave him a big hug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to come?” she asked. “Sorry Twily, it was a last minute decision. I only had a brief intro with this, Swift Blaze. So, I decided to see this magic skill he’s going to pull off.” Shining Armor said. “Um, not to be rude, but I have no magic control,” Blaze corrected. “What I use are energy sources called chakra and ki. Once Pinkie Pie gets here, I’ll begin with the latest I’ve learned.” “I’m right here!” Pinkie shouted. The human turned his head towards the voice and spotted her standing next to Rainbow. “Ok then, if you would excuse me Princesses, I shall begin with the new style of jutsu.” He walked to the top of the hill and turned to address the crowd. “Thank you all for coming. I know some of you are still trying to figure out where I’m going get the material to build my house with. Well, the wait is over. I’ll begin the construction. If you would all please wait at the bottom of the hill and hold your comments and questions till after. This is going to require a great deal of concentration to pull off.” They all complied and made their way to the bottom. The Pegasus and the Princesses instead flew up above for a bird's eye view. Blaze focused the chakra for the first jutsu. His hands did various signs before he said, “Earth Style! Earth Elevator Jutsu!” The ground around him flatten out and lowered itself into the ground. Once done, he was in a rectangular pit that was 12 feet deep. The next one the human called out was, “Earth Style! Stone Floor Jutsu!” This caused the dirt around to shift to a dense stone, black in color with a few other colors in tiny amounts. Once the floor had changed, Blaze shifted his hands and said,, “Earth Style! Stone Wall Jutsu!” At the edges of the stone floor, walls sprouted up of the same material. They rose up just higher than the ground around. When the last wall leveled out with the others, the human flew out of the newly created stone pit. He landed just on the other side of the foundation for his house’s. Blaze looked over his before he turned around to the crowd. He saw happy expressions as some clapped their hooves together. “In case you all are wondering, this isn’t the new technique. I can’t build a house without a good foundation. Now onto the new technique. Please, remain silent as this is going to be difficult." The human turned back around. He crouched closer to the stone and started to gather all the chakra he could get for this final jutsu. He focused on the design in his head of where everything needs to be. Once ready, he place his hand in a different sign and shouted, “Wood Style! House Structure Jutsu!” Wooden beams emerged out of the stone foundation. They were popping up everywhere. Each one stretched and connected to one another. Soon, the first floor and outer wall structures started to take their shape. Then, the framing of the inside walls sprouted from the floor and nearby walls. Once the first floor was set, Blaze focused to create the staircase to the second floor and repeated the process. Finally, he had a wood shingle roof take shape above the second floor. Once the last shingle grew into place, the human release the position of his hands had been in for the past fifteen minutes. He collapsed forward to the ground and landed on his hands and knees. “Blaze!” he heard several ponies shouted behind him as they came running up. He waved his right arm around sluggishly as he replied, “I’m alright. Just a little exhausted from the jutsu.” The human twisted his body around to take a seat on the ground. “Mayor Mare,” he said while breathing a little heavy. “Can you have those ponies get to work on wiring and getting water to my house? I’ll be in a bit to show where the kitchen sink will be. Also what I’ll need for the bathrooms.” She nodded. The mare pointed her hoof to several ponies with hard hats. Then, towards the house. The group understood and headed inside. “That was amazing, Blaze!” said Twilight. “Who knew you could make such an impressive building, plus all the details in the necessary support structures.” Rainbow Dash said, “You read a book about building a house, didn’t?” “I did last night,” the purple Unicorn replied. The blue Pegaus quietly said, “Egghead.” Blaze said, “Well, just don’t ask for an encore performance right now. I feel I’m totally out of chakra.” “So,” said Shining Armor. “You do have a limit of what you can do.” The human turned his head to look at the stallion. He replied, “At this time, I’ve reached it. But, this was a very complicated jutsu as I was creating an entire house. With more training, I should be able to increase my reserve. As to the jutsu’s themselves, I still have lots I could learn. I’m just glad I was able to finish the structure before my chakra ran out.” “Do rest, Swift Blaze,” said Princess Celestia. “You’ve managed to surprise my sister and me with what you’re capable of, again. We must now return to Canterlot as we still have a schedule to keep.” The ponies bowed to them while human lowered his head. Then, as quickly they appeared, they left the same way. “That was truly impressive how you can manipulate elements and grow wood right out of the ground,” said Rarity. “I was more intrigued with the stone you had come out of the ground. I’ve never seen stone so cleanly cut and beautiful. What kind of stone is it darling?” Blaze replied, “I’m no rock expert, but if I had to guess, I think it’s granite. I wanted something heavy and dense to support the house.” “Are you able to grow precious stones from the ground too?” She asked. Spike started to drool thinking that I could get him gems whenever he wants them. “Probably not grow them. I think that would require knowing the element structure of them. With training, I could possibly be able to find them and manipulate the gem’s themselves.” “Anyways,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “THAT WAS AWESOME! You keep on getting cooler with each jutsu. Soon, you might even be as cool as me. Do you think you can do that launch again that you did this morning? I want to show our friends my new stunts.” “Sorry, but I’m out of chakra at the moment. Maybe tomorrow we can show them.” Rainbow was a little sad she could not show it off, but understood. “Oh goodie! I can now throw you a housewarming party! I need balloons, ribbons, streamers, food, drinks, . . .” Pinkie continue on rambling. “Pinkie. Let’s wait till the house is finished and furnished,” said Blaze. “That should be sometime tomorrow.” “Okie Dokie Lokie!” “I can help ya with the furniture stuff tomorrow if you want, Blaze.” Applejack said. “What about the apple harvest?” he asked. “Like you taught me, we need to not overwork ourselves. Plus, tomorrow is the day of the week we take off. Well, I better get back to the Greenies and see how they’re doing. I’ll see ya tomorrow Blaze.” Applejack then headed back to her farm and we all waved to her as she left. “Um, excuse me, Swift Blaze,” said Mayor Mare. “I overheard you say you were out of the energy source that you used to do this. How are you going to make the trenches?” “I said I was out of chakra, but I still have my ki energy that I can use to make the trenches.” “Didn’t you say that energy is destructive and only used in attacks against enemies?” Twilight said. “That’s true, but as you can see, I’ve used it to gain flight,” the human said. “I’ll control the energy like a laser beam and cut the trench. I take it they’re ready for me give them their trench, Mayor?” “You’re correct. Do you need help getting up?” “I’ll just float on over. I don’t want to look like a fool and fall on my butt if I tried to get to my feet.” Blaze rose off the ground to a floating, upright style, position. He followed the Earth pony to two other ponies that were standing by the road. One was a red stallion with a short, black curly, mane and a straight black tail. His cutie mark was a monkey wrench. The other was a bright yellow mare with white zig zag mane and tail. Her cutie mark was two lightning bolts in opposite directions. “Allow me to introduce you Sparky, the electrician, and Mario, the plumber,” Mayor Mare said. Upon hearing the names, the human thought, Really? Mario? Does he have a brother named Luigi? He extended his arm and said, “Hi there. Nice to meet you. As the mayor had informed you, I’ll take care of making the trenches for you. Just need to know a few things, where to start, where to end, and how deep I need to go.” Sparky replied, “Sure thing.” “The main lines are bellow us, about five feet feet deep. And just need to go to a corner of your house.” Mario said in an Italian accent. “No problem. We’ll just need to clear the area so no ponies will get hurt.” Blaze said. “Why’s that?” Mayor Mare asked. “Because I’m going use a small explosion to clear the dirt away.” Upon hearing that, They ran to get the other ponies clear of the area. Once they were a good distance, the human shouted, “Fire in the hole!” He did this three times, each one in a different directions. Blaze gathered a tiny bit of ki into his hand. He pointed the palm to the ground and fired energy balls. It created a ‘v’ shape trench up to the house. He shouted, “All clear! You can all come out of hiding.” The ponies that stayed poked their heads from behind the trees and rocks at the edge of the nearby forest. They saw the dust cloud of dirt had almost dissipated. The human was covered in tiny bits of earth and grass. Sparky and Mario came up and was impressed at his handiwork. “You weren’t joking when you said you were going to make the trench by explosions,” said Sparky. “Thanks for the warning.” Mario added, “Now then, all that’s left is to get a couple of holes in that stone. After that, point us to us where the bathrooms and kitchen area.” “Sure thing,” Blaze replied. “What size holes do you need?” “I need a six inch for the drain and a one inch for the water main.” Mario said. “I need a one-and-a-half inch for my power,” said Sparky. “The problem is I need it several feet away from his point of entry into your house. Water and electricity don’t like each other.” The human nodded and went into the new trench. He focused his ki into a finger tip and made a long energy beam and went to work cutting the holes. Once done, Blaze went inside and explained the layout as to where he was planning to place everything. The contractor ponies thanked him for saving them lots of work and would send him a bill once they were done. He stepped outside and saw his close friends had stayed around. They were all together, chatting away. Blaze headed over to join them. Rarity saw him approach and shouted, “Oh My! You are covered in all that dirt. You must come with me and Fluttershy to the spa and get cleaned up.” “It’s alright, Rarity,” he replied.” I’ll just take a dip in that pond over there to get cleaned up.” “I insist. You’ve worked hard these past several days. A nice afternoon at the spa will do wonders for you.” “I really don’t need it. A quick dip and some sleep will do for me.” “You’ll thank me after you have it.” Her horn glowed and an aura surrounded the human. He was being pulled to her as she and Fluttershy made their way back to town. Blaze thought, Guess I don’t have a choice.