CH24: An Unexpected Letter (Revised)
Special Thanks:
Editors: DaMobbs
*****
Bucking Trees, Apples That Fall
A Hard Day’s Worth of Work, But That’s Not All
A Letter From a Peculiar Mare
And a Completely Forgotten Night of Flare?
*****
Chapter 24: An Unexpected Letter
It didn’t take them very long to reach Sweet Apple Acres, seeing as it was so close to Ponyville. As they passed through the front gate, they set off towards the apple orchard on the other side of the farm.
“So tell me Naruto, how strong are your hind legs; strong enough to buck some apples?” Applejack asked. Naruto shrugged in response.
“Well, I consider myself strong, but knocking apples off of trees? I don’t know. Only way to find out is to give it a shot I guess.”
“I guess we should. But from what I’ve seen, you’re definitely strong! You took on that der’ Ursa like it was nothing.”
“Y-yeah… shame I couldn’t take it down though.”
“Ah shoot, don’t worry your head over it. I’m just glad it didn’t destroy the town.” Applejack then gave a small frown. “Although I wish that boaster didn’t influence Snips and Snails to do what they did… That there Trixie gal didn’t know what she was doing…”
“Cut her some slack Applejack. To be honest, she did have some magical talent and overall, I was impressed… until she got in over her head with her boasting. She just indirectly—and accidentally—set the ball rolling. So it’s kind of half her fault.”
“Hmm… You’re probably right, but that don’t mean ah’m gonna go and forgive her just like that,” Applejack retorted.
“You got a point, I guess…”, conceded Naruto.
As they made small talk, Applejack picked up some small baskets strewn out at the entrance to the orchard proper and motioned for Naruto to pick some up as well. She showed him the ropes on what it meant to Applebuck: Placing baskets around the tree trunk, giving the trees a hard back kick, and watching the cascade of apples fall into one of the many baskets. She mentioned that most of the time, they all didn’t land in the basket but once you had gotten the hang of it, those were few and far between.
She gave a demonstration as she trotted up to the next tree in the row, swiveled on her front legs and planted a solid buck dead center on the trunk. Naruto watched as all the apples dropped from the tree at once and landed inside each basket, not one having missed their intended target. Naruto went wide-eyed in shock. Not a single apple was left on the tree anymore.
Applejack smiled, knowing that Naruto was dumbstruck. Happened to every pony she’d shown it too without fail. She waved a hoof at the next tree.
“Your turn. Give it all you’ve got Naruto!”
After taking a second to recompose himself, he walked towards the tree, its’ branches weighed down by the sheer amount of apples, and placed his baskets around the trunk like Applejack had done. He looked at the tree curiously, wondering how many he’d knock off on his first try.
“It can’t be that hard if Applejack can do it… but she does this for a living... Here goes nothing!”
His curiosity having peaked, he turned around and delivered the hardest buck he could have possibly mustered. There was a resounding thump as hoof hit bark, shaking off only a few of the apples at first. Moments later, a small cascade of apples fell from the tree and into the awaiting baskets on the ground. He looked up to find that only half the apples had fallen off the tree. He sighed in disappointment.
“Well, ah’ll say,” came a surprised Applejack, ”That’s not a bad first buck, if I do say so myself. Try relaxing your legs ‘fore you hit and then tensing ‘em up.”
He nodded at Applejack and bucked the Apple tree once more, taking her advice into account. This time, all of the apples fell off the tree instantly and landed square in the basket. Applejack grinned happily and applauded the blonde maned pony.
“Two kicks and already you’ve got one tree down… Not too shabby for a first timer.” Applejack said thoughtfully.
“Thanks… So we have to buck all these trees then? ”Naruto said, looking at rolling hills filled with apple trees. “That’s a lot of work.”
“Ah, you get used to it after a while. It’s easier if you’ve done it all your life; like me and my brother have.”
“Wow… All your life huh…” He said curiously. He wondered if he could buck all those apples in just one day. Well, he did need to get back in shape and he’d make money on the side to boot. “So we have to buck them all in one day?”
“Hah, ah wish partner. It would give us more time to do other things. We just buck all we can until we get tired and then we move on to the other chores like milking the cows, tilling the farmland for plantin’… There’s a lot to do ‘round ‘ere. Today however, we just got apple bucking.”
Naruto firmly nodded. It made sense to him, especially since he was pretty sure he couldn’t buck them all even if he wanted too. Not only would it take too long, he’d probably fall over midway from fatigue. Applejack nodded her head forward, signaling him to follow her.
“C’mon Naruto, these trees ain’t gonna buck themselves!”
*****
It was rather sweaty work and Naruto started to wish he didn’t bring his jacket with him. The sun was now high in the sky, bearing down on him with its full force making it feel like he was in an oven. He wiped the sweat out from under his headband as he continued to apple buck the trees.
“It feels like it’s been hours since I started…” He thought to himself. His legs were beginning to grow tired, but he pushed on, knowing that this was great exercise. He could feel his muscles screaming, begging him to stop, but he kept on, willing to get this job done and over with.
He looked over at Applejack on the next row and could tell she hadn’t even broken a sweat yet. Either that or she was damn good at hiding it.
“She doesn’t even LOOK tired... that’s one strong mare…” He couldn’t help but be fascinated at her determination with work. With a renewed vigor to prove that he could do the same, he continued on, matching Applejack’s pace as they worked down their respective rows.
As the hours passed, the sun began its descent down the western sky. Applejack had fetched a cart to load up all their baskets filled to the brim with apples. Naruto fell on his behind as he wiped the sweat off his face for the umpteenth time today.
“Whew… I’m glad that’s over… My legs are screaming…How many trees did we buck anyway?”, he panted.
“Quite a lot Naruto. Ah could tell you were getting better and better as we went along. Ah even saw ya buck a tree of its’ apples in one go too! Job well done Naruto.”
“Glad to hear it… so what now?”
“Now? Now we get these here apples over to the barn, store ‘em and we can call it a day.”
“We… we have to pull this cart?”, he replied meekly, gesturing at the overladen cart.
“Eeyup. Think you’re up for it, partner?”
He looked at the wooden cart overflowing with apples. It was a simple cart, built completely out of wood and held together by steel supports. It had definitely seen better days, the wood starting to split apart from age and rust covering most of the metal supports. Here and there, pieces of the wooden planks had broken off, allowing a peak into the interior that was filled with the red fruit of their labor.
He looked at Applejack and gave a small nod.
“You bet!”
Naruto walked up to the front where the reigns were. Applejack began fastening the belts around Naruto’s midsection before fastening them on her as well. When they were hooked up, Applejack began to pull and Naruto mirrored her actions, the cart lurching forward at a snail’s pace. Within moments, they had managed to get the cart up to a slow trot. He was happy that Applejack was there to help him, otherwise he would have a difficult time.
Minutes passed as they tugged the cart along, neither talking as they focused on pulling the cart over the dirt. They arrived a grueling five minutes later at the closed door to the barn. Applejack unhitched herself to open the door and Naruto struggled to pull the cart inside by himself. After stopping inside the barn, he collapsed to the ground exhausted, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He looked at his own fur, and could see it was all damp and covered in dirt from the day’s hard work. Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle at the state of Naruto
“Tired ah take it?”
“Very much… so… That was hard... work. It’s been a while... since I’ve done... any pulling like that.”, he managed to say between pants.
“Not much pulling where you come from?”
“No, it’s not that… I just can’t recall the last time... I pulled something so darn heavy…”
“Well, if you’re ever lookin’ for work, ah’ll gladly set ya up with somethin’. In fact…” Applejack walked out of the barn with Naruto en-tow.
“We’ve been looking for part-timers for a good while now,” she said as they made their way towards the farmhouse, ”Nopony’s been free here to help us out since my little… um, well, let’s just say I had problems back then. Ah’d be mighty appreciated if you’d help us out again Naruto, if you have time…”
“Well… that’s quite an offer Applejack, and I’d love to help out, but I’m not sure what my schedule is like right now.” He looked out towards the field. “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now: I need to fix up my house and then there’s -” He cut himself off, stopping himself from continuing that list. He almost let slip his current predicament. Not to mention his purpose being here in Equestria.
His purpose… He didn’t exactly have a purpose here in Equestria, besides working on the house and helping out the other ponies. So what exactly was he pursuing? What was his goal for the future?
“Naruto?”
Naruto snapped back to reality and looked at Applejack. “Er, yes Applejack?”
“You feelin’ alright? Your eyes looked kinda distant.”, she curiously asked.
“I’m… well, I just have a lot on my mind right now, that’s all.”, Naruto rattled off quickly.
“Mind if I ask what it is? Maybe ah can help?”
“I… no, I’m sure I can figure it out myself…”
“Well, alright partner… But if you ever need anything, ya just holler alright?”, she responded sincerely.
“Yeah…”
“What are you gonna do now though?”
“Probably head home, I need to take care of some things over there.”
“Alrighty then… oh, right, hold on.”
Applejack rushed into her house and popped back out moments later, a bag of clinking metal in hoof. “Here’s your pay Naruto. Be sure to come back now, ya hear?”
“Yeah, I hear…”, he responded, taking his pay and making his way off the farm.
*****
It was already night time by the time Naruto reached his house. He gave a small sigh as he passed his tattered mailbox, only to notice that there was different about it from this morning. Taking a closer look, he noticed a white envelope lying there. Careful to avoid the sharp metal edges, he took it out. He flipped it around in his hooves to find that it had his full name written in fancy letters on the front. He raised a brow, confused.
“Why would anyone send me mail? Very few ponies know where I live…”, he mumbled to himself.
He was about to walk into his own house when he found something rather large blocking his advance. It was his brand new couch... which he had forgotten all about. His right eye twitched in annoyance, remembering why it was there in the first place.
“Right… the delivery order…” He hadn’t been at the house the entire day due to working with Applejack, so he assumed the delivery ponies just left it outside as he wasn’t there to let them in. With a heavy sigh, he conjured up a shadow clone and together they carried the couch inside. It wasn’t heavy by any means, but it was definitely a two pony job.
Tilting the couch to get it through the narrow door, they placed it in the living room across from the door for the time being. He figured that once he actually had other furniture, he could rearrange them then. It landed with a big *THUNK* as they dropped it to the floor. Both Naruto’s went over to the front and sat down, the clone dispelling in a small puff of white smoke.
“I’d like to know why I have to keep working after I just got DONE working!” He said out loud. He looked down at the letter.
“Right, I need to read it, let’s see…” Upon closer inspection of the letter, he read that it was from Octavia Clopper. He furrowed a brow. “Now what does she want?”
Opening the letter, a piece of parchment comes sticking out, which he unfolds and reads:
*****
Dear Naruto,
How are you doing? I haven’t heard from you since we left you at your new house. I admit I was rather... skeptical when father suggested we give you our old house, but after consideration, I suppose it is for the best. After all, you did save my life, so I can’t say that you don’t deserve it.
I must apologize for getting angry with you during the party. It was rather unbecoming of me, but when you didn’t even remember who I was, I lost my composure. So therefore, I apologize.
I would also like to come by sometime to offer you a job. A friend of mine named Vinyl is seeking some physical help, or in other words, a bodyguard. I was wondering if Vinyl and I could come over to your house and discuss more details eye to eye. We are available this weekend if you wish. Please reply back as soon as possible as time is of the essence.
Best Regards,
Octavia Clopper.
*****
“A bodyguard huh… That might be interesting… might be a nice change of pace…”
He looked at the letter’s date, and it read Wednesday. He didn’t have a calendar or anything to show what day it was… or as a matter of fact…
“What IS the date anyway? I don’t even know what month it is! I guess I can find out tomorrow and buy a calendar. Just ANOTHER essential thing to add to my list of ‘Last Minute Things to Buy’, bah.”
He placed the letter on the couch and sighed. He was exhausted after his impromptu work, and combined that with fatigue from the past couple days, he could have gone and fallen asleep standing and be none the wiser.However, he preferred not being uncomfortable as he slept, so he lazily went towards his bedroom doorway. Before he crossed the threshold, he turned to look back at the letter once more.
“…Maybe it would be interesting. Bodyguard work… I hope it pays well…”
*****
Naruto involuntarily winced as the sunlight hit his face. The warm light of Celestia’s sun made him groan as he tried to pull the covers over his face, trying to go back to the tender embrace of sleep. However, something seemed rather odd when he did.
The smell of sugar, cupcakes, and cherry licorice hit his nose. He found this smell relaxing but bizarre: why did he smell like that? He laid a hoof on the other side of the bed, but instead of feeling the mattress, he felt a soft lump.
He still had his eyes closed, but his hoof patted the soft unknown object down further and further, until there was nothing but mattress.
Not wanting to be in the dark anymore, he opened his eyes and sprang from the bed, landing on his hooves to face the mystery intruder. A flash of pink enveloped his face as he saw none other than Pinkie Pie, in his bed, asleep!
“What the hell…?”
Pinkie stirred in his bed, cracking open her eyes sleepily. Her hair was still poofy but in tangles as she yawned. She noticed Naruto standing there and smiled at him.
It was a seductive smile. Her eyes were lidded, as if she was staring at him with lust in her eyes. Pinkie gave a small giggle as she placed a hoof under his chin.
“Hey there handsome... sleep well?”
*****
“What a beautiful day…” said the purple librarian. Twilight Sparkle opened up her bedroom window to watch Celestia’s sun rise through the blue sky on the horizon. The wind blew through the trees, the leaves rustling as it passed, and bird’s songs travelled through the town, aided by the wind. However, one thing came up in her mind.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Naruto yesterday or this morning. I mean, I’m sure he’s busy and all, but I wonder if he needs any help with that house of his?”
Naruto… every single day since the whole spiel with the Manticore, he kept creeping into her thoughts. What was making her think of him so much? Was it the constant danger he kept putting himself into? Or was it something else?
Twilight sighed as she leaned out the window.
“I swear, that pony is going to give me a heart attack If he keeps biting off more than he can chew…”
That’s when she heard an in-pony scream, sending her flying back from the window and onto her bed. She covered her sensitive ears to drown out the repulsive sound. Eventually, though, it did die down. She had heard a scream like that before… and it came to her instantly.
“That was Naruto! What did he get himself into this time!?”
*****
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...BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
Ah, leave it to Pinkie to cause an awkward situation first thing in the morning.
that last section... was the most epic cliffhanger eva
....I'm tempted to ask how she got in his house.....but I know nothing good would come of me knowing.....I better just leave it at Pinkie being Pinkie.
I expected naruto to use clone to help him with the farmwork
230510 Well, you remember how much of a prankster he could be in the "Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy"...
wait WHAAAAT.
MORE CHAPTERS.
Is it already Friday again. That must have been the quickest week... of all time... ever.
"EN: Apologies in advance for any grammatical mistakes or errors. Happens with rushed edits." Well that is why I am here. I will report it later.
And this was a great chapter. I hope next week goes just as quick. It felt like only a day had passed.
Pinkie Pie knows nothing about personal space.
Naruto really is troll bait
Wow that's one way to wake yourself up. Will this turn into a love triangle with Pinkie/Naruto/Twilight?
Why do I get the feeling Pinkie wants Naruto in bed with her? Either that, or she's trolling as usual.
913425 same here
913425
It'll probably happen later down the line. Dragon explained his reasoning behind this and, in lieu of spoilers, I can't really go and delve into further detail.
The last part of the chapter made me none stop laughing for 5 minutes straight.
I personally don't get why one would scream to that someone saying that to you after waking up. Unless Pinkie was screaming because Naruto went in on that. Maybe you would panic a little depending on your relationship status and on who says it, but not scream. Maybe even laugh after a short moment of confusion. But that's just me.
This was...to say the least, an interesting chapter.
913563
Meh, it's humor. Sometimes it doesn't reach everyone. *shrugs*
913563
913613 I also would consider it insulting if I were Pinkie Pie. Luckily Pinkie can be oblivious enough to not take it as "He is so grossed out/scared of the idea of having slept with me that he screams" but more as "I scared him in the "surprise" kind of way".
But yeah, that kind of humor is not for me, but apart from that nice chapter.
913619 Yeah, not my kind of humor.
i wanna say that you have touched my heart but that would be lame, sooooo..... fav, thumb, track, ''drinking tee like a BOSS''
913613
the relation between AJ and naruto should be a bit like suske, like AJ beening stronger and all and naruto beening stubbron, like wise AJ beening stubbron... heck she makes some good competition
OMG WHY THE HELL DID YOU STOP NOW? I HOPE FOR YOUR SAFETY THAT YOU ARE ALREADY WRITING A NEW CHAPTER!
chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-untitled1.jpg
man when he gets the multi-shadowclone back he ain't gonna do nuttin.
Oh my god that's so funny
I love this chapter!!
1. i'm asking you, please change octavia's name ;_;
2. My head canon for Octavia is, Octavia Diminuendo Minore, please use it, if you don't mind,
3. Pinkie pie. That was beautiful
Oh, Naruto...
Why do I feel like Pinkie is really just a shadow clone in disguise as a joke to Naruto.
I wonder how Octavia grew up with a name Octavia Masturbater?
913855 So what you're saying is that AJ has killed her parents and is going to hook up with some snake guy (Discord?) and then try to kill Naruto?
914806
...yes definitley
914937 *sniff sniff* Smell that? That, my boy, is the stench of a troll fic being written.
Cliffhanger? FFFFFUUUUUUUUU-! Well, at least we got the double update!
914779
Writers block is common to everybody/everypony but hey love your work!
Oh, it's easy enough to punch Writer's Block in the face. Turn it into a Pony and have Naruto punch him.
Pinkie's pulling a prank, ain't she?
915274
What can I say, they're my favorite video game characters
To all other readers, I would like to thank you for making this story popular enough for me to see it in the feature box! And Author, pretty good fic you've got! Can't wait to see moar!
915076
I was meant to update it every weekend day until it got caught up so I could do regular updates to it. But then I get lazy and forget one day and it just goes outta proportion... >_>
914967
...you dont say!>.>
im rater fond of the smell tough...
thats just stinking thinking...
Pinkie Pie's ability to be innocent then turn on a dime and be sexual is disturbing and hilarious a the same time.
I hate hangovers
bowchicawowow
So, what happened to the trademark Uzumaki's freakish stamina? Is it because he changed bodies? 'coz I'm damn sure he could outlast Applejack normally.
That's strike two.
lol pinkie bomb in the morning!!
I usually hate cliffhangers but this...
/i]
BEST F*CKING CLIFFHANGER EVER[
917905
That was my reference, but I don't think DaMobbs knew about it, so it got botched from my original idea.
It's Mobb's reference ya gotta look out for.
waht the hell did they do for her to act like that with him. Ya know what. I don't think anyone would like the answer. especialy Naruto and Twilight.
Ah yes the writes block...
I've dealt with him before...
>.>
And the ending lol~!
When I think of Naruto and getting all the girls into some flirty position sometime within all 24 chapters so far all I do think is, "I'm bringing sexy back Yeah!" Haha, though there is two things I see best. Twilight Sparkle, Octavia, and Vinyl are the one's I can see getting with him, like a boss.
919389 HOW ABOUT YOUTUBE?!
All the episodes are on there legally!
I'm not really into the show too much, but their are some pretty good bits 'round thar.