Shadow of the Leaves

Chapters

Chapter One: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Apple Thief
Chapter Two: Rainbow Dashed and a Side of Sleep Deprivation
Chapter Three: The Best Laid Plans of Clones and Man

Chapter One: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Apple Thief

Disclaimer: Oh god, why?! Why do we put these things in here?! I think we all know by now that fanfiction authors do not own the rights to any material they write...

Chapter One: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Apple Thief

Author: RandomEncounter
Editor: Meliron

A dull thud followed by a number of objects falling resounded around the apple orchard. This combination of sounds was repeated again and again, day after day, during harvest season at Sweet Apple Acres. It was a routine that Applejack enjoyed. Watching the apples fall from the tree after each buck gave her satisfaction each and every time.

Hefting two baskets of fallen apples, the orange earth pony began to make her way to the awaiting cart. Only a few more trees and she'd be done with this portion of the orchard. She paused when she faintly heard a voice calling her name. Looking around for the source of the voice, she quickly spotted the familiar coat of her sister Apple Bloom running towards her.

"Applejack!" cried out the little filly as she ran up to her older sibling. "Applejack! The east fields, there's-"

"Whoa now, slow down there, sugarcube!" said the older pony, motioning for the younger pony to calm down. "Wha' in tarnation are ya goin' on 'bout?"

"Th... there's this creature out there eating our apples!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "It's out in the east fields near the fence!"

The mention of an apple-thieving animal piqued Applejack’s attention. "A critter, ya say?" she questioned slowly. "What's it look like?"

"I dunno...it...it was wearing a black cloak so I didn't see it that well," replied her little sister. "But it was tall, and scary looking! It even looked at me an' said 'boo!' Ah've never seen anything like it before!"

"Alright, sugarcube. Go find Big Mac in the barn and tell him to meet me over there. Then find Granny Smith and stay in the house with her until we get back," instructed the orange mare as she set her baskets of apples down.

Apple Bloom looked at her sister and protested, "But ah wanna go with you two!"

"No buts," replied Applejack in a stern, no-nonsense manner, "now get goin' an' find your big brother!"

The little filly looked at her older sibling for a moment before nodding her head in disappointment and taking off in the direction of the barn. Applejack watched her sister go for a moment, making sure she wasn't going to do the exact opposite of what she was told; she did have a nasty habit of doing that, after all. Finally confident that Apple Bloom listened to her instructions, she grabbed her lasso off the cart and took off toward the east fields.

Applejack followed the fence line, looking everywhere for this cloaked apple thief critter. She looked around in every direction, trying to spot the obvious speck of black that should stand out in the orchard on a bright day. After a few minutes of searching, she began to think that the thing had run off after Apple Bloom left; it probably knew more ponies would be coming back.

She began to turn back in the direction of the farmhouse when a tingling sensation crawled up her spine; it felt as if something was watching her nearby. Turning back around, she scanned the field of trees, once again not seeing anything. Yet, the sensation did not go away. She eventually decided to look up into the trees near her... and found the thing sitting on a branch not twenty yards from where she was standing.

Just like Apple Bloom said, it wore a black cloak that covered its entire body. Applejack tried to get a look at its face, but instead found the eerie visage of a fox-like mask staring back at her. She managed to catch a glimpse of a blonde mane before the thing pulled the hood of its cloak over its head.

To be honest, the way it was dressed intimidated the earth pony, but she swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. This thing was trespassing, eating her apples, and scaring her sister...it had to be dealt with.

"So ya'll the apple thief that's been scarin' mah kin?" Applejack cried out accusingly, with barely a hint of nervousness in her voice. "What do ya think ya'll doin' eatin' those apples?"

The creature leered down at her, its intimidating look offset by the fact it cocked its head to her question in apparent confusion. Apple Bloom said it had spoken a single word to her. That meant it could probably understand her, right?

She hesitantly waited a few moments for a reply. The critter only continued to look back at her. Seeing that no reply seemed forthcoming, she sighed in irritation. "Alright, we'll jus' have ta do this the hard way then, ah reckon."

The earth pony readied her lasso in her teeth, intent on subduing the oddity in the tree. She threw the lasso at it, watching with bated breath as it flew towards the target. At the last moment, however, the thing dropped off the branch, catching onto the thick limb with its forelegs, before swinging itself forward into the air. It landed on the ground a few yards in front of her on its hind legs. She once again tried to set aside the intimidation she felt, especially now that she saw the creature stood almost twice her height.

"Slippery feller, ain'tcha?" she commented as she pulled the lasso back and readied for another attempt. She threw the lasso again, but this time the creature did nothing. Instead, it simply stood there as the rope fell around its torso. Applejack pulled tightly and bound its forelegs to its upper body in the process. She looked at the critter with smug satisfaction. "Well now, ah've got ya this time-"

She was cut off as the body in front of her disappeared with a pop and a poof of smoke.

"Wha' in tarnation wa-" was all she managed to say before she felt something grab her left hind leg. She looked back to see what looked like a claw extending out of the ground grasping her hoof. Before she could even process the situation any further, felt a sharp tug and was pulled underground yelling, "What the hay?!"

Applejack quickly found herself buried in the earth up to her neck. She began to struggle to free herself, watching as the creature responsible for her current state pulled itself out of the ground in front of her. It then proceeded to crouch down on its two hind legs, once again looking down at her even from its lowered position.

After a few moments of struggling, Applejack came to the horrifying conclusion that she was stuck, and no amount of effort on her part seemed to help. A lump formed in the pit of her stomach as she realized that she was now at the mercy of this thing in front of her. But, there was no way that she was going to let her captor know she was afraid. Mustering as much courage as she could, she began to struggle once again. "Just ya wait, when ah get out of 'ere-"

"I'll be gone," she was cut off as the creature in front of her responded in a playful tone of voice. She took note that it also sounded male...giving her a good idea where she could buck him when she got out of this hole.

The orange earth pony found herself at a loss of words. Whatever she was anticipating, she did not expect the creature to just talk. Maybe attack...but not talk. After a few moments of confusion, she managed to stammer out, "W-what the-"

"When you get out of there, I'll be gone." The masked thing in front of her then slid his left arm out of the long sleeve, revealing two apple cores in its claw-like appendage. In a taunting tone of voice he continued, "I really do want to thank you for giving me these apples though, they were delicious."

The creature reached out and placed the two apple cores just a few inches in front of Applejack's face. Chuckling, it stood up and looked back in the direction she came from. She stared at the cores placed in front of her, her left eyebrow twitching violently at the taunt. Beginning to struggle against her confines again, she looked at the thing in front of her and growled out, "Why...yooouuuu...dirty...low life...no good...rotten critter! When ah get out of 'ere, ah'll-"

"Looks like another one of you is coming," he cut her off again in a casual manner while stretching his limbs. He turned back to her, and in a cheerfully annoying voice said, "I'll be seeing you around...and once again, thanks for the meal."

Applejack watched as he turned to go, a burning rage welling up from deep within her. This...thing...had just humiliated her like no pony had ever done before. She was not about to let him leave without getting something from him in return. Thinking quickly, and hoping to stall long enough for Big Mac to arrive, she yelled out, "name!"

The creature turned to look at her, before responding in a confused voice, "What?"

"What's...ya’ll's...name?" she screamed out at the thing. Blowing a loose strand of blonde mane out of her face so she could glare at her tormentor, she spoke in a deadly calm voice, "Ya take mah apples...bury me in the ground...and then taunt me with the cores? The least ah expect from ya is a name if ya got one. That way ah'll know what to call ya, when ah chase ya down am' buck yall's sorry flank into the dirt!" She began to angrily struggle against her earthen confines once again.

The creature studied her and remained silent for a moment before erupting into a fit of laughter, which served to only further irritate the trapped pony. It looked down at her once more, before replying, "The name's Naruto...and good luck with 'bucking my flank into the dirt,' little pony."

"Just ya wait, Nah-roo-toe," she pronounced his name with as much disdain as possible, "ah'll find ya and ya will get what's comin' to ya!"

Instead of saying anything, Naruto simply lifted one of its forelegs into a mock salute before once again turning around and taking off in the direction of the Everfree forest. Though she downright loathed the thing, she also couldn't help but somewhat admire how the creature moved so quickly on just two legs. She'd be willing to bet few ponies could outrun that pace.

A few moments later Big Mac showed up. He worriedly looked down at Applejack still furiously struggling to get out of the ground, then back to the retreating figure in the distance.

"Ya hurt?" questioned the red stallion.

"Aside from mah pride...ah'm fine. That thing didn't hurt me." Motioning with her head in the direction this Naruto ran off, she asked through grit teeth, "Can ya catch up to 'em?"

Big Mac looked back at the quickly disappearing figure for a moment more before he shook his head. "Nnnope."

"Didn' think so," Applejack sighed in irritation. "Well then, don' just stand there. Go get a shovel and get me out of 'ere!"

Though his face remained neutral, she swore that a glimmer of amusement shone in his eyes for a moment before he responded with a simple, "Eeyup."

The stuck pony watched as her big brother turned and galloped back the way he came. By now she had stopped her struggling, fully aware that it was useless at this point in time. Instead, she took the time to think of her next moves after she got free. She'd clearly need to ask Twilight about this Naruto feller. After all, if anyone knew what he was, Twilight would, most likely. Maybe even Fluttershy as well. She would need Dash's help too...

Thinking of her last friend caused her to sigh in annoyance; she was not looking forward to telling Dash about her experience. There was no way that pegasus would overlook the fact that this earth pony had just been beaten by the very earth beneath her hooves. Applejack groaned at both the irony and the eventual storm of laughter...

Chapter Two: Rainbow Dashed and a Side of Sleep Deprivation

Disclaimer: Someone/some company owns the rights to both My Little Pony and Naruto - not me. If I owned either, I would probably have more money. Since my bank account does not look like I own the rights to any popular franchise, I think it's safe to assume that all rights to both of these series are not mine.

Shadow of the Leaves

Chapter Two: Rainbow Dashed and a Side of Sleep Deprivation

Author: RandomEncounter
Editors: 00Lizard and Meliron

Twilight’s library was generally not a hub of chaos or noise; after all, no one goes to a library to party. Well…except Pinkie Pie. However, that was just once – at least so far. Other than that, the library was normally peaceful and quiet, and that was just the way Twilight liked it. She had much to learn, and so little time to commit herself to this endeavor; any distractions therefore made this task so much more…tedious.

On that note, it must be stated that when the library was not quiet, and there was research needing to be done, Twilight Sparkle was not a happy pony. Coincidentally, she just happened to be in such a situation after Applejack had finished telling Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and herself the story of what had transpired earlier that day at Sweet Apple Acres. And just as the earth pony had suspected earlier, Dash had found the situation more amusing than serious…which was why she was currently filling the library with hysterical laughter.

Applejack, needless to say, was not amused.

"Rainbow," said Twilight as she continued to skim through another book of exotic creatures, "it's hard to concentrate with you being so loud."

"Oh come on, Twilight, lighten up," Dash managed to get out through fits of laughter. "Even you've got to find this a bit funny!"

Applejack groaned, but to her credit said nothing; instead, she merely rubbed her forehead with a hoof at friend's antics. Fluttershy chose to remain silent; or maybe she didn’t choose and was just having a hard time speaking over the laughter. Spike, well…he was ignoring the entire situation by now, instead opting to dust the top shelves and let Twilight sort everything out.

"Funny?" questioned the purple unicorn as she turned her attention away from the book in front of her. "An unknown sentient being appears near Ponyville and buries Applejack up to her neck in the ground...in less than five seconds no less. And you find that amusing?” Twilight huffed at her friend in annoyance. "Frankly Dash, I find that more disturbing than humorous."

"Well, I'm worried too...just...it's a bit funny..." Dash trailed off as she saw her unicorn friend narrow her eyes at her. The pegasus sighed in irritation. "Fine..."

Applejack smiled at her unicorn friend, happy that someone had finally made the nuisance be quiet. "Thank ya kindly, Twilight. Sometimes the element of loyalty," she emphasized the word loyalty as she glanced in Dash's direction, "needs ta be reminded 'bout being loyal ta her friends..."

“Hey,” Dash cried out, clearly insulted. “I’m loyal…but that’s just funny! I wish I had been there to see it! Especially the part where Big Mac had to-“

The door to the library abruptly slammed open. “Hi girls!” exclaimed their friend Pinkie Pie as she made her way around the library, looking under, around, and in random objects.

"Hey Pinkie, you gotta hear this, earlier today Applejack…” she trailed off as she took in her friend’s seemingly erratic behavior. “Err, Pinkie...what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my new friend!" she called out as she climbed up the ladder Spike currently occupied. The little dragon lost his balance for a moment as Pinkie scanned the shelf, her eyeballs acting in ways impossible for other ponies.

Spike managed to maintain his grip on the side of the ladder, and looked relieved as the pink mare made her way back down the ladder to examine other areas of the library. He looked at her strangely for a moment. "New friend?"

"Yuppy guppy!"

"Who's this new friend of yours…umm, if you don’t mind me asking, that is?" timidly inquired Fluttershy.

"I dunno!" exclaimed Pinkie with her normal exuberance as she looked through the potted plant. "There was a new pony in town! I didn't get his name, cause I ran off to get his 'Welcome to Ponyville' party ready!" She then frowned. "But now I can't find him anywhere, and that means he'll miss his own party! Can you imagine how sad he’ll be if he misses his own party?!"

Twilight watched her friend search in circles around the bust of the pony head on the table and sighed. "Pinkie, I'm sorry to hear that," she spoke in a no nonsense manner, "but we have to deal with something a little more important at the moment."

"More important than a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party?" she asked incredulously, stopping her pursuit to briefly look at Twilight with bulging eyes. "Are you crazy?!"

The unicorn started to say something, but stopped; she knew this was an argument she wouldn’t have a chance at winning. "Never mind, Pinkie. Carry on."

The party pony smiled, then proceeded to check under the table.

"Umm, where did you last see this pony?" inquired Fluttershy quietly.

"Just outside Sugarcube Corner," replied the hyperactive mare as she looked through more bookshelves in the library in her quest for the elusive pony. "I was putting some icing on another batch of super delicious cupcakes when I saw him walk by. Then I went–," she gasped sharply, "– and after that I went up to him and told him 'Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?' and I left to get the party ready! He was all surprised and everything! Now I can't find him anywhere though!"

Fluttershy nodded for a moment, then tilted her head in confusion. "Well...umm...why are you looking through the bookshelves for him?"

Pinkie looked at her animal loving friend with a knowledgeable expression. "Well, duh. Because he's that good at hide and seek, you silly filly!" She walked up to Fluttershy and patted her on the head with a hoof. "But don’t you worry, Auntie Pinkie Pie is better!"

Dash couldn't help but laugh at her friend’s behavior at this point. Her renewed laughter, however, earned her another brief glare from Twilight, forcing her to stifle her amusement to controlled giggles. "Hey Pinkie, maybe he's hiding in your mane?"

Pinkie Pie's eyes went wide at this statement. "OH! Good idea, Rainbow Dash!” she happily exclaimed. Quickly running to the door, she stopped just long enough to say, "Bye everypony, I’ve got to find a brush now!"

With that, Pinkie Pie left the library almost as fast as she had come in. Twilight immediately went back to looking through another book, while Applejack shrugged at Fluttershy’s confused look. Dash on the other hand was thoroughly examining the floor through fits of laughter.

At least this time Twilight was done skimming through the last book on different species of creatures throughout the world, so the additional noise did not bother her as much as previously. Yet, her expression was still sour; she simply could not find any reference to anything remotely like the being Applejack had described. A diamond dog came close, but she was sure what was at the farm was entirely different from the behavior and abilities described, even if it did burrow. “Fluttershy, are you sure you haven’t heard of any creature like this before?”

The kind pegasus nodded and confidently replied, “Oh yes, I’m sure.”

“I see,” muttered the annoyed unicorn as she looked at the ground, briefly lost in thought. She sighed and looked at her friends. “Well girls, I can’t find any reference in any of the books here. But perhaps there’s something in the archives at Canterlot…or Princess Celestia may even know what we’re dealing with…”

She shook her head and smiled, “I’ll write her a letter immediately. But in the mean time we should keep a look out for him just in case.”

Twilight turned to look at her polychromatic friend. “Dash, starting tomorrow I think perhaps you should watch the orchard for Applejack over the next few days. If it was looking for food, there’s a chance he might be back again.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Oh yeah, just you wait! If I see this thing, I’ll take it down in ten seconds flat!”

Twilight turned her attention to Applejack and smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you today. Hopefully I’ll hear something back from the princess soon after I send the letter.”

“That’s okay, sugarcube,” said the farm mare as she waved a hoof at her, “ah thank ya fer at least checkin’.” She looked out the window to see the sun had already begun to set. “Well, ah best be headin’ back ta the farm then.” Applejack nodded her head at the remaining occupants in the library, before leaving. She was quickly followed by Dash who kept muttering how awesome it would be if she met the Wonderbolts when she captured the unknown apple thief.

“I should get back as well, there’s a few things I still need to do around the cottage,” said Fluttershy as she made her way out the door. “Goodnight, Twilight.”

Twilight waved goodbye at her friends one last time before closing the door and looking up at her assistant. "Spike!"

"Yeah, Twilight?" answered the dragon as he finished dusting another shelf of books off.

"Come down and take a letter please,” she paused and waited for him to climb down. She began to pace back and forth, thinking of her exact wording as Spike grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment. Once she was satisfied that he was ready, she began to dictate. “Dear Princess Celestia..."

~'.'~'.'~

”Dash, starting tomorrow I think perhaps you should watch the orchard for Applejack over the next few days."

Rainbow Dash let out a long exaggerated sigh, followed by an annoyed growl. That had been three days ago. Three long...slow...agonizing…days for the cyan pegasus.

It had been simple at first. All she really needed was a good eye, which she had. Some luck, another resource that she could readily count on. A comfy cloud positioned over the orchard, of course; no pony wants to be uncomfortable for hours on end after all, right? And above all else, patience...and that is where the problems began.

Sadly, Rainbow Dash was never known for embracing that particular concept. She knew it really wasn't her fault either; it was just that being patient meant the same thing as sitting around and being bored.

Could any pony really expect Equestria's fastest and most awesome flyer to sit around doing nothing? Of course not! Besides, she had expected the creature to return the next day. She’d take him down, and everyone would tell her how awesome she was! Instead…it had turned out like this…

"Ugh," moaned Dash as she let her head hang over the cloud in a dejected manner. "Can't that thing just come out so I can catch him already?" She rolled onto her back to stare up at the sun, trying to think of something interesting to keep her mind occupied. Sadly, that was never one of her strong suits.

As she lay there, she couldn’t help but notice how heavy her eyelids seemed. She looked down at the orchard again, not surprised in the least bit to see no indication the creature had returned. She glanced around to see if anyone was looking, before shrugging and lying on her back.

“Well, a five minute nap won’t hurt anypony,” she muttered as she closed her eyes and quickly dozed off.

And thus, this brings us to our next great flaw of Rainbow Dash – keeping time. She was horrible at doing so while awake. Often times she would guess an hour had passed while bored, but in reality it had just been ten minutes. Other times she would concentrate so much on practicing a new trick that she forgot that time even existed.

Why, then, she assumed that she could keep up with time in her sleep would forever remain a mystery to a sane mind.

So it should come as no surprise then that Dash slept for more than a few minutes…or a few hours even. By the time the mare awoke from her slumber the sun had long since set, and the moon was hanging brightly in the sky overhead.

Stretching out her legs, then wiping some drool off her face, she quickly glanced around and chuckled guiltily. “Guess I overslept a bit. Oh well, what Applejack doesn’t know can’t hurt me.” She stood up, and this time stretched her back.

Dash took a moment to look at the orchard bellow her, then towards Ponyville. Hardly any of the town’s buildings had any lights left on; except of course the library where Twilight was pulling another of her late nighters. Dash respected and cared for her friend deeply, but she just couldn’t understand that unicorn’s motivation to spend so much time reading books. Then again, that’s why Twilight was the egghead, and not her.

Stretching her wings, she spared a glance back towards the Everfree Forest. As always, it seemed far more sinister and foreboding at night than it did during the day; and though Dash would never outwardly admit it, the thought of that place at night always gave her the creeps.

Just as she was turning around to take off for her cloud house, she did a double take as something in the forest caught her attention. She looked back and squinted. Deep in the forest she could barely make out a faint glow. It was distant, though; so distant that a pony would probably not see it from the ground. But from her vantage point it was unmistakably there.

“Huh, that’s…strange,” muttered the pegasus. There was no reason anything should be out that far in the forest, unless it was Zecora of course; but the zebra’s hut was nowhere near whatever the source of light was.

Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she threw caution to the wind, not that she was ever really cautious, and flew off to investigate the source of the light she saw. As Dash got closer to the light, she began to fly closer to the treetops. It wasn’t long before she reached the light source: a small fire. And sitting near the fire, resting against the trunk of a tree, was the creature Applejack had warned her about a few days earlier.

Quickly and quietly, she dropped in under the tree line through an opening, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Dash hid behind the trunk of a tree, which was situated far enough away from the fire to easily hide her presence in the shadows.

The pegasus saw that it was reading a book in the light, and her presence had seemingly gone unnoticed. Its mask was currently laying on the ground, though she couldn’t see the being’s face due to the hood on his cloak, obscuring it from this angle. She would have to risk getting in its field of vision to see what it looked like. Or she could just capture him and find out that way…which of course made the most sense to her.

She watched for a few more moments before the creature closed the book it was reading. It then picked up the mask lying on the ground next to it and placed it on its face before standing up and stretching. She tensed up for a moment as she thought that perhaps it had heard her sneaking up on it. However, when the cloaked figure began to poke the fire with a stick, she grinned. It still didn’t know she was here, and that meant now was her time to strike!

Dash reared back, an assured grin plastered on her face as she got ready to tackle the thing while it was distracted.

Before she could even yell out 'Got ya,’ however, something brushed up against her ear. "You make too much noise to sneak up on me," quietly spoke a masculine voice.

"Gah!" squealed a startled Dash as she blindly took off to her left, flying straight into a tree, and falling to the ground in a heap. Shaking her head from the impact, the pegasus turned to meet the sudden voice. Standing tall above her, and far too close for comfort, was the same creature that had been sitting at the fire. Sparing a glance back towards the small camp, she no longer saw anything standing there.

Rainbow quickly looked back at the figure in wide-eyed confusion. "What the hay? But…you were just…"

The figure in front of her crossed its forelegs and chuckled. “Yeah, I get that a lot. I’m curious though…” he trailed off and briefly glanced up at the sky. “It’s long past midnight…and I was sure that all of you little horses would be in bed by this time of night. Trouble sleeping?"

Dash’s surprise quickly turned into a mild irritation at being called a horse. "Hey! I'm a pony, not a horse…and I sleep just fine!"

"Seems I hit a sore spot. So.." the masked figure trailed off as he crouched down to get a better look at his stalker. "You look familiar..." he said with a scrutinizing tone as he stared at the mare in the dim light. "Ah, I know why now. You're that flying pony that's been trying to watch that apple orchard for the past three days..."

"What?" she asked wide eyed. "How do you know about that?

"I've been watching you of course," stated the creature matter-of-factly, "waiting for you to take naps before I got more apples."

“Wait…huh…” she trailed off for a moment before getting defensive. “Who the hay…WHAT the hay are you?! Are you a spy?!"

"Hmm…I never was really good at that part of my...profession," he chuckled, "so no, not a spy.” He paused for a moment. “Well, technically I was watching you…so I guess in this case yeah.”

“So you are a spy?!”

“If only to get some apples for lunch,” he replied nonchalantly. “Otherwise, what reason could I possibly have to spy on you?”

She narrowed her eyes in irritation. "Listen, Chump! You're talking to Equestria's most awesome pony ever! If there was any pony in Ponyville to spy on, it would be me!”

"My name's Naruto, not Chump!" countered the biped. "And that's supposed to mean something to me?"

"Yeah, it should!" yelled Dash. She pointed her hoof at him, "And your name's Chump cause you look like a chump, Chump!"

Naruto said nothing for a moment, but eventually sighed and shook his head. “You don't even know what I look like,” he said in an exasperated tone of voice, “and thinking sounds like it's painful for you. Perhaps you crashed into that tree a little too hard?"

Dash narrowed her eyes at that last comment and dropped low to the ground, once again preparing to tackle her opponent, even if this time she didn't have the jump on him. "You're going down," she paused, and then smugly added, "in ten seconds flat even, CHUMP!"

"Oh, is that so?” he questioned as his voice suddenly took on a slightly challenging tone. “A long time ago, someone important to me once said that those with no talent often bark the loudest..." he said nostalgically. His voice then went back to its now familiar, and annoying, mocking tone while he adopted a more defensive posture, "And just in case you weren't aware, you're extremely loud..."

That statement finally pushed Rainbow Dash over the edge. She ground her teeth and lunged at the annoying creature in front of her. It was time some pony put him in his place…and he was about to find out what happened when you messed with pure awesome!

~'.'~'.'~

"Well, it certainly did take ten seconds for you to go flat," muttered Naruto as he finished tying up the struggling pony; Dash really was intent on not making this easy for him. "Hold still already, you sore loser..."

“Somepony…anypony, HELP ME!” screamed Dash as she fought against the ropes.

"No one…err, pony can hear you out this far, you know that, right?” All he got in response was a few more shouts from the mare. “Do I need to suspend you from a tree branch?" Once again, he received no direct response other than her continued struggles and calling for help that would never come. He looked down at her and shrugged. “Fine, have it your way, then.”

“What are you going to do?” she asked angrily as he tied another rope to her restraints. She saw him throw one end of the rope over a thick tree branch overhead, before feeling a tugging sensation as her body was yanked upwards.

“Let me go!” She tried to buck the jerk with her hind legs, but he dodged them easily enough. Soon she found herself at eye level with her jailer. He then bent down and tied the other end of the rope through a thick root protruding from the ground.

“What do you want from me?!”

“Hey, just remember that you’re the one that came looking for a fight, not me. As for what I want,” his voice became mischievous, “oh, nothing much. In fact, I’m hoping that we can get past our differences, and talk like adults for a while.” Her captor chuckled. “You know, just hang out with each other.”

Dash’s eyes narrowed at his attempted joke.

In turn, he let out a few more chuckles. "Sorry about this," his voice still sounded amused, yet also held a hint of sincerity, "but you decided to come out here, and I've got some questions I need answered-"

She cut him off. "I'm not telling you anything!"

He sighed and crossed his forelegs again. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? They all say that, you know. Every last one of them,” his voice had gone cold, sending a shiver down the pegasus’ spine. She really had no idea what he was talking about, but she did not like that tone one bit. It screamed…predator.

“But, everyone…well pony in your case, talks eventually,” he walked back up to her and raised one of his forelegs up to her side, the claws at the end of it eventually falling out of her field of vision. She began to once again struggle vigorously against her bindings in vain only to freeze up as she felt those five small appendages at the end of its legs come into contact with the side of her neck.

Naruto brought his masked visage close to the mare’s face, forcing her to look into the pitch-black eyeholes of the mask. “Have I got your full attention now?”

She said nothing in return, opting instead to continue staring at him with wide eyes.

“Good,” he said in a more pleasant tone. “Now, I’m going to ask you a question, and you’re going to answer it.”

Rainbow Dash cringed slightly, fully aware of the unspoken ‘or else.’

A few agonizing moments passed before he finally spoke again. “Are you ticklish?”

Whatever she was expecting, the pegasus certainly wasn’t ready for that question. The pony paused, her brain trying to process the strange inquiry. “Uh, wha..?”

“Wrong answer,” he trailed off as he began to tickle her neck. She quickly found out that those strange claws of his proved to be much more effective at such an act than a hoof ever could be.

“H-hey!” she managed to choke out. “Q-q-qq-quit it!”

“Maybe I will,” he said in an amused tone of voice, “that is, if you decide to cooperate with me and answer my questions.” He stopped for a moment to let her catch her breath and wait for her reply.

She gasped a few times for air, before looking at him with a determined expression. “I’m not going to tell you anything, CHUMP!”

Rainbow Dash found out that was probably not the best way of dealing with the situation at hoof. For the next few minutes he proceeded to mercilessly tickle her neck, this time with both of his claw-like appendages. Her sides were beginning to hurt, and breathing was becoming a luxury, but she was determined not to lose.

Unfortunately for the mare however, so was Naruto.

It took a few minutes, but Dash could only take so much before caving in. “O-o-o-kay, okay!” she cried out gasping for air. “I’ll tell you whatever you want! Just no more, alright?”

“Told you, everyone…you know what,” he said in mild irritation, “I’m sure you know what I mean when I say everyone, so just deal with it. Anyway, as I was saying…everyone eventually talks.”

She merely grunted in reply.

“Well then, as I’ve said before…I have a number of questions that need answering, and I'm glad that you've finally decided to-“

He was cut off by a loud growl coming from Rainbow Dash’s stomach. An awkward moment was shared between Dash and her captor as they both looked at each other in silence. The mare was wide-eyed, and a small blush could be seen on her cheeks.

Naruto continued to stare at her for a moment before chuckling. "Hungry?"

"What's it to ya, chump?" she huffed in annoyance.

Naruto ignored her calling him a chump once again, and instead walked over to his bag near the fire. Quickly rummaging through it, she saw him pull out one of the apples he must have pilfered from Sweet Apple Acres…probably that day even if his earlier comments were to be believed. He walked back over to her, brought the apple up to her face, and held it there.

She looked at the proffered fruit, then back at him in confusion. “Huh?”

"I may seem mean at the moment, but I’m not cruel," he said in a joking manner. Tilting his head to the side, his voice then took on a more somber tone, "And I won't let someone go without food in front of me. I know first-hand how much it sucks to go hungry…”

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~

Author’s Note:

Well, hello there again everyone. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone, all three hundred plus of you, that favorited this story. In all honesty, I did not think for a second that something I wrote as an offhanded idea in a matter of hours would garner as much attention as it did, even if it IS a Naruto crossover. Once again, thanks everyone, and I hope you continue to enjoy where this story will go.

This chapter was certainly…interesting, and a little bit longer than I envisioned; first time writing for Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. How did I do? Feedback would be helpful!

Just a heads up, but each chapter will generally feel a bit different than the others; after all, the main pony of each chapter (if there is one) should bring a new feel and interaction to the table. Wouldn’t you agree?

Also, the next update has no ETA; I got to beat Diablo 3 on nightmare difficulty next. I also want to get chapter three of Thunderstruck done first. Once that is out I’ll begin work on chapter three of SotL. Anyway, until next time, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Chapter Three: The Best Laid Plans of Clones and Man

Disclaimer: I don’t own either My Little Pony or Naruto. Enough said. Just read.

This chapter is dedicated to Meliron for the inspiration I gained from his undying loathing of Rainbow Dash!

Shadow of the Leaves

Chapter Three: The Best Laid Plans of Clones and Man

Author: RandomEncounter
Editors: 00Lizard and Meliron

The sounds of birds chirping filled the air as rays of the morning sun filtered through the windows of Fluttershy’s cottage. Inside the cottage, Fluttershy was happily humming while preparing breakfast. She didn’t rise as early as some ponies, but she also didn’t have the luxury to sleep in that late. The animals around her cottage needed to be fed and tended to, after all. As such, the day was more often than not determined by their needs. Though, that’s not to say she minded; in fact, quite the opposite. She loved all her animals very much, and took extra care to ensure they had what they needed.

A knock at the door pulled the pony’s attention away from her morning routine. The mare silently wondered who could be at the door at this hour. She seldom had visitors this early.

Fluttershy softly called out “Coming!” as she trotted to the door. She received no reply, other than a strange, yet oddly familiar noise that she couldn’t quite place. She put her ear to the door and listened closely. It sounded like something... snoring? As loud as it was, Fluttershy began to wonder if a bear had fallen asleep at her front door. It was possible, after all. Maybe the poor thing needed a safe and cozy place to rest for a few hours.

She opened the door and was greeted not with a bear, but her friend Rainbow Dash. Even stranger, she noted that her friend’s wings and forelegs were bound with rope.

Since moving to Ponyville, she experienced many weird things, but finding her friend bound and asleep on her doorstep was one of the weirdest.

The yellow pegasus prodded her friend's shoulder with a hoof. “Umm, Rainbow Dash?”

The sleeping mare, however, was not going to unconsciously put up with Fluttershy trying to wake her up; she just rolled over and continued to snore.

Fluttershy gently placed her front hooves on her friend’s shoulders and shook her a little. “Um... Rainbow Dash?”

The snoring subsided momentarily … but quickly picked up even louder than before.

Fluttershy was prepared to shake her friend even more, but was halted by a furry paw placed on her hoof. Looking down, she noticed Angel Bunny looking back up at her shaking his head, pointing his other paw at himself.

“Oh, can you wake her up?” she asked her pet.

Angel Bunny nodded excitedly and Fluttershy took a step away from her friend, content to let the hare wake the sleeping pegasus. The rabbit quickly hopped into the air and planted his foot squarely in Rainbow Dash’s face.

Fluttershy gasped. “Angel Bunny! You don’t kick ponies in the face!” she reprimanded the rabbit.

Angel Bunny uncaringly shrugged and hopped back inside.

The kick, however, did have its desired effect as Dash groaned and groggily opened her eyes. “What the hay was that for?” whined her polychromatic, and formerly sound asleep, friend. “I answered all your questions, can’t I …” Rainbow Dash trailed off as she became aware of her surroundings. Rolling over, she blankly stared at Fluttershy for a moment, before adopting a sheepish grin. “Eh … he … uhh, heeeey, Fluttershy. Nice weather we’re having today, isn’t it?”

The pink-maned pegasus blinked in confusion. “Umm, I suppose so …”

“Yeah … so …” Rainbow Dash looked around the area again before turning back to her friend. “Hey, listen … you didn’t happen to see a tall creature wearing a black cloak and mask anywhere around here, did ya?”

“Well, no …” Fluttershy trailed off as her eyes went wide. She frantically began to look over her friend, “Oh no! Are you okay? Did that creature hurt you? Is it still around? Should I-”

Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head, cutting her friend’s frantic questioning short. “No, Fluttershy … I’m fine.” She moved her head around to examine her surroundings, “And I’m pretty sure he’s gone … at least I guess he is.”

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked a little shaken. “Oh, thank Celestia.”

“Soooo, can you maybe do me a tiny favor perhaps, Fluttershy?”

“Of course!”

Dash gestured with her head at the ropes binding her wings and forelegs. “Would you mind maybe giving me a hoof here?”

“Oh, yes! Right! Umm,” Fluttershy studied the ropes and knots for a moment, unsure at first about how to proceed, before she experimentally began tugging on them in a few places. Try as she might, her efforts proved futile; after a few minutes it became apparent that she would more than likely get nowhere at this rate.

Dash let out a frustrated noise that was a mix between a groan and a growl. “Okay then … how about you just drag me inside for the moment and we’ll think of something after that ...”

The yellow pegasus nodded, “Alright.” Fluttershy grabbed part of the rope that was binding Dash before dragging her inside. For such a proud pegasus, this was seemingly the last in a long line of humiliations over the last few hours …

“Oww!”

… That is until her head connected with the doorway on accident.

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

When Fluttershy finished dragging her friend inside, she at first tried to find her scissors, however, they were nowhere to be found. Next, she attempted to undo the knots once again. Rainbow’s luck seemed to hold steady as the ropes would not loosen in the slightest.

Fluttershy sighed. “Sorry, but I’m not good with ropes and knots. That’s something Applejack … oh! Applejack! She'll know what to do. I’ll go get her!”

Dash grimaced at the suggestion, her ego unwilling to suffer the indignation. “Can we try something else, instead?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I can’t think of anything else.”

Dash thought for a moment before letting out yet another groan. “Ugh … fiiiiiiiiiine … “

Fluttershy trotted over to the front door. “I’ll be back as soon as possible. You stay right th--” Rainbow Dash’s annoyed stare cut her off. “Oh, sorry, I mean … I’ll be back.” With that, the shy mare hastily flew out the door.

Dash grumbled as she laid her head against the floor. She stared at the wall in front of her, but quickly noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head around, she saw Angel Bunny standing right next to her. “What are you looking at, chump?”

Stupid move on her part.

Her eyes widened as Angel Bunny smiled and produced a marker from behind his back, quickly popping the top of it off.

Rainbow Dash blinked for a second before gritting her teeth. “Hey, don’t you dare do what I think you’re about to do!” she growled at the rabbit.

With a smirk, the hare proceeded to show Dash why it’s never a good idea to tell Angel Bunny what he should and should not dare do. Especially by the tied up pony that interrupted his breakfast ...

~’.’~’.’~

Angel Bunny was a misunderstood animal … or at least that’s what Fluttershy tried to convince everypony to believe. Being the element of kindness generally meant she could see the good in places nopony else could. And one had to really dig deep to find the good in her pet rabbit … really deep ...

… Especially when said bunny seemingly cared nothing for the plight of others when it was itself annoyed, angry, or simply mildly disgruntled when he doesn’t have breakfast on time.

By the time Fluttershy had made it back to her cottage with Applejack in tow, Angel Bunny had already drawn a moustache and monocle on Dash. Thankfully for the tied up pony, Applejack managed to keep her snickering to a minimum as she got to work on the ropes. Fluttershy, on the other hand, began to profusely apologize for her pet’s behavior.

“I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash! I know he was cranky from being hungry, but I’ve told Angel Bunny a number of times not to mark on anything or anypony with markers!”

All Dash gave in response was a low, almost inaudible, growl.

Fluttershy ducked her head a little at Dash’s response, then turned to Applejack who was in the midst of attempting to undo a particularly stubborn knot. “How’s it look?”

The farm pony snorted a bit. “Well, I ‘ave ta admit that this fellar can tie a mighty fine knot,” Applejack grunted as she tried with all her might to free the tied up pegasus from her rather embarrassing predicament.

“Uh, yeeeeaaah,” Dash drawled out, “complimenting that chump isn’t helping my mood, Applejack …”

“Quit yer complainin’,” Applejack remarked as she stopped for a moment to examine the rope again. “Ya shoulda thought about that before ya took ‘em on alone. An’ ya’ll wasn’t the one buried up to your neck in the ground by this fellar, I might add.”

“Ugh, like this is better!” protested the multi-colored mare.

"It’s heaps better n’ being buried!” Applejack annoyedly shot back at her friend.

“Umm, girls …” the soft voice of Fluttershy interjected. “Could you two not argue … please? I mean, if that’s okay with you two …”

Applejack looked at Fluttershy for a moment before sighing. “Sorry, ah’m just frustrated with these knots ‘ere.”

Dash grunted. “How do you think I feel being tied up by them!” she cried out, frustration getting the better of her, as usual. “Fluttershy, are you sure you can’t find that pair of scissors?”

The pink maned pegasus shook her head. “No, I’m terribly sorry. I’ve looked everywhere for them, and Angel Bunny says he doesn’t remember where he placed them.”

“Why the hay was he using them, anyway?”

“He gets bored at times, so he does some arts and crafts with paper,” replied the animal-loving mare as if she believed that was just normal behavior for a pet bunny.

Dash turned to glare at the rabbit, who in turn was looking at her with a smirk. ‘... Of course he misplaced them, my flank,’ she thought bitterly before groaning. “Well, this day has just been awesome so far …”

A knock at the door drew the attention of the cottage’s occupants. The three mares looked at each other for a moment before Applejack whispered to Fluttershy, “It’s still rather early in the mornin’, were ya expectin’ somepony else?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, not that I can remember.”

“Hmm … Fluttershy, let me hide behind the door before ya’ answer it,” said the blonde earth pony.

“D-do you think it’s him again?” questioned the shy mare with a hint of fear in her voice.

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, ah don’ reckon it is that Nahrootoe fellar again," she spat the name out in disdain, "but ah don' think we should take any chances, either.”

Fluttershy glanced nervously at the door, then to Applejack who was motioning for her to answer it, and suddenly found herself unable to move from the spot she currently occupied. What if it was him? What would she do? What would he do? Would he hurt them?

As the questions raced in her mind, there was another knock at the door, but this time a voice accompanied it. “Fluttershy? Are you there?” questioned a muffled voice from the other side; a familiar female voice, at that.

Fluttershy recognized who it was right away and quickly went to answer the door. “Twilight? What are you doing here so early?” It was well known that Twilight often slept in due to her late-night study sessions; seeing her up before nine was quite the feat.

“I came as soon as I heard …” she trailed off as she took in the tied-up figure of Rainbow Dash with a cross expression. “Soooo … I see that you not only confronted him … but you tried to take him on alone …”

Dash rolled her eyes at what she knew was coming. “Uh, yeah?”

“And what did the letter from Princess Celestia say?” Twilight asked dryly.

The pegasus blinked for a moment. “Err … to stop and capture him?”

Twilight brought a hoof to her forehead and sighed. “No, Rainbow Dash, she did not instruct us to do that. She expressly stated to observe and report, and not approach him alone-” The unicorn stopped as she noticed Applejack in the room as well, her face looking somewhat shocked. “Uh, Applejack?”

The farm pony looked at her friend’s perplexed expression. “Uh … good mornin’ to ya too, sugar cube?”

Twilight looked at her for a moment, confusion evident in her eyes. “I thought you were going to stay at the library …”

“Beg yer pardon?”

Fluttershy looked at her friend with concern. “Twilight, is something wrong?”

“I … just left you at the library,” Twilight slowly spoke.

The other ponies looked at each other, before looking back at their confused friend. Applejack was the first to speak up. “Ah’ve been here for the last half hour, sugar cube.”

“But I just saw you not fifteen minutes ago!” Twilight insisted, impatiently.

“Twilight, what the hay!” exclaimed the tied up mare. “Did a pile of books fall on that egghead of yours?”

“What, no, I--” her eyes widened in fear. “If that wasn’t you, then who did I leave Spike alone with?” Without another word, Twilight turned and galloped out the door. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash shared a brief stare at one another before the pegasus and earth pony took off to follow the distressed unicorn.

“H-hey, what about me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Jus’ hold on, Dash. We’ll be back for ya later,” replied Applejack as she sped out the door after Twilight.

Fluttershy glanced back at Applejack and Twilight speeding off, then turned back to Dash. “Umm, sorry, we’ll be back soon. Angel Bunny, be nice to Dash while I’m gone.”

Dash’s protests fell on deaf ears as the door closed behind Fluttershy. She sighed and suddenly spoke her mind. “Great … How can this day get any worse?” She tiredly turned her head to Angel Bunny. “Ya know, how about you just leave me alone this time?”

Angel Bunny turned to look at Dash with an annoyed expression, before hopping onto her back and looking at her bindings. He visually inspected them for a moment before hopping up to the sofa and reaching under the cushions. With a cheery expression, he pulled out the missing pair of scissors. That mane looked like it had a few split ends and could use a bit of a trim ...

Looking at the smile on the bunny’s face in exasperation, Dash could only think of one thing to utter. “Ah … horseapples.”

~’.’~’.’~

A million thoughts were running through Twilight Sparkle's head as she galloped back towards the library. In hindsight everything just seemed … off. Little inconsistencies with the other Applejack’s behavior that she had overlooked because she had simply concentrated more on Rainbow Dash’s actions. The way she was greeted, the speech patterns, and perhaps most importantly, the fact that Applejack would never leave one of her friends in need. She may not be the element of loyalty, but she looked after everypony close to her just the same.

“Twilight!” cried out a voice behind her, jerking her from her thoughts. She twisted her head over her shoulder, seeing Applejack and Fluttershy, the former quickly catching up to her. “Wait up sugar cube!”

“There’s no time!” replied the frantic unicorn, her gallop not slowing down in the slightest. “I left Spike alone with your doppelganger! Something could have happened …” Twilight trailed off and bit her lip, a look of both worry and determination on her face.

The orange farm pony finally caught up with her friend, galloping shoulder to shoulder with her. “Ah still don’t rightly know what’s going’ on, but if ya say somepony is goin’ around pretendin’ ta be me, ah intend to get ta the bottom of it as well.”

Twilight didn’t respond, and instead just nodded at her friend as the two continued to race towards the library, with Fluttershy not too far behind. By the time they reached the outskirts of Ponyville itself, though, Twilight looked fairly worn out; unlike her farm pony friend, she wasn’t used to prolonged physical exertion … especially without pacing herself.

This did not go unnoticed by Applejack. “Sugar cube, ya need ta slow down. If there’s trouble waitin’ fer us, it won’ do ya any good ta be ready ta pass out.”

Twilight reluctantly nodded and slowed her pace. She was so absorbed with the problem at hand, she didn’t even notice Rarity and a familiar little purple shape standing in the middle of the street.

“Twilight?”

“No time, Spike!” she cried out as she ran past Rarity and her assistant. It took a moment for her brain to register the fact that she had just ran past the focus of her worry; she almost stumbled to a stop before turning around. “Spike?”

Her assistant looked at her. “Uh, the one and only?”

The sense of dread that had formed in the pit of her stomach gave way to relief, as she ran back to Rarity and the baby dragon with Fluttershy and Applejack right behind her. “Oh, thank Celestia you’re okay!” she exclaimed through gasps, trying to catch her breath.

“Yeah … why wouldn’t I be?” asked Spike, confused and scratching the back of his head.

“That’s -- “ she shook her head; now that her little brother was safe, she had to concentrate on the task at hand. “Nevermind for now! Where’s Applejack?”

Spike and Rarity looked at the real Applejack standing next to Twilight, then back to the slightly off-balanced looking unicorn.

“Uh … Is this a trick question?”

Rarity stepped forward, a hint of concern on her face. “Darling, are you feeling alright?”

Twilight rolled her eyes in frustration. “No time to explain! Did you leave Applejack at the library last time you saw her?”

“Before I answer that, I’d just like to say you are worrying me, Twilight.”

“Yes or no, Spike?” she demanded.

“Yes!” he yelled out as he cringed away.

“Twilight, dear, what’s going --”

“Fluttershy, stay with Spike and Rarity. Applejack and I will check the library out!”

“Okay.” Fluttershy said with a nod.

Without another word, Twilight resumed galloping towards her residence. The sounds of hooves hitting the cobblestone behind her told her Applejack had followed without question. In no time at all, they found themselves coming up on the familiar treehouse.

“Applejack, when we get there --”

“Wait up!” cried out a familiar voice from above.

The two ponies stopped to look up. Flying towards them was the unmistakable form of Rainbow Dash. Landing in front of them, they both took note of her disheveled look.

“How’d you get out of the ropes … “ Twilight trailed off as she took notice of the state of her friend’s mane. ”And what happened to your hair?”

Rainbow Dash looked incredibly annoyed and her eye twitched at the mention of the missing chunk from the bottom of her mane. “Angel Bunny found the scissors. I’d rather not talk about it. So what’s the plan?”

Twilight nodded and looked up, quickly adjusting for Rainbow Dash. “I left the balcony door unlocked. You enter from there and then make your way downstairs to us. Applejack and I will go through the front door. If whatever it is, is still in there, we’ll corner it.”

The unicorn received quick nods from both of her friends. With that, Rainbow Dash took off for the top floor as she and Applejack to make their way to the front door.

“You ready?”

Applejack looked at her resolutely and nodded. “Sure am, sugar cube.”

Twilight quickly nodded in return and flung open the front door. Both ponies dashed inside, ready for whatever was about to greet them.

Whatever they expected, though, all they were met with was silence. Looking around, they noticed a number of books strewn across the floor, the library in a state of disarray. It was clear that somepony had rummaged through the collection of books in a hurry.

A noise from the stairwell drew their attention as Rainbow Dash flew down into the room. “There’s nopony up there … “ She trailed off as she looked around the room. “Woah, Twilight, what the hay happened here?”

As Twilight looked around the library, her expression changed to one of anger as she took in the extent of the mess. “Rainbow,” she growled, “go get the others and bring them back here. I need to send Princess Celestia a letter.”

Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortably around the library. “Eeeeehhhhh, yeah. I’ll go do that.” The pegasus quickly retreated from the room, not wanting to be around an angry Twilight at the moment.

Applejack trotted up to Twilight and laid a hoof on her shoulder. “Ya alright, Twilight?”

“No,” she ground out, “but I will be, once I find the pony responsible for this abomination of a mess.”

~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~

Author’s Note:

Oh look … you guys got the promised update finally. A week or so late, but better late than never! Right? … Right?

…

Yeah, I know, I’ll go sit in the corner for a while now.

Anyway, next chapter has already been started (if only because I cut parts of this chapter out to be used in the next chapter.) We’ll see how long that one will take me …

So, you’ll see me update again something in September! … I jest (I believe I do at least!)